Book Bite #6- Surf’s Up

Have you ever met a reluctant reader? Someone who always wants to play rather than read a good book? There is a character just like that in Surf’s Up, a new book by Kwame Alexander and Daniel Miyares.

Bro and Dude’s adventure perfectly illustrates the power a good book can hold over a reader. It’s also a fantastic model of how to use a cliffhanger. Check out our Book Bite for ten ways to use Surf’s Up to jumpstart social studies, science, writing and engineering activities!

Happy Birthday, Scuba Dog!

Scuba Dog is here! Dive in!! If you haven’t ordered your copy yet, you can find it on Amazon or you can ask your local bookstore. Our entire first grade has been counting down along with us and we hope you have been as well! If not, you can use the countdown activities as follow up activities and we have a Scuba Dog Activity Kit too. I’m not sure who has been more anxious about Scuba Dog’s arrival, Ann Marie or I. While Ann Marie has been on pins and needles about sharing her book with the world, I’ve been keeping a surprise book birthday party from her! Our first grade team is incredibly lucky to be such a tight knit group and we are thrilled to be able to celebrate this day with Ann Marie. Here’s a little peek at what we did to celebrate. A special “THANK YOU!” to Emily Mitchell, Ann Marie’s agent over at Wernick & Pratt, for sending a copy of the book for the party! I hope our staff enjoys their Scuba Dog Snack Mix!

Countdown to Scuba Dog- 1 Day Left!

Tomorrow's the big day: Scuba Dog by Ann Marie Stephens (my fellow Happy Teacher) will be released! We've been anxiously awaiting this day since April of last year and can’t believe it’s finally here. I hope you’ve enjoyed the countdown to Scuba Dog so far. Here is the last activity to help you and your kids celebrate the coming release date! If you’ve looked at our Book Bites, you know we like to feature snack ideas to go along with children’s literature. We hope you especially enjoy this one. Dive into a Scuba Dog Snack Mix! Visit a grocery story and pick up a few ocean and dog-themed snacks like goldfish crackers (bonus points if you can find Stauffer's whale shaped crackers-check Dollar Tree), oyster crackers, gummy fish, Scooby-Doo baked graham cracker sticks (shaped like dog bones), and blue M&Ms or jelly beans. We actually used blue Sixlets and told our kids they were bubbles. Put the ingredients in a bowl, mix them up, and fill snack bags for your friends and family. Yum!

If you missed any of the activities, you can find a full list here. Stay tuned for more Scuba Dog activities!