Hello Book Bums families!
For many families December means holiday activities and preparations. We hope the practical ideas and suggestions in this week's newsletter are helpful to you as you send cards, shop, and spend time together! We've included lots of gift-giving ideas for the kids and teachers on your list.
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Word of the Week
thrifty (adjective/describing word) - careful about wasting money, food, or supplies
Thrifty shoppers are always looking for bargains.
*Try using the word of the week in conversation with your kiddo and challenge
From our Bookshelves
I found this book, Change Sings at our local Barnes & Noble. It’s much like The Jolly Postman in that it’s interactive and it just might inspire letter writing and other kinds of activism. It promotes the idea that children can have meaningful impact within their communities. Change Sings is about a young girl, Farah, who decides to take an active role in her community by promoting the idea of a community garden. She eventually forms a Young Activists after-school program whose aim is to build a better neighborhood. What a splendid way to honor kids’ ideas and convey that theirs are voices worth hearing.
Tips for Families
Tips for Families
It’s that season when families are addressing Christmas cards to share with their friends and loved ones. You’re likely in a hurry to get them sent out and cross that job off your list, but it might be nice if you have your kids add their signatures to the bottoms.
Signed cards can mean more than ones sent straight from the printer. There’s not much more nostalgic than when little ones sign their names to art, a note, or a card— especially when they’re just learning to form their letters. Even the handwriting of older kids changes through the years, and it’s fun to look back at how their signatures mature into their more sophisticated adult autographs. Consider inviting your children to sign their names on your cards before you send them out. It’s bound to melt some hearts, even if they simply write their names on the backs of envelopes alongside a sticker they like.
Tip: To keep the signature within a particular area, you can cut a rectangle out of some cardstock and have your kids sign their names within that cutout space. You can try something like I’ve pictured below.
Another idea for signing Christmas cards . . .
Try stacking all your names, from shortest to longest. Add a star to the top and a trunk at the bottom.
*
Mike
Emry
Chase
Nicole
Taylor
Easton
Christy
Brittany
Cameron
Alexandra
I I
Tips for Readers and Writers
Do you have kids who are just learning their letters? You can spend a bit of time each day, most of the days of this month, highlighting one letter, and you can make it all the way through the alphabet before the new year! You don’t have to invest a lot of time to create memorable moments that make learning letter names, the sounds those letters represent, and how to form the letters efficiently—fun.
Just pick and choose some activities that can be easily inserted into your daily routines. I’m going to list quite a few ideas, but don’t let that overwhelm you. Just do what you feel is manageable and what would inspire the children you love.
Note: Hyperlinks have been included for easy ordering.
Sing the alphabet song each day. Have your kids point to each letter as you sing. (You may need to sing slowly so they can keep up!) I love the idea of using removable lowercase letter wall stickers. Fun, right? You can cut an arrow out a sticky note that points to the letter you’re featuring each day. You could even cover a few letters to see if your child can “guess the covered letter.” They can sing the song to figure it out, so it’s not really guessing.
Teacher Gift Ideas
Teacher Gift Ideas
Teachers love your thoughtful gifts, but please don’t stress yourself about it. Keep it simple! Here are some ideas that you might consider, and they’re easy-peasy.
1. Starbucks gift card Even if they don’t drink coffee, there are other items they can purchase. It’s always appreciated, and it’s an easy gift to share.
2. Card with an invitation to order lunch from a local restaurant after the new year (January or February) delivered to the school just before lunch break. This is a clever way to extend holiday cheer, and you don’t have to stress out during the holidays.
3. Gift card to buy lunch one day Have you realized, yet, how much teachers enjoy having a meal from the outside world? The best part of retirement is the ability to “go out to lunch with normal people.”
4. Invite the teacher to list some favorites (candy bar, soda, coffee drink, flower, gum, etc.) and then sporadically send them to school with your child throughout the remainder of the school year. Loved this one!
5. A family favorite recipe, cookies for example, and a sampling. I STILL have treasured recipes from treasured families!
6. A really great electric pencil sharpener. (about $40 at Office Depot) One cannot have too many pencil sharpeners!
7. A heartfelt email stating what you truly treasure about the teacher and how they’ve impacted your family. Copy the school principal and/or the district superintendent to make it extra special This was a gift I was given many, many times. It’s nice to know that our work is appreciated and that our superiors can also take pride in the great things we’re doing for our students.
8. Gift card to a local book store
9. A live plant for the classroom or the home, because they make any space feel calmer and they positively impact mood.
10. Cookies and tea. We recommend: Delicious Designs, https://www.facebook.com/deliciousdesignscookies/) and Firecracker Bakery https://firecrackerbakery.com as well as Hot Cinnamon Sunset tea from Harney & Sons Fine Teas.
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