book club

Taking Book Club to the Treetops with Go Ape USA

April 16, 2018 by Amy Leave a Comment

I had a hard time finding books for book club (at least initially) when I was planning last summer. I had expected to use lots of classics, but I found that My Little Man had read every single one I pulled off the library shelf! After pestering our friendly librarian for lots of book topics, she suggested the Stranded series by Jeff Probst as a great survival story – and I’m glad she did.

The trilogy is about four kids, new siblings in a blended family, who get stranded on an island in the South Pacific and need to find a way to work together – and to survive. They’re fairly short, easy reads, and each book has cliffhanger endings until the third, which is why I asked the book clubbers to read all three.

In the third book, there’s an incident with a cliff and three of the kids. When I read that scene, I knew we needed to do some climbing – and the idea for our treetop adventure with Go Ape USA was born.

I worked primarily with a man named Jon at Go Ape’s headquarters, who gave our group a discount, patiently explained the details and rules to me, and helped us get set up. There’s a lot to know, because the rules and pricing vary for different age groups, and I wanted to make sure that our adventure went smoothly. Go Ape also requires one adult for every two kids, and so it was important to stay on top of the numbers – and for good reason. More on that soon ….

We got everyone together for a group picture before we headed off for our training session. Most of us were really excited, but a few people were pretty nervous, and, again, for understandable reasons: we were headed 50 feet up into the treetops and would tackle ziplines up to 500 feet long.

After getting outfitted with our harnesses, our Go Ape instructor walked us through a mini training course on the ground so that we could encounter the different scenarios we would face in the air. This was critical because no instructor would be in the air with us. We’d be in charge of hooking ourselves in and out of the safety gear.

Soon we were headed up ladders and into the trees. We were each decked out with a harness that stayed on us the entire time, and we used double lines and carabiners to attach the safety lines to our harnesses at each station. We went through five courses, with each one starting with a ladder and spiraling higher and higher into the treetops.

We encountered lots of these obstacles in the air. We were always supported by safety lines and our harnesses, of course, but we walked over wires, free-fell into nets, walked across swaying, wooden bridges, and much more. A few times there were even options for different paths with varying difficulties.

The sky was a beautiful blue on the day of our trip but the temperatures remained in the 40s, and oddly enough, we had several inches of snow the day before. Our landings from the ziplines were often a bit muddy, but since the trees hadn’t budded out yet, we could see pretty far, and the views were incredible.

It was fun to see everyone trying new things – only about three of us had done anything like this before – and we all worked together well.

Many of the obstacles were harder than they appeared, and they really tested your physical strength – and your bravery, too.

I dreaded this type of obstacle. They’re really hard for people like me with short legs, but even though I’m not any taller than I was the last time I did a course like this, it was easier. Maybe because I could depend on my harness to help me, or maybe because I was completely responsible for two girls and had to keep up with them – maybe both! – but while it was challenging, it was doable.

Even though I planned this outing and knew the benefits of it, I’m rather glad I wasn’t able to see my kids zipping. While I checked my Big Helper’s gear to be sure that she was hooked in properly before she stepped off the platform, she was quickly out of sight amidst the trees, and my Little Man was zipping around with DH, so I couldn’t see it. Even when you know it’s safe, it’s still hard to see your people jump out of a tree.

I’m thankful that a friend took such amazing pictures of them, though, so that we can remember our adventures – and that I couldn’t see them until we were all safely on the ground. Thanks, Lynn!

Sticking landings were hard and quickly became everyone’s goal, though most of the time we just landed on our bottoms in the mulch.

Did I mention that we were up really high?

I loved hearing and seeing the teamwork that happened during this event. Although I about half expected complaints, tears, or even a refusal to go up, everyone bravely strapped on their gear and climbed the ladders – even the people I knew were scared. I heard people cheering each other on, encouraging comments being yelled from one obstacle to another, and cheering when someone completed a hard obstacle. It was great!

My Little Man was one of those not wanting to go, and, really, Go Ape was bigger than anything any of us had done before. We watched the videos, we talked about harnesses and zipping and what to do if you were scared, but he wasn’t sure about the whole thing; when we got there, however, he was all in, and he wanted to take the hardest route every time there was a choice. He absolutely loved it and has asked several times to go back.

