I couldn't be more excited about this! Julie Andrews (Yes, Mary Poppins) and her daughter, Emma Walton Hamilton, have started a podcast where they will share their favorite children's books. As a child, Julie loved books for their power to transport you to anywhere you could imagine. With her daughter, they have co-authored over 30 books. From Julie's introductory letter on the podcast website: "It is our hope that the stories and ideas we share on Julie’s Library will provide family listening pleasure, inspire meaningful conversations, and be a trusted resource for literary enjoyment and learning."** If you have never tried listening to podcasts, give it a try! For me, it is reminiscent of when families would gather around the radio to the news or a program for entertainment. Podcasts are a great way to kids to gain some new knowledge about science or history, keep kids engaged without a screen, they can go anywhere, and are free! Looking for some more great podcasts to share as a family? Circle Round: folktales from around the world, 10- to 20-minutes episodes end in a family activity for families Ear Snacks: a funny, music & comedy program where hosts cover a range of topics of music, science, art and culture featuring kid experts. Prepare to catch an ear worm or 2... Pants on Fire: for our Elden Tweens, Pants on Fire is a game show where a tween interviews two grown-ups, one who's an expert on a topic, and one who's lying. Perfect in a era where determining what is fake news is a good skill! ** Quote from Julie's Library: www.julieslibraryshow.org/story/2020/04/15/a-note-from-julie-andrews
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I hope you have been enjoying the weekly book picks from Sora and checking some things out! I really like going through what Sora has to offer and finding things that I think you would check out. Most of the time when I see a book I think about a certain student, just like I would do if we were in school! You can find all of the weekly book picks here - if something is currently checked out, you can always put it on a wait list and save it for later!
I hate to admit it, but I have not read much since we have been home. I just haven't been able to get into anything that I am really enjoying. It's time to me to pick up something to read! My normal hunt to find my next good book would be to head to the public library and just poke around - I am drawn to a good cover! Since this is not possible, here are a few other suggestions.
- Ask a friend during your next Zoom meeting. I have a great network of other librarians that are always willing to share what they are currently reading. - Check out Amazon: search for a book that you have liked in the past, scroll to the bottom, and see what Amazon recommends (you can also do this is Sora) - Google it! Search for the best books of last year or this year - Visit book store website and see what the staff recommends - Go to Common Sense Media and view their list of best books - Email me! I am of course happy to help you find your next great read - it is one thing I miss the MOST about not seeing you each day at Elden. April is National Poetry Month, and it seems, more than ever, we could all use a little poetry - to connect, bring us strength, and maybe a little peace. I have never really been able to write poetry, but have found some success in book spine poems! Book spine poems are created by stacking books on top of each other and forming what's called a free-verse poem (there is no pattern, or necessarily a rhyme, or rhythm like you would find in traditional poetry). Here are my two poems! You 4th & 5th graders KNOW I love a breakout challenge! For my Eagles who have never done a breakout, you may have heard of Escape Rooms (we have some of these at Destiny). They are games where you solve a series of puzzles and riddles to crack codes and open locks. Today I am going to share with you some digital breakout that can be done online. Breakouts are great for building problem-solving skills, and help you develop patience and perseverance. There will be many times when you CAN'T get the lock to open at first - try try try again! One of my favorite that we have done at my house is, of course, Harry Potter themed. I'd love for you to give these a try - compete with your parents, siblings, or a friend! BreakoutEDU also has a great collection of challenges to try at home for even our youngest Elden Eagles. Be sure to watch the intro video to see how to navigate the locks. BreakoutEDU Fun at Home Harry Potter Escape Room Marvel Escape Room DogMan Escape Room I've been enjoying checking out the YouTube Channel "Author Everywhere". The videos feature writers and illustrators doing read alouds, writing workshops and games, art demos and more! I have enjoyed getting to know about some books I have not heard of before. One that really caught my eye was called "Friend or Fiction" by Abby Cooper. This one is for my 4th & 5th graders, and I can think of a few of you who would love it! It is available from the Onondaga County Public Library through Hoopla (see directions in yesterdays post). A few more ways for you to access something to read! If you do not already have a public library card, you will need to get a temporary digital library card through the Onondaga County Public Library System to access these resources. Libby and Hoopla are two ways to access free digital resources through the Baldwinsville Public Library. Once they have a library card, they can access the following resources: Hoopla is available through the Baldwinsville Public Library. It can be downloaded as an app for an iOS device or Android device, or accessed through your browser. It included access to movies, ebooks, audiobooks, and music. For help with Hoopla, visit the Public Library site or contact myself & I can walk you through it. Libby is the public library version of Sora. It allows you to access ebooks and audiobooks by downloading the app for iOS device or Android device. Hey Harry Potter Fans! Have you heard? There is now more fun goodies online just for you! Head to "Harry Potter at Home" to find all sorts of great articles to read, crafts to try, and quizzes to take. I love the beginners guide for all you new fans - it includes a handy glossary so you know the difference between wolfsbane & Devil's Snare (which is very useful for potions class!)
There are so many fun art, engineering, and science experiments out there for you muggles, witches and wizards! Check out Harry Potter at Home to begin your magical adventure - and cure the boredom! Today's book recommendation is "When You Reach Me" by Rebecca Stead. I read this in 2010 - so long ago! But I loved it and I am thrilled to see it's available on Sora. From Sora Description: "Shortly after a fall-out with her best friend, sixth grader Miranda starts receiving mysterious notes, and she doesn't know what to do. The notes tell her that she must write a letter—a true story, and that she can't share her mission with anyone. It would be easy to ignore the strange messages, except that whoever is leaving them has an uncanny ability to predict the future. If that is the case, then Miranda has a big problem—because the notes tell her that someone is going to die, and she might be too late to stop it." Sounds good, huh! If you love a mystery, you might also love: "The Secret Keepers" by Trenton Lee Stewart " Escape from Mr. Limoncello's Library" By Chris Grabenstein "Three Times Lucky" by Sheila Turnage Does your family like Peter Rabbit as much as I do? I love the original books by Beatrix Potter, I love the series on Nickelodeon, and I love the new movies! There's something about Peter and his sense of adventure that I adore - I wish sometimes I could be more like Peter, but usually, I am more like Benjamin Bunny :) During our first week out of school (which seems like SO long ago!) 2nd grade read "The Tale of Peter Rabbit," wrote letters to Peter and even designed their own vegetable gardens. Please enjoy this video of "The Tale of Peter Rabbit" read by Rose Byrne, one of the stars of the "Peter Rabbit" movie. The video is from Storyline Online which has several wonderful books read by different celebrities. Besides "Peter Rabbit," I love "I Need My Monster" and "Brave Irene." |
About "From the Couch"Hi Elden Eagles - Trying this blog out to share some quick ideas for reading & learning while we are out of school. Check out my Instagram page (@eldenlibrary) for additional videos & information. ArchivesCategories |