Nature Recycles—How About You? Written by: Michelle Lord Illustrated by: Cathy Morrison Paperback: 32 pages Publisher: Sylvan Dell Publishing (March 5, 2013) Language: English ISBN-10: 1607186276 ISBN-13: 978-1607186274 Nature Recycles—How About You? by Michelle Lord is a very neat book about how different animals in various habitats recycle by using things in nature and adapting them for their various needs. This can include making new homes, nests, hiding places/protection, finding food and water, etc. In many ways, the fascinating facts about these animals can teach the reader about the importance of recycling and inspire them to find ways to recycle as well. When I was young, I remember
Ferdinand Fox’s First Summer By: Mary Holland Hardcover: 32 pages Publisher: Sylvan Dell Publishing (March 5, 2013) Language: English ISBN-10: 1607186144 ISBN-13: 978-1607186144 Ferdinand Fox’s First Summer is a delightful photographic journal about a red fox as he explores the world around him during the first few months of his life. When the book begins, Ferdinand is about a month old. Each colorful two-page spread documents each new learning experience through his first summer and provides wonderful information about the life of this fascinating canine. I really like the close-up detailed photographs by Ms. Holland, and I must admit that I found the baby fox to be quite precious! But I al
The Tree That Bear Climbed Written by: Marianne Berkes Illustrated by: Kathleen Rietz Paperback: 32 pages Publisher: Sylvan Dell Publishing (August 10, 2012) Language: English ISBN-10: 1607185377 ISBN-13: 978-1607185376 If you have fond memories of the popular British (or Mother Goose) nursery rhyme/song ‘The House That Jack Built’ then you will certainly enjoy the book, The Tree That Bear Climbed by Marianne Berkes. Both children and adults will enjoy the rhythmic repetition of the text as they learn about the parts of a tree and how they relate to each other and to nature and the elements as well. And why, we ask, does bear want to climb that tree and what will happen when he gets to the t
Water Beds: Sleeping in the Ocean Written by: Gail Langer Karwoski Illustrated by: Connie McLennan Age Range: 4 and up Paperback: 32 pages Publisher: Sylvan Dell Publishing (March 10, 2007) Language: English ISBN-10: 1934359017 ISBN-13: 978-1934359013 Water Beds: Sleeping In the Ocean is a very fun and informative picture book by Georgia author, Gail Langer Karwoski. It answers the question of how marine mammals—animals that live in water but breathe air—manage to sleep in the ocean. There are ten mammals covered within the pages of the book, including orca whales, harbor seals, dolphins, manatees, humpback whales, fur seals, beluga whales, walruses, elephant seals, and sea otters. The book
Turtle Summer: A Journal for my Daughter by Mary Alice Monroe Age Range: 5 and up Hardcover: 32 pages Publisher: Sylvan Dell Publishing (March 27, 2007) Language: English ISBN-10: 0977742350 ISBN-13: 978-0977742356 I wasn't really sure what to expect when I picked up Turtle Summer: A Journal for my Daughter by New York Times bestselling novelist, Mary Alice Monroe, and author of The Beach House and Swimming Lessons. Would it be a lot of text and personal thoughts? Would it be a drab and dry re-hash of the nesting habits of the loggerhead sea turtle? Would MY children find it interesting? And for that matter, would *I* find it interesting? I am happy to report that the book was delightful. Th
Teachers (and parents) have been using newspapers as a teaching tool for years. Even young children, just learning to recognizing letters, can circle all the A’s, B’s, C’s, etc. when they find them in an article or ad. And of course, all older children have learned about current events through newspapers. But one of the most enjoyable activities for using newspapers (for me) has been to find pictures to use as writing prompts—for the students and for myself! The student does indeed learn what has happened in the photo (current events), but he also has a visual aid to spark some creativity! Although my favorite college course was a creative writing class, my middle school education content cl
It’s so true—ideas are everywhere. As writers, we are constantly on the lookout for grist for our writing mills that we can use to develop into articles or stories. We search the world wide web. We use information from our lives, jobs and careers. We sift back through our own memories from childhood, and much to our children’s dismay, we may even play off humorous things they say and do. We are persistent and consistent in our quest to mine for those little nuggets and ideas that we will make uniquely ours. However, one fantastic source for ideas may be so obvious that it’s simply overlooked. In fact, until I started thinking back on how I originally came up with the ideas for some of my pub
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To raise awareness for Endangered Species Day, I am posting reviews of several awesome picture books from Sylvan Dell. Sylvan Dell publishes award-winning picture books that integrate Science, Math, and Geography and are great resources for both classroom teachers and homeschool moms. Check them out! Carolina's Story: Sea Turtles Get Sick Too! Written by Donna Rathmell German Illustrated by Barbara J. Bergwerf Reading Level: Ages 4-8 32 Pages Hardcover ISBN: 9780976494300 Paperback ISBN: 9781934359006 I love reading non-fiction books to my children that inspire them to learn more about a topic or subject. We found a winner with Carolina's Story: Sea Turtles Get Sick Too! by Donna Rathmell
To raise awareness for Endangered Species Day, I am posting reviews of several awesome picture books from Sylvan Dell. Sylvan Dell publishes award-winning picture books that integrate Science, Math, and Geography and are great resources for both classroom teachers and homeschool moms. Check them out! Baby Owl’s Rescue Written by Jennifer Keats Curtis Illustrated by Laura Jacques Reading level: Ages 4-8 Hardcover: 32 pages Publisher: Sylvan Dell Publishing (September 5, 2009) Language: English ISBN-10: 1934359955 ISBN-13: 978-1934359952 It is generally known that when we find a wild baby animal, we should not touch it because it could bite or scratch us. But then again, experts say it
