Feed Me Books Friday: On Importance

Big Day, Big Things Ahead

This week we met B’s kindergarten teacher at a “meet and greet” and he officially started school the next day. On the wings of blog-reading inspiration we started a tradition last year of presenting B’s teacher with a book that serves as both back-to-school gift and introduction. The book we chose has a dual value: it creatively demonstrates some of the cognitive skills developed in kindergarten while showcasing a universal moral truth. My own classroom experience convinced me that the first day of school would be too harried for thoughtful gift-giving, so we chose to deliver it at the “meet and greet” activity.

Getting Acquainted

I am so grateful that our district continues to preserve the day-early meet and greet for the sake of 5 year-old social emotional development (and 30 something year old social emotional health). Visiting the classroom, exploring on our own terms, and having a quick conversation with the teacher made both of us rest easier the night before the official start. In addition to exploring the room, each child colored his or her own birthday candle and chose a car or shoe to color and represent their chosen method of transportation. Each child was able to pick a few books from the bin of gently used books the teacher had decided to thin from her shelves. After B showed her the books he chose, he handed her the book we brought as a gift.

Building Blocks of Reading

A little blog/wishlist/review browsing led me to discover Leo Lionni’s The Alphabet Tree. Like many of Lionni’s books, the illustrations are whimsical and the morals are evident without being heavy handed. The story opens by explaining that some letters who enjoyed sitting among the outer leaves of a tree are blown away when the wind is strong. With the help of a word bug and a very intelligent caterpillar, the letters learn to make words, and to make meaning from the words by arranging sentences. B has enjoyed a lot of alphabet play and practice this summer, so he was excited to share some of his knowledge with his teacher. She was surprised and gracious, and B swelled with pride when she chose to read it aloud to the class on their first official day!

Appropriate for preschool, primary grades

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Top Ten Picture Books for Starting School - Volume II

It's Labor Day weekend, do you know where your backpack is?

While many of the families we know (and many children of my lovely readers) are already back to school,  it's labor day weekend that traditionally marks the end of summer. For us, that means the start of school is right around the corner. B is so excited to be a kindergartner! He'll be starting a half-day kindergarten program this year, and T will be starting to get a little classroom experience under his belt with a Mommy&Me class once per week. 
Too Many Choices
There is really an abundance of great choices for books about school experiences and preparations, but I began my efforts to thin the pack last year when B started preschool with my Top Ten Starting School Picture Books post. My veteran readers will recognize many on this list from last year - I'm not so fickle that I'd start from scratch. But I have, with much difficulty, made room for a few recent discoveries by letting a few less favorites drop off the list. Doesn't mean I don't still love them - go check out last year's list to see the difference. 
Now... for the 2011 list:
After 18 years as a student, 8 years as a classroom teacher, and my first second year as the mom of a school-age child, here are my picks for The Top Ten Picture Books for Starting School:
(In No Particular Order)


10. Going to School: An Usborne First Experiences Book

Very straightforward, with the facts and details little ones need to feel prepared for a new environment, new routines, and new people.


9. Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten


I only left this one off my list last year because I was saving it for when B was really ready for kindergarten. All of the Miss Bindergarten books are fun to read, and this one is especially valuable as it prepares kids for kindergarten and delivers a handy alphabet review!


8. The Twelve Days of Kindergarten

Even if your little one (like mine) isn’t ready for kindergarten just yet, this makes a nice introduction to the concept of school and some of the fun learning activities that take place there.


7. If You Take a Mouse to School

Again, not so much realism but a lot of fun, this addition to Numeroff’s series features realistic school activities paired with silly mouse antics always good for a laugh.


6. Off to Kindergarten

A boy after B's own heart, the kindergartner in this story plans to take ALL the things he might need while he's at school, and the packing list becomes not only cumbersome but outrageous. Children will enjoy the humor and then discover the message that the young boy really demonstrates his readiness by heading off to school WITHOUT all his gear. 


5. I Love You All Day Long

This is a sweet story to remind children that they are loved no matter where they are or what they (or their parents) are doing.


4. On the Way to Kindergarten


Each page spread in this book highlights a year in the life of the kindergartner, beginning with life as a newborn. Rhyming couplets help the story bounce along, while common milestones and 3rd person narration make it feel very personal. 


3. What Did You Do Today?

This book follows the activities of both parent and child during the day, a pleasant and comforting read for children curious about what Mommy or Daddy might be doing while they’re gone.


2. A Bad Case of Stripes

Especially suited to slightly older children, (more of a back-to-school suggestion) this is a story of a little girl’s struggle with being preoccupied about what others will think of her, and it teaches a valuable lesson about being true to yourself.


1. The Kissing Hand (This really is my #1 pick!)

A classic comforting tale of Chester the raccoon and his mother preparing for Chester’s day away at school. She assures him her love will always be there when he needs it by placing a kiss in his hand; a tradition sure to start in many families who share this book.


An honorable mention, since I don't have a preschooler this year but would have loved this book last year, is Ready, Set, Preschooll, recently reviewed by JDaniel4's mom. 



Any other great suggestions for starting school? I've got a couple days left to get them here if they happen to be on the shelf at our library or if they're avaialbe with Amazon Prime... Leave a suggestion comment or link up a review if you have one.

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Feed Me Books Friday: Hip Hip Hooray For Teachers!

