Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Exploring The Chesapeake Bay with Iva Honeysuckle

The July Poppins Book Nook theme was all about Oceans and Beaches. I must apologize for the very late post.  We had an unscheduled break because of a last minute change in Curriculum. Blogging took a back seat to lesson planning and getting supplies together.


We wrapped up our summer by reading Iva Honeysuckle Meets Her Match .This title is the second Iva Honeysuckle book by Candice Ransom and illustrated by Heather Ross.


The book!

Summer at home is no place for an explorer like Iva! Thankfully her family has decided to take a vacation at Stingray point!  The beach doesn't seem too exciting until she hears the legend of 'Chessie'. Iva decides to prove the existence of Chesapeake Bay's very own Sea Monster. It will take all her determination and problem solving skills to solve this mystery AND get through the challenges of  vacationing with family and new friends.

What we thought!

Miss K (7) and I took turns reading this book aloud and really enjoyed it. It was a good mixture of mystery, adventure and American history. The relationships between Iva and her family were realistic and offered a chance for us to talk about sibling rivalry and better ways to solve disagreements. We are pleased to have another fun series to follow!

The Activity!

This month Miss K came up with her own activity to go with our book. We had been reading about Chesapeake bay while reading the book. Miss K was inspired to make a travel brochure from what she had learnt. I am amazed at how much information she has retained about the Chesapeake Bay estuary because of making her brochure. It has also turned into a series she calls 'Furry Friends discover'.  Her premise is that while we are not looking our Cat and Puppy travel to different parts of the world and report on the fun things they see. So far she has made 3 different brochures and a postcard by hand. The next one she wants to make on the PC.
I have found some other resources we want to use:
Read Write Think has a Postcard Creator tool for all ages
Basic 3 fold brochure template
4 Fold brochure template
PoppinsBookNook
There were so many great ideas for the July Poppins book Nook! Please check out the following blogs that joined in.

Where is Blucy? Special offer & $100 GC Giveaway

What is more exciting than a new book? How about a new book, a BOGO offer and TWO giveways?

We are participating in a Book blast for a Julie Dweck's new book 'Blucy'. Blucy is a Cat with a very  special talent! When Mandy adopts him from the Shelter she in in for a surprise and a lot of fun.
Blucy by Julia Dweck
Title: Blucy Author: Julia Dweck Illustrator: Erika LeBarre Year published: 2013 Publisher: Xist Publishing Number of pages: 21 Recommended age: 3+
We really enjoyed the cute illustrations and rhyming text. The story reminded us a lot of all the excitement and challenges of adopting a Kitty

Get your copy today and take advantage of this special offer!

Purchase Blucy (e-book) through Amazon, and receive FREE electronic copy of Julia Dweck's newest book, Mary Had a Sleepy Sheep (to be released September 5, 2013). All you have to do is forward your purchase confirmation email to sales@xistpublishing.com and Xist Publishing will send you a complimentary copy of Mary Had a Sleepy Sheep!

Where's Blucy? Contest



Before we get to the $100 Book Blast Giveaway, we have a special treat for you. If you head on over to Julia Dweck's Facebook Fan Page, you will find the "Where's Blucy?" contest. Julia Dweck fans are invited to post suggestions of "blue" places Blucy could be hiding, (e.g., near Elvis' blue suede shoes). The most creative answer will win a print of the Blucy cover by the artist, Erika LeBarre. Head on over to Julia Dweck's Facebook Fan Page to enter and...

Pssssttt... if you enter the contest before August 20th, 2013, you gain 5 entries in the $100 Book Blast Giveaway below!

Julia Dweck - Blucy  

$100 Book Blast Giveaway!

Prize: $100 Amazon Gift Card or PayPal cash (winner's choice) Contest runs: August 13 to September 15, 11:59 pm, 2013 Open: Internationally How to enter: Please enter using the Rafflecopter widget below. Terms and Conditions: A randomly drawn winner will be contacted by email within 48 hours after the giveaway ends. The winner will have 72 hours to respond. If the winner does not respond within 72 hours, a new draw will take place for a new winner. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. If you have any additional questions, feel free to send us an email!
* This giveaway is sponsored by the author, Julia Dweck and by Xist Publishing. *
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday, August 12, 2013

Green your school year giveaway!

Made in the USA Giveaway

Welcome to the Green Your School Year Giveaway Hop, hosted by Happy Mothering and Brittleby's Corner together with the Green Moms Network!

Learning and Growing the Piwi Way is excited to be giving one lucky reader a $30 gift card to spend on Eco friendly school supplies at Dwell Smart.com.

Here are some of our favorite thing from Dwell Smart!

Terracyle 'upcycles' single use packaging into great products such as Bags, Messenger bags and  pencil cases....this is Miss K's pick for this year!
I also love school supplies made from recycled products like these colored pencils and these Banana Fiber Notebooks.


After entering my giveaway, be sure to visit the other blogs listed under the Rafflecopter form for your chance to win more great giveaways. And don't forget to enter the grand prize giveaways! Happy Mothering is featuring an awesome prize package for girls and Brittleby's Corner is featuring a prize package for boys! Both packages are generously sponsored by Mighty Nest, Planet Shoes, Kickee Pants, TruKid and TreeSmart!




a Rafflecopter giveaway
 

About