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LIVE CHAT with Devon Kinch

May 10, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Have you had a chance to join the Random House Read & Play community? As a community leader I have had the privileged of getting to know some wonderfully smart ladies with a wealth of knowledge, resources and tips. We share about topics relating to our favorite books, authors, chapter books, pictures books, character traits and more. Plus, we have two live chats each week with your favorite children’s book authors, not to mention giveaways! If you have yet to join us over at the Read & Play community, hop on over and take a look…

Our next live chat will be on Thursday May 10th at 9pm Eastern with Devon Kinch! Teaching our children about money from an early age is so very important, if you agree, you will really enjoy tonight’s chat! Devon Kinch is the author-illustrator of the Pretty Penny series. It is Devon’s belief that young children can avoid financial trouble by learning how to establish a healthy relationship with money at an early age. Devon studied painting and art history, and earned her Master’s Degree in Design from the School of Visual Arts in 2009. She lives in the hamlet of West Hurley, New York, with her husband and daughter.

Join us LIVE on this post tonight to chat with Devon for a fun Q & A!

Filed Under: Homeschool Savvy, Mom Savvy ·

Teaching and Learning through Picture Books

May 8, 2012 by

Please expand the first comment in this post to see a HUGE wealth of resources from links for picture books by subject!

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If you can not see this post, please click here to view and read these helpful tips, resources and links!

Filed Under: Homeschool Savvy, Parenting ·

Small Steps To Change: Making a difference in the world.

May 6, 2012 by


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Filed Under: Causes, Motherhood, Parenting, Social Savvy · Tagged With: , , , ,

Live Chat with Judy Blume May 3, 7pm EST!

May 3, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Mention the name Judy Blume and a favorite book title and a smile is never far behind. Judy Blume’s books have long been a beloved part of every girls book collection.

Gather your children,  young writers and join me for an evening of Q & A with Judy Blume!

When: Thursday May 3, 7pm EST!

Where: The chat will go live here on this post in the chat box below or in the Random House Read & Play Community!

Judy Blume is one of the country’s most beloved and widely read authors, as well as one of our most vigorous activists against censorship. Her 28 titles include the Fudge books, Forever . . . , and the bestselling novels Summer Sisters, Smart Women, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, and Wifey. Together, they have sold more than 80 million copies, in 31 languages, and have inspired countless readers, some of whom have grown up to write their own books.

Have questions for Judy? Leave them below so she can answer them during the live chat. *** Please note this live chat is 7pm EST. See you on Thursday evening! ***

Filed Under: Homeschool Savvy, Mom Savvy ·

Happy 200th Birthday Louisiana

April 30, 2012 by Leave a Comment

I have lived in Louisiana for over 18 years, it’s the place I have called “home” the longest {yikes, I suddenly feel really old} and where my children were born. My husband was born and raised in Baton Rouge, LA and frankly it is the only place he could happily thrive and survive as a Jazz musician.

This is Troy on drums at the Ascona Jazz Festival in Switzerland…

{watch till the end for his solo! I know, shameless wife}

Today is a BIG day in Louisiana,  we are celebrating Louisiana’s Bicentennial and the very first International Jazz Day, not to mention the world famous New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival is taking place this week. If you are going to Jazz Fest, Troy will be performing on Thursday and Saturday at the Zatarain’s Jazz Tent.

200 & Never Been Better!

On April 30, 1812, the United States admitted Louisiana as the 18th state into the Union. Louisiana was the first state to have a majority Catholic French- and Spanish-speaking population, reflecting its origins as a colony under France from 1699-1763 and Spain from 1763-1803. Following the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, Louisiana’s road to statehood was not all smooth. Federal law required citizens of a newly admitted territory to apply to congress for statehood, and the admission of the Orleans Territory as the 18th state followed years of lobbying efforts by prominent citizens—both American and Creole (French-speaking Catholics). Men such as French-born congressman Julien Poydras and American attorney Edward Livingston sought the greater political rights that statehood bestowed and convinced Territorial Governor William C.C. Claiborne that the Orleans Territory qualified for statehood. Finally in 1811, Democratic President James Madison signed the bill allowing the people of Louisiana to form a state constitution. Following the state constitutional convention in New Orleans where 43 American and Creole leaders convened, on April 14, 1812, President Madison signed the bill approving statehood. The bill designated April 30, 1812, as the day of formal admission.

Louisiana’s unique Creole-American society can be traced to these French Catholic Creole roots that eventually blended with the English-American Protestant culture introduced after statehood.

Being married to a French Creole has been interesting to say the least, I have learned so much about the rich creole heritage. We have even traced Troy’s lineage back to Jefferson Davis!

Bicentennial Education Guide & Resources

Filed Under: Family, Homeschool Savvy · Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Live Chat- Sesame Workshop

April 26, 2012 by

We have a wonderful, vibrant and resourceful community growing over at the Random House Read & Play community. Hope you will join us to discuss all things books, crafts, play  and reading!  You can find me there as a community leader, co-hosting live chats and sharing a post here and there… stop by and say hi or chime in to one of the many ongoing discussions in the forum!

Live chats are hosted by the Random House Read & Play Community Leaders, Random House  and Blog Frog. Our next live chat will be held tonight with Sesame Workshop and Dr. Rosemarie Truglio!

It’s easy to join the Live Chats

1. Become a community member here and chat from the community or this page here at the bottom of this blog post!

 

When: Thursday 4/26 7pm EASTERN

Where: Right here, at the bottom of this post!

