Lucinda's Library Notes

I chose The Diary of Anne Frank for this post. Yes, it is a book for older children but I want you to consider the importance of biographies. We all have a story to tell. Anne Frank's story was not really told until after she died but then her story became an important documentation of one victim of the holocaust. Her story was her own, unique, yet it served to represent a much wider population of individuals.  It is important as we go through life that we take time to listen to people's stories. When we learn about what others experienced in life, we gain wisdom and understanding that will help us in our own lives. When you read a biography, you can imaginatively walk through their story with them. You can learn about the person but also the time and place where they lived out their experiences. It is helpful to be able to listen to their insights and benefit from their varied perspectives. I would suggest that you have children take time to write their own story. How can the...

LUCINDA'S LIBRARY NOTES ANNOUNCEMENT Thank you to those who welcomed me back.  I am not sure if I will return to posting three times a week but I have begun the next round of ABCs for your interest. One category is based on books, one on a theme and the final one on a skill that we can build in the lives of us and/or our children. This is the third time through the alphabet for each category. I will work my way through as I am able to. It has been my belief that an occasional post is popular but most posts only have a handful of viewers. However, I have had several people mention this week that they read my blog, including people I didn't know about, but the 'blog count' does not reflect this. I will have to figure out how to correct this but in the interim, if you read this, could you find a way to respond to the blog? You could subscribe or comment or if you don't see those options, send me a message...Some of you regularly respond, I know, but it would be nice to...

How can I make ZERO a theme? Maybe have a "do nothing" day? For me, that is neither enticing nor possible.  In the book, Zero to Hero, Zero was mistaken for the letter O, for a donut, for a bagel and for a wheel. So one possibility is to create a circular theme and include zero as an example. For example, a collage of round things. Or you could create a picture of several donuts, for example, and hide a zero in the midst of the picture and use the scene for "I Spy".  If the child likes coding, then learning about ones and zeros to create codes for computer programing is another option to consider. Zero waste can be the focus of a discussion on the environment and recycling matters. See what creative ideas your class or family can come up with to promote 'reduce, reuse and recycle' with an aim toward zero waste. Oh! Zero tolerance is another good subject matter for discussion. The application of that would be very dependent on the types of situations occurrin...

  This book uses humour to talk about how we can feel empty when we do not know our value and our place in the world. When people do not see our worth, they often puff themselves up and put us down. They can look at the situation from many angles and come to the same conclusion. However, we all have a purpose and it is inevitable that the day will come when we are needed and wanted, when we are the only ones suitable to fulfill our role in the world. On this day, others will come to value us for our unique place in the world. They will appreciate us in a new way. I think this book will help children to recognize their value and worth, even when it is not yet recognized by others. I think it will encourage children to hold on to that hope within. The book has Zero questioning his role as a hero. We may not all come to the place where we are at hero level but knowing that others appreciate you does a lot to fill a person's 'bucket'. For Zero, it brought him joy.  Even in a ca...