Children's Book Review: Two Books to Get Your Child Ready for School

KISSES FOR KINDERGARTEN

By: Livingstone Crouse

Illustrated by: Macky Pamintuan

Published: June 13, 2017

Publisher: Silver Dolphin Books

Fiction/Picture Book

Stella Isabella Harden has decided she doesn't need to go to school. She can get everything that she would learn at Kindergarten by staying home and playing school with her dog Buster. Stella and Buster are the best of friends and do everything together. Until the end of the day when Stella wants to read a story to Buster but doesn't know how. Maybe going to Kindergarten wouldn't be so bad.

Stella and her dog, Buster, are adorable and their joy seeps off the pages. The words are written in a rhyming scheme and the kids will be able to notice them which is good for early literacy. In fact, some of them are quite clever.

"When snack time came, a little later

Stella thought her educator

would fancy sipping cups of tea.

Yet that was simply not to be."

The artist's illustrations are precise, vibrant, and show all the emotions whether it is coming from Stella or Buster. A non-reader would be able to understand the story just by looking at the pictures that fill the whole page. There is no doubt Stella is a happy child and has a lovable dog as a pet. 

The theme of the book is also perfect for calming a child's fear about the first day of Kindergarten. The best part of Stella's day are the kisses she gets from Buster when she gets home!

Silver Dolphin Books is offering a KISSES FOR KINDERGARTEN prize pack complete with a signed copy of the book, a plush golden retriever, and a playtime wand. 

To enter, you'll need to (1) like our Instagram account and (2) tag a friend. All entries must be submitted by August 16th, midnight PST. The prize pack winner will be announced on August 17th. AND as an added bonus, we'll select 5 additional winners to receive a signed copy of the book! One entry per person. US residents only.

Livingstone Crouse has spent the last 20 years either selling, editing, or writing books for children. He's even done all three at once! So recently he decided he'd focus entirely on writing the kinds of books he likes to read, books in verse that are filled with heart, word-play, and lots of laughs. Books like this one. Livingstone lives in a large, 200-year old farmhouse in New York's Hudson Valley with his husband and a dog named Kat. (And you can be fairly certain that Livingstone Crouse is not his real name. But don't tell anyone!)

Macky Pamintuan was born and raised in Davao, a city in the southern Philippines. As a young child, drawing was his favorite pastime and an activity that brought him delight and satisfaction. Early on, his parents discovered that giving him paper and pencil was a sure way to keep him busy, quiet, and out of trouble. He still remembers the day when he successfully drew Mickey Mouse and Superman, a huge breakthrough and a sweet triumph. He moved to San Francisco at age 21 and in 1998 enrolled at the Academy of Art College to pursue illustration. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in December 2003. When not illustrating, Macky enjoys playing basketball, his other true passion.

To purchase a copy of KISSES FOR KINDERGARTEN, click the photo below:

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS

WEIRD BUT TRUE DAILY PLANNER

365 Days to Fill with School, Sports, Friends, and Fun

Published: June 13, 2017

Publisher: National Geographic Kids

Non-Fiction/Planner

I am a planner geek! I love planners, making lists, and keeping track of my schedule. If I was 10 again, I would be ALL OVER THIS BOOK!

First of all, this planner is covered in a heavy cardboard, but the inside is spiral bound so it will lay flat and hold up to your child taking it in and out of his locker or school bag. Your child can fill in their class schedule in the beginning pages. Then at the start of each month, there is a space for planning out goals. In our school, students have to set goals with their teacher, whether it involves reading or math or behavior. This is a great spot to work on goals for home or school. Each page holds two days with plenty of space for your child to write down their assignments, practices, and reminders. 

The planner pages also have fun facts throughout the whole planner with many coinciding with the particular holiday or weird "national day". Many of these "weird but true" facts will give your child something to talk to his friends about at school. Did you know it's considered good luck to wear yellow underwear on New Year's Day? In England, black cats are considered good luck. Not bad luck like they are here in the US.

