Learning About Careers in The Theatre

It was tough to decide which direction to take this month with the Poppins Book Nook theme: What will I be when I grow up? It was exciting to look through books about careers in our community.

The girls both had different types of ideas and so I decided not to cram it all into one project. The post today will focus on career in dance and theatre. Miss K (8) began taking Musical theatre classes, and she is 'hooked'.  They are studying 'Broadway Musicals by the decade, from the 30's to the 90s' to go along with this we are working on a unit study based on this amazing book I found on Amazon.

How Does the Show Go On: An Introduction to the Theatre  It gives kids a great view into how a modern Broadway show is produced. Its split cover opens up like a red curtain and begins at the front of the house and then takes you to the stage and behind. At each point, there are detailed explanations of the many roles of the people working and acting in the theatre. The book is extremely interactive, and there are playbills and tickets to take out and look at. There are also parts of scripts and directors production sketches and of course a lot of photos from many well known Disney Broadway Musicals.


We went through it quickly exploring all the pieces but now have started at the beginning again to study each role and part of the production in a unit study. I am making notebook and lapbook type components as we go through this book. With luck, I can soon share them on the website for you to use with your theatre fans and budding actors and actresses!

In the meantime here are some we have already found...

• The Notebooking fairy has pages to use after seeing a performance
• Jimmies's Collage has several Shakespeare themed mini books that would be great to include with the history of theatre.

• My new favorite Drama resource is Dramanotebook.com. It had given me the confidence to begin playing Drama games with the girls and we may even try script writing soon thanks to some great lesson plans they share.

Thanks for taking the time to join us this month, be sure to check out all the inspiration from all the other Poppins Book Nook Bloggers!

An InLinkz Link-up

Exploring the Great Outdoors with Poppins Book Nook

It isn't hard to convince the kids to explore outside at this time of year. They have also been noticing some big differences between the landscapes of Texas and the more humid Lousianna. Their favorite changes are all the dragonflies and the tree lined parks and streets!

In an effort to identify all the different trees we went to the library. Our favorite identification guide was  Crinkleroot's Guide to Knowing the Trees by Jim Arnosky.

The friendly character of Crinkle foot was created in the 70s by Mr Arnosky.

www.crinkleroot.com

His guide to the trees is part tall tale and part nature guide. With each whimsical illustration we are led through a forest. Crinkle root points out the structure of tree and how the environment can effect a trees shape.

There is also a lot of information about how to use the leaves and seeds on a tree to identify it.

For the last few weeks we have been taking pictures and collecting leaves and seeds. It turned into a fun project the kids have identified over 20 different trees and added the labeled pictures into their nature journal.

I hope you are all enjoying your summer! Please take some time to check out all of the other posts linked up for this month's Poppins Book Nook. They are sure to inspire even more summer fun for you and your family.

Enchanted Homeschooling Mom ~ 3 Dinosaurs ~ To the Moon and Back ~ Planet Smarty Pants ~ Farm Fresh Adventures ~ Growing in God's Grace ~ Chestnut Grove Academy ~ Learning and Growing the Piwi Way ~ The Usual Mayhem~ Preschool Powol Packets ~ Monsters Ed Homeschool Academy ~ Adventures in Mommydom ~ Teach Beside Me ~ Life with Moore Babies ~ Kathy's Cluttered Mind ~ Are We There Yet? ~ Our Crafts N Things ~ Hopkins Homeschool ~ ABC Creative Learning ~ Joy Focused Learning ~ P is for Preschooler ~ Laugh and Learn ~ A Mommy's Adventures ~ Inspiring 2 New Hampshire Children ~ World for Learning ~ Ever After in the Woods ~ Golden Grasses ~ A glimpse of our life ~ Journey to Excellence ~ Happy Little Homemaker ~ Little Homeschool Blessings ~ Raventhreads ~ Tots and Me ~ As We Walk Along The Road ~ Stir the Wonder ~ For This Season ~ Where Imagination Grows ~ Lextin Academy ~ The Canadian Homeschooler ~ School Time Snippets ~ Peakle Pie ~ A Moment in our World ~ Every Bed of Roses ~ Finchnwren ~ At Home Where Life Happens ~ The Library Adventure ~ Embracing Destiny ~ Day by Day in our World ~ Our Homeschool Studio ~ A "Peace" of Mind ~ Thou Shall Not Whine ~ SAHM I am ~ eLeMeNo-P Kids ~ Simple Living Mama

An InLinkz Link-up

Great Lakes Folktale: The Voyageur's Paddle

It is Poppins Book Nook time again! Every month a group of bloggers participate in a virtual kids book club. We each share children's books based on a theme and the crafts and fun these books inspired.   

