Book Review: Have You Filled a Bucket Today?

I have a new favorite book. (Not that I don't have many favorites, but this certainly makes my list.) Have You Filled a Bucket Today?: A Guide to Daily Happiness for Kids explains how each of us carries an invisible bucket. We fill our bucket with good feelings...when people say something nice to us, smile at us, or help us. If we are kind, we can help to fill the buckets of others. Some people are bucket dippers and take the goodness from other people's buckets.

I first read about this book on a teacher's blog (have no idea where!); the book was being used to help kids practice kindness.

In our family we read the book and started talking about what fills our buckets and what empties them. This is a book that should be read at least weekly around here. :) I'm thinking about making physical buckets for my two youngest. I'd like to have them put something in the other person's bucket so they notice times that they're being kind.

My bucket filler for you today...you are an awesome group of educators. I'm learning so much from visiting your blogs and reading your comments. Thank you for what you do!!!

Now go and fill a bucket!

Leaf Placemats, Collages, Thanksgiving Decor!

Around here, we still have a LOT of leaves falling. This project would make a great Thanksgiving decoration...

While studying "L is for Leaf," we read Read Leaf, Yellow Leaf. For each student I anchored a sheet of contact paper, sticky side up, to the table with a tiny piece of tape in each corner. Students then covered the contact paper with leaves. I used dried leaves although I think fresh fallen leaves would work as long as they weren't wet. Because we were studying "L is for Leaf," each student then put a cut "L" on top of their leaves. You could substitute a Thanksgiving sticker or picture if you were making Thanksgiving placemats. I then put a top layer of contact paper on the collage and trimmed the edges. We hung our projects, so I hole-punched the top and made a loop with yarn.

 We also read two more books that explore how you can make pictures out of leaves, Look What I Did with a Leaf! and Leaf Man. Collages like this could also be used on contact paper for decorations or placemats.

Linking up to stART.

Disclaimer: If you order from Amazon, all commissions go toward foster care through Grace and Hope at no additional cost to you. THANK YOU!  

The Little Red Hen (student authored pop-up book)

As part of our farm unit, Little Student, age 7, has been working on his own version of The Little Red Hen. After we read several versions of the story, he made a story map and then dictated his version to me as I typed. Although he often (physically) writes, in this case I wanted him to be able to concentrate on text without worrying about manually putting the words on paper. I think he produced a more fleshed-out story as a result. This is truly his work.

He chose to make a pop-up book; they are tremendously easy to make with great results. He is excited to "publish" his work here and eagerly awaits comments from his readers. ;)

Once upon a time there lived a hen, a rat, a dog, and a mouse. The hen wanted to make a pizza. The hen asked the rat, dog, and mouse to help her get the ingredients.

Who will help me go get the dough and the toppings?”


“I will,” said the dog.


“I will,” said the rat.


“I will,” said the mouse.


So they went to the store and got the dough and the toppings. The rat and the mouse argued over who would hold the cheese.

When they got home the hen asked, “Who will help me make the pizza?”


“I will,” said the dog.


“I will,” said the rat.


“I will,” said the mouse.


The dog put on the pepperoni. He took a nibble and stuck out his tongue. The rat and the mouse put on cheese. They took a little bite. When they were done, they made a disgusting face.

“Who will help me bake the pizza?”said the hen.


“I will,” said the dog.


“I will,” said the rat.


“I will,” said the mouse.


So they baked the pizza.

When the pizza was ready, the hen asked the dog, rat, and mouse to help her eat the pizza. “Will you help me eat the pizza?”


“I won’t,” said the dog.


“I won’t,” said the rat.


“I won’t,” said the mouse.

So the hen ate it by herself. The dog chewed on a bone. The rat and the mouse found seeds and ate them. The hen made a disgusting face.

The End.

The Little Red Hen (on My Little Farm)

We're continuing to add animals to our farm. Today, with the addition of chickens, we're doing a side trip with the Little Red Hen.

In the last few decades, the children's book market has been inundated with "fractured" versions of traditional folktales and fairytales. When examined together, this provides an incredible opportunity for doing some comparison/contrast. We collected several versions of The Little Red Hen. Possibilities include:

The Little Red Hen Makes a Pizza
The Little Red Hen; A Tale About Cooperation
The Little Red Hen and the Ear of Wheat
The Little Red Hen and the Passover Matzah
The Little Red Hen

After reading the books, we talked about the similarities and differences. My student noticed a difference in the setting, characters, item being made/problem and the conclusion. We made a chart to directly compare the three books.

