Celebrate National Library Week April 14-20, 2013 at your Library! #CleverTeachers #NLW13

As a homeshcooling mom of three, I am always looking for creative ways to keep my children engaged and motivated 'at school'. Since school is literally 10 steps from our kitchen table, it is not always easy to transition from breakfast to school in our home. I was fortunate to come across an amazing website that aides me in my quest to be the best teacher. TeachHUB is a website where I can locate the latest resources available to improve my children's education.

Since I am surrounded by other homeschooling moms I want to share my knowledge and discoveries.I was more than happy to pass along that TeachHUB.com provides the latest in education technology, news and tools. It's a great free resource for all K-12 teachers, including homeschoolers.

As a homeschooling mom, I really depend on my local library for my resources. I can not simply just order what I want from a book store and place it on a school account or walk down the hall and borrow any related materials I may need from another teacher. I need my local library and I am there every single week or two gathering up the needed resources and books for our scheduled week.

Since I utilize my local library so much and I know my fellow homeschooling moms do as well, I wanted to include some of my fellow homeschool moms in gathering some information from our children who attend our homeschool co-op. I enlisted the help from three homeschooling moms who teach at the co-op with me and we gave a survey supplied by TeachHUB to the children in our classes. The survey included questions about how they locate information at a library.

I have to say that students in the 2013 have a much easier go at locating books and resources at the library than I did growing up. I was explaining to my class (and my own children) the steps I would need to follow in order to gather information from a library when I was a child.There was a lot of confusion.

Little did I know that my students (my children included) did not even know what a card catalog was! Most children were able to distinguish what an image of 'save file' was, but they were unable to articulate what it actually was, unless it was my older students who write more papers on laptops and computers. Happily, all the children could easily tell me their favorite books, authors and what they wanted to be when they grew up!

I was happy to hear that most of the enrichment classes that we cover in c-op are all the classes that students want more of. I think we are doing something right at co-op as well as at home, giving our homeschooled children a well rounded curriculum. I think most of the children agreed that Math was the least favorite subject. Why is that? I loved Math growing up! We need to figure out a way to teach Math to our children that makes them love numbers.

I'm not sure the younger children are even aware that when you visit your local library, there are major sections. I decided after I conducted the survey I was going to complete a unit study on Introducing Main Parts of the Library. I made cards out of construction paper, labeling the different sections of the library. Under each section, we discussed what could be found there and how the information would be arranged in the sections.

I even created a small card catalog out of an old shoe box with index card as the author, title and subject cards. This created a great visual for the children. I explained how the cards used to be arranged and indexed at a library. We learned what the Dewey Decimal System is and how a call number is part of this system. All the children were able to take turns looking up a book in the card catalog and searching for it in a section I had created. Since all the libraries in my local area only utilize a computerized card catalog, this was a great unit study and the children had so much fun discovering new ways {well, really old school was} of locating books in libraries.

According to the teachers at TeachHUB.com success in education starts with curiosity, and curiosity starts at home. For National Library Week (April 14-20), encourage your kids to explore a topic they're interested in learning more about. Sit down at a library and read together – and ask them what they learned! I think you will be surprised that you will be learning right along with your children.

TeachHUB.com is a free resource for teachers and parents who want the latest in education news and technology. You can see the latest articles from TeachHUB by subscribing to their Facebook page or following them on Twitter.

I was selected for this opportunity by Clever Girls Collective, and content and opinions expressed here are all my own. To learn more about the TeachHUB.com, visit their website. #CleverTeachers #NLW13

Earth Day: Under the Sea Exploration Lessons | April 22 | Planet Ocean DVD

Quotes of the Day:

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.  Genesis 1:1 

And God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. Genesis 1:9

 If the clouds are full of rain, they empty themselves on the earth, and if a tree falls to the south or to the north, in the place where the tree falls, there it will lie. Ecclesiastes 11:3

VoCaBulary:

Antarctic - the south polar region.