We definitely made memories during our treetop adventure for the Stranded trilogy with Go Ape.

Have you ever done a treetop adventure course?

Book Club: Hiking the Mountain-to-Sea Trail with “Nature Girl”

March 6, 2018 by Amy 2 Comments

We’ve been doing this book club thing with my daughter for six years now. She was a good reader before we started, but my goals have changed a bit along the way. I want more than just fun with books and friends now – I want to be able to dig in to the books and bring them to life. I’m looking for springboards for good discussions about life and faith and choices. I want to see thoughts and experiences that my book clubbers can take with them into the future.

That’s why I chose Nature Girl by Jane Kelley for our February book choice. It was an unusual choice for me as the main character Megan was annoyingly selfish in the beginning, but what makes the book so great is the way that she grows throughout the story. Her transformation – and the determination it takes her to complete the quest she’s given herself along a piece of the Appalachian Trail – is quite discussion worthy.

That’s how we found ourselves talking about Megan over lunch at Chick Fil-A in Durham. We all expressed our irritation with her selfish ways in the beginning of the book and whether we felt there was redemption for her by the end. We talked about what it must take to hike the full length of the Appalachian Trail and how we would personally handle moving to another region of the country for the summer like Megan’s family did.

Then we set off.

Not on the Appalachian Trail. As much as I wanted us to go and hike a part of that, it’s closest point to us is a few hours away, and that wasn’t really feasible. Instead, we headed out to hike a part of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail, a path still in creation here in North Carolina that does just want it’s name declares: it starts on Clingman’s Dome in the mountains and finds it’s way to Jockey’s Ridge in the Outer Banks along the Atlantic, a journey of 1,175 miles. We chose to hike a six-mile portion along the Eno River in Durham, the same distance that Megan hiked each day of her journey.

We started at the Cole Mill access point to the trail. The temperature was in the low-to-mid 60s and the sun was out in full force, making it a beautiful day to hike.

The first part of the trail was the roughest, as we climbed down to the river and then walked along a narrow dirt path along the bank. We were happy to discover many trees fallen into the water, however, that were lined with turtles sunning themselves. This photo op – and the happy turtle above – kept us observing them for a little while before resuming our hike. We continued to see turtles all along our six-mile trek – nearly 80 of them altogether! Turtles are thriving in the Eno River.

The next part of our trek took us up stairs built into a hill, across a road, along a bridge, and down the other bank to the other side of the river. Road construction on the bridge kept the traffic to a minimum, making this part of our hike safer for us, and then we were back on the trail and moving along. The next few miles of the trail were the roughest, with an abundance of rocks and roots, making the hike not difficult, but making it important to watch your foot placement carefully.

There was a lot to see along the way, though. A neat feature of this stretch of trail are the historical ‘ruins’ we encountered along the way. There are remnants of an old pump station, and there are stone foundations, stone walls, earthen ridges, and more stretched out along a half-mile. The girls loved climbing all over these!

Besides turtles, there were lots of neat natural elements to see, too. The kids spotted a small brown snake along the trail at one point, along with lots of beaver slides and trees that beavers had cut down. We saw birds flying and spotted a woodpecker going to town on a tree. The trillium was just about to burst into bloom all along the trail, and the grasses were a brilliant green.

Just before we crossed the river for the last time, we began to encounter the remnants of houses. This one featured a sturdy stone chimney still standing, and the kids enjoying trying to climb it to sit on the mantle. The foundation was still visible, too, and we found pieces of a stove, bedsprings, and old pump all nearby. It was interesting to try to piece together what we found and guess about who might have lived there and what their lives were like.

After another two miles, we crossed our last creek and headed for the homestretch. Because we were so close, we stopped to play at the river’s edge, which for most of the kids meant throwing in rocks or crossing a small dam to a peninsula-like piece of land a few feet across the water. Unfortunately, several kids fell in at this point, but at least it was near the end of the hike, and they came up wet but laughing. I imagine it wasn’t any colder than what Megan experienced when she fell in that river in Massachusetts!

My Big Helper and I secretly laughed at two of these girls along our hike, because they kept saying that instead of ending our hike at the six-mile point, they wanted to turn around and hike back to the beginning. After falling in the river, however, and finishing our trip, they changed their minds and were happy to sit down and rest.

