Use picture books as mentor texts to model for your elementary students how to write using sound words or onomatopoeia. These books show your young writers the possibilities for incorporating the sense of sound into stories and poems. Picture Books To Teach Onomatopoeia I Hear a Pickle (and Smell, See, Touch, and Taste It, Too!) by Rachel Isadora This book, written in first person, is a … [Read more...]
Back to School and Up to Speed
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by The Boys and Girls Clubs of America. STEMming the tide of summer learning loss Kids are heading back to class for the new school year, but will your child be up to speed with his or her peers? Or, will the summer “brain drain” have taken its toll? Just how bad is the summer slide? On average, students lose the equivalent of one month’s worth of … [Read more...]
3 New Inspirational Girl-Power Middle Grade Books
These girl-powered middle-grade books feature the true stories of girls and women who achieved amazing things with creativity, hard work, and determination. Use them in the classroom or at home to show your children possibilities -- the possibilities of dreaming big and achieving those dreams. Middle-Grade NonFiction: Female Leaders and Entrepreneurs Girl CEO Priceless Advice from … [Read more...]
Learn About Animals: New Nonfiction Books for Ages 4 – 14
If your child enjoys reading about animal life, you'll want to know about these new books. From picture to comics to nonfiction middle-grade, there is something for every age and most interests on this list of new books for kids. Learn About Animals: New Nonfiction Books for Ages 4 - 14 Walk This Wild World: Lift the Flap by Sam Brewster Startin with the Arctic, visit different ecosystems on … [Read more...]
Don’t Miss These 2018 Back-to-School Books
We do a lot to prepare our children for the school year. One of those rituals, besides changing up bedtime and school supply shopping, can be reading books about going to school. Especially for our younger children who are still unsure of what to expect. This year's back-to-school books offer humor, wisdom, and diversity. Read these at home or in the classroom as your kids go back for another year … [Read more...]
Free Legends of Learning Online Science Games for Elementary & Middle School Classrooms
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Legends of Learning. All opinions are my own. Free Legends of Learning Online Science Games for Elementary & Middle School Classrooms Science elementary and middle school teachers, you can use the science-based Legends of Learning website to help your students learn and review science concepts. In fact, you can assign a playlist of games to individual … [Read more...]
Outstanding Beginning Nonfiction Biographies for Ages 7 – 10
I want to highlight two excellent nonfiction biography series for beginning readers, ages 7 to 10, one called Little Guides to Great Lives and the other called The Story Of. Having taught this age group, I always struggled to find interesting nonfiction text for my students to read. Because, as you know, kids need to read both fiction and nonfiction (also called expository.) When I'd test a … [Read more...]
BGCA & Samsung’s 5 Weeks of Summer of #STEM Challenge
Disclosure: The Boys and Girls Club of America and Samsung sponsored this post. All opinions are my own. Don't miss this free 5-week STEM curriculum for you to do with kids at home from The Boys and Girls Club of America and Samsung. BGCA and Samsung value summer learning and STEM activities. They're offering this to families to help grow children's interest in STEM fields. The Boys and Girls … [Read more...]
How Predictable Book Series Benefit Beginning Readers
"Mom, do you think the goblins stole the flag?" my daughter said one night as we read the (kazillionth) book in the Rainbow Magic Fairies series. (Or thereabouts.) If you haven't read these books, let me explain something quickly-- the goblins ALWAYS, in every book, are the bad guys. I tried to act surprised, "Hmm, I don't know. What do you think? What clues made you think it might be the … [Read more...]
New in Picture Books, Summer 2018
What are you reading this summer? Here are some newly published picture books that I think you'll enjoy. (I put the latest funny picture books in a separate post here.) New in Picture Books, Summer 2018 Grumpy Monkey by Suzanne Lang, illustrated by Max Lang FEELINGS This is one of the best, most healthy emotional intelligence children's books I've ever read about feeling your … [Read more...]
If You Like to Laugh, Read These 5 New Funny Picture Books
Kids love all sorts of books, especially ones with funny stories. Here are five newly published picture books that will get your kids laughing with delight. ENJOY! If You Like to Laugh, Read These New Funny Picture Books Walrus in the Bathtub by Deborah Underwood, illustrated by Matt Hunt FUNNY Things I love about this story: illustrations humorous story handwriting … [Read more...]
Learn Spanish At Home With PandaTree Language Learning For Kids
Disclosure: We worked in partnership with Panda Tree to bring you this information. All opinions are our own. written by Christa Jimenez, of Pura Vida Moms One of the most common questions that I receive as a bilingual parent and former bilingual teacher is: how do I teach my children to become bilingual? There are so many answers to that question-- and it really depends on the culture of … [Read more...]