Pottering Around

Toward the end of the school year, the kids get a little restless:  the weather warms, the sunshine beckons, and keeping a classroom full of pre-adolescents engaged can be rough on the best of days.  This year, after so much snow and ice and arctic blasts of deadly frigid air and cabin fever, that is proving to be true already.

They simply want to be outside in the fresh air.

Frankly, I can't blame them, because I feel the same way.  This winter has been brutal, and we are all longing for some flowers and leaves and fun.

So, in anticipation of this summer break antsy pantsy-ness only growing as the calendar moves forward, I am planning a bit of fun for the end of school that will, I hope, keep everyone engaged while we attempt to still learn a little something.  If nothing else, I'll have some fun with it, but I do hope the kids do as well.

We had planned on having a Harry Potter party for The Peanut this year for her 11th birthday.   While we were at Universal on vacation, we picked up some fun items to use for invitations that you can only get in Hogsmeade, and had planned a surprise way to deliver the invitations by "owl post."  (Bless you, people on Pinterest, for your genius ideas!)

Rather than let all my pins and internal planning go to waste, I've decided to use it for the amusement of my class instead.  Will be posting some ideas as I firm them up, but I wanted to throw out to the crowd the fact that I'm looking for some great, educational ways to use the Harry Potter theme in the classroom over a two week stretch.

Figuring the last two weeks of the year will be a lost cause, am trying to come up with a way to make that not be the case.  Perhaps it is naive of me to think this can be accomplished, but you can't blame a girl for trying, can you?

Any thoughts on ways to do actual lesson planning in a Harry Potter context?

Am thinking about setting this up so that they have "wizarding" classes each day instead of our regular ones.  But I haven't quite figured out how to morph our regular classes into the wizarding ones just yet.  Things I have contemplated thus far:

For All The Whovians In The Audience: A Find

The rebirth of the Dr. Who series apparently owed itself to some chit chat at a cocktail party.

Fun story about how work actually gets done in the world.  How many times in your life has you heard this same story about some project or another getting its start in an innocuous conversation over booze in a lounge or after meeting blahbity blah session or something like that?  A lot, that's what.

Clearly I need to hang out at better cocktail parties.

Or at least ones filled with writer-types and editors who are looking for them.  Of course, it would help if my chemo brain would subside and I would get back to actual writing, too...

For The Trekkies Out There...

Apparently, at a Star Trek convention in London, they got all of the actors who played captains on the various Star Trek franchise series together on one stage. 

William Shatner, Patrick Stewart, Kate Mulgrew, Avery Brooks, and Scott Bacula...hilarious stuff.  The panel is being interviewed by John Barrowman, who plays Captain Jack on Doctor Who and Torchwood.  Holy cow!

The camera work is a little hinky, because it is a fan in the crowd who is filming.  But the back and forth with everyone is a hoot and a half.  Enjoy!

PS -- I giggled like a little girl at about 14:45 or so.  Seriously funny.

New Star Trek Movie Looks Smoking Hot

Holy crap.  I can NOT wait for summer.  And this is a big part of why.

There is a longer version of the trailer for the new Star Trek film, Into Darkness, that is apparently playing overseas as a teaser at the moment.  Benedict Cumberbatch and Chris Pine, on screen, together...yowza!

Throw a little sarcastic Karl Urban as Bones into the pile, and add a dash of Zachary Quinto's cool, calm awesomeness, and you have yourself a party. 

Who doesn't love a hot man in tight pants who can actually bring some acting and serious action to the table?

Yeah, Baby! New Star Trek Movie Clips

Holy moly, this looks good.  Perhaps I'm just starved for a good action flick, but I cannot wait for this movie to come out.

Add Benedict Cumberbatch into the mix and it gets highly combustible, doesn't it?

Boo yah!

Getting Ready For More Game of Thrones? Boo Yah!

Who doesn't love some more Game of Thrones?

Can't wait until March 8th, can you?

New Hobbit Trailer: Boo Yah!

December 14th can not come soon enough.

Does this look like a gloriously amazing romp or what?  

Please, oh please, oh please, let this be as thoughtfully done and as visually stunning as the LOTR  movies were.  That first view of Rivendell?  Helm's Deep?  The boat ride by the statues of the kings of old, just after leaving the ethereal splendor of Lothlorien?  The first sight of the white city of Gondor?

Good gravy, I am uber nerdy.  And so excited for this movie that I cannot stand it.  Yee haw!

Pardon me while I watch this trailer again...did you notice the troll?

Dear People At Dr. Who

Dear People At Dr. Who:

If you have noticed an up-tick in your ratings in the State of West Virginia, US of A?

It may be because my nine-year-old, Dr. Who-obsessed child has made it her mission to introduce every child she knows to your show.  She's a wee bit obsessed, especially with the weeping angels.

You are welcome.

Hugs and sonic screwdrivers,
Christy

PS -- How awesome is it that The Peanut is a science fiction fan?  Yee haw.