They didn’t rest for long, however! The girls were soon up and climbing around on trees and playing tag while we waited for our rides to pick us up. They’re full of energy!

Nature Girl was a great book for our club and has sparked lots of conversations in our family about the importance of discipline, hiking, and nature conservation. We’re hoping to do more long hikes in the future.

What about you? Are you a hiker?

Book Club with the Boys: “The Way of the Warrior”

February 14, 2018 by Amy Leave a Comment

I was intrigued when I first saw The Way of the Warrior on the new-book shelf at the library.

I was hesitant when I saw the simple line drawings dotting the page – because I was looking for a middle-school book club pick and wanted something real and fun but meaty. Worthy of the time I’d put into reading it and planning the event.

I kept going, though, because of the synopsis – a kids’ book written by a former SEAL, to teach you to be tough?

I’m so glad I did.

In this first book of an illustrated middle grade series by a #1 New York Times-bestselling author, Marc learns to become a Warrior Kid after his uncle Jake, a Navy SEAL, comes to stay for the summer.

Fifth grade was the worst year of Marc’s life. He stunk at gym class, math was too hard for him, the school lunch was horrible, and his class field trip was ruined because he couldn’t swim. And the most awful thing about fifth grade? Kenny Williamson, the class bully, who calls himself the King of the Jungle Gym.
When Marc’s mother tells him that his uncle Jake is coming to stay for the whole summer, Marc can’t wait. Uncle Jake is a for-real, super-cool Navy SEAL. And Uncle Jake has a plan.He’s going to turn Marc into a warrior.

Becoming a warrior isn’t easy. It involves a lot of pull-ups, sit-ups, push-ups, squats, swimming, eating right, and studying harder than ever before! Can Marc transform himself into a warrior before school starts in the fall – and finally stand up to the King of the Jungle Gym?

Find out in Jocko Willink’s Way of the Warrior Kid.

I loved this book initially because of the anti-bullying stance that it takes because I’ve seen that issue among the kids I work with, and I hate to see people excluding others. I love the way that author Willink handles it in Way of the Warrior Kid, and I had high hopes that it could help quell any uncertainty we might have in this group. It’s great on so many other levels, though, and I knew just the guy who could stand in for Willink: local martial arts master Earl Fuller.

Mr. Fuller worked with a group of my kids in the past, and he was fantastic. He was even more impressive this time.

Mr. Fuller began by sitting down and talking with the boys about his story. He shared his testimony, his personal experiences with stuttering and being bullied, and with his reasons for turning to martial arts – as well as the incredible success he found down that path.

He didn’t stop there, though. I don’t know if Mr. Fuller read the book, but he nailed every theme Willink write into the story: healthy eating, personal discipline, respect for authority, goal setting, etc. He spoke slowly, kindly, and you could tell he really cared about these boys.

Then they got to work. After doing some basic calisthenics and talking about the importance of being strong and physically fit, he taught them basic self-defense moves. They were the kind of thing to remember if you’re being mugged or attacked by a bully and can’t get away: the sort of thing that you can use to protect yourself.

He showed them how to put their arms up to protect their heads, and then how to use that position to block blows to the head. He had them practice blocking – isn’t My Little Man into this in the picture above?

Mr. Fuller taught them several other kinds of blocks, get-away moves, or ways to distract an attacker long enough to get away. They practiced a few holds and getting out of them, as well as hot spots to target if they were able to get a blow in themselves – all not to engage someone in a fight, but to get out of one.

After Mr. Fuller left, we picnicked while talking about Way of the Warrior Kid. The group agreed that it was their favorite book pick of the year!

Then we moved on to other aspects of the book. Inside, Uncle Jake asks Marc to write his own warrior code, and so I asked the kids to split into groups and do the same. They were excited to do so and listed some really good ideas.

Last, we watched a video I found online of a reporter challenging Willink to a grappling match so the kids could see what sort of results discipline could lead to – and then we tried the baseline tests that Uncle Jake gave to Marc at the beginning of the summer. We timed how many push-ups and sit-ups each kid could do in two minutes. Then we tried out the other exercises that Marc did daily – like burpees, diamond push-ups, star jumps, etc. They were really hard!