Arctic - the north polar region.

endangered - threatened with extinction by human-made or natural changes in the environment.

marine mammal - a mammal adapted to live in the marine environment and dependent on the ocean for food.

EUPHOTIC ZONE - From the surface to about 50 meters below Has enough light for photosynthesis to take place Plankton and seaweed are only found here

DYSPHOTIC ZONE -  From about 50 to 1000 meters below the surface Enough light for vision but not enough for photosynthesis Amount of light decreases with depth

APHOTIC ZONE -  More than 1000 meters under the surface No light Animal life is rare and produces own

 light through bioluminescence

abyssal zone — deepest part of the seafloor, below 2,000 meters.

aphotic — depths of the ocean below which no light penetrates.

bathyal zone — region of the seafloor from the shelf edge (200m) to the start of the abyssal zone (2,000m).

continental shelf — the shallow bottom just offshore of most continents between water's edge and a sharp dropoff where the bottom plunges steeply.

DVD Suggestions: Planet Ocean

Directed by highly acclaimed photographer, filmmaker and environmentalist Yann Arthus-Bertrand (Home) and narrated by actor Josh Duhamel (Transformers, Life As We Know It), Planet Ocean is a cinematic adventure that invites viewers of all ages to change the way they look at the ocean and appreciate its greatest natural mystery.  Planet Ocean will be available on Blu-ray™ and DVD on April 9, 2013 from Universal Studios Home Entertainment. 

Through dazzling aerial and underwater imagery captured in extreme geographical conditions worldwide, Planet Ocean delivers an unprecedented journey into the least known regions of our planet. The stunning documentary aims to captivate as well as provide understanding of humankind's relationship to the ocean and stress the urgency of making sustainable change.  Brought to life with dynamic and relatable narration, this groundbreaking film can be enjoyed by the entire family.

Planet Ocean will be available on Blu-ray™ and DVD.

• Blu-ray™ disc unleashes the power of your HDTV and is the best way to watch movies at home, featuring perfect hi-def picture and perfect hi-def sound. 
• DVD offers the flexibility and convenience of playing the movie in more places, both at home and while away.

BONUS FEATURES (BLU-RAY™ and DVD):

THE MAKING OF PLANET OCEAN

• IN THE SKIES ABOVE RIO:  Breathtaking images of Rio de Janeiro's magnificent shores will inspire you with wonder and delight.
• UNDERWATER:  Uncover the natural mysteries of marine life with Planet Ocean's team of underwater cinematographers.  
• SHANGHAI:  Extraordinary aerial photography of Shanghai's busy harbor underscores the significance of ocean commerce.

Website Suggestions: 

Ocean Surface Topography from Space-Education
NOAA’s National Ocean Service has Discovery Kits

Whales teacher guide (grades 4-8)

Ocean Planet - Smithsonian Exhibition

Discovery Channel Oceans Lesson Plans

Sea World - Educational Resources

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

Book Suggestions:

The Underwater Alphabet Book by Jerry Pallotta

The Seashore by Gallimard Jeunesse and Elisobeth Cohat

The Deep by Tim Winton

The Seashore (a Scholastic First Discovery book)

Waters Under the Sea (Usborne Beginners) by Fiona Patchett

First Encyclopedia of Seas and Oceans (Usborne)

The Underwater Alphabet by Jerry Pallotta

The Kids Earth Handbook By Sandra Markie

The Lorax by Dr Seuss

Earth Day:

What can we do to take care of the Earth?

On April 22, 1970, the first Earth Day was held. The day was set aside for everyone to think about way to take care of our Earth and its resources.

What are the three R’s:

Reduce – cut down on garbage before you buy something
Reuse-save things that would usually be thrown out and use them over again
Recycle – reuse the materials that things are made of by using the material in a new way

The Ocean:

Oceans cover about 70% of the Earth's surface. The oceans contain roughly 97% of the Earth's water supply. The oceans of Earth are unique in our Solar System. No other planet in our Solar System has liquid water. Life on Earth originated in the seas, and the oceans continue to be home to an incredibly diverse web of life.

