At the library, a month into the school year, we have class visits almost every day, with as many as 100+ children coming to learn about the library, and hear a story or two.
These are the ones I love to read aloud, and children seem to love hearing them!
It's a Secret by John Burningham
Where does the cat go every night? Marie Elaine finds out the secret!
Crazy Hair Day by Barney Saltzburg
How a class helps a student overcome embarrassment when he gets his events mixed up.
Guji Guji by Chih-Yuan Chen
A crocodile helps his family, who just happen to be ducks!
No Dinner by Jessica Souhami
An old woman eats well and avoids being eaten.
My Lucky Day by Keiko Kasza
The piglet gets all the perks. EVERY day may just be his lucky day!
Tell me, what are your favorites?
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Part Three: What's Up with THAT, or Things That Make You Go Huh?
Ladies, do you have this problem?
Sorry, men with long hair might well have this problem, too!
My hair is long enough to gather into a ponytail with one of those spirally things, and when I'm cooking, cleaning, washing or even WRITING, I need to clip my bangs back with a little clippie thing.
Yes, those are the technical terms for those!
It took experimenting to find spirally and clippie things that would not leave bends and dents in my hair. I laid in a good stock of them, enough to put one in each room. But,
WHERE DO THEY ALL GO???
Of 5 spirally things, I can only find 3! Out of 6 clippie things, I only see 4 at any one time.
Where the heck ARE they?
I've already bought another set of spirally things - the idea of having only 2 on hand is too scary to pursue!
Do they all hide in one place, or each find somewhere specific and special?
Do tell!
Sorry, men with long hair might well have this problem, too!
My hair is long enough to gather into a ponytail with one of those spirally things, and when I'm cooking, cleaning, washing or even WRITING, I need to clip my bangs back with a little clippie thing.
Yes, those are the technical terms for those!
It took experimenting to find spirally and clippie things that would not leave bends and dents in my hair. I laid in a good stock of them, enough to put one in each room. But,
WHERE DO THEY ALL GO???
Of 5 spirally things, I can only find 3! Out of 6 clippie things, I only see 4 at any one time.
Where the heck ARE they?
I've already bought another set of spirally things - the idea of having only 2 on hand is too scary to pursue!
Do they all hide in one place, or each find somewhere specific and special?
Do tell!
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
September: What I've Read/Am Reading
Wednesday Wars by Gary Schmidt. A teacher sees the potential in a student during the Vietnam era. The DH liked it, too. I told him it was because he had a teacher like Miss Baker.
Ooka the Wise by I. G. Edmonds. Judge Ooka cleverly decides cases ranging from his grandson fighting with a playmate to who should get the last horse - or whether the principals should divide it!? Entertaining.
Bokuden and the Bully adapted by Stephen Krensky. Based on a real samurai sword master, who wins by NOT fighting. Gotta love it!
Tasty Baby Belly Buttons adapted by Judy Sierra, with great illustrations by Meilo So. A feminine version of Momotaro. Our heroine pops out of a melon, and she gets a chance at ogre-fighting. The onomatopoeia - like "tontoko, tontoko" and "boroboro" - all too funny!
Ghost of a Smile by Deborah Boehm. Yes, I'm on a Japanese obake/folktale kick! This one is set in contemporary Japan, at that place where the spirits meet modern men and women - and some of them get it on! Some repetition and scenery chewing, but enjoyable for the most part.
Getting ready for an anime program, and reading Nemu Nemu by Audra Furuichi.
UPDATE: scratch Nemu Nemu, we have a different program presenter.
Ooka the Wise by I. G. Edmonds. Judge Ooka cleverly decides cases ranging from his grandson fighting with a playmate to who should get the last horse - or whether the principals should divide it!? Entertaining.
Bokuden and the Bully adapted by Stephen Krensky. Based on a real samurai sword master, who wins by NOT fighting. Gotta love it!
Tasty Baby Belly Buttons adapted by Judy Sierra, with great illustrations by Meilo So. A feminine version of Momotaro. Our heroine pops out of a melon, and she gets a chance at ogre-fighting. The onomatopoeia - like "tontoko, tontoko" and "boroboro" - all too funny!
Ghost of a Smile by Deborah Boehm. Yes, I'm on a Japanese obake/folktale kick! This one is set in contemporary Japan, at that place where the spirits meet modern men and women - and some of them get it on! Some repetition and scenery chewing, but enjoyable for the most part.
Getting ready for an anime program, and reading Nemu Nemu by Audra Furuichi.
UPDATE: scratch Nemu Nemu, we have a different program presenter.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Part Two: What's up with THAT?
