Should We Let Our Children Read Junk?

Should We Let Our Children Read Junk?

If you’re a teacher or a parent, you’ve likely bemoaned children’s book choices at one point or another… Or maybe you feel that way almost every day! After all, why would children choose to read so many “lite” reads (or junk, as you might call it) when so many wonderfully written, beautifully thought-provoking, lesson-teaching books have been written for kids? I’m talking about those books that are, as Jim Trelease writes, “accessible,” those books that are written so simply and with such simple storylines that they’re easy to read… As adults, we might think of them as beach reads. And, just like beach reads have a valid place in many an adults’ reading lives, these “lite” reads can be greatly beneficial to children, too!

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Our 2020-2021 School Year Mantra

Our 2020-2021 School Year Mantra

Do you all have a little mantra or saying that you repeat to your children before school each day, to help keep their minds on what’s truly important while they’re at school (or learning from home…)? We started one last year (“Be brave, be kind, and have fun!”), but this year decided to involve the girls in creating our daily school mantra, with each of us adding one line. Keep reading to see what we tell the girls (and ourselves…) every morning before school, as well as how we’re tracking these behaviors to keep them at the forefront of our minds.

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Letters from Space by Clayton Anderson

Letters from Space by Clayton Anderson

You all may remember that I have a sweet spot in my heart for books written in letter format, and this new release from Sleeping Bear Press and retired astronaut Clayton Anderson is no exception! Anderson once spent 5 months on a mission in space, and in Letters from Space, he uses letters and written correspondence to both entertain and educate readers about what life is like for an astronaut in space. Read on for a little more information about the book, as well as some of the facts and tidbits we learned about space missions!

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An Honest Review of Literati Kids Book Clubs — Round 1

An Honest Review of Literati Kids Book Clubs — Round 1

Do you all know about the children’s book subscription box Literati? I was thrilled when they asked if we’d like to receive a few boxes in exchange for honest reviews of their services, even though we have plenty of books. Why was I so interested in checking out what Literati Kids had to offer?

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The Invisible Boy by Trudy Ludwig

The Invisible Boy by Trudy Ludwig

We all know that there are some kids in classes who tend to go through school unnoticed. They may be the quiet ones who follow all the rules, and academically they don’t need lots of extra support but aren’t leading the pack, either. They don’t stand out in sports or tell the funniest jokes, but they have so much else to offer. Often, they’re unintentionally overlooked, but sometimes they’re snubbed by their peers. But, they have so much to contribute, if only someone would notice.

In The Invisible Boy, Trudy Ludwig eloquently tells the tale of one of these children, Brian, a child that is invisible to those around him, until his kindness gets the attention of a classmate. Brian’s story starts by being overlooked by even the teacher, not being included in kickball teams (he wasn’t just picked last — he wasn’t picked at all), and listened to all his classmates talk about a birthday party to which he wasn’t invited. Brian feels the weight of these interactions, or lack thereof, but finds joy in drawing. So when Justin, a new student in class, is laughed at for having a different lunch, Brian uses his drawing superpowers to lift up Justin and build the first connections to bridge a new friendship. And as it turns out, just one person and one kind gesture can make a world of different to someone feeling noticed and included.

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Camping-Themed Active Learning Journal Pages

Camping-Themed Active Learning Journal Pages

As some of you may remember from a few weeks ago, we took an amazing RV trip at the end of the summer, the week before school started. When making plans for what I wanted to take with us (which included a lot of books, of course, as well as some sticker-by-number and sticker-by-letter activity books and open-ended art supplies), I remembered that my friend Theresa from the Literacy in Motion account on Instagram created wonderful travel-themed active learning journal pages for her little ones when they traveled this summer. I took some of her ideas and managed to create a few unique pages of my own, and you all were incredibly eager to see these pages up close!

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Our Favorite Books About Apples

Our Favorite Books About Apples

We are fortunate to live close to many opportunities to pick fresh fruits, and we try to take advantage of that whenever we can — we love berry picking in early summer, we visit pumpkin farms in October, and we pick apples each September. And, of course, I love to create a good themed bookshelf to help the girls get excited about whatever we’re picking next. Even though we’ve been reading some of these for going on 7 years now, we still love pulling them out each fall — and we always have an amazing time picking apples!

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Below, you’ll find both fiction and nonfiction titles, as well as books for a range of ages, so hopefully you’ll find a great book for your family’s or classroom’s needs! Continue reading “Our Favorite Books About Apples”

Two Delightful Early Chapter Book Series

Two Delightful Early Chapter Book Series

For the longest time, the whole Frog and Toad series was on repeat in our house… We read the physical books over and over again and listened to the audiobooks on repeat. At one point, our then 3-year-old had Frog and Toad Are Friends memorized. Every single word, every single chapter. While I truly love the Frog and Toad books, I have to admit that I was a bit relieved when we moved on. And fortunately, I’m here to tell you that we moved on to other similar length and difficulty early chapter book series: the Yasmin series and the King & Kayla series! Read on for a little insight into each, as well as some tidbits from my girls about why they like these stories so much.

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Marvelous Marathon Picture Books

Marvelous Marathon Picture Books

Did you know that though the first Boston Marathon, the world’s oldest annual marathon, was run in 1897, women weren’t officially allowed to enter the race until 1972? And, did you know that the oldest person to complete a marathon was 108 years old??? We bought Girl Running: Bobbi Gibb and the Boston Marathon last winter, and it was one of the most requested read alouds in our house throughout the spring…

Because my husband and I both enjoy running (we’ve each done a handful of half marathons and marathon(s)), and because the girls were so interested in this story, I thought I’d gather a list of books to read to celebrate the Boston Marathon in April. And then COVID happened, so those books got pushed to the side. But, the 124th Boston Marathon is being run virtually this week, so I gathered three wonderful marathon books to read with the girls. Keep reading for quick blurbs and affiliate links to each.

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September Family Focus: Including Others

September Family Focus: Including Others

After an amazing summer making the most of no activities for the girls and my husband working remotely (we ended up spending 8 of the 12 weeks traveling, 7 of which were trips to see our extended families!), we’re back home for the long haul and finally getting back into our routines… Including the routine of having a special kickoff night for our Family Focus Traits! So, last night, even though our books about including others have been on our front-facing shelf for a week, we hit the ground running with a special kickoff night to get us thinking about how we can include others! Read on to see which books we read and what we talked about, as well as some conversations we plan to have throughout the rest of the month.

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