tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61829288099626992212024-02-02T15:07:08.766-05:00Amber's Tween ReadsA place where tweens can read about books before going to the library or bookstore. . .Amberdenisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00794694285485202317noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6182928809962699221.post-42071223427242641162013-09-25T15:45:00.001-04:002013-09-25T15:45:26.930-04:00Changes are Coming <div style="border: 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'Droid Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.428571em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
I have noticed the past few months I have neglected these two blogs. I promise it wasn't intentional, I just got extremely busy with my parents-- especially my mother. She's been really sick this past year and even ended up getting half of her foot amputated after a long battle you can read about <a data-mce-href="http://whoisadp.blogspot.com/2012_08_01_archive.html" href="http://whoisadp.blogspot.com/2012_08_01_archive.html" shape="rect" style="border: 0px; color: #047ac6; line-height: 1.428571em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" target="_blank">here.</a> </div>
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So after careful consideration, I have decided to merge these two blogs into one. In the next few weeks, these blogs will be deleted and recreated to be helpful to people with children for birth until they hit the teen years. I will have book reviews, craft ideas, story time plans and music recommendations. My new vision for the blog is to be one stop shopping with anything you may need for story times or just an afternoon with the kids. </div>
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I hope you'll join me on this new adventure and thanks for following me on the past journey and I hope you'll continue to follow as I embark on a new one. Happy reading! Amberdenise</div>
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Amberdenisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00794694285485202317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6182928809962699221.post-53236443386434689072012-09-27T20:11:00.000-04:002012-09-27T20:11:16.057-04:00New Feature Coming Soon.I am excited to announce a new feature on the blog. The new feature is called Newbery Nook. I will read and review Newbery winners and honors and telling you how I feel about them. I hope you'll enjoy the new feature once I get it up and running.Amberdenisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00794694285485202317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6182928809962699221.post-16071030615481719952011-08-03T10:57:00.001-04:002011-08-09T12:30:47.776-04:00American Girl's History Club: Julie Albright ReconstructedSince I've been floating around Library land and different branches this past year (my home branch is under renovations, but I'm going back in about 3 weeks!) I decided to try my American Girl History Club again. This time, it was a HUGE success. This time I had about 28 girls attend (with a sign up of 35) and each girl made 3 crafts. <br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSczybqwBiSbLlZ-HNqEoXlFG3A118TOOxhHjvmDvoS8XWTQXXeUyi1c2JbUOOnUYrlHQoMOWcmg2pMu5a4wX2HhfgBE6M0RPVtMp2n8BrPTARV_ANuOrSJTrtmz7H96Ss3srrcPLsfSd5/s1600/506.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSczybqwBiSbLlZ-HNqEoXlFG3A118TOOxhHjvmDvoS8XWTQXXeUyi1c2JbUOOnUYrlHQoMOWcmg2pMu5a4wX2HhfgBE6M0RPVtMp2n8BrPTARV_ANuOrSJTrtmz7H96Ss3srrcPLsfSd5/s200/506.JPG" width="200" /></a>Craft one: Flower/Daisy crown. I cut several flowers out of pink, blue, yellow and light green cardstock and green bands to go around each girl's head. The girls then picked the colors they wanted for their crowns and glued them on. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>Craft 2: CD Wall flowers<br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisoSd1lnGA_2j1u2xqXeIEsQnmFJUqUjfcsJyq9WjEJUma46etK5aqoEfeePi6I5X-27iBpAUN050tzC5kQRpIbqTHGNZYzfx3HVVCt3XkNqMMDGkWEvL4nPCQBas3jP0-UdorUH856p8r/s1600/cool+crafts+cds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisoSd1lnGA_2j1u2xqXeIEsQnmFJUqUjfcsJyq9WjEJUma46etK5aqoEfeePi6I5X-27iBpAUN050tzC5kQRpIbqTHGNZYzfx3HVVCt3XkNqMMDGkWEvL4nPCQBas3jP0-UdorUH856p8r/s1600/cool+crafts+cds.jpg" t$="true" /></a>I found the idea for this craft in <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/cool-crafts-with-old-cds-carol-sirrine/1102665311?ean=9781429640077&itm=1&usri=cool%2bcrafts%2bwith%2bold%2bcds"><em>Cool Crafts with Old CDs</em> by Carol Sirrine</a>. The book called for 8 Cds, a permanent marker, glue gun/hot glue, 4-foot long ribbon, small gems and adhesive wall hooks. What I actually used was: 8 Cd's, permanent marker, long ribbon and GLUE STICKS. (I wasn't about to have 7 year olds use a glue gun and there weren't enough adults to help out, so GLUE STICKS worked very well.)</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The permanent marker is used to mark where each cd goes before you glue them together. The girls LOVED making cd wallflowers and it got rid of a lot of old cd- roms, so this was a win-win proect!</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Craft 3 was probably my favorite: Make Your Own Daisy Barretts. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">For this project, the materials needed were: artificial daisies, medium size barrette, Ailene's Craft Clue or a hot glue gun, and glitter, I used glitter glue that I found for $1 a bottle.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK5GxiT4MCxRga-vuINFAnpvZ0g0DjQ2LmDTbLb86iCbKrVnWx1JsakPuWh9kBAqht44Enawwkw_tQRRfAGNLQQ8KVg2pXAiCHtJDEB3cJD3Lwm1bMptTw6y38yiZmMrD_lCyfZ_CiqbWG/s1600/737.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK5GxiT4MCxRga-vuINFAnpvZ0g0DjQ2LmDTbLb86iCbKrVnWx1JsakPuWh9kBAqht44Enawwkw_tQRRfAGNLQQ8KVg2pXAiCHtJDEB3cJD3Lwm1bMptTw6y38yiZmMrD_lCyfZ_CiqbWG/s200/737.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW8dSi0uDf23bvAVxBcwTVEHrEBoNQBSuUMSvKWokuV0SYOwCiNypwPm-BT_Sy6F8C1cdAeCjH18gTCSUUlrqy5XwnoEmhppn4Q_K3V9jfiEHloOPSxL7FTaYS4zIEfcGZIjFZR1DKSXV4/s1600/735.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW8dSi0uDf23bvAVxBcwTVEHrEBoNQBSuUMSvKWokuV0SYOwCiNypwPm-BT_Sy6F8C1cdAeCjH18gTCSUUlrqy5XwnoEmhppn4Q_K3V9jfiEHloOPSxL7FTaYS4zIEfcGZIjFZR1DKSXV4/s200/735.