Bookworm Festival 2015 - Tad Hills

I am so excited about the wonderful authors and illustrators coming to the Bookworm Festival to visit with our emerging readers! It is on Saturday, January 31 from 9:30-11:30 am (doors open at 9:00) at Spring Oaks Middle School.

TAKE A LOOK AT ALL THESE WONDERFUL AUTHORS AND ILLUSTRATORS!

We will be reading books by many of the authors and illustrators from the festival over the next few weeks. Today we sampled some of the books by TAD HILLS:

          

See what kids have to say about How Rocket learned to Read HERE.

Watch as Tad Hills draws Rocket at the Gaithersburg Book Fest 2014:


We also practiced our ABCs with Miss Nina so we could learn to read with Rocket too!

For more information about the Bookworm Festival 2015, please visit http://bookwormbookfest.com/

Macy's Believe 2014

One of my favorite activities that I do during the month of December is participate in the Macy's Believe Campaign. I love it's message of belief, even when all you can do is feel something inside you. And I love that they give $1 for every letter I collect to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. This year I was able to get all 23 classes into the library to write letters during the week before Winter Break. We collected close to 500 letters, which I proudly deposited in the big red mailbox at the West Oaks Macy's before heading home to start my break! What a wonderful way to start the Christmas Season!

Why Hour of Code Matters

Last year a group of fourth grade moms brought Hour of Code to my attention and asked if they could help me facilitate sessions for the fourth grade classes in the library. I said yes without knowing much about what coding was much less what I would have to do to make this happen. Thank goodness for code.org and the step by step lessons that made "teaching" this to those students so easy!

So when our district technology department encouraged all schools to participate in Hour of Code this year in some way, I immediately started working on a schedule for our third, fourth, and fifth grade classes. Other than having to do some "offline" lessons with my first group while Code.org got their website ready for millions of students, all went well and sparked excitement that continued into the following weeks before our Winter Break.

Fourth Grade tried Tynker.com





Third Grade worked on Code.org:


Fifth graders built on their Fourth Grade experience from last year and tackled several lessons:

Some first and second graders tried Tynker too!


And then a fourth grader shared with me his independent work on Scratch:

Hearing the cheers of students as they successfully complete a puzzle, seeing them help one another, and unlikely leaders emerging were just some of the benefits I witnessed while "instructing" students on coding during the week of December 8-12 in the library. The teachers who came with their classes were impressed with the skills the students needed to use in order to problem-solve and program their computers. All of the teachers told their classes that this would be something they would be allowed to work on again in their classrooms, which was met by cheers of "yes!" from students who were not quite ready to stop when they had to leave for the day.

Coding is one of the languages that our students will have to have some knowledge of as they become the leaders and developers of the future. I can't wait to see what my Kinder, First, and Second graders can do in January as our coding continues!

Toddler Story Time: Stories we Love!

I love looking through the shelves of any library or bookstore! I almost always come across a book I remember fondly and think, "Wow, I really love this book!" Some are books my parents read with me, some are books I read on my own, and others are books I have read with my own children. 

Books create wonderful memories when shared, and so I am sharing some of my favorite stories with you all today. Some are brand new "favorites" and others are those that have stood the test of time. I hope you enjoy them all and I encourage you to find some of your favorites to share with your children as well!

Stories I love:
 The Book With No Pictures by B.J. Novak is a read-aloud like no other! It was an instant "favorite" when I first heard of the book! Our principal, Ms. Redd, shared this book with our group today!

 Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak is one of my favorite stories to read aloud. Every child has had a moment when they wanted to sail away from the "troubles" at home, and the sound effects and rollicking fun can't be beat! Listen to the author read it to you here (from Barnes and Noble.)

 Brown bear, brown bear, What do you see? by Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle is a book that many children learn to "read" on their own simply because the repetition and predictable text are great for developing readers.

 Flip-a-Face Series: big little by SAMi Niko's mom brought his favorite book to read to us today! We got to see BIG and little parts of a face!

If you want to read one of my favorite holiday stories, try this one!  The Hat by Jan Brett is one of my favorite stories to read during the holiday season. It doesn't matter what holiday you celebrate, all friends enjoy the happiness they bring to one another by sharing something special.

Songs and videos:
Read a book today from Between the Lions
Brown Bear Rap by Miss Nina: what a fun way to experience this song in an interactive way!
One Fine Face was a favorite song at our house when my children were little, and Niko's book made me think of it so I had to share!

Until next week, keep reading some special memories with the children you love most!

Toddler Story Time: Thanksgiving

The Kingdom of Reading book fair has come to Meadow Wood this week! And with it there are several great holiday books, including some great Thanksgiving books! I am so thankful for my little reading buddies who come join me every week to read, sing, and share time together. I hope you enjoy time with your family and find many things to be thankful for!

Books:
 Pete the Cat: The first Thanksgiving: you can make this fun Thanksgiving activity to share with your family! 

 llama llama home with mama

 Splat says Thank You!

Suggested title: Pinkalicious: Thanksgiving Helper

Videos:
Miss Nina: "The more we get together"

Kimboo Kids Songs: "Over the river and through the woods"

Out of the Box: "Goodbye Song"

Until later, friends. Be sure to spend time reading with someone you are thankful for in your life! 

Toddler Story Time: DOGS

Dogs really are a man's best friend, and you can't help but love them! We loved these wonderful canine adventures last week!

 Bow-wow wiggle waggle by Mary Newell DePalma

 Patch by David Slonim

 Mogie by Kathi Appelt

We spent some time with our stuffed animal dog friends in the library and "took them for a walk" while listening to this Sesame Street song.


It was a dog-gone good time! Keep reading, friends!

Toddler Story Time: Trains

Even though my "little boy" is now 12 years old, his eyes still twinkle when his younger cousins or neighbors come to our house and ask him to help them build a train track on our playroom floor. The wooden tracks and metal trains we bought him for Christmases and birthdays when he was 3, 4, and 5 years old are still well-loved toys in our house! I honestly don't think it is a love many boys out-grow, as my dad and his older brother are still model train enthusiasts! 

Two summers ago we were able to take a train along the coast of Washington state, and it was a marvelous way to travel! I don't know who of our family was most excited to be at a real train station and traveling on a real train! It was a great memory to make together. I loved it as much as my little conductor did!

So this edition of Story Time is dedicated to the train-lover in all of us! All aboard!
Today's Books:
How to Train a Train by Jason Carter Eaton; Illustrated by John Rocco


Shark vs Train by Chris Barton and Tom Lichtenheld


Two Little Trains by Margaret Wise Brown

Today's Videos:
Kids Love Trains
I've been working on the railroad by Miss Nina
Blue Zoo Train by Choo Choo Soul

Until next time, keep reading!