Tis the Season to Give!

With the holidays comes a need to give to others, whether giving "back" or simply out of the goodness of your heart. Either way, Carrie and I had a great opportunity to do so last week.

Two weeks ago, a parent of a Pre-K kid and a 1st grader came to introduce herself. She works for Uplift, a local charter school initiative to provide quality, college-prepatory education to students around DFW. The Uplift program is expanding greatly and they are just now creating library spaces for some of the high schools. Mrs. B asked if she could bring some folks from Uplift to see what a library should look like, get ideas from our program, databases, etc.

We were more than happy to help. Last week, Mrs. B, plus a librarian who volunteers with Uplift, a Learning Specialist, and High School teacher all came to visit with Carrie and me. We were able to show them our space and how certain areas are designated for specific grades. Later, we had them sit on the story steps and showed them our catalog, eBook collection, and databases. I even showed the Learning Specialist how to cover books with a CoLibri machine!

 It was great to hear their questions and be able to provide some help and support. I could not imagine starting a library from scratch, as fun and daunting as it sounds. the librarian volunteer told us that many of the schools do not even have a certified librarian. They are simply trying to get the space ready for the kids to utilize. How exciting is that new adventure for them? I'm glad we could help them, even if it was only a smidge.

There's been a lot going on in our library. We've had Grandparents and Special Friends Day before Thanksgiving, and the Christmas break and winter holidays have creeped upon us yet again. Thankfully people have been wonderful to give to us and we are able to give back through many ways. We help kids create memories, friends, and learn more about themselves through books we order and recommend. Carrie and I volunteer to help out other teachers whenever it is possible. We helped several libraries outside of our network in order to help even more kids in our community.

Wow!

Every day is a chance to give. In the library setting such as ours, we give through our interactions and attitudes with others. I am working on my own and am aiming for a very positive 2015.

Subbing Day

It's always fun when I get to sub for Carrie. There's usually a lot to be done that keeps me busy and that's precisely how I enjoy it. Today is a bit wacky as we have six classes but its nothing I haven't done before.

So far, this has been the schedule:
3rd grade: iPad rules
4th grade: catching up on Bluebonnet stuff (writing summaries, checking books off the list, etc.)
Primer: Hanukkah lessons

The rest of the day will look like:

2nd grade: quiet reading and finding good fit books
Pre-K: 3 Little Pigs
1st grade: continuing catalog overview

Now that the heater has finally been turned on, I feel as though I might pass out...great. Can't win when you're sick and dealing with kids.

Here's hoping the rest of the day goes well.

'Tis the Season to Be Busy!

Author's Note:
I earnestly meant for the post to be, er, posted quite a while ago. Sickness, group projects, and Thanksgiving threw me off completely. Here it is, only edited for certain time periods.

                                                                                                                                                                                                 

This time of year can be crazy. Trying to cram in things before the holidays, like book orders and certain lessons, or just general housekeeping of the library space. In my personal life, its homework on top of homework while my husband is diligently working on the Christmas production for his job. Needless to say, I feel a bit frazzled at times and am ready for a week of rest. It's not to say that I don't enjoy my work, its that I am just plum tired.

Last week a few weeks ago, I started off the busyness with taking a couple of workshops through Region 10. Region 10 offers professional education courses to teachers, librarians, and other people that work in a school environment (like me!). Friday was a session regarding Lego Story Creator sets. We only spent about 45 minutes there discussing how to use the Story Creator set and making different stories in groups. Our presenter Betty Justus (doesn't that sound like a super hero name?) gave us all trinkets and a Lego pigeon to take home!

You jelly?

The next day was a full day workshop for Makerspace Magic. The presenters were from Arlington ISD and were so awesome! I felt that the session was a bit long, especially with an hour and a half for lunch. The first half of the day, we reviewed websites for maker spaces in various types of schools. Obviously not all of them would work at an elementary level, nor would they work in an independent school like we are. It was fascinating to see different set ups, though.

