No Matter What

I delight in great picture books and I found another one, sure to become a favorite. No Matter What by Emma Dodd is a very short, sweet, and comforting story of a parent's love for a child. Although this is a book of few words, the message is clear: It does not matter what you do, you are loved. It is perfect for the youngest preschooler, but should appeal to older ones as well. I think it would even be a great gift for a baby shower. If you want to use the book in your classroom, consider using it to help children describe all the ways they can be or feel. Create a book or poster with the prompt, "Our teachers (or appropriate caregiver) love us when we are.."

I Want Those Shoes!

I've got a couple of children in my classroom who regularly show me what new thing they got this week and tell me what they are going to buy the next time they go to the store. Each time they do, I cringe inside. I hate that 3, 4, and 5 year olds already feel they need to have everything they see on TV. You can imagine my delight to find Those Shoes, a book about a child whose grandmother says "We don't have any room for want, just need." The boy in this story wants shoes like the other boys in his class, but his grandmother knows he needs winter boots more. She helps him find a pair of "those shoes" at the thrift shop, but they are too small. The boys buys them, with his own money, but in the end gives them to another child who also longs to have the special shoes.
With so many families struggling financially, this book is perfect to help children begin to understand that sometimes, you have to do without. Those Shoes (2007) is written by Maribeth Boelts and illustrated by Noah Jones. Before reading the story, talk to the children about the difference between wanting and needing something. Discuss things they would like to have. After reading the story, you might list things people need and things people want. Depending on the ages of the children, you might want to set up a play store and give each child some money to spend. You might want to discuss ways to earn money and help children make piggy banks to save money. You might also want to have a day for families to trade gently used clothing. This can help teach children to recycle their things rather than throw them away. Even if most children have not felt the effects of the economy, it would be valuable for them to learn that not everyone is as fortunate.
I've always thought it was important for young children to learn about these things, but the topic may be more timely than ever.

Don’t Forget the Fun

I know these economic times bring significant stress to many families, but I want to encourage you to remember the fun. When adults are stressed it is often reflected in the children. One of the best antidotes for everyone is having fun as a family. Let me be very clear, I’m not talking about going out and buying a new toy! I’m talking about simply spending time with the children, not working on homework, not watching TV, not playing a video game, but simply spending time with children and talking with them. In a perfect world, this would be doing something the child wants, but I know that is hard for many adults. In reality, most kids will be happy just spending time with you, even if they don’t get to pick the activity. Maybe you can build a sand box, clean out the attic, play a board game, blow bubbles, read a big pile of books, make a homemade pizza, or take a walk together. When my husband was laid off work and I was pregnant with our second child, we probably did the dumbest thing there was to do. We packed up our tent and took our son on a trip to Yellowstone. We went as inexpensively as possible. But the point is we spent a lot of time together with him. It was a relation building activity and a memory maker. With higher gas prices, this might not be possible now, but if you happen to have some extra time on your hands, find a way to do something fun with your children. You’ll be glad you did!

A Different Kind of Picture Book- Helping Children Deal with Anger

Are you a parent who is struggling with a way to get your child’s anger under control? Or perhaps you know a child whose parent might benefit from help on the topic. If so, you may want to take a look at Josh’s Smiley Faces by Gina Ditta-Donahue and illustrated by Anne Catharine Blake. This book is written specifically to help parents teach their children about controlling anger. When you first look at the book, it looks like any other picture book. It is the story of a boy who gets angry, but the twist comes quickly when the mom in the story tells him the consequences of his actions and then comes up with a plan of how to help him remember to use words when angry.

The last three pages of the book include notes to parents about controlling anger and how to implement the same Smiley Face Program at home.The Smiley Face Program is a way to reward children when they use words. After earning a predetermined number of smiley faces, the child gets a special treat. The treat was also decided beforehand so there are no surprises and the child knows what he or she is working towards.

The book is available in through the Franklin County Library System.

Let's Pretend

I'm taking my class to Florida this week. Just the two teachers and 18 three, four, and five year olds. We will be leaving by airplane on Tuesday morning. While we are there, we hope to get some beach time, go to the horse races, ride a boat and a dolphin, find shells, and see an alligator. We are all quite excited and the best thing is the trip will cost us nothing. You see, we are pretending. We've convinced just about everyone. We've even had a few parents ask,"Just where are you going on this field trip?" I can't wait until the director finds out- she told me to limit field trips due to the cost of gasoline.


You might be wondering why should we bother. A trip to Florida, even an imaginary one is a lot of work. Yes, it is, but it is also well worth the effort. Did you ever notice that the children who are the most socially emotionally competent are often the great at pretend play? I have no scientific study to show you, but many times it works out that way. Did you ever see a shy child who loves to pretend with an imaginary friend? My guess is she is practicing for the real world. Children learn a lot about how the world works during pretend play. They learn how to interact with others, what to expect from others, how to proceed through daily activities. They can practice emotions in a safe environment. When we leave for Florida, we will be able to wave good bye to home knowing that at the end of the day, we will be back in our own beds. The children will be able to safely experience what it might be like to stay in a motel or tent. They can listen as others talk about going in the water, playing in the sand, and waiting for a turn to play golf. It is not only the social emotional skills, the opportunities for learning in all areas are enormous. Vocabulary building, understanding the purpose of reading and writing, and using using math skills are only a few of our objectives for this trip.


