We Love to Read!

Envelopes

2012-01-28T12:03:00.000-08:00

Do you like to share notes with your friends? Here's a fun way to make envelopes to use for correspondence.

Materials: square paper, markers, tape and maybe stickers

Step 1. Fold your square piece of paper in half along the diagonal
Step 2. Unfold it and then fold along the other diagonal
Step 3. Unfold it and fold in all four corners to the center dot (made by the x you folded into the paper)
Step 4. Tape three of the flaps you've created closed
Step 5. Write your name on the front
Step 6. On the open flap, make a list of things to write about to keep your friend from getting stuck without ideas
Step 7. Decorate your envelope
Step 8. Trade with friends
Step 9. Start writing notes and crafts you can slip in your friends envelope and then return to her!

My babysitter and I made these yesterday. I already made lots of notes and crafts to give to her.

American Girl at Barnes and Noble

2012-01-21T14:51:00.000-08:00

One Wednesday night each month, my local Barnes and Noble has an American Girl book club. They talk about the American Girls. They have crafts for the American Girl that is featured that month. The lady who runs it is very nice. This month the topic was McKenna, the Girl of the Year. She inspires her friends to do things that they are nervous about. She helps her friends practice and encourages them by saying things such as, "You can do it!" McKenna is a gymnast. She helps her friend who is a gymnast too by encouraging her. I look forward to reading the book. The things that Barnes and Noble gave me were crafts and other activities that I could take home.

Barnes and Noble is a nice place to sit, relax, read or have fun.

Tip Number Two for Reading and Writing

2012-01-21T13:46:00.000-08:00

In my last tip I talked about feelings with reading and writing. Today I want to talk about expression. When you write a story, try to use strong words and paint a picture for the reader. In school I learned about show, don't tell. For example, consider the sentence, "She was scared." It is simple, but if you write, "She was trembling." It's another way to show that she was scared. The sentence becomes more interesting.

If you read out loud, try to use expression. For example, don't just say in your regular voice, "This lollipop is tasty." Say it with feeling as if you are actually tasting the lollipop. It would make you excited and happy
wouldn't it?

Here are some examples of strong sentences that I wrote for school homework:

The supermarket had a sale on inflatable pools with a bouncy dinosaur pool slide. Wow!
They had to come home immediately from the meeting because a tree fell across their driveway and they had to move it.
She held the tiny purple flashlight so it would illuminate the dark room.
Cleaning the oil from the oil spill off the birds was a major problem for the scientists.
The pink ice-pop froze solid when Ryanne put it in her freezer.
I love lots of marshmallows dipped in chocolate.

Don't forget to read these aloud with feeling!

Mom Just Published a New Book

2011-10-10T07:22:00.000-07:00

Mom just published a new book! It's about archives and it's called "The Unofficial Family Archivist." You can find it here. If you are interested, than read more.

Tip Number One for Reading and Writing

2011-10-10T07:18:00.000-07:00

Books and writing are an important part of my life. When I write a story, I like to think about how someone will feel when they read it. When I read a good book, I always think about how the author may have felt when writing that book. These are some things you can try when you read and write.

Writer's Group at My School

2011-10-10T07:10:00.000-07:00

I like writer's group at my school because it is fun and helps kids learn more about writing. It's for really good writers. The teacher is really nice and you also learn about illustrating your stories.

Homophones are very important in writing so I want to tell you about them. Homophones are words that are pronounced the same, but have different meanings. Sometimes they are spelled the same way, but usually they are spelled a different way. If they are spelled the same way, that means they are a homonym. Some examples for homophones are rose and rows, and, whale and wail.

Also, there are short stories that are fiction, small moments that are non-fiction and interviews. My favorite type of story is short stories because they can be as funny as you want them to be. In writer's group we get to share the stories we write and other kids can comment on them and ask questions. It's fun to hear other kids' stories because sometimes they can show you the other kid's personality and what they like to do. That is what writer's group is like at my school.

Good Writers (My Class)

2011-04-01T08:58:00.000-07:00

My teacher loves when we write. She says that you are never done with your stories. If you go up to her and say you are done with your story, she will say, "No you are not. Go check over it." In my stories I love to draw pictures to help people know what I'm writing about. My teacher wants us to look for boring words and change them to exciting words. For example, you can change "happy" to "joyful." Or, you can change "cold" to "chilly." You can change "friend" to "soul mate" or "companion." She also says, "Put a title on your story!" That's why our class is made up of good writers!

Puffles are Cute!

2011-04-01T07:00:00.000-07:00

Club penguin also has very fun books to read. You can get them at your local bookstore. Some books invite you to create an ending to stories about penguins and puffles. Some books are guides for the game.

