Winter Character Education Day...

Character Education Day:

This is always a fun time learning about character traits; caring, responsibility, respect, citizenship, trustworthiness and fairness.

8th graders from AMS that are part of the Longhorn Leaders came over to implement the lessons. We had a wonderful time.

Watch this video so you can be a part of what made us so "happy" Tuesday!

The Corner On Character:

Top 10 books on character you must share with your child. (Pre k- 2nd grade)

1. Caring- Horton Hatches The Egg by Dr. Seuss

2. Respect- The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein

3. Responsibility- I Just Forgot by Mercer Mayer

4. Honesty- Ruthie and the Not So Teeny Tiny Lie by Laura Rankin

5. Kindness- Hey Little Ant by Phillip Hoose

6. Friendship- Enemy Pie by Derek Munson

7. Manners- Time To Say PLEASE! by Mo Willems

8. Empathy- Those Shoes by Maribeth Boelts

9. Acceptance- Stand Tall Molly Lou Mellon by Patty Lovell

10. Citizenship-What if Everyone Did by Joann Stover

I hope you will find time to share these wonderful books with your child and enjoy reading them together.

This week was a short week with MLK Day on Monday, we didn't have school. Then on Thursday we had a snow day. We received about 5 inches of snow.  The Snow Day Bucket List I shared with my kiddo's.

My grandson, Oliver and his daddy building a snowman "Olaf".

Book club:

My book club just got started reading our newest selection The Magician's Assistant by Ann Patchett

I am only about 75 pages in but I am really getting hooked. I have been thinking about it all day. I am hoping I can finish it this weekend. 

 Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

My Review:

Red Queen was incredible. For anyone who enjoys YA and dystopian fantasy books you will not be disappointed.

The book is a dystopian fantasy with two main groups of people. The Reds and the Silvers. The Reds have no real value they are powerless and subject to the Silvers cruelty. Silvers on the other hand have these extreme type of powers and they are considered to be like gods who live in the lap of  luxury. With a revolution on the rise and a simple Red girl somehow having powers that only Silvers should possess things get really interesting pretty quick.

Mare Barrow's life is challenged in so many ways... being a Red is just one of them. When the royal family discovers that Mare has powers that they can't explain away, they give her a new identity as a Silver. She can either go along with the charade or they will kill her. 

I loved Mare, she gets thrown into a world she knows nothing about, she is in constant danger from discovery of her true identity.  Yet, she meets two princes both seeking her affection. Yes, there is a love triangle of sorts but luckily it all gets nipped in the bud so don't let that stop you from reading Red Queen.

All the key characters were very well developed and even the villains were complex. There was so much betrayal and manipulation...oh what a plot twist! When you thought things couldn't get any more intense...it does. Just when you thought you had a character figured out...they would somehow surprise you. I think the quote that can sum up Red Queen would be...

"Anyone can betray anyone."

The world created by Aveyard was cruel and beautiful all at once. If your looking for an addictive read that is full of action and a real page turner I highly recommend picking up Red Queen.

Happy Reading,

Mrs. Shamhart

My Year In Books....

This Week In The Library

We continued working on our lessons we started last week. In kindergarten we are learning 20 nursery rhymes. We worked on Pat-a-cake, Old Mother Hubbard, Little Miss Muffet, Hickory Dickory Dock, Hey Diddle Diddle, Jack Be Nimble, and  Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.  The students did an amazing job practicing and learning these rhymes. Yesterday, each kindergarten friend received a nursery rhyme that they will have to recite in the coming weeks. They were very excited ( I have to say, I absolutely love their enthusiasm).
 
First grade friends have been working on their research project here in the library. They each selected an animal that they would like to know more about, they had to read a book about their animal and we just started filling out their graphic organizer to help them to write their research papers. Ask your student what animal they selected to learn more about.

Best In Books

I have been asked so many times this month (it's only the 15th), what was your favorite book in 2015? I have to say that this is a loaded question.  I looked back at my Goodreads account and broke things down the best I could, I hope this helps to answer the question...

1. Best Book You Read In 2015? Wild by Cheryl Strayed

2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t? All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

3. Most surprising (in a good way or bad way) book you read? Mosquitoland by David Arnold Loved it!!!

4. Book You “Pushed” The Most People To Read (And They Did)? The Good Girl by Mary Kubica and The Girl On The Train by Paula Hawkins

5. Best series you started in 2015? Best Sequel of 2015? Best Series Ender of 2015? The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer (for all three)

6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2015?  Mary Kubica

7. Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone? Cinder by Marissa Meyer

8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year? Girl On The Train by Paula Hawkins

9. Book You Read In 2015 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year? Winter Stroll by Elin Hilderbrand.

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2015?

11. Most memorable character of 2015? Cheryl Strayed in Wild

12. Most beautifully written book read in 2015? The Life Intended by Kristin Harmel

13. Most Thought-Provoking/ Life-Changing Book of 2015?The Life Intended by Kristin Harmel
 
14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2015 to finally read? Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell

15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2015? From Wild by Cheryl Strayed
So many amazing and thought provoking quotes throughout this book. Loved it.