To raise awareness for Endangered Species Day, I am posting reviews of several awesome picture books from Sylvan Dell. Sylvan Dell publishes award-winning picture books that integrate Science, Math, and Geography and are great resources for both classroom teachers and homeschool moms. Check them out! Title: Where Should Turtle Be? Author: Susan Ring Illustrator: Laurie Allen Klein Reading level: Ages 4-8 Hardcover: 32 pages Publisher: Sylvan Dell Publishing (February 10, 2009) Language: English ISBN-13: 978-1934359891 ISBN-10: 1934359890 Little turtle has hatched from an egg on the beach late one night. However, he becomes confused, disoriented, and ultimately lost as he follows wha
Welcome to this week's edition of Nonfiction Monday! This is my first time as host for this round-up, and I'm excited you are here! Nonfiction Monday is simply a collection of links from around the blogosphere that highlight or recommend great nonfiction books for kids or other nonfiction posts of interest. Please add the link to your blog/review for Nonfiction Monday using the Mr. Linky's Magical Widget below my post. You should be added immediately, but if you have any problems, please leave a comment in the box about your post and I'll get it added ASAP. Keep checking back throughout the day to discover more great books/posts for Nonfiction Monday! Oh, Pioneers! Heading West Fall is right
Here is my post for today's Nonfiction Monday round-up hosted by L.L. Owens. Be sure to head on over and check out more posts about nonfiction books for kids! I’ve often said that children are fascinated by topics that have a high gross factor. And what is more gross than exhuming skeletons that have been buried for over four hundred years so that forensic scientists can learn more about life (and death) in the 1600s and 1700s? Forensic Anthropology This branch of science is called forensic anthropology and involves special archeological techniques that keep the digging from ruining the skeletons and preserve the site as much as possible to keep everything intact. Interestingly, Dr. Douglas
Many parents and teachers would love to use more trade books in the classroom, either to replace or supplement textbooks. Many times, however, it seems to be too much trouble to find titles that accurately match up by grade level, historical period, or by geographical region. In addition, many educators want a short book summary or even warnings about potential inappropriate language or other questionable issues, in order to make appropriate selections. In my own homeschool planning, I have found several excellent resources to help in my quest to find great books to use in my curriculum. These literature guides are the map to help me match up titles that go along with the topics, people, reg
P is For Peach: A Georgia Alphabet Written by Carol Crane Illustrated by Mark Braught Published by Sleeping Bear Press ISBN 13: 9781585360468 ISBN 10: 1585360465 Sometimes you just find a book or series that makes your heart beat a bit faster, and you know you’ve hit a resource jackpot! That’s how I felt as I was browsing the non-fiction shelves in the juvenile section of our regional library last week. A picture book with a beautifully illustrated cover of a peach tree caught my eye, so I pulled it off the shelf for a closer look. I was so excited to find that it was P is for Peach: A Georgia Alphabet by Carol Crane, and I quickly started flipping through the pages. All I can say is WOW—a g
Using family history as a basis for a non-fiction or fictional manuscript might just be the thing to jumpstart the creative juices to flowing! I know that when I read through journals, diaries, and histories pertaining to my family or my husband's family, I get all kinds of ideas for stories. I always think to myself, "Wow, that would make a great storyline!" But where do I start? Many beginning writers need a bit of guidance in this potentially rich area, so it's always nice to discover a resource that will help the faltering wannabe or student gain confidence and find a starting point. The following article/review is about one such resource. So read on. . . Family Tree: Writing Historical
Originally posted at the National Writing For Children Center Lapbooks are very popular in many homeschooling/educational circles, and for good reason. Children who create something tangible after reading a particular book or learning about a certain topic are far more apt to retain that knowledge. It is motivating to be able to hold in their hands or ‘on their laps’ their very own special reminder of their learning experience. Besides that—creating a lapbook is fun, and the educational and enjoyment possibilities are endless! However, for today, I will concentrate solely on lapbooks that are related to children’s literature and timeless picture books! What Exactly Are Lapbooks? Lapbooks can
Animal Identification – What’s in a Name? Baby Names A calf is a baby cow, right? Yes, but it is also what we call a baby whale, antelope, elephant, and giraffe! In addition, while a baby bear is called a cub, the same infant identity belongs to a fox and a lion. Moreover, while almost everyone knows that a baby kangaroo is a joey, many people have no idea that a baby swan is a cygnet or that a baby turkey is a poult. How many animal baby names can you identify? Groups Animal groups are also fascinating to learn about, and I was very surprised to find myself stumped when it came to naming many of the units. For example, I had no clue that a group of rabbits is a warren, several donkeys mak
Labor Day: A Look At How It Came To Be by Amy M. O’Quinn When most of us think of Labor Day, we automatically associate it with a long holiday weekend and time off from the job. It is a day to relax, spend time with family, say goodbye to summer and hello to autumn, squeeze in one more picnic or vacation, or attend a hometown celebration or parade with friends. Labor Day is always observed on the first Monday in September, yet how much do we really know about this special day set aside to recognize those who toil daily to keep our country moving and growing socially, civically, and economically? Let’s take a closer look at this “workingman’s” holiday! How Did Labor Day Begin? The very first
Journaling Nature by Amy M. O’Quinn Keeping A Nature Journal by Clare Walker Leslie and Charles E. Roth Charlotte Mason’s Ideas I have written before about Charlotte Mason, a nineteenth-century educator, and her views on the importance of giving children a well-rounded education. Therefore, in addition to presenting the regular core academic subjects, she also advocated exposing children to living books, poetry, classical music, fine art, Shakespeare, nature study, etc. In a (very simplified) nutshell, Miss Mason’s vision was to foster a ‘love of learning’ in all children and give them a liberal (broad) education, regardless of their economic background or social class. Today, I’d like to ex