Dr. Rosemarie T. Truglio is the Senior Vice President of Education and Research at Sesame Workshop (formerly Children’s Television Workshop). Dr. Truglio is responsible for the development of the interdisciplinary curriculum on which Sesame Street is based, and oversees all educational research pertaining to the development of Sesame Street content.

Dr. Truglio and her team oversaw the research conducted on the upcoming Elmo’s Big Birthday Bash! – A Step Into Reading App with kids between the ages of 3 and 5 and their parents. Her team was also heavily involved in the design and review process to ensure the app met the Workshop’s educational and literacy standards/pedagogy.

Dr. Truglio also develops and reviews the content across all Sesame Street media platforms and products. Since March 2009, she also oversees the educational content and research for The Electric Company currently on PBS Kids Go!

Before joining Sesame Workshop in 1997, she was an Assistant Professor of Communication and Education at Teachers College, Columbia University. Through her research, she investigated the effects of television on the cognitive and social development of children and adolescents. She has written numerous articles appearing in child and developmental psychology journals; presented her work at national and international conferences; conducted media literacy workshops, and has appeared on numerous broadcast, cable, and radio network news and talk programs, including “The Today Show”, “Good Morning America”, CNN Headline News’ “Showbiz Tonight”, and NPR’s “Morning Edition”. Dr. Truglio is co-editor of “G is for growing: Thirty years of research on children and Sesame Street” (2001) published by Lawrence Earlbaum Associates.

 

Filed Under: Homeschool Savvy, Mom Savvy, Parenting, Social Savvy ·

What is a Mother’s Work Worth?

April 25, 2012 by 3 Comments

Not trying to start another mommy war, {there have been plenty of those lately} but I think this infographic is pretty neat. Not sure where I would fit in since I am a stay at home / work from home mom. Motherhood is hard work, motherhood is 24/7!

The only thing they left out was nurse; goodness knows we have all sat up countless nights caring for a sick child and or bandaging up a bazillion boo boos.

If you ask me, a mother’s work is priceless!!

 

Click on the image to expand view.

Filed Under: Mom Savvy, Motherhood ·

All Children Deserve a Chance to Live a Healthy, Happy Life!

April 24, 2012 by Leave a Comment

This week, the first-ever World Immunization Week kicks off  with Shot@Life! Shot@Life educates, connects and empowers Americans to champion vaccines as one of the most cost-effective ways to save the lives of children in developing countries.

Some moms walk 15 miles to reach life-saving vaccines for their children. We’re asking you to spend 15 minutes or less each day during World Immunization Week to help spread the word about the Shot@Life campaign and the importance of global vaccines to give every child a shot at a healthy life. Click here to learn more about how you can help.

Be sure to join us for the Shot@Life Celebrate Childhood Twitter Party!!

On Thursday, April 26, the Shot@Life campaign will be celebrating its national launch at the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, GA. Join the party on Twitter from 9am – 12pm ET via #vaccineswork.

Some wonderful Partners and Champions will be hosting each hour:

9-10 am ET: Learn about vaccines with @shotatlife, @unfoundation, & @amillionmoms
10-11 am ET: How do you get involved in Shot@Life? Champion hour hosted by @shotofprev
11-12 pm ET: Stories from the field hosted by @gatesfoundation

Invite your friends! Tweet this!

A Health post I visited in Guatemala where life saving vaccines are given to children.

A new trial has found that pneumococcal vaccine is effective in preventing severe pneumonia, the leading cause of death among children in developing countries. One in five children does not have access to vaccines that prevent deadly diseases, like measles, pneumonia or diarrhea. All of these diseases are easily preventable with immunizations. 2.5 million children, under the age of 5, die every year as the result of infectious diseases. Nintey-nine percent of those children live in developing countries around the world.

As mothers, we all have a common goal. We all want the same things for our children -  we all want to protect and nurture our children. The urgency for vaccine development to prevent the spread of numerous infectious diseases in these developing countries can not be emphasized enough.

These vaccines cost very little and they can give children a shot at a healthier, happier life.

Filed Under: Causes, Mom Savvy, Uncategorized ·

What Are Your Favorite Read-Aloud Chapter Books?

April 19, 2012 by

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Filed Under: Homeschool Savvy, Mom Savvy, Parenting ·

Live Chat with Mary Pope Osborne

April 17, 2012 by

Have you joined the new Read and Play Community? Random House and The BlogFrog have created a fun and resourceful community for us  to connect with fellow moms, educators and authors. You wont want to miss the Live Chats with your favorite authors, we have some exciting chats coming up.

Our home is all a buzz about the next live chat. My boys have read every book in the Tree House series and have some fun questions lined up to ask author Mary Pope Osborne!

It’s easy to join the Live Chats

1. Become a community member here and chat from the community or here from this blog post.

When: TUESDAY 4/17 3:30PM EASTERN

Where: Right here on this blog post!

Mary Pope Osborne was born into adventure. Her dad was in the army, so every year or two her family would move to a different state, or even a different country! By the time she was fifteen, Mary had lived in thirteen different houses and gone to eight different schools!

Writing children’s books was a perfect career for Mary because she could still travel all over the world – but be back home in time for dinner. She has written almost a hundred books, including biographies, mysteries, picture books, novels, and retellings of fairy tales and world mythology.

The books that have taken Mary to to the most places are the Magic Tree House series. With Jack and Annie, she has traveled through time – from the prehistoric land of dinosaurs to the imaginary world of Camelot. But one of the greatest adventures of Mary’s writing life is the creative journey she takes with her readers, meeting them in person in schools and bookstores and reading the wonderful stories and letters they send. This, Mary says, is true magic.


Filed Under: Homeschool Savvy, Mom Savvy, Parenting, Social Savvy ·
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