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Wednesday, March 2, 2011

World Read Aloud Day: March 9, 2011

 Join Lit World.org for World Read Aloud Day on March 9, 2011

Celebrate the Power of Words and Stories and Take Action for Global Literacy

Nearly 1 billion people entered the 21st century unable to read a book or sign their name. What would you miss most if you could not read or write? Imagine your world without words.

World Read Aloud Day is about taking action to show the world that the right to read and write belongs to all people. World Read Aloud Day motivates children, teens, and adults worldwide to celebrate the power of words, especially those words that are shared from one person to another, and creates a community of readers advocating for every child’s right to a safe education and access to books and technology. By raising our voices together on this day we show the world’s children that we support their future: that they have the right to read, to write, and to share their words to change the world.

Across the globe nearly 171 million children could be lifted out of poverty if they left school with basic reading and writing skills. Quality literacy education is the difference between life and death, prosperity and despair. This is literacy for survival.

It’s time to join the global literacy movement.


You can participate by spreading the word, reading with loved ones, organizing a community event, or if you're in the New York City area, join their 24-hour Read Aloud Marathon in Times Square...
to register visit  http://www.litworld.org/worldreadaloudday/



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Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Dr. Mimi Ito - How Media and Children interact


 We must teach our children new rules for engagement and privacy.  Do you think parents should be friends with their children on facebook?


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Wednesday, February 16, 2011

When the Kids are Away



What do parents do when the school bus pulls out of the driveway?  One little boy was sure he knew that good times were had by all while he was being shipped off to school. So he set out to find out for himself. I just rediscovered this musical short that I saw at the Urban World Festival a few years back, and I still think it's funny.  When the Kids are Away was directed by Jon Chu.  Jon Chu has moved on. His latest endeavor is the Justin Bieber Movie.

Update:  Jon's G.I. Joe: Retaliation is out in the movies now, and his is working on the He-Man reboot, Masters of the Universe.

Monday, February 14, 2011

Happy Valentine's Day!


 Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Robert Browning had a very intriguing and wonderful love story.   From the Victorian era, comes a story for all ages.  Enjoy one of my favorite childhood poems from Elizabeth. I think it is still taught in English lit today.  Have a Wonderful Valentine's Day

Sonnets from the Portuguese XLIII
by Elizabeth Barrett Browning

How do I love thee?  Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.
I love thee to the level of everyday's
Most quiet need, by sun and candlelight.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.
I love thee with the passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints,--I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life!--and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.


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Monday, February 7, 2011

Herbie the Giant Rabbit Rap



If you need a reason to take the children to the Prospect Park Zoo in Brooklyn, here you go!

Saturday, February 5, 2011

Happy Chinese New Year! The Year of the Rabbit!


 They will be celebrating the Chinese New Year in my neighborhood, Flushing, Queens with a parade down Main Street. This is the Year of the Golden Rabbit, which is suppose to be lucky, and be a good time to catch your breath and calm your nerves. Sounds good to me. I think a lot of us could use a breather.

To celebrate the New Year,  I have found a wonderful book of fantasy and folklore,  Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin. Thanks to Anita Silvey from Book A Day Almanac Ms. Lin tells the heroic journey of  a young girl, Minli who lives with her family in the dull, brown village where Fruitless Mountain and the Jade River meet.  Her parents have very little to give her materially but her father shares his wealth of stories and folklore with his daughter.  The stories ignite a determination in Minli to change her family's poverty by finding "The Old Man in the Moon" who is suppose to know how to bring good fortune. Thus, begins Minli's adventure, and along the way she meets a talking fish, a dragon, some greedy monkeys and an assortment of other characters. These stories will grab the attention of young readers ages 8 years and older, and provide a wonderful journey into the New Year!

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Thursday, February 3, 2011

Valentine Gift



Valentine's Day is around the corner so if you are thinking of making a little gift for someone special, Purl Bee has a great project.  I always think of Valentine gifts as sort of crafty and from the heart. This craft project look fairly easy. So if you start now you will be ready for the holiday. I know a couple of little ladies who would love this.  For instructions go to Molly's Sketchbook on Purl Bee http://www.purlbee.com/valentine-heart-barrettes/.