Valarie Budayr's Blog, page 106
May 4, 2013
Weekend Links: The Nature Lovers Edition
Spring is in the air (FINALLY). Blossoms are blooming there’s even some activity in our fox den (more on that later).
As the bees start to buzz and the birds start hopping about, I’ve noticed a whole slew of delightful bloggers sharing wonderful nature-based activities. Just in time for summer vacation too. Here’s some of my favorites:
I introduced you to Relentlessly Fun during our The Bee Tree book jump and activity. I still love her creative look at bees, Hexagons, and Honeycombs…all out of toilet paper rolls. Relentlessly Fun has so many fun activities for kids including this incredibly clever The Grasshead Family project!
At JDaniel4′sMom they are enjoying the Read.Explore.Learn series, and this week made a cute weather headband.
I absolutely LOVE this Daisy Fairy Crown from Nature and Play. Precious!
Earth Day has passed but kids need to be mindful of preserving the earth year-around. I love this article from Go Explore Nature on 7 Ways Kids Can Help Save Trees.
Like I mentioned before, school will be out before you know it. The hectic schedule of the school year is replaced by a more leisurely pace and chance to explore and learn.
A Natural Nester has created this amazing At Home Summer Camp eCirriculum and this on-line ecurriculum is your guide to a fun, affordable summer spent exploring your own backyard!
Jump Into a Book is proud to be a part of the hugely anticipated Natural Nester Home Summer Camp e-Curriculum For 8 weeks we will be a part of this huge event created and hosted by Liz from A Natural Nester.
This 8-week eCurriculum is packed with ideas and inspiration to keep kids engaged and happy all summer long. It offers 8 kid-approved themes with outdoor activities, indoor projects, arts & crafts, recipes, field trip ideas, book & media suggestions, and more. Jump Into a Book is proud to be a “camp counselor” for this event and during the 8 weeks we will be hosting exciting book jumps and activities right here on JIAB.
The e-curriculum available for download on May 20th, is a full-color PDF that can be read on a computer screen, tablet, or printed out. Designed for children ages 5-11, it is fun and easily-adaptable for all ages! May 20th will be here before you know it. Register and save your spot at “Summer Camp” ASAP!
The post Weekend Links: The Nature Lovers Edition appeared first on Jump Into A Book.
May 3, 2013
The Bee Tree by Patricia Polacco
Patricia Polacco is a very favorite author/illustrator here. As part of our A Natural Nester At Home Summer Nature Camp Series, we’re jumping into her book “The Bee Tree” for wildflower/bee week.
This charming book features a real life book adventure between a grandfather and his grand daughter.
Mary Ellen complains that she is tired of reading. Her grandfather has just the thing to spice up the afternoon….“this is just the right time to find a bee tree !”
Chasing a bee through the Michigan countryside, they are soon joined by a variety of village folk. Finally the bee leads them to the hive in a tree where they gather a bit of honey. At the end of the story the grandfather dribbles a little bit of honey on his grand-daughter’s book cover and tell Mary Ellen to compare its sweetness to that which is found inside. “Just like we ran after the bees to find their tree, so you must also chase these things: adventure, knowledge, and wisdom through the pages of a book! “
Well said Grandpa !!!
Grab your copy of The Bee Tree HERE.
Something To Do
The process the grand-father in The Bee Tree uses to get the bees is one that all bee-keepers use to this day. In the summers we often watch, and help our bee-keeping friends gather the honey.
In the fields surrounding Avonlea farm bees take their treasures back to their hives to make the liquid gold we call honey.
Though I love honey and buy many organic jars of the beautiful stuff, I had never really thought about a bee’s life and how needed they are.
Luella prepares to smoke the hives to calm the bees.
Once the bees are calmed, they start looking to see how much honey there is and if it’s ready to be harvested.
With the bees still on the comb, Pavo decides it’s time to shake them loose and put this one away to harvest the honey.
Once back at the barn, Luella combs off the wax so she can extract the honey. She leaves just enough wax on the comb for the bees to store more food for winter and have enough warmth from the wax to survive the long cold dark winters of Sweden.