It Takes A Lot Of People

It takes a LOT of people to make a movie.

This behind-the-scenes tour of the studio where they are shooting The Hobbit is fascinating.

You only really see the actors and the end result of special effects on screen once the movie is fully completed.  But the sheer number of folks that it takes to make those actors look, sound and feel real? Amazing!

Enjoy!

Looks like a post-Thanksgiving theater date for The Hobbit in the US.  I cannot wait.

Hobbit-ing About

It cannot possibly be December soon enough for me.

Can not wait for The Hobbit. 

Can.  Not.  Wait.

Books To Love: The Sisters Grimm

Sometimes, you find a series of books that are so awesome, you wish you'd written them yourself.

That is true in spades for The Sisters Grimm.

We bought the first book in the series over spring break two weeks ago.  I am now on the last book of the series -- Book 9.  And The Peanut?  Is halfway through Book 6 and chugging away.

UPDATE:  The Peanut finished the 6th book while I was working on this post -- she read it in less than 24 hours even though it is a 304 page book! -- and is already chugging through Book 7 while munching on a peanut butter sandwich for lunch.  I love these books!!

These books are absolutely going in the school library when we are done with them.  The series is fantastic.

Long story short, two sisters appear to be orphaned by parents who disappear, and are then taken in by a grandmother they thought was already dead.  Her last name is Grimm.

As in Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm of fairy tale fame.

Hilarity, mysteries, and adventure ensue, as the Sisters Grimm are pulled from one fractured fairy tale into another and another and another.

I am 43 years old and I cannot put these books down.  The same is true for my 9 year old daughter.  Now that is some excellent reading!

Blogger disclosure:  Links in this post may include links to my Amazon account.  Purchases made through these links - or through the Amazon search engine in the right hand column on this blog - contribute a few pennies to me, which are then used for purchases for the school library.  Thanks so much for all of your support! 

One Of These Days

Pink Floyd performing One of These Days (from their Meddle album), live in 1994.

Love the Doctor Who theme that sneaks out at 2:17 -- brilliant!

If You Were The Librarian: Essential Books For Kids

Currently, I've been working on a master "wish list" for my elementary school library.  It is proving to be a much larger task than I initially thought it would be, primarily because the kids are reading so much this year that wear and tear on books has been way more substantial than I expected at the beginning of the year.

As a result, replacement of much beloved and read books -- especially in popular series -- has to take a front seat and adding to the collection will end up being a secondary concern as budget allows.

And when I say budget?  I try not to laugh out loud because, as is the case in almost every school in the country I would imagine, "budget" means mostly out of my pocket with the occasional assist of some much-appreciated book donations from wonderful parents, family and alums who are clearing out their children's bulging bookshelves and think of us.

Without those gently used book donations?  I fear we would be in very sad shape indeed.  Consider this a gentle reminder that your local school libraries as well as public libraries are generally thrilled with donations of well-kept books as you clear out your bookshelves.

All of this has gotten me thinking about what my dream elementary school library would contain, if budget were no obstacle and space were no concern either.

Which made me wonder:  if you were the elementary school librarian, what would be the books -- or book series -- you would consider "must have" material?

Arrietty Is Well Worth Seeing!

We finally got out to see The Borrower Arrietty yesterday afternoon. The Peanut and I loved it!

This is definitely one we will want to see again!

When we heard that Studio Ghibli was doing an Arrietty movie, we were thrilled.  Miyazake's storytelling is always full of wonder, and this movie lived up to our expectations with it's gorgeous artwork and attention to the little details.  Especially by leaving Arrietty's spunk intact.

We read The Borrowers a couple of years ago together as our summer reading, devouring a few pages at bedtime and a chapter here and there in the afternoons on rainy weather days.

I highly recommend choosing a longer, more difficult storybook like this as a family summer reading project with your kids.  The Peanut and I do one every summer and we both get a lot out of just sitting quietly and reading out loud together.  Not least of which because I get to revisit some of my old favorites as she gets to know them for the first time.

In A Hole In The Ground Lived A Hobbit

I don't know about you, but the countdown to next December has begun at our house.

Oooooooh, The Hobbit looks every bit as magical as the Lord of the Rings trilogy ended up on film. And I, for one, cannot wait to see it.

Who has the popcorn?

Who Wants More Game Of Thrones? Me!!

Nice teaser clip of the second season of Game of Thrones, already in production for next year.

Boo yah!

Favorite Fantasy Books

Who doesn't want a little fantasy in their life?

I mean, honestly, wouldn't it be just so fun to find out you'd really been a wizard all along?  Or that when you reach through to the back of your closet in that darkest of messy places, you don't find some long lost sweater but, instead, a magical world filled with talking animals and high tea with a friendly faun?

One of the best things for me about working at the library this year has been the reminder of how much fun children/young adult fantasy books can be.

