Participating in the Nonfiction Picture Books Challenge was a fun reading inspiration again this year. Only eleven of my #nfpb15 reads were blogged, but I easily met my goal of twenty-five. And thanks to the wonderful reviews from our host Alyson and all the other participants, my to-be-read list is even longer! Biographies & History Alice Waters and the […]
Weeds Find a Way #nfpb15
February 11, 2015
Weeds find a way to live where other plants grow, send their seeds into the world in wondrous ways… find a way to wait… find a way to be loved… There is wonder and beauty to be found in all of nature. Weeds Find a Way by Cynthia Jensen-Elliott and illustrated by Carolyn Fisher gives weeds […]
Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday
January 21, 2015
Two excellent 2014 books begin this year’s nonfiction picture books reading. A historical biography and one STEM title. Dare the Wind: The Record-Breaking Voyage of Eleanor Prentiss and the Flying Cloud by Tracy Fern, illustrated by Emily Arnold McCully As a young girl, Ellen Prentiss’ father taught her to “have the caution to read the […]
Nonfiction Picture Book March Reads
March 26, 2014
I really enjoyed and learned a lot reading Bone by Bone: Comparing Animal Skeletons by Sara Levine and illustrated by T. S. Spookytooth. The combination of comparisons and questions is an effective method of teaching children about bones. I had no idea that giraffe’s and humans have the same number of vertebrae, but I’m sure […]
Nonfiction Picture Book January Reads
January 29, 2014
A STEM theme ran through my nonfiction picture book January reads: biographies of two scientists, Kate Sessions and Albert Einstein, as well as two bird books covering parrots and godwits. Parrots over Puerto Rico by Susan L. Roth and Cindy Trumbure, collages by Susan L. Roth Roth and Trumbure chronicle the demise of the Puerto Rican […]
MakerKids: A Makerspace for Youth in Toronto
September 10, 2013
On a recent trip to Toronto, after a day at Camaraderie Coworking I went to the basement to explore MakerKids, a makerspace for kids in Toronto. What a delight! In addition to classes, birthday parties and summer camps for kids, they have open separate shop times for kids, teens and adults. I was there during […]
OAKTech: Kids Teaching Seniors Technology
April 1, 2013
A new library class series, OAKTech, Older Adults and Kids and Technology. Fifth and sixth graders from the Lego League teams at Lemme and Mann are teaching monthly classes to older adults about Skype, Google Maps and iPads
Not So Flannel Friday: Food Chain Stacking Cups
January 4, 2013
Stacking cups illustrate a food chain: grass, grasshopper, mouse, snake, owl. Picture books about the food chain.
STEM Program Ideas for Libraries
December 13, 2012
There are a lot of great STEM program ideas out there. In addition to ongoing Tech Club and CoderDojo programs, here are some activities I am considering for the months ahead. Top of my list – Squishy Circuits! How awesome is this idea from St. Thomas University?! By using batches of both sugar-based and salt-based […]
Moon & Stars Storytime
March 1, 2012
From the summer reading theme, Dream Big Read, to the flurry of STEM initiatives, the moon and stars have had a good year. I jumped on the bandwagon last week with a Moon and Stars storytime for toddlers. Opener: Glad to Meet You by Peter and Ellen Allard Kitten’s First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes […]