November 12, 2008
November 02, 2008
Author Spotlight: Margie Palatini
Here’s an author for you to look up on your next library visit—in fact, click on the library website right now & have them put a few of her books aside for you!
Margie Palatini has been making readers laugh for years now, with picture books loaded cover-to-cover with humor designed to appeal to adults as much as their kids—just like I like it! Zoom Broom, for instance, has a long riff on the classic Abbot & Costello “Who’s on First” routine (parents, if you don’t get the reference, hand the book to Grandma & head immediately to YouTube). The Web Files deserves a deadpan, “Dragnet”-style delivery. Classic characters get new twists, everyday situations spin out of control, and silly wordplay is the norm!
By the time you’ve taken home several library copies of Palatini’s books, I’m sure your family will have found some real keepers. To add something extra to your experience of the stories, download the activities and study guides at www.margiepalatini.com.
July 31, 2008
Hey DIYers: Here's how to fill your family activity calendar!
A few simple tips:
1) Get event calendars from the libraries in your area.
2) Pick up Bay Area Parent and Parents’ Press, the free publications generally available at supermarkets, libraries & preschools. They have monthly family event calendars, sometimes also available at their websites.
3) Visit http://www.bayareakidfun.com/.
4) The newspaper! Pick it up and read it every day.
4) Think about where you might like to see an event: a particular city? A certain zoo, museum, or shopping center? Look the place up online (for cities, enter “visitors bureau” and similar terms). Your own city likely has an online event calendar.
Simple! Before you know it, people will be asking you where you find all the great local events!
April 02, 2008
February 22, 2008
The latest buzz:
“You have a way of bringing literature to life in a way that makes your audience part of the story. Our students always have a great time watching, and listening, and never get tired of seeing you perform.”
--Croce Elementary PTA, Livermore
“I just wanted to thank you again…you did an AWESOME job! I could’ve listened to stories for a lot longer. Looking at the children while they were listening…they were having a blast. They had huge smiles on their faces and a twinkle in their eye! …(the) parents I talked to all thought you were great…and we had a fantastic turnout.”
–Krey Elementary, Brentwood
“You have a way of bringing literature to life in a way that makes your audience part of the story. Our students always have a great time watching, and listening, and never get tired of seeing you perform.”
--Croce Elementary PTA, Livermore
“I just wanted to thank you again…you did an AWESOME job! I could’ve listened to stories for a lot longer. Looking at the children while they were listening…they were having a blast. They had huge smiles on their faces and a twinkle in their eye! …(the) parents I talked to all thought you were great…and we had a fantastic turnout.”
–Krey Elementary, Brentwood
January 20, 2008
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
(Image from the book "Martin's Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr." by Doreen Rappaport & Bryan Collier, published by Hyperion)
Martin Luther King, Jr.: The Legacy of a Leader
http://teacher.scholastic.com/scholasticnews/indepth/mlk/news/index.asp?article=mlk
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service
November 02, 2007
Easy Ways to Raise Readers!
Nothing revolutionary here...just simple stuff!
• Surround yourself with reading material
• Read for leisure (yes, the idea is for the kids to see you enjoying reading to yourself, as well as to them!)
• Bring something to read wherever you go (this is why, when my family goes to one of these great events, I prefer BART—we can grab the book we’re reading together, & knock off several chapters!)
• Surround yourself with reading material
• Read for leisure (yes, the idea is for the kids to see you enjoying reading to yourself, as well as to them!)
• Bring something to read wherever you go (this is why, when my family goes to one of these great events, I prefer BART—we can grab the book we’re reading together, & knock off several chapters!)
Read about more methods, and the details, at the “Be a Reading Role Model” page from Scholastic: http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=10217
April 04, 2007
Great Family Entertainment Link
“Bay Area Kid Fun”
If you’d like even more ideas for family fun than I provide, Bay Area Kid Fun is the best place I know of to get it! This free web resource offers information and links for pretty much the full gamut of family “stuff” in the greater SF Bay Area: parks, classes, museums, zoos, mothers’ clubs, sports, libraries and a whole lot more –AND even has free discount coupons for admissions & meals!
www.bayareakidfun.com
If you’d like even more ideas for family fun than I provide, Bay Area Kid Fun is the best place I know of to get it! This free web resource offers information and links for pretty much the full gamut of family “stuff” in the greater SF Bay Area: parks, classes, museums, zoos, mothers’ clubs, sports, libraries and a whole lot more –AND even has free discount coupons for admissions & meals!
www.bayareakidfun.com
February 20, 2007
December 30, 2006
November 16, 2006
June 30, 2006
Bookmark This:
The online version of Bay Area resident Tom McMahon’s syndicated newspaper column on parenting is worth checking out and adding to your favorites. Readers regularly contribute their suggestions on family time, reading, family-friendly employers, dealing with difficult topics—you can even find recipes for home-made play-dough! http://www.kidtips.com
May 02, 2006
Featured Website: GUYS READ
Jon Scieszka, author of The Stinky Cheese Man, The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs, and the Time Warp Trio series of books, is the creator of this web resource encouraging boys to read, and adults to help guide the way. Scieszka says, “Our mission is to motivate boys to read by connecting them with materials they will want to read, in ways they like to read.” At http://www.guysread.com/, you’ll find encouragement, reading lists, and help if you’d like to consider starting a book club in your own community. There’s a lot in “Guys Read” for girls to love, too! Check it out.
January 28, 2006
Books for Family Adventures!
Parent’s Bookshelf:
The San Francisco Bay Area is loaded with more fun & educational opportunities than any of us can probably experience over the course of one childhood, and yet sometimes when we find ourselves with a free day, we have a hard time thinking of what to do! The book selections below offer hundreds of excursion ideas, many of them cheap or free. Check them out—you might even find something amazing in your own city you’ve never heard of before!
Fun with the Family Northern California by Karen Misuraca
Kids' Adventures Around San Francisco Bay by Elina Wong
Open to the Public: A Guide to the Museums of Northern California by Charlene Akers
The Unofficial Guide to California with Kids by Colleen Dunn Bates & Susan LaTempa
I do not recommend any one of these books over the other; I own them all (and several more), and use them together, as that is what works best for me. See if your local library carries the book by checking the title through http://csul.iii.com/; to read more about them and check availability at your local independent bookseller, check http://www.booksense.com/. I selected these books to feature in part because they all seem to still be readily available in both libraries and bookstores. While you are there, be sure to pick up some audio books for your trip!
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