There are four extant species anteaters, including the silly anteater, the giant anteater, and the northern and the southern anteaters. These solitary animals are all found in the Americas, from Mexico to South America. They are known for having poor sight but an excellent sense of smell, on which they rely for foraging, feeding, and defense. World Anteater Day raises awareness of the need for conversation as anteaters face growing habitat loss.
Tuesday, November 19, 2024
19th November World Anteater Day
Sunday, November 17, 2024
18th November International Day of Islamic Art
UNESCO has proclaimed November 18 to be the International Day of Islamic Art. The idea for the observance was initially proposed by the Kingdom of Bahrain and adopted by UNESCO in 2019. The goal is to promote the diversity embodied in Islamic Art - art, craft, calligraphy, architecture, or music. By definition, Islamic art refers to the visual arts produced since the 7th century by people living on territories ruled by Muslim populations. The early works of Islamic art were deeply influenced by Roman, Byzantine, Sassanian, and Chinese arts. The day is a way to show appreciation for cultural diversity and to strengthen intercultural dialogue, tolerance, and peace.
There are so many picture books that introduce child readers to the Islamic way of life. They are very good at showing children similarities and differences between growing up in the Islamic faith and their faith. There are not so many that just highlight Islamic Art. I would start with these three by Hena Khan and Mehrdokht Armini
• Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns
Two other books by Hena Khan will also give you insights into buildings which highlight Islamic art
• Night of the Moon illustrated by Julie Paschkis
• Behind My Doors: The Story of the World's Oldest Library illustrated by Nabila Adani
Two books by M.O. Yuksel and Hatem Aly
For more books featuring the Islamic way of life for children see this Pinterest page.
To find out more about Islamic art see here. For lots of art ideas see this blog post or video.
Saturday, November 16, 2024
22nd November Go For a Ride Day
Select your favourite mode of transport, from bike to boat, from skates to sledge, pack some supplies and see what adventure the ride takes you on. The preschoolers come to the library looking for books about transport and diggers so this day gives you an excuse to do a display of the various ways you can go for a ride. Here's a selection that your library might have too.
Bicycle
• Christopher's Bicycle by Charlotte Middleton
• The Red Bicycle by Simone Shin
• Mulga Bill's Bicycle by A.B Patterson and Kilmeny Niland
• I Love My Bike by Simon Mole
Car
• Mr Gumpy's Motor Car by John Burningham
• Rattletrap Car by Phyllis Root
• My First Car Was Red by Peter Schossow
• Racing Car is Roaring by Mandy Archer
Truck
• The Truck Cat byDeborah Frenkel
• Yellow Truck Road Train by Mandy Tootell
• With Any Luck, I'll Drive a Truck by David Friend
• Little Blue Truck by Alice Schertle
Bus
• The Boy on the Bus by Penny Dale
• Little Cat and the Big Red Bus by Jane Godwin
• We Catch the Bus by Katie Abey
• Bunnies on the Bus by Philip Ardagh
Train
• The Train Ride by June Crebbin
• Steam Train, Dream Train by Sherry Dusker Rinker
• Runaway Train by Benedict Blathwayt
• And the Train Goes ... by William Bee
Boat
• Who Sank the Boat? by Pamela Allen
• Mr Gumpy's Outing by John Burningham
• Bunnies in a Boat by Philip Ardagh
• Anchored by Debra Tidball
Plane
• Catch That Plane! by Sally Sutton
• Emma Jane's Aeroplane by Katie Haworth
• Violet the Pilot by Dino Yipadee
• A Shorebird Flying Adventure by Jackie Kerin
Helicopter
• The Little Yellow Digger and the Helicopter by peter Gilderdale
• Roto and Roy: Helicopter Heroes by Sherry Duskey Rinker
• Ellie Copter by Deano Yipadee
• Hovering Helicopters by Tony Mitton
Rocket
• Space Song Rocket Ride by Sunny Scribens
• Sadie Sprocket Builds a Rocket bySue Fliess
• Rocket Ship, Solo Trip by Chiara Colombi
• Dinosaur Rocket by Penny Dale
Tractor
• Tractor by Sally Sutton
• Duck on a Tractor by David Shannon
• Driving My Tractor by Jan Dobbins
• Otis by Loren Long
How else could you go for a ride?
ferris wheel, skateboard, scooter, ambulance, firetruck, garbage truck, skis, camel, surfboard, motorbike, backhoe?
