It's A Book!

Saturday, July 28, 2012 No comments
I'm kind of a big mouth. I don't think I'm super obnoxious, but I do tell people about books every chance I get and sometimes talk too much. (ok, all the time!)


I was recommending these fab books to a friend the other day and thought to myself, "hmm, I should blog about these, too!" T and I both love them!
It's a Book

Author and illustrator Lane Smith has written an absolutely adorable book about a book. Two friends are going back and forth about what to do with a book. The snips and snaps are perfect for this digital transition (sniff, sniff) we are currently a part of! My first graders love the book...especially the pictures! *I should mention the book has the word jacka$$. I always substitute and move on. The kids are used to seeing sticky notes all over my books!


Watch the book trailer by clicking HERE. I think it will appeal to so many age groups...including grownups! 


So, when I saw there was a board book version, I rushed out and picked it up to read with T. I mean, 3 year olds are more tech savvy than most of us! He LOVED it!!! He wants to read it again and again. In fact, while we were reading another book, he started acting out parts of this one! That means it is a hit! 
It's a Little Book

Watch the book trailer for this one HERE! So fun! The two little guys from the first book are going through the same thing but as their younger selves AND in diapers no less! "Is it for flying?" No. "Is it for typing?" No. Aaah! Get these books! We love the pattern and we love the art!


Do you have any favorites that you aren't sharing? Please post in the comments! 

National Geographic Kids Deal!

Monday, July 23, 2012 1 comment
Red Alert! Red Alert! Dollar Tree has National Geographic Kids Early Readers for $1.00 each! I'm thinking nonfiction. I'm thinking Common Core. I'm thinking research. I'm thinking about the $3.99 I paid at Barnes and Noble AND the $3.83 I paid on Amazon. Seriously, click here to see for yourself! 

Here is the box at Dollar Tree. It is in the educational section, not with the books.
 I bought the Safari (pre-reader,) Ponies (level 1,) and Race Day (pre-reader.) They had Sharks (level 2) but I already had that one. (See $3.99 note above!)
 Here is the text progression in case you were wondering.
What a deal! Now, I should tell you-the pages aren't glossy like my $4 books, but they are a buck and will certainly make for some happy reading! 

Go grab some and let me know if you find any others!

When you wish upon a star....

A friend recently asked what my passion is. being a mom? teaching? writing? traveling?  blogging? She wanted to know my REAL passion. I thought about my answer in a rather awkward moment or two of silence. With my head tilted ever so slightly to the side, I smiled and said,  Children


My reasons for this are Real Simple. Children embody the spirit I wish every adult had. They are carefree. They are the future. They are why I teach. They are the reason I love being a mother. They are the reason I blog. They are the reason I read. They are the reason I smile nonstop, especially with my own little guy. They are the reason I support the Shot@Life campaign. 


Children around the world are the same. They all love to play and have attention. They wish on the same stars and give the best night time kisses. One big difference is the amount of care they mothers are able to access for them. Did you know that by the end of 2011, GAVI had contributed to the immunization of an additional 326 million children? Those children might not otherwise have had access to vaccines. These vaccinations averted more than five-and-a-half million future deaths. 
5,500,000 deaths
That is not ok. My passion is children and I am standing up for them. It is not acceptable for children around the world to die from vaccine preventable diseases. Unacceptable. 
Look at these faces! What a blessing that the United Nations Foundation and Shot@Life campaign are making a difference in countries like Tanzania! 
Come learn more about Shot@Life. Sign up for more information! You don't need lots of money. You don't need lots of connections. You only need a passion for helping children.


When I see that shooting star tonight, I'll be wishing that ALL children get a shot@ making wishes on their own shooting stars!

**Free and Fabulous Journal**

Friday, July 20, 2012 No comments
I love a journal! I love writing down the whacky things my kid says! I love sharing my journal with my first graders! 


In the best news I've gotten all day, Paper Coterie is supporting the Shot@Life campaign and offering a FREE JOURNAL to customers!! Not just that, but for every order, Paper Coterie will donate $2 to Shot@Life to help vaccinate children in developing countries. 

Look at the one I made! $16.00 spiral journal for free, just pay $7 shipping. Totally worth it! I have ordered from them before and never been disappointed!
130 lined pages, coilbound with elastic closure, plastic front cover
My only problem was deciding which one to choose! There are soooo many adorable designs and you can upload up to 4 pictures on some covers!! A perfect gift or treat for yourself! 

Go visit Paper Coterie now and be sure to enter shot@lifesummer in the code box! Let me know what you choose!

Thank you for supporting Shot@Life and recording your special moments!







Happy Birthday Lakeshore Giveaway!

Tuesday, July 17, 2012 50 comments
Happy birthday to me,
happy birthday to me,
happy birthday to blogging,
happy birthday to me!


Reasons to celebrate this special occasion!
*One year of blogging!
*Donors Choose projects funded!
*Guest blogs!
*Guest bloggers!
*Sharing our reading life! 
*200+ followers, 600+ Twitter followers, 400+ Pinterest friends!
*Over 17,000 site hits!
*New blogging buddies!
*Sharing lots of teacher freebies under Teacher Action!

I think this calls for a giveaway! Enter below for a Lakeshore Back to School package! You will receive a Teacher's Plan Book and a $20 gift card! Lakeshore (store or online) has so much to offer for both parents and teachers! They also happen to be having a pretty big sale right now! Enter below and please share! Good luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Lying or Promoting Creativity? You Decide

Monday, July 16, 2012 No comments
Check out my latest post on Parenting Magazine's blog. Leave a comment there, too. You don't have to agree. My feelings will not be hurt! :)

http://www.parenting.com/blogs/mom-congress/lyssa-sahadevan/why-do-children-lie


The library used to be easier....

