For Christmas, my son gave me a bird feeder. Just waiting for the birds to find it now!
Also got a new book of poetry from the folks at Charlesbridge Publishing called The Robin Makes a Laughing Sound: A Birder’s Journal by Sallie Wolf. It would be great to use at an observation station in grades 2-4! Here’s a sampling:
Cardinals
Rubies in the snow,
berry beaks.
Twelve cardinals in my snowy backyard.
Six pairs!
You are friends now, companions.
But when the snow melts,
when your colors fade a little,
when it’s nesting time?
I remember two red enemies last spring,
chasing, chasing each other through
my obstacle-course backyard.
Over the fence. Under the maple.
Around the house. Into the alley.
A two-week-long tournament to win this territory.
But when the nesting is done, the babies grown,
when leaves turn the colors of cardinals?
You are friends again,
companions for the lonely winter.
I love your books. I have recently relocated and have taken a job in a very urban and difficult school. I teach first grade and have been given carte blanch to get my kiddos reading and writing. I would love to have some of your input as to how best to accomplish this goal when there is no home help and we basically start over every monday.
Any advice and direction would be greatly appreciated.
Just hang in there. Read, read, read to them. Try to find some books they might make connections to. Read some more and then read some more! I always feel that if I can get my kids to love books, I have accomplished a lot. I hope you have a big enough library to let them explore several kinds of books and to look at them frequently. Celebrate every little accomplishment. Good luck to you.