My Little Man came home with a new appreciation for discipline and ideas for ways that he could add some of these exercises into his daily routine. I love that Willink wanted to inspire kids to set goals and improve themselves, and Mr. Fuller did a great job of bringing that message home in person.

If you’re looking for a book for your book club, class, or young reader, give Way of the Warrior a read. It’s definitely worth it.

What are your kids reading this week?

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Hunting for Bigfoot with “Lemons”

January 31, 2018 by Amy Leave a Comment

I love that our local library gets lots of new books – and many of those are books by debut authors. One of those books turned out to be a fantastic book club pick with loads of possibilities. It’s called Lemons by Melissa Savage.

Savage’s book is a wonderful story of grief, healing, friendship centered around the search for Bigfoot. It’s sad and funny and poignant all at once, and the possibilities for learning with this book are endless.

In the story, main characters Lem and Tobin take several overnight wilderness expeditions to search for Bigfoot, and when I read this story, I knew our book clubbers needed to do the same.

We made arrangements to rent a cabin in a local park. The girls came for the first night, and the boys for the second. We had t-shirts made especially for this event to match, as much as possible, Tobin’s Bigfoot Detective Agency, LLC’s, shirts. We also wore sturdy clothes and adventure hats.

After settling into the cabin and setting up camp, the girls found sticks for cooking and whittled the ends. Since Lemonade and her grandfather ate hot dogs and tater tots every night, we chose to do the same, campfire style. We also cooked baked beans and made s’mores.

When our cooking preparations were complete, we headed off to the lake.

Boating doesn’t actually feature in Lemons at all, but since we were camping within sight of the water, it was too good of an opportunity to pass up. We rented canoes and kayaks and spent some time exploring the nearby shoreline. After a while, several of the girls choose to tie their boats together and just bob around in the cove, talking and laughing. It was sweet!

Then we headed back to shore to begin our Bigfoot exams. Just like Tobin required Lemonade to take an oath before joining the Bigfoot Detective Agency, LLC, the kids showed off their Bigfoot knowledge. First, we talked about the ways that Bigfoot varies from humans – the stride, physiological differences, etc.

Next, we did the Yeti Spaghetti test. The kids had to dig through a basin filled with cold, oily spaghetti noodles to pick up the Gummi worms. Each book clubber had to find 3.

Then, they did the Toe Jam test. Each book clubber had to find five Gummi bears in tubs of cold oatmeal, blindfolded. They found this quite easy to do, but the gross factor was high, and the rest of us were in stitches the whole time.

After passing all three parts, the book clubbers took the same oath that Tobin required of Lem in order to join the Bigfoot Detective, LLC.

After that, we built the fire and talked about the book while the fire grew. When the coals were ready, we cooked our dinner. We had mixed success with that – while the kids downed the hot dogs and beans, our experiment of spearing Tater tots to cook was less than successful. The second night, the group just wrapped them in foil and threw them in the fire. That worked much better, although it wasn’t as fun.

All told, the entire experience was quite the trip, and everyone got plenty to eat.

After dinner, when it was dark (and pictures weren’t easy to take), we gathered our flashlights and our Bigfoot detective kits. We got magnifying glasses, bags full of plaster of Paris, water bottles and the like, and we headed off into the woods.

We took a trail around a peninsula-like piece of land and looked for footprints. With the temperature dropping and the dark of night full-on, it wasn’t easy – and neither group was able to find any. The girls were more excited about this than the boys, and neither one found anything worthy of breaking out the plaster – but it was a fun hike, nonetheless.

The next morning, after a breakfast of muffins and fruit, we headed off into the woods to play “Capture the Flag” like Lem and her new friends.

All too soon, it was time for parents to come and get their kids.

We had a great time talking about the themes of this book and enjoying the great outdoors, just like Lem and Tobin. Although we didn’t find Bigfoot, we made lots of memories.

What are your kids reading this month?

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Book Club: “All Four Stars” by Tara Dairman

January 18, 2018 by Amy Leave a Comment

I’ve had trouble keeping up with our book club sharing, but we’ve been having loads of fun with books this year! All Four Stars was one of those books.

Meet Gladys Gatsby: New York’s toughest restaurant critic. (Just don’t tell anyone that she’s in sixth grade.)