The planner runs August-July but can be adapted for any year since your child just circles the days of the week on the pages. So, this book can work through the summer to keep track of practices and camps and family vacation schedules too. At the end of the book, there are numerous pages considered "homework help". You'll find maps, tips on writing a report, and reminders on how to remember animal classifications. There are also charts for the metric system and multiplication.

Most upper elementary and middle school kids will benefit from the use of a daily planner. Our school requires each student to have one as it is a great way to communicate with parents about what your child has for homework or what papers need to be signed. The only flaw is that this planner doesn't have any pockets for bringing home those papers. But, it's a very minor detail and the rest of the planner is so great I can ignore that.

This would make a great gift for a child starting school. I'll be gifting my copy to a child that will love it!

To purchase a copy of WEIRD BUT TRUE DAILY PLANNER, click the photo below:

I will be linking up this review on Booking Mama's regular Saturday feature, Kid Konnection. This is a place for bloggers to share posts related to children's and YA books. You will find spotlights, reviews, and sometimes even giveaways by clicking HERE, every Saturday.



Thanks to the publishers for sending these books for the purpose of these reviews. These reviews are my honest opinion. If you choose to purchase the books through the above link, I may receive a small commission without you having to pay a cent more for your purchase. Thanks for supporting SincerelyStacie.com.  

Children's Book Week - B is for Breakdancing Bear Sticker Activity Book

Children’s Book Week is the annual celebration of books for young people and the joy of reading. 

Established in 1919, Children’s Book Week is the longest-running national literacy initiative in the country. Every year, events are held nationwide at schools, libraries, bookstores, homes — wherever young readers and books connect! 

The 98th anniversary of Children’s Book Week will take place May 1-7, 2017.

For more information, click HERE for downloadable activities and event information. 

In celebration of Children's Book Week, I am featuring a children's or YA book every day this week. Be sure to check them out every day or see them all by clicking HERE. 

B IS FOR BREAKDANCING BEAR

By: Thomas Nelson

Published: March 17, 2015

Publisher: Make Believe Ideas

Non-Fiction/Activity Book

Do you have a young child who is eager to learn like their older brothers and sisters? Are you wanting to give your child a head start in preschool? Are you looking for some activities to keep your child learning throughout the summer? This book is just what you are looking for.

This sticker activity book is full of fun activities that cover every letter of the alphabet. One page is cut out in the shape of the letter. The opposite page offers space for tracing both the capital and lower-case letters. The pictures use the letters and offer items to color like a goat playing guitar and your child can color the guitar. The next two pages for that letter offer more activities such as counting, tracing, coloring, or using the stickers also included in the book. 

There are two pages of stickers included that are used throughout the pages of the book. The cutout letters can be torn or cut out and hung up to continue your child's learning. The pages are a heavy cardstock and offer that "school quality" so even your toddler will feel like they are a "big kid". The pages aren't overwhelming and just doing one letter at a time, they would learn several different activities like writing, tracing, coloring and reading. 

I think this activity book is super fun and wish I would have had it for our kids. Children ages three and up would benefit from the learning offered in this book. Since I work in the school system, I've noticed that children are expected to learn things so much sooner than our children did. The material offered in this book is definitely being taught in our preschools and sharing this book over the summer months would prepare your child even more for their first year of preschool. 

To purchase a copy of this book, click the photo below:

I will be linking up this review on Booking Mama's regular Saturday feature, Kid Konnection. This is a place for bloggers to share posts related to children's and YA books. You will find spotlights, reviews, and sometimes even giveaways by clicking HERE, every Saturday.


This review is my honest opinion. If you choose to purchase the book through the above link, I may receive a small commission without you having to pay a cent more for your purchase. Thanks for supporting SincerelyStacie.com. 

World Teachers' Day with Grammarly

The most important person in a child's life besides a parent/grandparent/guardian is a teacher. Teachers spend the majority of the day with your child. Teachers are introducing concepts to your child beyond reading and math, like social skills, time management, and hard work. Those skills are just as important as anything they will learn in a textbook.

