Friday Favorites: Thanksgiving Books to Check Out Now!

Happy November!  Today I am linking up with Andrea from Momfessionals and Erica from A Little Bit of Everything for:

                                       Friday Favorites!

My favorite holiday is Thanksgiving so I'm so excited to share these new titles with you!  I searched to find some new books for you to share with your students the year.  If you click on each cover, you can read more details at Amazon!

Ready to Catch a Turkey?

Thanksgiving time is here again, but there's a turkey on the run! Can you catch this tricky bird before the school play has begun?

Check out this fun book to find out!

Stretching Out Thanksgiving!

Based on the popular song ~ The Twelve Days of Christmas ~ find fun ways to make the Thanksgiving season last!

"On the first day of Thanksgiving, I was thankful for . . ." This festive story starts with ONE cozy evening at home with family, then adds TWO sacks of apples, and THREE fall squash, counting up through the twelve days leading to Thanksgiving. Kids will love spotting all the fun ways a family gets ready for Thanksgiving. And the book includes stickers—perfect treats for each of the 12 days.

If You Like Duck and Hippo Books, This One is for You!

I LOVE all Duck and Hippo books so I was especially pleased to see on about Thanksgiving!

It’s the day before Thanksgiving, and Hippo has his heart set on having a good old-fashioned feast with Duck and their friends. Together, Duck and Hippo go shopping for food and invite Turtle, Elephant, and Pig to share the special day with them. Then they get everything ready. But while Hippo goes to bed dreaming of his good old-fashioned Thanksgiving, Duck is busy making her own plans. There’s going to be a BIG surprise—one that will remind Hippo of all he has to be thankful for. Join Duck and Hippo for a memorable celebration!

If You Only Get One New Book, Get This One!

This new book, Thanksgiving in the Words, has beautiful illustrations and is based on a true story!

Thanksgiving in the Woods is based on the true story of a family in Upstate New York who has hosted an outdoor Thanksgiving feast in the woods on their farm for over twenty years.

Last But Not Least ~ a Book by Eileen Spinelli!

Eileen Spinelli has always been one of my favorite authors.  I'm especially excited to find this new-to-me book:

The gardener’s thankful for every green sprout.

The fireman, for putting the fire out.

The artist is thankful for color and light.

The clown for her costume silly and bright.

What are you thankful for these days?  Do you have any must-read Thanksgiving books?  Please share in the comments!

Happy Thanksgiving!  I hope you find a new book to enjoy at this festive time of year!

Check out more blogs here:

0

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? Panda Kindergarten!

Happy Veterans' Day!  Today I'm linking up with Unleashing Reading for:

Here is some BIG news for 2025!

At the Smithsonian National Zoo:

Giant pandas Bao Li and Qing Bao are here! Starting in January 2025, you can visit the new bear pair in their renovated habitat on Asia Trail.

One time I needed a book to read so I peeked in my Trait Crate (3rd grade version) and found a book called - Panda Kindergarten by Joanne Ryder:

This non-fiction books tells about a place in China that takes special care of panda moms and their cubs.  Panda moms care only care for one cub so if there are twins, one gets ignored.  Not at this place - the special people take care of the other panda while the mom tends to the other cub.  Then the people switch the cubs so that they both get what they need from the mom.  When the pandas are old enough, they go to kindergarten where they get to play outside on equipment; they even have rest time!  My students were crazy for this book!  Now they all want a turn to take it home.  You know it's a winner when that happens.

Now that the pandas are coming back, it's a perfect time to read this fun book!

Another professional book that I have found extremely useful is Reading with Meaning by Debbie Miller.  There is even a second addition!

 

This book gives ideas for reading mini-lessons and lists of books to use to teach reading strategies such as how to better understand what you read; using prior knowledge; etc.  I have found this book to be very helpful.

As always, thank you for visiting and have a great week!

 

0

Magnet Time!

Hello there!  Do you teach magnets in science?  If so, you'll want to check out this new slide deck with follow-up reading activities!

Claw machines use electromagnetism!  My students are obsessed with claw machines so I found a way to incorporate these machines into the slide deck!

More About the Slide Deck!

Magnets are really fun for kids to explore!  If only, they did not need to learn vocabulary and concepts such as these learning goals:

*Work with magnets to see the nature of the forces between two magnets.  Explore how magnets push and pull each other.

*Show how a simple design problem can be solved by using interactions between magnets.

There are 4 days of lessons.

1.  Introduction to Magnets and Vocabulary.

2.  Magnet Shapes.

3.  Electromagnets.

4.  Static Electricity.

Each day starts with warm-up slides that review what has been learned.

I also added in a bonus question on each slide.  

In addition, each day has a reading passage to reinforce that day's information:

There is also an answer sheet for each set of questions.

The questions could be done for homework or as part of a small group literacy activity.  I like to include science and social studies with small group reading to mix things up.

This product is in my TPT store.  Click here to check it out!

As always, thank you for visiting today.  Please let me know if you have any comments or suggestions!

0

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? October 28, 2024

Today I'm linking up with Unleashing Reading for their weekly link-up:

Now that I am retired, I want to keep up with what's current in children's literature.  Reading books to my students was always one of the highlights of my days!

Fun Chapter Book for Elementary Students!

This week I am excited to share a great series by author Judy Blume:

In this easy to relate to series, two siblings - the Pain and the Great One - encounter every day scenarios that the author makes fun and educational.  My students loved when the Pain put a pussy willow bud up his nose.  He ended up in the ER where the doctor passed on an important lesson.  If you're looking for an entertaining read aloud, check out any book in this series.

