Welcome!

Hi friends! This blog is for teachers and families- all for the sheer joy of literacy. When we are enthusiastic about reading and writing our students and our own kids become excited to read and write. I hope that we all can be models for those in our care- how did you show your passion for reading, writing, learning, language, or words today?? It's in those small, daily moments that we teach kids to love literacy.


Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Reading + Pinning + Doing (12)

I've been absent from bloglandia for a couple of weeks- I was sick, piled with school work, and then spring break began- and we went off to DC to visit family.  We had a great trip, with some of the highlights mentioned below.

Reading


Personal


Why We Get Fat by Gary Taubes: I finished reading this book a couple of weeks ago, and I really liked learning more about the science of fat and the history of dieting. I'm glad I read this book, and I hope my indoctrination into Taubes' thinking will help me to lay off of the carbs.

Snowdrops by A.D. Miller: I finished this on the plane last night. It's set in Russia, Moscow mostly. I wanted to read this book because I'm already afraid of (and intritrigued by!) Russia because of the rash of known poisonings in the last decade. This book definitely gave me more to be intrigued about. You'll like this if you like crime fiction. They call it a psychological thriller, but I wasn't thrilled psychologically.   It's a quick read and I liked it. The plot was simplistic, but it was great to get an insider's perspective into Russia. Miller has expereince living in Russia, but he does seem to present a rather grim (and one-dimentional??) portrayal of post-communist Russia. Miller is an excellent writer, so while the plot was somewhat flat, I enjoyed the read.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak: My friend lent me this YA book eons ago, but I hadn't got around to reading it. I've heard great things about it. It's narrated by death, and set during the Holocast. I'll let you know if I like it.

        

With My Family


Fancy Nancy and the Posh Puppy, by Jane O'Connor and illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser: I've heard of this series, but I hadn't read any Fancy Nancy books. My 2 YO daughter asks for this book every night now. My hubby and I like the Nancy is fancy because she's imaginative and has a a fancy vocabulary. We also love her parents (they are not fancy, according to Nancy). In this book Nancy shows she is responsible enough to take care of a pet on her own. We all really like this book.


Pinning


I found writeshop.com via Pinterest, and love a lot of their posts, especially their post about writing across the curriculum. From Kim's (of Write Shop) bio- Hi, I'm Kim--curriculum author, speaker, retired homeschooler, and grandma to seven. Welcome to my little corner of the blogosphere, where you'll find writing and poetry activities, grammar tips, hope for reluctant writers, and so much more.


Doing


In DC:
Plane time

Story time with mama's cousins

Blossom Kite Festival

Blossom Kite Festival

Honey Pig, Korean BBQ
\
Picasso was at the National Gallery of Art

Zoo with Grandpa and Grandpa

Cousins

 Playzeum fun:


Trying out Southwest's cockpit on the way home!


We have a 5 more days left of spring break, and we have a big to-do list. I'm hoping we can get it all done! Have a great week!

I'm linking up to these fab blogs---

Learning All The Time!!

12 comments:

  1. fun post! yes, fancy nancy is a big hit in our house too! we have a couple of them. i like this series more than the pinkalicious series.

    what is sadie listening to on her headphones? i've never seen kiddo headphones- cute!

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    1. She was listening to dad's IPod..the headphones didn't work that well. They are meant for kids (from CVS), but with the hum of the airplane, it was hard for her to hear anything. I downloaded a Barney movie for her to watch on my IPhone, but she only watched in 10 minute spurts. She much preferred the restickable Melissa and Doug stickers (with 5 scenes) that I brought.

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  2. The Blossom Kite festival looks amazing - and the Playzeum looks so fun!!!

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    1. The Kite Festival felt eventful and magical!! I was imagining the first family seeing the swarm of kites from their window! (we could see the white house, capitol building, etc..)

      I want a Playzeum where we live- my daughter LOVED it! If you're ever in the DC area, you should check it out- it felt very mom and popish, which was nice. I could see my daughter exploring their different play rooms for hours and hours. And it was only $6- a steal for Bay Area standards. (Our kids' museums are more like $11 per person.)

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  3. I like your post format. It sounds like a terrific week. Thanks for joining WMCIR!

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    1. Thanks! I am trying to make it reader friendly-little by little. I love joining WMCIR. When I don't link up, it's only bc I can't get it together in time! ;)

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  4. Looks like a good time!
    The writeshop.com link sounds promising...I'm investigating that next :) Thanks for linking up!

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  5. Yes, I love the write shop blog- a great writing resource for home school and classroom teachers. I followed her boards so I can make sure to get her writing ideas! She seems to post most of them on Pinterest :)

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  6. I always want to go read a book after I check out your blog. =) I just finished reading Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers (for the second time). I finished it in 4 days, which is not normal for me, but it was just that good. It made me want to read more historical fictions!

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    1. I think you'd like the Book Thief! It's a great read so far! The older I get (and the busier I get)-- the more I am sold with quick reads!!! =)

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  7. That playzeum looks really fun!!!! I'm your newest follower :)

    -Staci
    Let's Teach Something

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    1. Staci, The playzeum was a blast! Glad to have you as a follower. Now I'm going to check out your blog =)

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