10 Dr. Seuss Books you’ve Never Heard of, by Crystal Ponti

Dr. Seuss is one of the most beloved children’s writers of all time. During his career, he wrote more than 60 playful and exuberant books – each with a deeper message about life, love, and humanity.

His most memorable titles, like “Green Eggs and Ham” and “Cat in the Hat”, are mainstays on children’s bookshelves. But he also penned many books that never quite made it into the spotlight.

Here are 10 Dr. Seuss books you might not have heard of (and if you have, you must be a super fan):

“And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street” (1937)

The very first book Dr. Seuss ever published under his pen name, this lively tale about Marco and his vivid imagination predates his bestselling titles, but is still among his best. Travel down Mulberry Street, the most interesting place in town – a place where the ordinary becomes extraordinary. Marco spins a wonderful story for his father, turning everyday sights into wild highlights of his journey home from school.

“I Can Lick 30 Tigers Today!” (1969)

Follow the Cat in the Hat’s son, daughter, and great-great-grandfather on three magnificent adventures, as told by Cat in the Hat himself. From battles with tigers to the unexpected consequences of a runaway imagination, this is the only book where children can thunk a Glunk and wrestle with King Looie Katz. The illustrations are a unique combination of gouache and brush strokes rather than the usual pen and ink, adding even more uniqueness to a timeless rarity.

“Would You Rather Be a Bullfrog?” (1975)

“Would you rather be a clarinet, a trombone, or a drum? (How would you like to have someone going boom-boom on your tum?)” In traditional form, Dr. Seuss asks young readers fun, rhyming questions to make them think, ponder, and laugh. The book helps children understand there are so many things they can be, and that they have plenty of time to figure out who they are and where life might take them.

(To read more of this article, please follow the link below…)

http://www.parent.co/10-dr-seuss-books-youve-never-heard-of/?utm_source=newsletter_256&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=pcodaily&utm_source=Parent+Co.+Daily&utm_campaign=83f735ef56-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2017_04_03&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_3f341b94dd-83f735ef56-132097649

 

Leap into Leap Day: 29 things to do with kids on Feb. 29. By Lexi Dwyer

As the saying goes, “Leap year comes one year in four, and February has one day more.” These fun, festive ideas will help you and your kids make the most of this quadrennial event.

1. Play leapfrog. Not only is it topical, it’s also a great way to burn off energy when you’re stuck inside. Try the “Leapfrog, Leapfrog, Snake, Snake” variation, where the partners also take turns crawling through each other’s legs. Got at least four kids? Set up a race.

2. Declutter and do good. You’ve got an extra day, why not put it to good use? When organizing with kids, the key is to find a fun project that won’t take too long. Nicole Abramovici of Genius Organizing suggests enlisting your kids to help you clean your closet. “If they’re old enough, ask their opinion about what to toss. You can even have a fashion show—kids often have a great perspective and will think of unique looks and unexpected pairings.” When you’re finished, you and your child should bring the giveaway pile to a worthy recipient, like a local charity shop or homeless shelter.

3. Get out of town. Leap Day is a Monday, so if you can pull the kids from school for a long-weekend getaway, it’s worth searching online for special Leap-Day-related hotel and airline travel deals. For example, at the ART Hotel in Denver, room rates are 29% off on February 29. The Vanderbilt Grace in Newport, Rhode Island, is offering three-night stays for the price of two. And Leap-Day babies, take note: Half Moon Resort in Jamaica is offering celebrants a 29-cent room rate for February 29 (proof of birthdate is required).

4. Answer the “Why do we have Leap Day?” question. This story, originally published in Highlights magazine, explains the origins of Leap Day in concrete, kid-friendly terms.

5. Make a time capsule. Have your child create a time capsule to open on the next Leap Day. He or she can write a letter, set goals for the next few years and add a current photo or art project. Be sure to seal it securely and label it “Do not open until Leap Day 2020!”

