Mitten Math

Yes... you can actually use mittens to teach simple mathematics concept!

Murphy, Stuart J.
The Missing Mittens.
January 2001.
Turtleback Books.
Guided Reading Level F
Review copy borrowed from local library.

I've featured many of Stuart J. Murphy's MathStart books on my blog in the past, so I'm more than eager to introduce yet another! This series helps readers make a connection between everyday life and mathematical concepts. The Missing Mittens focuses specifically on the idea of even and odd numbers... using mittens as a basis, since everyone knows you need a "pair" of mittens (or that each mitten needs a match) in order to keep your hands warm! The text is lyrical and funny, as Farmer Bill's farm seems to have a mitten thief who is robbing all the farm animals of their mitten's match. What's even funnier is who the culprit turns out to be!

Learning/Reading Activity:

• Help your child practice the concept of even and odd numbers by emptying out your mitten basket. Hide a few of the mittens, to ensure that there are some mittens without pairs. Help your child sort out the mittens. What number of mittens makes an even number? What numbers are odd? Then, to continue practicing, ask your child to complete the following worksheet! The worksheet asks children to determine if there is an odd or even number of mittens and then to draw one odd set and one even set.
  

If you're interested in finding out more information about any of the books reviewed or if you'd like to purchase the books, click the cover image for a link to Amazon.com. I am an Amazon Affiliate, so any purchases you make after clicking these images will result in my receiving a small percentage of the sale price!

Non-Fiction Monday: How Are Mittens Made?

This week's theme is mittens! So... I have to admit, this isn't technically a non-fiction title, but it fits the "idea," so I'm using the term loosely!

Greenstein, Elaine.
One Little Lamb.
May 2004.
Penguin Group (USA).
Review copy borrowed from local library.

This very simplistic text walks reader somewhat step-by-step through the process of making mittens. After all, all it really takes is One Little Lamb! A little girl visits the farm where a little lamb, covered in woolly fur lives. The wool is then cut from the lamb, cleaned and combed, spun into yarn, dipped into dye, rolled into balls of yarn, cast onto knitting needles, looped together in rows... until there are two little mittens, waiting to be worn back to the farm... to visit the lamb!

This book is absolutely perfect to use as an introduction to a mitten theme, as it introduces reader to how mittens are made! While it is ideal for beginning readers (large, simple text), it can easily be used with children of all ages!

Learning/Reading Activity:

• After reading/listening to One Little Lamb, children can complete the sequencing activity to show how mittens are made. The worksheet can be downloaded here.
  

If you're interested in finding out more information about any of the books reviewed or if you'd like to purchase the books, click the cover image for a link to Amazon.com. I am an Amazon Affiliate, so any purchases you make after clicking these images will result in my receiving a small percentage of the sale price!

February Giveaway Winner!

Congratulations to Marci! You're the winner of the 3 Title February giveaway, courtesy of Sleeping Bear Press! Check your email for details!

Slapdash Saturday - Black History Month Titles

I've had these titles hanging around for a while now, awaiting review. Black History Month seemed to be an appropriate time to feature these titles, so hopefully you'll find something you and your family can enjoy together!

Ingalls, Ann and Maryann Macdonald.
The Little Piano Girl: The Story of Mary Lou Williams, Jazz Legend.
January 2010.
Houghton Mifflin Books for Children.
Review copy provided courtesy of publisher.

Mary Lou Williams, an African American woman, taught herself to play organ at a very young age after listening to and then repeating the keys she'd heard her mother play. However, when the family had to move north to Philadelphia from Georgia when her step-father was seeking work during the war, Mary's family had to leave the organ behind... there just wasn't room to take it. Meeting much resistance as an African American girl in a new city, Mary felt left out with no friends. However, after being befriended by a lady from church, Lucille, Mary is once again in her element, drawing neighbors to Lucille's house where she can now play the piano, being deemed the "little piano girl." Mary eventually overcomes her hardships in life to go on to become a songwriter for Duke Ellington, Bennie Goodman, Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie. She is also known for being one of the most powerful women in the history of jazz.

