This beautifully written picture book is a wonderful addition to the library of late elementary and middle-school students. It relates the story of an African princess who became queen of two African kingdoms of the 1600s.
Njinga survived a difficult birth. After her father breathed life into her, he realized she was a survivor. Despite the jealousy of her older brother, Njinga succeeded in school and observed carefully. When her brother became king, she had to flee, but she returned when the country needed her.
This story is told simply yet eloquently. The illustrations are exquisite. There are beautiful maps, a timeline and historical facts that provide a plethora of information on African and Portuguese history.
I highly recommend the book to parents, teachers and librarians as a valuable reference book on medieval African history. It also provides a strong role model for young women who seek to be the future leaders of tomorrow.
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The sparkly little red shoes sit on the shelf in the shoe store. They cannot believe no one has chosen them because they feel themselves superior to all the other kinds of shoes.
One day, Lisa and her mother visit the shop seeking a pair of shoes to wear on her birthday. Lisa chooses the red shoes, but after her birthday they are put away in the closet. The little red shoes need to learn there is a place and time for everything.
This is a short picture book with color illustrations. There is quite a bit of text in this short story which makes it suitable for a beginning reader. Recommended for ages four through seven.
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Many people place value on educational success. Whether you feel it’s important to attain socioeconomic status, increase earning power, or simply be more of a well-rounded person, there are many arguments for pro-school attitudes.
From the start of a child’s beginning in school, when they are in preschool or kindergarten, we can cultivate an attitude of success, growth, and eagerness in them.
As they grow, their own success will depend more and more on themselves as they make their own choices. However, there are some things you can do to make it more likely they’ll succeed.
Routines and Daily Habits
For example:
Bodybuilders’ routines involve going to the gym each day.
A firefighter’s routine involves putting on gear and getting into the truck as quickly and safely as possible.
Police officers have routines when clearing a crime scene.
Garbage men have routines to pick up trash in the most methodical order as possible.
A routine for a child in school is no different. Explaining to your child that everyday professionals and jobs use routines is also important so they will understand the value in it.
The routine you choose for your child depends on your individual child, but basically involves setting aside a specific time of day and place for something related to their education.
What do successful school routines look like?
Consider these routines:
Completing homework everyday after school at the kitchen table
Writing down each subject’s homework in a daily journal or planner
Eating a healthy breakfast each morning with your student and discussing school
Asking your child about one or two important lessons they learned in school that day
Educational Check-In
While the singular job of a student is to go to school each day, the job of that student’s parent or caretaker is to help the student cultivate an attitude of learning. Despite the fact that we, as parents and guardians, have our own busy lives to deal with, it’s important to keep in mind that our children also are growing and learning.
There are many conversation starters revolving around school, and it is critical that parents set aside time each day to ask about school.
For example, you can ask:
What happened in school
How the school day went
What they learned
Whether anything was surprising
Or even what grades they got on tests
For older students, having a more in-depth conversation related to the transfer of educational knowledge to the real world is important.
Value of Report Card Grades
Some parents choose to motivate their children with rewards for good grades. While there are arguments for and against giving a child money for earning an “A” or a “B” on a report card, this can be done in a responsible way.
The basic idea is to motivate them with external rewards, but then phase it out as they grow older and the motivation comes from within themselves.
Overall, there are certainly many things you can do to jumpstart the excitement and energy that students have for school. With parenting, there are no right or wrong answers and you can even devise your own system for motivating your student for success.
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Publisher’s Synopsis: Who doesn’t love to color beautiful illustrations and learn interesting facts that enrich the mind?
If you also like amazing drawings and cool facts and believe it’s important to impart knowledge and broaden your child’s horizons, the We Can Color! series was created especially for you!
These eleven books cover topics that will interest anyone at any age: Dinosaurs, Vehicles, Aircraft, Space, and Animals from around the world in their natural environment: Farm, Jungle, Ocean, Savannah, Forest, and Desert!
Did you know that the most dangerous animal in the savannah is the hippopotamus? That the oldest koi fish lived to be 226 years old? That some goats can climb trees? And that the terrible T-Rex was not the biggest dinosaurs predator?
How big is the Sun relative to the Earth? What was the first man-made object to reach space? What is the fastest land animal? The tallest? The heaviest?
Did you know that scorpions glow in ultraviolet light? That male seahorses are the ones that get pregnant? That one of the astronauts lost his glove in space? That one of our planets was given its name by a girl in elementary school? And that there is an aircraft that takes off like a helicopter but flies like a plane?
Do you know the speed of the fastest truck in the world? Or how much does the heaviest tractor weighs?
What is the price of the world’s most expensive fighter jet? How much does an Air Force One flight hour cost?
What is the most venomous snake in the world? The most venomous jellyfish? The most poisonous frog? And do you know how to distinguish between a mammal and a fish in the ocean? Or how to tell a jaguar from a panther?
Next to each of the 330 full-page illustrations you can color, there are interesting facts: over 1,375 facts throughout the 11 books!
All the books contain full-page original coloring pages that are not repeated!
The extra-large pages are 8.5 x 11 inches in size!
All the illustrations are single-sided to prevent bleed-through and can be torn out and displayed without losing the images on the back!