Teachers may technically work in the classroom from 8-3:30, but they are showing up at school an hour before the day begins and staying hours later to make sure everything is ready for another day. Especially, in the secondary setting, teachers will often stay to attend sporting events and extra-curricular activities to support their students and get to know them on another level. Teachers will call parents at home in the evening, grade papers until their eyes no longer stay open, buy books and supplies from their own bank account...all because they love teaching and care about your kids.

Since I work as a substitute teacher, I see many teachers who go above and beyond their duties every single day. They are the teachers that kids respect and appreciate. They are the teachers who have a passion for teaching. They are the teachers who find a way to relate to the students and get kids excited about learning.

I think if each of us take a moment to think about that one teacher who made learning fun, who made time for us, and who truly cared about our lives, you will find that teacher left a great impression on you and your learning. I have several favorite teachers from my school years. As a parent, I have several teachers who I personally saw go above and beyond for our kids. I saw their passion. I witnessed their long hours and dedication to their school and community. Those are the teachers I'm truly thankful were part of our kids education.

Today I'm joining with Grammarly to recognize and appreciate those wonderful teachers. Grammarly has designed this awesome graphic to share about the great things teachers do for us. Grammarly is a website that can be helpful to students, parents, and teachers. For more about their services, check out their website, HERE.

If you can, I highly recommend taking a few moments today to send a note, make a phone call, drop off some cookies, send some flowers, or get a gift card, to thank a teacher today. Whether it is one from your past or from your child's, take the time to thank them for their dedication, their hard work, and their passion for education.

Bennett's KCRG TV9 Interview

Yesterday, KCRG TV9 News came out to do a story at our school. We are one of the few districts in the state that offers WiFi on our school buses. Because we have such a large district that travels over several hundred miles, kids can be on the bus for an hour or more each way to school.  Our 7-12 students all have school-issued iPads, so this allows them to continue to work on and even turn in their homework while on the bus.  Even after sporting events, athletes can work on homework rather than waiting until they get home after a late game and long drive back to school.

Our son, Bennett was interviewed for this story and I'm happy to share it with you! Click the link below to be taken to the story.

http://www.kcrg.com/subject/news/benton-community-schools-planning-to-expand-wi-fi-on-school-buses-20150212#media-well-container

A Reluctant Reader No Longer

As a substitute teacher, I come in and do my job and leave. Even though I know most of the kids and am able to keep track of their school progress and social life, I feel like I really don't make much of an impact. I basically check in, do my job, and go home.

A few years ago, I was a long-term sub for a teacher that worked with kids who needed extra help with their reading. They were all what I would call "reluctant readers" and it was a daily struggle to get them to do their daily reading.

source

There was one student in particular, who I knew had the ability to read but wasn't doing it. After talking with him I found that he couldn't find any books that were interesting to him. So, I talked to him about finding a book on a subject he is interested. I remember he mentioned he liked dragons and fantasy type of books but there weren't a lot of books like that at the school, especially at his reading level. He didn't want to read about sports or vampires or romances.

That afternoon, as soon as school got out, I went to our local library and started looking for some books I thought this student might like and ones that were in his reading level. Luckily, I found a series of books (I can't remember now what series it was) that I thought he might like. I checked out the first book in that series and took it to school the next day.

He came back to me just a couple days later with the book finished and anxiously wanting the next book.  So, I went and checked out the next book for him.  This pattern followed as we moved through the series. Because he was a middle school student, he wasn't able to get to the library himself. So, as I finished out that school year with him, I continued to check out books for him that I thought he would like.

source

Fast forward to this student now being a junior in high school. I was subbing the other day and this same student was in my class. As soon as his work was done, I noticed he was reading. Since we are a 1:1 school, usually a student is doing something on their iPad during their down time. But, I was surprised to see this student reading. I went over to see what he was reading and it was a Rick Riordan novel, no surprise. I told him I was so glad to see that he was reading, by choice. I told him it made me happy.Then he said the one thing that made tears come to my eyes. 

He told me he now LOVES to read. 