This is a very inspiring children that will hopefully enable children to see that they should search out their dreams... with persistence, determination and hard work, they too can accomplish what they wish!

Learning/Reading Activity:

• Purchase or borrow from your local library some of Mary Lou Williams' favorite tunes. Listen to the CD with your children and perhaps even research if the songs have special meaning or if they were written based on true-life experiences.
  
• The Zodiac Suite
• My Mama Pinned a Rose on Me
• Free Spirits
  

Golenbock, Peter.
Teammates.
March 2010.
Harcourt, Inc.
Guided Reading Level: N
Review copy provided courtesy of publisher.

Another wonderful work for Black History Month, Teammates, offers readers an outlook on a slightly less featured aspect of African Americans in history... their role in sports throughout the years. Here, readers will learn about Jacking Robinson becoming the first African American ball player to depart the Negro League and enter the Major League after being recruited by Brooklyn Dodgers' manager Branch Rickey.

Readers will likely be intrigued at learning all of the hardships and prejudices Robinson faced in his first year on the team. This book is a perfect read for Black History Month, as it discusses in some detail the prejudices that Jackie Robinson, a baseball hero, faced alongside other African Americans.

Learning/Reading Activity:

• Read this book in addition to completing the Jackie Robinson, A Black Hero lesson plan.
• If your child(ren) is a fan of baseball, extend learning about Jackie Robinson and the trials he overcame by reading In The Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson and completing some activities found in A Guide for Using 'In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson' in the Classroom.
  

Hopkinson, Deborah.
First Family.
December 2009.
HarperCollins.
Review copy provided courtesy of publisher.

Just over a year ago, President Obama was sworn into office as the nation's first African American President. This was a huge feat for the African American population! In part due to the historical importance of this event, and in part due to the fact that this is the first time in many years that there have been young children in the White House, there seems to be an abundance of children's literature about the Obama family. This book give readers an insight into the life of this "historical" family - sharing their daily routines, as well as all that living in the White House provides for the family. The book is full of fun trivia and children will likely to be eager to learn about the White House and the First Family with this book!

Learning/Reading Activity:

• Moving can be a hard experience for some children - leaving behind friends and family for the unknown. Malia and Sasha were encouraged to feel more comfortable in their White House home by being allowed to decorate their new bedrooms however they wanted. Here, you will find a game that will allow your child(ren) to "virtually" create a bedroom of his/her own (although it does seem to be a bit on the feminine side). The Sims 3, albeit a bit pricey is also another great game for such simulations - the whole family can enjoy this one!
• The White House Garden is something else that has been in the news over the past year! Talk about the role of gardening in this family. What are the purposes and the importance of gardening to Michelle Obama and her family? Here, you will find a layout of the White House Garden and a blog entry with information about the garden.
• The White House website is full of information and interesting photos that your family can enjoy!
  

Shange, Ntozake.
We Troubled the Waters.
October 2009.
HarperCollins.
Review copy provided courtesy of publisher.

I think this might just be one of the best poetry books that focuses on all aspects of Black History! The poems and artwork is so revealing of the emotions experienced by African Americans that it's almost scary. The poems would be wonderful to share one per day throughout February to open a daily discussion about African Americans were treated in history. I've opted to share a few that especially touched me!

WATER FOUNTAINS
it's lucky for them
they could read
"colored" & "white"
signified who could
drink water from where
they were a bit puzzled
it was just water
but it was against the law
to get confused & have the
white boy drink from the
colored or the colored drink from the white
a serious crime under Jim Crow

• Discuss and describe the ways in which this poem and artwork could be considered ironic.

EAGER TO LEARN
bright eyes/books in hand
they simply want a place to learn
but who'll take two little negro girls
they're no danger/no threat
why threaten they right to learn

• Talk about why the rights of negro children to learn were threatened when they were no threat to other children.

Reading/Learning Activities:

• After reading and discussing the poems in this book, assign each child/student a different aspect of African American history. Ask each child to compile a poem and then illustrate the poem to accurately depict that even in Black History.
  

