The Statue of Liberty! One of America’s most well known landmarks, Lady Liberty has stood on her own island in the New York Harbor just southwest of Manhattan Island since 1886, and she has welcomed countless visitors and millions of immigrants to a new life in a new country. She has witnessed changes, joys, and even heartaches—yet she has stood the test of time and continues to be a beacon of hope and a representation for freedom for all Americans.

Did You Know?

Almost everyone knows that the Statue of Liberty was a gift from France to celebrate the friendship between the two countries and their common quests for freedom. But did you know that the French sculptor, Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, originally had the concept of placing the statue of a woman at the opening of the Suez Canal? Did you know that the Statue of Liberty functioned as a lighthouse from 1886 to 1902? Did you know that Lady Liberty’s right arm and torch were on display in Madison Square Park for six years while efforts to raise money to finance the statue and base? Did you know that the statue’s complete name is Liberty Enlightening the World?

Lady In Green
Here’s another neat fact. The Statue of Liberty is actually made of copper, but over the years hydrogen, oxygen, and carbon atoms from various substances in the air have combined with the copper atoms in the statue to make copper hydroxycarbonate (From Exploring Creation With Physical Science by Jay Wile). In other words, the copper has oxidized, and this chemical reaction has created a nice patina—or a green coating on the statue.

Changes
Trivia about the history of this famous landmark and statue statistics of the Lady are vast. Surprisingly, I experienced firsthand one of the changes the Statue of Liberty underwent back in 1984. When my high school classmates and I went to Washington and New York for our Junior-Senior trip, we were unable to disembark from our ferry onto Liberty Island and visit the statue because she was closed for repair and renovations. All of our photos showed the Lady from afar, encased in scaffolding. And although we were disappointed, we knew we were also witnessing a piece of history we would never forget! The Statue of Liberty National Monument reopened in 1986.

The Statue of Liberty was also closed after the 9/11 attacks in 2001. The monument reopened in 2004, and the crown and interior finally reopened last year (2009) on July 4th.

Resources About the Statue of Liberty
For a family activity, study the history and significance of the Statue of Liberty and the importance of her role in American culture. Below are some website/book suggestions:

Statue of Liberty National Monument website
Essential Big Apple: Statue of Liberty

The Statue of Liberty (Step Into Reading series) by Lucille Recht Penner

Lady Liberty: A Biography by Doreen Rappaport

The Story of the Statue of Liberty by Betsy Maestro

Building Liberty: A Statue Is Born by Serge Hochain

Naming Liberty by Jane Yolen

Written by Amy M. O’Quinn/Originally posted on the National Writing for Children website

I received the following press release from Caroline Harris, publicist for Sylvan Dell, and wanted to share! To celebrate TV Turnoff Week and Earth Day, Sylvan Dell is giving schools, libraries and families free access to their 50 eBooks for the week of April 19-25.

What a great opporunity…so check it out and spread the word!

Lose that Remote and Seize the Day!

TV Turnoff Week Overlaps with Earth Day this Year

Mount Pleasant, SC (April 13, 2010) – Join Sylvan Dell in celebrating national TV Turnoff Week April 19-25 and Earth Day, April 22. Every year this week challenges families to turn off their television sets and find an alternate form of entertainment. Earth Day, celebrating its 40^th year, happens to fall right in the middle of TV Turnoff Week this year and provides a perfect excuse to turn off the television and learn about the earth. 

So, instead of channel surfing, do something good for the Earth. Here are some suggestions:

• Visit an animal rehabilitation center near you. Ask what types of animals do they help? Are any of these animals endangered or threatened? What can you do to help?
• Take a trip to the zoo or your local aquarium. Turn it into a learning activity. Draw or make a list of the ways the animals are alike or different.
• Go hiking in a nature reserve. Collect leaves, shells and flower petals. Draw a tree or make a nature journal.
• Visit a nature museum. Quiz yourself after, what do you remember? Write down what you learned.
• Read a book like “Where Should Turtle Be?” or “What’s New At the Zoo?” Sylvan Dell books are great educational resources that promote awareness and appreciation for animals and the environment.

Sylvan Dell is participating by giving schools, libraries and families free access to their 50 eBooks for the week of April 19-25.  More than 40 of these eBooks explore Earth Day related themes including marine animals, habitats, wildlife, zoo animals, earth and physical science, birds, and astronomy. So, before deciding to turn on the TV, read an eBook and learn about the wonders of the Earth!