The second half of the morning covered the ins and outs of securing the space, how to get funding (can independent schools get grants?), and what to do that would be appropriate for certain age groups. That was the best part of the entire day, even though we got to play with a bunch of different stations.There's all kinds of creative stuff to be done. I guess my homeschool upbringing was good for something! Having helped my mom pick out my own curriculum, what crafts I wanted to do, and all that stuff, I guess I have been exposed to more crafts than any one person should ever be.

I love it.

So now it is the post Thanksgiving rush, into the Christmas/holiday rush where decorations must be taken care of post haste. Ours in the library are looking pretty pathetic right now. Maybe when this stomach bug passes and I have a free evening, I can take care of it. Poinsettias sound pretty nice and quick to me.

Here's to a stress-reduced December...ha!

Christine

Bluebonnet Season

Technically speaking, the entire year is Bluebonnet season in the library for some reason. If you're not familiar with the Bluebonnet Award, check out this explanation of the awesome reading program that doesn't have much to do with the actual flower.

The students will not vote for the Bluebonnet award until January or perhaps February, if the weather is as bad as it was last year. Before voting can take place at our school, the kids must have completed the following tasks:

1. read a minimum of 5 books
2. checked off the books on our tracking sheets
3. written summaries for the books they read--NOT reviews

Carrie will be teaching them about summaries soon, which we are both excited for. When a kid loves a book, you think it would be easy for them to be able to summarize it or at least pick out the most exciting parts to tell about. Most of the time, though, its just a bunch of words like "like", "good", "funny", "cool", etc. We're hoping they learn how to veer from this and be able to summarize appropriately.

It might be a tad early but I'm going to start reading the 2015-2016 Bluebonnet selections.  Like, this year's are cool and all, but...I'm wanting read some new stuff. I always make a promise to myself that I'm going to read at least 5 books like the kids are required to but that has totally not happened. I cannot seem to get a moment to make my own dinner let alone read another book on top of my textbooks.

Help. Me.

Since I dropped a class this quarter, I should be a little bit more relaxed in some regards and maybe will be awake enough to comprehend a book that does not have film theory language strewn through it. That being said, I'm starting with two of the 15-16 Bluebonnets that are right up my alley--

THE GRAPHIC NOVELS!

I'm starting with two Bluebonnets that also happen to be graphic novels, The Adventures of Salem Hyde #1 and The Great American Dust Bowl. Salem Hyde looks absolutely adorable, and from what I gather its about a little witch ala Sabrina who is up to mischief. The second is way more serious and potentially too advanced for some of our kids, but The Great American Dust Bowl is an important port of the Southwest's history. Or is Oklahoma part of the plains? Whatev!

I'll be posting my reviews to my little gn blog, so I'll post the link when I'm finished with those. 

Happy reading :)

Christine

Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales

The list of books nominated for the Bluebonnet award is always a crapshoot. This isn't to say there aren't wonderful books, but sometimes the books seem random or inappropriate for younger readers. This year, we are having issues with a lot of the books being more appropriate for teenagers rather than 3rd or 4th graders.

One of the best choices this year I've found is Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales: One Dead Spy. This graphic novel series is written by Nathan Hale (not that one) with Nathan Hale (yes, the historical one) as the narrator of historical events. The first book actually covers much of the American revolution, while subsequent titles have followed the Donner party (Donner Dinner Party) and World War I (Treaties, Trenches, Mud and Blood).

Right now, I'm in the middle of reading Donner Dinner Party. Let me tell you, it is one of the funniest, most clever books I have read in a while. The first book, One Dead Spy, has certainly been attractive to those kids who love graphic novels. But the kids who just don't "get" graphic novels? The ones who are just wanting something...different? This series is absolutely perfect. I've seen all different types of kids, all different styles of readers and learners read that book and absolutely love it.

I was browsing Nathan Hale's website to check on the release date of the newest book. I keep looking through older posts and found something awesome from March 31, 2014:

Credit: Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales, hazardoustales.blogspot.com

How awesome is that? A children's non-fiction BOOK, let alone GRAPHIC NOVEL, was #3 on the New York Times Bestseller List! I think its absolutely great. It proves that history can be fascinating, depending on the medium used to tell the story. I cannot wait for the rest of his books to come out!