This one is ready for the extractor.
A honey extractor.
A bucket at the bottom of the extractor catches the honey.
All in an afternoon’s work.
Currently the world’s bee population is in crisis. Pesticides are creating something called Colony Collapse which kills entire bee hives. It is becoming so extreme that China is now hand pollinating its fruit trees. The bottom line: without bees, we will not have food. By purchasing local organic vegetables, fruit, and honey we are helping to sustain their world.
Queen of the Sun: What the Bees are Telling Us
About a year ago we watched the most poetic and beautiful movie about the bees. This is a must see film. We learned so much about the bees and what we can do to help them.
How much honey does a bee make ?
On a single flight, a honey bee can visit more than 1,000 flowers, drinking nectar with its proboscis, a tongue that resembles a drinking straw. When its “honey stomach” — which holds only one-eyedroppers’ worth of nectar — is full, the bee deposits the nectar into hive cells.
It’s Time to play Honey Bees
Group your children into “colonies.” This can be done with one child as well. For each colony, place an eyedropper and cup of water at one end of the room and a plastic medicine cup (marked with teaspoon and tablespoon increments) across the room.
To play, children take turns transferring water across the room to the medicine cups — one drop at a time! As the “bees” deposit their “honey” into the “hives,” a recorder keeps count of the drops needed to produce the amounts of water, from 1 teaspoon to 2 tablespoons. When finished, explain that the drop count for each measurement equals the number of bee flights taken to produce that amount of honey. Tell children that each bee produces about 1/12 of a teaspoon of honey in its lifetime.
The Honey Files: A Bee’s Life: A Teaching Guide for Grades 4-6
This is an incredible activity guide about anything you’d want to know about bees and honey. Included are science, math, and literature projects and experiments. Written by the National Honey Board, this guide is a fantastic resource. You can get it here.
Make a Honey Bee Combs From Toilet Paper Rolls
Bees live in colonies with only one queen per colony. To populate the hive, the queen lays 2000 eggs a day. Aside from the queen there are two other types of bees:
Worker bees take care of the queen, nurture the young, guard the colony, and supply food.
Drone bees grow up and take a new queen to create a new hive.
Bees create the inside of their home by using wax from their glands and creating hexagonal shaped cells. To create a honey comb of your very own. Have a look at
Relentlessly Fun’s creative look at bees, Hexagons, and Honeycombs…all out of toilet paper rolls. I just love her.
(Photo by Relentlessy Fun, Deceptively Educational)
Let’s Get Cooking With Honey
Honey Cinnamon Rolls
2 packages yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup HONEY
2 tsp salt
1 pint milk
2 eggs
6 cups flour
1/2 cup margarine
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1 cup vanilla ice cream
1/2 cup brown sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon mixed
Dissolve yeast with warm water in a small bowl. Set aside. In a large pan, melt shortening and add HONEY, salt and milk, and allow it to cool. Beat eggs and add to yeast mixture. Then, beat in flour. Turnout dough on floured surface and knead until smooth. Place dough in bowl and let it rise until it’s double in bulk.
Prepare two 9 X 12 pans with 1/4 cup margarine each and sprinkle with brown sugar. Add nuts and dab teaspoons of ice cream over the entire pan. When dough has risen, punch down and place half on floured surface and roll out to 9×12 size with floured rolling pin. Spread with butter or margarine,then brown sugar and cinnamon. Roll up like a jelly roll then cut off about 1 1/2” slices and place on prepared 9 X 13 pan. You should get about 16 cinnamon rolls per pan. Let these rise until double in bulk. Bake in 350°oven for about 30 minutes. When brown on top turn upside down on waxed paper to cool.
Spiced Honey Butter
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/4 cup HONEY
1 tsp grated orange peel
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Combine all ingredients and mix well. Serve on toast, biscuits, and muffins. YUM!
SIDE NOTE: Don’t forget to get register for the AT Home Summer Camp eCirriculum!!
School will be out before you know it and this on-line ecurriculum is your guide to a fun, affordable summer spent exploring your own backyard!