Because I showed him back in middle school 

that there were books 

he could read and be interested in. 

He now LOVES to read.

This made my day. Heck it made my week! The fact that this student is no longer a reluctant reader, but one that can't read books fast enough. That is what reading is supposed to be about. Finding a genre you love, being eager to move through the story, and then moving on to the next one.

If your child is a reluctant reader, try to find books that are in a level they can understand. If your child is in school, their teacher should know their AR book level or some other testing level that can guide you when finding an appropriate book. Once you have their level, start asking what they might like to read about...

• Sports: football, basketball, soccer, baseball, cheerleading
• Friendships
• Dragons
• Vampires
• Ghosts
• Families
• Baking
• School
• History: Civil War, WWI, WWII, Pioneer
• Non-Fiction: places, animals, people

There is truly a book for everyone if you can just find a starting point. One book will lead you to another either through the author or subject. Sites like goodreads and Amazon will lead you to books you might like if you liked a particular book. Keep trying. Don't give up. Like I told one of my students in that same middle school class, even if you read the sports page of the newspaper, you are reading. Find something you are interested in and read it.

Sunday Snippets 8.24.14

On Sundays, I like to share snippets from our life here in small town Iowa.  

Our kids are active. 

We are involved in our community. 

It seems there is always something going on.  

I'd love to hear snippets from your life as well!

Sadly, we only took one trip to Orange Leaf this summer 

and it was right before school started. 

It is one of our kids' favorites places to go. 

My favorites are the cheesecake, brownie batter, and raspberry flavors.

Our first day of school was this week.  

As I was driving home from taking two of the kids to school,

I saw a Mom and Dad with a stroller 

and holding their son's hand as they walked to school.  

I immediately thought of this day, not too long ago...

ok, it was 8 years ago. 

But, in my mind, it was just yesterday.

We too, used to walk the boys to school on that first day. 

Talking about all the things they are looking forward to.

Answering their many questions.

Waiting and watching them walk in line into the building.

I began to tear up. Much like I did 8 years ago. 

Patrick going to first grade, Bennett going to kindergarten.  

Gretchen Rubin says it best - 

"The days are long, but the years are short." 

And now I have this..................................

There is no more walking with a stroller and holding hands. 

Patrick walked on his own and began 9th grade....a freshman....in HIGH SCHOOL.

I dropped Reagan off at the bus stop 

where she rushed out to see her friends 

with barely a glance in my direction. 

Off to begin her 4th grade year. 

I gave Bennett a ride to the school as he was running a bit behind, 

yes, on the first day. 

Did I mention we had a 2-hour delay for fog????

Bennett is looking forward to being an 8th grader.

This mom is PROUD.

This mom is HAPPY.

This mom is SAD.

This mom is JOYFUL.

This mom is MISSING THEM.

This mom LOVES these kids and is cherishing the moments, big and small.

Pat decided to take Patrick out for some 

highway and gravel road driving this week. 

I'm glad Pat is willing to do the training in this area.

I don't know how my parents were always so calm with me!

Reagan's teacher sent this photo from the first day of school.

How sweet of her to do that for each one of the kids in the class!

This made my day!

Reagan received the most adorable book from her cousin, Elise this week.

Elise's mom, Melanie, and I are first cousins and are extremely close.

They live in Minnesota so we don't get to see them very often.

After Reagan sent a card she had painted,

Elise sent this book.

It brought me to tears.

Such a sweet little story of their friendship.

I hope you are also reflecting on the snippets of joy from your week. 

Thanks for sharing in mine!

Back-to-School Teacher Emergency Kit

Last Thursday was our Back-to-School Open House night and today is our First Day of School.  I wanted to put together something special for Reagan's fourth grade teacher.  She has been the fourth grade teacher for all three of our kids, which I think is pretty neat.  

I have seen various versions of Teacher Emergency Kits on Pinterest and decided to make up one of my own.  Since I am not very crafty, I used a label from THIS SITE.  There are so many great ideas on Pinterest for letting your child's teacher know how much you appreciate him or her. I am looking forward spoiling Mrs. Kimm this year.  She deserves it! To see some of the great gift ideas I have pinned, click HERE. 

