Nearly 200 pages of information and ready-to-use masters for Song & Poetry Cards, Emergent Readers, Garden Bingo, Picnic Zip Around Game, Interactive Pocket Chart Sets, and a whole lot more.
Themes included are:  Come Into The Garden, Going Buggy, and It's Picnic Time.

This brand-new packet is bound into a convenient reproducible book, so that you don't have to worry about pages getting out of order or misplaced.

Order Online Now For Only $40, including shipping

We wrote our I Like Mud poems after many readings of Mrs. Wishy-Washy and The Piggy In The Puddle.

Before working with the poetry frame, the KinderKids brainstormed a list of words to describe mud:

I wrote the words directly onto sentence strips, cut each word to its own unique size, and put them in the bottom half of a pocket chart.

After we had our word bank, I put the poetry frame in the top half of the pocket chart, and we practiced chanting it, clapping where the blank spots (marked by popsicle sticks lying down) for the adjectives were.

Next the KinderKids took turns coming up and choosing one word to put into a blank.  They either had to tell us what their word said, or ask for a particular word and we would help them find it ... this built a lot of familiarity with the way the words looked and how to tell them apart.

We would read each line as it was "written," to help the kids remember what it said, and then read the finished poems.  After lots of practice -- probably 30 minutes or so, because they were having a great time -- I sent the kids to their seats to draw "mud" pictures with colored markers.  If you look closely at the pictures above, you'll see that many of the children incorporated some of the word bank words into their pictures.

While the children were drawing, I had each child come over and choose the words for "their" poem.  As they placed each word in the poetry frame, I wrote it on the blank lines on the printed version of the poem.  After school, I mounted each child's picture and poem together on muddy brown paper, to be made into a big book.  Because some pictures were vertical and some horizontal, we ended up with two books.

We've really enjoyed reading all of the poems and talking about the different "feel" and images created by different adjectives.  Many of the children chose the "icky, yucky" words when writing their poems, but later decided they liked the way the alliterative and rhyming words sounded when read aloud.

March 15th ~ Added final pages for our Mrs. Wishy-Washy Big Book

Paint Speckled Border
Detail

Our Finished Quilt

Mrs. Landucci and I spent an entire afternoon's prep time trying out other patches that might work well with the Kite Patch, but everything we tried looked too busy and detracted from the bright-and-simple Kite Patch.

After a lot of messing around, we came up with this colorful Thumbprint Rainbow Patch

A Few of My Favorite
Quilting Books

This week I'm sharing several of my favorite quilting stories and books, including one I've only had for a couple weeks but am really enjoying.  And I'm planning to add a new literature-based thematic unit on quilting to the website in the near future.

I'm also in the process of writing a book/resource guide on Quilting in the Classroom, which should be available early this summer ... as soon as it's ready, I'll post the info to the website and to the KinderKorner and InMyRoom Listservs.

The Quiltmakers Gift

This book is a visual feast wrapped up in a wonderful story about giving and sharing.  A greedy King who collects beautiful things demands a quilt from an old quiltmaker who lives high up in the mountains, but she refuses because she only gives her quilts to the poor.   The only way he can get one of her quilts is to meet the quiltmaker's terms -- he must give away all his beautiful things.

The Amazon.com reviews are what sold me on this story, and it's already a hit with the KinderKids.  The Quiltmaker's Gift was the recipient of a 2000 Parents' Choice® Silver Honor award.  Highly recommended, as is the companion book below.
Currently offered by Amazon at 40% off publisher's price.

Quilts From The Quiltmakers Gift
20 Traditional Patterns For A New Generation
Of Generous Quiltmakers

Another lushly illustrated book that's a pleasure to hold and read, and helpful to novice quilters as well as those with lots of experience.  Great historical information on each of the quilts and patches, along with easy-to-follow directions.  New paperback edition was published in January 2001, and is 20% off the publisher's price.
 
 

Old time farmer Sam Johnson discovers the joy of quilting while patching the pigpen fence ... a terrific story to add to your farm unit or unit on pigs!  A Reading Rainbow Book.
Under $5

A young African American girl loves her new quilt -- made from her first crib sheet  and pj's -- and has adventurous dreams when sleeping with it.  An ALA Notable Children's Book.  Under $6.

A multi-generational story of a well-loved quilt, stored in the attic for years and rediscovered many years later.  Contrasts horse-and-wagon days with modern times as it recounts each of the young girls' moves to a new home.  Under $6.

A well-rounded resource book from Scholastic ~ 20% publishers price.

A wonderful alphabet book and visual resource your students will enjoy, with lots of quilting history included.  Under $6.

Mrs. Landucci stayed with the original plan for the March quilt, combining the Pinwheel Patches with the Kite Patches

Close Up View of Mrs. Landucci's Class Quilt for March
Pinwheels and Kites
The Pinwheels are a bit tricky for small KinderKid hands.

Our March Homework Calendar art project is a beautiful Japanese-style print made in a two step art process that includes using colored tissue paper to transfer color, then rolling paint-coated marbles across the surface.

I saw this idea at the CKA conference two or three years ago, and it's been a favorite Spring art project ever since, as each child's artwork comes out distinctively different.  My class has also used this process to make quilt patches of various types at Easter time, and the quilts are always among the simplest and prettiest ones we make.