For more information about Earth Day, visit http://www.earthday.net/earthday2010

For more information about “TV Turnoff Week,” visit: http://tvturnoff.org/

For more information about Sylvan Dell Publishing, visit: http://SylvanDellPublishing.com

eBook access instructions are located on the Sylvan Dell website at: http://www.sylvandellpublishing.com/TVTurnOffWeek.htm

 About Sylvan Dell Publishing

Sylvan Dell Publishing’s mission is to excite children’s imaginations with artistically spectacular science, math and nature themed stories. Founded in November of 2004, Sylvan Dell has grown to include more than 75 authors and illustrators, in the U.S. and Canada, and 50 titles – honored as finalists or winners of more than 70 book awards. Our Science and Math Through Literature Program integrates reading, science, math, geography, character skills, and language learning through fun, cross-curricular activities. Sylvan Dell provides more online educator resources than any other publisher in the U.S. We offer schools, homeschooling families and public libraries a free one-year access to our ebook site license featuring the most technologically advanced eBooks each with Auto-Flip, Auto-Read, 3D page curling, and selectable English and Spanish text and audio through our School Resource Grant program. For more information, visit http://www.sylvandellpublishing.com.

I’ve had so many spam comments that I finally just did a bulk action delete. Then I realized that I had also deleted the legitimate and sweet comments I had as well. Uh oh.
I’ve activated a plug-in that hopefully will take care of the spam issue…I think. I have been getting at least 10 or more spam comments a day.
Live and learn. Live and learn!
I hope to be more ‘present’ with this site soon.

To continue with my series on introducing children to the fine arts, I am going to discuss music appreciation and composer study and give ideas for how easy it is to incorporate this type of learning into our everyday lives. First however, I’d like to recap while I feel this type of exposure is so important.

Why Study Fine Arts?

“Charlotte Mason, a 19th century British educator, believed that exposing children to great ideas and beauty in all areas inspired them to greatness as well. She theorized that by letting them become familiar with the best artists, composers, and writers, they would be less willing to settle for mediocrity in themselves. As Elizabeth Gutman said in her book, The Story of Art, part of The Bookshelf for Boys and Girls series: “The magic power of art can arouse all kinds of emotions in us, from simple joy to much deeper feelings. And artists are great people whose works can gladden our eyes, enrich our thoughts, and deepen our feelings.”

“I think these words can apply to ALL areas of the fine arts. And with today’s norm of following the crowd or being happy with the status quo, we should want our children to be inspired and motivated to strive for more—to reach for excellence instead of being content with the marginal.”

Why listen to classical music or study composers?

We’ve all heard about the ‘Mozart Effect’ in the last few years. There have been books and studies claiming that listening to the music of Mozart actually helps to develop the brain, improve short term memory, and increase IQ. Many parents have jumped on the bandwagon and are exposing their children, some even before birth, to Mozart.

There is great debate on whether or not there really is anything to this theory, but research does show that when a child listens to classical music the right hemisphere of the brain is activated, and when a child studies a musical instrument both the left and right hemispheres of the brain light up. Nevertheless, the interest generated by this phenomenon has catapulted classical music back into the spotlight, and that in itself has been a good thing.

In addition, classical music is simply beautiful and peaceful. It’s universal and no matter what language, music forges a common bond. Music also creates emotions and enriches lives with the fulfillment that comes from enjoyment. Many people believe that the soothing tones of classical music influences children’s behavior in a positive way and increases attention span and concentration. A working knowledge of classical music and the men who wrote it also makes for a well-rounded education and individual. But never underestimate the ability of a very young child to appreciate and recognize a piece of music or the work of a composer. When my son was about two years old, he would shout out, “Tchaikovsky!” whenever he heard Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy!

The composers who made these musical contributions to the world are important in their own right and have their places in history as well. Many of them had extraordinary lives and are quite interesting to read about. Children are usually fascinated to learn things such as the fact that Mozart was a child prodigy who composed music by the age of five or that Beethoven continued to write music even after he lost his hearing. And although it’s easy to introduce our children to the composers as we expose them to various pieces of music, we can do so by casually mentioning the name. The main thing is to cultivate enjoyment and appreciation; a more in-depth study can be done as our children grow older.