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJZsT12ctKw7cPhQl19D64byLE3s_Cg8cWBN97jnN9OaH_scg7w5lKa9zZHBopL9IzFqbfh-F70WgZKJGR2YWcULRS88edrlzZmrSfWccicX5tIgYBssRkxejm17tTmXp2ghtx0mgnPhyc/s1600/736.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJZsT12ctKw7cPhQl19D64byLE3s_Cg8cWBN97jnN9OaH_scg7w5lKa9zZHBopL9IzFqbfh-F70WgZKJGR2YWcULRS88edrlzZmrSfWccicX5tIgYBssRkxejm17tTmXp2ghtx0mgnPhyc/s200/736.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>I went to Michael's (our local craft store) and bought a huge daisy chain (which was on sale!), and 2 packages of medium size hair barrettes. I took each daisy off the daisy chain and plucked several leaves off as well. Then I glued a leaf and daisy to the barrette, held it until it adhered to each other and then decorated it with glitter.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I think this was the favorite craft of the program.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">To incorporate the 1970's I wrote out some of the major events of the decade on poster boards and posted them in the room. I also got a map of Pennsylvania and charted the route Julie may have taken on the Freedom Wagon Trail during the Bicentennial Celebrations. (Remember Julie went to visit her cousin and rode in the Pennsylvania wagon train) I also charted the route we would take if we were going from Philadelphia to Valley Forge like Julie.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I made a cd of hits from the 1970's to play in the background of the program. It was totally groovy!</div>Amberdenisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00794694285485202317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6182928809962699221.post-25401167102348082072010-10-14T20:30:00.000-04:002010-10-14T20:30:02.217-04:00<strong>The Old Irish Proverb </strong><br />
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<strong>"May God give you. . . For every storm a rainbow, for every tear a smile, for every care a promise and a blessing in each trial. For every problem life sends, a faithful friend to share, for every sigh a sweet song and an answer for each prayer."</strong><br />
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<strong>"For every storm a rainbow. . . "</strong> this has definitely been the summer of storms in the Puckett family. From Grandma's heart catherization in May to Dad being admitted for WAY too low blood sugar (53 when he's a diabetic) and then to Mom, I feel as if I have been in hospitals more this summer than my ENTIRE life. Oddly enough, Mom's stormy summer started with a hiccup. Seriously, a insignificant hiccup started the storm to end all storms, so to speak. . .<br />
Mom was at her doctor appointment when she had the audacity to hiccup. The doctor heard her and decided he needed to take another look. That simple look sent her to an Endocrinologist to investigate her thyroid. The scans from the Endocrinologist showed a goiter—the odd thing was on top of her goiter were nodules and the largest one was over 5 cm in diameter. (Evidently, that's a bad thing) So, that meant Mom had to go for a Fine Needle Biopsy to make sure it wasn't cancerous. (Interestingly enough, we have since learned that fine needle biopsies are basically POINTLESS in determining the type of Thyroid Cancer Mom ended up having) the biopsy told us that she was CANCER FREE. It lied. Seeing the biopsy coming back clean, we all breathed a sigh of relief and scheduled mom's surgery to remove the nodules. Then on surgery day, the doctor canceled her surgery because her PTT levels were to high and he was afraid her blood wouldn't clot properly after surgery. (According to Dr. C, the throat has a tendency to bleed a lot when you cut into it. . . good to know.) So then we had to deal with mom having to go to a hematologist. The results of her blood tests came back and kind of confused us even more. Lupus Anticoagulant Syndrome—not Lupus, but some weird thing that causes your blood to appear to be too thin on tests, but in actuality it's too thick and requires blood thinners to regulate. So, the rescheduled the surgery after the hematologist cleared her and Dr. C removed the left half of her thyroid and the isthmus. After her half-thyroidectomy, Dr. C came out, told us it went well and that she looked CANCER FREE.<br />
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So, thinking that we made it through another medical drama, we started to relax. Then mom goes for her post op appointment to check on her progress (guess what, her neck started swelling pretty bad after having her thyroid removed) and Dr. C breaks the news that Mom does in fact have thyroid Cancer. The type of Thyroid Cancer she has is called Follicular Thyroid Cancer with the Hurthle Cell variant. Then we learned that the Fine Needle Aspiration Biopsy she received way back on June 9th is pointless in determining the FTC with HCV because that particular cancer CANNOT be determined by a FNAB. The particular cancer she has can only be determined when part of the thyroid is removed and then dissected. Grrr. So within moments we became a cancer family. It's still hard to acknowledge. I mean my brain knows and acknowledges it, but my heart and emotions want nothing to do with it. . .<br />
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<strong> </strong>I have to acknowledge that while this summer has been 1 COLOSSIAL storm, there have been a few rainbows as well—coaching my group of teenagers through BOB this summer and letting them surprise me, and my adorable Kindergarten and 1st graders at church who have kept me laughing.<br />
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<strong>"For Every Tear a Smile." </strong>This has really been a summer of tears—happy, sad, stressed and ANGRY, but a summer full of tears. Thankfully, it's been a summer full of laughter as well. Most laughs have come from the children mentioned above, but reruns of Glee, listening to random music, funny stories and www.ihasahotdog.com have helped.<br />
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<strong>"For every care a promise and a blessing in each trial"</strong> I have to trust in God's promise to be with my family through this crazy time in our lives. I have to have faith that God knows what's best for my family. One "blessing" in this odd time is that the Cancer was actually discovered. Who knows how much worse it could have been or become had it not been found NOW.<br />