Gladys Gatsby has been cooking gourmet dishes since the age of seven, only her fast-food-loving parents have no idea! Now she’s eleven, and after a crème brulee accident (just a small fire), Gladys is cut off from the kitchen (and her allowance). She’s devastated but soon finds just the right opportunity to pay her parents back when she’s mistakenly contacted to write a restaurant review for one of the largest newspapers in the world. But in order to meet her deadline and keep her dream job, Gladys must cook her way into the heart of her sixth-grade archenemy and sneak into New York City – all while keeping her identity a secret! Easy as pie, right?

There are so many things that I wanted to do with my book clubbers for this book! The possibilities are endless, and they’re so very fun, but …. I couldn’t decide, so this one became a multi-day event!

On the first day of our All Four Stars book club event, we headed to Durham to the India Gate, a family-owned restaurant with a lunch buffet. This seemed like a great way for our kids, none of whom had ever tasted Indian food before, to sample some of the things that made up Gladys’ best meal ever.

The people at the India Gate couldn’t have been kinder, even though we took up fully half of their tables during their busy lunch rush. If you’re in the Triangle area of North Carolina, the India Gate is definitely worth a visit.

One reason I chose the India Gate over other local Indian restaurants is that they feature Gazar al Halwa on their menu. The orange-y dish in the front is this one. Several of the book clubbers were also excited to try goat, as they’d never eaten it before, and so one family ordered goat biryani and shared it with the group.

Following our delicious lunch, we headed to a Chick Fil-A down the street – not because we were still hungry, but because we wanted a quiet place to sit and write a review, Gladys-style, of the food we had just eaten without being overheard by the India Gate staff. The kids got in groups and wrote their reviews, trying hard to use foodie phrases and colorful, descriptive words just like Gladys.

The next day we continued our Indian foodie theme. A former missionary to India came to visit us, and she was wonderful! She brought photos of her life in India, told stories about cultural differences, and even brought a sari that she wore to a wedding during her time there. She helped each female put on the main piece of the sari to get a feel for what the traditional clothing was like. It was a beautiful sari!

She also brought money from India for us to pass around and compare to our American money. She brought storybooks, snacks, and more, too. It was truly a wonderful and informative visit.

After that, we baked Gladys’ green tea cupcakes with sesame icing. I love that Dairman has some of Gladys’ recipes on her website! We really had no idea what these would taste like, but we were all pleasantly surprised. Rather than tasting strongly of a new flavor (which would have been okay, just new), they were mild, with the icing tasting like peanut butter. Several of the kids had seconds!

For our last All Four Stars project, we Skyped with Tara Dairman herself! She was very nice and told great stories. I loved hearing the kids ask about her writing journey and her world travels. (I was so focused on the conversation that I forgot to take pictures!) I’m so glad that she was willing to speak with us. Why is it so important to meet friendly authors like Dairman? Find out here.

All in all, I loved our experiences with All Four Stars. We tried new things right along with Gladys, we learned about other cultures, and we tried our hand at writing restaurant reviews. If you have a fellow foodie or are looking for a fun, foodie read, definitely check out All Four Stars.

For even more learning fun, check out these projects:

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Book Club: “Harry Potter & the Sorcerer’s Stone”

October 4, 2017 by Amy 2 Comments

We recently embarked on one of our most fun book clubs ever: we read Harry Potter & the Sorcerer’s Stone.

My Big Helper worked with me to flesh out details of the book that we could bring to life. We spent several days making labels and creating things to turn my yard into a wizarding world.

The day of our book club event dawned bright and sunny with brilliant blue skies. The kids hurriedly donned their Hogwarts gear and ran outside.

After everyone had arrived, we kicked off the day with the Sorting Hat. I sewed it out of some khaki-colored felt and carefully put a small pocket on the inside of the hat. When it came time for our sorting, a friend called my phone, which we then hid in that pocket. As I loudly called each child’s name, he declared the house each child would go into. It was a very fun part of the day, and the kids cheered for their housemates as the sorting continued.

Following the Sorting and welcoming speeches, we moved onto the back deck for History of Magic. We decided to recreate most of the classes that Harry Potter and his friends attended, and we used this class to summarize and discuss the book.

The kids also decorated paper neckties that matched their individual houses. Then they wrote about what they thought they might see in the Mirror of Erised.

