Posts Tagged ‘authors’
Create Your Own Story
Posted on: April 20, 2011
Last week was National Library Week, and we had so much fun celebrating in the library on Saturday! The theme for National Library Week was: Create Your Own Story. It was the perfect opportunity to have a family of authors come talk to us about how to make stories! We loved seeing the pictures of West Palm Beach (and our library) in Where do My Shoes Go? as Julia, Emily and Ainsley Miller shared their picture books with us! Thank you Julia, Emily, and Ainsley! We love your stories! You inspired us to think about the stories we can tell!
*
We also created our own very own stories too! Check out the stories we made!
Taylor is 4 and she showed us how she plays the flute when she visits the library.
After Julia took her picture she drew what her story was about. Her dad helped her write down what she wanted the story to say. Her story says “Taylor was playing the flute and Strawberry Strawberry was helping her.” Hooray for Taylor!
Brianna is 6, and she thought of a story about a monkey in the jungle.
Here she is writing and illustrating her story!
Lila is 4, and she told a story about a tiger that was falling down! Watch out below!
Lennon, 5, said the name of his story is “Where is my telephone?” Lennon likes stories superheroes. He is a super guy!
Diana is 10 and called her story “Apple”
Sadie, 5, shows us her tiger. He was looking at us from inside his fort. This is the very same tiger from one of Julia, Emily and Ainsley’s stories! He came to visit the library in his favorite shirt.
Sebastian, 9, said his story was about penguins watching him on the computer. Sebastian writes in journals at home! Go for it Sebastian! Keep those stories coming!
Quintin, 6, wanted this picture called “Double Trouble”. Sounds suspenseful!
Joey, 5, told us that his story is about a boy who visits the library and likes to read about robots.
Joey’s brother, age 9, wanted his story to be about Percy Jackson. Those two loved hanging out together!
Here’s a story about traveling to space! Sounds like quite an adventure!
A big thank you to the Friends of the West Palm Beach Public Library for sponsoring the event! We raffled 4 copies of the Where Do My Shoes Go? books and a digital camera! The kids and families had a great time!
Long live stories! Don’t be shy; it’s never too late to create your own story!
-Ms. Kathy
- In: authors | books | early literacy | elementary | language skills | Literacy | poems | Poetry | Poetry for children | read alouds | reading | school | Uncategorized | west palm beach | west palm beach public library
- Leave a Comment
Got the FCAT Blues?
Here is a school poem to lift your spirits during this FCAT week!
The Very Best Feeling
~by Betsy Franko
There’s excited,
delighted,
scared,
and mad.
There’s happy,
embarrased,
surprised,
and sad.
But the very best feeling
that we’ve ever had,
the one that we have every day,
is the feeling we get
when the final bell rings,
and there’s nothing to do but just PLAY!
From the book:
Start the Week With Words!
Posted on: April 4, 2011
- In: authors | books | early literacy | elementary | emergent literacy | Literacy | poems | Poetry | Poetry for children | preschool | read alouds | toddler | Uncategorized | west palm beach public library
- Leave a Comment
Here is a Spring-y poem for young and old!
The alliteration and repetition build important early literacy skills such as phonetic awareness and vocabulary. Read this to your babies, or help your older children recite this playful poem!
*
Nibble Nibble Nibble
~By Margaret Wise Brown
*
Nibble Nibble Nibble
Goes the mouse in my heart
Nibble Nibble Nibble
Goes the mouse in my heart
Nibble Nibble Nibble
Goes the mouse in my heart
And the mouse in my heart is
You.
*
Lippity Lippity Clip
Goes the rabbit in my heart
Lippity Lippity Clip
Goes the rabbit in my heart
Lippity Lippity Clip
Goes the rabbit in my heart
And the rabbit in my heart is
You.
*
Flippity Flippity Flop
Goes the fish in my heart
Flippity Flippity Flop
Goes the fish in my heart
Flippity Flippity Flop
Goes the fish in my heart
And the fish in my heart is
You.
*
Biff Bang Bang
Goes the hammer in my heart
Biff Bang Bang
Goes the hammer in my heart
Biff Bang Bang
Goes the hammer in my heart
And the hammer in my heart is
You.
*
Drum Drum Drum
Goes the drum in my heart
Drum Drum Drum
Goes the drum in my heart
Drum Drum Drum
Goes the drum in my heart
And the drum in my heart is
You.
*
Softly now beats the beat of my heart
Softly now beats the beat of my heart
Softly now beats the beat of my heart
All for the love of you.
*
From the book Nibble Nibble by Margaret Wise Brown. Paintings by Wendell Minor. HarperCollins. 1987.
Check this out to view the beautiful illustrations!
You Can Be an Author Too!
Posted on: March 30, 2011
Have you ever wanted to write your own story?
Are you a kid between 5 and 14 years of age?
Well, we have just the contest for you!
The people who created Children’s Book Week (this year it’s celebrated May 2-8th) want you to submit a book for a chance to win super cool prizes like $350 to print your book or a poster signed by a bunch of famous and amazing authors!
Here’s the info, so get creating, ok!? You need to email them your book no later than 5:00 p.m. on Friday, April 22, 2011.
Happy Writing,
Ms Kathy
Happy Spring! Celebrate with a poem!
Spring
~By Lee Bennett Hopkins
Roots
sprouts
buds
flowers
always-
always-
cloud-bursting showers
rhymes
April fools
fledglings on wing
no thing
is
newer
or
fresher
than
spring.