 
16.Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2015? Shortest: 181 pages – The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman, Longest: 504 pages The Signature Of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert

17. Book That Shocked You The Most: We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
 
18. OTP OF THE YEAR (you will go down with this ship!): (OTP = one true pairing if you aren’t familiar) Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell
 
19. Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship Of The Year:Lucy and Marva Object of My Affection by Jill Smolinsky

20. Favorite Book You Read in 2015 From An Author You’ve Read Previously: Winter Stroll by Elin Hilderbrand

21. Best Book You Read In 2015 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else/Peer Pressure: In A Dark Dark Wood by Ruth Ware
 
22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2015? Dashiell Sutherland from Dashing Through the Snow by Debbie Macomber
 
23. Best 2015 debut you read? The Life Intended by Kristin Harmel

24. Best Worldbuilding/Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year? Cinder by Marissa Meyer

25. Book That Put A Smile On Your Face/Was The Most FUN To Read?If I Could Turn Back Time By Beth Harbison

26. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2015? The Life Intended  By Kristin Harmel and The Martian By Andy Weir
 
27. Hidden Gem Of The Year? Where They Found Her by Kimberly McCreight
28. Book That Crushed Your Soul? The Life Intended by Kristin Harmel

29. Most Unique Book You Read In 2015?  The Mountain Story by Lori Lansens
 
30. Book That Made You The Most Mad (doesn’t necessarily mean you didn’t like it)? We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

 Swaps

As I posted last week I am in a swap with Chaotic Goddess Swaps called The Book and A Cuppa Swap. I love being involved in their swaps they are so much fun and I get to meet people from all over, that blog and read. I just got assigned my swap partner and her name is Cyra and her blog  is amazing Rattle the Pages.   
 

 




I am currently part of the OTSP Secret Sister Project and I absolutely love my Secret sisters. I have only one I know and can't wait for the other sister to reveal herself. Signups for the next round are this weekend and I am so excited to get started. LOVE these ladies and the many that are involved in #otspsecretsisters I have come to find I read many of their blogs, pick up the books they suggest and enjoy getting to know them all.

Here is a little info on this swap:

The Basics:

The What:

The Secret Sister project is essentially a cheer club. Think Secret Santa but all year round (in 6 month intervals) with less emphasis on big presents, and more thoughtful notes, cards, small somethings sent just to let your secret sister know that you are thinking about her!

The When:

• Sign-ups will go live on January 16, 2016
• This round will run from February through July 2016

The Who:

You guys! But there are some conditions that must be met prior to signing up, we are going to outline those below under “The Rules.”
The How:
On January 16 we will be posting questionnaires on our blogs for you to fill out. In addition to the questionnaire, you will also be asked to answer a few questions for a Google form. PLEASE NOTE: If you do not fill out BOTH of these things in full, then you will NOT be paired. The Google form is NEW this round, but it is what we will be using to pair, so DO NOT FORGET. 

 

What am I reading?

I just started the book The Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard  here is a photo of my book and beverage last night. I will keep you posted on how it goes. So far I am loving it.

Last week I told you that I was finishing up the book The Martian by Andy Weir and let me just say it was wonderful!!! I am so glad that I read it before seeing the movie. I really enjoyed watching the movie and laughed a bit.  

This book was fantastic! A thrilling survival story with a hearty dose of humor. The main character Mark was very tongue and cheek throughout the book and I LOVED IT. The voice and the premise hooked me right away and kept me thoroughly engaged the whole time. My only real issues were that some of the minor characters didn't really stand out as much as they could've, and some of the science heavy bits were a little hard to follow and felt a bit of info-overload at times. But the human aspect, the heart of the story, was totally on point, and for the most part I just had a great time reading this!

 

Happy Reading,
Mrs. Shamhart

Welcome 2016

 

Currently

Over the holiday break I enjoyed catching up on Game of Thrones since, HBO was airing a Game of Thrones marathon. I absolutely enjoyed spending time with family. Even though I was a midst the holiday break I never stop thinking and planning for school. If I could just put the breaks on and slow this break down I could balance my time with my family and all that I want to accomplish at home and at school. If I only had another week off...I might even get a chance to finish the 3 books I am reading. My one word is Love because everyone needs love.

Special Note:

I have taken some time off from blogging and I am ready to get back into the swing of things.

Back To School

As we head back to school and welcome in the new year, we will be starting our research papers in 1st grade (this seems to get earlier and earlier every year). My kindergarten friends will be starting our nursery rhyme unit and will each be given their very own nursery rhyme to recite in library class. This is a collaborative effort with Mrs. Christner our music teacher. She will be preparing kindergarten classes for their spring music recital, using some of the same nursery rhymes we will be learning here in the library.

It has been a bit frozen here in Kansas this past week:

 My Next Swap:

 



 Chaotic Goddess Swaps Book and a Cuppa Sign-up Post

YOUR PACKAGE MUST INCLUDE

• 1 Mug
• 1 Book from your partner’s wishlist
• Other book-related and mug-related goodies – bookmarks, coffee, hot cocoa, etc.

This is the perfect swap for me.

My Current Read:

I'm so engrossed in this book, I have only a few pages to left and will finish tonight. I highly recommend it. I wanted to read it before I went to see the movie.  My #otspsecretsister sent this to me she knows me to well.  Please let me know what you are reading.

My Book Clubs Next Read: January 2016 Book Choice

Happy New Year and Happy Reading,
Mrs. Shamhart