This month's theme was Folktales. My first thought was "wait on, didn't we do fairy tales and Myths and legends already?". 

Before we even selected a book I realized we need to start with a lesson about the differences and similarities between folktales, fables, fairy tales, myths, egends and tall tales

We used this anchor chart from The Book Fairy-Goddess to touch on the elements on each story type. 

While looking through the folktale section, we happened upon The Voyageur's Paddle by Kathy-Jo Wargin and illustrated by David Geister. This is tale is based on the folklore and customs of the Great Lakes Settlers in late 1700s.  Jacques is a young boy living in this era whose father is a Voyageur, a trader who travels by canoe in unforgiving conditions. One day Jacque dreams of following his fathers footsteps to be able to become a voyageur. 

The prose and amazing paintings describe the lives of the families that await the return of their husbands and fathers. 

From davidgeister.com

We can also see the hardships the Voyageurs faced. At one point in the journey, they would throw offerings to La Veille or 'the old woman of the wind' who is told to be the unpredictable North-west wind. The wind was important for these men for several reasons. If they were able to coax the wind to blow, they were able to put up small sails and take a rest from paddling. It could also cool them down in hot weather and blow away biting insects.

From davidgeister.com

This book was an excellent introduction to the history and geography of the American Great Lakes for preschool to upper elementary age children.  For us, it also led to more reading on the history of the French Canadian Voyageurs. It was very interesting to learn about the kinds of items they carried in their canoes and the physical feats they need to perform to become a new recruit. 

Our craft is inspired by the folklore of La Veille. We used repurposed an oatmeal container and some pretty left over napkins to create a tissue painted wind sock. To make your own and find out how to 'paint napkins' visit the tutorial here.

Thanks for visiting and please take a look at all the other books linked up at the bottom of this post.

Now onto the monthly giveaway...you are going to love this one because it is a book AND a unit study from Enchanted Homeschooling Mom!

Poppins Book Nook Giveaway! Every month the Poppins Book Nook group will be offering readers a chance to win a brand new storybook or product that ties in with our theme for the month. This month one lucky entrant will win a copy of the E.H.M. curriculum Journey into the World of Folktales (PDF) and one copy of the book that is required to teach it called Around the World in 80 Tales by Saviour Pirotta to further their learning all about folktales. Entrants must be 18 years or older and reside in a country that receives U.S. Postal mail. This giveaway is brought to you by the company Enchanted Homeschooling Mom who is owner and founder of the Poppins Book Nook. By entering this giveaway you are also acknowledging that you have read and agree to all of the Raffle copter terms and conditions as well as Enchanted Homeschooling Mom's disclosures found here.  Just enter the Rafflecopter below to win:

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An InLinkz Link-up

Poppins Book Nook Birthday Giveaway: Win a Kindle Fire!

It is hard to believe that a year has gone by since we first joined the Virtual Book club led by Jill at Enchanted Homeschooling Mom. In the last 12 months, the Piwi kids have grown like crazy and life is unpredictable as ever. One of the things that hasn't changed, is our love of books. 

The Poppins Book Nook gave us a chance to explore kids books we may not have otherwise. Every month we shared a book based on set themes like Dinosaurs, Transportation, Knights and Castles and the fun activities we used to learn more. 

This year promises to be just as fun! Take a look at all the exciting themes:

If you would like to learn more about how you can join in the fun please check out the introductory post HERE. This year Jill will also be offering free printables for you to use with your children each month. 

The club might be virtual but the birthday celebration isn’t. You can enter to win a Kindle Fire HD 8.9″ 32GB WiFi 4G w/ Charger!

The winner will be randomly picked by Rafflecopter and will be notified by Enchanted Homeschooling Mom via email and posted here. This giveaway is open to all people ages 18 and over with an active USA address for delivery (United States Domestic and APO/FPO/DPO as designated by the USPS) of the prize. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest or any other entity unless otherwise specified.