The oceans of Earth serve many functions, especially affecting the weather and temperature. They moderate the Earth's temperature by absorbing incoming solar radiation. The always moving ocean currents distribute this heat energy around the globe. This heats the land and air during the winter months and cools it during the summer months.

THE OCEANS The Earth's oceans are all connected to one another. Until the year 2000, there were four recognized oceans: the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, and Arctic. In the Spring of 2000, the International Hydrographic Organization delimited a new ocean, the Southern Ocean.

WHY ARE THE OCEANS SALTY? As water flows in rivers, it picks up small amounts of mineral salts from the rocks and soil of the river beds. This very-slightly salty water flows into the oceans and seas. The water in the oceans only leaves by evaporating, but the salt remains dissolved in the ocean. So the remaining water gets saltier and saltier as time passes.

SALINITY  The salt content of ocean water varies. The oceans are about 3.5% salt. The saltiest water is in the Red Sea and in the Persian Gulf. The least salty seas are in the polar regions, where both melting polar ice and a lot of rain dilute the salt.

WHAT CAUSES THE TIDES? Tides are periodic rises and falls of large bodies of water. Tides are caused by the gravitational interaction between the Earth and the Moon. The gravitational pull of the moon causes the oceans to bulge out in the direction of the moon. Another bulge occurs on the opposite side, since the Earth is also being pulled toward the moon. Since the earth is rotating while this is happening, two tides occur each day. Isaac Newton was the first person to explain tides.

WHY IS THE OCEAN BLUE? Sunlight is made up of all the colors of the rainbow: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet. Some of the sunlight is reflected off the surface of the water, reflecting the color of the sky. Some of the sunlight penetrates the water and is scattered by ripples and particles in the water.

Water absorbs more of the red light in sunlight; the water also enhances the scattering of blue light. Sir Chandrasekhar Venkata Raman (an Indian physicist) won the Nobel prize in 1930 for his work on light.

Some Oddly-Colored Seas:

The Red Sea often looks red because of red algae that live in this sea.

The Black Sea looks almost black because it has a high concentration of hydrogen sulfide (which appears black).

Try This:

Wave bottle -  Fill a small water bottle with a little more than half water and add two or three drops of blue food coloring. Mix well and then fill the rest with mineral oil all the way to the top. Put the lid on tightly hot gluing it in place. When the bottle is held sideways and tipped back and forth it will form “waves”. If desired, add a small amount of sand, shells, and sequins before adding the oil and water.

Edible Aquarium - Make blue Jell-O following the directions on the box. Pour the Jell-O into clear plastic cups and let them partially set – approximately one hour. Then use gummy fish, Swedish fish-Aqua Life, or fruit snack sharks to push into the Jell-O. Refrigerate for the remaining time and then enjoy!

Bible – Teach the days of creation by reading the creation story to your child. Talk about when oceans were created (day 2), the beach (day 3).

Spy Jar – Fill a 2 liter empty plastic bottle with sand. Drop small objects in the bottle that relate to the ocean/beach. Glue the lid on the bottle. The child will be able to see different objects as he/she turns the bottle. Have the child name the objects that he/she sees or give clues for a certain object and have the child find it. You could make up a check-off sheet for the child to check as the find the items. For children not reading, put a picture clue next to each word on the check-off list.

Sea Scented Play-doh Recipe:

            3 cups of flour

            1.5 ounces cream of tartar

         ¾ cup salt

            3 tbsp. cooking oil

            3 cups water

          1 tbsp. coconut extract

            Yellow food coloring

            Gold glitter

Combine the first five ingredients in a large pot. Whisk together until free of lumps. Stir in the coconut extract and yellow food coloring. Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat until it pulls away from the sides of the pot and forms a large ball. Knead the ball lightly on a flour board until the dough is smooth. (Be careful it is hot.) Knead in the desired amount of glitter. After cooled, store in airtight container.