Potions class had us relocating to the driveaway, where we used a mixture of powders to create neat reactions.

They were very fun to watch!

Lunch was especially fun. We made many of the foods mentioned in this book, particularly those found on the lunch trolley on the Hogwarts Express, like Pumpkin Pasties …

Golden Snitches ….

and Pumpkin Juice.

We ended the day with a rousing game of Quidditch. We modified it a bit, of course, since our brooms don’t actually fly, but the kids didn’t seem to mind. They had a great time chasing their Snitch around our yard and trying to win the house cup.

The Harry Potter books have become cultural icons. They’re amazing works of literature, but they’re loads of fun, too. Give it a try and see what Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone can do for your book club.

NEW! “Lemoncello” Movie Pack and Bundles!

September 15, 2017 by Amy Leave a Comment

It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of Chris Grabenstein’s Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library series, and I’m not the only one – that first book spent more than 100 weeks on the New York Times’ Bestseller List. The second in the series is just as good, and the third is due to be released in just a few weeks – I’m super excited!

There are a few things that makes these books so wonderful – first, that they’re entertaining but completely clean reads, which is a rare thing for a middle-grade book these days. Just as good, though, is that they’re smart books. Grabenstein writes philosophical truths, lessons about kindness, and educational skills throughout his books, but your kids won’t realize that they’re learning anything – they’ll be too busy laughing at Mr. Lemoncello’s antics and trying to solve the mysteries before Kyle Keeley does.

I’m all for maximizing learning opportunities, though, and so that’s why I’ve created some really fun extension activities and novel studies to accompany these books. You can find them here – and I’m happy to share a few NEW products, just in time for the movie release!

That’s right – Nickolodeon has turned Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library into a movie, and it premieres on October 9.

To go along with this fantabulous opportunity to compare book and movie, I’ve created a new movie pack – full of discussion questions, creative writing projects, recipes for your movie party, printables, and more! You can get your own copy here.

You might want more than just those few pages of movie-related fun, though. Perhaps you’re going all out for a big Lemoncello party, reading and watching for a book club event, or hosting your own library-style gala, just like in the book. I’ve put together a bundle with both resources from Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library, which features three games, loads of printables, a recipe for Lemonberry Fizz, and more. You’ll find both the original party pack and the new movie pack in this bundle – 89 pages of fun!

If you’re as big of a Lemoncello fan as we are, though, that might not be enough. Maybe you also want to try your hand at Lemoncello-style scavenger hunts, STEAM activities, a unit study, plus all the printables, games, recipes, and more from the above bundle, then this is the one for you. With 199 pages of Lemoncello-style fun, you’re guaranteed to find just the right learning projects and activities to maximize your child’s learning.

Who else is counting down the days ’til the movie and the new book release?

NEW! Nature/Literature Scavenger Hunt Printable Pack

May 22, 2017 by Amy Leave a Comment

You know I’m a super big fan of great books. I love it even more when those books lead to more educational investigation, and that’s exactly what Julie Andrews Edwards’ book Mandy does.

Mandy, a ten-year-old orphan, dreams of a place to call her own. Escaping over the orphanage wall to explore the outside world, Mandy discovers a tiny deserted cottage in the woods. All through the spring, summer, and fall, Mandy works to make it truly hers. Sometimes she “borrows” things she needs from the orphanage. Sometimes, to guard her secret, she even lies. Then, one stormy night at the cottage, Mandy gets sick, and no one knows how to find her—except a special friend she didn’t know she had.

This is the perfect book for ten-year-old girls who love tiny houses and stories filled with hope.

Mandy is a classicly-styled story of a little girl dreaming for a home while trying to create her own in an abandoned garden. The story lends itself perfectly to investigating more about the plants and animals that Mandy in her garden at the Shell Cottage, and that’s exactly what the Nature Scavenger Hunt to accompany Julie Andrews Edwards’ ‘Mandy’ will help your students do. Perfect to be done as a family, book club, co-op, or class, this packet includes everything you need to study the flora and fauna in the book.

Inside, you’ll find:
– a listing of all plants and animals found within the book
– hyperlinks for all plants and animals for further research
– printable scavenger hunt boards for both the plants and the animals
– links to additional materials to make investigating nature fun
– a certificate of completion

Want to know more? Come back later this week to find out how one of our book clubs used this packet.

