Lewis and Clark Learns

Friday mornings, 7:45am, choice, fun, and friends. Catapult building Model Magic pitcher Model Magic sloth Bookmarks Ironing and cutting Machine sewing Hand Sewing Creating with tinkering parts Sewing was popular Model Magic and Yarn Bombing Keva Planks and Dash Week one-create      Week two-paint

As I have said before, we strive for a balance of reading, making, and thinking in our library.  Mrs. Haynes is FABULOUS at collecting data that helps us track many programs in our library.  One area that she continually tracks is our Missouri award reading data.  In the past few years we have seen our circulation and award book reading go down.  As a staff, we have tried to find ways to stop this decline.  The 3rd, 4th and 5th grade teachers continually use strategies and encouragement to help kids start AND finish books, we have implemented a set reading time at the end of our school day for the entire school, and I have been highlighting books and series every time classes come into the library for specials.  So when Mrs. Haynes shared this news with our staff about our Missouri award reading data, we were overjoyed that maybe our decline has come to a halt! Oh, and maybe the intrigue of the ChromeBooks has worn off as well...the opinion of one our 4th grade teachers.

Step 1:  Build a Lego Scene with Friends Step 2:  Storyboard Your Scene Step 3:  Design a Background Step 4:  Practice, Video, Improve, Repeat Step 5:  Final Video Production Step 6:  Share with our LC community and the world

We LOVE to see empty book carts and we LOVE our volunteers! Thanks to all of you who help our library run smoothly...shelving books, stamping monthly magazines, filling out birthday book forms, cutting bookmarks, and visiting with and helping kids as they search for great books to read!

This little gal is a Maker!  She was standing in line to check out her books and I spotted this cute little purse that she was carrying.  I asked her about it and she said that she had made the pot holders a while ago and they were in her kitchen drawer and she decided to stitch them together to make a purse.  Isn't it the cutest thing ever!

For the past couple of years, my 4th graders have started the year with a catapult inquiry project. Each time we work through this unit, I learn something new to improve my students learning.  This year we focused more on planning our ideas and building prototypes (they really just want to go in the MakerSpace and begin making) but we really talked about the benefit of planning.  Using the Launch Cycle Design Model, we are working through the steps to help us build a successful catapult.   We looked at the plans for our newest school addition to reinforce why the planning process is so important and the details that are required for a successful project. The planning and design process was taken very seriously!         Working in the MakerSpace during the planning process to see what materials are available for their builds.   A prototype and the plan! This year I am being a stickler about requiring the kids to build from their plan and not ve

I recently finished the book, Appleblossom The Possum by Holly Goldberg Sloan (the author of Counting by 7's )  Let me start by saying I will read anything that H. G. Sloan writes.  What an amazing author!  Appleblossom is the sweetest little possum you ever did read about and she totally changed my feelings about possums.  They just don't seem quite so nasty anymore:).  Just look at that cute little possum waving to you on the cover below.  She was drawn by Holly Goldberg Sloan's husband, Gary A. Rosen. I started reading this book on Monday and found myself headed back to school tonight (Wednesday) after dinner so I could find out what happened to sweet little Appleblossom in the "monster's house."  I have always thought that I didn't enjoy fictional animal books.  I may be the only person in the world who doesn't like Charlotte's Web.   I am beginning to wonder if it is because of the sadness I felt as a little girl when I read about Ch