I've noticed that some of our children don't get as much pretend play as others. These are the children who need it most. Vivian Paley said we need to find a way to pull all the children into the life of the class. When you do a class experience such as this, it is easy to pull them in. They will get on the imaginary plane and be served food by the stewardess. We can coax these children along and they may receive even more of the benefits than those who are already good at pretend play.



Of course you don't have to go clear to Florida to have a class pretend experience, some years we go on a camping trip. Later this year, we will put on a circus. Just the other week, we invited another class to a tea party. And parents can do the same thing at home. Capitalize on your child's interest by taking a trip to the moon, back in time to see the dinosaurs, or to the farm.

So don't wait for the weather to provide a cure for cabin fever, provide your own imaginary diversion. Meanwhile watch your mailbox. There should be a lot of postcards from Florida in the mail next week.

How to Heal a Broken Wing

How to Heal a Broken Wing is a new book by Bob Graham. It is the simple story of a boy noticing and then caring for an injured bird. The words are few and the author uses the pictures to tell the story. He makes us stay a little longer on each page as we look from picture to picture to see the what is happening. In our busy world, full of worries about germs, I'm not sure people actually help injured birds anymore. It is for that and other reasons, I think this book is very important. The book helps the us all slow down and absorb the message of compassion. We need to take time to be sure this message is heard because young children are certainly bombarded with other messages. Children as young as 4 and 5 are playing video games filled with violence. Just the other day, a boy was proudly telling me that he "shot my mom's legs off and then I shot her in the head." Reading this book won't turn the world around, but for just a moment, it will at least give our students another perspective..



You may not be able to follow up in the classroom setting by caring for an injured bird, but there are many other ways to help children develop caring and compassion.



Take photos of children in your classroom being kind and caring. Photos are a powerful way to visually remind children of the behaviors we want to reinforce.



Sing songs or say a poem or pledge about caring. Music cares a message that stays with us for many years.



Create a kindness tree or wall and when someone does something especially kind post it. I've even had parents help with this by sending in things that happened at home. I know some experts say that the specific child should not be recognized only the action, but I can see benefits of either way. Just make sure everyone gets recognized!



Plan a project to help others or the environment. Collect pennies for a cause and then purchase and give the items to the person or organization. Write letters to someone who is sick. Plant flowers or a tree at the local library or playground. My friend started a garden at her school. She told me how amazing it was to watch them learn to care for the things they had planted and make sure others did not walk on or destroy the plants.



Have a kindness helper. This may sound silly to you, but I did this for years in my classroom and it was one of the most popular jobs. The kindness person was to watch for kind acts and then at the appointed time, he or she would come to the front of the group and tell us about the kindness he or she saw. We used a play microphone to make the time more special. I think we also used a badge or a special hat too. Others were also invited to also tell of kind acts. Then before the kindness person sat down, he or she had to pull a question from the special box and tell us what we should do. The questions revolved around what to do if someone fell and was hurt, if someone had a toy you wanted, how to help someone with and problem and so on. We cheered loudly for the answer and continued the discussion about the topic as long as I thought was appropriate.





I encourage you to share your ideas about how to spread an attitude of caring and compassion in the comment section.

Book Resource

I wanted to share a wonderful resource for anyone who wants to find a children's book on a certain topic. It is called NoveList K-8 Plus and you access it over the Internet, through your local library. I find it by going to the Lilian S. Besore Library website. I click on Power Library. I am then asked to put in my library card number. Once I do that a wealth of resources appears. The one I use most is NoveList K-8 Plus. If you want to find a book about being afraid, type in" afraid" and a whole list of books on that topic appears. In the advance search you can limit your search to books by grade level, fiction or non fiction, author, Lexile reading level, and other options.

I typed in ADHD and searched for books for younger children. A book Booming Bella by Carol Ann Williams came up as one of three options. It looks like a great book and with just a click, I was able to find out which libraries in Pennsylvania have it in their collection.

If you are not part of the Franklin County Library System, ask your local librarian how you can find this great resource. Give it a try. I think you will like it as much as I do.

Ballerino Nate

Ballerino Nate is by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley with pictures by R. W. Alley. Nate loves ballet, but his brother discourages him. He tells Nate that only girls can be ballerinas. He says that if Nate takes ballet class, he will have to wear pink shoes and a dress. Still Nate is very determined and he goes to ballet class. It is full of girls, but no one makes him wear pink shoes and a dress. Later his mom takes him to a real ballet and Nate gets to see men dancing in the show.

Even children as young as three and four are starting to figure out what it means to be a boy or a girl. Books like this will help them avoid stereotypes that could hamper their willingness to try new activities or that might cause them to make fun of children that they see as different.

After reading this book, it would be fun for all the children to try out some ballet or other dance moves. If there is a dance school in your area, see if a man would come in and show the children some easy dance steps.

Hippo Goes Bananas

When we were first married, my husband and I occasionally argued because he thought he knew what I wanted. I should have had this book to help him understand that things may not always be the way they appear. In the book Hippo Goes Bananas by Marjorie Dennis Murray, poor Hippo has a terrible toothache and starts tearing down the trees in the jungle. The other animals assume he is”going bananas” and then think he must be too hot. They take action to help him, but is it really what he needs? This fun story will help children begin to understand that there may be something more behind the actions of a person. Children would probably enjoy taking turns pretending to be Hippo and the other animals who could ask, “Is there something wrong?” and, “How can I help?” They could even act out an alternative ending to the story now that they have asked the questions and listened to Hippo’s answer.