Hello Book Bums families!
This week in the newsletter we're thinking about how art and language interconnect to inspire us. If you're in the Cincinnati area and looking for some art experiences this summer, consider checking out the Picasso exhibit at the Cincinnati Art Museum or the immersive Art Experiences.
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Word of the Week
flourish (fler-ish) verb/action word - to grow well or to achieve success, to thrive
The spring rains helped my flower garden to flourish and bloom.
Literary Calendar
- July 14 is the birthday of illustrator and author Brian Selznick.
- Selznick is best known for his masterpiece The Invention of Hugo Cabret.
Explore more about the author and his artwork at his website.
From our Bookshelves
If you’re traveling with little ones, you’re probably packing some fun-focused things to do that will keep them entertained.
This Andy Warhol Color Magic Bath Book was a great find for us. I packed a fat paint brush and a bottle of water so my grandson could enjoy something a little different in his car seat. He loved seeing the colors appear on the pages!
This book is available (for about $10) on Amazon, but I got mine in NYC while visiting my son, Taylor. Taylor is an artist. While in college, back in 2012, he hosted some art-focused workshops with my first graders.
Here’s a picture of him with my students.
Here’s how Taylor taught my students to replicate one style of art for which Andy Warhol is so well known.
1. Sketch a simple image, and define the primary lines of that image.
2. Use a pencil to rub graphite all over the back of the image.
3. Flip image so the graphite side is down on another piece of paper.
4. Trace over the primary lines, again.
5. Lift to reveal a duplicate image.
6. Repeat until you have multiple images on your paper.
7. Color the images in a variety of ways.
Tips for Families
Book Bums promotes literacy, but reading is a whole lot more than simply equipping kids with the conventions (the part we’re so passionate about at Book Bums). In the next image you’ll see the work of a bright young first grader who had been struggling a bit with learning to read. He wasn’t really flourishing, and he recognized that he was a bit behind his peers.
Then Taylor came into our classroom, once a week, sharing art lessons for just over a month— and Jerry began his transformation. You see, his artwork was incredible, and even he realized he had a gift. Jerry began to see himself differently, and I had finally found an “in” to reaching him. It wasn’t long until that sweet first-grade boy was devouring book after book in the Magic Treehouse series. Thanks to Warhol.
Today, when I see Andy Warhol’s works of art, I enjoy it; but I’m really thinking about Jerry and how something so simple can change kids’ minds about themselves.
Tips for Readers and Writers
A lot of families have been taking a well-deserved break from the grind of reading and writing. (Ouch! We don’t want it to be a grind!) Now that there is little to no pressure regarding reading and writing, try integrating some fun-focused reading and writing activities into your days.
Here are some ideas:
• Grab some cool drinks and have the whole family head outside for some family reading time. (On hot days, we use personal, rechargeable fans.)
• At dinnertime, create a story where you start it (Once there was a . . .), and go around the table having each person add on.
• Print a handful of photos featuring something fun your kids did, and invite them to make a book with the images—adding text so they will remember what made the experience so wonderful.
• While vacationing, buy some postcards and stamps (Buc-ee’s, anyone?) and have your kids send them to family and friends.
• Have your kids text family members using your phone.
• Share our Word of the Week (W.O.W) with your family and challenge them to use the word throughout the week.
• When you watch a movie, invite your kids to be a reviewer. They will rate the movie (1-5 stars) and share what they liked and/or didn’t enjoy.
• Have your kids watch lyrics videos of the songs they love.
• As you’re traveling, rate the bathrooms you visit. There’s actually an app called Sit or Squat that helps people find nice, clean bathrooms while on the road. Someone’s making a LOT of money on that. Who knows? You could be equipping your kids to create something incredible, too.
• Visit the Hueston Woods State Park’s Haiku trail. Talk about Haiku and read the poems along the trail. Afterward, invite your kids to create Haiku poems of their own. They can then paint rocks and use permanent markers or paint pens to write their poems on them. Leave the rock poems in the park, on the playground, or just about anywhere for others to discover.
TIP:
Japanese Haiku is typically composed of only 3 lines, and these poems often focus on nature.
Traditionally, the first line of Haiku has 5 syllables, the second line has 7 syllables, and the third has 5 syllables, but today not many folks are counting syllables.
Wordology Workshop
• The Latin root flor means flower.
• You can find it in flowery words like floral and florist.
• You can also find it in words where flowering is more metaphorical such as florid and our Word of the Week, flourish.
Practical Grammar
When someone says, “I could care less,” what they probably mean is that they couldn’t care less. If they could care less, it means they do care to some degree. (I care some, but I could care less.)
To make you smile . . .
I was reading a social media feed where someone asked, “What grammar error drives you crazy?” The responses were entirely entertaining!
One person said, “I can’t stand it when people mix up there, they’re, and their.”
A smart aleck commenter replied, “I bet you’re alot of fun.”
The response was, “A lot.” Ha!
Another response to the same question was, “I can’t stand when people add an s onto anyway. Anyways isn’t a word. It’s my biggest pet peave.”
The response was, “Peeve.”
Isn’t that just the way? We can get all high and mighty on our high horses only to realize we’ve been justly identified as an offender!
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