Making Waves with Summer Reading

by Mishelle Lane on July 29, 2010

The summer has been long.  It’s been filled with time at the pool, playing with friends, movies, picnics, sleepovers, and more.

There’s one thing that it’s also been filled with, and that’s reading!

Our library has a wonderful Summer Reading Program.  Not only do the kids have a chance to win prizes, they can also opt out of the little prizes and trade it in for one movie pass.

A little motivation goes a long way, don’t you agree?

Mikey’s chart is almost filled, and he can’t wait to go to the movies with a couple of his friends who are participating in the same effort.   They are all working toward a common goal, reminding each other along the way, encouraging each other to read, read, read!

Does your local library have a Summer Reading Program?

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A List to Memorize

by Tracy on July 28, 2010

Ever wonder what happened when in History? Well here is a list of important dates for your kids (and you) to commit to memory, eventually. Think up some fun ways to memorize them. If your children are visual learners make a wall chart or lapbook that gives visual clues/pictures. If you have a audible learner and you are REALLY creative, come up with a song!

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• 1492 — Columbus “discovered” America
• 1500’s — The time of the conquistadors and exploration of the Americas
• 1607 — Jamestown
• 1620 — Pilgrims at Plymouth (and the beginning of “Colonial America”)
• 1776 — The signing of the Declaration of Independence (and the end of “Colonial America”)
• Last half of 1770’s…and a bit into 1780’s (1775–1782) — The Revolutionary War (emphasizing the the signing of the Declaration happened after the war started)
• 1789 — Washington became America’s first president (and the French Revolution begins, lasting about 10 years)
• 1803 — The Louisiana Purchase, and Jefferson is president. Preparations for the Lewis & Clark expedition begins; the expedition ends in 1806.
• 1861-1865 — The Civil War, and Lincoln is president
• 1903 — The Wright brothers’ flight at Kittyhawk (notice that this is exactly 100 years after the Louisiana Purchase, making it easier to remember).
• Last half of the 1910’s (1914-1919) — World War I, and Woodrow Wilson was president. (For memory’s sake, it helps to notice the “WWI” and “WW” in Woodrow Wilson.) 1917 — America joins World War I
• 1929 — The stock market crash and basically the beginning of the Great Depression, which lasted about 10 years (or until WWII).
• First half of 1940’s (1939–1945) — World War II, and Franklin Delano Roosevelt was president. Harry S Truman took over after FDR died and was the one who authorized the bombing of Japan. 1941 — Pearl Harbor bombing and America joins the war.
• First part of 1950’s (1950-1953) — Korean War, and Harry S Truman was president.
• 1960’s and first half of 1970’s (1959–1975) — Vietnam War, and Eisenhower, Kennedy, LBJ, Nixon, and Ford were presidents during the war.
• 1969 — First landing on the moon.
• First half of 1990’s (1990-1995) — First Gulf War/Persian Gulf War, and George H.W. Bush and Clinton were presidents during the war.
• 2001 — September 11th
• 2003 to present — War in Iraq and George W. Bush and Obama were/are presidents during the war

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Back to School and Sales Tax Free Shopping Days

July 26, 2010

Image via Wikipedia Regardless if you have been “back to school” since June or if you are not scheduled to start back until after Labor Day, now is a fabulous time to stock up on school supplies.It seems that all major stores are offering excellent deals on school supplies. According to Businessweek.com, 18 states are [...]

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What My Sister Has Taught Me About Homeschooling

July 26, 2010

When I tell people my sister home schools her kids I often get looks of concern. It’s almost as if they think she’s living in some sort of alien society. What is real, and normal, is the standard public school system and all it has to offer. Instruction. Clubs. Student variety. Now, I’m the first [...]

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I Learned (S)CRAP at the Savvy Blogging Summit

July 24, 2010

Two weeks ago I had the privilege of co-hosting the Savvy Blogging Summit in Breckenridge, Colorado. The focus of this event was to learn how to be a better, more productive, and successful blogger. I learned so much at this event that it would be impossible to put it all in one blog post. And [...]

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A B See Photomeme: Week 4

July 23, 2010

Week 4 is here at last! I’m so glad to see you all having fun and being creative with the A B See Photo Meme! We are so loving your pictures! This is our first prize give-away… are you ready? Be sure to continue getting your pictures in to the flickr group as we move [...]

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