Summer Reading, Week 2: Plants

Story Times

 

This week, all three age groups did the same craft.

 

What We Read:

                                          

 

What we made:

 

I meant to use grass seed for this one, but didn't get my sample made in time. Of course, the kids were much more creative and colorful in their decorating than I was!

 

Table Set-Up:

 



 

It took me one muddled mess to figure out putting the seeds in the cups - open packets being shuffled around, seeds getting dumped...this worked much better! They were at a table up front, along with big tubs of potting soil, and plastic cups to scoop it with. I stood there and helped them pick their seeds.

At the craft tables, each seat had a cut water bottle and paper, and we had scissors, tape, markers, and foamy shapes spread around. Ideally, when their plant has started growing, they can remove the paper to see the root system.

I told the kids to wait until they got home before watering - dry dirt is a lot easier toclean up out of your library/van carpeting than mud is!

Tweens

Mr. Cliff had a craft project planned, papier-mache-man-eating-plants, but the kids got so caught up in the movie, they ignored the craft! They watched "Little Shop of Horrors". Apologies to all area dentists.

Teens

I have a very creative group, so many of our summer activities involve crafting of some sort. This week they had a choice of planting things in odd containers:

 

or decorating plain pots:

 

I love that I can give my teens hot glue guns, and the worst I have to worry about is photobombers.

 

One of my favorite themes, but I believe the custodian is happy the week is over!



Oh, Those Crazy Parents

Not to make light of mental illness at all, but when you pick three books at random off the shelf, and each one features a parent who is mentally ill, you start to question your own thoughts. I have the convenient excuse of pregnancy hormones, at least. These three parents go beyond the occasional mood swing, and the titles can go firmly on anybody's list of books-to-help-kids-cope (or, just really good books for anyone.)

 

Cassie lives with her mother and her ticking time bomb of a stepfather. The famous Dino Cavalli is a world-renowned violinist and composer. He is also, at his best, a snide perfectionist, completely self-absorbed and snobbish. At his worst...well, that's the question, isn't it? Just how bad are things going to get? Throw in a hot young music student, two hilarious biker masseuses, and a whole lot of things-aren't-as-simple-as-they-seem, and you have a page-turner!
 

 

 

 

Amanda will never be the person her mother wants her to be (unlike her perfect younger sister) - and even if she was, her mother would still probably find fault. A classic Jacob-have-I-loved situation, with Mom projecting her past failures and fears on her oldest. The emotional abuse is recognized by other adult figures, who try to step in at times, but nobody ever actually puts a stop to it. I had a harder time reading this than I did the other two, where the parent was actually labeled as having a mental disorder. There is a hopeful ending, although thankfully, not a fairy tale one!

 

 

In this one, Mom is already out of the home, but definitely not out of anyone's minds or lives. Told in alternating chapters by sisters Chloe and Shana, we learn about their mother's slow descent into schizophrenia, and how the family (including father and newly-adopted-from Russia little brother) is coping (or not) with her institutionalization. Barkley and Hepler do an excellent job of telling a cohesive story while keeping the two voices distinct. Chloe is a bit of an optimist, although not as naïve as her sister thinks. She clings to the hope that her family can be like it was before. Shana is more of a realist, choosing to remove herself from her family - and herself - as much as possible. For all her misplaced optimism, Chloe is actually the one who begins finding healthy ways to create a sense of family once again.

Review: Start to Finish series from Lerner

"How is it made" books seem to rise and fall in popularity here. With the encouragement of more nonfiction reading in school, they are definitely on the rise right now. Lerner's Start to Finish series, with its bright pictures and easy-to-read format are just the ticket for early grades.

 

978-076-139-1845

 

978-076-139-1838

 

This sub-series, Everyday Products, also includes the titles:

 

* From Cotton to T-Shirt

* From Iron to Car

* From Oil to Gas

* From Sheep to Sweater

 

Other sub-series are "Nature's Cycles" and "Food".

 

As with most of Lerner's nonfiction, each book serves also as an introduction to nonfiction books in general. We start with a table of contents, and finish with a glossary and index. Lerner also includes resources for teachers or parents on their website.

For more great nonfiction titles, head over to Practically Paradise, today's host for Nonfiction Monday.

The Pizza Guy was Here!

And we all had a blast! No text, we'll let the pictures speak for themselves - feel free to copy any that have your children in them!

 

Little brother was pestering big sister.

Here she is pretending to ignore him, but he knows he scored.