Upstart Crow Literary posted a tribute to Bridget Zinn, who died from cancer yesterday morning. Bridget Zinn was a Teen/YA librarian, blogger, and author, with her first novel, Poison, due to be published next summer by Disney/Hyperion.
I'd met Bridget at the second Kidlitosphere conference in Portland, Oregon. We found we had a mutual friend: a college friend of mine was her library school friend in Madison, Wisconsin. When friends started an auction to help pay for medical expenses, I donated a sunflower root child doll. I didn't know her beyond the Kidlitosphere conference and online connections, but I was glad to know that she had a wide circle of family and friends.
My wish for all of you is that you should have that kind of compassionate support that Bridget had, regardless of what you endure. I wish for you courage, strength, and grace.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Monday, May 23, 2011
Song and motion for language development
My mom sent me this article from The Guardian: Singing to Children May Help Development of Language Skills, by Amelia Hill
As Daniel Dwase, editor of the online Child Development Guide, points out, songs with actions help children to learn "balance, co-ordination, body awareness and rhythm." The best songs with movement I learned came from Lucia's Waldorf kindergarten. At some point, I should teach you the song that begins thus:
Show me your foot and let me see your shoe
We will do what the washing women do,
We're washing, we're washing, we're washing all day long. 2X.
After we wash the clothes, we wring them out, dry them, iron them, and fold them. When we're done, I announce, "You've done such a lovely job with the laundry. Now, the rest of your family to put their clothes away." I've tried to implement this policy in real life. It sometimes works.
As Daniel Dwase, editor of the online Child Development Guide, points out, songs with actions help children to learn "balance, co-ordination, body awareness and rhythm." The best songs with movement I learned came from Lucia's Waldorf kindergarten. At some point, I should teach you the song that begins thus:
Show me your foot and let me see your shoe
We will do what the washing women do,
We're washing, we're washing, we're washing all day long. 2X.
After we wash the clothes, we wring them out, dry them, iron them, and fold them. When we're done, I announce, "You've done such a lovely job with the laundry. Now, the rest of your family to put their clothes away." I've tried to implement this policy in real life. It sometimes works.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Smitten
I do Music Mondays with the kindergarten and first grade classes at my daughter's school. Today, one of my favorite kids informed me that eagles and vultures were not sugarlumps ("Fly Through My Window"), germs were not pretty ("The Green Grass Grew All Around"), and moss was not beautiful ("On Top of Spaghetti").
I said, "That's a matter of opinion! But tell me: what do YOU find to be beautiful?"
He replied, "Rainbows, puppies, my mom, my dad, my grandma, my Wii, and your singing voice."
I said, "That's a matter of opinion! But tell me: what do YOU find to be beautiful?"
He replied, "Rainbows, puppies, my mom, my dad, my grandma, my Wii, and your singing voice."
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Happy Birthday, Eight Year Old Girl
Today, Lucia is eight years old. We had her immediate family + godparents celebration on Sunday (i.e. Mother's Day) because today is a choir day rehearsal. Here, Lucia blows out the candles on a gluten-free chocolate cake with coconut buttercream frosting (both recipes from the Gluten Free on a Shoestring cookbook):
It feels as if the years are speeding up.
It feels as if the years are speeding up.
Thursday, May 05, 2011
Characters with Disabilities
Newbery Books Lack Characters with Disabilities, Study Says, by Debra Lau Whelan, is a School Library Journal article that caught my attention. In addition to the representation (or lack thereof) of characters with disabilities from different races, there is also this concern:
"Characters with disabilities often were eliminated through death, were sent away, or recovered by some miraculous cure. In most cases, the disabled character wasn't the protagonist and was often used in supporting roles that facilitated the emotional growth of other characters." [Italics mine]
Two books I enjoyed last year with protagonists who have Asperger's Syndrome were The Half-Life of Planets, by Emily Franklin and Harmonic Feedback, by Tara Kelly, both Teen/Young Adult. A number of people recommended Mockingbird, by Kathryn Erskine, but overall, it didn't resonate with me, as it tried to pack too much into one storyline. I believe I've mentioned Virginia Euwer Wolf's Probably Nick Swansen, (another YA book), about a 16 year old boy with learning disabilities who deals with the loss of his sister and his feelings of responsibility over her death.
On my wishlist is a book with a main character who has Asperger's syndrome where the story is a comedy, or at least has really funny elements. Oh, and I'd like it to be science-fiction, too. (Maybe I need to write it?)
"Characters with disabilities often were eliminated through death, were sent away, or recovered by some miraculous cure. In most cases, the disabled character wasn't the protagonist and was often used in supporting roles that facilitated the emotional growth of other characters." [Italics mine]
Two books I enjoyed last year with protagonists who have Asperger's Syndrome were The Half-Life of Planets, by Emily Franklin and Harmonic Feedback, by Tara Kelly, both Teen/Young Adult. A number of people recommended Mockingbird, by Kathryn Erskine, but overall, it didn't resonate with me, as it tried to pack too much into one storyline. I believe I've mentioned Virginia Euwer Wolf's Probably Nick Swansen, (another YA book), about a 16 year old boy with learning disabilities who deals with the loss of his sister and his feelings of responsibility over her death.
On my wishlist is a book with a main character who has Asperger's syndrome where the story is a comedy, or at least has really funny elements. Oh, and I'd like it to be science-fiction, too. (Maybe I need to write it?)
Wednesday, May 04, 2011
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
