I'm a Mormon Kid

I am excited to share my student's blog with you today. But first a little background. I teach a group of 50 fifth and sixth grade students at Liahona Preparatory Academy. Our class is unique in that 12 of the students are actually in class with me in a school building in Utah. The other 38 students are participating in our class via the Internet at computers around the world. I have students in Germany, Brazil. Puerto Rico, Italy, Africa and in many students in the United States from Alaska to Florida. Liahona is a private school associated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons).

They are the cutest kids EVER and I feel so lucky to be their teacher. We started a blog so that they could share their writing and their unique perspective about life with others. Here is the link to their blog:

I'm a Mormon Kid

I am not prejudiced at all...but this blog is awesome! It contains everything from original cartoons to funny memes and cute videos.

It also includes their thoughts on everything from praying to being modest to not drinking alcohol to their plans for the future.

These great kids have also written a book and you can download it for free from the blog. Their book attempts to answer the question: What is it like to be a Mormon kid? Not just a Mormon kid in Utah but a Mormon kid around the world. Everything is in their words and includes their un-censored opinions. It is so fun to get into the heads of 10 and 11 year olds. They are a crack up!

If you are a member of our faith, you will really enjoy reading the book to get a fresh perspective. If you are not a member of our faith, you will love to hear about our religion through the eyes of a child. Their faith in God is so refreshing and inspiring. Didn't Jesus encourage us to become even as a little child? Every day they motivate me to be better.

Check out their blog. Pretty Please! (They will be so excited to see our page views go up!) I promise you won't be sorry. I love these kids and I know that you will too.

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Summer Kick-Off: {DIY} Nature Journal

By Deborah Pace Rowley

One fun way to celebrate the start of summer is to create a nature journal or scrapbook to record all of your awesome outdoor adventures. This nature journal is super easy to make with supplies you already have on hand. All you need are: 

A sheet of white tissue paper

A plastic page protector

Some Elmer's glue

A paintbrush

Some leaves and flowers

First you need to gather some supplies from nature. Katie and I just wandered our backyard looking for interesting leaves and flowers to add to the ziplock baggie that I brought along. You want to choose items that are mostly flat. We did flatten our flowers under a book when we brought them in. When that didn't work too well, Katie decided to use each petal individually. You don't want anything too three-diminsional or it will stick out too far and rip the tissue paper. 

After you have selected your materials, you can get ready to arrange them inside the sheet of tissue paper. 

Before you do, place the right side of the tissue paper on top of the plastic page protector so that you do not need to move the tissue once you get everything arranged.  I cut a piece of tissue paper about 11x16 inches so that when I folded it in half, it would be the size of a piece of paper. Remind your children to put the nature items on the right side only as the left side will be folded over top of the items as soon as they are in place.

                                     

Fold over the top of the tissue paper so that the nature items are inside. Now prepare your glue mixture. In a small bowl, mix 2 parts glue to 1 part water. This makes the glue runny and easy to work with. Using the foam brush gently brush glue onto the tissue paper. Use more of a gently patting motion than a stroking or painting motion since you need to be careful that you don't tear the tissue. The goal is to add enough glue so that both sides of the page stick together and the tissue paper is pushed down around each of the nature items. You want the tissue paper to look wrinkled and wet everywhere. 

Once you have completely covered the tissue paper, carry the page protector outside in the sun to dry. Our page was dry in about an hour. Then it easily peals off the plastic page protector to create a beautiful cover for your journal. I think it looks a little bit like vellum studded with flowers and leaves. Or like that really expensive art paper that is made of natural items. 

I trimmed the edges in a scalloped pattern because I thought that looked cool. Then I put the nature page on top of a piece of white construction paper. Then I put some plain white paper in the center and added another piece of  white construction paper for the back cover. Everything was hole-punched and then strung with ribbon to tie it all together.

We loved the finished product and I know Katie will be excited to write in it all summer long. You can experiment with different colored backing paper and ribbon. I really like the nature journal tied with raffia or twine because it completes the natural look but I didn't have any on hand right now and I was excited about completing this project for free! This process also makes beautiful handmade cards for father's day or for a grandma or grandpa. You can cut down the tissue paper and use fewer natural items to make a smaller size card. Have fun experimenting with this easy and fun process! 

