Museums · 04-26-2014
Prepare young children for a trip to the art museum with the delightful book, Meet Me at the Art Museum by David Goldin. Readers are treated to a tour of the museum's inner workings by "Stub" the ticket stub and "Daisy" the docent name tag. "From the curator's office to the library to the conservator's studio to even the loading dock, Stub discovers who does what and what goes on behind the scenes at the art museum." This book helps young readers learn the purpose of an art museum and is sure...
Activities · 04-21-2014
Make the earth cleaner and greener! That was our school's "Green Club" mission. The energetic students were dedicated to using action, education, and outreach to help the school community care for the environment. One successful outreach activity involved creating large environmentally themed posters and turning them into jigsaw puzzles. On the back of each puzzle piece, we wrote a green activity for families to do at home. Families that signed up to participate in the "green pledge activity"...
Creativity · 04-19-2014
It's amazing what filmmakers can do in 6 seconds! As Genna Terranova, Tribeca Film Festival's Director of programming, said, "Making a successful 6-second film is really a true test of creativity and skill. The tools may be simple, but the time is short and the task to do it well is large...." Enjoy two of the 2014 #6SECFILMS competition winners below. Watch all 6 winners at tribecafilm.com.
Resources · 04-13-2014
Perhaps you're familiar with the Nation's 59 national parks, but did you know the National Park Service also manages 124 historical parks or sites, 78 national monuments, 25 battlefields or military parks, 18 preserves, 18 recreational areas, 10 seashores, 4 parkways, 4 lakeshores and 2 reserves? How many have you visited? Next week will be a good time to cover a few more! On Saturday, April 19 and Sunday, April 20, our national parks are offering free admission. Many also have special events...
Music · 04-08-2014
How would YOU display 50 pieces of American art spanning four centuries? A challenging task, but the Art Everywhere US campaign has a unique idea. The campaign brings together five fabulous U.S. museums and the Outdoor Advertising Association of America. Their collaborative effort will celebrate great American art by exhibiting it throughout the U.S. on thousands of billboards, bus shelters, subway posters, and much more. Wow! You and I have been asked to determine which pieces we want to see...
Books · 04-05-2014
In honor of National Poetry Month, why not try writing a few poems? If you're looking for inspiration, it is everywhere! Need a few exercises to get your creativity flowing? Try poemcrazy by Susan Goldsmith Wooldridge. It's a delightful book that brings out the poet in all of us. It's also a helpful resource for classroom lesson ideas. I used it often as the advisor of an after school Poetry Club. Young poets looked forward to the activities and learned creative ways to enrich their lives....
Books · 04-01-2014
"Every other year the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) presents the Hans Christian Andersen Awards to a living author and illustrator whose complete works have made a lasting contribution to children's literature." The 2014 winners are: Nahoko Uehashi (from Japan) winner of the 2014 Hans Christian Andersen Author Award. Roger Mello (from Brazil) winner of the 2014 Hans Christian Andersen Illustrator Award.