First, help me understand this: someone I know keeps the end rolls of toilet tissue - about 1/4 inch on each.
Why?
No, I haven't asked the person. I don't know why, perhaps I'm afraid to hear the answer.
And so it goes.
Next: why don't teachers actually teach their students RESEARCH SKILLS? Starting with keeping index cards, or a notebook dedicated to their project. They were in the library last week, and they may have had at most, a sheet of paper and a pen. And I found exactly ONE sheet of paper with notes, AFTER they had left. Too cool for school?
Should I go off topic and mention the student helper who can't remember his tasks - there are about six of them. His supervisor said just as much. I mentioned she might want to type a list. Then I saw such a list a few days later. As stupid as this may sound, I keep a notebook for each job I've had.
And I've had many!
A notebook on how to do your job helps you avoid the student helper-type questions, like:
"NOW, what do I do?" He asks ME this, and I just tell him I'm NOT his supervisor. I'm not!
"What time do I start today?" I said I'm NOT your supervisor, so I DO NOT KNOW.
"Where's the nearest drinking fountain?" I told him the other day, but repeated my answer. "Oh, I THINK that one's broken." THINK or KNOW? If you haven't seen it today, do you KNOW?
So, if you HAVE a notebook, you could write all sorts of things in it. Like your schedule. Your six tasks so you could learn them. And then the supervisor could teach you the six new tasks! You could put a map of the library in your notebook, so you can know where each and every drinking fountain is, on every floor!
Okay, back on topic: Research Skills. When I asked the students how they were going to decide whether the book they held in their hands was going to have the information they needed for their topic, one of them said: "Read it."
They were genuinely delighted when I told them they didn't have to. It was a surprise to them that all they would have to do was look in the table of contents, index, read a few pages, and look to see if there was a bibliography with more references.
But a researcher told me that some law students on this island, because they are so used to looking at databases and reports online, did not even know books HAVE indices and TOCs!
It's a new world, and I'm not sure I like it. But at least, I have something "new" to teach each incoming class. And their older siblings!
Why?
No, I haven't asked the person. I don't know why, perhaps I'm afraid to hear the answer.
And so it goes.
Next: why don't teachers actually teach their students RESEARCH SKILLS? Starting with keeping index cards, or a notebook dedicated to their project. They were in the library last week, and they may have had at most, a sheet of paper and a pen. And I found exactly ONE sheet of paper with notes, AFTER they had left. Too cool for school?
Should I go off topic and mention the student helper who can't remember his tasks - there are about six of them. His supervisor said just as much. I mentioned she might want to type a list. Then I saw such a list a few days later. As stupid as this may sound, I keep a notebook for each job I've had.
And I've had many!
A notebook on how to do your job helps you avoid the student helper-type questions, like:
"NOW, what do I do?" He asks ME this, and I just tell him I'm NOT his supervisor. I'm not!
"What time do I start today?" I said I'm NOT your supervisor, so I DO NOT KNOW.
"Where's the nearest drinking fountain?" I told him the other day, but repeated my answer. "Oh, I THINK that one's broken." THINK or KNOW? If you haven't seen it today, do you KNOW?
So, if you HAVE a notebook, you could write all sorts of things in it. Like your schedule. Your six tasks so you could learn them. And then the supervisor could teach you the six new tasks! You could put a map of the library in your notebook, so you can know where each and every drinking fountain is, on every floor!
Okay, back on topic: Research Skills. When I asked the students how they were going to decide whether the book they held in their hands was going to have the information they needed for their topic, one of them said: "Read it."
They were genuinely delighted when I told them they didn't have to. It was a surprise to them that all they would have to do was look in the table of contents, index, read a few pages, and look to see if there was a bibliography with more references.
But a researcher told me that some law students on this island, because they are so used to looking at databases and reports online, did not even know books HAVE indices and TOCs!
It's a new world, and I'm not sure I like it. But at least, I have something "new" to teach each incoming class. And their older siblings!
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Part Two of My Husband Looks Like...
Yep! Someone Else.
We were in the supermarket the other night. He was doing his part in the shopping ritual - checking the eggs to see that none were broken. He noticed someone was watching him, and as he wheeled his cart away, an older fellow approached and asked if his name was Tamanaha.
"No," said the DH. "Was my good buddy from small keed time." (This is the local patois, pidgin English, for those of you not familiar with Hawaiian Creole English. Long may it continue. It's the spice in our speech!)
"But, you not Okinawan, eh?" the fellow added.
