book club

Book Club, Boys’ Edition: “Masterpiece” by Elise Broach

November 21, 2014 by Amy Leave a Comment

This month we read the amazing

Choosing a tee-shirt design

After that we split up to work on a t-shirt design. Each boy snagged some paper and a pen and worked on a plan, and ten they got together to see which elements they could put together for one cohesive picture. The guys did a great job of working together to plan one picture that would suit everyone.

Making his club-friendship tee-shirt

Then, having prepped their shirts, they grabbed their bleach pens and went to work. First they drew the design on their shirts with chalk, and then they traced over their lines with the pen. We let them dry overnight, and then washed and dried them to set the bleach.

The Friendship Contract

While the shirts were drying, the boys talked about how friends treat each other. They made a list of things that friends should and shouldn’t do, and then we wrote it up as a contract for each boy to sign. Even after we finished, they continued to think of things that they wanted to have added to the contract. They were surprisingly excited about it!

After that, we made friendship necklaces out of washers and shoelaces. Sounds strange, I know, but they really liked it – and the metal washers on the black string looked quite masculine. They used Sharpies to decorate the washers to fit their theme, and My Little Man refused to remove his for days.

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What are your kids reading right now?

Book Club, Girls’ Edition: “Masterpiece” by Elise Broach

November 14, 2014 by Amy Leave a Comment

This month’s book is true genius.

We read Masterpiece by Elise Broach. It’s the story of Marvin, a stag beetle, who lives in an apartment with James’ family. James is not appreciated by most members of his family, and so he decides to draw a picture for James’ birthday. Following that they have lots of at and friendship related adventures together.

Masterpiece is a very quoteable book! There are deep thoughts all through the story, and the characters make tough decisions that are great conversation starters. The girls discussed these choices for a long time before heading into the kitchen….

Makin’ Pinch-Me Cake

where they made a Pinch-Me Cake. I heard lots of giggling while they rolled the balls of dough in cinnamon and sugar.

Brainstorming traits of a good friend

Next the girls moved to the table, where they brainstormed the traits of a good friend. They decided that they each needed five ideas – and when they had those, then they wrote up their ideas as a friendship contract, which they all signed. I was quite impressed with their ideas.

Friendship Contract

Aren’t these great?

Making Club T-shirts

We decided that friendship t-shirts would be a fun thing to make. These girls are great – they get along super well and do all of my crazy projects peacefully, which is really saying something! They jumped on the t-shirt idea (because then they’re showing off their friendship and drawing, too, which totally fits the Masterpiece theme) and worked together to make one design. Then each girl drew the design on the shirt with chalk, and when they were ready, they used a Chlorox Bleach Pen on top. Since their shirts were a turquoise color, their lines turned white overnight, and they now have fancy club shirts.

Eating Pinch-Me Cake

After making their shirts, the girls gathered around the table for a snack of Pinch-Me Cake. They ate almost all of it, much to my husband’s dismay, and seemed to enjoy it.

Masterpiece is an excellent choice for a middle-elementary through middle school reader. With strong themes of friendship and art, your activity choices are endless – and you’ll love the story, too.

What are your kids reading this month?

Book Club, Girls’ Edition: “Callie’s Contest of Courage”

October 24, 2014 by Amy 1 Comment

This month the girls read a really wonderful book: Callie’s Contest of Courage by Jan May. I appreciate this book for many reasons, not the least of these is the way that it encourages girls to be strong and faithful.

But it does something else, too: it provides many ways for kids to be like Callie in real life, and we had fun trying them out at our October Book Club party.

First, a photographer friend came over, and she shared some simple tips and tricks to taking great photographs. The girls asked good questions, and afterwards we headed out in search of interesting subjects.

These magnolia seeds fascinated several of the girls.

They got really into their photography and tried out lots of different perspectives for each shot.

After that we went inside to talk about editing photographs. I’m no expert, but I’ve played around with PicMonkey a bit, and so each girl chose one photo to edit with that program. This one was a magnolia seed pod …

while these were the seeds that they were studying so intently.

Another girl was fascinated with the American flag that we found up the street. Personally, I enjoyed seeing how creative they could be – both with their initial photographs and with their editing!

We decided, though, that no book club about Callie would be complete without a pie eating contest – and the girls really got into that! We made basic plastic bibs to keep the pie off their clothes, and I asked the girls to come with their hair pulled back. Then, after making simple banana cream pies, they stuck their faces in and got to town! Giggling was rampant during this part of book club, and they grinned from ear to ear – with whipped cream decorating everything in between – while they licked their pie tins clean.

We all loved Callie – even My Little Man, who’s determined that his book club needs to read Callie, too. With such a strong and interesting character and lots of adventures, Callie’s Contest of Courage is a great choice for your next book club.

The girls were so fascinated with photography that we’ve kicked off our Nature Photography Contest for Kids – which is now live! Click here to learn more and enter your child’s photos. You could even win your own copy of Callie!

For some information about how to take good photographs, read Photography Tips for Kids: Perspective here.

What makes you pull out your camera?