If you're interested in finding out more information about any of the books reviewed or if you'd like to purchase the books, click the cover image for a link to Amazon.com. I am an Amazon Affiliate, so any purchases you make after clicking these images will result in my receiving a small percentage of the sale price!

Pizza Party Friday

It's Friday... and the Olympics are on (tonight and for another week). What better night than to make some homemade pizza, kick-back and relax while watching this world-wide sporting extravaganza?!

Wagner, Lisa.
Cool Pizza to Make and Bake (Easy Recipes for Kids to Cook).
2007.
Abdo Publishing Co.
Review copy borrowed from local library.

This is a very interesting concept book for kids, as it shares not only some easy pizza recipes for their enjoyment, but is also full of information relevant to the making of pizza - tools that will be needed, cooking terms, and even the coolest pizza ingredients (although I was disappointed that my personal favorite, flatbread shells, weren't among those mentioned)!

Learning/Reading Activity:

• Share the book together as a family. Mention that each person will be allowed to create his/her personal favorite for Friday Night's Pizza Party!
  
• Determine what your "crust" will be... Traditional dough, bagels, or pita bread?
• What kind of cheese(s) will you use: Monterey Jack, Mozzarella, Parmesan, Cheddar?
• Toppings? Mushrooms, Black (or my favorite, Green) Olives, Pepperoni, Canadian Bacon, Pineapple, Onions, Green Pepper? Or any others that your family deems necessary for the perfect pizza!
• Purchase the required ingredients... if making tradition dough, work together as a family to do the mixing!
• Work together and recreate the Pizza-Riffic sauce (recipe is included)!
• Then, top your pizzas your way! Offer each other ideas and suggestions to increase communication as a household!
• Kick-back, settle down in front of the Olympics and enjoy those pizzas!
  

If you're interested in finding out more information about any of the books reviewed or if you'd like to purchase the books, click the cover image for a link to Amazon.com. I am an Amazon Affiliate, so any purchases you make after clicking these images will result in my receiving a small percentage of the sale price!

Pizza and Pasta Math

So... there are a whole bunch of ways to use pizza and pasta to explore mathematical concepts. I was really hoping to focus on fractions (with pizza at, at least), but the book I wanted to review for that concept wasn't available... so, I settled for these Pizza Counting... not that it isn't great in its own way! As for pasta, this was a wee bit harder, but I did find one book that took a creative approach to pizza and pasta and have somewhat of a mathematical concept!

Dobson, Christina.
Pizza Counting.
2003.
Charlesbridge.
Guided Reading Level: M
Review copy borrowed from local library.

In this clever book children will quickly catch on that the counting takes place based on the number of different toppings found on each of the pizzas. The book is great for practicing not only counting skills, but also simple addition for children who still need to visualize numbers and actually count up the two (or more) items to come up with the total (or sum). The crazily-decorated pizzas found within (a clock, a kitten, etc.) will have children giggling and anxious for what's to come! The book also provides interesting trivia - all related to pizza... Do you know how many 12 inch pizzas placed crust to crust are needed to build a path to the moon? Fractions are also briefly introduced, but I think I would find myself straying away from these pages, as fractions are supposed to represent equal parts and that isn't necessarily the case here (what, with crazy faces/decorations and all). I think the book would be most useful for simple counting and addition!

Learning/Reading Activity:

• I have created an addition work packet to coincide with the pizzas in the book, based on counting specific toppings and then adding to see the combined totals. The packet can be downloaded here. (I've recently upgraded to Microsoft Word 2010 - the packet appears to have saved/downloaded as a .docx file. I tested this on my other computer with an older version of Word and it formatted correctly. If you have trouble, leave a comment here and I'll save it on the other computer as just a .doc file and reupload!)
  

Hardesty, Constance.
Grow Your Own Pizza: Gardening Plans and Recipes for Kids.
2000.
Fulcrum Publishing.
Review copy borrowed from local library.