First I got a big 11x13 pencil box from Target during our school shopping. 

Then I attached the label to it. 

Again, I used a free printable thanks to CRAFTING CHICKS.   

I filled it with all kinds of things that I thought 

I would want to have on hand in my desk drawer.

I wanted to include things for days when she maybe 

had to miss breakfast or maybe even lunch. 

Things for days when she needed a bit more caffeine. 

Things for days when a mishap happened. 

Things to boost her energy or her spirits.    

The items I included in the kit:

Chocolate, gum, breath mints, lip balm, dental floss, quarters, 

Tide-to-Go, K-Cups of Coffee, and Crystal Light drops for her water

Yogurt covered blueberries, hand lotion, hand sanitizer, scentsy pods, 

and oatmeal (Nature Valley has new oatmeal packets that are made in Keurig machines.)

I asked one of the other teachers what some of Mrs Kimm's favorites things were 

so I could make it a bit more personal for her.  

I found out she loves coffee, chocolate, mint gum, 

and has a Scentsy Pot in her room.  That made it easy for me to fill up the box.  

We gave the Emergency Kit to her on open house night 

and I think she was quite surprised.  

I hope it comes in handy over the next 180 days of school! 

I also wanted to share this great blog post about teachers and why we should buy that bigger package of EXPO Markers while doing our school shopping.  Click HERE to read it. 

I work at the school and I personally know how much time, effort, and money teachers put into their jobs.  Please take a moment to write a note, share a gift card, or personally thank a teacher today! 

Children's Book Review: The Take Back of Lincoln Junior High By Roseanne Cheng

THE TAKE BACK OF LINCOLN JUNIOR HIGH

By: Roseanne Cheng

Published: March 23, 2014

Publisher: Wise Ink

Fiction



Looking for a book for your middle school aged child to read this summer? THE TAKE BACK OF LINCOLN JUNIOR HIGH would be an excellent choice.  This book fits the category of "Teachable Lit" and would give you and your child an opportunity to discuss financial implications of keeping schools open and offering all the opportunities that parents and kids want in their educational experience.

THE TAKE BACK OF LINCOLN JUNIOR HIGH covers a topic that hits close to home for many school districts.  Funding for many schools (including ours) is decreasing as well as the number of students attending.  This also results in less funding because the amount of state and federal dollars is based on the number of students in your school.  So, cuts have to be made and teachers may lose their jobs.  This book hits on the topic of saving our schools and the programs we love.

Andrew is a new student at Lincoln Junior High, entering the sixth grade.  He isn't a popular kid and feels left out most of the time but wants desperately to "fit in" in middle school.  The first day of school begins with an announcement from Principal Raasch announcing the "Take Back" program and their sponsor Whistler Farms.  Whistler Farms proposes to supply the school with money to bring their football program back including a new stadium, scoreboard, and uniforms.  All the school has to do is allow the Whistler Farms name to be displayed.....everywhere.... and allow their products to be at school.  Seems harmless until another company offers to sponsor the music program, another offers to bring back the drama department, and yet another gives every student their very own tablet.  Pretty soon the school is overrun with ads, product placement, and pressure to secure the best spot for their sponsor money.

Principal Raasch ends up spending more time dealing with the sponsors and their demands rather than running the school.  Parent groups begin to form, both for and against the Take Back program. Teachers become frustrated with the demands of the sponsors and somehow the education of the kids gets lost in the shuffle.  But, even in the mess, Andrew and his friends come up with a plan to save their school from falling apart. The problem is, it just might get them in the biggest trouble of their lives.

I really, really liked this book, written for middle grade on up.  It really hit home since our school, as well as others in the area, are having to make tough choices about how we are going to spend our money. There are some serious budget cuts in our future and no one wants to see those cuts happen. This story was a great example of how corporations can get involved, but without clear boundaries, a school district could be in worse trouble than when you started.