Book Club, Boys’ Edition: “The Mystery of Blackbeard the Pirate”

September 12, 2014 by Amy Leave a Comment

We’re studying pirates right now, so The Mystery of Blackbeard the Pirate (Real Kids, Real Places) (Real Kids! Real Places! (Paperback))‘>Blackbeard book club ended – but we’re looking forward to more piratical adventures in the weeks to come.

Would you enjoy a pirate-themed book club event?

On the hunt for some other great pirate resources? Check these out:

Book Club, Girls’ Edition: “Mystery on Skull Island”

September 5, 2014 by Amy 1 Comment

Our family is studying pirates right now, so for book club the girls read “Mystery on Skull Island,” an American Girl History Mystery book. It takes place in Charles Town, South Carolina, in the 1720s, just after pirates went from being popular to scary. We learned a lot about colonial life from this story and decided to interact with that in our book club party.

We started, of course, by summarizing the book and discussing it. We all decided that pirates were really not fun people and that the girls in the story didn’t always make the best choices, though they did have good intentions.

Then we made mob caps. Mob caps were ruffled hats that covered a girl’s head and were very common during colonial times. Ours were not true to history, as we made them out of white t-shirts, but since that knit fabric doesn’t fray, this simplified the process greatly. We cut large circles out of old white shirts and then used a large running stitch to sew about an inch in from the edge. Each girl then gathered the cap and we tied off the thread. They were excited to wear their new caps and each chose to do so a bit differently.

The girls love to bake, too, so we made Grandma’s Biscuits. They worked together well, as always, and ate the finished product with honey and jellies.

After developing their own pirate names and designing their own necklaces out of string and plastic beads, it was time for the girls to head home. We had a great time in the colonial era!

What are your kids reading right now? How can you connect with it?

* This post was shared at: Home to 4 Kiddos

Book Club, Girls’ Edition: “Edison’s Gold” by Geoff Watson

August 27, 2014 by Amy 2 Comments

In August both book clubs read Edison’s Gold by Geoff Watson. I must admit that I was more excited to use this book for a book club event than I have been for any other recent books. The possibilities are endless with this story because it has everything: action, adventure, history, mystery, math, friendships, family, and more.

We started out by summarizing and discussing the story. Talking about which characters were real historical ones and which were fictional made for a neat addition to our discussion.

Since the story opened with a really neat car race, I asked each child to bring a car of their own design to our club event. These girls used a variety – paper, cups, Tinker Toys, and K’Nex. We raced them down a tilted table in a variety of heats and discussed why the winning car won and what could be done to improve their speed.

Since the story was all about Tommy Edison, Thomas Edison’s great-great grandson, and his many inventions, the girls split up into groups to invent something that would solve a problem. I’m a big fan of this group’s invention: a machine that would match and dry socks.

Secret codes are important to this story, and Morse code plays a large role. The girls grouped up again, this time to transmit a message to the other group. These two decided to blink their message just like the men in the book did, while the other preferred to write out their dots and dashes. It was fun to see all of the girls hard at work decoding their messages!

What else can you do with this story? There’s lots more. Come back next week for more Edison’s Gold fun!

What are your kids reading right now?

Shared at: Embark on the Journey

Book Club, Boys’ Edition: “The Door to Time”

August 21, 2014 by Amy Leave a Comment

In June our boys were prepped for adventure with the Italian Ulysses Moore Series, the first of which is called The Door to Time.

In this story thee teens attempt to solve mysteries related to an ancient door found in their new house. Set in a seaside town in England, they are active, funny, and always faced with a new challenge.

We started out building boats. At one point in the story the teens find an old sailing ship and need to take it on a journey. My Little Man helped us get ready by filling up the wading pool while his friends worked on their boats.

Everyone had very different ideas!

We put the boats in the pool to see if they would float, and all of them did. Next we had a ‘race,’ and the boat on the left won. His strategy of creating the longest boat worked, and it touched the far side of the pool first.

At one point in the story the kids ride their bikes down a big hill into town – and then have to ride them back up again. Two of them are very athletic and able to ride the hill without difficulty, but the third has trouble. We decided to try riding up the biggest hill we could find – my side yard. Two of the boys chose to start back on the flat ground and get a head start, while the guy in blue chose to start at the starting line – right on the hill. Nobody was able to ride all the way up, but several of them got pretty close! We decided that you must need very strong legs to propel a bike up a big hill.

A Door to Time made a great book club choice for our boys. They talked more about this book than they have any other, and they even asked – on their own! – to read the next book in the series.

That definitely makes A Door to Time a winner in my book.

What are your kids reading this summer?

Life as a Pilgrim: Fun & Games

July 19, 2014 by Amy

This month our Book Club girls read Ron Roy’s The Mayflower Treasure Hunt. I was pleasantly surprised by this book – the descriptions of the Mayflower are historically accurate, the initial movement of the Pilgrims are tracked throughout the Cape Cod area, and the modern Plymouth is well depicted. I love the way that Roy added a believable mystery into the Pilgrim story, making it easy to tell which parts are fiction and which are true while still maintaining a fun and exciting story.

