Lucinda's Library Notes

 Naturally, the song Unforgettable is playing in my mind as I type this blog but the reason I am writing on this subject is to remind us all that the things of value should never be forgotten in our day to day life. Special memories like your wedding day or the day your baby was born are truly unforgettable. Family members and close friends and special days are unforgettable too. However, I want to challenge us to go beyond this. Sometimes we watch the news and the circumstances of the day create such a powerful emotional response even if they do not directly relate to us that we find them unforgettable. "Where were you when..."is a question that often elicits a quick response because you easily recall what you were doing when a certain event occurred. Sometimes we have to work hard to remember a day and other times it is like a blaring horn and flashing light that we simply cannot ignore.  When I mention this, what kind of days come to mind for you? We choose to remember to ...

This morning I heard this book sung to guitar music and it was so much fun! The book itself is positive and 'up'lifting but the music added to it by making you want to go and sing to everyone to get up and enjoy doing things! Now I think the tune will be stuck in my head! Why did I choose this book? 'UP" is a common early word so reading a book with this word used so frequently will allow a young child many opportunities to join in and fill in the word. It gives them a lot of practice in speaking as well as multiple opportunities to participate in 'reading' the book with you. It adds to what each of you can do as you go through the book together. For early readers, the text is simple overall but even if you cannot read all the words, having a simple word like this one coming up frequently helps you keep going without getting discouraged.  The rhyming pattern also helps improve the flow of the reading so every word doesn't become a challenge to decode and sa...

In high school I acquired a book about Ukrainian Easter Eggs (pysanky  after seeing them at a Caravan Pavilion with my mom. We had wonderful memories of going to explore the world on our doorstep. We took the bus across the city to travel from Greece to Israel to Ireland to Trinidad over the course of the ten day event.  We immersed ourselves in the foods, crafts and arts of these lands. Occasionally it was crowded and minimal but overall it was enriching and delightful. I purchased the tools to create the Ukrainian eggs and the book to learn the designs and had a wonderful time attempting to recreate their works of art. I don't think I came close but my mom kept them in her china cabinet for over two decades afterwards. The picture is a sample pattern as a sample for you . This positive cultural experience, however minor, provided me with a connection to the Ukraine that remains to this day. It is a reminder of the importance of exposing children to different people and cultu...

The activities for T are themed around the word 'Tunes'.  Please add in your own ideas for this theme to expand the list for others interested in this. Most of us know a child who enjoys music so it is a way to reach into their world to connect in an area of interest to them. We want to relate to children on their turf. What are they interested in and how can you jump in and use that to build up their skills? How can you connect through music?  1.Name that tune: Sing or play the first few notes of a song and see if they can identify it. This works on memory, listening skills, auditory recognition and labeling. 2. Dance Party: It can be based on a theme or a favourite singer or random. It can be a five minute physical activity to regulate or get out their 'sillies' or a full evening of fun. 3.Marching Band: Have the children follow your lead or lead you as you march around a room, a house, a yard or the neighbourhood playing musical instruments as a band. The instruments...

  Robert Munsch, Michael Martchenko As a child my brother offered to help me remove a loose tooth with pliers when I sat for hours wiggling it when I should have been asleep. He went to the basement and surprise, surprise, four steps from the top the tooth came out! So, when I thought about the tooth fairy for this, I remembered this story and had to laugh when I discovered the same example inside the book! The story is very descriptive. The main character, a boy named Andrew, came downstairs and saw three big red apples in the middle of the table. Then 5 things happened. He decided to eat one, reached out, took it, shined it and took a bite. Don't you just love how that was broken down step by step so clearly? So what do you think will happen next? Ask children for ideas then see if anyone guessed correctly. He yelled 'YEEE-OW!" Did you see that one coming? Normally we would hear, "YUM!" Oh-oh! Something happened! What do you think went wrong? Do you have any cl...

By transitions I mean the process of completing one task and moving on to the next one, going from A to B.  Why is this a building skill? A lot of people get lost as they move from one thing to another. Some get caught up on A because they are engrossed by it and want to continue it or they fixated on perfecting it and cannot let it go. Some just 'drop everything' and move on to the next activity, only to find out later that they were in a whirlwind and ended up creating a massive mess that they are not very motivated to clean up, having used up all their energy with the shifting activities. Others readily close out what they were doing and neatly put it away but then find they are procrastinating as they move toward B. As they 'drag their feet', they may find other small tasks to do on the way that end up taking up their time and energy and they never do make it to B. Sound like any of you? It is a well-known strategy of successful people that they have priority items ...

Sights and Sounds : What are the sights and sounds of spring? What surprises does the season bring? Promises: What promises do you hope will come true in spring's skies of blue? Rainbows : Are they rainbows of delight or sparkles in spring's daylight? Investigations Do they lead you to scientific investigations or on to seasonal explorations? Nature : Do they involve the wonders of nature or demonstrate examples of biological nomenclature? Gardens : May spring offer gardens green and lead you to enjoy wonders yet unseen! As a teenager I got a book of activities to do with children along the theme of nature and one of them was a picture of a chick with the acrostic of spring written down the side so that children could think of accompanying words that relate to spring. That is what I was thinking of above but turned it more into a poem style acrostic.  What other types of activities can you do for spring beyond what is mentioned?  There is so much of nature that is renewed in ...

We have had a snowy winter so perhaps this book has already been well-read and loved by the child(ren) in your life!  I wanted to be sure you know it exists because it is a classic. It covers the winter season, clothing for cold weather, and it suggests things to do on a snowy day...all in one book! Not only that, but it also helps children know that snow melts too and as the boy goes through that disappointment they think through what to do when they face that scenario too. Ezra Jack Keats wrote and illustrated this picture book in 1962 about a boy named Peter. His illustrations won him the Caldecott Medal. He layered fabrics and decorative paper and then added to that to create his illustrations.  A great follow up activity for children would be to attempt a picture using various materials such as those used in this book. The scenario is simple and familiar.  What do you do on a snowy day? Crunch in the snow. Make patterns as you walk and leave footprints behind. Make s...