Jump Into a Book is proud to be a part of the hugely anticipated Natural Nester Home Summer Camp e-Curriculum For 8 weeks we will be a part of this huge event created and hosted by Liz from A Natural Nester.
This 8-week e-curriculum is packed with ideas and inspiration to keep kids engaged and happy all summer long. It offers 8 kid-approved themes with outdoor activities, indoor projects, arts & crafts, recipes, field trip ideas, book & media suggestions, and more.
Jump Into a Book is proud to be a “camp counselor” for this event and during the 8 weeks we will be hosting exciting book jumps and activities right here on JIAB.
The e-curriculum available for download on May 20th, is a full-color PDF that can be read on a computer screen, tablet, or printed out. Designed for children ages 5-11, it is fun and easily-adaptable for all ages! May 20th will be here before you know it. Register and save your spot at “Summer Camp” ASAP!
**Some of these links are affiliate links. This means if some of these links are clicked and a purchase is made, I will get a small commission.
The post The Bee Tree by Patricia Polacco appeared first on Jump Into A Book.
April 29, 2013
The Ultimate Guide to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Wins An Award!
We are SO excited!!!
The Ultimate Guide to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory has won a bronze medal in the E-Lit Book Awards in the Juvenile/Young Adult Non Fiction Category!
The fourth annual eLit Awards are a global awards program committed to illuminating and honoring the very best of English language digital publishing entertainment.
The 2013 eLit Awards is an industry-wide, unaffiliated awards program open to all members of the electronic publishing industry.
The contest is presented by Jenkins Group Inc., a Michigan-based book publishing and marketing services company that has operated popular Independent Publisher Book Awards contests since 1996.
The eLit Awards celebrate the ever growing market of electronic publishing in the wide variety of reader formats. Hail the revolutionary world of e-books and join the awards program that’s highlighting the best in electronic reading entertainment.
Time to par-TAY!
In celebration of our new award we want to offer a very special deal to our readers who have propelled Charlie to great success. And as a way to say “Thank YOU” we are offering The Ultimate Guide to Charlie and The Chocolate Factory at iTunes for the deeply discounted price (reg $7.99) of $3.99
SO, for less than four bucks you can enjoy an interactive, adventure-filled delight through the Chocolate Factory, with stops along the way to create, laugh and learn. It reawakens the passion and idea of “jumping” inside the pages of this book with the knowledge that each chapter is a gateway into a magical world. Now available on iTunes, it’s your opportunity to truly experience where art, literature and technology meet allowing you to feel the story like never before.
If you are not quite sure what a “digital enhanced ebook” is like, take a peek at this demonstration from The DailyApp Show:
**The Ultimate Guide to Charlie is also available as a PDF for those who do not have an “idevice.” Go here to purchase your copy of The Ultimate Guide to Charlie and The Chocolate Factory in PDF format.
Thank you for support us!
The post The Ultimate Guide to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Wins An Award! appeared first on Jump Into A Book.
April 25, 2013
Coming Soon! The At Home Summer Nature Camp eCurriculum
The Home Summer Nature Camp eCurriculum is almost HERE!!
Looking for fun and educational things to do for the kids this summer? There is less than 30 days of School left….are you ready?
This may be just what you are looking for 
Your guide to a fun, affordable summer spent exploring your own backyard!
Jump Into a Book is proud to be a part of the hugely anticipated Nature Nester Home Summer Camp eCirriculum! For 8 weeks we will be a part of this huge event created and hosted by Liz from A Natural Nester.
This 8-week eCurriculum is packed with ideas and inspiration to keep kids engaged and happy all summer long. It offers 8 kid-approved themes with outdoor activities, indoor projects, arts & crafts, recipes, field trip ideas, book & media suggestions, and more.
The curriculum, available for download on May 20th, is a full-color PDF that can be read on a computer screen, tablet, or printed out. Designed for children ages 5-11, it is fun and easily-adaptable for all ages!
This one-of-a-kind eCurriculum is packed with ideas and inspiration from a remarkable group of creative “camp counselors” including Jump Into a Book!