What are your kids reading right now?

Book Club, Boys’ Edition: Gary Paulsen’s “Lawn Boy”

February 24, 2017 by Amy Leave a Comment

Last month the boys read Gary Paulsen’s Lawn Boy for book club. Maybe this seems like a strange choice for January, because it’s really about just what it sounds: a boy who creates a summer job mowing for lawns, but for our purposes, the winter weather suited us just fine.

In the book, the main character stumbles into a super successful lawn care service. One of his customers turns out to be a stock broker, who invests his payment for the boy, and he has the golden touch: soon the boy is rolling in money, more than he knows how to manage, and hilarity ensues. It’s unrealistic, sure; but Paulsen does a fantastic job explaining some basic concepts in really fun ways.

After discussing the book, we headed to the kitchen for a stock market analogy. Money and numbers aren’t my thing, so I like when we can add visuals to the mix. Each boy brought a soda, and we compared a large, empty pitcher to the company that I had been building. Now ready to go public, I was ready for investors, and so the boys took turns pouring some soda into my pitcher. After I had stirred it and worked it, I was ready to pay out to my investors, who then got some of the contents as dividends. We worked the analogy a bit more through conversation, and the boys really got into it. They seemed to understand how the basic process worked, and so the research began.

We sat down with research sheets I created as part of the Stock Market Challenge project, and each boy chose a publicly traded company and evaluated it’s basic info to see if it was a company in which he’d like to invest. I have each kid a virtual $100, and they all checked stock prices, business headlines, and the like to make their choices.

By the time book club was over, each boy had done company research and ‘purchased’ his stock. He’d filled out a purchase sheet that helped him make his money decisions and went home with a graph so that he could plot his purchases’ share value over the following month.

When the boys returned, 5 of the 6 had followed through on this project. They were surprisingly excited to see how their stock prices compared to the purchase price, and while they knew their individual earnings, they couldn’t wait to see how their friends did.

In the end, one company tanked dismally; a few boys actually lost money, and a few earned, though very little. Their findings followed traditional market patterns, however, as if they were to continue to follow their shares, they would have made a much more significant profit over time.

After lots of math, one boy was finally crowned the “Stock Market Master,” and he excitedly took home the free drink coupon that our local Sheetz store had donated as a prize. I hear he thoroughly enjoyed his frozen lemonade after baseball practice that night. Thanks, Sheetz!

Lawn Boy is a really funny book with some great educational lessons buried inside. It’s definitely worth a read and venturing out, perhaps beyond your comfort zone, into the world of share prices and the stock market.

What are your kids reading right now?

If you’d like to do a similar stock market simulation, you can find all of the materials we used for this project here.

A Roarin’ ’20s Book Club: “Isabel Feeney, Star Reporter”

February 17, 2017 by Amy Leave a Comment

Some books just scream out for a special event, and that’s exactly what happened when I read Isabel Feeney, Star Reporter. I knew it would make a fantastic book club pick – not only because it offers myriads of possibilities for a special event, but because Fantaskey did an amazing job writing a book that highlights the danger and turmoil of the 1920s while keeping it kid-friendly and fun.

Yes. It’s about murder and mayhem, but it’s kid friendly and fun.

Yes, those things are complete opposites. No, the danger and depth of the topic is not downplayed, and no, I don’t know how she did it, either. She’s that good of a writer.

So what’s Isabel Feeney, Star Reporter all about? Check it out:

It’s 1920s Chicago—the guns-and-gangster era of Al Capone—and it’s unusual for a girl to be selling the Tribune on the street corner. But ten-year-old Isabel Feeney is unusual . . . unusually obsessed with being a news reporter. She can’t believe her luck when she stumbles into a real-life murder scene and her hero, the famous journalist Maude Collier. The story of how Isabel fights to defend the honor of her accused friend and latches on to the murder case makes for a winning middle grade mystery.

With the 1920s as our theme for the evening and murder and mayhem the idea, I set out to create an unforgettable book club experience, and, as soon as My Big Helper started to read the book, she joined in the fun.

