Dot Day Pictures

Wow, time has gotten away from me.  I was planning on posting some pictures a long time ago.  We had a great time with our Dots.  I hope you enjoy seeing some of our pictures.  We sure had fun making them.

Dot Week

We had a great time celebrating the book The Dot by Peter Reynolds.  Around 300 students used their creativity to design dots.  We had little dots, big dots, and all different colors of dots.  You can see some of the fun in the slideshow below.

I will post a few pictures tomorrow. I had some great fifth grade students give up their recess and come paint huge dots to put up around the school.  On the official Dot Day we all took home a "dot" that looked suspiciously like a pompon to remind us to use our creativity and make our mark.

I am so glad that I found out about Dot Day because it is a wonderful way to encourage creativity and reaches out to the artist in all of us.  I send out a huge thank you to Peter Reynolds.  He knows that a lot of us get caught up in that thinking that tells us we just can't draw or we just can't ... (fill in the blank with whatever you might be afraid to try). He reminds us to go ahead and make that first mark and see where it takes us.  Be bold!  Be brave!  And above all - have some fun!  We did.

Dot Day Here We Come

Have you heard of International Dot Day?  It is scheduled for September 15.  I had read the book, The Dot by Peter Reynolds many times in the past, but didn't know there were activities connected to the book until recently.  I am looking forward to celebrating and exploring our creativity next week in honor of this special day.

If you want to be involved, please visit this page for some great ideas and videos of students that will inspire you.  Another great inspirational place is Mrs. Molishus' page.  She has samples from previous years, suggestions, and fun activities to use.

Go forth and make your mark!

Pete the Cat and Penny Dreadful

Just as I suspected, Pete the Cat was a hit tonight at our Open House.  I wore my red tennies in his honor and bought the Nook version of the book.  Parents and students wandered through the LMC and tried out the Nook Colors.  They loved to hear the story of Pete and his colorful shoes.  The greatest part was when the singing would start.  Their faces would light up and there were smiles all around.  I am getting super excited about sharing Pete with my classes next week . 

It's getting late, so I am off to bed to curl up with Penny Dreadful by Laurel Snyder .

 I am almost finished and it will be the perfect way to end the day.  This book has an old-fashioned sweetness to it, but isn't icky sweet.  Penny comes from a wealthy family and is rather bored in her beautiful well-kept home.  She wishes for some kind of change and certainly gets it.  Her father abruptly leaves his job.  Now with a limited amount of money and a load of bills, they move to a ramshackle old house in the country with a crew of quirky tenants.

I really loved when Penny and her friend were talking about fiction and non-fiction.  Penny's life seemed a lot like the fiction book she had just been reading.  Her friend's response is that she should read more non-fiction (biographies about scientists, explorers or magicians) because they were "...more interesting. Less like real life."  I am off to read and snooze. 

Yoda and Darth

A desolate space landscape with many moons awaits its moment of glory.

 

A battle has begun in our LMC.   Origami Yoda and Darth Paper are using all of their power and skill in the ultimate showdown!

The kids loved Origami Yoda and I am sure that there will be a waiting list for Darth Paper Strikes Back! by Tom Angleberger

The Friendship Doll

I just finished a very satisfying book called The Friendship Doll by Kirby Larson.  It was a bit like Hitty and Edward Tulane in that it followed a doll on its life journey touching many other lives on the way, but it was quite unique too.  The characters were very rich in personality.  It also provided snapshots of history along the way.  The book tells of a handmade doll from Japan that is a member of the Ambassadors of Friendship.  In 1927, Japanese children sent 58 dolls to the United States in a gesture of friendship to American schoolchildren.  The dolls were sent all around the country.  This book highlights the journey of one specific doll and her impact on many different people along the way.  I look forward to sharing it with my students.

I am also eager to try the craft suggested by Valerie on her site Jump Into a Book.  She provides excellent photos and a tutorial for making origami friendship dolls.  It looks like a lot of fun and I will just have to make time to do it soon.  I am sure many students will enjoy that activity too.

Pottermore!!

This looks like it could be a ton of fun! Click here for the website.