By entering this giveaway you are also acknowledging that you have read and agree to all of the Rafflecopter terms & conditions as well as Enchanted Homeschooling Mom’s HERE.  Just enter the Rafflecopter below to win:
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Here are all the Blogs participating in the 2014/2015 Book Club, be sure to visit them to check out all the fun they are having:

Enchanted Homeschooling Mom ~ 3 Dinosaurs ~ To the Moon and Back ~ Planet Smarty Pants ~ Farm Fresh Adventures ~ Growing in God's Grace ~ Chestnut Grove Academy ~ Faith and Good Works ~ Learning and Growing the Piwi Way ~ The Usual Mayhem~ Preschool Powol Packets ~ Monsters Ed Homeschool Academy ~ Adventures in Mommydom ~ Teach Beside Me ~ Life with Moore Babies ~ Kathy's Cluttered Mind ~ Are We There Yet? ~ Our Crafts N Things ~ Hopkins Homeschool ~ ABC Creative Learning ~ Joy Focused Learning ~ P is for Preschooler ~ Laugh and Learn ~ A Mommy's Adventures ~ Inspiring 2 New Hampshire Children ~ World for Learning ~ The Kennedy Adventures ~ Ever After in the Woods ~ Golden Grasses ~ Our Simple Kinda Life ~ A glimpse of our life ~ Journey to Excellence ~ Happy Little Homemaker ~ Little Homeschool Blessings ~ Simplicity Breeds Happiness ~ Raventhreads ~ Water on the Floor ~ Learning Fundamentals ~ Tots and Me ~ As We Walk Along The Road ~ Stir the Wonder ~ For This Season ~ Where Imagination Grows ~ Lextin Academy ~ The Canadian Homeschooler ~ School Time Snippets ~ Peakle Pie ~ Mom's Heart ~ A Moment in our World ~ Every Bed of Roses ~ Finchnwren ~ At Home Where Life Happens ~ Suncoast Momma ~ The Library Adventure ~ Embracing Destiny ~ Day by Day in our World ~ Our Homeschool Studio ~ A "Peace" of Mind ~ Thou Shall Not Whine ~ SAHM I am ~ eLeMeNo-P Kids ~ Simple Living Mama

Learning About The Presidents And a Giveaway!

February has flown by and it is now time for us to share the books and activities we used to learn more about this months theme: US Presidents!

We looked for books that would make the Presidents appeal to both a Pre K and third grader. Their common interests of animals and baking turned out to be the key! 

The plan was to make a list of each president's favorite foods and make some of them ourselves. Our library didn't have as many White house cooking books as I expected. Thankfully I accidentally found this treasure: Have Fun with the Presidents: Activities, Projects, and Fascinating Facts by David C King. It provided our recipes as well as lots of other projects, puzzles for the Presidents from George Washington through George W Bush.

We tried John Adams' Cool Berry Flummery, a yummy berry sauce to go with ice cream and John Quincy Adams' favorite Shrewsbury Cakes, spiced shortbread cookies. Looks like we aren't going to run out of dessert recipes to try for awhile..apparently many of the forefathers had sweet teeth.

This book was my favorite because it has pretty much given me a whole toolbox of activities. The kids, however loved our second book...

Presidential Pets: The Weird, Wacky, Little, Big, Scary, Strange Animals That Have Lived In The White House by Julia Moberg. Two pages are devoted to each Commander in Chief and are full of funny illustrations of the vast range of animals that have lived in the White house. However, there is far more than just animals in this book. There is also the key achievements of is presidency, quotes and quick facts.

This was a great way to get our youngest especially interested in history having said that it is versatile as the reading level was perfect for Grade 2 and up.

Poppins Book Nook Giveaway! Every month the Poppins Book Nook group will be offering readers a chance to win a brand new storybook that ties in with our theme for the month. This month one lucky entrant will win a copy of So You Want to Be President?  !  The winner must reside within the United States. This giveaway is brought to you by the company Enchanted Homeschooling Mom, who is owner and founder of the Poppins Book Nook. By entering this giveaway you are also acknowledging that you have read and agree to all of the Rafflecopter terms and conditions as well as Enchanted Homeschooling Mom's disclosures found here {http://enchantedhomeschoolingmom.org/disclosures/}.  Just enter the Rafflecopter below to win:

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Charlie the Ranch Dog goes to School by Ree Drumond

This post contains affiliate links; I was not compensated for the following review. All opinions expressed are my own.

It is almost the end of the month, and that means we have a new book to share for the Poppins Book Nook!

The theme for September is School!

At the end of this post be sure to enter the giveaway and visit all the other fun ideas the Poppins Book Nook bloggers have for you! 