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<strong>"For every problem life sends, a faithful friend to share. . ."</strong> I know good and well that I would not have made it through this summer without my friends. My friends have been an amazing rock for me. They have been there for my ups and downs and talked me out of a few panic attacks. I don't know how to express how grateful I am for them.<br />
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<strong>"For every sigh, a sweet song. . ."</strong> Music has kept me afloat these last few weeks. On a normal basis, I have a song for almost anything, but I feel it has been increased these past couple of months. I almost believe my iPod is psychic. It tends to play exactly what I've been feeling, or songs that I need to hear to pick my mood back up. Also certain devotional songs have invaded my mind and bring a peacefulness to me that I know comes from ABOVE.<br />
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<strong>". . . and an answer for every prayer." </strong>Even though some of my prayers haven't been answered EXACTLY the way I wish for them to be (i.e. Mom being Cancer free) God has answered my prayers. This summer has definitely been a reaffirmation of God's will and power. I am also learning the meaning of NOT YET. The incredibly impatient human side of me wants Mom to be cured RIGHT NOW. I don't want to have to WAIT, but God is showing me how to be patient because this isn't something that will just disappear. It has to follow a process and I have to trust in HIS timing. Not my own.<br />
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<strong>This summer has been a crazy rollercoaster, but I know that God has been there every step of the way. I do know that I will be really excited to see this summer end. : </strong><br />
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<strong>Sadly, this summer appears to not realize it ended. Even though the wearther is beginning to turn colder, my mother's medical issues have not gone away. My mother is still battling her cancer and trying to kill the rest of her thyroid with Radiation, and yesterday she twisted her hip and we had to take her to the hospital. The doctors did x-rays and didn't see a break, however, there was something "suspicious" in the x-ray so they had to keep her overnight. </strong><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><strong>With all this going on with my mom, my reading schedule has fallen behind at a CRITICAL rate. Hopefully soon I will be able to be back on track, but it may take awhile. So I am officially calling a hiatus from the blogosphere and hope to return in the New Year (if not Christmas time.) </strong> </div>Amberdenisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00794694285485202317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6182928809962699221.post-68602707386672071802010-06-15T14:36:00.000-04:002010-06-15T14:36:48.986-04:00The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQKRXsBWrnYUavIFY7sCD_lNoAhLgj6vBcBFVuFG1R6HyTcvd9Y0UyLTXQpr2_v30ZYoAqlBlb19IavCBo2-J4BmT0asp6vbjE8CEaSAwbOOJZZAAOFzGNhcXxr4_4mitDRD1GV0uwbe4X/s1600/ember.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQKRXsBWrnYUavIFY7sCD_lNoAhLgj6vBcBFVuFG1R6HyTcvd9Y0UyLTXQpr2_v30ZYoAqlBlb19IavCBo2-J4BmT0asp6vbjE8CEaSAwbOOJZZAAOFzGNhcXxr4_4mitDRD1GV0uwbe4X/s320/ember.jpg" /></a></div>A city buried below the ground for over 200 years. The citizens have no clue that their dark sky is really underneath everything. More than 200 years underground is taking a toll on the city's electricity and resources. Blackouts are becoming more common as the city is falling apart. Doon Harrow realizes something is wrong, but without his friend Lina Mayfleet, the city may just die without a solution to be found.<br />
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I'll admit, I was a little skeptical to read something called <em>The City of Ember</em> when I learned it was about people who were basically buried alive. However, when I started to actually read the story, I couldn't put it down. I liked reading about how the city worked and saddened when I realized they were underground and never had seen a blue sky. (I knew from the beginning they were underground, but it really hit me in chapter 10.)<br />
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I am looking foward to reading the sequel, <em>The People of Sparks</em>.Amberdenisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00794694285485202317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6182928809962699221.post-28524974955437518182010-04-15T14:03:00.004-04:002011-04-08T09:09:54.173-04:00American Girl's History Club: Felicity Merriman (1774)<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">To continue the American Girl History Club Series, we are going to focus on Felicity Merriman. I chose to showcase Felicity in the month of April largely because of the Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem <em>Paul Revere's Ride. </em>I remembered how much I like the poem as a child and decided April would be the best month to talk about the Revolutionary War.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4YbiZm_IpLbKZOCLu30e5I9_-uCQ7ikzXK5rvXd62sgSwQ6nIIlaGZnctey-d0AoAu47eVbKaXE9imLPA_ZmiuLduNHE0FhDENXWOQqLncyBl7-xoH2W5xkZg8NUTOFZcHRFx85PdxhI4/s1600/colonial.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4YbiZm_IpLbKZOCLu30e5I9_-uCQ7ikzXK5rvXd62sgSwQ6nIIlaGZnctey-d0AoAu47eVbKaXE9imLPA_ZmiuLduNHE0FhDENXWOQqLncyBl7-xoH2W5xkZg8NUTOFZcHRFx85PdxhI4/s320/colonial.jpg" wt="true" /></a><a target="_blank" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPXMKQUl7s_tMdathdMfgPb9OMzswglOjZOLRfPVFk7g_mwH41kdzFW3qBqfouBZ_oLdy8_1kmO364kjidd3LEeUCPzBEY8iSueUNDz0ENk1DdTbVfI9aFvdbhIlVdBC8BmK8AtB5mBmKH/s1600/celebrateamerica.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPXMKQUl7s_tMdathdMfgPb9OMzswglOjZOLRfPVFk7g_mwH41kdzFW3qBqfouBZ_oLdy8_1kmO364kjidd3LEeUCPzBEY8iSueUNDz0ENk1DdTbVfI9aFvdbhIlVdBC8BmK8AtB5mBmKH/s320/celebrateamerica.jpg" wt="true" /></a>To prepare for the program, I visited the Colonial Willimasburg website: <a target="_blank"href="http://history.org/">http://history.org/</a> and <a target="_blank" href="http://www.colonialwilliamsburg.com/?WT.mc_id=663">http://www.colonialwilliamsburg.com/?WT.mc_id=663</a> . I also visited the American Girl's website: <a target="_blank" href="http://www.americangirl.com/">http://www.americangirl.com/</a> and the Mount Vernon website <a target="_blank" href="http://www.mountvernon.org/">http://www.mountvernon.org/</a> (did you know the Mount Vernon site has a link to "Harpsicord Hero" <a target="_blank" href="http://www.washingtonsworld.org/harpsichord.html">http://www.washingtonsworld.org/harpsichord.html</a> how cool is that?!). I wanted to make sure I found some cool things for the girls to do and learn. