President's Day (SALE) + Spring is Coming!

President's Day is here! 

How are you celebrating? 

Do you have the day off and you're web-surfing?

Welcome to my little corner of cyber-town.

Will you be shopping today?

Thanks Maria at Kinder Craze for the custom button 

Quick little post today, cuz I'm havin' a sale! 

I really do have THE.PERFECT.President's Day resource. 

It's the song I wrote immediately after 9-11 that is all about 

"Red, white and blue, I love you, America brave and true."  

Since its now in a zipped file for digital download -- you can get your copy for use today and later this week, with a simple click over to Teachers Pay Teachers.  



Go back to last month's article here to see Project Based Learning approach in Kindergarten, using my song and its book version as the basis for study. 

Now let's shift from Patriotism and Civics to science...........

Pollywog Digital Download and Support Materials 

I promise on good authority, that spring is in the air. While you're in my little shop take a look at my very first digital product, "Pollywog" all about the delightful metamorphosis process in four happy verses! I spent last summer making these quilted "illustrations" for your use with my song. Each verse has it's own picture. Now to get the word out!



Take a look at this Pollywog-MATH project that comes from one of my favorite kindergarten classrooms. I make an annual visit to St. Paul's every spring in Westerville. The teachers have been using my songs for a decade now and I always LUV to see how they direct their kinders in response to my music. 

Kindergarten Math in Response to "Pollywog" 

**Again, thanks to Maria at Kinder Craze for adapting her button for the TpT sale to fit my needs. I forgot to tell her that my things are actually all listed at 15% off of their normal price. I didn't want to have to ask her to tinker around any further. She has the greatest ideas and has both flair and graphic chops, too! 

Go take a look at her emergent readers for President's Day! They're on sale!!

-- Debbie --

Science in Kindergarten + Preschool

STEM = Science, Technology, Engineering, Math!

Is your school district expanding it's emphasis on STEM projects? 

Are your parents asking about STEM goals for your year ahead? 

Are you on the lookout for STEM to integrate with young children? 

Let's begin today with S = Science!

How can we use science to enhance creativity? 

SCIENCE! Did someone say science?? 

What does 'science' look like for our youngest? 

Simple. 
Science is literally all around us waiting our further exploration. 

Simple Weather Graph

Keeping track of the weather is an obvious science exploration that can begin quite simply in preschool with observation and documentation. These charts can be expanded upon through out kindergarten and the early grades. These are examples of kindergarten graphs kept over the course of the entire school year in individual science notebooks. 



What about those amazing botany experiments of yore? Delayed gratification and science all rolled into one biology experiment on the window. Solar greenhouse, anyone? 

And of course there is always the incubator-in-the-spring that is always brand new and full of anticipation for young children. 

One of the best things about science in the mind of the young child? 

There are COOL TOOLS!!

Combining magnets and children is just a short extrapolation beyond the combination of peanut butter and jelly. I have this same exact set of scientific tools in my workshop. Seriously. I never tire of chasing those magnetic colorful spheres around.

In case this is your first time here -- I'm an author and illustrator of picture books. These photos are from my school visits around the countryside. I LUV any chance to 'sing' the message home. Here's a cute piggy-back song, easy to implement.... whatever age the students. 





Science exploration is indeed universal. These two images are from my day of exploration in Reggio Emilia, Italy. Their pine cones look pretty similar, don't they? 

LUV LUV LUV the way their seasonal mural turned out!

Here's another overview of seasons, as created in collaboration in kindergarten. These were HUGE in real life! Took up the ceiling to floor hallway. 

What do we know about bats?
Chart for prior knowledge

My first 'digital download' lesson for Teachers pay Teachers is based on my ubber-science friendly song entitled "Pollywog." My four verse dittie unveils the predictable cycle of metamorphosis following the entire tadpole to frog cycle. I've created numerous support materials to help augment the lesson for your kiddos. 

Chances are you don't know my little classic. I have a YouTube video of the song to serve as your introduction.

'Hop' on over to my Teachers Pay Teachers shop to purchase your instant download of the Mp3 version of the song and all of the support materials. I can't wait for your feedback! 

-- Debbie -- 

I have an entire pin-board collection dedicated to tadpoles, metamorphosis and all things Frog! 

Look at the picture I took today! 
My three babies in one photo!

Launching Digital Downloads + Lesson Supports!

