My Spring Robin Spring is in the air . . . what happened to Winter?

Spring begins.  Here in the Mid Atlantic United States, we barely had Winter.  Not that I am complaining but a little snow would have been nice . . . enjoy the early Spring. 

My Spring Robin by Anne Rockwell, Harlow Rockwell (Illustrator)
Before finding the robin she is searching for, a child discovers other interesting fauna and flora in her backyard. Before she finds "my spring robin," she encounters a variety of signs of the new season in her backyard: a toad and an earthworm; crocus, forsythia, magnolia, violets, and daffodils blooming; and fiddlehead ferns emerging.

Last year's Spring post - http://teachingreaderstothink.blogspot.com/2011/03/for-first-day-of-spring-butterfly.htm

Here are some titles for you and your readers to enjoy . . .

http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/spring/kids-books/

http://delightfulchildrensbooks.com/2012/03/09/spring-2/

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

For all those that are Irish, or have a little "leprechaun" magic - here are some titles and activities to share . . . St. Patrick's Day by Gail Gibbons   A basic introduction to the St. Patrick's Day holiday - how it began, the life and works of St. Patrick, and the various ways in which the day is celebrated. Pictures and text describe some of St. Patrick's Day's symbols - such as shamrocks, leprechauns and the Celtic harp. At the conclusion, the author describes some of St. Patrick's miracles.



http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/st-patricks-day/kids-books/

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/stpatrick/

http://crafts.kaboose.com/holidays/st-patricks-day/patrick-color.html

Testing Miss Malarkey by Judy Finchler, Kevin O'Malley

Our State PSSA tests start on Tuesday.  While this is a book for elementary kids, all ages would smile.  Good luck everyone.  You work hard all year, now is the time to "show what you know"!
The new school year brings standardized testing to every school and Miss Malarkey's is no exception. Teachers, students, and even parents are preparing for THE TEST-The Instructional Performance Through Understanding (IPTU) test-and the school is in an uproar. Even though the grown-ups tell the children not to worry, they're acting kind of strange. The gym teacher is teaching stress-reducing yoga instead of sports in gym class. Parents are giving pop quizzes on bedtime stories at night. The cafeteria is serving "brain food" for lunch. The kids are beginning to think that maybe the test is more important than they're being led to believe. Kids and adults alike will laugh aloud as Finchler and O'Malley poke fun at the commotion surrounding standardized testing, a staple of every school's year.
Here are some fun links - a slide show of the story - http://www.slideshare.net/Bet1139/testing-miss-malarkey

A unit of study complete with resources - http://www.successlink.org/GTI/lesson_unit-viewer.asp?lid=2956