Too hot February!

We have sweltered at school since the term began. The heat and humidity seem interminable. It doesn't make for productive teaching when everyone just wants to get cool. Why aren't schools air-conditioned? I tried the 'power of suggestion' by putting together library displays about swimming and ice cream.

Many of the preschool classes have been to the library for the first time and it is a long walk (not really but they think it is) so we pretended to eat ice cream, acted out an ice cream poem and read Sam Lloyd's Two Little Aliens . In this story two aliens find ice cream and don't know what to do with it. It always makes the children feel so knowledgeable and they laugh at the aliens.

The displays worked. All the ice cream books left the library very promptly.They went before I even had the chance to share Bob Graham's Vanilla Ice Cream or Peter Sis' Ice Cream Summer. I always  enjoy sharing Mr Plunkett's Pool too, as there are so many scenarios that arise and can then be  discussed by the children, especially with my students who think that everyone has a pool or lives near the beach.

Below are some of the books we put out on display.

14th February Library Lovers Day

I had fun at school today! I wrapped a book up in a parcel for each class and left it on the teacher's chair in the classroom for the class to find at the start of the day. I pasted the Library Lovers Day heart and International Book Giving Day logo on the parcel with a heart-shaped  note suggesting that they enjoy sharing the contents. All of the books I chose were about reading for pleasure and they were given out at random to my twelve K - 2 classes. Four of the teachers gave me very positive feedback and several children came to the library to thank me for their book. They guessed they were library books because of the spine labels and covering! Yes, it was a bit of an effort, but well worth it, if the students respond positively to the library, books and reading.

12th February Darwin Day

One hundred and eighty-one years ago, on January 12, 1836, HMS Beagle entered Sydney Harbour with the 26-year old Charles Darwin on board. Sydney was just one of many ports of call for the Beagle on its five-year round-the-world surveying voyage.

While he was in Australia, Charles Darwin saw animals that lead him to think about how animals came to be and natural selection and thus began his thinking and work that lead to his Theory of Evolution.

Talking about this anniversary on Charles Darwin's birthday with students always elicits much discussion and there are always requests for books so they can read more. 

These three books are a good start but there are many picture books on evolution that are easy enough for eight year olds to begin an interest. Also see here for two other other books.

3rd February Bubblegum Day

The first Friday in February is Bubblegum Day. It began in 2006 when children's author Ruth Spiro decided that there needed to be a day to celebrate education, philanthropy and bubblegum! She has written a book called Lester Fizz, Bubble-Gum Artist, but I have not seen it. If I was looking for a book about bubblegum in my library I would resurrect my favourite B is For Bubbles  by Pamela Shrapnel and Noela Young. It is long out of print, but I have kept my library's very tatty copy on my shelf of 'specials'. It is perfect for Year 1 children who have lost teeth and just cannot blow bubbles with gum.

If you haven't got this book then the much more recent  Bubble Gum, Bubble Gum by Lisa Wheeler  is lots of fun to share with children and Chavela and the Magic Bubble  allows for a much deeper discussion about diversity and ecology.