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>Two books that were extremly helpful in finding activites for the girls were <em>Little Hands Celebrate America! </em>by Jill Frankel Hauser and <em>Colonial Kids: an Activity Guide to Life in the New World </em>by Laurie Carlson. <br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The crafts I chose to use for the program were paper lanterns (to go with the poem <em>Paul Revere's Ride </em>by Hendry Wadsworth Longfellow), churning butter and making Wampum. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a target="_blank" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEnqcEdDQd4JdDbaW09Nob6rdYgU3Ndmy9mxDsxeHBwJ12HB1tC-1GDfSM2hib6R2wT4PZl6vXa40yn8puW7897Nb4G1C6-O5kTdfh8FBl-YcHJ1uBVODVduXYjDVJ_szwtZIa4FBllK0m/s1600/SDC13098.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEnqcEdDQd4JdDbaW09Nob6rdYgU3Ndmy9mxDsxeHBwJ12HB1tC-1GDfSM2hib6R2wT4PZl6vXa40yn8puW7897Nb4G1C6-O5kTdfh8FBl-YcHJ1uBVODVduXYjDVJ_szwtZIa4FBllK0m/s200/SDC13098.JPG" width="200" wt="true" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">For the paper lantern craft, I found the instructions at <a target="_blank" href="http://familycrafts.about.com/od/chinesenewyears/ss/eplantern.htm">http://familycrafts.about.com/od/chinesenewyears/ss/eplantern.htm</a> . I found the instructions to be simple enough that on the third lantern I made, I no longer need to look at the instructions and felt comfortable teaching the kids how to make the lantern.</div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">For the butter, wampum and rag rug crafts, I found them in the <em>Colonial Kids</em> book. </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdEpjhLqvx0hi3u3bHfkwfPG62Pq0e3q2Mvyly1aNdvI1DL3-ILPpVfUDpMWrJuEuEkxt3HhmHfjIihQTRGEbEQsCFaiv4mdnI-jBvQWPyGadMQJ0WZtEpGUR74MYmAwDh9TlegPrhUQ6p/s1600/SDC13100.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdEpjhLqvx0hi3u3bHfkwfPG62Pq0e3q2Mvyly1aNdvI1DL3-ILPpVfUDpMWrJuEuEkxt3HhmHfjIihQTRGEbEQsCFaiv4mdnI-jBvQWPyGadMQJ0WZtEpGUR74MYmAwDh9TlegPrhUQ6p/s200/SDC13100.JPG" width="200" wt="true" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghKNIYiu7PQwpUmxAW_OSGaqUtGh_21A-Q2zAoT99LEGMq417zYw612hbtVpynGtOsRXm_mzLAT9qNzsd_HIfkduWnib9lU0AEt2XoeRQu-WCS3wrrf2qDfQE4s8WwGUkbh1fC37i8ZBT_/s1600/SDC13105.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghKNIYiu7PQwpUmxAW_OSGaqUtGh_21A-Q2zAoT99LEGMq417zYw612hbtVpynGtOsRXm_mzLAT9qNzsd_HIfkduWnib9lU0AEt2XoeRQu-WCS3wrrf2qDfQE4s8WwGUkbh1fC37i8ZBT_/s200/SDC13105.JPG" width="200" wt="true" /></a>The wampum was really fun to make because I learned that you can dye pasta noodles with a little rubbing alcohol and food coloring. Since the wampum the colonist used when trading with the Native Americans was purple, I used red and blue food coloring. I tried a few different shades, and the one I like best was made of 10 red food coloring drops and 4 blue food coloring drops (the same you would use if you were dyeing eggs). All you have to do is drop the UNCOOKED noodles into the food coloring and let it sit for awhile. I let teh noodles sit for at least 10 minutes. Once they were dry, they were really cool!</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The butter was really easy. All I did was put some heavy whipping cream in a baby food jar, tighten the lid and shake it vigorously until it thickened into butter. The liquid you see in the picture is just the buttermilk residue that comes when the butter seperates a little. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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</div></div>Amberdenisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00794694285485202317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6182928809962699221.post-76983320297453053632010-04-05T14:01:00.000-04:002010-04-05T14:01:04.794-04:00American Girl's History Club: Addy Walker<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwcQA7JVqVWstUlJ2JlweHaUA9_PrVO0mUU3HmzoswQ_aw5JPqW2Ak-BpNN3RZ2bqj8q6YKPrWzTXp1U3PLqccZwhqVmMkXV7K0ELrlh21sX5NFu8qmF_7NPIZn1NODTX82pD6BCQ8f34v/s1600/SDC12900.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" nt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwcQA7JVqVWstUlJ2JlweHaUA9_PrVO0mUU3HmzoswQ_aw5JPqW2Ak-BpNN3RZ2bqj8q6YKPrWzTXp1U3PLqccZwhqVmMkXV7K0ELrlh21sX5NFu8qmF_7NPIZn1NODTX82pD6BCQ8f34v/s200/SDC12900.JPG" width="200" /></a>In February, I did another American Girl's History Club program and in honor of African American History Month, I chose to showcase Addy Walker. Addy Walker is the Pleasant Company's first American Girl of non-white origins and is still the only African American Historical figure for the company. Addy is a young slave who runs away on the Underground Railroad with her mother during the Civil War. Since quilts were such an important part of slave life, I had the girls design their own "Freedom Quilts" for their dolls. I had patterns that would have been used in the Freedom Quilts slaves owned, but also allowed them to make their own patterns. The girls had a blast creating quilts for their dolls. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div align="center" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij6h0UhJ-MXzK7jc3mm7qjtwm3NDT6LvUeGkCbBpbi8TEXjNXuYqry_JY8M2jBpRS1SWQSzOXRdVfBNlX7reFdS2bmgbYYpOmsVI4p2fo61T5kbus_QSXlmosSmW3CTSLe0kvM3jr_eIE_/s1600/SDC12895.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" nt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij6h0UhJ-MXzK7jc3mm7qjtwm3NDT6LvUeGkCbBpbi8TEXjNXuYqry_JY8M2jBpRS1SWQSzOXRdVfBNlX7reFdS2bmgbYYpOmsVI4p2fo61T5kbus_QSXlmosSmW3CTSLe0kvM3jr_eIE_/s200/SDC12895.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCi_CWN5VQjxqQsJZxwQ5px2wyHtOO0A7F5RQIikyX3N61xXNyQWtBYJjCtzMPb0-aNLdi6NI2vpabhiuqQI_JxiKyQJ1cqQoqTImUYhUfJAUsl6Ue7R4duldQccvO61NiJpd4DCfc6wWf/s1600/SDC12907.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" nt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCi_CWN5VQjxqQsJZxwQ5px2wyHtOO0A7F5RQIikyX3N61xXNyQWtBYJjCtzMPb0-aNLdi6NI2vpabhiuqQI_JxiKyQJ1cqQoqTImUYhUfJAUsl6Ue7R4duldQccvO61NiJpd4DCfc6wWf/s200/SDC12907.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>Amberdenisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00794694285485202317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6182928809962699221.post-1427767632832627512010-02-22T16:03:00.001-05:002010-02-22T16:16:48.964-05:00American Girl's: Julie AlbrightSo, I have been a fan of the American Girls Series since I was 11 years old. (I know, a little old to start the sereis, but that's when I found them.) With finding the 2 newest historical figures, I decided I wanted to start a year long (10 month) series using the girls.<br />