I had lots of events planned for this club meeting and was very excited – and then it became possible for us to travel to a local park for a “Pilgrims at Play” program, where they promised to teach about the fun side of Pilgrim life. This seemed like the perfect place to meet about this book!

Several of the girls traveled with my family, and they talked a bit about the book on our way to and from the park. They also learned quite a bit more about Pilgrim life while there.

The program began as Hilary, the presenter, talked about basic Pilgrim facts. As she prepared them to use books to study Pilgrim life, she taught the kids a few phrases in Wampanoag and in Elizabethan English. This was by far my favorite feature of this program. Who would expect to hear Elizabethan English in a small park in North Carolina?

Next, Hilary pulled out tubs of supplies and let the kids play Pilgrim-style. Mine never moved past the ball-and-cup. They were each determined to get the hang of it!

After learning about the foods available to the Pilgrims for their first Great Harvest Celebration, the kids made painted fish impressions. They painted a textured rubber fish and then rubbed it onto plain paper to transfer the colorful image.

After a picnic lunch on the center’s beautiful stone porch and some playtime in the museum, we headed out. Even though the rain had stopped, the girls were too happy to pose under this vibrant umbrella.

Next month we’re looking forward to discussing a good Christmas mystery and spreading some Christmas cheer.

What good books have you read lately?

Great Books for Kids’ Book Clubs

July 17, 2014 by Amy

So, you want to start a book club for your kids … and now you need books. Where do you start? Before anything else, you need to know your kid’s interest. If she’s a pirate fan, then don’t choose a book of poetry! However, if you’re looking for some general interest fiction for the 7-12 year old set, I’ve got some great suggestions.

The Adventures with Lily Lapp books by Suzanne Woods Fisher. The girls in my daughter’s book club chose these books as their very favorites. They LOVED them! They’re sweet and inspiring, full of wisdom and fun – perfect for this age group.

The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner. These classic mysteries are easy to read but full of adventures by some very smart and independent children.

The American Girl Series – particularly Felicity, Kirsten, and Kit. The historical American Girls are great examples of what was happening in American at their particular time in history, and each set covers a full year, so you can see activities that might happen in each season. This provides lots of ideas for club meetings. The American Girl History Mysteries are a bit longer and more challenging, but also great for book clubs.

Flat Stanley’s Worldwide Adventures by Jeff Brown & Macky Pamintuan. The Flat Stanley books are cute and adventuresome, but they don’t hold a candle to the new ones! Stanley’s flat again and traveling the world, solving mysteries and exploring new territories. This series is a great way to learn about a new place in a fun way. The website also has fun activities listed for each book, so part of your planning is already done for you.

Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Another classic, kids will love seeing how kids lived back on the prairie – and they’ll especially like trying Laura’s favorite activities.

The Mandie Books by Lois Gladdys Leppard. I loved these books when I was a kid and saved my money to buy them at our local bookstore. They’re not as easy to find now, but they are available in collections and digitally. My Big Helper is now flying through the series – she loves reading about this adventuresome girl from North Carolina!

The Cul-de-Sac Kids by Beverly Lewis. These simple chapter books are about a group of kids who are friends and neighbors and the problems they face. In each book that I’ve read, the kids have faced their problems and learned from them.

Adventures in Odyssey’s Imagination Station. These books are full of adventure but involve lots of history, too, and you can be sure that they’re family friendly.

Edison’s Gold by Geoff Watson. This book for tweens is packed full of action and adventure, science, history, math – and fun!

The Recipe for Adventure series by Giada de Laurentiis. These books are easy to read and full of foodie fun!

To see the books and some of the activities that we’ve done as part of our book club meetings, visit our Book Club page. You can still download the printables I use when planning our book club meetings for free here at my TpT Store. Some of these books feature girls as main characters, and others, boys; but all of them are great for book club adventures. What book would you choose for a book club adventure? Shared at I Can Teach My Child.

Book Club, Boys’ Edition: “Shoeless Joe & Me” by Dan Gutman

July 17, 2014 by Amy

Baseball season has begun, and so our boys chose to step up to the mound with this month’s book choice. They read “Shoeless Joe & Me” by Dan Gutman.

As always, we began inside by summarizing and talking about the book. While the boys aren’t usually particularly loquacious, they surprised me this month. The book is about the fixing of the World Series in 1919 and Shoeless Joe Jackson’s part therein. The boys compared this scandal to current drug scandals, brought up whether gambling is moral even if legal, wanted to know about steroids, and other issues related to the game. What a discussion!

Then we moved on to baseball cards. Each boy had brought a collection, and they were eager to check them out, although they didn’t all value the same types of cards.

Next we made our own peanut-free version of CrackerJack. It was yummy stuff!

While the CrackerJack set up, the boys designed their own baseball cards …

and showed them off a bit …

before deciding that all of this talk of baseball necessitated a game.

Of course, all of that running around made them hungry, and so we broke out our CrackerJack.

So if you’re looking for a good baseball book this season, you won’t go wrong with Shoeless Joe & Me. Just be prepared to grab some friends and go play afterwards – you won’t be able to resist the crack of the bat.

What are your kids’ favorite springtime reads?