Lovely Ron with his Haiku Challenge prompt words this week:
Flare & Steam
Image from Pixabay
Slowly steam rises
Nature’s flares are flying high
Eruption beginsRitu 2017
RonovanWrites #Weekly #Haiku #Poetry Prompt #Challenge #179 Flare&Steam
11 Dec 2017 36 Comments
in #ronovansweeklyhaikuchallenge, Poems, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: #MicroPoetry, #ronovansweeklyhaikuchallenge, Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Challenge, Haiku, Steam & Flare
Five of the Best Children’s Books – #BookTag #MondayBlogs
11 Dec 2017 26 Comments
in Tags, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: A Teacher's Reflection, Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Five Childrens Books, tag
Huge thanks to Jennie at A Teacher’s Reflection for passing this particular tag onto me.
I have been tagged to nominate my top five children’s books. Only five??? Really??? But I love to read children’s books to both my own children and my classes!
There are so many books, both picture and chapter, which I could include on this list!
I decided to choose five picture books which I love to read to my classes every year. Books that give me joy, as well as to the listeners! Some are older, some are newer, but all are wonderful stories! I only wish I could read more complex texts to the class, but with the high level of English as an Additional Language in our class, it would go over their heads, so pictures work so much better for them!
Mr Big – Ed Vere
Such a lovely story about not judging a book by its cover. I usually read this one and accompany it with a “Bom Ba Bom Ba Bom” kinda bluesy beat…Â Poor Mr Big always scares everyone with his appearance, but he is just the most wonderful musician, and when his talents are discovered by others, they realise it’s not what he looks like but what he can do that they should be looking at!
Monkey Puzzle – Julia Donaldson
Where would this list be without Julia Donaldson?! I could mention so many of her books like The Gruffalo, the rhyming cadences a pleasure to read aloud, and the illustrations by Axel Scheffler so appealing to children, but this has to be my favourite! I like to sing parts of it to the “Hus Little Baby tune, as the words have been written in that rhythm. Such a lovely book to get the kids involved, guessing which animal is being described!
I’ve even made all the characters, and used them in a display at the back of my classroom!
The Hungry Caterpillar – Eric Carle
Eric Carle is another author I just couldn’t leave out of this list! We use The Very Hungry Caterpillar in several year groups as a key text, but it lends itself to the Early Years so well, with wonderful illustrations and a fun way of teaching life cycles! The children enjoy watching the transformation!
The Day The Crayons Quit – Oliver Jeffers
This is relatively book that is fun to read to the children. It is great for getting them to think about the use of different colours, and an excellent way for them to try and recall the colour names! I even have the sequel!
Dinosaurs Love Underpants! = Claire Freedman and Ben Cort
The Underpants series was always popular in my house too, from the aliens to the monsters, and pirates with underpant fixations! But the most popular has always been the Dinosaurs Love Underpants edition! Another colourful rhyming book which captures the interest of the children in Nursery every time as they all seem to love dinosaurs!
Rules:
1. Thank whoever’s nominated you and share their blog link.
2. Let us know your top five children’s books.
3. Nominate 5 people to do the same.
4. Let your nominees know you nominated them.
I am going to be extremely naughty here and not actually nominate anyone, as I know how busy you all are, but I open the invitation for you to post about your choice of five Children’s books and link back to me if you feel like it!
Spidey’s Serene Sunday – Part 147
10 Dec 2017 28 Comments
in Spidey's Serene Sundays, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Quote, Serene, Spiderman, Spidey, Spidey's Serene Sunday
“Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.” – Charles.R.Swindoll
A timely reminder here Spidey, thank you for that!
This is a statement filled with truth.
Everything is about perspective really, isn’t it?
Things happen, the same things happen, to many people, yet the outcomes of those events vary greatly from individual to individual.
And it is largely because of your reactions to said events.
Everyone is faced with difficult situations at some time or another, and how you react to them colours the path of your life.
It’s sometimes easier to automatically have negative thoughts when something unexpected happens, and then the world picks up on that.