I think this is a great book for kids because it touches on many great discussable topics: advertising, integrity, school pride, respect, and values.  This is definitely a book I will be having our kids read and asking them their thoughts.  It will make you stop and think about what is really important in a school environment.  It will also remind readers that sometimes you need to step up and be a leader.

The book ends with a Study Guide over each chapter of the book.  This would make for a great classroom read and discussion.  Each chapter of the study guide includes questions for discussion, writing or group assignments and activities, and a vocabulary list.  I can't imagine any school that wouldn't benefit from reading and discussing this book.

I think it is easy for parents to get swept up in the excitement of school activities without giving a thought to all it takes to run those programs.  This book will also open parent's eyes to all the pieces needed to having programs such as sports, music, drama, journalism, and dances at your child's school and the need for physical, as well as monetary support.  Financing for school programs isn't going to get any easier down the road and this book will open your eyes to the positives and negatives of opening your school up to corporate sponsors.  It may not be all it's cracked up to be.

Roseanne Cheng, source

Roseanne Cheng is a high school English teacher, turned author, dedicated to writing and reviewing young adult literature that provides more than just entertainment. With her brand, TeachableLit.com, she champions meaningful, educational and wholesome reading for teens that can be used as learning tools, both inside the classroom and out. A native of the San Francisco Bay Area and a lover of Shakespeare, Roseanne now lives in Edina, outside of Minneapolis, with her husband and two young children. For more on Roseanne, visit her website, HERE.  You can also find Roseanne on Facebook, HERE, and Twitter, HERE. 

To purchase THE TAKE BACK OF LINCOLN JUNIOR HIGH, click the photo below:

I will be linking up with other children's book reviews at Booking Mama's Kid Konnection.  To see other great children's books, check out her linky every Saturday.


Thanks to the author for sending me a copy of her book for review.  This review is my honest opinion. I was not compensated in any way for this review.  If you choose to purchase the book through the above link, I may receive a small commission without you having to pay a cent more for your purchase. Thanks for supporting SincerelyStacie.com reviews. 

Get Ready for Back 2 School With The Confident Mom

• Are you looking for a way to make that transition from summer to school easier? 
• Are you sending your Kindergartner off to school for the very first time? 
• Has your family been enjoying the lazy days of summer and you have no idea how to get back on track for alarm clocks and rushed mornings?

I have the solution for you!

Back-to-School can be full of anxieties for the child as well as the parent.  Children may be worried about increased expectations, making friends, homework, or just being away from you.  This Back 2 School Guide will help both you and your child ease those anxieties and get you off to the right start for school.  

Susan, of The Confident Mom has created 80 pages of information and printable forms to get your whole family on the right track.  If you are looking to help your student be more organized, a student planner is one of the many things included in this eBook. There is also a customizable routine sheet for those younger ones that need help remembering all the things they need to do each morning before they head out the door.  Even my middle schoolers need help remembering things!

There is so much great information that Susan of The Confident Mom has come up with in one great package to get your kids off to the best start possible.  We are just 12 days from our first day of school here, so don't delay! For just $10, this entire package will not only assist you in the coming days, but throughout the entire school year! You can even save $2 if you act fast.  

Through August 20, 2013, enter the code SCHOOLMOM2 to get your Back 2 School Survival Guide for just $8. 

Click HERE, to visit the site and order yours today!

"By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail"

Benjamin Franklin

Don't let this be your child! Make sure you are prepared and help your child prepare to achieve success at school this year! This Back 2 School Survival Guide has tips and tools for the entire family!

Valentine's Box Idea

Do you need a Valentine's box idea for school or home?  Check out my post from last year on what Reagan made for her school box.  We are using it again this year!

http://www.sincerelystacie.com/2012/02/valentine-box.html

Schools Should...

The website www.bloggymoms.com has a feature called The Blog Dare or writing prompts for your blog.  Today's post prompt instantly reminded me of something I have been wanting to write about on here anyway.

Schools should......