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For January, I decided to do a study on Julie Albright whose story takes place in the 1970's. <br />
Since Julie is from the 1970's I wanted to have the girls make something with a disco ball feel. I came up with a disco picture frame made from foam sheets and broken c.d.'s.<br />
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I grabbed some old c.d's (most of them from AOL) and started breaking them apart with a pair of kitchen shears. I cut different shapes and sizes and set them aside in a plastic baggie. Then I cut a sheet of foam board in half and cut a hole in the center that was big enough to frame a 5 x 6 photograph. (roughly 7 x 8 for the boarder). I then glued the side with a hole to the other half of the sheet of foam board, leaving the top unglued so a picture could slide through. <br />
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On the day of the program, I grabbed several books that were published in the '70's and books that won Caldecott's and Newbery's and also a few books about the 1970's and major ecological events ( Love Canal and Three Mile Island) since Julie loves nature.<br />
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While I didn't have a huge turnout, the few girls that came loved making the craft and I was able to adapt the craft for the little sister who wasn't old enough for the program by replacing the c.d. pieces with foam flowers that she could stick on the frame. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj91w4qWisEn_03IKraVZdJo_L-9cOrUqs9gKlZcpKRh-sbzhVSj1DPxZ6jhhmmOH-Ys656lNVOmyhyxiY70e5x7JBchgNDnR2RbNbqVSzilzcT3yG2Xy-FQERziHtDS5gZsavAlpWVvMDk/s1600-h/SDC12691.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ct="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj91w4qWisEn_03IKraVZdJo_L-9cOrUqs9gKlZcpKRh-sbzhVSj1DPxZ6jhhmmOH-Ys656lNVOmyhyxiY70e5x7JBchgNDnR2RbNbqVSzilzcT3yG2Xy-FQERziHtDS5gZsavAlpWVvMDk/s320/SDC12691.JPG" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh81pvAhfpyVtw77fxH0MmazDLLsA4DNr32q7tlE7neyeX0Sq8ep6Q2_BTE11_TyjR696ilYJ85s7erNJV3nnfK70Ii7TmsBabyMWx7RrGneLmmnFiXmKkt0gVP8XigApZFLbSXee_E9SJQ/s1600-h/SDC12693.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" ct="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh81pvAhfpyVtw77fxH0MmazDLLsA4DNr32q7tlE7neyeX0Sq8ep6Q2_BTE11_TyjR696ilYJ85s7erNJV3nnfK70Ii7TmsBabyMWx7RrGneLmmnFiXmKkt0gVP8XigApZFLbSXee_E9SJQ/s320/SDC12693.JPG" /></a></div>Amberdenisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00794694285485202317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6182928809962699221.post-46404981430090443372009-11-23T11:58:00.006-05:002009-11-23T12:07:44.147-05:00Alcatraz versus the Evil Librarians byBrandon SandersonAlcatraz Smedry has already told us, he is not a good boy. He's not even a nice guy. So how in the world is he now being considered a hero by a land most of us have never even heard of. Then again, most of us have never received a box of sand for our birthdays either, but Alcatraz did. That one bag of sand would lead Alcatraz on a journey that would forever change his life. <div><p>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikWM2m2JjI7v6Ao65Nh48lvkZMcfZp4KK7PF3A44uCoM7T88CJHLVj15ZQxKPOna68mMnqRJmHVFhZHcI0LFog5joEQVR8-F0Sgi2nbV8THBNZPjYOx2LNf3PO1bCzvoQHrfU8Tdqy7Njf/s1600/alcatraz.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407346749940948066" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 128px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 186px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikWM2m2JjI7v6Ao65Nh48lvkZMcfZp4KK7PF3A44uCoM7T88CJHLVj15ZQxKPOna68mMnqRJmHVFhZHcI0LFog5joEQVR8-F0Sgi2nbV8THBNZPjYOx2LNf3PO1bCzvoQHrfU8Tdqy7Njf/s200/alcatraz.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><br /><p>I'll admit, when I picked up this book, I thought the title was slightly amusing. I mean really, how many times do you see a book that flat out calls Librarians evil on the front cover? I did not realize that when I opened the book I would be laughing nonstop. <em>Alcatraz versus the Evil Librarians </em>is probably one of the funiest books I have ever picked up. There has been a laugh on almost everypage and it keeps me wanting more. I love this book. :O)</p><br /><p></p></div>Amberdenisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00794694285485202317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6182928809962699221.post-44539055973947625832009-05-09T12:53:00.002-04:002009-05-09T13:39:43.000-04:002009-2010 Sunshine State BooksThe 2009-2010 Sunshine State Readers Book Lists have finally arrived! WHOO HOO!!!<br /><br />The list for grades 3-5 is pretty exciting!<br /><br />Drumroll please, . . .<br /><br /><em>The Puzzling World of Winston Breen</em> by Eric Berlin<br /><em>Middle of Somewhere</em> by J.B. Cheaney<br /><em>The Lemonade War</em> by Jacqueline Davis<br /><em>The Fabled Fourth Graders of Aesop Elementary School</em> by Candace Fleming<br /><em>Brendan Buckley's Universe and Everything in It</em> by Sundee T. Frazier<br /><em>Igraine the Brave</em> by Cornelia Funke<br /><em>Found</em> by Margaret Peterson Haddix<br /><em>Defiance</em> by Valerie Hobbs<br /><em>Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat</em> by Lynne Jonnell<br /><em>Me and the Pumpkin Queen</em> by Marlane Kennedy<br /><em>Year of the Dog </em>by Grace Lin<br /><em>Highway Cats </em>by Janet Taylor Lisle<br /><em>Punished</em> by David Lubar ***<br /><em>Night of the Howling Dogs</em> by Graham Salisbury<br /><em>Crooked Kind of Perfect</em> by Linda Urban<br /><br />*** I was really excited to see <em>Punished</em> on the list this year. I feel in love with the story when I read it months ago.