There is an excellent article on the Ambleside Online website about music appreciation. And one of the writers/advisors, Wendi Capehart, summed things up quite well:

“In music study the same principles apply as do in picture study, nature study, and nature notebooks. That is the principle of attentiveness and good observation. The goal is not to have children who can give a lecture on music theory. It is to have children learn to enjoy classical music and tell one piece from another just as naturally as they learn the difference between, say, The Farmer in the Dell and When the Saints Go Marching In – because they are both familiar with and fond of what they are hearing. The more they are exposed to good literature, the better they get at reading the themes and language of literature. In art and music, the more they are simply exposed to pictures and music, the more they learn to ‘read’ the themes of the world’s classic compositions.”

So how do we introduce classical music or composers to our children?

1.) Start early! As Wendi said, it’s all about exposure! Simply playing classical music to children when they are young will train their ears to the ‘beautiful and lovely.’ At this age, they haven’t been conditioned by modern music to think of classical music as uncool or boring, and they will be more apt to develop an appreciation for it that will last a lifetime.

2.) Play classical music softly in the background of your home. It sets the tone and atmosphere of a peaceful household. In addition, everyone will begin to recognize the various pieces and probably request their favorites. Although not as calming as other pieces, my children always wanted to hear Flight of the Bumblebee! There are many inexpensive CDs that include the ‘best of’ different composers.

3.) Introduce composers casually as the pieces are played. For very young children, simply telling them who wrote the piece is usually enough. After awhile, they will begin to associate the music with the correct composer.

4.) Biographical sketches or short biographies of composers are appropriate for older children. There are many books and resources available to teach about the composer’s lives. I’ve included some of these in the ‘resources’ section.

5.) Consider using a planned rotation of composers/music for older children as well. Ambleside Online has a plan for a scheduled composer for each term and lots of other great links and resources at: http://www.amblesideonline.org/ComposerSch.shtml.

6.) Try to attend a classical music concert. We are all familiar with the large concert venues in big cities, but many local or regional orchestras also present concerts on a regular basis. This would be a great family outing. There are also occasionally concerts aired on television stations such as PBS.

7.) Children learn from their parents. When we show an interest in classical music and composers, our children will be more receptive. Again, it’s all about starting early and exposure!

Resources:

Classical Kids Collection created by Douglas Cowling, Walter Babiak, Erin Cooper-Gay, and Mark Donnelly. This set includes various dramatized stories/music clips about different composers such as Mr. Bach Comes to Call, Vivaldi’s Ring of Mystery, Beethoven Lives Upstairs, Hallelujah Handel, etc. We have several of these CDs, and my children have enjoyed them immensely.

Baby Einstein Collection DVDs by Julie Aigner-Clark

Getting to Know the World’s Greatest Composers series by Mike Venezia

Great Musicians series by Opal Wheeler

Early Composers (Coloring Book) by Eric Tomb

Great Composers series (Coloring Books) by David Brownell

Lives of the Musicians: Good Times, Bad Times (and What the Neighbors Thought) by Kathleen Krull and Kathryn Hewitt

Composer Study: Charlotte Mason Style website – www.squidoo.com/charlotte-mason-styled-composer-study.
History of Classical Music Study Guide- A curriculum by Beautiful Feet Books at www.bfbooks.com.
San Francisco Symphony for Kids website- www.sfskids.org

Online Classical Music:

www.sky.fm/classical

www.wdav.org

www.kcme.org

www.theclassicalstation.org

Below is a list of all the articles I’ve had published on the National Writing for Children website. Some are for the Parenting/Teaching Tips column and some are about writing:

A Look At Lady Liberty

Our Awesome America: Historic Symbols

Nature At Night: Learning After Dark

Kids in the Kitchen: Fun AND Learning

Creating Learning Guides and Instructional Activities for Trade Books

Teaching Character Point of View: The Big Bad Wolf versus The Three Little Pigs

Picture Book Pleasures: Delicious Picks for Fall

Celebrating Through The Year: Seasonal Tableaus and Displays

Making Family History Come Alive

Newspapers in Education: Not Just for News

Helping With Your Child’s Homework May Boost Your Writing Career

Autumn Fun: Learning With Leaves

Family Night: Make It A Tradition

Family Mealtimes Are Important

Teaching Personification With Picture Books

Welcome to my new blog. I’m still in the process of setting everything up and making changes to personalize my space here. Look around and come back soon. Hopefully, I will have everything functional shortly!

Children’s picture books are a staple in the homes of most families. They have long been the first choice for bedtime stories or just for when someone needs a cuddle on the couch. Well-loved stories have stood the test of time and bring back good memories from our childhoods, and we all need that special reminder from time to time—no matter how old we are. Moreover, we are always discovering new favorites as we share them with our children, ever adding to the cherished cache.