I've been purposely reading several series that I hadn't yet read, and revisiting some of my old favorites that still hold up as classics for me.  And I've been enjoying every, single minute of it.

Escape from the day to day can be such a magical thing.  Especially when it involves reading about magical things, right?

So I thought it might be fun to list some favorites in the fantasy genre.  How about listing a few int he comments section?

Please take a moment to note, especially, those which are appropriate for kids ages 5 through 12 given that's who I'm teaching.

But I'd love to know what fantasy folks are reading regardless of library applicability.  Because although I've got a lot of books in my "to read" pile, I'm always searching for another good one to add.

Here are some of my recent finds and old faves, in no particular order:

-- J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. This still sucks me right into the story every single time.

-- Fablehaven (good for young readers)

-- Inkheart Trilogy Boxset (good for young readers and adults alike)

-- David Coe's The Lon Tobyn Chronicle

-- The Chronicles of Narnia (fabulous for young readers)

-- Harry Potter Paperback Box Set (Books 1-7)

Faerie Tales: Good or Awful Parenting?

Our daughter has a vivid imagination.  And for the whole of her life, we have let her run with it wherever she wanted to take it.

When the new mulch outside out front door began sprouting little rings of mushrooms, she decided that there had been a fairy festival.  We made up stories for days about how fun it must have been as the rain continued, and new "faerie rings" of mushrooms kept popping up all along the perimeter of our house, culminating in a huge one out front.

Those were some seriously busy fairies, let me tell you.

And, to be honest, we both had a blast making up stories about them for days on end.  Especially me, because I got to see the world through the eyes of a child all over again.

Imagination is such a fun thing when you are young and so willing to believe in any magic that might come your way.  We truly do try to let her stretch hers as much as possible -- mostly because we both know what happens when you get to be an adult and life beats all the funny little imaginary wishes right out of you.

But at some point, how much of it is helping the imagination and whimsy and magical thinking to thrive?  And how much is just outright fibbing to your child?

I struggle with this.  Here's a case in point:

Dragon Rider

This summer, part of my reading time was devoted to reading through children's and young adult's fiction that I hadn't previously read, to get an idea of some of the more recent books that we had in the school library.

Just in case I was helping a child find a book, I wanted to actually have read the book in question that might be recommended.  I figured the fastest way to lose credibility with a kid was to have no idea what I was talking about with the books.  So I'm making the extra effort to try and read (or know that I already have read in a lot of cases) just about every fiction book in the library.

It's a dauntingly large task, but will serve me well in the long run, I think.

Plus, it's been so long since I've read some of the classics of children's literature, that I wanted to go back and re-read a few of those as well.  (Or perhaps it is just my excuse to re-read Wrinkle in Time and Little House on the Prairie.  As if I needed an excuse.  LOL)

One of my favorites has been Cornelia Funke's Dragon Rider. It is a superbly crafted story about a silvery dragon named Firedrake, his furry cat-looking brownie friend named Sorrel, a young orphan boy named Ben, and their adventures along the way on a quest that is a race against the humans threatening a dragon settlement, a number of mystical beings and an evil entity named Goldeneye.

I absolutely loved the book.  And I loved that the characters were drawn as real, imperfections and doubts and all, and not just as perfect cardboard stand-ins that you often find in children's books.  Really well done on the character development.

Moreover, I loved that the main characters learn to work together, and that they recognize and are profoundly grateful for the help they receive along the way.  There is a lot of serendipity woven into the tale, but that's also how it weaves itself into our day to day lives -- learning to recognize it and be grateful is one of the things that makes life bearable, I think, on our bleaker days.

Young Readers And Science Fiction Books

I spent time at the school library yesterday, mostly working on displays and bulletin boards to make everything pop for the kids when they return to school next Wednesday.  I'll definitely take photos for everyone next week once I've finished tweaking.

Am especially pleased with a "books we love!" display that I put together.  I've got a bright Dr. Seuss border around the outside of the bookshelf area, and a stuffed White Rabbit and Mad Hatter from Alice in Wonderland peeking out from the shelves.  (Thank goodness I saved all the decorations from The Peanut's 7th birthday party -- I knew they'd come in handy again someday!)

I managed to carve out this designated section of bookshelf space for rotating displays and themes from the fiction section which faces out where the kids will be sitting for class, but it is a painful carve out because it makes shelving a little more tight than I'd like it to be.  The space may reduce in size a bit over time out of necessity.  But, for now anyway, it is a bold and lovely display of great books to entice the kids to want to check them out.

As I was putting the display together, though, I realized that we have no really good science fiction books for younger readers in the library.  Or, frankly, no science fiction books that I could find at all beyond the classic Jules Verne variety (which is awesome, but not likely to tempt a 4th grader quite yet unless he or she is a particularly precocious one) or Star Wars novelizations.

Which got me thinking about great science fiction books for kids.  At which point I, sadly, drew a bit of a blank.  That's just unacceptable, isn't it?  So, I'm asking for your help.