6. Stargaze. You’re already talking about Earth’s orbit and its effect on the calendar, so why not dust off the telescope? Due to Leap Day, there will be no last-quarter moon in North America this month (see the full explanation at Space.com). But Leap-Night observers will see a faint glow called the zodiacal light, which extends upwards from the horizon in a cone shape.

Happy Birthday, Leap Year Babies!

7. Bake cupcakes in honor of those celebrating Leap Day birthdays. As if you really need an excuse to whip up a batch of treats. Bonus points if you decorate them with frogs or the number “29.”

8. Figure out everyone’s ages in leap years. Kids are sure to laugh when they realize their parents are tweens.

(To read more of this article, please follow the link below…)

http://www.today.com/about/leap-leap-day-29-things-do-kids-feb-29-t74266

 

Two Parents Hope To End Child Sexual Abuse With A Storybook, by Madeline Muir

Parents Kate and Rod Power are aiming to end child sexual abuse through educating kids about the dangers with a storybook.

“I’ve been a police officer for 15 years and have seen some terrible things involving kids,” Kate told the ABC.

“When I had my own three kids I thought being a police officer I knew enough to protect them but then a few things happened in my own community really close to my kids that made me realise I was wrong.

“I can’t protect my kids, they’re vulnerable, I need to teach them and let them protect their private parts if need be.”

Kate and Rod Power are trying to end child sexual abuse by safeguarding their children (and hopefully others) against sexual abuse, by educating them about protecting their private parts.

“I started thinking about what I remembered from my childhood and the thing that stuck the most was nursery rhymes so that’s how we came up with the idea to do the rule as a rhyming book so kids can engage with it and pick it up really quickly,” Rod told the ABC.

They came up with the idea of a child-friendly storybook called My Underpants Rule, to teach kids from four to eight that they have control.

(Read more and watch a fun video at the following link…)

http://www.kiis1065.com.au/entertainment/the-feed/two-parents-hope-to-end-child-sexual-abuse-with-a-storybook/

The Writing Assignment That Changes Lives: first used in universities and now being given to younger students… by Anya Kamenetz

Why do you do what you do? What is the engine that keeps you up late at night or gets you going in the morning? Where is your happy place? What stands between you and your ultimate dream?

Heavy questions. One researcher believes that writing down the answers can be decisive for students.

He co-authored a paper that demonstrates a startling effect: nearly erasing the gender and ethnic minority achievement gap for 700 students over the course of two years with a short written exercise in setting goals.

Jordan Peterson teaches in the department of psychology at the University of Toronto. For decades, he has been fascinated by the effects of writing on organizing thoughts and emotions.

Experiments going back to the 1980s have shown that “therapeutic” or “expressive” writing can reduce depression, increase productivity and even cut down on visits to the doctor.

“The act of writing is more powerful than people think,” Peterson says.

Most people grapple at some time or another with free-floating anxiety that saps energy and increases stress. Through written reflection, you may realize that a certain unpleasant feeling ties back to, say, a difficult interaction with your mother. That type of insight, research has shown, can help locate, ground and ultimately resolve the emotion and the associated stress.

At the same time, “goal-setting theory” holds that writing down concrete, specific goals and strategies can help people overcome obstacles and achieve.

‘It Turned My Life Around’

Recently, researchers have been getting more and more interested in the role that mental motivation plays in academic achievement — sometimes conceptualized as “grit” or “growth mindset” or “executive functioning.”

Peterson wondered whether writing could be shown to affect student motivation. He created an undergraduate course called Maps of Meaning. In it, students complete a set of writing exercises that combine expressive writing with goal-setting.

(To read more, follow the link below…)

http://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2015/07/10/419202925/the-writing-assignment-that-changes-lives

(Also see an earlier post in “The Forever Years” about journal writing for kids… Wonderful Words: The Benefits of Diary Writing for Our Kids.  Follow link below…)

https://theforeveryears.wordpress.com/2014/12/28/wonderful-words-the-benefits-of-diary-writing-for-our-kids/