Sunday, January 29, 2012

Groundhog Day is February 2 - will he or won't he?

This is a day that has always baffled me, but it is fun for kids.  Visit the "official" site from Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania       http://www.groundhog.org/
 
The Groundhog Day Book of Facts and Fun by Old, Wendie C.
Every February 2nd, people in the United States wait to see if Punxsutawney Phil, a groundhog living in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, will see his shadow and predict six more weeks of cold weather. But how can a groundhog predict the weather? And if it's winter, shouldn't he be hibernating? Are such predictions really accurate? Why is February 2nd so special? And do other groundhogs predict the weather? Wendie Old provides plenty of information about groundhogs and the origin of Groundhog Day in this book of facts and fun. Groundhog riddles and ideas for throwing a Groundhog Day party are included.

Previous posts included activities, a quiz and some little known facts - check the  out http://teachingreaderstothink.blogspot.com/2011/02/groundhog-day-2011.html
http://teachingreaderstothink.blogspot.com/2010/02/happy-groundhog-day-february-2-2010.html

Monday, January 16, 2012

January is National Braille Literacy Month

Did you know that January is home to National Braille Literacy Month?  Check out these titles and resources . . . 

Buddy, The First Seeing Eye Dog by Eva Moore       

Front CoverMorris Frank was a blind man from Nashville who helped start the first school that trained seeing eye dogs. His dog Buddy is considered to be the first seeing eye dog in America.http://www.tnhistoryforkids.org/people/morris_frank

 Here is an intro the the movie - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5rkZ1yMjBM

Saturday, January 7, 2012

Snow Crazy by Tracy Gallup

Author and illustrator Tracy Gallup celebrates the joy of snow - waiting for snow and playing in the snow when it finally arrives - in Snow Crazy, an appealing little picture book. A little girl is eagerly awaiting the snow that has been forecast. She makes paper snowflakes, and she and her mother "laugh, drink hot chocolate, and stand in a [paper] snowdrift." Finally, the snow comes, and the little girl has a wonderful time playing in the snow with her friends, sledding, skating, making snow angels and building a snowman.
The illustrations are what make this story so appealing. They feature sculpted and hand painted dolls and props created by Tracy Gallup, who has been a professional doll maker for more than 25 years.  Snow Crazy for three- to six-year-olds.

Here is the link to the author's site as well - http://www.tracygallup.com/books.html