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Toddler Activities: Earth Day Photos

By: Deborah Pace Rowley

This Earth Day Photo Shoot was inspired by the sign held by Martin Richard, the 8-year-old victim of the Boston Marathon bombings. I was so touched by his call for peace. There is something so powerful about an innocent messenger of truth. A child's simple words can resonate far beyond an adult's eloquent speeches. Their words are so simple and so true.

I had planned our outdoor photo shoot with Anniston today. Unfortunately the weather in Utah didn't cooperate. It was so windy and cold. It was all Anniston could do to hold the signs and stand there shivering. She was such a good sport and reminded me how much I love her.

I had hoped the message of these signs would remind us as parents to be more patient with our precious children. We do need to nurture and care for the earth. But we also need to nurture and care for our little ones. Earth Day can be a reminder to slow down, think before we act, consider our valuable resources, and use them more wisely. This is also good advice as we raise our children. 

   

If you want to add some sweet signs to a spring photo shoot you can find all the signs I created here. 

(Note: I should have zoomed in with the camera to get a close-up of Anniston so we could read her signs. But I wasn't about to make her go back outside again!) 

I think it would be even more meaningful to have your child write a message to the world of his or her own. Happy Earth Day. May peace be given to the family of sweet, innocent Martin and all those who suffer around this world. 

Earth Day Signs

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Elementary Activities: Egg Head Comedians

by: Deborah Pace Rowley

My teenage daughter decorated these eggs about a month ago and made us all laugh when we found them in the refrigerator. (To be honest, I had a hard time breaking them and using them in my baking. They seemed a little too personified!)

I wanted to post these pictures just in time for Easter to inspire your egg decorating imaginations, especially if you find yourself in an egg decorating rut. I thought these guys and girls would look amazing if you first dyed them in bright colors. Adding sharpie features and quote bubbles then provide the perfect creative opportunity for your older elementary school kids and teenagers to show their style and sense of humor.

This little egg says, "Peep! Pretend to be a chick. Then they won't be able to eat you."

This egg says, "Oh no, someone is coming to eat me!!"

This comedian says, "Get me out of here. The guy next to me is an egghead!"

This evil egg says, "See if you can break me before I break you!"

What will your eggs have to say to you? Have fun creating these wise-cracking, egghead comedians!

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Preschool Activities: My 10 Favorite Christmas Books

By Deborah Pace Rowley

Shortly after we were first married, I began my Christmas book collection. Now that collection numbers about 30 or 35 books and I add at least one book to the collection each Christmas. I love to gather my children around me to share a Christmas story each evening in December. I remember once when my three little girls were small. I had one on my lap and one on each side of me and we were reading a Christmas book. The lights of the Christmas tree were shining in the background, illuminating the pages of the book and the shiny faces of my daughters. I remember thinking, "This is what I dreamed motherhood would be like." It was one of those few magical moments when the reality of motherhood actually exceeded the fantasy I had enjoyed before my oldest was born!

These are my favorite books to read aloud to my children. If you haven't already started your own Christmas book tradition, here are some great stories to get you started. If you already have a Christmas book collection, I hope there is something new here for you to enjoy. It was hard to choose just 10 but I had Katie help me. We had to eliminate How the Grinch Stole Christmas! but we figured everyone knew about that classic already. I wish you could hear our Dad read that aloud each year. That is a real treat!

The Silver Packages is the sweet story about a Christmas train that comes to the Appalachian mountains each year. The portrayal of this poor community that receives so much from an anonymous benefactor makes me cry every year. I love the message of this little boy who grows up and gives back.

The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey is another tear-jerker. I love the miraculous transformation of this woodcarver as he works on a hand-carved nativity and learns to live again. 

The Tale of Tree Trees is a special book in our family. My husband read this story at the funeral of a dear friend who died of cancer at a young age. To me the message of this story is that even if our lives do not turn out the way we expect, the miracle is that through the power of Jesus Christ, they can become magnificent. 

On a lighter note, we love Santa Calls by William Joyce. It is the cutest story about the relationship between a brother and a sister. I love how they help each other to save Christmas and learn to value their friendship in the process. This is a great reminder if you have sibling rivalry in your home!