IT'S A WHOLE NEW ERA!!!! IT'S A WHOLE NEW UNIVERSE!!!

Fine Motor Fun: "Pollywog" Tracing Paths + Matching and Coloring Pages

Dateline: August first. Two thousand and twelve. Back-to-School in earnest. 
I am the lead-off batter for a Blog HOP on all things B-T-S, brought to you by some TOP Teacher blog-friends of mine. Oh, zippy-skippy day! BIG NEWS!
Are you ready for this? D-R-U-M-R-O-L-L.........

EXCITED!?! I have a Mon-U-Mental announcement to make! I am entering a whole new era. I am embracing new technology! I'm taking a mega-step into the future! It's taken f-o-r-e-v-e-r, but the day has F.I.N.A.L.L.Y arrived!! Whoohoo!
DIGITAL DOWNLOADS! Immediate Mp3's of my songs: PLUS lesson support!

Yup. Debbie's Ditties will now begin to be available for immediate download and usage -- around the globe! I am now in the process of creating digital download zip-files for my songs! Teachers the world over: REJOICE! I have opened a 'Teachers Pay Teachers' store! You'll have to be patient with me. Baby steps! I have a LOT to learn. I have some big ideas: wait till you see what I've been working on! 
Let's get this party started!

My first selection to get the digital treatment is my ubber science-friendly "Pollywog." It's my dittie that goes through the life cycle metamorphosis of a tadpole in four verses!! Wait till you see what I've created to support the song! This is how I've spent my summer................

Each verse has it's own 'quilted illustration' which I made for you from fabric. These five artsy-pieces will be available with all of the other teacher support materials I've created -- for you to download at your convenience. Did I mention how excited I am? 
 

That's how all five of the 'illustrations' turned out. Those five pages are full color and are saved as pdf's into a standard 8.5 by 11 inch format -- for your easy printing and lamination. You'll have a permanent set of pictures that are matched perfectly to the verses of the song. Yes. I even made that *bonus* 5th quilt for the final 'punch-line' of the song. Aren't you proud of me?

That's the title page for the whole project. YUP. Made it so it could be colored. 

My guess is that you've never 'heard' my little "Pollywog" song before, so here's your chance to listen and take a peek at the same time! This little out-take is from my nationally award winning DVD, "Kweezletown." Sing-a-long with the transformation -- watch the metamorphosis.  Think early learning content standards. Think Common Core. Think science for children. Think super-happy-fun-times. Think: YEAH TEAM!!!

Now please 'hop' to TeachersPayTeachers + *follow* my store. 
That way you'll find out when I get my next songs into their digital framework. 
There will be a FREEBIE waiting your discovery over there as a thank you for popping over!

Coloring pages turned into 'puzzles' by student cutting..... reassemble puzzle or glue in place permanently. 

I'd be so VERY appreciative of your pinning from today's efforts. 
I am a one-woman show + your pin will help me get the word out! 
Here's another one page worksheet on the concept of life-cycle. 

Thanks for your continued support. 
Which of my songs do you want me to transform-digitally next? 

It took a full week, but I now have a 'store' at TeachersPayTeachers. 
Here's the direct link, just click here. 
I NOW HAVE A FREEBIE at TpT!!
***click here to go direct to the FREEBIE!

Remember I said I was the lead-off batter? 
We will be hopping through over 30 blogs in the month ahead! 

Now tomorrow to keep hopping and there will be FREEBIES all around...... 
Head over to Curls and a Smile!!!

-- Debbie -- 

is the new code

Happy Hand Highlights

While I'm still walking on air from the recent announcement of my first national book award, I thought this would be a great segway to go back in time again and finish some end-of-the-year spring posts from my various author/illustrator visits to schools. I love walking into an elementary school building to find awesome art projects prominently displayed on the walls. Those graphic hands were created by the mature artists in the building. I love the way these hands of my kindergartners reflect the artwork above!!

On this particular day I had been called to work with the kindergarten students. I like to see their hands at work through our time together. I focus on engaging the students with as many senses as possible..... keeping them engaged as we sing and read and sign and act and march and read and jump and sing and read and sign. This earlier post I discuss the advantages of crossing the midline at length. I love these smiles, caught in the act of strengthing the connection between the hemispheres of their brains!!

Click here for my post on suggestions to arrange an author visit.

Sunny Afternoon in Vicenza