Hello Book Bums families!
Happy Independence Day! We hope you are staying cool and safe in the heat and are enjoying the holiday. This week in the newsletter we offer some grammar tips for the Fourth, share an idea for family fun, and ask for your help with a new Book Bums sign.
Read on and enjoy!
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Word of the Week
dissociate (dis-oh-see-ate) verb/action word- to disconnect or separate
I tried to dissociate from the people who shared my bad habits and make new friends who would help me to do better.
Literacy Calendar
- July 4th is the birthday of American author Nathaniel Hawthorne.
- He is most famous for his novel The Scarlet Letter, but also wrote many short stories.
- Hawthorne was related to a judge from the Salem Witch Trials and changed the spelling of his last name to try to dissociate himself.
From our Bookshelves
I loved Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir.
Have you ever watched a show or read a book or saw a movie that just inspired you to be . . . better?
I love watching The West Wing because it inspires me to be more articulate and to live with intellectual and moral excellence. I’ve gifted this mug to quite a few people who share my love for The West Wing.
I love the musical Hamilton because it inspires me to work with dogged diligence for the things I believe in.
I love the movie Remember the Titans because it reminds me to stand up for what I believe is right and good—even when there are obstacles before me.
I love Project Hail Mary because it makes me want to have a mind that retains information. It was inspiring to observe a junior high school science teacher as he absolutely dominated with his science savvy. I really appreciate geeks—especially when they truly care about others.
This is a story of the coolest geek on Earth . . . and far, far beyond Earth.
Dr. Cody said Project Hail Mary was an outstanding audiobook (maybe the best ever), and I agree! I’ve been extraordinarily busy preparing materials for all our summer school programming, and I’ve been devouring audio books as I do so. THIS book is so good that I listened anytime I had a free moment.
I was talking about it with my husband one evening, and we decided to watch the movie. We were both tired, but we fell asleep and felt it wasn’t so great. I could be wrong about that, but we never did turn it on again to finish, and that says something. But the book . . . It is fantastic!
One friend called Project Hail Mary a modern-day ET, and I can see it. I definitely recommend it!
Tips for Families
We have an upcoming trip for our whole family (on my husband’s side) in an enormous chalet in Gatlinburg, TN. My favorite part is having a few days of just relaxing with my kids and their cousins and my kids’ kids and my kids’ cousins’ kids.
Have you been baffled by how you’re related to your cousins’ kids? I sure have! Here’s how it works:
- You are the first cousin of your cousin.
- Your child and your cousin's child are first cousins.
- Your kids' kids and your kids' cousins' kids are second cousins.
- Your kids' kids + Your kids' cousins: They are first cousins once removed.
- Your kids' kids + Your kids' cousins' kids: They are second cousins.
Now that you’ve got that figured out, I’m going to share an activity I plan to take with me for all those kids to enjoy.
Pom Pom Shooters
Supplies Needed:
Kids can easily make (and even decorate) their shooters, and then we’ll enjoy some Pom Pom competitions/games.
- Longest Pom Pom Launch
- Pom Pom Target Practice
- Pom Pom Dodge Ball
How Many Pom Pom Pops Does it Take to Get to the _____?
Sounds like fun, right?
Next week I’ll share some Black Bear activities I have planned. Stay tuned!
Pause for Poetry
Tips for Raising Readers and Writers
Capitalization for the Fourth of July
Because it is a formal holiday and a proper noun, the word "Fourth" must always be capitalized, even when standing alone as a nickname.
Fourth of July, July Fourth, the Fourth
When teaching children to spell the number word four, note that it differs from the word for. We have a phonics rule stating that o-r says /or/ like in Oreos, but in the number word . . . there’s a u in there. You can say, “Don’t u (you) forget the u in the number word four.” I often add that, perhaps, the one who determined the spelling wanted the word to reflect the numeral by using that number of letters.
There are other words where o-u-r says /or/ like your, tour, pour, court, course, mourn, and source.