The girls arrived mid-afternoon with lots of gear in tow, prepared for an all-night book club event (because it just seemed wrong to talk about Isabel’s adventures in broad daylight when so many of them occurred at night). They immediately changed into dresses and strands of pearls, then were made over by local high school students did their hair and make-up in perfect ’20s style. With old showtunes playing in the background, they giggled and styled their way through updo’s and mascara until they rivaled Maude Collier for fashion flair.

Then, with glass goblets of Kool-Aid clutched tightly in their hands (because Kool-Aid was invented in the 1920s, didn’t you know?), we talked about the book, focusing on the plot, the fate of Isabel, the role of friendship throughout the story, and how the girls felt about the events of the era. All the while, they munched on the snacks researched as time-period friendly by My Big Helper: salted nuts, carrots and celery, and cheese.

Next, the girls broke into teams for a rousing game of Pictionary. I prepared the materials ahead, with all of the items to be drawn chosen from the book and written on slips of paper. I tucked these into a Mason jar, and, armed, with white boards and markers. the girls tried to draw each one.

They really got into this game. They played for a long time, until they had drawn out every slip of paper, sometimes asking me for more information about the buildings or terms from the story. Some laughed until they fell over, and the competition of the game fell by the wayside as they giggled their way through drawing things like ‘crutches’ and ‘the Chicago-Tribune Tower.’

After a short break, they moved to the kitchen for dinner. Again, my Big Helper had planned the menu after researching popular foods of the era, and while this meal wasn’t something eaten by Isabel in the story, we think she would have enjoyed it. The fancy dinner she planned required similar decoration, and so, with the incredible help of good friends, the girls ate under black and gold streamers, with gold lame curtains in the doorways, foil confetti on the tables, candles everywhere, and jazz playing softly in the background. We served baked ham, mashed potatoes, green beans, Jell-O salad, and bread with peach butter. The giggles continued as the girls pretended to be Maude’s counterparts but couldn’t look at each other without bursting out into laughter. Dinner wasn’t over quickly, but it was a most enjoyable meal.

Afterwards the girls got down to business. With full tummies and the fall of night, it was time to be like Isabel and solve a murder mystery. After so much time researching, planning, and prepping, my brain was exhausted by this point – and so I purchased a for-kids mystery online. The girls broke into two teams and scoured fact sheets to find clues. They answered questions, made charts, and came up empty – so they shared their information, and, as they talked it out, they solved the mystery.

That success deserved a treat, so we served dessert next – ice cream sundaes with warm chocolate sauce and chocolate sprinkles – because, you guessed it, they were popular in the 1920s! Having a kid who loves research is a beautiful thing. The giggling continued as they downed the ice cream and moved to the living room, where they settled in to watch the original Cheaper by the Dozen.

After a much-too-short night, we served bacon, eggs, and toast for breakfast. We cleaned up quickly, because Isabel author Beth Fantaskey was available to Skype! This was a real treat. I love when authors not only choose to write quality books for kids, but they’re also willing to invest some time in connecting in a real-world way with them. The girls were nervous heading into this experience, but they had prepped questions in advance and were eager to ask them. The time delay caused by the technology threw them for a loop at times, but they persevered and asked every question. They wanted to know about writing history, story experience, personal experiences, and more. The best part – to me – was when Fantaskey shared that there might be another Isabel story in the future. As Isabel is smart, brave, and has big dreams for the future, I’d like to see another story featuring her.

Our last activity was to attempt the Charleston. While Isabel only got a glimpse into a speakeasy and didn’t live the glitzy life of the ’20s, she knew it existed and wanted parts of it for herself. Armed with a YouTube tutorial and more giggles, the girls attempted to nail the steps while understanding the gist of the whole thing. Nobody got very far, but it was fun!

Isabel Feeney, Star Reporter is the perfect book for someone teaching about American life in the 1920s. It made a great book club pick and introduction to our history unit of that time. Because Fantaskey sets the scene so well, I wrote a unit study to accompany this book. My Big Helper worked her way through that as she read Isabel, and she was well prepared for both book club and our historical studies. If you’d like more information about this unit study, can find it in my Teachers Pay Teachers store here. There’s much to be learned from this book, but it’s great fun, too, and includes many deep questions about culture, gender roles, and friendship. It’s suitable for tweens, but I can see people much older reading and falling in love with Isabel. Give it a try!

What are your kids reading right now?

Check out these resources to get your Isabel Feeney party started!