Sponge Cake Bunnies

This time of year soft, plush bunnies arrive on stores shelves for Easter baskets.



Here's a cute bunny kids can make, then eat to celebrate the Easter holiday.


What You'll Need:

1- box(12 pack)Hostess Twinkies@ (for the body)
1- 12 Oz can Pillsbury@ vanilla frosting
1- 14 Oz bag flaked coconut (for the bunnny fur)
1- 10.5 Oz bag miniature marshmallows (for the tail)
1- package pink Pez@ candy (for the nose)
1- bag red hots candy (for the eyes)
3 to 4 tablespoons of milk
1- 2 Oz bag pink Easter Grass
1- 6 Oz bag jelly beans

Place frosting in a bowl and add milk. Mix until well blended (frosting should be thin enough to spread easily on twinkies). Frost twinkies then sprinkle coconut over them. Pat coconut down to keep in place. On one end on the frosted twinkies place the marshmallow tails. On the opposite end, add the candies for the eyes and noses.
Makes 12

On a cake plate, covered with pink Easter grass, arrange bunnies. Sprinkle jelly beans around for more color.

Reading Aloud:

I bet your students are hopping up and down with excitement. Easter is just two days away!



Settle them down and read the Velveteen Rabbit, by Margery Williams. An old favorite perfect for reading aloud this time of year. Kids love hearing this story - it touches their hearts.

Read my blog tomorrow, I'll have a recipe for cute and easy Sponge Cake Bunnies, kids can make.

More Phonograms

Last Thursday I promised you more phonograms to teach word families. If you've forgotten what word families are, why you should teach them, or how to teach this reading strategy read my blog entry on April 13th.

Here's a new list of phonograms for your students.

-amp,
-ank
-ap
-ar
-are
-ark
-ash
-at
-ate
-ave
-aw
-ay
-aze
-eak
-eal
-eam

Geography Bee

This time of year many school districts are getting ready for spelling bees. Students fortunate enough to qualify at the state level may go onto the national Spelling Bee held in Washington D.C..



The first Spelling Bee was held in Louisville, Kentucky in 1925. Organizers wanted to encourgage and reward good spellers and spelling habits. The term "spelling Bee" originated from the word word "bee" which describes a gathering of people around a mutual activity such as: sewing quilting, barn rasing or spelling.

Today, many teachers are putting a twist on the old "Bees" and developing - "Geography Bees".

Here's ten questions about U.S. geography you can add your next Geography Bee:

1. What state has the only diamond mine in the United States?

2. Where is the center of the contiguous United States?

3. What is the highest point in the United States?

4. What is the largest lake in the United states?

5. What U. S river is the shortest in the world?

6. What state has the longest coast line?

7. Which state borders only one other state?

8. What U. S. city is name for a game show?

9. What U. S,. city is know as the Earthquke City?

10. Where is the sunbelt?

Read my blog next week and I'll have the answers to these questions.

Math: Daily Math Facts

The basic building blocks of mathematics are addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division math facts.



In order for students to work with numbers in their everyday lives, they must know basic math facts. They must know instantly that 6 and 7 are 13. They need to be aware that counting in their heads or on their fingers takes too long.


Create math problems in addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Write them on a transparency sheet or on the overhead projector. Every morning, after daily oral language have students do twenty daily math facts.

Children need to practice five problems, on each process daily, to achieve mastery.

Craft Time, Letter Frames

Many school districts perform annual academic assessments in the spring. Schedules are crazy and the kids can be restless. Teachers find they don't want begin a new teaching unit, just to be interrupted by testing again. Here's a cute and easy craft that will keep the kids busy for a while.



You will Need:
A picture of Each Student - you may already have them from school pictures, if not use a digital camera.
1-Tub, Foam Alphabet Letters - you can find these at teacher or craft stores
1-Ream, Assorted Colors, Construction Paper.
Glue

1. Let students select the color of construction paper they want to use.

2. Pass out pictures. Explain to your students that they will be glueing letters, that spell out their names, below, above, or beside their pictures.

3. Have students glue their picture in the center of the construction paper. They then need to cut away the construction paper, leaving about a two inch border. This border can be cut straight or wavy.

4. In groups of four, have students gather the letters that will spell out their names. At their desks have them glue the letters down around their framed picture.

Another nice touch, if you have them avaiable, have students glue a magnet to the back of their alphabet Frame. Then, mom can put it on the frig!

That's It!