Recommended: Nancy Drew Mysteries

2010-07-17T14:22:00.000-07:00

If you like mysteries, Nancy Drew books are right up your alley! These mysteries are very interesting and fun to read! For me they are interesting because they are mysteries and mysteries are my favorite kinds of books! The author of these books is Carolyn Keene.

Here are some of them:

The Secret of the Old Clock

The Hidden Staircase

The Bungalow Mystery

Party Party Party

2010-07-09T13:24:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is my birthday party! I am turning 7! It is a rock star party. Every bibliophile loves to get books for his/her birthday. Here are some books that I want for my birthday:

Trixie the Halloween Fairy

The Sports Fairies

Bella the Bunny Fairy

Molly the Goldfish Fairy

Tara the Tuesday Fairy

Tasha the Tap Dance Fairy

Recommended : The Fairy Chronicles

2010-07-09T08:02:00.000-07:00

I recommend The Fairy Chronicles because if you always wanted to be a fairy, these books are right for you. The girls in them turn into fairies and go on adventures! I liked these books because it made me feel like I could turn into a fairy. My favorite in the series is Firefly and the Quest of the Black Squirrel. It was my favorite because the squirrel was cute and Firefly looked like my favorite Rainbow Magic fairy.The author of these books is J.H. Sweet.

Some other books in the series are:

Marigold and the Feather of Hope, the Journey Begins

Thistle and the Shell of Laughter

Firefly and the Quest of the Black Squirrel

Spiderwort and the Princess of Haiku

Periwinkle and the Cave of Courage

Cinnabar and the Island of Shadows

Mimosa and the River of Wisdom

Luna and the Well of Secrets

Moonflower and the Pearl of Paramour

Snapdragon and the Odyssey of Elan

Heart Land Forever

2010-07-09T07:58:00.000-07:00

New Barbie Doll!

2010-02-16T11:08:00.000-08:00

I love the new Barbie doll! She is a computer engineer! Yay! She is a Barbie I Can Be doll.

Apple poem.

2009-10-09T15:28:00.000-07:00

Apples are so yummy. They are good for you. You can get them from the orchard or the store. They are just so delicious to eat.

Our Trip to American Girl

2009-03-20T14:32:00.000-07:00

We went to American Girl with Ella and Leo a few weeks ago. We went to the cafe. It was really yummy mac and cheese and fruit kabobs there. We got good stuff for our dolls.It was really good stuff. There were earrings, a hair care kit, a dress, tights and socks. It was fun!

Glitter Princesses

2009-02-24T14:17:00.000-08:00

Mommy and I played Glitter Princesses. It was so fun! It's about princesses who are adventure friends. They have fun together. There are so many kinds of Glitter Princesses. The Pet Princesses are Ella and Zoe. The Rescue Princesses are Lia and Super Tee-Tee. The Butterfly Princesses are Bluebell and Rose. The Fashion Princesses are Lila and Lisa. The Yoga Princesses are Lilly and Tia. They have their own song. The Rescue Princesses have a pack. The Fashion Princesses use Glitter Markers. The Yoga Princesses do poses that are fun. The Butterfly Princesses make butterflies to put on the stairs. The Pet Princesses are best friends with pets.

Sonic the Hedgehog

2008-05-23T14:43:00.000-07:00

Daddy got me a Sonic the hedgehog video game. Daddy and I love him. He is great.

Mommy Got a Build-a-Bear!

2008-05-23T14:41:00.000-07:00

I bought mommy a build-a-bear for Mother's Day. She loves it! Now we play together on build-a-bearville. We have fun!

Build-a-Bear Web Site

2008-03-28T08:34:00.000-07:00

I recently got a new build a bear. I visited the Build a Bearville site and really liked it. Your Mommy and Daddy have to do the site with you. Your bear and person wanders around town and does fun things. Things you can do include: jewel quest, things to buy for your bear and person, adorable elephant's peanut hunt, teddy's heart hunt, and lots more fun things. Check it out!

Favorite Artists

2008-03-28T08:18:00.000-07:00

I am learning about artists at school. My favorite artists are Georgia O'Keefe, Vincent Van Gogh, Picasso, Claude Monet, and Henri Matisse. Who are your favorites?

Friends

2008-03-02T10:23:00.000-08:00

We have been watching a lot of American Girl movies and reading their books. One thing that we think is really cool about the American Girls is how nice they are and how many friends they have. Friends are cool and it's important to be nice to them. My friends and I love to play. We compromise so that everyone enjoys the games. We especially love to dress up. What do you love to play?

Gardening

2008-02-24T15:05:00.000-08:00

Today we are planning what vegetables we will grow in our new vegetable garden this spring.
Here are two gardening books that we really like. We recommend that you read them.

Liddea in Monet's Garden
The Secret Garden

Mommy is going to get me a book about fairy houses this spring. We are going to build some fairy houses near our peonies. Elina lives in a peony. Maybe she will come to visit us.