At Book Bums, we hold up our fists like we see in this meme, and say, “Oh, you . . .” like, “Oh, you dirty rotten thing.” Because o-u says almost anything it wants to say. Look at this:
O-u usually says /ow/ like in couch, but it can say /ew/ like in through, or /oo/ like in could, or /o/ like in thought, or /u/ like in country, or /oh/ like in though, or just /r/ like in journey, or even /or/ like in four.
THIS letter combination, I admit, is a complete disaster. I usually say that phonics is frustration mainly because we don’t know the rules, but the sounds o-u can represent . . . I admit it. It’s atrocious.
News from Book Bums
Our sign at our West Chester location is an embarrassment. It’s so bad.
We are eagerly awaiting the installation of the sign we purchased for our Monroe location, but we couldn’t afford the exact same one for our West Chester location. If it were a beautiful plaza, I’d invest; but it’s not.
In truth, I didn’t think we’d be at this location for long. The problem is . . . I cannot afford other locations in West Chester. We currently have a pitiful excuse for a parking lot, and I’m constantly picking up garbage to make it something our parents feel they can forgive once they enter our beautiful space inside . . . but I cannot justify the price of a gorgeous sign here.
So, I’m looking for a sign like these at Half Day Café. The original Half Day owner was just a few steps ahead of Book Bums with their small business adventures, and we enjoyed chatting with him about all things business. Unfortunately, he recently sold Half Day Café, and I never learned who made his signs.
Like Half Day, illumination is not needed for Book Bums. Our business hours are mostly daytime hours. So, I believe this kind of sign would be affordable, and it’d certainly be an improvement over that faded ol’ banner that was meant to be used for months, maybe—not years.
If you know anyone who could make a sign like this for Book Bums, would you please email me at christy@bookbums.com?
Here’s what we want:
Practical Grammar
We hear it all the time . . . “She did so good.”
But that is not good grammar. This is not using grammatical guidelines well.
Here’s what should be said . . . “She did so well. She did such a good job.”
It’s an age-old issue. Here’s what we need to remember:
Good is an adjective. It describes a person, place, or thing.
She is a good student.
Well is an adverb. It describes how a thing is done.
She swims well.
Tips for Teachers
If you’re working with kids who are looking up to the ceiling or to your face while they’re “reading,” you should know that they are likely not really reading. They’re guessing what the words might say and then looking to you to determine whether they’ve guessed correctly.
We must instruct our students to keep their eyes on the text. All the information they need is right there. It’s certainly not on the ceiling or their teachers’ faces.
Instruct your students to point a finger under the first letter of the word and to make that sound out loud. Then, coach them to move to the next letter and make that sound. Then the next, and so on. That’s reading. We move from left to right, across the word, looking at the letters, and making the sounds those letters represent—aloud. There is absolutely no need to look up from the words we’re reading.
To teach kids to stop looking to your face for guidance, we must stop nodding our heads and smiling and grimacing and whatever else we’re doing that kids are using to guide their guessing.
I’ve invited kids to “put up their blinders” and show them how to shade their eyes with their hands so they look only to the letters on the page.
Too often, kids miss letters in words because they’re looking up before they finish decoding the word. When kids look up, they often omit sounds or add sounds that are not represented.
Please share that our students must keep their eyes on the words until they’ve carefully observed all the letters and have made all the sounds represented by those letters.
Just for Fun
The Cincinnati Shakespeare Company will perform free outdoor plays at the Keehner Park Amphitheatre (7211 Barret Road, West Chester, OH) as part of the summer concert series: Keehner Park Concert Series - Travel Butler County. The productions are free and open to the public with no tickets or RSVPs required.
William Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing is this year’s show and is scheduled for Saturday, July 25, 2026.
- Time: The curtain goes up at 7:00 PM.
- Pre-Show Activities: Before the performance, families can enjoy interactive arts and crafts hosted by local groups like the Fitton Center for Creative Arts and the MidPointe Library System
What to Bring: Guests are encouraged to bring lawn chairs, blankets, and a picnic dinner to enjoy the show under the stars.
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West Chester, OH 45069