Simple Pleasures

Sunday, a day to rest and reflect



"We find little in a book but what we put there. But in great books, the mind finds room to put many things." Joseph Joubert, Pensees


Teachers lead hectic, fast paced lives. Today, slow down and enjoy a good book.

Cooking With Kids

Here's a riddle for your students

What's better than a chocolate chip cookie?



A chocolate chip chip cookie pizza!

Reward your students for their good work with this yummy treat. Best of all, they can help you make it! If you are lucky enough to have a stove at school, your students can help you prepare the dough. If not, do this step at home.

.
What you'll Need:

1 - 12" to 14" inch circular pizza pan
2 - 18 OZ packages of Pillsbury refrigerated cookie dough@
2 - 8 OZ tubs whipped topping@
2 - 1.25OZ bottles of yellow decorator sprinkles
1 - 10 OZ jar Marachino Cherries@
1- bottle red food coloring

#1 Press cookie dough evenly onto the pizza pan. Pierce the dough around the edges, with a fork, to prevent it from shrinking, then bake according to package directions. Let cool completely

#2 Thaw whipped topping and add a few drops of red food coloring, blend well. The idea here, the whipped topping is red pizza sauce.

NOTE: Many kids are allergic to food coloring dyes. Check first before you add food coloring.

#3 Sprinkle decorator sprinkles onto the whipped topping. You can use whatever color you like, this is the cheese.

#4 Drain Marachino Cherries throughly, then arrange them on top of the pizza. These are the pepperoni pieces.

Since this is such a rich treat you'll want to cut small pizza slices. This will help you serve as many children as possible.

Reading Aloud, Compare and Contrast

Teachers know that reading aloud daily is a major factor in determining whether children will become lifelong readers. Entends today's reading aloud time with a compare and contrast lesson.



Two books that are fun to read then compare and contrast text elements are: The Three Little Pigs by: Patricia Seifert and The Tree Little Wolves and The Big Bad Pig By: Eugene Trivizas

Here's how: Read the traditional version of The Little Pigs by Seifert. Have your students identify the main characters, their problems and how they solve them. Next, read the newfangled version by Trivizas and identify the same story elements.

Disscuss with your students how these stories are similar and how they are different. List similarities and differences on the board. If time allows you can have your students brainstorm a new version of this story.

Happy Reading!

Teaching Word Families

A Balance of Synthetic and Analytic Phonics Instruction



In the nineteen eighties there was a strong movement toward adopting whole language approaches to teaching reading. That is, analytic-phonics or whole word approaches. Today the pendulum has shifted back to what many experts refer to as the traditional approach or synthetic-phonics approach. More and more school districts are adopting curriculums that explicitly teach the alphabet, letter-sound associations and sounding out of words i.e. synthesizing/blending a letter's sounds into whole words.

Teaching word families strikes a balance between whole to part and part to whole phonics instruction. As children encounter common root words, prefixes, and suffixes again and again they begin to recognize these alphabet combinations instantly and no longer need to sound out each letter.

Most word families are usually rhymes and only require a beginning consonant sound, or consonant blend. For instance as in "ill", add p and you have pill, or add sk and you have skill. Really, word family endings are phonograms.

To get started teaching word families take a large piece of poster board. Create a chart by listing the following word endings down the left side of the poster board:
ab, ace, ack, ad, ade, ag, ail, ain, ake, ale, all, am, ame, an, ane, ang

Beginning with "ab" have students think of all the words they know that end in ab, For example: cab flab, tab, jab, .... Next, list their new words next to the word ending. Repeat this exercise for each word family.

Next Thursday I'll give you a new set of word families.

Reference: Reading Instruction that Works - Michael Pressley

Math Time

Elementary Teacher's - Here's a challenging word problem for your students
Doughnut Sale



Mr. Cook owns a bakery. One morning he put out several trays of doughnuts.

In came Mrs. Sweet, she was his first customer. She thought the doughnuts looked yummy, so she bought half of them.

Next, in came Mr. Salt. He looked at the doughnuts that were left, and decided to buy half of them.

Next, Miss Cream stopped by the bakery. She bought half of the doughnuts she saw.

Finally, Mrs. Baker ran into the bakery. She only bought six doughnuts. She wanted to buy more, but that's all that was left.

How many doughnuts did Mrs. Sweet buy?

How many doughnuts did Mr. Salt buy?

How many doughnuts did Miss Cream buy?

How many doughnuts were on the trays Mrs. Cook put out for sale?

HAVE FUN!

Building Vocabulary - Word Banks

Help your students retain the vocabulary and spelling words you've taught them.




Each time your students have new vocabulary or spelling words have them write their words on index cards. On the other side (of the index cards) write the definition.