Camp Counselors:
Sarah of Imagine Childhood ~ Kara of Simple Kids
Suz of Slow Family Online ~ Ashley of Small Measure
Valarie of Jump Into a Book ~ Heather of Shivaya Naturals
Cerys of Nature and Play ~ Linda of Natural Suburbia
Leah of Skill It ~ Amy of Mama Scout
Debi of Go Explore Nature ~ Shawn of Awesomely Awake
Liz of A Natural Nester ~ Kat of Creative Playhouse
Gina of Connecting Family & Seoul
Erin of Exhale. Return to Center and More!
Jump Into a Book with be reviewing and jumping into 8 different kidlit books (one every week) for endless fun and activities that can be enjoyed as a family. I am so looking forward to sharing this amazing event with our readers and their families. These bookjumps will take place right here on JIAB so check back or be sure and subscribe via email to stay up-to-date with the action.
To pre-order or get more details, click the link below. Stay tuned for more details and exciting announcements!
Click here to visit A Natural Nester.
The post Coming Soon! The At Home Summer Nature Camp eCurriculum appeared first on Jump Into A Book.
April 23, 2013
Same Sun Here by Silas House and Neela Vaswani
How does one mix the topics of mountain top removal (“MTR”) and immigration into one intelligent read for children ?
Silas House and Neela Vaswani have written a poignant book which deals with both topic seamlessly in Same Sun Here.
This is a tender story about an unlikely friendship between a boy from Kentucky and a girl from India who has recently immigrated to the United States. Through their letters and emails via a pen pal exchange, Meena and River realize they have more in common than not. Both of their fathers are forced to work away from home. They both have grandmothers who mean the world to them and both have true and faithful dogs.
Meena lives in New York City in Chinatown, and River lives in Kentucky coal mining country. With honesty and humor, Meena and River bridge the miles between them and their world views, to create a friendship which inspires and defeats any cultural misconceptions.
Narrated in two voices, each voice written by a talented author, chronicles the lives of two distinctive characters who though very different share their lives under the same sun.
Many years ago I met Silas House at the Appalachian Author Lecture Series which is held at Maryville college each autumn. He was promoting his book Clay’s Quilt at the time. He is such an eloquent writer who captures the heart and minds of his readers. When I saw his name on the cover of Same Sun Here, I bought it with no further investigations. The man does not write a bad book !!!
In the same token, though I haven’t read any other writings of Neela Vaswani, I look forward to reading more from her as she has a very distinctive and honest writing voice which is authentic and inviting. You can find Same Sun Here on Amazon.
You can also read the first chapter free on Neela’s website:
Somethings to Do:
Find a Pen Pal!
Students of the World is a safe way for your child to get a pen-pal online or via snail mail. No personal information is exchanged and all is controlled on the actual site.
River’s Reading List
River is an avid reader. Throughout Same Sun Here he mentions his current reads. Thought you might like to take a look as well.
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
The Spiderwick Chronicles
Dear Mr. Henshaw
Strider
The Outsiders
Love the Dog
Old Yeller
To Kill A Mockingbird
Mountain Top Removal
Mountaintop removal is a relatively new type of coal mining that began in Appalachia in the 1970s as an extension of conventional strip mining techniques. Primarily, mountaintop removal is occurring in West Virginia, Kentucky, Virginia and Tennessee. Coal companies in Appalachia are increasingly using this method because it allows for almost complete recovery of coal seams while reducing the number of workers required to a fraction of what conventional methods require.
The US Environmental Protection Agency defines mountaintop removal as follows:
“Mountaintop removal/valley fill is a mining practice where the tops of mountains are removed, exposing the seams of coal. Mountaintop removal can involve removing 500 feet or more of the summit to get at buried seams of coal. The earth from the mountaintop is then dumped in the neighboring valleys.”
iLoveMountains.org is the product of 14 local, state, and regional organizations across Appalachia that are working together to end mountaintop removal coal mining and create a prosperous future for the region.
