19th August InternationalChalk the Walks Day

International Chalk the Walks Day is on 19th August this year. It always falls on the third Tuesday of the month. It's all about getting that feeling of the old days, grabbing some chalk, and writing a happy thought. Have fun doing it, and remember that the goal of this day is to spread joy! Go write a beautiful message on the footpath with chalk?

Last year we did this in our school playground during Book Week, as a way to honour the ideas Bob Graham highlighted in his shortlisted book The Concrete Garden. Each class was given a piece of concrete wall or pavement to design and decorate with chalk. You can read about what we did here and see other books with similar ideas. It was great fun and we had many great photos for our note day.

The 19th August is a very popular day as it is also Orangutan Day and Potato Day. I have written about these before. See the links. Potato Day is nearly as popular as Underwear Day in a Prep library, probably because of Sue Hendra's Supertato  books.

9th - 17th August Science Week

As part of Science Week , the ABC Radio National program What the Duck?! has been running  a vote for Australia's most underrated animal. There is a shortlist of 10 and the winner will be announced at noon today.

The shortlist is

• Dugong

• Palm Cockatoo

• Great Desert Skink

• Marsupial Mole

• Turtle Frog

• Short-finned Eel

• Rakali 

• Velvet Worm

• Ghost Bat

• Giant Cuttlefish

Each animal has a short soundbite about them here.

Of course I'm voting for the rakali because the CSIRO has published a book about it for children. This might be a good list for the CSIRO to consider for future titles as they certainly underrated. If I asked my young students before they had read Rakali of the Riverbank by Stephanie Owen Reeder and Rachel Gregg, they knew very little about any of them except dugongs and that is probably because the library has books on dugongs and they do study sea animals.

PS I thought I published this yesterday, but have just seen that I didn't. By now you know the rakali did win.

19th August Coco Chanel Day

On 19th August 1883, Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel was born in France. Following the death of her mother, Coco spent her early life in an orphanage, where she was taught how to use a needle and thread. From there, she became a cabaret singer, seamstress, hat maker and, eventually, the world's most famous fashion designer. In 1910, she opened her first shop, where she kickstarted her brand by selling hats. At that time, women were expected to wear confining pieces. Still, her goal was to design fashionable and comfortable garments inspired by menswear and practical necessity. The little black dress - a classic wardrobe staple - was introduced early in the 1920s and proved to be revolutionary!

The picture book biographies in the school library about Coco Chanel are among the most popular of the biographies. Look for these:

11th August Seahorse Day

At my school, Year 3 students are taking part in an exciting STEM learning experience focused on helping the endangered Sydney white seahorse. As part of the challenge, students will design and build small model habitats to support the survival of this special marine animal.

To launch the project, scientists from the Sydney Institute of Marine Science (SIMS) visited the School last week. They shared their expert knowledge about the seahorse’s habitat, how it lives, and the threats it faces. You can read about the Sydney Seahorse Program here.

The children at school are fascinated by seahorses because they all live near the harbour  or specifically close to Chowder Bay where the research is taking place. Many of them have seen a seahorse. That got me thinking about whether there actually is a day to celebrate seahorses. There is. Some websites say Seahorse Day is 7th July which means I missed it. Other sites say it is 14th December which is still a way off.  So today it is unofficially Seahorse Day.

When I put together a display usually include seahorses and sea dragons so that I have a large number of books. A student will always ask if they are the same. Yes because they are both fish, but strictly speaking they are cousins.

The scientific name for seahorses, Hippocampus, comes from the Greek words meaning "horse" and "sea monster." Both seahorses and seadragons have a head and neck that look like a horse, and long tube-like snouts to catch minuscule prey like plankton, small shrimp or crustaceans. Their bodies are also covered in segmented bony armour for protection against predators. 

One of the most notable differences between seahorses and seadragons is that seadragons have small leaf-like appendages on their bodies that provide camouflage among lush kelp forests and seaweed. Seadragons are often more colourful than seahorses with bright yellows, purples, blues and reds on their body and appendages.

Find 

some information books

some picture books

Some seadragon books

Coming soon

And for those wanting beginning chapter books

and two series

Simon Seahorse  by Cora Reef (6 titles)

Seahorse Stars  by Zuzu Singer (6 titles)

10th August Skyscraper Appreciation Day

Skyscrapers are buildings where people can live and work. They are found in lots of big cities. Some skyscrapers have amazing views, record-breaking lift rides and even bridges in the sky. Skyscrapers are being built bigger and better every day!

Skyscraper Appreciation Day is held on 10th August, commemorated on the birthday of the architect named William Van Alen, who was the person behind the construction of one of New York City's most iconic landmarks - the Chrysler Building. 

On 3rd September it will be Skyscraper Day, celebrated on this date each year, as this is the anniversary of the birth of Louis H. Sullivan, the American architect who was influential in the world of building tall buildings and was even called the “father of skyscrapers”. Not sure why we need both days when they both appear to celebrate the same thing, the opportunity to learn more about the architects who commit a dream to paper and the construction crews that make it reality. 

The construction of tall buildings has become so commonplace in cities around the globe that the general public typically gives little thought to the visionaries who are responsible for creating a city’s unique skyline. 

Although the United States was the place where the tallest buildings started in cities like Chicago and New York, others around the world have taken up the design and building of these architectural wonders. 

In fact, today’s tallest building in the world, with 163 floors, is called the Burj Khalifa and is located in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

It is surprising to see how many factual books there are about skyscrapers, ones for all reading abilities.

  

Often a skyscraper is the setting for a story too, so many of them about birds who make their home in a high-rise building.

San Francisco

New York

Brisbane

Melbourne