From the book: Sharing the Seasons: A Book of Poems. Selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins. Illustrated by David Diaz. Margaret K. McElderry Books. 2010.
Have you heard about Flat Stanley?
He’s the boy who was flattened by a bulletin board! You’d think that being flattened by a bulletin board would have put an end to all his adventures, but Stanley went on even more amazing adventures after becoming flat. He’s traveled by mail to and from all sorts of exotic locations, like Africa, Egypt, Japan, Mexico and Mount Rushmore. Once he even went into space!
Last week we, the Saturday Kids’ Club, celebrated Flat Stanley and his journeys to far off places! After reading The Mount Rushmore Calamity we got together, talked about out the story and then each of us made a Flat Stanley of our own.
Next we had to decide where to mail Flat Stanley. We wrote letters to our friends and family asking them to take a picture with Flat Stanley and then mail him back to us (with a picture of his adventure too)!
Click HERE for more Flat Stanley books!
Also, if you have a child in second or third grade, check out the Saturday Kids’ Club! We’re reading Dinosaurs BeforeDark before we come together again on March 12th @ 2!
Stay tuned! We’ll write more about Flat Stanley’s future fun!
Ms. Kathy
Nature’s Playground
Posted on: February 3, 2011
- In: authors | books | educational | events | family_fun | kids events | organic | parenting | reading | tv_turnoff | Uncategorized | west palm beach | west palm beach public library
- Leave a Comment
Since I moved into a house with a yard, on the weekends I find myself puttering about outdoors. When we first moved in May, we pulled out about 150 non-native plants. After a bit of research and multiple visits to the Mounts Botanical Gardens, we put in a few native vines and trees.
I have taken an interest in hydroponic gardening, too. To date, we have built two hydroponic systems that hold about 50 plants total! I am growing various red and green leaf lettuces, tomatoes and of course collard greens and kale.
“Hydroponics.” World Book Online Reference Center. World Book, 2011. Web. 3 Feb. 2011.
Needless to say, I love being outside. In South Florida we can spend almost 365 days outside, how wonderful is that? We are surrounded by a wondrous expanse of land filled with adventures. Here are some places on my outside adventure list:
1.) Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge
On Saturday, February 12 from 8am-4pm, the Refuge will be celebrating their 12th Annual Everglades Day with Foreverglades: A day celebrating and promoting awareness, appreciation, and
an understanding of the Everglades.
2.) Girls u Pick Strawberry Fields
I have soft spot for others trying hydroponics and I love strawberries. Pay attention to the plants at the top of the hydroponic systems, they plant various herbs. Grab a basket and scissors and you are ready to go.
3.) Vizcaya Museum and Gardens in Miami-Dade
Years ago, when I lived in Tampa, I drove to the Ringling Museum once of month. Vizcaya reminds me of the Ringling and I enjoy walking around the gardens of both.
The Mounts Botanical Gardens is beautiful to stroll through. I just love checking out their vegetable garden. The vegetable garden would be great places to have the kids’ guess the plant and what vegetable will it produce. If you are interested in starting a garden with kids, check out the library’s books on gardening with children.
If you are having a hard time getting the kids away from their video games, check out the book by Fiona Banks, Nature’s playground : activities, crafts, and games to encourage children to get outdoors
What are some of your favorite outdoor places? Comment on our blog!
- In: authors | books | early literacy | educational | elementary | Literacy | poems | Poetry | Poetry for children | read alouds | reading | Uncategorized | west palm beach | west palm beach public library
- Leave a Comment
Poetry can be read for beauty, emotion, action, and to learn! The rhythm and rhyme transform the words from vocabulary and fact to meaningful pieces that stick in your mind. Music too has a great effect on memory.
The following poem is from the book Count me a rhyme: Animal poems by the numbers by Jane Yolen. As children go through the pages, new animals are featured for them to count along with reading or listening to the poem.
To count the rest of your way through the book, check it out today! See below for more poetry that include a lesson.
Six Spiders Spinning
by Jane Yolen
Six spiders spinning
A long and glittering strand;
Six spiders shinnying
Hand over hand over hand over hand,
Hand over hand over hand over hand.
Six spiders throwing
Out a glistering strand;
Six spiders going
Hand over hand over hand over hand,
Hand over hand over hand over hand.
Six spiders hurrying
Down a glistening strand;
Six spiders scurrying
Hand over hand over hand over hand,
Hand over hand over hand over hand.
Six spiders creeping
Upon a glimmering strand;
Six spiders sleeping
Hand over hand over hand over hand,
Hand over hand over hand over hand.
From the book: Count me a rhyme: Animal poems by the numbers. By Jane Yolen. Photographs by Jason Stemple.
Black History Month begins in a few days. There is so much wonderful poetry out there celebrating African American culture. I have listed a number of our books full of poetry.
Check one out today!
Here is one of my favorite children’s poems by Nikki Giovanni.
The Reason I Like Chocolate
By Nikki Giovanni
The reason I like chocolate
is I can lick my fingers
and nobody tells me I’m not polite
I especially like scary movies
’cause I can snuggle with Mommy
or my big sister and they don’t laugh
I like to cry sometimes ’cause
everybody says “what’s the matter
don’t cry”
and I like books
for all those reasons
but mostly ’cause they just make me
happy
and I really like
to be happy
From the book:
The Block. Poems by Langston Hughes. The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Viking. 1995.
(includes 1 audio cd. *hear Langston Hughes, Gwendolyn Brooks, Queen Latifa, and more…)
