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Showing posts from November, 2012

Cuddle Your Kid!

Oftentimes my husband sends me links to articles he reads that he thinks I would like. Cuddle Your Kid! I loved this article. It made me feel less guilty about laying with my son every night before he goes to sleep. Last year, when I was just coming back to work after my maternity leave, I shared with some teachers that I just couldn't let Patrick "cry it out" anymore. My teacher friend looked at me and said, "Don't you see? He misses you during the day, and this is his way of asking you to spend time with him." Hug him, snuggle until both your hearts are content. I think about this wise woman's response to me often, and now pass along the same advice to mothers heading back to work. There is nothing wrong with cuddling our children - especially when we spend so many hours out of the house. I passed along this article to my mother, who wrote a poem in response. Thanks, Mom for your beautiful words! Why can’t we do it…cuddle our kids? Why wo

The Adventures of the Poodle Posse

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Chrysa Smith, author of The Adventures of the Poodle Posse Series recently visited my school. This was such an exciting day for the students and teachers. I love hearing how ideas can transform into stories, and this author had a wonderful message for our students - Stories lie right under our noses! Chrysa Smith combines her love of dogs with her love of writing to create doggie adventures based on her poodles. She showed pictures of her real poodle posse, and the students could instantly relate to her. The photographs helped the students to see that many fictional characters are based on real people (or pets!) Then, she shared large stick puppet versions of her poodle posse. Our students loved these, and instantly felt connected to Woody, Archie, Daisy, and Bobby! Chrysa Smith explained to students how she took real stories and TWISTED them to make an adventure. Our students understood her simplistic language, and actively participated with Ms. Smith as she told her storie