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For Parents and Teachers

Building Healthy Relationships One Classroom at a Time

Published on June 5, 2018 | In Blog, For Parents and Teachers, Resources | 0 Comment

What is Sanford Harmony? Imagine a classroom where students are empowered to: communicate, cooperate, connect, embrace diversity, and resolve conflict. Welcome to Sanford Harmony—a social-emotional teaching program that cultivates strong classroom relationships between all students.

The goal of Harmony is to incorporate specialized teaching strategies into classroom activities—from preschool through sixth grade—in an effort to reduce bullying, and help develop the youth of today into tolerant, compassionate, and caring adults for the future.

Harmony can be easily incorporated into lesson plans in as little as five minutes a day, and is aligned with Common Core state standard, national, and district learning initiatives.

Please explore all that Sanford Harmony has to offer, and spend less time managing troublesome behavior, and more time teaching!

See All Teaching Materials

“We piloted Harmony in our three state preschool classrooms this past spring, and the feedback from all of the teachers was very positive!”

Stacy Adler, Ph.D., Mono County Superintendent of Schools, CA

“Kudos to the creators of the Harmony curriculum for getting it right! It is working for us. We are grateful for your willingness to respond to our needs. We appreciate your generosity in providing us amazing materials that include: awesome lessons plans, cards, meet-up ideas, music, coaching, t-shirts, and Z dolls.”

Jo Ann Simmons, Counselor, Holy Family Catholic School, FL

“Sanford Harmony supports the great work being done by the education and nonprofit sectors, providing opportunities to touch even more children’s lives and creating a legacy for future generations. We’re turning a dream of mine into a reality, and you’re going to take it forward and change the world.”

T. Denny Sanford, Entrepreneur and Philanthropist

Visit NU.edu

©2018 National University Sanford Education Programs

 

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Protecting Brains, Stimulating Minds: The Early Life Roots of Success in School

Published on May 23, 2018 | In Blog, For Parents and Teachers | 0 Comment

from Center on the Developing Child, Harvard University, website, Presentations

Understanding both the biology of adversity and the science of early learning is essential for building a strong foundation for reducing disparities in educational achievement. The benefits of evidence-based curricula in the early childhood years cannot be fully achieved without effective strategies for preventing the consequences of toxic stress.

Center Director Jack Shonkoff speaks at Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Askwith Forum, a series of public lectures featuring a wide range of topics, including early childhood, civic and moral engagement, and educating for human rights among others.

"We desperately need fresh thinking and new ideas in the early childhood space and that's the context for my remarks this evening.... We need to set our sights much higher about dramatically doing something about leveling the playing field for ALL children very early in life before they set foot in school."   

"... I'm going to start with the War on Poverty and the great society progress of the 1960s not because it's particularly more important than any other time  but it was the origin of what are really the beginnings of a lot of the policies and programs that we still have today.  So the point is we have 50 years of lessons learned from policies and programs and it's time to take stock and say, "What have we learned, what do we know, and where to go next." 

"Head Start began in the summer of 1965.... That program is still very much with us today.... Community Action Programs were formed at that time.... Clearly the glass is far from full.... We haven't solved this problem."

 

Model Programs vs. Existing Programs: yellow circles as compared to yellow line

 

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Bookopolis, an online Community of Young Readers

Published on April 26, 2018 | In Blog, For Parents and Teachers, Recommended Books | 0 Comment

A fun & safe online community where kid readers can: 

Explore New Books
Create a Bookshelf
Share with Friends
Earn Points
and where teachers can get free books!  Bookopolis uses research driven methods to ignite a love of reading.
 

Bookopolis is a fun, free tool that teachers can use to get students excited about reading by letting them connect with friends to share book reviews and discover new books.  While our main goal with Bookopolis is to ignite a lifelong love of reading, the features and activities on our site are also nicely aligned to several CCSS Reading and Writing standards for students in Grades 2nd-7th.

By playing in Bookopolis 2nd-8th grade students can:

  • Practice opinion or persuasive writing by posting book reviews. After being moderated, these reviews can be viewed by other Bookopolis students which often leads to higher quality written work when students know they are writing for an authentic audience of their peers.
  • Practice reading comprehension and demonstrate ability to summarize and analyze a text by completing questions in our online book report
  • Practice typing on a digital platform in response to comprehension questions
  • Use a website to collaborate and share with classmates
  • Discover informational, nonfiction, and fiction texts by grade levels with ratings and reviews by other students in our Find New Books section

See here for links to specific standards by grade:

  • 2nd grade
  • 3rd grade
  • 4th grade
  • 5th grade
  • 6th grade
  • 7th grade

Bookopolis Aligned CCSS by Grade Level

Note: Core Standards taken from http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy

 

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How Reading with Your Children Can Help Them Develop a ‘Yes Brain’

Published on January 17, 2018 | In Blog, For Parents and Teachers | 0 Comment

“I’m not afraid of storms, for I’m learning how to sail my ship.”
—Louisa May Alcott, Little Women

DANIEL J. SIEGEL, M.D., & TINA PAYNE BRYSON, PH.D., for Brightly.

The Yes Brain: How to Cultivate Courage, Curiosity, and Resilience in Your Child

Our new book The Yes Brain opens with the above quote as its epigraph. The Alcott line is a great way to think about the job we have as parents as we seek to empower our children to sail their ships through whatever storms they face. We can give our kids experiences that help produce either a “Yes Brain” mindset that allows them to be receptive, open, curious, and creative in the face of life’s problems, or a “No Brain” mindset that leaves them reactive, shut down, rigid, and fragile. 

What, specifically, do they need in order to captain their individual ships in a Yes Brain way that leads to happiness and fulfillment? What characteristics, in other words, should parents emphasize the most? As we travel the world speaking about our books The Whole-Brain Child and No-Drama Discipline, we hear some form of that question all the time. The Yes Brain is our response.

