Stories to Solve and Completed Books 1/21/10

Stories to Solve: Folktales from Around the World, George Shannon, is such a fun book to have on hand.   

"Shannon aptly combines folklore and puzzles in this short collection of 14 stories from around the world. The tales, not more than a page or two long, present situations in which someone figures out a problem or solves a mystery. Readers are then asked to suggest how it was done. For those who can't -- and many of the stories are abstract -- solutions are provided."  Amazon

Are you ready for one?  Here is a fun and familiar puzzle from the book.  See if your children can figure it out!

One fine summer day two fathers and two sons went fishing at their favorite lake.  They fished and talked all morning long and by noon everyone had caught one fish.  As the two fathers and two sons walked back home, everyone was happy because each had a fish even though only three fish had been caught.  Two fathers and two sons.  Only three fish and no fish were lost.  How can this have happened?  

The answer is at the bottom of this post!

Book completed 1/21:

Lella:  Anatole (32 pages), Eve Titus, The Monkey and the Crocodile, Paul Galdone, Hansel and Gretel by the Brothers Grimm, illustrated by Adrienne Adams, The Amazing Pig, Paul Galdone, The Perfect Nest, Catherine Friend,  Tutankhamen's Gift, Robert Sabuda.

Note:  Lella really enjoyed Anatole, Parisian mouse magnifique!

Marcus:  The Secrets of Droon:  Under the Serpent Sea (113 pages), Tony Abbott, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (GIC, 236 pages), Jules Verne, Mummy Math, An Adventure in Geometry, Cindy Neuschwander, from The Children's Treasure of Virtues:  Try, Try Again, The Tortoise and the Hare, St. George and the Dragon, The Lion and the Mouse, David and Goliath, The Minotaur, "America", edited by William J. Bennett.

Both:  The Legend of the Persian Carpet, Tomie DePaola, Temple Cat (31 pages), Andrew Clements, The Secret of Droon:  The Hawk Bandits of Tarkoom (116 pages), Tony Abbott, Jonah and the Whale, Rosemary Lanning, There was an Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly, Simms Taback, Get Ready for Second Grade Amber Brown (48 pages), Paula Danziger, Amanda Bean's Amazing Dream, A Mathematical Story, Cindy Neuschwander, Four Hungry Kittens, Emily McCully, George Washington's Breakfast, Jean Fritz.

Note:  Gabriella loves reading There was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly and has the whole book memorized.  She actually read it a couple years ago and recently requested it again.  I was amazed she even remembered reading it!  It is such a silly book, but she thinks it is very funny!  She is also in this strange phase where she is requesting touch and feel board books.  She is such a kinesthetic learner!  

Solution to Riddle:  Only three people went fishing.  A boy, his father, and his grandfather:  two sons and two fathers.  

  

Draw, Write, Now

I am not gifted in drawing, so I was very excited to come across this series that teaches kids how to draw using basic steps.  Below is an excerpt from book 8:  Animals of the World, Dry Land Animals. 

Here are Marcus' and Lella's drawings.  Marcus' are pictured first and then Lella's. 

Completed Books 1/14/10

Lella:  The Secret of Droon:  Quest for the Queen, Tony Abbott (91 pages), Lost in Little Bear's Room (32 pages), Else Minarik, Tales of Mystery and Terror (GIC, 238 pages), Edgar Allen Poe.

Both:  The Seven Voyages of Sinbad the Sailor (119 pages), John Yeoman, Mush, a Dog from Space (39 pages), Daniel Pinkwater, Tut's Mummy Lost and Found (48 pages), Judy Donnelly, Laffite the Pirate (48 pages), Ariane Dewey, The Banshee (32 pages), Eve Bunting, The Stinky Cheese Man and other Fairly Stupid Tales, Scieszka and Smith, It's A Fair Day Amber Brown (48 pages), Paula Danziger.

MEDtropolis

This is a fun free site for kids to explore the human body:  MEDtropolis.

You Can't Take a Balloon...

Marcus and Lella really enjoy looking at this series of books (there are three) about art mimicking real life.