Picture books can also help us celebrate the changing seasons as we read beloved classics concentrating on winter, spring, summer, or, as we are enjoying now, autumn. In fact, this delightful segment of the year brings us colorful falling leaves, cooler days, cozy quilts, and comforting smells of good things baking in the oven. Autumn also means pumpkins and APPLES and the many delicious possibilities they contain. Below are a few book suggestions and several ideas for using these stories as a ‘jumping off’ point for some yummy autumn fun for everyone!

How To Make An Apple Pie and See the World by Marjorie Priceman is a wonderful story about what happens when it’s time to bake an apple pie, but the market is closed. Of course, this situation requires you to take a trip around the world to gather all the fresh ingredients, right at their sources. For example, you’ll need semolina wheat from Italy, a French chicken to lay a fresh egg, an English cow to give the richest milk, the bark of a kurundu tree from Sri Lanka that will be ground into cinnamon, seawater to evaporate for salt, and rosy apples from Vermont. No problem, right?

This delicious tale by Ms. Priceman is perfect for fall! There is a recipe for apple pie at the end of the book which would make a perfect finish! While eating a slice of your pie and a drinking a glass of milk, you might even want to explore a globe or map to locate the places mentioned in the story—a great geography lesson to go along with a delectable culinary creation!

The Apple Pie Tree by Zoe Hall is another great ‘pick’! Two young sisters follow the cycle of an apple tree and how the apples are formed—from the bud to the fruit. The story includes the role of weather and bees in the production of the fruit, as well as a little side story about the robins who build their nest in the tree. The tale concludes with the apple harvest, and of course another recipe for apple pie is included.

In addition to a pie baking activity, this book lends itself very well to the whole scientific aspect of fruit production, pollination, weather patterns, and life cycles in general. Visiting an apple orchard or U-Pick facility would make a great field trip to go along with any of these books.

Applesauce by Shirley Kurtz takes the ‘apple’ idea one step further. This book focuses on a family’s quest to gather enough apples to make enough applesauce to last through the winter. The pictures in the book are very helpful for understanding the process of making applesauce, and easy directions are included. Jars of homemade applesauce would make thoughtful gifts for children to give to family and friends.

Johnny Appleseed by Reeve Lindburgh would make a wonderful wrap-up after baking up so many apple goodies in the kitchen. This poem about John Chapman (Johnny Appleseed) tells the story of one man’s crusade to spread apple seeds from Massachusetts to the Midwest. Can you think up other recipes that use apples as the main ingredient? Search your cookbooks and see what yummy things you can discover. Create your own autumn recipe idea notebook.

There are also quite a few picture books about pumpkins too, and many can be used as a starting point for enjoyable kitchen activities as well. Perhaps a side trip to the pumpkin patch is in order before coming home to bake up some down home goodness. Some suggestions are:

-The Pumpkin Patch by Elizabeth King

-Seed, Sprout, Pumpkin, Pie by Jill Esbaum

-Too Many Pumpkins by Linda White

-Biscuit Visits the Pumpkin Patch by Alyssa Satin Capucilli

Need more ideas? Here’s an excellent bonus recipe for Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread.

Ingredients:

· 3 cups white sugar

· 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin

· 1 cup vegetable oil

· 2/3 cup water

· 4 eggs

· 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

· 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

· 1 tablespoon ground nutmeg

· 2 teaspoons baking soda

· 1 1/2 teaspoons salt

· 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

· 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour three loaf pans. In a large bowl, combine sugar, pumpkin, oil, water, and eggs. Beat until smooth. Blend in flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt. Fold in chocolate chips and nuts. Fill pans 1/2 to 3/4 full. Bake for 1 hour, or until a knife comes out clean. Cool on wire racks before removing from pans.

So scan your library bookshelves, ‘pick’ a few great books to share, and pre-heat the oven. Don an apron, bake up some autumn goodness, and enjoy the ‘fruits’ of your labor!

Welcome to your new Blog.

If you’re reading this, you’ve got a brand new blog that’s all your own. Here’s what to do next…

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There are four graphics being displayed in the header. You can create your own graphics of the same size and upload them into the ‘img’ folder of the ’strides’ theme. Then go into the ‘header.php’ file and change the file names. This will update your site. The wide top graphic is 900 x 75 and the three smaller graphics are 300 x 175.

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Be sure to check back soon!