After reading Same Sun Here we wanted to investigate into MTR further and watched a documentary called Last Mountain. This movie is haunting when you see the destruction that is being done to our mountains and planet. I would recommend this film for 11 and above. It is imperative that you have a discussion about the movie and what you witnessed. How does it make you feel and what can be done about it ?
Here’s a poem that Meena’s father use to sing to her. She sent this to River in a letter:
“Come,rise, my brothers and sisters,
Save this mountain
Come plant new tress, new forests,
Decorate the Earth.
Meena’s Favorite Indian Meal
Kala dal (Black Lentils)
Raita ( Yogurt)
Spicy Mango Pickles
Sitaphal (fruit)
The above is a general Indian meal. Each item such a chawal or kala dal can be made into a variety of recipes. Please feel free to look for others. Indian cooking is vast and wonderful. There is lots to explore.
Meena Speaks Hindi, You Can Too
Meena Reads
Roll of Thunder Here My Cry
David Cooperfield
The Wind in the Willows
Could You Become an American?
Meena’s family throughout Same Sun Here is studying for their American Immigration test. Here are just a few questions that are on the immigration test. See if you can answer them. In the back of the book there are several more questions for you to answer.
Name one war fought by the United States in the 1900s.
What did Susan B. Anthony do ?
What is one thing Benjamin Franklin is famous for ?
There are thirteen original states. Name three.
In what year was the Constitution written?
Discussion Questions
Candlewick Press has created this wonderful and insightful discussion guide which goes along with Same Sun Here.
The post Same Sun Here by Silas House and Neela Vaswani appeared first on Jump Into A Book.
April 22, 2013
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler: The Celebration of the Life of E. L. Konigsburg.
This last week has been trying and sorrowful for Americans with the Boston Marathon bombings and the manhunt that followed. April 19, also marked the passing of one of our favorite authors, E. L. Konigsburg, at the age of 83.
Konigsburg was a much-loved author who was honored with John Newbery Medal in 1997 for her book “The View from Saturday” and in 1968 for “From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler.” The Newbery is one of the top honors for children’s literature. All told, she wrote 16 children’s novels and illustrated 3 picture books.
In celebrate her life and her work, we would like share one of our favorites From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler.
12 year old Claudia Kincaid is bored and tired of the monotony of her life, the unfair amount of chores, her limited T.V. time, and her low allowance.
Claudia decides to run away , but she knows she doesn’t just want to run from somewhere she wants to run to somewhere. Somewhere far from her home and some place beautiful, comfortable, and indoors. Being the organizer that she is, she crafts together a Master Plan to escape to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, while convincing her little brother Jamie to come with her.
The story unfolds and shares their adventuresome journey of living undetected inside the museum for a whole week. While there Claudia and Jamie take the opportunity to learn new things and while discovering each section of the museum, they run across a new exhibit housing a marble angel thought to be from the hands of Michelangelo, the famous Italian painter and sculptor.
Claudia and Jaime decide to figure out the mystery of the statue before retuning home, that is if their money will hold out. Using the last of their finances they locate the previous owner of the statue Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, who also happens to be the narrator of this classic tale as well. After much negotiation between Mrs. Frankweiler and the children, a deal is reached and the true craftsman of the statue is uncovered.
This book won the Newbery Medal in 1968 and its no wonder why. Each time I would wander into a new section of the museum I would wonder where I would hide if I decided to live in the museum. Unfortunately all good things must come to an end as did my time with this favorite read and looking at some of the greatest art in the world.
If you were going to live in a museum, where would you make your home?
To find out more about what inspired this book have a look at the Metropolitan Museum of Arts “From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler brochure.
The post From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler: The Celebration of the Life of E. L. Konigsburg. appeared first on Jump Into A Book.
April 18, 2013
Poems in Your Pocket & Reluctant Reader Tip # 2
April is National Poetry Month and today, April 18th is Poem in your Pocket Day. Do you like secret little messages tucked into quiet little places like your pocket or lunch pail? My children love this and today we are sharing with classmates, friends, and neighbors alike a little rolled up poem to keep in their pockets to share with all they meet.