A little girl brings her balloon to a museum, but is not allowed to bring it inside.  In each book, someone who works at the museum offers to watch her balloon.  The balloon, by various means depending on which book you're looking at, becomes free.  The museum worker chases the balloon through the city and each scene is similar to a piece of art the little girl is looking at.  We make up our own words for each page!  Very fun!  

The books are written by sisters Jacqueline Weitzman and Robin Glasser.


Enjoy!

Snowflakes

This was such a fun activity to do with the children (Thanks Chandra!).  I used this site for instructions:  How To Make Snowflakes.

Books Completed 1/11/10

Marcus:  The Secret of Droon:  Quest for the Queen, Tony Abbott (91 pages), The Octopus, Cynthia Rylant (57 pages), Just So Stories (The Elephant's Child and How the Whale got his Throat), Rudyard Kipling, The Illustrated Treasury of Children's Literature:  Humpty Dumpty, Jack and the Beanstalk, Red Riding Hood, The Wizard of Oz, Alice in Wonderland, Winnie-the-Pooh.

Note:  If you can get pick up The Illustrated Treasury of Children's Literature, I would do so.  It's a lovely book with many stories complete in themselves and carefully chosen excerpts from some of the greatest books in the English language.  These stories are designed for families to read aloud, although Marcus likes to pick stories here and there to read on his own.  Either way, it's a lovely book to have on hand.

Lella:  The Secret of Droon:  The Sleeping Giant of Goll, Tony Abbott (91 pages), The Secret of Droon:  The Tower of the Elf King,Tony Abbot, (100 pages), Get Ready for Second Grade, Amber Brown, Paula Danziger (48 pages).

Both:  The Whale, Cynthia Rylant (96 pages), The Eagle, Cynthia Rylant (64 pages), Tales From Cultures Far and Near, Jim Weiss (CD), Egyptian Gods and Goddesses, Henry Barker, Sir Cumference Series (see post), The Story Keepers, Catacomb Rescue, Brown and Melrose (29 pages).

Reading together leads to reading separately.

Sir Cumference - A MUST read!

Join a knight called Sir Cumference, his wife, Lady Di of Ameter, and their son Radius on their fun math adventures!

We recently read three of the books in this series by Cindy Neuschwander.

Sir Cumference and the First Round Table (32 pages)

Sir Cumference and the Great Knight of Angleland (32 pages)

Sir Cumference and the Sword in the Cone (32 pages)

Marcus and Gabriella can still tell me the definitions for right, acute and obtuse angles, diameter, radius, and circumference!

Enjoy!

Beautiful Warrior, The Legend of the Nun's Kung Fu

Beautiful Warrior, The Legend of the Nun's Kung Fu, Emily Arnold McCully was recommended to me by my friend Chandra.  Marcus and Gabriella LOVED this book.  Marcus especially loved the Kung Fu and the beautiful illustrations. Both children were able to understand the story's lessons, soft overcomes hard, calm overcomes strong.  I highly recommend this book!

BrainPop

Marcus and Lella have officially graduated from BrainPop Jr. to BrainPop.  This is such a wonderful way to incorporate computer time into the school day.  There is a wide range of topics covered and after each short video, students are given the opportunity to take an online quiz.  You can sign up for a free trial with no obligations.  The monthly fee is $9.95 (sign up under the "Family" section and not the "Homeschool" section). 

The characters remain consistent throughout each video and the videos are informative and even funny at times!  BrainPopJr. is a bit more fun than BrainPop, but the topics are limited.   Enjoy!

Books Completed 1/5/10

I noticed over the past week or so that Lella has read more than Marcus, which isn't usually the case.  Then, it dawned on me that Marcus has been watching college football with Steve at night instead of reading!  So, less reading for Marcus this past week, but definitely more bonding time with Daddy!

Marcus:  The Secret of Droon:  The Sleeping Giant of Goll (91 pages), Into the Land of the Lost (95 pages), The Golden Wasp (101 pages), Tony Abbott.