I asked if the friend, Tamanaha, might have been the odd hairless Okinawan? I guess I have to 'splain that Okinawans are from the southern part of Japan, and are usually hairier than the other Japanese.
OT : the DH and I were talking about Salma Hayek in the movie about Frida Kahlo. Both lovely, talented women, but Frida had a unibrow AND a moustache. She could very well have been Okinawan!
Takenaka, Tamanaha, and a student calls the DH "SomethingSaki"! Is there no respect?
We were at the Blaisdell Farmers' Market last night, and it just occurred to me that the Farm Bureau woman might have been talking to us so familiarly NOT because we're there at least every other week, but because she might have thought the DH was the fish man, Brooks Takenaka???
We were in the supermarket the other night. He was doing his part in the shopping ritual - checking the eggs to see that none were broken. He noticed someone was watching him, and as he wheeled his cart away, an older fellow approached and asked if his name was Tamanaha.
"No," said the DH. "Was my good buddy from small keed time." (This is the local patois, pidgin English, for those of you not familiar with Hawaiian Creole English. Long may it continue. It's the spice in our speech!)
"But, you not Okinawan, eh?" the fellow added.
I asked if the friend, Tamanaha, might have been the odd hairless Okinawan? I guess I have to 'splain that Okinawans are from the southern part of Japan, and are usually hairier than the other Japanese.
OT : the DH and I were talking about Salma Hayek in the movie about Frida Kahlo. Both lovely, talented women, but Frida had a unibrow AND a moustache. She could very well have been Okinawan!
Takenaka, Tamanaha, and a student calls the DH "SomethingSaki"! Is there no respect?
We were at the Blaisdell Farmers' Market last night, and it just occurred to me that the Farm Bureau woman might have been talking to us so familiarly NOT because we're there at least every other week, but because she might have thought the DH was the fish man, Brooks Takenaka???
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Last Saturday Storytime of August
Storytime consists of warming up the crowd with a familiar rhyme or song, reading 2 to 4 picture books, followed by a simple make and take craft.
Attendees have been younger and younger lately. The youngest look barely 15 months old, with the (mis)behavior that goes along with it. Then again, some have been taught, but the lessons haven't stuch!
I started with a rhyme that was repeated enthusiastically by those who knew it. It helps when the parents join in, but these appeared to want to be entertained rather than participate! Plus there was a SCREAMING toddler to my left - the mother took him outside TWICE. After that, I tried to ignore one of the twins, who I'd name NAUGHTY and Nice. She was pulling out every book on the shelf next to me. I ignored her lest I be tempted to bop her with one of the books.
I soldiered on! They liked Plenty Saimin (and who in noodle soup-loving Hawaii DOESN'T?), Beach Day and Whose Slippers Are These? In between, I tried to get them to sing If You're Happy and You Know It, but ended up singing alone! After the second story, I said I'd read the third, and a little girl got up, stood in front of me and said she wasn't having a third. I think I told her, "Too bad!"
When I showed them the craft they'd be doing, there was an audible gasp from both children and parents! Too funny! It IS a cute craft - a greeting card with dimensional cutout rubber slipper. I tried to convince the student helper that the cutting should be left to the parents and children, who think it's fun.
Afterwards, one of the librarians asked how it went, and even suggested I post instructions to one of the children's librarians' listservs, as there was a need for this type of craft! I'll have to write some up in order to do this!
The best part of this craft was that ALL of the components were recycled: from the colored copy paper that used to be flyers, to the paper for the invitations - leftover from another project, to the slipper "straps" - donated foam pieces. I am getting better at using odds and ends rather than "new" supplies.
But I still choose a craft first, then the stories to go with it later!
The DH surprised me by showing up! He took some photos, joined in making the slipper card, then went off to meet "the boys" to smoke cigars. I went off to lunch, where I thought I was going to eat one of my humble sandwiches...
Attendees have been younger and younger lately. The youngest look barely 15 months old, with the (mis)behavior that goes along with it. Then again, some have been taught, but the lessons haven't stuch!
I started with a rhyme that was repeated enthusiastically by those who knew it. It helps when the parents join in, but these appeared to want to be entertained rather than participate! Plus there was a SCREAMING toddler to my left - the mother took him outside TWICE. After that, I tried to ignore one of the twins, who I'd name NAUGHTY and Nice. She was pulling out every book on the shelf next to me. I ignored her lest I be tempted to bop her with one of the books.
I soldiered on! They liked Plenty Saimin (and who in noodle soup-loving Hawaii DOESN'T?), Beach Day and Whose Slippers Are These? In between, I tried to get them to sing If You're Happy and You Know It, but ended up singing alone! After the second story, I said I'd read the third, and a little girl got up, stood in front of me and said she wasn't having a third. I think I told her, "Too bad!"