It wouldn't be Christmas without The Polar Express. I still want my twenty-year-old to be able to hear  Santa's sleigh bell and believe in the wonder and magic of Christmas. 

The Selfish Giant By Oscar Wilde may be a unique book to put on a Christmas list. It is typically seen as an Easter story but it is one of my children's favorite stories to read at Christmastime each year. There are many versions of this story that is rich in symbolism about Christ but we love this one illustrated by S. Saelig Gallagher. In this story, a picture really is worth a thousand words. The story of Jesus is not just about a baby in a manager. Here His story is told in all of its eternal significance. 

Auntie Calls is just for fun but it has a very timely message: It is better to give than to receive. 

The Last Straw is an original story about humility. You will never hear the expression, "The straw that broke the camel's back" in the same way again. I love the last page where the camel bows to the baby Jesus. 

Christmas Oranges is a beautiful story about sharing. It teaches us that the simplest acts of kindness can mean the most at Christmas time. 

The Miracle of the Wooden Shoes is special to us because it is the story of my grandfather Walter Seiter. It means so much to me, not because of the words that I wrote, but because of the words that I didn't write. On the morning this book went to press, I woke up in a panic. I knew that I had ended the book completely wrong. I hurriedly called my publisher who luckily told me that it wasn't too late to make some changes.

Originally I had ended the story with Walter's excitement to share some chocolate candy with his baby sister Erica who hadn't had chocolate before. This ending seems so incomplete to me now. The words that I was given enriched the story so much more. "Walter struggled to hold back tears as he looked at his family. Jesus Christ knew and loved them. This was the miracle, sweeter to Walter than all the chocolate in his wooden shoes."

May these books fill your home and hearts with the miracle of Christ's love and the wonder of his birth.



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Elementary Activities: Spelling Words Practice {With Out a Fight!}

By Tiffany Rudd

Somehow this sweet/happy 1st grader always turns into a stubborn/frustrating 1st grader when it comes time to study for his weekly spelling tests. :) As we got further into the year and the words on his test got harder it became even more of a struggle between us each night. So, I jumped online and started searching for some creative/fun ways for him to practice. Seriously, what did mom's do before the internet?

I found some great ideas that have made a big difference in our house, so I thought I'd share with you. Just incase you have a sweet/happy/stubborn/frustrating child like me!

      * Super Speller App ($2.99): This app for iphone or ipad is AWESOME!! You just enter the spelling words and a record yourself saying each (or, have your older elementary age child do this on his own). The app then creates practice games with the words and can give your child practice spelling tests. Well worth the $2.99.

      * SpellingCity.com: This websites is similar to the app in that you just enter in your spelling list and it creates games and activities for practice. Most of the content on here is free.

      * I found tons of great ideas HERE and HERE. One of Cameron's favorites so far has been writing his words as "stairsteps" like this...

                                            s

                                            sp

                                            spe

                                            spel

                                            spell

                                            spelli

                                            spellin

                                            spelling

      * Not surprisingly, writing the words in shaving cream is always a huge hit.

      * We've also used THIS spelling race activity again this year, especially on days when I can tell he needs to get up and moving.

Hopefully you find some ideas here to help make spelling practice time happier at your house too. :)

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Teen Activities: The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore

By: Deborah Pace Rowley

Are you familiar with this amazing storybook App? Were you surprised that I have labeled it as a teen activity? At first glance, this animated picture book would seem like the perfect story to share with our preschool and elementary age children. And it is. Then why am I encouraging you to share it with your teenagers? 

Younger children will delight in the story’s clever details and all the amazing ways they can interact with the text. But they will miss the deeper meaning behind the story that can launch an amazing conversation with a teenager. If you haven’t already, read my previous post about encouraging a rich inner life here. Then share The Fantastic Flying Books with your teenager and ask a few of these questions:

What do you think Morris wrote in his book before the hurricane? 

What do you think he wrote after the hurricane when he was in the library?   

Why was he in black and white at the beginning of the story? 

What changed his life to color? 

What do you think the story meant when it said there was a book for every person? 

Have you found your book yet? What is it? 

