Summer Reading List!

No, we're not done with ours. Are you done with yours? If you haven't even begun, you can check out our newly refreshed Staff Picks and Sneak Peeks. In a day or so, we will post the list everyone has been e-mailing us about -- the Kids Reading Circle Summer Reading list. This year we have divided three ways -- for boy, for girls, for both. And we have included a few lesson plans. Lesson plans? In the summer? Did I say that? Well, you'll just have to see...

Earth Day is April 22

Posted April 18, 2008: Want to track your carbon footprint? Visit National Environmental Education Week's new application that will help kids convert their daily activities into a carbon assessment. Earth Day, once a simple holiday that involved planting a tree, has now turned into a global awareness campaign and kids are being pressed to learn the science behind preserving the earth. Our kids today are sharp -- they can do it! To help them, take a look at this new book by two top scientists. Frankly I think the name is too long, so here is the link to our review. Happy footprint tracking!

Jumping Rope is the Rage!

Posted April 18, 2008: Have you heard? Tulips have sprung, the grass is greening, and kids all over are in a jumping frenzy. And there are very few books! Maybe somebody ought to write one. A nonfiction guide, that is. Thankfully, there are plenty of characters who enjoy the sport. The Saturdays, the new Main Street series, and Katie Kazoo, the 4th-grader who uses a touch of magic to visit solutions to the problems of elementary school. Kids can de-stress while jumproping to Katie's recommended rhymes, courtesy of the publisher. For older kids who want more honed jumproping skills, check out the next Bouncing Bull Dogs performance, a rope skipping team (all kids, youngest is 6!) from North Carolina.
Jumprope buying tip. Don't buy actually rope or anything expensive -- the best performance can be had from the $1 vinyl variety. Just get the length right: Seven inches, for mid-elementary. Happy jumping!

Geography Bee's are Buzzing

Posted April 17, 2008: Are you in on the secret? Kids are finally being taught geography, and in a very innovative way: through various Geography Bees sponsored by anything from local supermarkets to school districts to national agencies. Do you know the capital of Arizona? Russia's enclave to the Mediterranean Sea? What body of water divides England and France? Did you say: Phoenix, Kaliningrad, and English Channel? Right! Maybe you'd make the team! For extra studying try this kid-friendly book, The Geography Bee Complete Preparation Handbook: 1,001 Questions & Answers to Help You Win Again and Again! by Matthew Rosenberg.

Want more? Visit the National Geography Bee web site. And for Geography Lesson Plans, Teachers check out the National Geographic's offerings.

Kids Bookclubs!

Posted March 31, 2008: Book Clubs aren't just for Mom anymore. Kids are starting them up now, on their own and they could use some guidance. Some publishers are catching on and many are beginning to insert Reading Guides at the back of the book. Fablehaven: Rise of the Evening Star by Brandon Mull has such a guide. Questions in this rather tame fantasy apply book events to life with questions such as "...what would you do if you felt like you should warn a friend, but were embarrassed or afraid to do so?" and "If you had a magical glove like Coulter's, how would you use it?" These questions, though rather light, are thought-provoking. Expect deeper concepts within young adult books. Watch for Kids Reading Circle's Book Club Starter Guide this summer.