A Book We Adore!

Have you ever adored a children’s book so much you couldn’t wait to share it with someone? This happens to me often and I usually end up sending an email about it, walking the book over to another teacher’s class or sharing on planning time. But sometimes I wish I could share it with all of the kids, teachers and parents that pass by my room each day too! I created a unique way to share these fabulous books called “A Book We Adore.” Each month I display a book cover (or a picture of the cover) on my door. (Did you see our Book Bite last week for this book? We can't get enough of Bob Shea!)

I also write a few words about the book (like a mini review), which will allow passersby to quickly read about it. I include small cards with the title and author, so those interested can remember the book for library check-out or purchase from a store or school book order. Some publishers or authors have fun printables on their websites to accompany the book you’ve chosen. You can print those as well and hang some copies on your door.

If you love books like I do, you may find yourself changing out your display more than once a month! Happy Reading!

Bad Apple: A Tale of Friendship

We love this book!

We used it at the start of the school year last year and had so much fun we are using it again this fall! It’s an adorable story about an apple named Mac and his unlikely friendship with a worm named Will. There’s game-playing, bullies and an irresistible happy ending. After reading the book, we do different writing activities like “I am a good apple because…” or “A good apple never…”. We also do a Venn Diagram to compare and contrast a friend and a bully and a web containing the qualities of a good friend. This book is an easy way to introduce the rules of your classroom, as well as ways to be a good friend. As a final treat, serve apples and gummy worms!

Book Bite #2- Unicorn Thinks He's Pretty Great

Last week we shared Book Bite #1 based around Alex Latimer’s, Lion vs. Rabbit. Now it's time to share Book Bite #2! This time we focused on Unicorn Thinks He's Pretty Great by Bob Shea. (Have you ever visited his Twitter account? He's hilarious!)

I snagged this book last year and have been sharing it with people as often as I can. This must-read book has a goat, a unicorn, jealousy, friendship, talents and adventure all rolled into one hysterical tale. You've got to check it out! How can you resist the adorable illustrations?? (Does Goat's expression remind anyone else of McKayla Maroney's "not impressed" face after she won the silver medal?)

Quick and Easy Fall Art

In the last couple of years, fire safety codes made it mandatory to take down anything hanging from the ceiling of our classrooms. What? No more swirly ghosts or colorful clotheslines? Tragic. Bound and determined to simulate the clothesline look, Erin and I have hung one flat against our obsolete chalkboards. To help prevent sagging, we added magnets to the back of our clothespins. It’s not perfect but it’s a clothesline, darn it! We created patterns for leaf people and scarecrows. Easy to print, copy and assemble. Provide a sample for your students. The scarecrow shirts are just the triangle pattern, traced on a variety of scrapbook paper. Enjoy!

Book Bites

Every time a new book is released I try to rationalize why I need it for my classroom. Does it fit into the curriculum or any of my existing units of study? If the book doesn’t fit but it’s really amazing, I buy it anyway! Then I create activities around the book, so it isn’t just read quickly and shelved. I call them Book Bites and I’m really excited to share them.

Here’s Book Bite #1 based around Alex Latimer’s hilarious, Lion vs. Rabbit.

If you enjoyed this Book Bite, check out Book Bite #2 based around Unicorn Thinks He's Pretty Great, by Bob Shea!