Wednesday, July 11, 2012 No comments
Taking T to the library last summer was a breeze. We read a few books, looked at covers, pointed out things we saw in the books. We played with the blocks and puzzles, picked up a few books and went our our merry way. 
NOT THIS YEAR!
Now that Mr. Smarty Pants is rocking three and half, he only wants books that he chooses. He wants to play for a bit, book shop for a bit, be read to for a bit, and then start this cycle all over again. Aaaaahh!! That was fun for the first half hour, but let's face it moms-there were many other kids. They weren't quiet. They weren't calm. They weren't loving and respecting books. Their babysitter was the librarian while moms were texting, reading, or gazing out the window dreaming of a day to themselves. I do not blame the moms (well, a little) because it was hotter than hot and where else could they go, but still! Needless to say, I was ready to bail.....unlike my son.
I watched him build one more castle and tell me all about the evil king and the knight and the horses and the alligators and the machine that made it all go into outer space before I could take it no more! I couldn't block out the others any longer! In my calmest mommy voice, I said.....
OK, LET'S CHOOSE OUR BOOKS!
We head over to the picture books and I am ready to show him my favorites, those near and dear to my heart. Oh.my.goodness. What does my angel choose? Franklin-as in, the turtle. 
Franklin Is Lost (Franklin Series) Product Details
Franklin lovers, please don't send hate mail. I love your turtle friend but I have been a primary teacher for over a decade and have been forced to read more Franklin than any one woman should. I've been through cover changes. I've been through the tv show and the attempt at chapter books. I thought my days of Franklin were done. I was wrong and I accept that. We are a Franklin family.

P.S. I picked up Little Red Hen, Where is the Green Sheep, and The Three Little Pigs while we there. He has loved them all.....thank goodness! 

Let's be honest....what books have you dreaded or reread until you can't reread it one.more.time?

Boys and Their Trucks

Monday, July 2, 2012 No comments
While in the Big Apple, I was terribly missing my little guy. I'm sure that goes without saying, but I had to throw it in there. It is really hard to be away from the cutest 3 1/2 year old in the whole wide world. 

I spent every night agonizing over the perfect gift for T. A shirt with Columbia on it? Got that-so predictable though! Candy in a test tube? Got that-knew he would love it. But what else? What else is perfect for my guy? BOOKS!

My teacher friends and I headed to SoHo for a trip to the Scholastic store. If you are ever in NYC, I recommend swinging by there. Teachers receive a 25% discount and you know I love that! 
Another great thing about the Scholastic store is the wide selection and the autographed copies-because authors often visit! 

T is a big fan of Jon Scieszka's Trucktown series. (A few of my first graders are, too!) When I saw these two-I had to have them! The first is a paperback book full of sounds heard around Trucktown. I've been home two days and have read it 10 times. He loves it. Scieszka has spoken to the boys in my class for years and now he is talking to my son! 
This large, hard cover book is Scieszka's take on nursery rhymes. T loves it, but is very specific that I not sing any of them. (Kind of hurtful, but I am aware how my voice sounds. :/ )
This is the Trucktown version of "Jack and Jill." T really relates to the book because he is familiar with most of the rhymes. His favorite character is Big Rig. He finds him in the book and we read any page with him an extra 256 times. :)
Head to a library or bookstore and check these out! If you have a little guy running the house, I mean running around the house, these books are for him! 

Do you have any other boy recommendations? We are always looking to expand our library! 

Make Your Own Post It Notes!

Sunday, July 1, 2012 2 comments
The title is not misleading! I'm serious! I attended The Reading and Writing Project Summer Writing Institute and was blown away with this! Picture it....

I'm sitting in class watching Kristi Mraz (author of the upcoming book, Smarter Charts) place regular colored copy paper onto her fabulous chart.
 She was peeling papers off the chart, moving them around, pulling them off one chart and moving them to the other. In my head, I was like, "Wow, she has magical paper powers." She must have noticed the entire room looking at her all misty eyed, because she pulled out her magic wand.....
 

REPOSITIONABLE GLUE STICKS!!!
I could not believe my eyes. She pulled paper after paper, a rainbow of colors, off a chart, off of her pile of notes, off of the chart stand placing them all different places...it was <sniffle, sniffle> beautiful. 

Our mouths were watering...I'm serious. Where might one purchase this magical glue stick and how much does it cost? You will be happy to know they are about $3 (and last a long time) and are available at office supply stores, right next to the good old fashioned glue sticks. You can also buy them online. I rushed out and bought some right away!
 
I was like a kid in the candy store! Sticking and unsticking. Checking for any paper damage (none.) Watching out for sticky residue (it was minimal.) Seeing if it would hang on the wall (it did.) Turning the paper one way and the other. It works!
I LOVE IT!!!

Teachers: The possibilities are endless. Big post its are expensive and the space is often small. This little stick allows you to make any paper a post it. It works on all sizes. Not sure about construction paper though....
Parents: T and I have been hanging his letters with the glue stick! We swiped the back with the glue stick and mixed them up and then he put them in order. I can't wait to see what we come up with next!

Go out and get some of this stuff! You will thank me later! It is teacher/parent gold! You might also want to get Kristi's book! I'm preordering it!
What might you do with this magic wand glue stick?



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