Favorite Magazines

2008-02-22T08:42:00.000-08:00

Ranger Rick
Highlights
Nick Jr.
National Geographic Kids
Ladybug
Babybug

What are your favorites?

Snow Flow Poem

2008-02-22T08:36:00.000-08:00

Snow flows every day in winter.
It's so fun to play with everyday.
Sometimes I get super cold or sometimes just cold,
but I always have fun in it everyday.
I like to twirl, and whirl and spin, and do ballerina moves in the snow.
And I run and skip and dash and play on the swings all the time.
The bench goes up and down in the snow and we can't even sit on it.
Sledding and skiing are great too.
The evergreen trees are still green.
Icycles are super fun. Sometimes they break, sometimes they don't.

Valentine's Day

2008-02-14T12:17:00.001-08:00

Valentine's Day is fun and exciting!
It's great when you get to taste all the yummy treats.
I love giving out valentines.
I love parties for Valentine's Day.
Valentine's Day is great every time,
even if I feel icky.

Favorite Web Sites

2008-02-13T09:46:00.000-08:00

American Girl - Great learning games. We especially love the mystery games.

Barbie - This web site has fun games including a magical garden. They also have link to Polly Pocket and other fun characters

Disney Princesses - Pretty princesses and princess games (need we say more?)

Disney - We especially love the Tinkerbell link!

Hallmark - Free e-cards to send to grandmas, grandpas and friends. We especially love Hoops and Yo-Yo!

Highlights Magazine - One of our favorite magazines! The web site has fun activities including "Hidden Pictures"

National Geographic for Kids - Great nature games and activities

Nick Jr. - Your favorite Nick Jr. character with fun games, videos, and music

PBS - spin the wheel and see your favorite PBS characters with games, music and coloring

Time for Kids - Educational games and news. We especially like the trivia challenges!

Favorite Kids Books

2008-02-13T08:22:00.000-08:00

Lorelei and her mommy worked on this book list to share some of our family's favorite stories. Lorelei's mommy is a librarian and Lorelei's book choices are appropriate for kids ages 3-8 (and sometimes older).

Picture Books:

Are you My Mother? by P.D. Eastman - A bird falls out of a tree and tries to find his mother. He can't find her anywhere, but meets a lot of nice animals and a steam shovel along the way.

Go Dog Go! by P.D. Eastman. - Funny doggies who go on adventures. Some go on a ferris wheel. Some go skiing. Some have a party. Go Dog Go! There are nice characters and this is a great sounding poetic book.

The Mouse and the Buddha - Tsi Tsi the mouse learns the importance of being kind to others. Teaches simple principles of kindness, compassion and other values.

Philadelphia Chickens (and other Sandra Boynton song books) -Boynton's cute rhyming stories set to music. Fun for the whole family!

Zen Shorts by Jon J. Muth - The story of a loveable Zen panda who teaches kids how to get along. A beautiful tale and one of mommy's favorites.

Unbrella by Scott E. Franson - A wordless picture book about a girl who changes the weather with her magic umbrella.

Series:

American Girl - Chapter books with great girls who also have their own web site with super fun games. These stories help kids understand history.

Disney Fairy chapter books - Tinkerbell and her friends in Neverland have fun adventures together in these fun chapter books.

Henry and Mudge series by Cynthia Rylant - Henry and his dog Mudge are best friends. They have wonderful adventures together.

Larry the Polar bear series by Daniel Pinkwater - This loveable polar bear lives in the hotel Larry in Bayonne New Jersey. He and his blueberry loving polar bear friends go on many adventures. Daddy especially loves this series!

Mr. Putter and Tabby cat series by Cynthia Rylant - A loveable retired gentleman lives with a cute kitty named Tabby. They live next door to a wonderful lady and her dog. The lady gives him a note every day asking "Are you Hungry?" Mr. Potter and his neighbor love to take care of each other.

Ramona series by Beverly Cleary - An adventurous tomboy learns new things about her world and the people in it.

Tanya series by Patricia Lee Gauch and Satomi Ichikawa- Tanya is the best ballet dancer. She is pretty and loves to learn new dance moves. She has a big sister named Emily. This book is great for anyone who wants to be a dancer.

Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne - Winnie the Pooh is a funny, adorable character. His best friend is Piglet. Mommy says that the original Pooh series written by AA Milne has beautiful poetic language that is fun to hear.

Barbie:

Barbie Island Princess chapter book - A book filled with great characters. Lorelei especially loves the elephant named Tika.

Magic of the Rainbow - Part of the Fairytopia series, Elina learns the flight of spring and meets another fairy named Glee.

Mermaidia - Part of the Barbie Fairytopia series, this book has great characters. Elina turns into a mermaid and saves prince Nalu.

Twelve Dancing Princesses - Princesses always leave their shoes by the bed and the king doesn't understand why. They go to an exciting dance at night when the king is not looking.