photo by lululemon athletica www.flickr.com
To get ready for spring and April, National Poetry Month, I thought we should start having some Wacky Wednesday posts about teaching kids poetry. Whether you teach your kids at home or you are a K-12 teacher, your students can benefit from reading and studying poetry. The next two weeks, [...]

photo by idovermani www.flickr.com
First, I want to apologize if this photo from Flickr.com makes you hungry for cookies and milk today if you are on a “healthy eating plan.” (That’s what I like to call a diet. ) But I won’t apologize for this great information I have to [...]

Today, I am so happy to interview Ronica Stromberg, author of A Shadow in the Dark, which I featured in yesterday’s “Tuesday Tales.” Don’t forget you can leave a comment on this blog post or yesterday’s for a chance to win this tween (which is basically younger YA) mystery book with Christian themes. For more [...]

My family in Memphis!
Top ten lists are fun–hey, look at David Letterman. If you home school or teach, you can use top ten lists every once in a while for journal writing prompts: “Top ten things I’m going to go over holiday break” or “Top ten memories of 5th grade.” TwitterMoms asked bloggers to [...]

photo by StrebKR www.flickr.com
Today is a Wacky Wednesday post because I have a few things to discuss that don’t really go together, so that’s why it’s wacky! First I want to introduce to you my new website! I have been using this blog as a kind of website for a while [...]

February is Black History Month, and I wanted to tell you about a really cool website, Black Heritage Toys. They have economical toys, featuring prominent black figures in history as well as resources for teachers. I’m just going to tell you about the things that you can find on this site to use in [...]

Yesterday, several people commented on the post about Ellen’s YA fantasy book, Watersmeet. There’s a discussion going on about the book cover and how Ellen talked to the publisher about the look of her main character on the cover–a conversation that’s been had a lot lately. Check it out here, and leave your own [...]

photo by BlatantNews.com www.flickr.com (photo is in public domain)
One of my favorite lessons plans for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day I found when I was a writing specialist at Fairmount Elementary School. This lesson teaches children about Martin Luther King, Jr. AND teaches them about that elusive 6 plus one writing trait: voice. [...]

I am very excited about this week’s Wacky Wednesday post because I am welcoming, Chynna Laird, on her WOW! blog tour. Chynna is the author of a must-read book for all teachers and parents, especially those of us who have a child with special needs. If you know a child with Sensory Processing Disorder, [...]

photo by misocrazy www.flickr.com
Yesterday in Barnes and Noble, I overheard a mother trying to explain to her son that he was spending more than his $10 gift card if he purchased the three books in his hand. He would have to make some decisions and put two back. He was not happy, and [...]