Hello Book Bums families!
When life gets busy and messy, as it often does, it's good to know what your priorities are and what values you want to lean on. This week Dr. Christy shares ideas and lessons from reading and a favorite tv show. We also have a Valentine's Day craft that's for the birds and some fun vocabulary activities. Read on and enjoy!
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Word of the Week
nook (nuk) noun/person, place, or thing - a small part of a larger room; a secluded or sheltered place
Cecilia loved to create a reading nook between her bed and the wall filled with a pillow, stuffed animals, and favorite books.
Literary Calendar
• February 9 is Read in the Bathtub Day!
• Choose your reading material carefully (think twice about your e-reader or new hardcover) and relax.
• If you want to share the fun with little ones who aren't ready for books in the tub, consider turning a laundry basket into a cozy, tub-like reading nook.
From our Bookshelves
The Best Yes, by Lysa TerKeurst, is a book written to help readers (specifically, Christian women) to manage time, reduce stress, and do the best they can for their families while also carving out time for themselves. TerKeurst urges women to spend their energy and focus their passion on the assignments that are really theirs and to give their “best yes” when it comes to making space in our lives. The best parts of the book are the author’s transparency (you will surely find a story or two that resonates with your experiences) and the incorporation of the just-right applicable scripture.
Tips for Families
I found this activity from littlepinelearners.com a while back, and I thought it might be perfect for some Valentine’s Day-themed family fun.
You’ll need: wooden clothespins with a spring, cardboard, scissors, glue gun with glue sticks, peanut butter (or peanut free Sunbutter if allergies are an issue), birdseed
Begin by cutting shapes from cardboard. Use cookie cutters to make symmetrical heart shapes for Valentine’s Day.
Use a glue gun to attach a clothespin to the back of each cardboard shape.
This clothespin will be used to clip the bird feeders onto tree branches and will also serve as a perch.
Next, spread a thick, even layer of peanut butter to each cardboard shape.
Finally, use birdseed to decorate the shapes. Kids can press the shapes into a dish of seeds or they can add some additional details by, for example, adding borders of a particular kind of seed.
Check out littlepinelearners.com for more beautiful activities that will get you and your kids learning and playing outdoors.
Tips for Raising Readers and Writers
If you’re like my husband and me, you often wind down the day with a show (or two or three). Not long ago, when we got tired of looking for something good to watch, we decided to re-watch Ted Lasso. It’s such a great series, and we often come away with an inspiring message to lean into. I found a list of thirteen leadership lessons from Ted Lasso, and I couldn’t help but think how these lessons could be promoted in families.
When our kids were little, family meals were a priority. We made sure we dedicated time to connect with one another around the dinner table. We did lots of things to promote that connection. We prayed for one family a day by drawing a Christmas card we’d received from a designated basket. We played the High/Low Game where everyone shared the best and worst parts of their days. We had a word of the week that we discussed and practiced using. You get the idea.
I was thinking that if I had kids at home, I’d surely like to discuss the following principles around the dinner table, one a day. Though the show is not appropriate for kids, these lessons are appropriate for everyone. I’d love to have these discussions with my grown children too. I feel certain we could share experiences that would equip and inspire each other to live our best lives.
13 Leadership Lessons from Ted Lasso
1. Be sincere.
2. Stay teachable.
3. See good in others.
4. Happiness is a choice.
5. Winning is an attitude.
6. Have confidence in yourself.
7. Optimists take more chances.
8. Everyone differs from everyone else.
9. Courage is the willingness to attempt.
10. Vulnerability is a strength, not a weakness.
11. Doing the right thing is never the wrong thing.
12. Be curious, not judgmental.
13. Be a goldfish - Don't allow one bad deed define who you are. In less than ten seconds, forget about it like a goldfish.
Practical Grammar
What would you say? For me, I’d go with busing or canceling. Those both get my goat. If I were in charge, it’d be bussing and cancelling.
Tips for Teachers
Have you ever used semantic gradients to share with kids the importance (and fun) of embracing an ever-expanding vocabulary? Semantic gradients can be used to inspire kids to expand their word choices.
For younger kids, ask your kids to think of the word hot. Then ask them to come up with other words that mean the same or nearly the same thing as hot. Write these words, one each, on index cards, sticky notes, or slips of paper. After you come up with six or more words, work together to organize the words from the “least hot” to the “most hot.”
For example, you might have something like this: warm, tepid, hot, burning, boiling, scalding
It can be challenging to move kids to single words. Kids like to say, “really, really warm” and “snuggle under the covers warm.” To move them to words, you can ask questions like, “What word would you use to describe that?” I’d suggest you do a Google search to add an additional word or two, as this is a perfect way to expand your kids’ vocabularies.
Now, try your hand at this one. I loved seeing the word effulgent in something I was reading.
1. shining brightly; radiant
o (of a person or their expression)emanating joy or goodness.
How would you organize the following words from the least shining to the most shining?
effulgent, shining, beaming, radiant, dazzling, flaming, sparkling, glowing, resplendent, brilliant, bright
Wordology Workshop
• The Greek root sema means sign.
• Greek roots often show up in more technical English language words, and that is true for sema as well.
• You can find it in many words related to linguistics, philosophy, and technology.
• Three common sema words are semantic, semaphore, and semiotic.
News from Book Bums
Book Bums is hiring lead teachers and assistant teachers to serve Lakota students for two different summer school programs. Each session will run, Monday-Friday, for three weeks, from 8:15-11:15 a.m. One will be held in June and the other will be held in July. If you’re a teacher and you’d like a lead teacher position or you’re interested in an assistant teacher position, please email Dr. Christy at [email protected]. We’re going to need lots of outstanding teachers to make this program a great one, so we’re beginning the hiring process now. If you know someone who might be interested, please feel free to share this information.
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