When I showed them the craft they'd be doing, there was an audible gasp from both children and parents! Too funny! It IS a cute craft - a greeting card with dimensional cutout rubber slipper. I tried to convince the student helper that the cutting should be left to the parents and children, who think it's fun.
Afterwards, one of the librarians asked how it went, and even suggested I post instructions to one of the children's librarians' listservs, as there was a need for this type of craft! I'll have to write some up in order to do this!
The best part of this craft was that ALL of the components were recycled: from the colored copy paper that used to be flyers, to the paper for the invitations - leftover from another project, to the slipper "straps" - donated foam pieces. I am getting better at using odds and ends rather than "new" supplies.
But I still choose a craft first, then the stories to go with it later!
The DH surprised me by showing up! He took some photos, joined in making the slipper card, then went off to meet "the boys" to smoke cigars. I went off to lunch, where I thought I was going to eat one of my humble sandwiches...
Friday, August 26, 2011
It Was a VERY Short Day!
I'm not tall. I envy our student helper - I think she's 5' 9". Can't she just give me two inches?
How short am I? Well, I used to be 5' 1". Now I think I'm barely over 5' tall.
It was on the bus this morning when I first saw real shortness. I can't remember when he climbed on, but a fellow hopped onto a seat across the aisle from me. I'm going to say he was under 3 feet tall. Still, he climbed up without a struggle. He was black, middle-aged and his clothes fit well. Think how hard it must be for HIM to find things that fit!
The next encounter was in the library. I had the afternoon shift in the young adult section, and barely saw the younger woman in her 30s or 40s from the reference desk. I'm better at guessing volume than height or distance, so I estimated she was 70+ pounds, and approximately 3' 6". The first fellow was around 50 pounds.
After work, my bus was extra late. We were treated to olfactory punishment in the form of a homeless woman who was reading a plastic-protected sheet of paper - out loud. She smelled strongly of urine - which is prompting me to stand up now and put a fragrance sample in my handbag. She was briefly joined by a homeless man, who looked a bit better than the woman.
The third vertically challenged person looked almost 4' 6". She was loud for her height, and made faces at a baby held in a sling around its mother's neck. The woman's face was exactly at the same level as the baby's. The mother was of above-average height.
At work, I wear sandals with heels about 2-1/2 inches high - close to the upper limit of what is comfortable for me. Even with those few inches, I notice being able to see more, reach things better and I'm more sparkly.
WHAT? My sandals have some tastefully placed rhinestones along the edges of the straps. Which sparkle is still enough to catch the attention of the OFLIC. Older Female Librarians In Charge. I can well imagine them clucking or tsking their disapproval when I'm out of earshot. Not that I care!
How tall - or short - are you? Does your height define you? How?
How short am I? Well, I used to be 5' 1". Now I think I'm barely over 5' tall.
It was on the bus this morning when I first saw real shortness. I can't remember when he climbed on, but a fellow hopped onto a seat across the aisle from me. I'm going to say he was under 3 feet tall. Still, he climbed up without a struggle. He was black, middle-aged and his clothes fit well. Think how hard it must be for HIM to find things that fit!
The next encounter was in the library. I had the afternoon shift in the young adult section, and barely saw the younger woman in her 30s or 40s from the reference desk. I'm better at guessing volume than height or distance, so I estimated she was 70+ pounds, and approximately 3' 6". The first fellow was around 50 pounds.
After work, my bus was extra late. We were treated to olfactory punishment in the form of a homeless woman who was reading a plastic-protected sheet of paper - out loud. She smelled strongly of urine - which is prompting me to stand up now and put a fragrance sample in my handbag. She was briefly joined by a homeless man, who looked a bit better than the woman.
The third vertically challenged person looked almost 4' 6". She was loud for her height, and made faces at a baby held in a sling around its mother's neck. The woman's face was exactly at the same level as the baby's. The mother was of above-average height.
At work, I wear sandals with heels about 2-1/2 inches high - close to the upper limit of what is comfortable for me. Even with those few inches, I notice being able to see more, reach things better and I'm more sparkly.
WHAT? My sandals have some tastefully placed rhinestones along the edges of the straps. Which sparkle is still enough to catch the attention of the OFLIC. Older Female Librarians In Charge. I can well imagine them clucking or tsking their disapproval when I'm out of earshot. Not that I care!
How tall - or short - are you? Does your height define you? How?
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