My Mom's Favorite Book

I once asked mom what her favorite books was and she told me this.  I can't believe I've never read it.  That's an abomination.  I'm going to the library right now!

Rad Kids

http://www.radkids.org/

My daughter finished up a curriculum that was taught in her third grade class about Empowering Personal Safety with children.  It was created by the parents of Elizabeth Smart, who was abducted years ago.  I had heard of this curriculum, but was interested to see it in person.  

My opinion about it was that the idea behind it is a good one.  Children should be equipped with some personal safety knowledge, self defense techniques, and understand that they are in control of their own selves.  However, this curriculum (at least the way it was taught to my daughter and her classmates) left the kids feeling like they might get kidnapped and if they did, they could beat them up and run away.  It reminded me of the scare-tactics we used to learn in the 80's for razor blades in our halloween candy and other urban myths.  

I was not impressed with the curriculum, although my daughter liked being able to shout
"NO!" in the face of the big, bad, stranger who approached her.  It was really a police officer dressed in so much padding that the kids thought it was fun to hit the marshmallow man and run away.  Some kids were even too scared to go up to the "bad man."  Anyway...I would not recommend this program without some revisions to the curriculum and more parent involvement.  

Quote for Inspiration

Saw this on a hospital wall.  I used to have quotes in my classroom all around.  I also know mom's who have a chalkboard painted sign to write quotes on frequently.  A great idea!

Study Snacks

I can remember doing gift baskets for student teachers to welcome them to my classroom or a basket of snacks during finals week for a colleague Here is a box of treats I made recently for a friend who was taking her nursing exam and doing a few last minute all-nighter study sessions.  

Don't underestimate the power of the gift basket.

Metafiction as a genre

I recently read "S" by J.J. Abrams (who wrote Lost, Alias, Mission Impossible 3, and so on...) which breaks all the rules of conventional fiction books.  There is writing in the margins, multiple story lines, hidden codes, and layers upon layers.  It asks a lot from the reader.  It is considered a metafiction, a new genre that is hitting the literary and children's book world. 

If you can't figure out how to read "S," then go to this blog which gives an overview. It was really helpful to me as I learned how to go about reading it. 
http://themisanthropologist.wordpress.com/2013/12/22/how-to-read-j-j-abrams-s/

It's really fun to talk to others about how they chose to read the book.  It reminded me of the "Choose Your Own Adventure" books where the reader could experience a different story than another reader with the same book.  Keep your eyes on this genre...it's up and coming!

There's also a website at http://whoisstraka.wordpress.com/  that breaks down all the conspiracy theories within the book.  I missed half of them (like the one about the monkeys) so check it out after you get started.

Symphony

My oldest and I went to see the Utah Symphony perform the Harry Potter songs and other magical arrangements.  I love going to the symphony!  There is something special about live music.  I hope they make it a regular themed performance.  

Preschool Field Trip Part I

I took these two cuties on a preschool field trip.  We got to ride a train, see a science museum, and then visit a hands on children's museum.  In our house field trips mean lunchables.  Look at those smiles!  Priceless!

Preschool Field Trip Part 2

Online Reading Game

This recent reading application was created by my alma mater BYU and is amazing.  Check it out.  

GO HERE FOR ARTICLE about the application encouraging reading.  It looks almost like a movie!  It's been recognized by the Library of Congress.

http://read.gov/readers/