<br /><br />This year's list has some amazing books on it and I think the voting will be kind of close at the end of the year.Amberdenisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00794694285485202317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6182928809962699221.post-86660181793895405212009-02-09T10:16:00.001-05:002009-02-09T10:16:26.227-05:00reading "The Loudest Roar" during storytime<embed src="http://services.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f8/1485820810" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" flashVars="videoId=10422617001&playerId=1485820810&viewerSecureGatewayURL=https://console.brightcove.com/services/amfgateway&servicesURL=http://services.brightcove.com/services&cdnURL=http://admin.brightcove.com&domain=embed&autoStart=false&" base="http://admin.brightcove.com" name="flashObj" width="300" height="225" seamlesstabbing="false" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" swLiveConnect="true" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash"></embed><p></p>Amberdenisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00794694285485202317noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6182928809962699221.post-75442357753028103752009-01-17T14:00:00.002-05:002009-01-26T10:07:19.148-05:00Roscoe Riley Rules # 2 Never Swipe a Bully's Bear by Katherine Applegate<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2rwo1ySsIcXw_SOcvhKwGcMvtrTX2v7dQy5u4kvXEA68NiyVOvupi_WuWtexuF-fACqwzD1YpKS9EoHpz0Xs4BBYdHxCoog7u-XU5PFynxXJeI1CQwCLZWkd1piILML5jNmTMrBBoNFfo/s1600-h/bullybear.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5292339759187085362" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 128px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 191px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2rwo1ySsIcXw_SOcvhKwGcMvtrTX2v7dQy5u4kvXEA68NiyVOvupi_WuWtexuF-fACqwzD1YpKS9EoHpz0Xs4BBYdHxCoog7u-XU5PFynxXJeI1CQwCLZWkd1piILML5jNmTMrBBoNFfo/s320/bullybear.jpg" border="0" /></a>Roscoe Riley has done it again. He's back in the time out corner. This time he remembered that you can't glue your friends to chairs, but he <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">conveniently</span> forgot that stealing the classroom bully's bear is a major no-no.<br /><br />When Roscoe's stuffed friend Hamilton the pig gets "stolen" from his backpack, he is convinced the classroom bully stole it. So when Roscoe realizes that the bully still brings a bear to school, he takes the bear home to get his pig back.<br /><br />Of course being Roscoe, things get a little out of hand, but everything turns out in the end.<br />*************<br /><br />I still love Roscoe Riley! This is a fun, quick read and a very enteratining way to remember some of the rules of life you may not actually be told.Amberdenisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00794694285485202317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6182928809962699221.post-73767334459081951972009-01-15T19:33:00.000-05:002009-01-15T20:28:41.977-05:00Roscoe Riley Rules #1: Never Glue Your Friends to Chairs by Katherine Applegate<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG5dtQCMYYgvGK2KTgeYOoW_q5Woi2PE2wlw_rsCqLcDYCBLUmyI3bdhTaYocUp-uttwRLTy6Zjp2Wq7AinJyCTOEHHbdqaRYWhMjrzC6chwWqrebwVSx7UjrihqYNMc0DnKnjSh8RFGr4/s1600-h/glue.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5291683617767915586" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 128px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 191px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG5dtQCMYYgvGK2KTgeYOoW_q5Woi2PE2wlw_rsCqLcDYCBLUmyI3bdhTaYocUp-uttwRLTy6Zjp2Wq7AinJyCTOEHHbdqaRYWhMjrzC6chwWqrebwVSx7UjrihqYNMc0DnKnjSh8RFGr4/s320/glue.jpg" border="0" /></a> The first book in the <em>Roscoe Riley Doesn't Mean to Break the Rules</em> series. Roscoe Riley has a little problem following all the rules the grown-up in his life give him. Whether it's simple rules like don't touch the don't paint the class hamsters green to don't touch the Super-Mega-Gonzo-Glue, Roscoe can't seem to follow them.<br /><br />Roscoe knows he's not supposed to touch the Super-Mega-Gonzo Glue, but when he notices the "head-bobbles" not staying and bee drummers who would rather have sword or light saber battles, he can't help but use the "grown-up" glue to help save the day.<br />*******************************************************************<br /><br />I love Roscoe Riley. He reminds me of a couple of my cousins when we were little. Younger, new-to-chapter-book elementary school children will love this story simply because Roscoe is just like them. Also, teachers will get a kick out of the semi-accurate description of 1st graders anticipating an open-house.Amberdenisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00794694285485202317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6182928809962699221.post-45020849757226357582008-11-18T20:42:00.000-05:002008-11-18T20:55:46.624-05:002008 World Stack Up Day Wrap UpOkay, so this post is a couple days late, sorry Allie.<br /><br />On Thursday 13 November 2008, I held a program for 8-11 year olds and their families. The program was in honor of Guiness World Record Day and we were attempting to help the World Sport Stacking Association (WSSA) break the record for "The Most People Sport Stacking in Multiple Locations in One Day". My program was awesome if I do say so myself with a total of 40 people interacting with the cups that day!! I had set up a relay course for the kids and tables set up for competitions. Also on one side of the room, I had table set up for newbies to try their hand at stacking. The kids and parents LOVED the program and it was a blast!<br /><br />As of 8:48 pm on Tuesday 18 November 2008, there was a record breaking number of 200,495 people who Stacked It Up!!!! Whoo HOO!!!!!! Last years record was 143,530 so we definitely helped to shatter it. Thanks to everyone who came or thought about us on Thursday.Amberdenisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00794694285485202317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6182928809962699221.post-47915363408224196092008-11-18T20:16:00.000-05:002009-01-16T11:36:28.418-05:00No More Dead Dogs by Gordan Korman<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUiZVSjH5JGip0_NCbHgvQ4rTPExmix59UWyiq3kYNsfCBMZumhmPKod0yg0YOgDrVwqi5fOWhUNy4uz5MMsLByX8-vBUL4mPNjVzE5xWG-P6u2m769_r6O4F7mwkHmkBTZQlbOEOeD86X/s1600-h/dogs.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270171765343113746" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 128px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 190px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUiZVSjH5JGip0_NCbHgvQ4rTPExmix59UWyiq3kYNsfCBMZumhmPKod0yg0YOgDrVwqi5fOWhUNy4uz5MMsLByX8-vBUL4mPNjVzE5xWG-P6u2m769_r6O4F7mwkHmkBTZQlbOEOeD86X/s320/dogs.