chloe's pick

Chloe is working her way through this book for the 2nd time. Good enough to read twice. I'm thinking of creating a response activity for her to do. Though if I'm smart, I'll just wait and see what crafty/creative thing she emerges with. She's good that way. Creative, clever, and thoughtful.

turn on your brain

After watching Food Inc., I ran to the MPL to find this. Given my propensity toward greed, I always check out way too many items from the library. Hopefully having this book a 2nd time will be more motivation to finish it. Like it so far. Good points and thoughts, even if you don't agree with the lifestyle choice of the author.

holding our bookmarks

I nearly finished this before the due date. Marion Public Library does not have the 1st book in this series. (this is #2). The young Bertie in this story is a riot. You may want to kill his mother, i'm just saying. A nice lady from our church owns every published Alexander McCall Smith book, and she has graciously offered to lend me any book at any time.

StonyField:recipes:Lemonade Pie

StonyField:recipes:Lemonade Pie

i've never linked up this way before. let's see if it works.

library

I've paid dearly for the Indiana Public Library Access Card (PLAC), so I'm using it like there's no tomorrow. Actually, that isn't quite true; the kids and I have only traveled as far as Marion for books and dvds. My neighbor, however, has jumped through all the hoops for the Muncie library system and frequently treks over that way for her reading/caffeine fix. (I hear they serve coffee with flavored creamers).

For those of you who may still be living under a rock, the PLAC enables the patron (for a fee of around $60)to check out books from any Indiana library granted you are willing/able to follow their particular guidelines and actually return the materials in a timely fashion. I've often daydreamed of venturing downtown Indy for some of their books (and i am longing to lurk around in their stacks), but there's the pesky due date and the extra travel to return the books. Libraries are funny that way.

If you are interested in obtaining your own PLAC, contact your local library. If you live in an unserviced area, you may find yourself forking over a hefty sum of cash. The librarian can help you navigate the paperwork and signing away of your firstborn child along with your social security number and the requisite forms of photo ID.

next post: books of the week, and how much reading the kids are doing this summer

install/attach a zipper? any volunteers?

read: a mccall's sewing patern

learn: how to add an additional panel to a skirt that should fit your friend, but instead fits your 9 yr-old girl

grow: mad skills for installing a zipper

come back soon for the exciting photos which will reveal a finished zippered skirt (or me with a seam ripper jammed into my skull)

If you are a dreamer, a wisher, a liar

this is READ, LEARN, and GROW

READ: reading published poems, freshly written poems, rough drafts, final copies

LEARN: learning right along with students as they work to improve their poetry craft

GROW: growing a bit more muscle as a facilitator of learning rather than an all-knowing lecturer

We've been busy bees this week. The kids and I have been helping/participating in a poetry camp of sorts each day from 9-12. I can't really show photos (haven't taken any) given that I don't have that kind of permission from any of the parents. The format is set up as a hybrid Vacation Bible School/Elementary school model. One of the wonderful professors from Indiana Wesleyan University shares poetry selections and background on the poets. He actively engages the students by having them clap, wiggle, shake, etc. Each day begins with a reading of Shel Silverstein's

INVITATION

if you are a dreamer, come in,

if you are a dreamer, a wisher, a liar,

a hope-er, a pray-er, a magic bean buyer...

if you're a pretender, come sit by my fire

for we have some flax-golden tales to spin.

come in!

come in!

I could listen to Dr. McCracken read aloud and recite poetry every day for the rest of my life and not grow weary of it.

We are learning how to read poetry without the nya-nya's (the forbidden sing-songy rhythms that can take over rhyming poems)

We are learning (and i am facilitating) ways to write free verse, non-rhyming, haiku, shape poems, and many things in-between.

All grade-level groups have written and collaborated on a class poem to be performed at Friday's poetry jam. We have a special guest poet who will jam with us.

Wow, how boring is this? a photo-less blog post. yikes!

My motivation for volunteering to facilitate at Summer's Cool is two-fold: I want to do all I can to encourage and empower children to love reading and writing by giving them the tools necessary to be successful in both, and I wanted to get on the inside of this week-long learning-fest to see if it is something that could be done here in fairmount, possibly at my church.

I ask that all 12 of my blog lurkers will join with me in prayer on 2 points

1. the children who attended summer's cool 2010 will continue to grow in their knowledge and love of learning, reading, and writing

2. wisdom, ability, and resources to implement something like summer's cool in fairmount (for 2011)

thanks :)