Perfect Veteran's Day Picture Book:

I recently read The Women by Kristin Hannah so the Vietnam War is fresh in my mind.  The Wall by Eve Bunting is a touching story of finding soldiers name on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, DC.  I remember how powerful the traveling wall was for me so I enjoy sharing this book with my students.  The Wall is a touching and memorable book that is perfect to read around Veterans Day.

In my personal life, I am currently reading and loving this suspenseful book:

The God of the Woods keeps me up reading at night.  The book is about a young teenager who goes missing at her summer camp.  Of course, I want to know what happens!  If you're looking for a book that will keep you excited to keep reading, this is a book for you!

Thank you checking in!  I hope you learn about some books you would like to check out!

0

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? = Link-Up!

Today I'm linking up with Unleashing Readers for:

Life in the Wild Series by Nicholas Oldland

Due to a family health situation, I retired last June.  When I left, I took these books by Nicholas Oldland with me:

These books are entertaining and wry.   The author uses a lot of figurative language which I love.  Every year on the third grade MCAS, there were questions about figurative language, and these books give an excellent opportunity to introduce and reinforce this concept in a fun way.

Click here to hear Hockey in the Wild read by me on my Youtube channel!

The Courage of Sarah Noble by Alice Dagliesh

I fell in love with this "based on real life story" the first time I read it, and I made sure to read every November when I was teaching.  Sarah is an 8 year old girl who travels through the woods of Massachusetts and Connecticut to help her father build the family's new home.  Sarah meets and plays with the Native American children.  

Check out me reading this book on my Youtube channel!

Now that I'm retired, I really miss reading aloud to my students.  It was always one of my favorite times of the day!

0

Friday Favorites: Plants that clean the air and more!

Hello there!  Thanks for popping over to visit the blog!  Today I am linking up with Erika from A Little Bit of Everything and Andrea from Momfessionals my favorites include snake plants which are natural air purifiers; 

Snake plants clean the air!

Growing up, my mother always had a plant called "mother-in-law's tongue."  Recently, I found these plants while food shopping:

The tag said they were snake plants!  Upon further research, I learned their nickname is "mother-in-law's tongue."  I bought the plants because I loved the pots they were in.  

Even better, these plants are super air purifiers so I keep them in my bedroom.  Snake plants remove toxins from the air during the night.  In addition, they convert carbon dioxide into oxygen.  They are basically living air filter powerhouses!  

Click here to check out a small business that sells these plants on Amazon or check out your local supermarket/greenhouse.  Most importantly, snake plants are really easy to take care of, and the return will improve the air quality in your home!

Two Books to Check Out:

I recently finished Sandwich by Catherine Newman.  

This books takes place on a one week family vacation on Cape Cod.  The main character, Rocky, is in her 50's, and she is "sandwiched" between her adult children and elderly parents.  I felt like Rocky was talking to me during the book.  She feels alternatively happy and heart-broken on the same page.  Rocky feels like a friend.  I especially liked her interactions with her daughter, Willa.   

This next book is delightful and enchanting:

I really loved and enjoyed this book.  The story takes place mostly in Dublin.  The three main characters:  Opaline, Martha and Henry love books and reading.  The characters are lovely and lovable.  I highly recommend this book.  If you want to read more, click on the cover to go to Amazon.

I always wanted a pair of Tretorn sneakers!

I picked up a pair of new sneakers, and I really love them:

I've always wanted a pair of Tretorn sneakers since high school when I played tennis.  Well, I finally got a pair, and they are really comfortable.  I get a lot of compliments on these sneakers for their color and retro looks.

I wish summer could be endless!

Here is one of my favorite pillows that keep on my bed all summer.  

Summer is definitely the season that goes by the quickest!

0

What's Up Wednesday? Check it out!

Hello there!  Today I am linking up with Shea and Sheaffer for their link-up:

What we are eating

In June, my husband had an esophagectomy.  The procedure is called Ivor Lewis  surgery in which the surgeon removes the tumor from the esophagus but needs to relocate the stomach between the lungs (the esophagus is not elastic, but the small intestine is long enough to reach the stomach's new location).  After the feeding tube which he had for three weeks, my husband advanced from clear liquids, to more substantial liquids like smoothies to bland, small meals.  We eat a lot of rice and mashed potatoes with small pieces of meat.  

What I'm working on

I am currently working on profound cleaning.  This is my term for deep cleaning such as washing windows, curtains, the areas underneath and behind furniture.  

What we've been up to

We have a new granddaughter who was born on July 21, 2024.  Her name is Cecilia Reese (Reese was my maiden name).  She is quite adorable and beautiful:

Cecilia's middle name is Reese which is my maiden name!  

What I'm reminiscing about

Now that I am newly retired, I am actually reminiscing about Back to School and getting my classroom ready.  I always got excited about decorating and cleaning my room; meeting my new students; picking out a new outfit for the first day.  

  

What I'm excited about

I started a new cross stitch for the baby.  I haven't cross stitched for over 30 years due to kids and work.  Now I have time to take up a hobby.

I bought this kit online at Love Crafts.  I really loved the variety and quality of their products. If you want to get 30% off your first purchase, type in my name:  Susan Krevat, when checking out.

What I'm watching

We are watching Lady in the Lake on AppleTV.  

The series is based on a book by Laura Lippman.  Natalie Portman plays Maddie, one of the main characters who is undergoing a huge life transition.  The show takes place in 1960's Baltimore is full of racial and religious tension.

What I'm wearing/shopping for

and

What are my recent Amazon purchases?

I just bought my daughter 3 new pairs of Little Blue House by Hatley sleep shorts and a sleep shirt.  

As always, thank you for checking in and reading the blog!  

0