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Wallace Wallace (no, that's not a typo) doesn't lie. He absolutely refuses to lie. His father lies all the time to Wallace and about silly things. Since Wallace hates that his father lies constantly, he decides to NEVER lie. A decision that will get him in to a ton of trouble later, especially when he has to write a review on a book called <em>Old Shep, My Pal</em> (not a real book) and hates the book with a passion. His English teacher, Mr. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Fogelman</span></span> refuses to accept the paper and makes Wallace attend rehearsals for the upcoming school play, <em>Old Shep, My Pal </em>directed by the one and only Mr. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Fogelman</span></span> (go figure). Needless to say, this does not go very well. While on detention, Wallace Wallace can not even play football. (He was last season's hero, accidentally.) For Wallace, banishment from the team is horrible, but he refuses to jeopardize his morals to lie about a book he absolutely hated. Even when his team starts to turn away from him and someone starts to sabotage the play, Wallace sticks to his principles and refuses to lie. When the sabotage points to Wallace, he continues to tell the truth and eventually becomes the school pariah. </div><div>~~</div><div></div><div><em>No More Dead Dogs</em> is a decent book. I have to admit, I hated 2/3 of the book, but eventually began to like it a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">little</span>. I was annoyed by the constant <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">pov</span></span> shifts-- from Wallace to Rachel to Wallace to Rachel to Wallace to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Trudi </span></span>to Mr. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Fogelman</span></span>, it was excessive. The chapters were short, so by the time I was able to get into one characters head, it was time to shift to another person. I think Gordan <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Korman</span></span> would have been better off keeping this story in one P.O.V. instead of five.</div><div></div><div>The part of this book that <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">aggravated</span> me the most has to be Wallace Wallace being punished for <em>telling the TRUTH</em>!!! Honesty is probably the most important character trait a person can have and what does this book do, it trashes honesty. First with Wallace's father lying all the time to look important to his son, then the English teacher refusing to accept an essay because he doesn't agree with it, to Wallace's team trying to get him to lie and say he loved the book. Throughout <em>No More Dead Dogs</em> we are shown that honesty is not as important as pleasing other people and that's wrong. </div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div><em></em></div>Amberdenisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00794694285485202317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6182928809962699221.post-23253743069485870012008-11-10T10:25:00.000-05:002008-11-18T20:41:50.460-05:00WHOO HOO!! WSSA 2008 STACK UP ALL STAR TEAM!Just a short update to let all my one reader know that my library system has been added to the 2008 WSSA (World Sport Stacking Association) Stack Up All Star Team for the World Stack Up Day event!!! More details will come at a later date and be on the look out because on Thursday or Friday I will update about the program itself. WHOO HOO!!!Amberdenisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00794694285485202317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6182928809962699221.post-18779146048203870542008-08-07T10:54:00.000-04:002008-08-07T11:17:34.704-04:00Punished by David Lubar<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiInK_4dpZssq2H7Lpum_Ivd4VEjl5TAd_IOIzj_752eDc3XuiVDY_idyOMHCnK4Qx-ADtK2LltDsog99858ZW7tEKAZnX6vEwwWirns6qJcOEvgzam0EWM0NAf75DKJD5OHOOG7nDO28Pg/s1600-h/punished.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231789715626006450" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiInK_4dpZssq2H7Lpum_Ivd4VEjl5TAd_IOIzj_752eDc3XuiVDY_idyOMHCnK4Qx-ADtK2LltDsog99858ZW7tEKAZnX6vEwwWirns6qJcOEvgzam0EWM0NAf75DKJD5OHOOG7nDO28Pg/s320/punished.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />What do 7 oxymorons, 7 anagrams and 7 palindromes have in common? The cure to a crazy punishment.<br /><br />What do you get when a child runs through the refrence section? A "pun"-ishmnet filled with horrifying bad jokes and a crazy quest. Logan Quester ends up being punished after his best friend decides to play tag. Chasing his friend causes Logan to run into Professor Robert Wordsworth and his "pun"-ishment begins.<br /><br />I love this book. Kids will learn these crazy types of words in a way that a teacher might not imagine.Amberdenisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00794694285485202317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6182928809962699221.post-63950329840518943012008-07-30T10:04:00.001-04:002008-07-30T10:24:26.701-04:00Who Shrunk Daniel Funk Book 1: Attack of the Growling Eyeballs by Lin Oliver<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC_nZWqB0WrEVl9WTFZQAqhY3xwZsjA_hmPjSxQOg8BoUL6q8IL9v1_nlPEOAUhToTKp9av69KFX38sGQJcKZ8qIFFSjG_I25MbV_eceW0yOn1PJwLdzTefZqPrMRMp0GAgsZxBOfmUCN5/s1600-h/growling.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC_nZWqB0WrEVl9WTFZQAqhY3xwZsjA_hmPjSxQOg8BoUL6q8IL9v1_nlPEOAUhToTKp9av69KFX38sGQJcKZ8qIFFSjG_I25MbV_eceW0yOn1PJwLdzTefZqPrMRMp0GAgsZxBOfmUCN5/s320/growling.