And I couldn't say "no" to a request to make a pizza together after reading The Little Red Hen Makes a Pizza. Who will help me make the pizza?  "I will!" say two little students.

After pizza lunch we printed a story map to plan out my student's own version of The Little Red Hen which he'll begin writing tomorrow.

Lessons with Mrs. Piggle Wiggle

I know I must have read it before now. I even saw a dramatic presentation a few years ago. But I can't remember ever enjoying Mrs. Piggle Wiggle like I did this time. My little student and I laughed and laughed, sometimes until tears rolled down my face. Perhaps it's because I "know" some of the children in the book?

Using a Graphic Organizer
In the book, parents seek help from Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, a woman of immense knowledge when it comes to curing childhood problems. She is able to fix anything from selfishness to messiness to slow eating. Each chapter is dedicated to one child, his/her problem, and the cure to that problem. The book's structure makes it perfect for using a graphic organizer such as a chart.

We chose to set up the top/horizontal with some of the characteristics we wished to compare:

1. Who has a problem?
2. What is the problem?
3. How is the problem solved?
4. What is the result of fixing the problem?

On the left/vertical side, the student recorded chapter titles:
*Won't-Pick-Up-Toys Cure
*Answer Backer Cure
Etc...

[The photos do not show the complete chart.]

After reading and discussing each chapter, the student completed the chart. Sometimes this alerted me to elements of the story he hadn't completely comprehended and we could discuss it before he continued.

Vocabulary
The book is rich in vocabulary. If I had it to do again I would have started the vocabulary cards (mentioned here) during this book. We had a great time learning the word "impudent" and discussing ways we could use it in day-to-day life.

Problem Solving, Manipulatives
I plan to talk more about this in future posts, but I like to keep my eyes open for problem solving opportunities as we read. A great one presents itself in the chapter titled, "The Selfishness Cure."

Dick is a selfish boy. His mother asks him to divide a box of candy amongst his friends and reminds him not to forget to save some for the neighbor lady who loves candy. Dick proceeds to clout another child on the hand with a baseball bat when she tries to take some. Dicks mother then tells Mary O'Toole "to divide it up among all the children, even the little ones, and to take one or two sticks over to old Mrs. Burry because she [is] so fond of peppermint.

There [are] fifteen children, not counting Dick, and fifty sticks of candy so..."p. 53 (the book goes on to tell how much each child and Mrs. Burry receive...I stopped reading before the answer was revealed.)

After hearing the problem, my student used base 10 pieces to represent pieces of candy. (You could use any manipulative, although base 10 pieces allow students to use 10s and 1s if they would like.) He chose to use the remainder differently than the text. (Mrs. Burry was more fortunate in the story!)

If you find opportunities for problem solving within your reading, I'd love to hear about it!

My Little Farm-Day 5 & 6

The boys watched themselves on video this morning. Over and over and over. Then they wanted to perform. Again and again and again. No shortage on activity for a rainy morning around here. ;)

We're continuing with lessons in My Little Farm, buying sheep and goats to add to the pasture. My student calculated how much the animals, land, and fencing would cost him. He's beginning to explore perimeter as he figures how much fencing he needs for each animal pasture. The lesson comes with a fact sheet of cards you cut out naming characteristics of sheep and goats. He sorted them, pleased that he knew which facts go with which animals; we decided that he will quiz Daddy on them later tonight.

Tomorrow we'll head to the library to pick up a few more books on farm life. Which brings to mind a few favorite books with animals in starring roles...

My 4-year-old student is new to English. We've read a lot to him since he came home about 10 months ago. He loves most books. But he has two favorite series worth mentioning: Elephant/Piggie books by Mo Willems and the boy/dog/frog books by Mercer Mayer.

The Elephant/Piggie books (such as I Am Going, which the 4-year-old now recites) are easy readers with hilarious text/photos. It's not often I find myself laughing aloud at an early reader, but I do with these!

The boy/dog/frog books (such as One Frog Too Many) are wordless picture books with captivating story lines. Wordless picture books help children to become readers as they first understand the concept of a story (front to back, beginning/middle/end) and then build vocabulary and comprehension as they tell the story in their own words. The readers in my family enjoy these books just as much as the non-readers. Wordless picture books can also be used with older kids as a basis for creative writing.