If you haven't checked them out, head on over to Nathan Hale's blog to see all the cool things he's doing. 

 

29 Myths on the Swinster Pharmacy by Lemony Snicket

Though his true identity has been revealed, I still refuse to believe in anyone other than Lemony Snicket in regards to telling the wackiest mysteries. In his newest short novel 29 Myths on the Swinster Pharmacy, Snicket delves into the world of the urban legend.

It seems every generation of kids will develop their own mythology, whether loosely based on the previous or an entirely new creation. Though some of the "myths" really aren't myths so much as facts about the kids trying to figure out something about this suspicious pharmacy, its a nice and light introduction to the slightly spooky, slightly funny mystery title.

In Dallas, there is a store similar to this pharmacy in its mystery and quirkiness. I had heard rumors about it from friends, and several years ago a good friend of mine decided we needed to explore the unknown:

Voodoo Chile.

It's a red house in a popular area of Dallas that is some sort of consignment shop. They keep odd hours. Rumors of the shop-owner and his appearance were rampant. Some part of me wishes I had never stepped inside the Voodoo Chile, simply because of the intrigue it held before. Yet, even though I went into that crazy store, the intrigue still remains.

29 Myths on the Swinster Pharmacy could be a fun way to talk to your child about spooky or interesting buildings in your neighborhood and create stories about them. This is also a good way to teach about jumping to conclusions or making assumptions (a.k.a. gossiping) about not only people but businesses and things.

But really...what DOES the Swinster Pharmacy sell?

CBLDF: Join Today!

I'm not usually the best at actually signing up to support things. Sure, I'll vote for this person for governor or on American Idol or whatnot, but I don't really go around with bells on heralding them as the best thing since sliced bread. This is changing as I get older and see the good that can be done by assigning your name to something you believe in. Well, I still don't know where I sit on the political spectrum or if Clay or Reuben should have won, but let me say this: I am all for the comic book and the authors, illustrators, and publishers to have the freedom to create the book of their choosing.

Super heroes are all the rage right now, with Marvel announcing movies being made for basically the next 15 years or longer. With comics and graphic novels becoming a more respected art and literature form, they are and will be coming under fierce scrutiny for who knows how long. The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund is there to support authors and illustrators in their efforts to create fantastic art.

Founded in 1986, the CBLDF helps comic book creators with legal aid, especially involving free speech laws, education and support for libraries, lectures and panels, and a weekly newsletter. Right now, you can help them out through their website, www.cbldf.org, or by purchasing a Humble Bundle here. Comic books and graphic novels are important for emerging and proficient readers alike. It's important that the community is supported by more than just the artists and writers themselves.

If you support them for the minimum of $10 today, you get a TON of Star Wars graphic novels for your eReader! From the Humble Bundle website:

A New Hope for your e-readers. The Humble Star Wars Comics Bundle features 89 issues across 12 stellar titles of Force-pushing, lightsaber-swinging Star Wars comics. Name your price for Star Wars Omnibus: A Long Time Ago… Volume 1, Star Wars: Empire Volume 1 Betrayal, Star Wars: Jedi Volume 1 - The Dark Side, Star Wars: Crimson Empire Volume 1, Star Wars: Darth Maul - Death Sentence, and Star Wars: Blood Ties - Jango and Boba Fett. Pay more than the average price to also get Star Wars: Darth Vader and the Lost Command, Star Wars: The Old Republic Volume 1 - Blood of the Empire, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Volume 1 Commencement, Star Wars: Legacy Volume 1 - Broken, and Star Wars: Dark Times Volume 1 - The Path to Nowhere. If you pay $15 or more, you'll receive all of the above plus Star Wars Volume 1: In the Shadow of Yavin. The Force is strong with this bundle!

Such an awesome deal for an awesome cause. If that's not something in your ability right now, you can always go back to their website at www.cbldf.org later.

Happy reading!
Christine