  Part of showing kindness to others is providing support for them in times of need. We want to be the friend who sits by their side, the listening ear at the other end of the phone and/or the neighbour who shows up with a shovel in hand when the snow is deep and they are left to clear it on their own. Everyone benefits from having supports in place, especially when they are real people who have got your back.  We are not meant to live in isolation of others but to work together in cooperation to strengthen each other. When you are working with a child who is struggling with any skills, it is up to the adult to put supports in place to see them through and help them develop their skills to the highest potential possible. Some supports are simple and easy to implement and others are elaborate and take time to become effective. The type of support is variable. For a gymnast, it may mean spotting them as they practice their routines.  For a swimmer, it may mean getting them ...

If Rabbits are the Theme...Here are ten ideas including several famous rabbits for you to consider with the child(ren) in your life. 1. The tales of Peter Rabbit was covered in Thursday's blog. This story led to the story of Peter Cottontail who is best known as the Easter Rabbit. A song about him was recorded by Gene Autry in 1950 called "Here Comes Peter Cottontail" Listen to it as part of an Easter tradition. 2. Find out more about the Easter Bunny and follow up by enjoying a Cadbury bunny to eat after learning more about the story of chocolate and how it is made. A trip to the Cadbury factory in Toronto can provide a wonderful tour and great memories! My children all loved it! 3. Remember the 'Wasscally Wabbit' that Elmer Fudd goes after? Did you know 'wabbit' means weary or exhausted which is how he feels after chasing Bugs Bunny around? 4. Explore how the Energizer Bunny powers up your child's toys. Complete a fun science experiment to learn abou...

 The Tales of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter is probably one of the most iconic of storybooks for children.  In the story there are 3 sisters and a brother rabbit whose mom goes out. The sisters kindly go blackberry picking in their yard while the brother mischievously goes on an adventure to the one place he was told NOT to go to. And of course, it does not go well. After all, he was being disobedient. However, as with most classic stories, there is a happy ending with a lesson included in the message. The sisters were able to enjoy a lovely meal while brother went to bed early without the treats as he was too exhausted by his adventures to even enjoy the meal. A great lesson is, Listen to your Mom! but I am sure there are other lessons to be gleaned as well. In the photo above, you can see a little rabbit that ventured into my yard. While flowers were the treat pictured here, this rabbit did enjoy some of the fruits (and vegetables) of our labour over the course of the seaso...

Can you control all the things going on in your head, the physical distractions, the sensory stimuli and still manage to keep yourself available for attentive learning?  If so, your skills at regulation are amazing! Opposing concepts are volatility and dysregulation. How do you help a person regulate themselves? Mental health training offers skills to help with this but some people need more than we can give so they are directed on for professional care. However, here are some suggestions that help us with regulation in everyday life. Have a daily routine and do what you can to maintain it. A regular sleep/wake cycle is widely proven to be a major factor in our day to day well-being. Know what your priorities are for the day. That way, whatever happens, you know you did something of importance and value as it was your own priority for the day that you worked on first and foremost. Have a plan for how to accomplish the most important things. Half the battle is developing the plan. W...

👑What can you learn about Queens and Quilts?👑 Queen Bees : We can have a science class to learn about queen bees. It is actually fascinating to discover about the workings of the colony and learning cool facts about bees in general helps children not to be afraid of them.  Did you know bees dance to help other bees know the direction to go to find pollen? Did you know there is only one queen? Perhaps you can sample different types of honey as a part of the study on the queen bee: honey fresh from a comb or processed, from bees that have access to wild flowers or dandelions or acacia and so forth. The Queen's 70th year : At the time of this blog, the Queen of England is celebrating her 70th year on the throne. This is an incredible marker for her and makes for an intriguing social studies project. Learn about her reign and the events of history that she lived through and led her country through.  Perhaps make a poster project based on articles and media documentation of this ...

    Lauren Thompson and Derek Anderson wrote Little Quack which became a series of adorable children's books. There is a good night version, one to practice colours and another to practice counting. They are additions that follow the original text about a cute little duck. Now before I open the text, I cannot help but mention that my mind first goes to the song about 5 little ducks and mama calling them to come back and about Ernie's song on Sesame Street about his rubber duckie and Old McDonald's duck on his farm. Ducks are often included in Easter stories and in books about springtime. Usborne books have a series where you find a little duck that is hiding on each page. Ducks lead to pond studies, bath time adventures, farm narratives and wonderful stories such as the ones in this series of books. Little Quack is one of five ducklings. His siblings' names are Widdle, Waddle, Piddle and Puddle and they are all growing up. Mom calls them to their first adventure in the ...

Quick Tips  :  Quality Time, Understanding, Inclusion, Connection, Kindness, Teaching moments, Inspiration, Partnership and Security Quality Time - There is nothing like spending quality time together. It helps us remember we are loved, valued and wanted by another and gives us the chance to offer the gift of our time to those we care for. Understanding -Knowing who someone is as an individual and taking time to understand their story and what motivates their actions is key.  Take time to listen with an open heart. Inclusion -Keep people close and include them not just in the moments of your day but also share your heart, your thoughts and your ideas with them too. Unite humanity together regardless of individual differences. Connection -Find the ways that you can connect.  What is it that you both like to talk about? What kind of activities do you both like to do or in what ways do your ideas connect to help improve each other's lives or the lives of others in th...