Mittens and Classic Literature

Greetings,
Since we are almost through the month of January, I am picking up steam as we move into the new year. I seem to have more 'plans' than execution, but that's okay, I am still plugging away at things. I have completed my "Classic Literature" moveable shelf, students seem to be interested and I hope to plug this display more this week with the older grades. After all, students educated with the classics have a better reading schema that they can dip into. Besides, how many Captain Underpants books can a person really read.....

 Haha I just noticed the Santa Clause hanging out in the background..... perhaps I should take him down tomorrow...

With the Kinders this week, we just finished our Mitten projects based on the book The Mitten by Jan Brett.  The students got pretty imaginative with what was "hiding" in their mittens.

Unicorns = Awesome!

I have also created a new felt board story for the Kinders based on the book Boom Chicka Boom Boom.  I am pretty excited!! I am also excited to create a new felt board for the Library this weekend with my good TL friend Tamara.  We shall create a tutorial on the antics that shall ensue.  Shortly there after I will also write up a tutorial on how to make cheater smart felt board stories.  You won't want to miss it!

In other news, I majorly scored with  acquired 3 old wooden book trolleys.  They may look boring right now, but what you are now looking at is the very beginner stages of what will become the Library's new CALDECOTT CORNER that will provide students with a cozy place to curl up with an award winner.  Stay tuned for the transformation!

Speaking of staying tuned, if you like following along with my Library exploits, please subscribe.  I will run a contest when I get to say, 30.  Yeah, 30 is a great number.  Let's go with 30.  Happy Reading!! 

Library Pets and Winter Books

A while back during one of my online classes, a topic was generated about Library Pets.  Since I only work part time a large animal would not be in the cards (although a Library cat would be wonderful- I doubt I would get away with it).  Therefore, setting my sights smaller, a fellow Librarian suggested Stick Bugs as a great easy to care for pet.  I googled stick bugs in my area and a young fellow came up who only charged me $5 for 6 baby bugs.  When I say baby- I mean baby! They were very difficult to find so I let all the students see the bugs up close before I put them in their large enclosure.  They were an instant hit!! The kids LOVED them and still do as I took them home for the Christmas holidays and the students are breathing down my neck to get them back.

I took an aquarium I had laying around in the garage and turned it on its side.  Then I hot glue guned some velcro to a sheet of bug netting that was also laying around in the garage.  I added a black ribbon bow because that's how I roll.  On the bottom went some moss and then put in a few twigs and Voila! A stick bug house.  They eat ivy which I throw in every month or so and you mist them with a water bottle everyday.  That's. It.  Easiest pet I have ever had. Here is the display in the Library, I put a bunch of insect books surrounding the enclosure.

Here is a picture of them close up.  There are two munching on the leaf.  They have grown a bunch since I first got them.  They are supposed to grow to approximately 6 inches in length.

I ran a contest for name suggestions with the students.  The names chosen by random draw were: Crash, Marco, Leafy, Buddy and Peanut Butter Jelly Time.  (We have 5 bugs after one died a day after getting them)

In other news, with the onset of a blizzard today I was inspired to create a 'snowy' felt board story for the Kindergarten classes.  Based on the book The Jacket I Wear in the Snow by Shirley Neitzel and Illustrated by Nancy Winslow Parker I created the following felt board.  The story is a great read aloud and the kids should have a lot of fun with it!

Merry Christmas!

Season's Greetings!
It has been a while since I have made any new posts on the 'ol blog here, so since New Year's has come and gone it is a time for new beginnings and some resolutions.  Therefore, one of my resolutions shall be to post more.  This will be easier as I am not going to back to school with my online UBC classes this term.  This is because I am burnt out from work/home/school/mom/life and I need to focus on 4 things instead of 5.
 I post because it keeps me on top of things.  If I don't do any cool displays and lessons then I have nothing to post and therefore feel like a slacker.  Posting helps me reflect on past lessons, displays, contests and logs ideas away for the future.  If others get inspired then I consider it a bonus.  It's like anything to do with teaching, you plan, share and impart your knowledge in hopes that others benefit.  So without further ado, here is what my Library looked like for the month of December.

Here is part of the Early Reader display.  This is generally reserved for "New Books" however we have so many Christmas stories that I used every inch of display room I could.

Above is the usual Early Reader display area.  The snowman globes were created by the two Kindergarten classes during my "collaborative teacher flex time" that I offer teachers to work on literacy skills with the classroom teachers using the Library space/resources.  The lesson was inspired from Pinterest (my current addiction) and can be found here.  I plan to keep these up during January as they are snowy not really Christmasy.  I did adapt the lesson as I had the students colour the snowmen with oil pastels and then use their fingertips to make the snow with paint.  Much easier and less messy with the Kinders.

Above is my rendition of the Fiction Christmas display.  I had an extra rolling cart that I was constantly tripping over so I took it out of the backroom, slapped some cutouts and border trim on it and now I have a handy movable display.  My Fiction section has NO display area left and therefore this was a good solution.  I have plans to make it a "Classic" display area come January.

Here is my happy little Library Helper Elf.  She loves playing on this Panda Rocker that has lived in the Library since forever.  I usually keep him in my back office as he just seems to be too much of a temptation for the Grade 7's to ride.  Not pictured is Library Helper Elf Gramma and Library Helper Elf Poppa.  A huge thanks to those two for coming to help set up the Library for Christmas on a Saturday!! Love you guys!!!

Last but not least is the Christmas Tree.  The tree was a donation by my Teaching Partner's Mother In Law- it's absolutely gorgeous!! It looked pretty lame this year, however I have grand plans for this tree.  If there's one thing I have learned teaching is that Rome was not built in a day.  The Library got a good dose of Christmas this year and I have plenty to build on in the coming years.  I started some book ornaments but did not get them finished for this year, I will finish them over the course of the next few weeks and make a late post with instructions.

I hope all my readers had a wonderful Christmas, I know I certainly did!!! See you more in 2013!!