Does everyone have a story to tell? 

What is your story? 

What are your joys and sorrows? 

How do you want your book to turn out? 

After reading this simple but powerful book even more questions will come to you. Don’t miss the 17-minute silent film that inspired the picture book. It is also included in the app. If you don’t have an iPad, you can get the book as a hardcover or watch the silent film separately on iTunes.  The app itself is $4.99. Trust me, it is worth every penny!

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Elementary Activities: Great Apps and Websites to Encourage Young Writers

By Deborah Pace Rowley

I love the potential of the computer to encourage children to write. It capitalizes on the excitement of modern technology to teach one of the three classic R’s...reading, riting and rithmetic! Here is a list of the favorite apps and the websites that I use with my class. 

APPS

iDiary- This app has all the features you would expect from a fun online journal. Cool tools, unique stickers, the ability to add photos and more. The lite version is free but I recommend the full version for $1.99. 

Puppet Pals HD Director’s Cut- This fun app has kids creating a puppet show. The free version is fun for a start but I would recommend the director’s cut that costs $2.99 so your child can have lots more options of puppets including putting himself and his family into the show.

Toontastic- This app has kids creating and animating their own cartoons. There are lots of upgrades but I think the free version works just fine. 

Bookabi- This app is free and has kids putting comic book bubbles and captions on their own photos and drawings. They have so much fun turning their own photographs into comical creations that it is hard to get them to stop! 

Storywheel Lite- The lite version is free and allows kids to collaborate with their friends  or family members to create fun stories based on the objects that they spin on the wheel. The app lets you record your voice and then replay the story for all to hear. 

Poplet Lite- The lite version is free and allows kids to create fun webs that they can use to plan a story and brainstorm about plots and characters and action or whatever they want. 

Scribble Press- This app is probably my favorite for creating books that you can share online with family and friends. It has simple templates that the youngest child can fill in as well as drawing tools, stickers, the ability to upload your own photos and more. Better yet, it is free!

Paper 53- This free app is a beautiful tool for older writers to explore ideas, record hopes and dreams, sketch, draw and create in beautiful customizable notebooks. 

WEBSITES

Storybird- This artistically beautiful site encourages kids and adults to write stories to accompany their amazing illustrations. More illustrations are being added all the time, so check back often for fresh inspiration. 

StoryJumper- This is another fun site that includes great tools to inspire kids. It has story starters as well as lots of stickers, props, and costumes to inspire your imagination and bring your book to life. 

Happy Writing Everyone!

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Preschool Activities: Learning to Write Your Name

By Tiffany Rudd

Learning to write your name is an important preschool skill. It's also a very fun one to practice. Here are some of my favorite tips and activities for helping your child learn to write his/her name.

Tips:

• Start with having your child trace her name. It's easy to make your own reusable tracing page. Just go to THIS website, choose which decoration you'd like, click on standard block print, enter your child's name and it will create a free printable tracer page for you! Once you print it, just slide it into a plastic page protector and have your child use a dry erase marker to trace. (I couldn't find my dry erase marker, so Brooklyn is using a washable marker. It doesn't work as well, but will do in a pinch.) When she is done, she can just wipe it off with a tissue and start again!

• While your child traces her name, have her repeat the letters in a sing-song voice. B-R-O-O-K-L-Y-N. By the time she is proficient at tracing, she will also have this "song" and the spelling memorized. I still occasionally hear Cameron whisper his little song while writing his name.
• Once your child has the tracing and spelling down, write the name multiple times on a page and have her copy the letters below yours. Make sure you write big, little hands aren't developed enough to form tiny letters.
• Now that she has the letters down, it's time for some fun practice! Here are just a few ideas...

1. Write your name 10 times on the driveway using sidewalk chalk for dad to see when he gets home.
2. Cover the table in shaving cream and write your name in it. Then just rub it around to erase and start again.
3. Create a beautiful drawing of your name using Rainbow Writing. Send it to grandma or grandpa. 

             4. Cover a colored piece of paper in white sugar or 

                 salt. Trace your name in the sugar and then just 

                 spread it around to start again.

What other fun and creative ways have you used to help your child practice his/her name? Share them in the comments below!

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