Schools should......not worry so much about what kids eat or don't eat and focus instead on their education. With that said, I know it isn't that easy.  Our district has a large number of families on free and reduced lunches which means, this may be the only "good" meal a child gets during the day.  I get that.  But, unfortunately, with our new school food regulations put forth by President Obama, there is a lot of grumpy, hungry kids.

Schools are required to meet a certain guideline of calories and nutritional requirements.  Unfortunately, that is difficult to do with a limited school food/nutrition budget.  My children have frequently come home from school hungry and frustrated.  Yesterday, one of the sides was sauerkraut.  How many of you ate sauerkraut when you were a kid?  I like it now, but certainly not when I was in 2nd grade or 6th grade and I have good eaters.  I am willing to bet that a great majority of sauerkraut was thrown away yesterday.  Is that a good use of my tax payer dollars?  The school often serves cooked spinach or pinto beans.  How often did I eat those as a kid? Nope, not again.  I have been in school and eaten lunch on days that these items were being served and I couldn't eat them.

I run an after school program at our church once a week.  We serve kids a snack and in the beginning when we started 5 years ago, we would serve goldfish crackers, apples, and maybe a cookie and juice.  Or pretzels, fruit and cheese and juice.  Since the new lunch program has been in place, we have noticed that kids are coming to our program....starving! Never before did we hear, "I'm hungry." Can I have seconds, thirds, fourths?  We have changed our snack to actually be a meal.  Lunch meat sandwich, fruit, cheese, and juice.  Grilled cheese, fruit, juice.  Pizza, fruit, juice, cookie.  Even with this meal, the kids are wanting more.  I can speak to this in my own home as well....my kids come home hungry.

I don't know what the answer is, but what I do know is that I am not sure it is the schools job to count calories.  Make food the kids will eat.  Encourage them to try new foods by exposing them on a daily basis to fruit and vegetables.  And then, let the parents take over.  There is only so much you can do 180 days of the year.

I realize I may get flack for this post, but this is just MY OPINION.  As an employee of a school district, I am well aware of the difficulties of balancing all the needs of a student...physical, emotional, educational, and personal.  Schools are being asked to provide more and more services with less and less money.  The balancing act isn't easy and continues to get harder when the government likes to stick their nose into it.  My beef here is with all the government red tape, and not our school.  I know they are doing the best they can with the resources they have.

A Valentine Box

 

For the first time ever, we had to come up with our own Valentine's Box for school.  Prior years we just had to contribute a cereal box or something and the kids made it at school.  But, this year, the options were wide open and we were able to come up with our own idea for a Valentine Box.  What I really wanted to do was find a paper mache/cardboard type box that we could then mod-podge different Valentine related paper too and cut a hole in the top.  We looked all over Michael's and couldn't find any that were the right size.  Then in their wooden section, I saw this kleenex box and had an idea that it would work.  Have you seen that section at Michael's?  Reagan wanted to buy one of everything just to paint them up.  Guess I know what some future gift ideas could be now!    

So, I let Reagan pick the paint colors, (purple, pink, green and blue) and different wooden embellishments (teddy bears, flowers, and the letter R and G) and we finished it up yesterday.  It turned out really cute and since her class only has 16 kids, I think it will fit all the valentine's just fine.  The best part is that it will be great for her to use in her bedroom after Valentine's day and it matches her room colors already.  She can use it for a kleenex box or to keep special things inside.    

Scenes from our Week - Week 9

The boys had their annual Christmas program at school.  Since the 6th graders move on to Middle School next year, they get to be the "stars" of the show.  The 3rd - 5th graders provide the music while the 6th graders perform the play.  Bennett is a 5th grader and played in band and sang.  Patrick, the 6th grader played in band, accompanied one song on the drums, played the part of Santa and sang a solo.  The whole group did an awesome job and gave us lots of laughs!
The boys also had their last 5/6 basketball game of the season.  So, I took some final photos from that as well. 

Our 2 percussionists at their school Christmas program.

Patrick rockin' the drums!

Patrick as Santa in the program.

Patrick ready for the ball.



Bennett on defense.