20th November Use Less Stuff Day

Use Less Stuff Day occurs on the third Thursday of November. This campaign aims to make people realise how we often buy things we don’t use, leading to unnecessary home clutter. Most people live over-consumptive lifestyles, leading to more waste generation and environmental pollution. This is in keeping with the aim of the Sustainable Development Goal #14 Responsible Consumption & Production.

As well as the usual nonfiction books that deal with waste, consumption, garbage, recycling etc, such as these

these picture books tell stories that will start a discussion about 'too much stuff'.

18th November William Tell Day

William Tell Day, pays tribute to  Switzerland's best-loved national hero . According to legend, he was a peasant from Bürglen who rebelled against Austrian authority during the 13th century. It is said that he was forced to shoot an apple from his son’s head. He was arrested for endangering the governor’s life, saved the same governor’s life on his way to jail, escaped, and eventually killed him in an ambush. His bravery and integrity inspired his countrymen to fight together against Austrian rule and for freedom from the Habsburg Empire.

Our school library does not have many books specifically about William Tell. We have the Margaret Early picture book with its outstanding illustrations

and the Tony Bradman 'reader' from the Orchard series,

and the humorous Aussie Bites  by Margaret Clark.

16th November World Idea Day

Today is World Idea Day. Essentially, it 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 in the real world! That's when action comes in. While ideas are our guides, action is what creates change!

Children have lots of ideas, many of them very good ideas, but some children are not risk-takers and do not have a positive growth mindset, so teachers spend time in classrooms working on this. Here's some books which will help with ideas and discussions of creativity.

• What Do You Do With an Idea? by Kobi Yamada

This is the story of one brilliant idea and the child who helps to bring it into the world. As the child's confidence grows, so does the idea itself. And then, one day, something amazing happens.

• The Most Magnificent Idea  by Ashley Spires

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 Very Important Idea  by Emma Dodson

This amusing picture book tells the story of a rat and a cat, and explores the nature of ideas. Where do they come from and how are they rated A good idea for a cat is not necessarily the same thing as a good idea for a rat.

• I Have an Idea!  by Herve Tullet

This is at once a meditation on and a celebration of the magic of the birth of a simple idea. Sparkling with visual wit, it is a richly emotional exploration of the creative process, from the initial anticipation of the hunt for an idea, to the frustration of chasing the wrong idea, to the exhilaration of capturing just the right idea.

• Emily's Idea  by Christine Evans

This inspiring tale begins when a little girl decides to create a paper chain of dolls. Her idea catches on and spreads far and wide, as children around the world begin to create and share their own.

• Ruthie Rose's Big Idea  by John Schu

Ruthie Rose wakes up with an idea. A big, bright, beautiful idea.
An idea so great! An idea so grand! Ruthie Rose can’t wait to share it with her idea-loving teacher librarian, her art teacher, and her best friend.

• The Book of Mistakes  by Corinna Luyken

Told in minimal, playful text, this story shows readers that even the biggest "mistakes" can be the source of the brightest ideas-and that, at the end of the day, we are all works in progress, too.

• The Imagineer  by Christopher Cheng

Penny has a massive imagination. She loves to draw up plans, gather her tools and turn sketches and scribbles into new creations. One day, she visits her grandpa's house and is amazed at his gadgets and gizmos. He has a telephone hanging on his wall, an organ with bellows to pump and a contraption with a handle to churn homemade butter.

• Once Upon a Big Idea  by James Carter

Telescopes and clocks and trains- all big ideas from human brains! From bridges and boats to medicines and mobile phones, this book takes readers on a journey of discovery through all the amazing inventions human beings have come up with. 

9th November International Inventor's Day.

November 9th is International Inventor's Day. There are a few celebrations concerning inventors, and this one is held in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland in honour of actress and inventor Hedy Lamarr, born in 1914. Beyond being an incredible Hollywood actress, she is also considered one of the creators of WiFi technology. In 1942, she invented the frequency-hopped spread spectrum, which is the repeated switching of the carrier frequency during radio transmission to reduce interference and avoid interception. The day was designated by German inventors and entrepreneurs Gerhard Muthenthaler and Marijan Jordan to encourage people to believe in their ideas and honour forgotten inventors.

There are several picture book biographies about Hedy Lamarr. Our library has these two

Given the premise of the day it would be good to use Hedy Lamarr's Double Life and then look at all the wonderful picture book biographies written by Laurie Wallmark.

This is a good day too, to encourage girls 'to invent things'.

See books on this Pinterest page Girls and Stem for ideas.

13th November World Kindness Day

World Kindness Day is a global day that promotes the importance of being kind to each other, to yourself, and to the world.

If every Australian performed an act of kindness on World Kindness Day, we would have 25 million acts of kindness in a single day.

The day was established by the World Kindness Movement in 1998. It serves as a reminder of the power of empathy. 

Reading books and putting yourself in a character's 'shoes' develops empathy so the  library is a great place to collect books that you could read on this day. We will display some. Usually I steer away from books that have the 'theme' as the 'title' because often they are heavy-handed, preachy and dogmatic, but today I have chosen to suggest some books which do have 'kind' or 'kindness' in the title because for my young audience these books are worth sharing.

6th November Outdoor Classroom Day

Outdoor Classroom Day is a global movement to inspire and celebrate outdoor play and learning, at home and at school. On Outdoor Classroom Day itself, which has two dates each year, teachers celebrate with a special day outdoors for their class.

Children are spending less time outdoors than ever before and this is affecting their health, wellbeing and development. 

Outdoor learning can be so easily incorporated into so many different areas. To make outdoor learning experiences effective, teachers should design activities that meet curriculum aims. Science courses might contain experiencing experiments in the natural environment, which will lead to insights about ecosystems and environmental science. Map reading and walks can be used to provide these geography lessons.

Art projects can be nature-inspired, requiring students to make art out of natural materials. These practice are more than the reinforcement of the traditional curricula; it is an expression of creativity and self-developed art.

Read this article How Outdoor Learning Works Around the World to see what is happening in other education systems. The weather in Australia certainly is conducive to getting outdoors and most schools have a playground or nearby park or beach to explore, but it is getting close to the end of the academic year and teachers will say that there is too much to do at the moment, so perhaps the date in May is a better time to celebrate. The Australian Curriculum has a rationale for why Outdoor Education is must.

A study in the UK found:

I have a Pinterest page devoted to Outdoor Education, one on trees, another on stones and rocks, and yet another on sticks. These will show you a number of books that you could connect to outdoor classrooms,  or you could try some of these: