What color is the world turning where you are? Here it's starting to turn red, yellow, and gold. I grabbed this wonderful book from our local library this week to share with my girls at home. They have been loving watching the leaves fall and blow around our neighborhood lately. We have spent hours collecting … Continue reading Yellow Time

This is your friendly reminder to grab your copy of “Fletcher and the Falling Leaves” and read it to your kids, or yourself if you have to. There is just something about this book. A sense of calm falls over the room when you open it. The language is exquisite, alliteration everywhere, making it fun … Continue reading Fletcher and the Falling Leaves

Noodle Helps Gabriel Say Goodbye, by Caryn Rivadeira, is one in a series of books about Helper Hounds, a group of dogs who help people through life's tricky parts. This, book written for elementary students, is exactly what I'm looking for to put in my classroom library. I teach in a Resource Room setting, and … Continue reading Noodle Helps Gabriel Say Goodbye

I used to think scarecrows were kind of creepy. Maybe because they stand there alone in the middle of a field, all shadows, doom, and gloom, like, "who are you looking at buddy?". However, after reading some of the amazing picture books available about scarecrows, I've kind of changed my mind. Now I'm jealous of … Continue reading Scarecrows

🍎 🍏 We had an overabundance of apples hanging around, so we did the only thing there was to do! We made apple pie. You can see my little apprentice cook in the picture. She loves helping out in the kitchen and I try to encourage her when it’s appropriate and I have the patience … Continue reading Apple Pie Books

Last week both my girls came home from their wonderful little Montessori school with acorn art, acorn pictures, and acorn projects. They were both so excited to share what they had done. They had been outside collecting acorns, ordering them by size, counting them, comparing them, my heart was happy. To add to their excitement … Continue reading Acorns

Distance Learning, Hybrid Model, Virtual Learning, Synchronous Learning, Asynchronous Learning. These words have become part of many of our vocabularies over the past 6 months. As I have headed back to teaching, I have seen first hand the impacts this new education system is having on children and families. Some are positive, and some are … Continue reading The Distance Learning Playbook for Parents: How to Support Your Child’s Academic, Social, and Emotional Development in Any Setting

This year we read a few books about apples that would be appropriate for kids through elementary school. Each started great conversations with my older daughter, as well as the 3rd and 4th graders I teach in my Resource Room. Apples to Oregon: Being the Slightly True Narrative of How a Brave Pioneer Father Brought … Continue reading Apple Books for Older Kids

Children notice differences - differences in their environment, differences in their routines, and differences in people. They are trying to figure out the world, so this is natural. Thistle is a little different from the other creatures in Hickory Forest, and they let her know it. She learns things differently than them, and struggles to … Continue reading Thistle’s Magical Whistle

My husband and I took our girls apple picking last weekend. Our local farm has strict safety precautions in place, and we went first thing in the morning. It was great to do something "normal" again. Before we went, and since we have returned, we have been reading a wide selection of books featuring apples. … Continue reading New Apple Book List Up Now!

🍎 Last weekend my husband and I took our girls apple picking, so of course I gathered up some of our favorite Apple Books to get us ready and to reflect on the experience later. Big Kid and Little Kid both love Ten Red Apples by Pat Hutchins, a funny story about a farmer who … Continue reading Ten Red Apples

You may be asking why I am excited about @mangoandmarigoldpress new release “Rea and the Blood of the Nectar” by @payaldoshiauthor. I am usually one for picture books geared toward early elementary kids. However, I have stepped back into my role as a special education resource room teacher in a public school, and once again … Continue reading Rea and the Blood of the Nectar

Big Kid gave Pete the Cat a new accessory (a headband turned face mask) after reading “Pete the Cat Rocking in my School Shoes” this morning and thinking about how her school will be a bit different this year. I’m glad she’s thinking about the small changes that will be made to keep her and … Continue reading Pete the Cat Rocking in My School Shoes

What is everyone doing for school this year? Whatever it is, I'm sure it will be an adventure! I am heading back to teaching in a public school after being on maternity leave for 18 months. As of Wednesday, the plan was to use a hybrid model, that all changed Thursday around 2pm when we … Continue reading Book List – Back to School, Without the Jitters