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5228808846786809426" /></a><br />Okay, so I know this title is a little crazy. When I first saw it I didn't know what to expect. Seeing Lin Oliver's name on the cover immediatley drew me to the book because I love her work with Henry Winkler's <em>Hank Zipper</em> books, so I decided to pick up the book and read. I have not regretted my decision at all. Daniel Funk at first seems to be a normal boy. He's involved in sports, annoys his 3 sisters and plays video games. Very typical right down to his incredibly messy room (of which he includes a diagram). After letting out a goulash smelling burp, Daniel does something atypical for a boy. He <em>shrinks</em> Suddenly his sock mountain seems to be as tall as Mount Everest, and the Creature Condo with the familiy pets looks like a danger zone. <br /><br />I am quickly falling in love with this story and eagerly am anticipating the next book in the series which comes out in September. Lin Oliver has shown once again that she can capture the voice of the young male and make us want to read more.Amberdenisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00794694285485202317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6182928809962699221.post-33275444952160375242008-07-22T18:10:00.000-04:002008-07-30T10:25:01.744-04:00Sport Stacking @ Your LibraryI have become a huge fan of sport stacking and have recently (April) introduced it to the tweens at my library. The first time I did the program, I had 48 kids show up to learn how to stack. The numbers are dwindling a little, but the group who keeps coming is learning to be great stackers. <br /><br />I tried something new with them Monday. Instead of doing our normal watch the video and stack, we did relay races and I was able to watch them individually. I am getting a core group of stacking champions already. Hopefully, we will be up to competition shape by next summer.Amberdenisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00794694285485202317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6182928809962699221.post-21542100970000591882008-07-18T13:47:00.000-04:002008-07-30T10:25:20.562-04:00Scavenger huntWhat do you get when you add 8 tweens and 16 crazy riddles about the library? A crazy, chaotic scavenger hunt with humerous results. Okay, I broke the 8 kids into two teams (boys + 1 girl and girls). Then I sent them to the children's department with a clue that led to one of my co-workers. From there the kids went on their hunt. Here are the clues I used for each team.<br /><br />Boy's team:<br /><br />1. Your adventure begins where your books are found<br /> Becareful for many dangers abound<br /> Your quest will begin with the one with dark hair<br /> If you're nice to her maybe she'll share<br /><br />2. A hero is in the eye of the beholder<br /> a villain is usually someone much bolder<br /> Here these two foes will forever remain<br /> Go find them and their claim to fame. (Graphic Novel Rack)<br /><br />3. Your next clue lies<br /> where the nocturnal cow flies (Cow jumping over the moon)<br /><br />4. Look to the land of eggs and pumpkins<br /> You'll find a small man with a very long name (Rumplestiltskin book)<br /><br />5. In search of clues-- you cannot get hotter<br /> And your very next clue rides with Potter<br /><br />6. The Settler of Old traveled in a wagon<br /> And your very next clue will be found near the dragon (bulletin board)<br /><br />7. A pop fly is what a catcher catches <br /> but your clue lies hidden among the patches (Summer quilts)<br /><br />8. Your adventures not finished this last clue remains<br /> Go to the place where we began our game (meeting room)<br /> <br /><br />Girl's clues<br /><br />1. Your adventure begins where your books are found<br /> Becareful for many dangers abound<br /> Your quest will begin with the one with red hair<br /> If you're nice to her maybe she'll share<br /><br />2. A search through Reference will be a good duty<br /> when you look through and find the flag of Djibouti<br /><br />3. A Vampire wedding, a President's Daughter<br /> These are the books that made summer much hotter<br /> If you haven't read them you don't have to believe me<br /> Just stand around and watch "As seen on T.V." (YA display case)<br /><br />4. A glance near the mirror may give you a fright<br /> When you look find Spiderwick's <br /><em></em><em></em>Care and Feeding of Sprites<em></em><br /><br />5. A black light that flashes is called a strobe<br /> And your very next clue lies around the globe<br /><br />6. If you're looking in a spot where you can't find a cable<br /> Your next clue may be found under a table<br /><br />7. This game is so long you may want to spit<br /> You'll find your last clue in the life of Anthony Horowitz<br /><br />8. Your adventures not finished this last clue remains<br /> Go to the place where we began our game (meeting room)<br /><br /><br />It was a ton of fun and if I get brave, we may do it again.Amberdenisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00794694285485202317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6182928809962699221.post-14961140379759040912008-07-18T12:08:00.001-04:002008-07-30T10:25:34.228-04:00Prince of Underwhere by Bruce Hale and Shane Hillman<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKuTu6aZRYpAmwY1aobN2yCVaQ0btbvuq2nL1Gmcfzjo7VEHAGhr0f3EU04iLRG25yKXuU7lf9AWQxX9HFrOXGGPc4wDuqvv0pxCtEUffu3XHgnjGaqph0BssONmoKZLihmGW2YUF2d2dx/s1600-h/princeofunderwhere.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKuTu6aZRYpAmwY1aobN2yCVaQ0btbvuq2nL1Gmcfzjo7VEHAGhr0f3EU04iLRG25yKXuU7lf9AWQxX9HFrOXGGPc4wDuqvv0pxCtEUffu3XHgnjGaqph0BssONmoKZLihmGW2YUF2d2dx/s320/princeofunderwhere.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5224388532804444802" /></a><br /><br />Bruce Hale and Shane Hillman are potty humor geniouses! This book is about Zeke, his twin sister Stephanie, their neighbor Hector and Hector's TALKING cat. While the kids are running from two "spies" the go through a portal to the land of Underwhere. Zeke is discovered to be the Price of Underwhere and a zany adventure begins. <br /><br />I loved this book. When I finished reading I was desperate to read more. Bruce Hale and Shane Hillman have begun a hilarious new series that tween boys are going to love to devour. Even some of the tomboyish girls will enjoy the bathroom humor that is literally on every page of this book. I give <em></em>Prince of Underwear<em></em> to big thumbs up (which equals 5 flushes on the flush scale.)Amberdenisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00794694285485202317noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6182928809962699221.post-66123819927290965822008-07-15T19:37:00.000-04:002008-07-15T19:43:42.986-04:00Welcome to my Tween WorldHello. I am a library associate working with the young and exciting Tween crowd. In this blog, I hope to bring fun information and programing ideas. I also will try to provide my reviews of new and classic Tween reads.Amberdenisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00794694285485202317noreply@blogger.com0