Lella:  The Secret of Droon:  City in the Clouds (88 pages), The Great Ice Battle (85 pages), The Sleeping Giant of Goll (91 pages), Into the Land of the Lost (95 pages), Tony Abbott, Pippi's Extraordinary Ordinary Day, Astrid Lindgren, Pippi Goes to School, Astrid Lindgren, I Was Born in a Tree and Raised by Bees, Jim Aronsky, Pippi to the Rescue, Astrid Lindgren, Beachcombing, exploring the seashore, Jim Aronsky, Little Lions, Jim Aronsky.

Both:  Rhinos for Lunch and Elephants for Supper, T. Mollel, Anansi and the Magic Stick, E. Kimmel, Anansi the Spider, a tale from the Ashanti, Gerald McDermott, Zomo the Rabbit, Gerald McDermott, The Pot of Wisdom:  Anansi Stories (63 pages), Adwoa Badoe and Baba Diakite.

Completed Books 12/30/09

Marcus:  The Secret of Droon:  City in the Clouds (88 pages), The Great Ice Battle (85 pages), Tony Abbot, Stuart Little (129 pages), E.B. White.

Marcus said Stuart Little was his second favorite E.B. White book so far.  Trumpet of the Swan was his favorite and Charlotte's Web ranked third.  He especially liked the part where Stuart Little meets Harriet because she is small too!

Lella:  The Secret of Droon: The Mysterious Island (85 pages), Tony Abbott, The Fairy Berry Bake-Off (47 pages), Daisy Alberto, Race Into Space (48 pages), Eric Arnold, George the Drummer Boy (61 pages), N. Benchley.

Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices

Joyful Noise, written by Paul Fleischman, is a children's book of poetry about insects.  Each poem is designed for two readers to enjoy together; there are two columns of verse for children to alternate reading aloud.  The poems are about the lives of six-legged creatures ranging from fireflies writing in the sky to a love affair between two lice, crickets eating pie crumbs and the single day in the life of a mayfly.

Marcus and Lella look forward to reading these poems aloud each day.  One of the poems even had me in tears, as it was so beautifully written. 

Enjoy!

Mary Poppins and Books Completed December 26, 2009

Mary Poppins, P.L. Travers, is such a delightful book to read with children.  Each chapter is almost a story in itself!  Mary Poppins is charming; her stern and haughty exterior belies the delightful nonsense she harbors. Marcus and Lella have truly enjoyed this book!   202 pages

Marcus' recently completed books:  The Call of the Wild (GIC), Jack London, 238 pages, The Secret of Droon: The Mysterious Island, 85 pages, City in the Clouds, 88 pages, The Great Ice Battle, 87 pages (All written by Tony Abbott).

Lella's recently completed books:  The Secret of Droon: The Hidden Stairs and the Magic Carpet, 80 pages, and Journey to the Volcano Palace, 85 pages, Tony Abbott, Christoper Mouse, William Wise, 151 pages, The Hello, Goodbye Window, Norton Juster, Wombat Goes Walkabout, Michael Morpurgo.


Both have read:  The Storm, Cynthia Rylant, 80 pages, Magic School Bus Inside a Hurricane, Joanne Cole, D is for Doufu:  An Alphabet Book of Chinese Culture, Maywan Krach, A Companion Book to D is for Doufu, Shen Krach, Do you Know Pippi Longstocking, Astrid Lindgren, 28 pages, Michael Phelps, Jeffrey Zuehlke, 29 pages, Crinkleroot Seris:   25 Fish Every Child Should Know, 25 More Animals Every Child Should Know, 25 Mammals Every Child Should Know, Crinkleroot's Guide to Knowing Butterflies and Moths, Crinkleroot's Guide to Knowing Animal Habitats, Crinkleroot's Guide to Knowing Animal Tracking, Crinkleroot's Guide to Knowing The Trees (all written by Jim Arnosky), The Master Swordsman and the Magic Doorway, Alice Provensen, Pippi Longstocking in the Park, Astrid Lindgren.

Fun and Challenging Thinking Games

Marcus and Lella received two games for Christmas that are wonderful.  

The first, Brick-by-Brick by Thinkfun, challenges them to build a brick wall with five pieces.  There are sixty cards with different brick walls to build. 

The second, Q-bitz, can be played individually or with up to four players.  Players are challenged to replicate a pattern given a square of cubes.

Enjoy!