Discovering The Ocean:

Locate and name the six oceans on this planet.
Describe three groups of plants and animals in the ocean.
Identify the parts of the ocean floor.

Trace the route water follows to get to the ocean. 

Compare the amount of light at different ocean zones.  

Why are there waves?

Why can fish live in water, but people can't?

How clean is the air we breathe?

How about the water we drink?

How can we use the Earth’s resources wisely?

What can we do to protect Earth’s resources?

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Happy 10th Birthday to Mo Willems' Pigeon!

Disney Publishing Worldwide is pleased to celebrate the 10th birthday of Mo Willems’ avian hero, Pigeon!

This month, fans can take a drive down memory lane with three classic Pigeon titles at a smaller trim size with the It’s a Busload of Pigeon Books! box set, featuring an original poster illustrated by Mo Willems.

In addition, Don't Pigeonhole Me!: Two Decades of the Mo Willems Sketchbook, will be available on June 18, giving adults a rare glimpse at Willems’ early self-published Pigeon illustrations, along with two decades’ worth of cartoons and sketches. Elephant and Piggie, Willems’ New York Times best-selling duo, will also have a new book, titled A Big Guy Took My Ball!, publishing on May 21.

Here is some additional information about upcoming titles by Mo Willems:

· It’s a Busload of Pigeon Books! (Pub Date: April 2), $24.99—Climb on board for super fun reading with three picture books starring the famous bird! The boxed set includes three favorites: Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!, The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog! and Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late!, along with an original poster illustrated by Mo Willems with activities on the reverse side.

· Don’t Pigeonhole Me! Two Decades of the Mo Willems Sketchbook (Pub Date: June 18), $40.00—Young readers first met the Pigeon in 2003. But Pigeon was born many years earlier in the pages of a Willems’ sketchbook. This new adult coffee table book is a 20-year compilation of characters, scribbles, and ideas. These sketches have always been the well from which Willems draws ideas and inspiration. Featuring a foreword by Eric Carle and an introduction by Willems, this volume includes all twenty sketchbooks from the last two decades.

· A Big Guy Took My Ball! (An Elephant & Piggie Book) (Pub Date: May 21), $8.99—Elephant and Piggie, Willems’ Geisel Award-winning duo, will also have a new tale of their own. Gerald and Piggie, a curious pair, are best friends. Piggie is devastated when a big guy takes her ball. Gerald is big, too . . . but is he big enough to help his best friend?

One Night With The King Blu-ray DVD {Review}

A visually beautiful film, ONE NIGHT WITH THE KING depicts the biblical tale of a Jewish peasant, Hadassah (Tiffany Dupont), and her journey to become the legendary Queen Esther. Her parents were murdered when she was a young girl and she was taken in by her uncle, Mordecai (John Rhys-Davies); he raised her in Susa, a city of the ancient empire of Persia. Hadassah--beautiful, intelligent and passionate--was summoned among many of the kingdom's virtuous young women to be groomed as a possible new queen for the powerful and handsome King Xerxes (Luke Goss). Hadassah hides her Jewish heritage under advisement from her uncle, and changes her name to Esther. She impresses the King. He falls in love with her and chooses her to be his bride, and she becomes Queen of Persia. Soon after, Hamen the Agagite (James Callis), the King's Prime Minster, proclaims his goal of wiping out all the Jews of Persia, and he convinces the King to approve the plan. It is up to Queen Esther to announce her Jewish heritage and come to the rescue of her people.

Peppered with many religious references, ONE NIGHT WITH THE KING conveys the message of divine destiny as it tells the story of a queen who continues to be an inspiring figure. Although the result of Queen Esther's intervention is well known, the filmmakers and actors do a superb job of building up the suspense and the desperation felt by all involved. The film includes a brief cameo by Peter O'Toole as the biblical figure Samuel, and Omar Sharif appears as Prince Memucan.

