When I was teaching English in Japan the constant bane of my classes was a simple one. “I’m fine thank you”, was their response when I asked them how they were doing. I created dozens of crudely illustrated review cards to help them be comfortable saying I’m hungry, sleepy, angry, tired, exhausted, or just OK that they were on that day. Let’s Tell a Story is a book series that does a similar thing, but it builds a story that kids can easily create and tell by themselves. Let’s Tell a Story Fairy Tale Adventures is also great because of the sheer variety of stories that kids will be able to build.
For those fable story telling kids that need a push, this is goldenTag: Wide Eyes Editions
Kaleidoscope of Creatures is multi-purposed for STEM and fun
I firmly believe that STEM and the concepts that make it up are ones that kids want to learn. It’s just that the information has to presented to them in ways that are interesting to those students. I know, back in my day the information was packaged in a granite block, we had to smash our hands against it to glean information; we liked it, and asked for more. However, what if the building blocks of classification and organization, specifically the animal kingdom were displayed in a hyper-inviting way that encouraged elementary-aged students to explore, learn, ask questions and add to what they’re being taught? That’s the idea behind Kaleidoscope of Creatures, The Colors of Nature Explained by Cath Ard with illustrations by Greer Stothers.
A potato chip of a book, you read one page, then another…and so on