Thursday, November 14, 2024
15th November I Love to Write Day
It is I Love to Write Day . This day was started by an American author called John Riddle, who believes that writing is a perfect way for individuals to express themselves creatively! You should spend some time writing today. Don't overthink what to write; just write what you feel like. If you have a class today is a good excuse to have fun writing. A lot of children (and adults) do not like writing and they find it a chore. Perhaps this is because it wasn't fun or they couldn't choose for themselves what kind of writing to do. When I first started teaching the students in my class had a journal and they wrote something in it every day for ten minutes. Sometimes they wrote lists, story ideas, messages to themselves, nothing especially formal, but it was a routine they certainly embraced.
Put out some lined paper, paper made into books, envelopes, coloured paper, pencils, and some picture books that might inspire students to have a go.
Tuesday, November 12, 2024
16th November World Idea Day
World Idea Day was founded because ideas are powerful tools to do good things in the world. Without ideas, we would be neither creative nor innovative. In that regard, progress would simply not happen. However, ideas have to be realised and concretised in the real world! That's when action comes in. While ideas are our guides, action is what creates change!
Read about how ideas feature in our thinking, our creativity and play here:
• What Do You Do With an Idea? by Kobi Yamada is such a popular book in our school library that I bought a second copy. They are always on loan to a teacher and in classrooms.
Provides lots of discussion about ideas and where they might lead.
• I Have an Idea! by Herve Tullet
This book is an exploration of the creative process from the hunt for an idea to the frustration of choosing the wrong side, to the exhilaration of having just the right idea.
The girl in this story, with her dog at her side, loves to make things. Her brain, she says, is an "idea machine," so full of ideas that she can hardly keep up. But then one day... it isn't. All of a sudden, the girl can't come up with a single idea for what to make. She tries everything: brainstorming, gathering new supplies, even jumping up and down on one foot to shake an idea loose. But, nothing. The girl realises, with no ideas taking up space in her brain, it's filling with sad instead.
Saturday, November 9, 2024
10th November Carl Sagan Day
November 10th is Carl Sagan Day, marking the birthday of this incredible American astronomer, scientist, and author best known for his research on extraterrestrial life.
When Carl Sagan was a young boy he went to the 1939 World's Fair and his life was changed forever. From that day on he never stopped marveling at the universe and seeking to understand it better. Star Stuff follows Carl from his days star gazing from the bedroom window of his Brooklyn apartment, through his love of speculative science fiction novels, to his work as an internationally renowned scientist who worked on the Voyager missions exploring the farthest reaches of space. This book introduces the beloved man who brought the mystery of the cosmos into homes across America to a new generation of dreamers and star gazers.
Friday, November 8, 2024
12th November Michael Rosen Day
On Tuesday 12th November enjoy a day of poetry, stories and creativity to celebrate 50 years since Michael Rosen's first book.
We all know We're Going on a Bear Hunt , but there are so many other resources to explore. I had fun with Year 2 recently reading and hearing Michael's poetry, but next week I plan to share with other grades too.
I have put out a display of Michael's books in readiness and am hoping many of them will be borrowed. There is something for everyone.
Popular with the preschool and illustrated by Robert Sterling
There's the books about Rover that are illustrated by Neal Layton
There's the picture books illustrated by Bob Graham
The books inspired by nursery rhymes and fairytales illustrated by Nick Sharratt and David Melling
Short novels for beginning readers