Reluctant Reader Tip #2
Today’s theme works nicely for those who aren’t quite sure they want to pick up the skill of reading. Little poems,jokes, or encouraging messages tucked inside pockets, backpacks or lunch sacks make for a nice way to reach out to your new reader. They’ll love hearing from you and won’t even realize they’re reading…..but that’s ok, you will.
Great Poetry Resources:
Keep A Poem in Your Pocket pdf Download Keep A Poem In Your Pocket
Jack Prelutsky Website for Kids
Shel Silverstein Printables for your pocket
Favorite Poetry Reads
20th- Century Children’s Poetry Treasury edited by Jac Prelutsky
A Hatful of Seuss by Dr. Seuss
A child’s Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson
The Missing Piece by Shel Silverstein
You Read to Me, I’ll Read to You by John Ciardi
Revolting Rhymes by Roald Dahl
Joyful Noise: Poems for two voices by Paul Fleischman
Big Talk: Poems for Four Voices by Paul Fleischman
A Poetry Caper
What’s your favorite poem and who will you be sharing it with?
The post Poems in Your Pocket & Reluctant Reader Tip # 2 appeared first on Jump Into A Book.
April 17, 2013
10 Ways to Celebrate Poem in Your Pocket Day
This week on April 18th is Poem in Your Pocket Day.
On that day we have a really wonderful project planned here, but to get you thinking about it early, here are 10 things you can do to get ready for the big day.
Poem is Your Pocket Day is simple really. You pick a poem, carry it with you and share it with others.
Below are a list of fun things you can do with poetry and that very special poem in your pocket. Enjoy !!
Read a book of poetry
Memorize a poem
Listen to poetry via books-on-tape or download.
read a poem before each meal.
Copy a favorite poem in chalk on the sidewalk.
Recite a poem to family and friends.
Organize a poetry reading with your friends.
Start a commonplace book in your family where everyone can copy in their favorite poems.
Watch the video “A Child’s Garden of Poetry.”
Place a poem in an unexpected place.
What will you be doing to celebrate Poem in Your Pocket Day?
The post 10 Ways to Celebrate Poem in Your Pocket Day appeared first on Jump Into A Book.
April 16, 2013
Fold Me a Poem by Kristine O’Connell: Origami Activities for Kids
The boy sat so quietly in the back of the room with a stack of colored paper, his fingers were nearly flying as he folded sheet after sheet of colorful origami paper into fanciful animals. Once he’d folded a zoo’s worth of animals, I watched him play with them, talk to them and give them quirky personalities. His paper animals seemed almost real and I found myself thinking that while an adult may create art for art’s sake, children extend their art into their own lives through imaginative play.
Fold Me a Poem is a delightful book by Kristine O’Connell that brings poetry to life through the art of paper folding, also-known-as Origami. Kristine O’Connell George is one of the principal voices in contemporary children’s poetry. Since her first highly-acclaimed book, The Great Frog Race was published in 1997, her poetry has generated excitement and earned honors and praise.
Kristine offers tips on her website and even a downloadable Teachers Guide for Origami folding. We hope you enjoy folding some animals of your own experimenting with different shapes and styles.
The story Fold Me a Poem includes 32 brief poems that focus on a boy as he folds a series of origami animals. As he creates, he imagines their thoughts and possible activities. Fold Me a Poem is a wonderful example of a book being more than the sum of its parts. Inside the covers of this stunning creation, the poems and illustrations blend to create a picture book that is both inspiring and entertaining.
When I was reading Kristine’s bio and info on her website, I was struck by her comments about the first time she saw illustrator Lauren Stringer’s renderings for the Fold Me a Poem book. Here’s an excerpt;
I was startled when I first saw the Lauren Stringer’s sketches for FOLD ME A POEM: She had painted what was inside my head! I’ve never met Lauren and we didn’t communicate while she was working on the book. So, how did she know that I’d visualized the camel leaning against the salt shaker? Spooky! Most importantly, Lauren clearly saw that this book was not only about origami, but was also an exploration of a child’s joy in creating art and weaving that art into a deeply personal, imaginative world. I love Lauren Stringer’s evocative art; the Internet doesn’t do justice to the gorgeous full-page spreads and her vibrant colors!