All the illustrations and information are suitable for ages 5 and up. Children, teens, and adults will enjoy relaxed moments while coloring and learning fun facts!
The We Can Color – Fun & Facts Coloring Books series includes the following books:
What kid would not want this collection of cool coloring books. Space, trucks, animals, oceans, jungles, deserts, and the world as your oyster!
The large outline images are clear and simple enough for a young child to color. But there is a plethora of information packed into each one. Young artists will also learn more than 1300 facts about each of the topics in the series.
Gershowitz provides hours of entertainment for children as young as five that can also be enjoyed by grandparents who are ninety.
I love books like these that provide an outlet of artistic expression and creativity, while expanding and enriching the mind. Highly recommended.
GIVEAWAY
Enter for a chance to win a set of the We Can Color! coloring books, as well as a Crayola Inspiration Art Case Coloring Set!
One (1) grand prize winner receives: A set of the eleven We Can Color! coloring books, as well as a Crayola Inspiration Art Case Coloring Set.
One (1) winner receives: A set of six We Can Color! coloring books.
Poor giraffe tries so hard to make friends with the other mammals. He approaches rhinos, hyenas, ostriches, monkeys, and many others trying to imitate what they do. They all seem to ignore him. Finally, he gets some good advice. Why not try to be yourself? Don’t change your spots. Rejoice in them. After a while, the giraffe discovers his value to himself and others teaching young readers to be themselves.
Large colorful illustrations of familiar animals plus large font make the book a good choice for a child learning to read. Most pages contain only one sentence so it lends itself to being a bedtime story short enough for toddlers and preschoolers.
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This book is a sampler of the full recipe book. It contains twelve recipes of the types of food kids absolutely love. These recipes include a unique spin on favorites like tacos, grilled cheese, and hot dogs.
Children will want to try grilled cheese on a waffle iron, taco mac and cheese, and unique recipes for chicken nuggets and Big Macs. Perhaps you can entice them to stir up the mix and match healthy grain bowls.
These are perfect for late elementary grade and middle-grade students. A nice way to set up a family cooking project teaching session. The authors have come up with a clever marketing technique. Many purchasers will want to buy the entire cookbook with 100 recipes.
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Alice Eloise’s Silver Linings: The Story of a Silly Service Dog
Written by Sarah Kathryn Frey
Illustrated by Kit Nicua
This book is a beautiful picture book that effectively teaches children how service dogs assist disabled people. As the story opens, readers are introduced to Double Doodle pups awaiting adoption. Sarah Kate is a young woman with physical disabilities who is seeking a pup to train as a service dog.
Our young protagonist pup who is selected is named Alice Eloise. He is a fun-loving silly pup who must learn how to perform a very serious job. Throughout the book, readers discover how service dogs assist their owners. In addition, the biography of Sarah Kate is included.
I recommend this book highly for elementary and middle-grade students. Parents or teachers can use the tale to develop empathy and educate youngsters about people with disabilities. The illustrations are exquisite and the story opens up multiple avenues for meaningful discussions.
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Family Means…:A children’s picture book about diversity, inclusion, and love
Written by Matthew Ralph
Illustrated by Badrus Soleh
This multicultural picture book reveals the plethora of family groups that may make a family. It includes families of different races, religions and abilities, including those with disabilities.
The author emphasizes the qualities that families share rather than the physical or surface differences. For example, families share activities, work as a team, learn from each other, cheer each other up, and love one another.
At the end of the book, there is a space for readers to interact by defining what family means to them and drawing a picture of their own family. A charming bedtime story or read aloud book for preschool and elementary school children, families, and teachers.
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HOW TO TELL WRITE AND MAKE UP A STORY: CHILDREN’S STORYTELLING LEARNING BOOK PART 1
Rose Press House
An interesting approach to teaching the art of storytelling. In Part 1 of this series, readers meet Tom, a 12 year old boy who loves listening to stories. Tom, his uncle, spends lots of time doing telling Tom stories. One day, Tom suggests that they change things up. He asks the boy to tell him a story. The boy is at a loss. He says he does not know how to do that.
Patiently, Tom guides the boy step by step. Through their conversation, he guides readers through the process. First, Tom decides on the main character and describes him. Then he sets a moral and theme for his story. The boy decides on a name for his story and develops an outline to put the details that support his character and theme in order. Then the boy writes a draft of the first part of his story and shows it to an adult to read. But the story is not finished. The boy needs to complete the transitions, details, and supplementary characters that will provide a resolution or completion of the story. That will be coming in Part 2.
I liked this casual approach using storytelling as a vehicle not only to develop communication skills, but also to teach the steps necessary to write an effective story. Many middle-grade students who have difficulty organizing both their ideas and putting them down on paper will enjoy this unique approach to oral and written storytelling.
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If you want to get the children away from the TV and video games, this is one solution. It would also be a good rainy day activity or family game night. Teachers might find it useful as a visual discrimination teaching supplementary tool.
The book is targeted to be enjoyed by children in the four to twelve age range. Challenge is to find seven differences between two pictures. Some of the sets are easy and child-like in illustration, others are more challenging to solve. This activity might also be used to foster cooperative learning among children of different ages.
In any case, it provides a unique way for families to share quality time while challenging the brain.
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August 28, 2021
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Comments Off on A nice way to learn about African history
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