Have students store their cards in an empty shoebox, they call their "Word Bank". Throughout the year have your students break up into teams and review the definitions and spellings.

By the end of year your students will have mastered their words.

Links of Interest

Hey, fellow teachers and educators.

One of the fun things about a blog is you don't have to write tons of new material every day. You can simply provide links to articles you know your readers might find interesting. With that in mind, here are today's links of interest:

If you write for children, or just love to know more about the life of authors, you won't want to miss this recent interview with dynamic author & speaker Cynthia Leitich Smith - THE SECRET OF MY SUCCESS: AN INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR & SPREAK CYNTHIA LEITICH SMITH.

April Fool's!

History Teachers

Do you remember which famous American was born on this Day in 1895?
Think!



April fools! It was Hugh Fraser - my grandfather.


The First April Fool's Day

In 1562, Pope Gregory introduced a new calendar for the Christian world, and the new year fell on January first. There were some people, however, who hadn't heard or didn't believe the change in the date, so they continued to celebrate New Year's Day on April first.

In sixteenth-century France, the start of the new year was observed on April first. It was celebrated in much the same way as it is today with parties and dancing into the late hours of the night. Others played tricks on them and called them "April fools." They sent them on a "fool's errand" or tried to make them believe that something false was true.


In France today, April first is called "Poisson d'Avril." French children fool their friends by taping a paper fish to their friends' backs. When the "young fool" discovers this trick, the prankster yells "Poisson d’Avril!" (April Fish!)


Americans play small tricks on friends and strangers alike on the first of April. One common trick on April Fool's Day, or All Fool's Day, is pointing down to a friend's shoe and saying, "Your shoelace is untied." Teachers in the nineteenth century used to say to pupils, "Look! A flock of geese!" and point up. School children might tell a classmate that school has been canceled. Whatever the trick, if the innocent victim falls for the joke the prankster yells, "April Fool! "


source: www.info.com

Reading Aloud:

Research tells us that reading aloud daily is a major factor in determining whether children will become lifelong readers.



TRACKS, a picture book by David Galef, is filled with action and colorful illustrations which makes it great for reading aloud .

As you read this book have your students or children predict where the train will go next.

A fun follow up activity for kids it to make a pair of eye glasses for Albert, the main character, out of construction paper and piper cleaners.

Creating a Home Office

by: Carol Fraser Boles

Writers spend a great deal time in their home offices.
Creating a comfortable, productive and inspirational office space should be the goal of every writer or business person who works from home. Arranging and organizing such an office can be easy.
Consider including the following aspects when setting up your home office:


Dedicate a specific room. You need to define your home office space as where you work and not mix it with where you sleep and relax. Devote a room for your home office. This is where you go to work every morning.

Create a comfortable home office: Buy a comfortable chair that rolls and make sure your keyboard is at the correct height. make sure you have adequate lighting and include a radio, if you work better with music and a coffee pot if you work best early in the morning.

Organize your home office: Have everything you need to write and execute projects in your home business efficiently. Place paper near the printer, maintain a rolodex to make call quickly, get a desk caddy for your pens, pencil, stapler, tape and notepads.
Set up an alphabetized list (using an address book) of your user and passwords for your computer.
Organize your bookshelves according subject for easy reference.

Create a space that’s inspirational: If you can, set up your home office in a room that has a window. Allow sunshine and contact with the outside world to come in. Sometimes this can be a distaction, but for most bringing the outdoors in increases their level of productivity and creativity.

Devote wall space to show your accomplishments. Hang your diplomas, awards and letters of recognition on the wall. Many people hang a picture of someone they admire. This motivates them to achieve their goals.

Create a warm and inviting space. Don’t dread going to your home office. Make it pleasing to the eye. Place family pictures on your desk, or on the wall. Tack up children’s art projects. Bring the garden inside with fresh flowers and green plants.


You will see your writing career or home business take off, when you decide to create professional workspace.

Chocolate Easter Nests Your Kids Will Love to Make and Eat!

Instead of coloring eggs this Easter how about having your kids make edible chocolate Easter nests? These nests are easy to concoct and will look and taste just like the expensive candy nests you see in the stores this time of year. Best of all, your kids can help with these. They'll have fun forming this chocolaty mixture into nests, then decorating each nest with jellybean eggs.