What a super-fun book for kids (and adults)! This book provides readers with the chance to get creative with their gardening, while at the same time encouraging healthy eating habits and using mathematical concepts (most appropriate for older children, but still manageable with the younger ones)!

Three particular gardening plans and recipes are appropriate for this week's pizza and pasta theme: Queen Margherita's Pizza Garden (easy gardening), Your Own Personal Pizza Garden (medium gardening skills), and It's-Not-Spaghetti Garden (advanced gardening). I'm going to separate the remainder of this review based on those three categories!

Queen Margherita's Pizza Garden

• This garden is ideal for beginning gardeners: 3 simple plants (tomatoes, garlic and basil).
  
• The garden is created in the shape of a rectangle (perfect to discuss with the youngest gardeners)... or you can get more complex with older children by discussing the gardening plot as "area."
• The garden can also be started (and fully grown) indoors as a "container" garden.
• The recipe itself is a no-oven recipe (although it does require microwaving)

Your Personal Pizza Garden

• This garden is ideal for those of you who have some minimal gardening experience: 7 ingredients (oregano, basil, tomatoes, green onions, bell peppers, zucchini, garlic).
• The garden is actually shaped in a triangle. Again, this allows the perfect opportunity to discuss either shapes or area, depending on your child(ren)'s math skills!
• Again, this garden too, can be started (and completed) as a container garden if space is limited or unavailable!
• A suggested activity is inviting 11 of your child's friends to join in on the personal pizza making fun, as the pizza makes 12 servings!

It's-Not-Spaghetti Garden

• This garden is ideal for more advanced gardeners: again 7 ingredients (however, a bit more needy of TLC) - carrots, garlic, parsley, basil, bell peppers, spaghetti squash, yellow summer squash.
• Sorry, no fancy shape here!
  
• This not-spaghetti garden has growers experimenting with spaghetti squash as a healthier alternative to actual spaghetti (interesting for children to see that spaghetti looking "stuff" can come out of that squash) - and from what I hear, it's even better than spaghetti... I have yet to that experimental!
• Container gardening plans are also available for this garden - a cool thought, knowing not everyone has a backyard with ample garden-growing space!
• This garden/recipe also has directions to create a nearly homemade primavera sauce to compliment your spaghetti squash meal!

This is an awesome book, chuck full of neat gardening activities (spring salad bow garden, salsa garden, rainbow garden, be-berry-patient patch, Three Sisters Native American garden, stir fry garden... to name a few others) that allow parents and children to work alongside each other and experience that sense of accomplishment at having grown so many home-grown foods! Math can be included in gardening activities in any number of ways... from staking out the garden, to planting the seeds according to package directions to measuring the amount of water each plant is given! Definitely something to check out!



If you're interested in finding out more information about any of the books reviewed or if you'd like to purchase the books, click the cover image for a link to Amazon.com. I am an Amazon Affiliate, so any purchases you make after clicking these images will result in my receiving a small percentage of the sale price!

More Pasta Fun!

I had originally thought that the pizza aspect of this theme would be the most fun... however, after reading these two stories and planning such fun activities... I'm thinking I might have been wrong! Hopefully you'll enjoy these pasta activities as much as I enjoyed reading and planning them!

Sayre, April Pulley.
Noodle Man: The Pasta Superhero.
2004.
Orchard Books.
Guided Reading Level: L
Review copy borrowed from local library.

The Dente family could easily be considered the know-it-all family when it comes to pasta... except they have just one problem - they can't seem to outsell their pasta now that pizza take-out has overtaken the town. Son, Al Dente (funny for parents to pick up on) comes up with a plan to try and sell more pasta - portable pasta makers that can provide fresh pasta to order. However, selling the pasta this way door-to-door seems less than successful... but, the pasta does come in handy in other ways! Children will love the crazy ways in which pasta is put to use in this clever tale! In fact, this book is so fun, I'm thinking I may have to incorporate this in to my class' "P Week" activities!