Teacher Appreciation Week: May 2-6

I can tell you from experience, being appreciated by a student or her parent feels almost as spectacular as being appreciated by a child or spouse. I firmly believe our appreciation for the educators in our children’s lives should not be limited to one celebrated week, but expressed all year long. However, teacher appreciation week is a fun reminder to let that person who is shaping your child’s development know how grateful you are.

A Poem of Honor
B and I have been brainstorming ideas to show our appreciation to his preschool teacher next week. So far, we’ve considered painting her a picture, taking her some flowers from our garden, baking cookies for her, and getting her a new book. (any other suggestions?) For some inspiration (and to squeeze a few more poems into the last days of poetry month) we read some selections from Kalli Dakos’ Mrs. Cole on an Onion Roll and Other School Poems. Most of the poems in this book are more suited to the elementary set, who can appreciate the humor and relate to the experiences better than my preschooler. However, he enjoyed plenty of them and enjoying the rhyme and rhythm of poetry builds language and cognitive muscle. Our favorite was titled, “Hip Hip Hooray.” Each stanza identifies a student and a gift bestowed upon the teacher (Sally brings flowers, Byron brings an apple) and the teacher responds to each gift by yelling, “Hip Hip Hooray!” until the Ben brings a radish, and the teacher queries, “Why a radish?”

And Ben said,

“Because I love radishes!”

Ben brought a radish

For the teacher today,

And the teacher yelled,

“Hip Hip Hooray!”

I love the message that Ben shares a gift that he really loves, and the message that the teacher is grateful for Ben sharing something important to him. It’s simple text but rich with meaning given a little consideration.

Appropriate for: preschoolers, primary grades


If you’re enjoying poetry with your child this month, or if you want some ideas to squeeze in a little before month’s end, head over to Brimful Curiosities poetry challenge or Poetry Friday hosted by Tabatha Yeatts.





photos courtesy www.freefoto.com and www.capl.washjeff.edu

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Apples, Apples, Everywhere

Two Apple Projects, One Apple Book, and a Gift
Between Back-to-School season and the arrival of harvest time, it seems apples are in abundance in the stores as well as the blogosphere. See in particular, Little Page Turners and Welcome to our Wonderland. B had an apple project to complete for his first day of preschool, so, inspired by all the apple reading and crafting going on in my Google reader, I pulled out a story I’d been holding on to for fall to get us in an apple-y mood.


Reading about Apples, Cooking, Geography

I am a baking hobbyist, so when I saw the title of How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World, I was intrigued. The story begins with the premise that baking an apple pie is quite easy and requires just a few simple ingredients. However, an adventure ensues when the local market is closed and ingredients must be found elsewhere. The narrator advises the reader (who is represented in the illustrations by a young lady) that she should travel to Italy, Sri Lanka, and France, among other places to procure the best of each item required for baking. The last stop is Vermont for apples, followed by milling flour, churning butter, evaporating seawater for salt, and other not so simple tasks. Finally the pie is baked and ready to share with friends. A recipe for apple pie is included at the end, and maps of the journey decorate the front and back interior pages. There are so many opportunities for cognitive development in this book – following directions in a recipe, learning about food production, (wheat to flour, milk to butter, etc.) and learning about the world around us and local specialties. I’m excited to go find the sister book, How to Make a Cherry Pie and See the U.S.A.!


Apple Project #1


Using the super-simple and kid friendly recipe from How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World, B and I started on our pie project.

We measured and mixed the pastry (with our fingers – fun!).

Using pre-sliced organic apples from Costco was a shortcut – I peeled the slices, then he used his plastic “knife” to chop them into bite size pieces before mixing with cinnamon-sugar.

The pie was filled and baked, and we shared it with our friends: Grandma, Papa, and Great-Grandma (on grandparents’ day)!


Apple Project #2


Feeling apple-y, we moved on to our second apple project, which was to be completed prior to B’s first day of preschool. At summer registration, each child was given an apple to decorate and bring to school to add to the class tree. The apples were about 6”x8” printed on glossy cardstock. B chose to use stickers to put his name on his apple, then added 4 red felt circles with brown stems and green leaves a la glitter glue. He also gave the apple a face with googley eyes and a yarn mouth.


The Gift

I’d seen mention of meet-the-teacher gifts on a couple blogs. I have to point out, I was never the recipient of a first-day gift in my teaching days, but I know middle school is different than preschool, so I did a little searching. I found plenty of crafts – some cheesy, some adorable, but few I had the time or energy for on the day before school started. (Yes, this was a last minute thought.) Then I found a post on 2CleverBlog about gifting a book to your teacher – right up our alley! The suggestion is that the child gives his teacher a book that connects to something he did over the summer, thereby introducing himself and connecting with the teacher. Perfect! I had recently picked up a copy of Planting a Rainbow after being introduced to it over at Red Ted Art! We checked it out from the library and enjoyed it enough to purchase, so it turned into our teacher gift and I’ll purchase another copy for B and T to remember our summer garden. B’s teacher was pleased by the gift (and his note) and B had a fantastic first day.

How To Make an Apple Pie and See the World is appropriate for preschoolers, primary grades.


Come Play at the We Play link up!

I’m also linking up with the Book Lover’s Blog Hop at Story Time Under the Stars and

The Back to School Link Party at ABC and 123


Come back to Little Sprout Books on Friday for Feed Me Books Friday!

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