What you will need:

A double boiler
A medium size muffin tin
1 (14 oz.) bag sweetened flaked coconut
1 (6 oz.) bag milk chocolate baking chips
1 can chow mein noodles
1 (7 oz.) bag assorted jelly beans
1 Tbsp. solid shortening
Non-stick cooking spray

Directions:

In a double boil (or place a glass bowl over simmering water) melt the milk chocolate chips and one tablespoon of shortening. After mixture is completely melted, fold in flaked coconut and chow mein noodles. Gently mix together until thoroughly blended.

Spray muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray. Spoon enough chocolate mixture into each section of a muffin tin to flatten along the inside of each section make a basket shape. Immediately press jellybeans (gently) into nest.

When all sections of the muffin tin have been filled with a "chocolate nest," let them dry completely. While they last, display on a pretty dish covered with colorful Easter grass.

Makes approximately 24- 30 nests depending on your muffin tin.


Variation: These nests can be made with white chocolate baking chips as well. You can also add a couple of drops of either red or green food coloring to make pink or green nests from the white chocolate.


Happy Easter!

Let Me Coach You to the Ultimate Writer's Life - Work at Home, Set Your Own Hours, and Enjoy What You Do

Read this about writer Suzanne Lieurance's online coaching program - The Working Writer's Coaching Program. Suzanne is a freelance writer, children's author and working writer's coach.



Have you always dreamed of becoming a freelance writer? Someone who works from the comfort of your own home and even lives in comfy pjs, or sweatpants and a t-shirt, most of the time instead of stuffy, uncomfortable business attire?

Ah...it IS a wonderful life.

I know from personal experience. I'm sitting here at my computer in my bathrobe as I write this, while I watch other people outside, trudging off to their offices. I'm so thankful I don't have to jump in the shower every morning, rush to get dressed, and race out the door to a job that makes me miserable. Been there. Done that.

So what's stopping YOU from living the ultimate writer's life?

My guess is, you really don't know how to get started - OR - if you have gotten started, only to encounter a few road blocks along the way, you don't know what to do next to get back on track.

So, that's where I come in.

I teach many people HOW to write. But I also coach people and help them develop the freelance writing career of their dreams through my Working Writer's Coaching Program. I help each writer in the program develop a unique blueprint for a writing career based on his or her individual experience, talents, and interests.

Some of you may know me as a children's writer, but YOU don't have to write for children to take advantage of my coaching program. I have coached many people who write only for adults. Some are medical writers, business writers, educational writers, copywriters, etc. The program works for all kinds of writers who want to make freelance writing a part-time or full-time career.

Join me for a free informational teleconference about this exciting program on April 7th, at 7:00 p.m. (Central Time) and find out how it can help you live the ultimate writer's life. As an added bonus just for attending the conference, I'll email you a FREE copy of my Working Writer's Marketing Guide (a $19.95 value). It's yours to keep and enjoy, even if you don't sign up for my coaching program.

Simply click on my name below to send me an email and you'll receive an invitation to this free event (only cost is for the long distance phone call). In the subject line of the email write, "Free Coaching Teleconference."

I hope to talk to you soon about building the freelance writing career of your dreams.

Happy writing!

Suzanne Lieurance


P.S. Just for reading all this, I'd like to send you two free ebooks for writers. Visit the FREEBIES folder of my website and request them now.

Services For Writers

If you're a writer or business person, you need quality promotional materials to give to prospective clients, editors, and other people you will network with.

Don't settle for a generic business card. Have one created just for you. That way, it will help "brand" you in your particular niche.

Meet The Lieurance Group's newest member, Lisa Harkrader.



In addition to writing for children, Lisa specializes in the design and lay out of promotional materials for authors - bookmarks, business cards, and postcards. She also designs newsletters, calendars, and a wide variety of other materials. She will be a great asset to the Lieurance Group.

E-mail Lisa directly at lisahark@aol.com for more information about her writing and/or design services.

Visit her at www.ldharkrader.com to find out about her many books for children. Lisa is the author of twelve books for children; the most recent is a middle-grade novel, Airball: My Life in Briefs, a Junior Library Guild Selection and winner of the 2006 Juvenile Literary Award from the Friends of American Writers.

She has published over two hundred stories, articles, and poems in magazines such as Cricket, Spider, Ladybug, and Guideposts for Kids and in several anthologies, including Meadowbrook's Newfangled Fairy Tales.

She has received SCBWI's Magazine Merit Award four times, for fiction and poetry. Harkrader holds a BFA in art and has worked as a graphic designer for nearly twenty years. Her design clients include The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, the University of Missouri-Kansas City, and Rockhurst University.Lieurance for more information about her writing and/or design services. Visit her website (coming soon) to find out about her many books for children.