Learning/Reading Activity:

• Head out to Walmart or your cheapest local grocery store and pick up a variety supply of pastas. After reading Noodle Man: The Pasta Superhero, have your child use the pasta varieties to create a superhero of their own. Create the superhero using pasta and create some sort of super power using the pasta. For example, in the story, fusilli pasta was used as stilts to cross a flooded street... lasagna noodles were used as slides to rescue two children from a burning apartment.
  

Johnson, Paul Brett.
On Top of Spaghetti.
2006.
Scholastic Press.
Review copy borrowed from local library.

The long-time favorite children's song On Top of Spaghetti is combined with a unique story that is sure to have kids laughing and eager to sing along. The lyrics to the song are weaved into the text of the story, giving it both meaning and humor! This book is a perfect way to introduce children to the song before attempting to sing it!

Learning/Reading Activities:

• Read the story and then sing On Top of Spaghetti. You can sing along with the song after downloading here.
  

If you're interested in finding out more information about any of the books reviewed or if you'd like to purchase the books, click the cover image for a link to Amazon.com. I am an Amazon Affiliate, so any purchases you make after clicking these images will result in my receiving a small percentage of the sale price!

More Pizza Fun

A few fun Pizza read alouds for today with activities to match!

Castaldo, Nancy.
Pizza for the Queen.
2005.
Holiday House.
Guided Reading Level: L
Review copy borrowed from local library.

Based upon a true story, Pizza for the Queen shares the story of how Margherita Pizza came to be. Italian chef Raffaele Esposito, owner of Pietro e Basta Cosi pizzeria headed to work for a typical day. His typical day quickly turned atypical, as a request was made by Queen Margherita to try one of the pizzas that everyone is talking about. Raffaele sets out to make three of the most popular pizzas requested by customers. However, he's lacking the key ingredient to one of the three and therefore sets out to create a unique third pizza, that combines ingredients that match the colors of the Italian flag. The creation later became known as Pizza Margherita, gaining its name from none other than Queen Margherita and her love of the pizza creation.

Learning/Reading Activity:

• Use this recipe and create Margherita Pizza for dinner one night. It will be a cultural experience of sorts for children and also educational, as they will have an understanding of how this particular pizza came to be!
  

Gemignani, Tony.
Tony and the Pizza Champions.
2009.
Chronicle Books.
Review copy borrowed from local library.

Tony Gemignani is actually a World Champion Pizza Tosser! This fictionalized account of the championship is sure to have kids drawn in from the get-go! Children will love learning about the World Championship team and their fancy moves that gained them the world title! The story is educational and very fun to read!

Learning/Reading Activities:

• Head out to the local grocery store and pick up a ball of pizza dough - one for each member of the family. Watch this video about pizza dough tossing and then, the real kicker... give it a whirl in your own kitchen. See if you can toss the dough correctly and then take turns adding in your own special moves! Kids will love this activity!
  

Sturges, Philemon.
The Little Red Hen Makes a Pizza.
1999.
Dutton Children's Books.
Guided Reading Level: M
Review copy borrowed from local library.

In this take on the traditional version of The Little Red Hen, Philemon Sturges modernizes the tale by tackling a subject so many children are familiar (or at least interested) with - making a pizza. While the little red hen goes about making a pizza, he requests help from each of his friends, all of whom are too busy doing their own thing. However, when it comes time to sharing the pizza, they're all ready and willing - luckily, rather than being spiteful, the little red hen shares the pizza... and after enjoying the benefits of the pizza, all of little red hen's friends agree to help with the dishes!

I've always been a fan of The Little Red Hen, so I was very eager to include this in today's write-up! I hope you and your child(ren) find it as enjoyable it as much as I do!

Learning/Reading Activities:

• Maggie Nuttall has created a wonderful teaching guide to use in collaboration with The Little Red Hen (Makes a Pizza). There are science, math and art activities, as well as comprehension questions and more! The packet can be found here.
  

If you're interested in finding out more information about any of the books reviewed or if you'd like to purchase the books, click the cover image for a link to Amazon.com. I am an Amazon Affiliate, so any purchases you make after clicking these images will result in my receiving a small percentage of the sale price!