Being Thankful

The season of being THANKFUL is upon us! Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because I believe nothing is better than eating, drinking, watching my favorite sport and being HOME. This Thanksgiving will be extra special as we'll be celebrating in our first house!

Let me share what got me thinking of Thanksgiving (besides the obvious of it being November and Halloween passing us by). I was browsing Target yesterday afternoon for a children's book to give to a colleague who is expecting this December. That's when I noticed a Mo Willems' book I had not read before. 

The Thank You Book gives young readers another Elephant & Piggie adventure in which Piggie declares she is going to thank EVERYONE who is important to her but seems to be missing the one she values most of all. The back and forth banter/humor/personalities of these two characters is genius. In the past 3 years, I have taught in kindergarten, first and second grade classrooms and have always used Mo Willems' books for teaching reading for enjoyment, for reaching emergent readers and reluctant readers and teaching author's craft during Writing Workshop. I have yet to interact with a kid who doesn't laugh, smile and crave more after engaging with these books. 

As I read the book, in the aisle of Target, I felt giddy that I had yet another great book to share with my students. However, I also got to thinking about the upcoming holiday. There is of course LOTS to be thankful for. Everyday alls you have to do is turn on the news to see what is happening locally, nationally and internationally to feel grateful for all that is good in your world. But this upcoming holiday season, I am going to be particularly appreciative of the people in my life (like Piggie). Each year, in addition to feeling thankful for my loved ones, I feel thankful for my job, my possessions, my home, food, my experiences, my health, etc. But, I could lose all those things (except health) and all would still be good in my world. I could lose my job, lose my home, not be able to travel, lose my car, lose my belongings and so on but it wouldn't matter. As long as I have the people I love (and the doodle I love) then all is good in my world. Your loved ones can never be replaced...time can never be replaced. So enjoy them, hug them, kiss them, be present this holiday season! 

If you aren't familiar with Mo Willems, here are some other great reads! 

(a tear-jerker!)

Fall Is My Favorite

I love seasons. When I lived in the Middle East, it was either hot...or blazing...or walk to your car and be sweating...or step outside and have your sunglasses fogged up. It wasn't always this brutal. There was the time of year when the weather was PERFECT. Think 70's, a slight breeze, and not sweating while you walk to your car. Seems silly to think I would actually throw on a scarf during those "cooler" months. After 5 years of this, I really began to develop an appreciation for 4 distinct seasons. I actually missed the snow. I missed the rain showers & mud that signaled spring. And I absolutely missed the changing of the colors on the trees. Well, I missed trees in general, but you get what I mean! Fall has grown to be my FAVORITE season and I absolutely love all that there is to do in the Rochester area to celebrate the changing of the season.
Click here for places to pick the perfect pumpkin.
Click here for apple picking spots.
Click here for hiking excursions to enjoy the fall foliage.
Click here for some play & exploration ideas.
Click here for haunted houses, hayrides & other scary Halloween stuff!
Here are some fun fall titles!

Dinosaurs!

The National Museum of Play here in Rochester is one of the country's best places to bring young kids for genuine exploration, effortless learning and FUN. Tomorrow, September 24th, a new exhibit opens up that is sure to be a hit. Dinosaurs: Land of Fire and Ice sets the stage for children to travel back in time to the Cretaceous period and explore clues that these mysterious creatures left behind. Fossil digging, puzzles, games, story time and realistic sculptures are sure to catch your child's attention for this fun outing. The exhibit runs until January 8, 2017. Here are some of my favorite dinosaur books!

National Hispanic Heritage Month

National Hispanic Heritage Month kicks off today and runs until October 15th. Observation of this holiday began in 1968 under President Lyndon Johnson. In 1988, President Ronald Reagan expanded this holiday to be observed for a full month. It is a time to celebrate the history, culture and contribution of citizens and their ancestors from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America.
I think it is important that children are exposed to books that reflect the diversity that surrounds us. When children learn about other cultures, they begin to develop an open mind, empathy, appreciation and interest about experiences that might be different than their own. Try checking out one of these books during the month long celebration!

Click here to explore some events happening around the Rochester area!

Roald Dahl Day!

September 13th is Roald Dahl's birthday and educators, book lovers, children and parents around the world honor the brilliant storyteller. 2016 marks ONE HUNDRED years since he was born and some celebrations have been planned. Click here to see some of the fun things happening and how your little one can get involved! From characters such as The BFG, Willy Wonka and Matilda, Dahl has been filling our minds with creativity, imagination and an appreciation of literature. Here are some of my favorites!

"So please, oh please, we beg, we pray
 Go throw your TV sets away
 And in its place you can install
 A lovely bookshelf on the wall..."
 R.Dahl

International Literacy Day

On behalf of International Literacy Day, I want to share this article from the Washington Post about Anna Dewdney. Anna was the best selling author and illustrator of the Llama Llama books. She was also an outspoken advocate for children's literacy.

"By reading with a child, we are teaching that child to be human. When we open a book, and share our voice and imagination with a child, that child learns to see the world through someone else's eyes. I will go further and say that the child then learns to feel the world more deeply, becoming more aware of himself and others in a way that he simply cannot experience except in our laps, or in our classrooms, or in our reading circles." 

I couldn't agree with this more! As a teacher I plan multiple read alouds throughout my day, especially in the beginning of the school year where building a positive and respectful community is essential to creating a happy and healthy environment. The art of reading and being read to is being lost a bit with all the other STUFF expected of teachers these days. Teachers and parents- take the time to read TO and WITH your kids. It is extremely vital, now more than ever. 

Anna passed away at the age of 50 after a 15-month battle with brain cancer. In place of a proper funeral service, she wanted people to read to a child instead. She stressed that empathy was as important as literacy. Click here to read the full article. 

Back to School Excitement!

I LOVE the first days of school. I loved it as a kid and I love it as a teacher. Two of the things I love the most about back to school time is setting up my classroom and choosing the first books my kiddos will hear me read. I believe the books I choose for those beginning days really sets the stage for showing my passion for books and love for reading, the very traits we want our students to acquire!

You're Finally Here! by Melanie Watt was my first read aloud last year and the kids LOVED it! It was the perfect read for me to show my excitement in finally meeting all the kids and to spark discussion about what they did all summer. It's a bit of a silly book which helped calm some first day jitters and helped me begin to learn about the kids.

• Family interests & experiences 
• Ability to share in front of their peers & talk with a friend
• Listening skills 
• Early literacy skills with the writing/drawing response 

I also just got to learn about them! Did they think the book was funny? Are they smiling, laughing, nervous, sad, anxious, etc.! So many observations and opportunities for me to learn in this small portion of the first day. Click here to connect to the teacher's blog where I found this title and tons of activities to go along with it. Here are some more favorite first day of school read alouds!

A colleague recommended this last title and it looks like a fantastic read as well! What are some of your back to school favorites?!