Whereas if you try to see the silver lining, and pick the positives, it can really help to make your life smoother.
And, hard as it may be, it is important to wait before reacting… an automatic reaction, where words are said, or rash decisions are made, cannot be undone, whereas a moment’s thought, to put things into perspective, could be the difference between a tougher existence, or a smooth road, with just a couple of inclines.
I have one piece of advice which I am regularly doling out to my nearly teenage son…
Always think about the reaction before you action.
Basically, think before you speak or act.
The amount of times I have to say it to him, (he’s a tween… of course he doesn’t listen to his mum!) or remind him, when he’s getting frustrated by things, be it homework, or an altercation with his sister!
But if he thought that the reaction to him screwing up his homework because he couldn’t do it, would mean that he would have to do the whole thing again, maybe he’d think twice about being so rash, and ask for help.
Or if he realised that the reaction to him choosing to wind his sister up unnecessarily and repeatedly, would be that his phone is confiscated, maybe he’d refrain from doing so…
And now, I am starting to repeat the same phrase to my dear 9-year-old daughter who thinks she is a teen!
Right, now I am off to hopefully not react to anything, and to have a really lazy Sunday!
Enjoy, Peeps!!!!!
#SoCS Dec. 9/17 – Liqu
09 Dec 2017 54 Comments
in #SoCS, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: #StreamofConsciousnessSaturday, Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Linda G Hill, Liqu, Socs
Linda’s prompt for SoCS this week…
Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is: “liqu.” Find a word that starts with “liqu” or has “liqu” in it, and base your post on that word. Have fun!
Liquor
I’m not a drinker, really, but can I just say that if I was one, then I would possibly have consumed a whole lot of liquor this week!
School has been totally manic this week, with awful observations, crazy (and I mean really crazy!) kids, charity fundraisers, and the fun (read long hours) of Governors meetings (4 hours long the other evening!)
And to add to that, we are practising school performances for Christmas!
I was all set for a weekend away at my parents, to help ease the stresses of the week, as to be honest, a loving family, rather than a liquid diet, helps me… but then Storm Caroline decided to get in on the act too, and the city my parents are in is currently being snowed upon!
After the accident I had in February (where I shut down the M6, both ways!) due to bad winds from another storm, and a tyre blow out, I thought it would be too risky to attempt the journey, and risk another incident.
So that means I don’t get to see Pops and Mum…
Feeling a little down…
Maybe I need some liquid therapy… Though mine would be in the form of tea, chai latte or hot chocolate!
Happy Saturday Peeps!
December 7 – Flash Fiction – Performance – Nativity
08 Dec 2017 49 Comments
in #CarrotRanch, Fiction, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: #CarrotRanch, Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Charli Mills, Children, Flash Fiction, Nativity, Performance, School
Charli’s prompt this week:
December 7, 2017 prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less) write that features a performance. You can interpret what is a performance any way the prompt leads you.
Well, being as I work in school teaching, this time of year is filled with performances! We have the Nursery Christmas singing to parents, the Reception Nativity, the KS1 alternative Nativity, then Lower KS 2 and Upper KS 2 hold their performances of Christmas songs from around the world too!
I am personally involved in the Nursery and Reception performance preparations this year, and I have to say, my throat is hurting from the over singing we have to do, to compensate for the vast majority of the kids who stand and do nothing!
So it goes without saying that my piece for the week would be influenced by my day job!
Nativity
“Come on children, nice and loud now! Please no shouting – it’s singing we want to hear.”
Mrs Keeble started the intro on the school piano, and nodded to the class in front of her.
As usual, there were the performers: the children who thought they were born for the stage. There were the skulkers: the ones who stood at the back, heads down, hoping no one would notice them. And then there were the stunned: the ones who stood there, gawping, no sound leaving their mouths, eyes scanning the audience for family.
Wonderful!
Welcome to another infant Christmas performance!
https://carrotranch.com/2017/12/07/december-7-flash-fiction-challenge/
But I Smile Anyway... 