Ree Drummond has written a series of books featuring her lovable Basset Hound Charlie. The kids and I love them all!

The latest one Charlie Goes to School  is our new favorite.
Why?
Because not only does Charlie's family have a Basset Hound as we do, they also homeschool. Charlie the Ranch dog sees all the fun and learning that is going on and decides he should start his own school for farm animals. It is a funny story full of illustrations which make you want to go join Charlie on his ranch.

We read it at bedtime and then the next day the kids treated our Basset, Butter, to a very comfy Story time.

We decided it would be a great idea to write to the real Charlie the Ranch Dog and his mama Ms. Drummond to tell them how much we loved the new book. Miss K wanted to let them know all about Butter and how much he loves chicken and playing with our kitty Perry. We have them all ready to post, I just need to track down a good address.

Some online resources you might like to use if you want to hear about the adventures of Charlie the Ranch Dog and write him a letter too!

• Listen to Ms. Drummond read Charlie the Ranch dog at Barnes and Nobles Online story time (Free)
• We have a previous post about teaching letter writing skills.

Thanks to Enchanted Homeschooling Mom the Poppins book Nook bloggers are co-hosting a giveaway for It's Back To School We Go!: First Day Stories from Around The World .

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Here are the participating bloggers this month!

Enchanted Homeschooling Mom - 3 Dinosaurs - Monsters Ed - Chestnut Grove Academy - Growing in God's Grace - Royal Little Lambs - Life with Moore Babies - Teach Beside Me - The Usual Mayhem - Mum Central - Fantastic Fun and Learning - Kathys Cluttered Mind - Toddler Approved - Growing Book by Book - Adventures in Mommydom - B-Inspired Mama - The Fairy and The Frog - Edventures with Kids - Learning & Growing the Piwi way - A Gluten Free Journey - Preschool Powol Packets - To The Moon and Back - Our Craft ~N~ Things - Fresh Farm Adventures - Are We There Yet? - Afterschool for Smarty Pants

The Philippine Cinderella & A Fairy Tale Giveaway

The theme for this months's Poppins book nook is "Fairy tales". We have been looking forward to this theme because Fairy tales, Princesses and Fairies are pretty popular in our household!
This month we are sharing Abadeha: The Philippine Cinderella by Myrna J de la Paz and illustrated by Youshan Tang.

The legend:

Abadeha is a beautiful young Filipina (woman) who is treated harshly by her Stepmother while her father works as a fisherman. One day she is crying by the river when the Spirit of the Forest takes pity on her and gives her a Sarimanok (a mythical rainbow chicken). Abadeha is full of hope when she returns home. Unfortunately her Stepmother has other plans for the plump chicken. Fortunately the magical chicken and the Spirit of the forest have more in store for the young girls. Over time, with a series of surprises, they send Abadeha her 'Prince charming' and make sure she gets to live 'happily ever after'.

The theme is true to the Cinderella story. What really added to the book were the cultural references and the amazing paintings which showed how the characters may have lived on a small island in the Philippines.

The Sarimanok is mythical bird from the Folklore of the Maranao People (who originate from the island of Mindanao in the Philippines). It is believed to be a chicken with long flowing multicolored feathers. It often brings good luck in the legends in which it appears. The Piwi kids loved the idea of a rainbow chicken (and I had Rainbow Brite flashbacks) so we decided to make our own!

For all the fun and instruction to make your own Sarimanok please visit the full post here or download the template.

As always please feel free to link up your Fairy tale themed books and activities in the link up at the end of the post.  

But wait there's more!

This month we are excited to be co-hosting the first Poppins Book Nook giveaway. This month one lucky reader will win a copy of  A First Book of Fairy Tales

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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

There were so many great ideas for the July Poppins book Nook! Please check out the following blogs that joined in.

Enchanted Homeschooling Mom - 3 Dinosaurs - Monsters Ed - Chestnut Grove Academy - Growing in God's Grace - Royal Little Lambs - Life with Moore Babies - Teach Beside Me - The Usual Mayhem - Mum Central - Fantastic Fun and Learning - Kathys Cluttered Mind - Toddler Approved - Growing Book by Book - Adventures in Mommydom - B-Inspired Mama - The Fairy and The Frog - Edventures with Kids - Learning and Growing the Piwi way - A Gluten Free Journey - No Doubt Learning - Preschool Powol Packets - To The Moon and Back - Our Craft ~N~ Things - Fresh Farm Adventures - Are We There Yet?

An InLinkz Link-up