My Thoughts: I really enjoy biblical epic movies. I want to pass along this joy to my children and I thought One Night With The King would be another great addition to our every growing collection of biblical movies. I was also able to incorporate One Night With The King into our studies since I am their teacher. One Night with the King tells the story of Esther, a young Jewish woman who changes her name to Hadassah. She marries the king of Persia and reveals her heritage to save her people. This was the point of the story and it was made well and my children could understand the story a bit beter witht he visual aide of this movie.

Short Shakespeare! Romeo and Juliet February 23–March 23, 2013 #ChicagoShakes

Verona crumbles as the hatred of two families ignites its streets. Once more swords clash, and the Prince decrees: if Montague or Capulet again disrupts the peace, lives will answer to the law. That night Lord Capulet hosts a great banquet—among his guests the Count Paris, who seeks the hand of Capulet's daughter Juliet. Hearing of the Capulet feast, the young Montagues decide to attend, uninvited and in disguise, accompanied by Lord Montague's son, Romeo. There, Romeo encounters Juliet and, innocent of one another's name and kin, the two fall in love.

The following morning, Friar Laurence consents to secretly perform the rites of marriage. Their vows just spoken, Romeo is confronted in the street by Capulet's nephew Tybalt, enraged by the Montagues' bold intrusion of the night before. But it is Mercutio who takes up Tybalt's challenge and, as Romeo attempts to break the two apart, Mercutio is slain. In blind fury, Romeo turns upon his bride's cousin, murdering him. The Capulets demand the Montague's death; the Prince instead sentences Romeo to banishment. After a wedding night cloaked in secrecy, Romeo parts from Juliet at daybreak. Moments later Lady Capulet seeks out her daughter with news of Juliet's impending wedding day, all arranged between her father and Count Paris. The Nurse advises her charge to forget her husband and to marry Paris. In torment, Juliet turns to the Friar, whose desperate plan he prays will end in Juliet reunited with her Romeo and the families reconciled. But time—and history—are unrelenting, and as Montague and Capulet vow at last to end the killing, it is a peace purchased with their treasures.

Experience all the passion and drama of true love found—and tragically lost—in this 75-minute abridged production. The feverish intensity of youth explodes on CST's stage in a high-energy, entertaining, family-friendly introduction to Shakespeare on Saturday mornings. Following the performance, audience members are welcome to join the cast for a discussion and photo opportunities in the lobby.

Recommended for ages 10 and up.

When: Through March 23

Where: Chicago Shakespeare Theater on Navy Pier, 800 E. Grand Ave.

Running time: 1 hour, 15 minutes

Tickets: $16-$20 at 312-595-5600 and chicagoshakes.com

My Thoughts: I was so happy Romeo and Juliet was to be in production as my son and I had just finished up a unit study on Shakespeare. We were reading Tales from Shakespeare by Charles Lamb which contains 20 abridged tales of Shakespeare's plays. Although my son's favorite story was Hamlet, he was still excited to see Romeo and Juliet. Since we were reading abridged tales, my son was not armed with the full three hour play. The 75-minute play at Chicago Shakespeare Theater by Rachel Rockwell would be perfect for his young mind. I brought along my 9 year old daughter and my 6 year old daughter as well. I will quickly add that while my 6 year old didn't follow the play in its entirety, she did enjoy the play and was able to answer questions when we later reviewed Romeo and Juliet at home. This is a fast pace play which is great for children. They don't have the opportunity to say anything except to ask a question about what was just said. My 9 year old duaghter was quite enthralled with the lvoe story of Romeo and Juliet and she was rather touched by the death of these two teenagers. My children luckily have had exposure to Shakespeare. Rockwell's ability to retain Shakespeare's original language greatly enhanced the play.My children and I loved the story and we were able to follow the play with ease, laughing and clearly enjoying themselves. I am hoping Romeo and Juliet will begin their love affair with William Shakespeare. I am of the opinion reading a well summarized version of his plays and then watching a well done performance will make any child appreciate the genius that is Shakespeare's work.