Something To Do:
Let’s create our own Origami characters! When doing origami with children I love to use 12 x 12 scrapbooking paper. It’s large enough to let little hands figure out all of the folding on a larger surface. Once they learn it they usually like to work on smaller paper. Enjoy!
A Whale of a Tale:
Start with a 12″x12″ piece of square paper. Pattern side down.
Turn paper so a corner is at the top and the bottom.
Fold the right corner to the left corner to make a triangle.
Open it back up.
Fold the left and right sides to meet the crease in the center.
Fold the top tip down to meet the folded sides.
Fold the entire whale in half.
Rotate it 90 degrees so that the tip is on the left.
Fold the point of the whale up to make the tail.
Turn it over and here’s your whale. Feel free to draw a face.
Here Kitty, Kitty:
Start with a 12″x12″ piece of square paper.
Fold it corner to corner,color side out to make a triangle.
Fold the left corner to the right corner to make a smaller triangle
Now unfold the triangle so it lays flat again. This is your center line
Fold each side corner upwards to make the ears.
Fold the top corner down towards you.
Flip the cat over and draw eyes, ear, nose and mouth.
Folding and “Poeming”
After your children or students have created the origami creature of their choice, invite them to think about what kinds of poems they might write about their creatures. Three possibilities are:
1.Students can write about folding their creature. (Process Poems)
2.Students can speak directly to their creature. (Apostrophe Poems)
3.Students can pretend to be their creature. (Mask or Persona Poems)
**An excerpt from HarcourtBooks.com Fold Me A Poem Guidebook.
The post Fold Me a Poem by Kristine O’Connell: Origami Activities for Kids appeared first on Jump Into A Book.
April 15, 2013
Welcome Wisdom Tales!
I’d like to welcome Wisdom Tales Press as a new Jump Into a Book sponsor/advertiser!
Wisdom Tales Press is the name of the children’s book imprint of the award-winning publishing house, World Wisdom, which was founded in 1980. Wisdom Tales publishes both children’s and teen titles and was created for the purpose of sharing the wisdom, beauty, and values of traditional cultures and peoples from around the world with young readers and their families. The content, illustrations, and production quality of these books is intended to assure them a lasting value for children, parents, teachers, and librarians.
Caring deeply about the future of the children of this planet, Wisdom Tales is committed to providing exceptional reading material for children and teens which sparks the imagination, encourages good character development and help facilitate cross-cultural understanding and awareness. Simply they are a publishing house which has a commitment to helping others appreciate the beauty and sacred ways of diverse cultures and traditions.
All of us at Wisdom Tales care deeply about the future of our children and grandchildren and are committed to providing qualitative reading material for children and teens. Publishing children’s books is a serious responsibility and Wisdom Tales strives to produce exceptional books which will spark the imagination, encourage the development of good character, and help facilitate cross-cultural understanding and awareness. Our books reflect our commitment to help others appreciate the beauty and sacred ways of diverse cultures and traditions.
Their catalog of books holds some of my favorite authors and illustrators such as Demi and Caldecott medal winner Paul Goble. Recently I had the pleasure of jumping into The Conference of the Birds by Alexis York Lumbard, which is published by Wisdom Tale Books
Here is just a sample of some of their outstanding titles:
The Fantastic Adventures of Krishna, by Demi
St. Francis of Assisi, by Demi
A King James Christmas, edited by Catherine Schuon and Michael Fitzgerald
The Knight, the Princess, and the Magic Rock, retold by Sara Azizi, illustrated by Alireza Sadeghian
The Man Who Dreamed of Elk-Dogs & Other Stories from the Tipi, told and illustrated by Paul Goble
I know you will enjoy these very fine and exquisite books. For more information about Wisdom Tales Press and other great reading treasures visit them here.
**Are you interested in affordable advertising for your children’s book related product, business, or service on Jump Into a Book? Check out our Advertiser/Sponsor page HERE.
The post Welcome Wisdom Tales! appeared first on Jump Into A Book.