We focus on what we call the four Yes Brain fundamentals: balance, resilience, insight, and empathy. These are the qualities we all need to be successful in life, and if we can promote them in our children, they’ll be well on their way to approaching life from a Yes Brain perspective.

And a great way to promote a Yes Brain in your kids is by reading with them. Each Yes Brain fundamental emerges directly and spontaneously when you dive together into the pages of a book. Here are some quick suggestions to help you be intentional about highlighting the Yes Brain fundamentals.

Balance: Balance is all about emotional regulation. When emotions run high, it takes practice, skills, and maturity to stay calm and make thoughtful choices, even when we’re anxious, angry, or afraid. Managing our emotions and controlling our bodies is an essential part of social and emotional intelligence and having good friendships. As children see characters handle their emotions and impulses well and poorly, they can learn skills to handle emotions. As you read stories together, ask your child these questions to explore and develop balance:

  • How well do you think the character handled those big feelings?
  • What could the character have done differently?
  • What do you do when you have big feelings like that?
  • What calms you down the most when you have that big feeling?

Resilience: One of the most important things we can help develop in our kids, resilience allows us to bend without breaking when life is hard. It’s not about avoiding feeling difficult emotions or trying to escape adversity, but about tolerating and even growing from the times when things don’t go our way. Resilience keeps us from feeling victim to life circumstances or to our internal emotional distress. As you read stories together, ask your child these questions to explore and develop resilience:

  • When the character faced that conflict, how did they handle it?
  • Did you see how even though things were difficult/sad, it didn’t stay that way and things got better?
  • What makes you strong when things are hard?
  • What’s something difficult you went through that made you stronger/smarter/kinder?

Insight: As children observe the feelings and experiences of characters, they learn about themselves. They are given language that helps express what they, themselves, experience and they gain insight into their own behaviors and emotions. As you read stories together, ask your child these questions to explore and develop insight:

  • Have you ever felt that way?
  • What would you do in that situation?
  • How would you decide?

Empathy: Studies show that reading fiction increases our capacity for empathy. As we read about the minds, experiences, and feelings of another, we feel with them. This increases our ability to understand others’ minds and internal experiences so that we can better empathize with them. The more children practice this skill, the more their brains get wired with this capacity. As you read stories together, ask your child these questions to explore and develop empathy:

  • How does the character feel? What are they afraid of? What are they excited about?
  • What does the character expect will happen?
  • What does the character wish would happen?

No matter what book you pick up, reading together can help you raise kids with resilient minds and connected brains. Just the act of physical closeness that occurs when we pull our children close and join together to share the moments that unfold as we read together — laughing, looking at the same pictures, talking about what we wonder about, and sharing the joy that comes from wonderful books — helps create a Yes Brain.

Watch Dr. Daniel J. Siegel discuss the differences between a reactive state and a receptive state, or a Yes Brain state, in this video. Want to learn more about raising children with resilient minds and connected brains? Check out The Yes Brain, The Whole-Brain Child, and No-Drama Discipline by Daniel J. Siegel, M.D., and Tina Payne Bryson, Ph.D.

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Toy Reviews, Baby Gear, Giveaways at TTPM: Toys, Tots, Pets and More

Published on January 12, 2018 | In Blog, For Parents and Teachers, Resources | 0 Comment

Find Manhattan Toy Company's prize-winning products, and so much more, here:

 

 

Search by Category, Rating, Age Range (1-12 months, 12-24 months, 2-4 years, 5-7 years, 8-11 years, 12+ years), Brand, Price, Manufacturer

Action Figures
Action Figures

Shop for action figures, accessories, collectibles and more from all the most popular characters and franchises. [...]

Arts, Crafts & Activity Toys
Arts, Crafts & Activity Toys

Find just the right thing to keep kids involved and creative—painting, coloring, full kits and more. [...]

Collectibles
Collectibles

Shop for the latest and greatest blind bags, play sets, characters—even hard-to-find favorites. [...]

Construction
Construction

Shop for building sets, including LEGO, Mega Bloks, K'NEX, hot properties and classics. [...]

Dolls
Dolls

Find fashion dolls, collectibles, dollhouses, accessories and the most popular lines and brands. [...]

Educational
Educational

Find the newest toys to help kids develop important skills. See electronic toys, favorite characters and activities that reinforce active learning. [...]

Games
Games

Find the newest and most fun board games, card games and skill and action games like super hot Pie Face for kids and the family. Find the fun! [...]

Outdoor Toys
Outdoor Toys

Get out and play! We've got the latest and most innovative outdoor toys designed to keep kids, active, engaged and entertained all summer long! [...]

Preschool
Preschool

Make learning fun with toys that challenge developing minds and bodies. Find everything from great basics to STEM toys. [...]

RC Toys
RC Toys

Find the latest and most advanced R/C toys here. Trucks, planes and outrageous vehicles of all types for fans of all ages. [...]

Riding Toys
Riding Toys

From preschool ride-ons to balance bikes and electric cars, we've got all the wheeled goods to cruise your neighborhood in style. [...]

STEM Toys
STEM Toys

Browse new STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) and educational toys to find the right match to make learning fun. [...]

Stuffed Animals
Stuffed Animals

Shop for favorite stuffed characters from TV & movies, interactive plush and classics. [...]

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Martin Rising: Requiem for a King

Published on January 10, 2018 | In Blog, For Parents and Teachers, Recommended Books | 0 Comment

With imagination and power, the award-winning Pinkney duo celebrates MLK's nonviolent struggle for civil rights -- as he transforms America through the spirit of love. 

In a rich embroidery of visions, musical cadence, and deep emotion, Andrea and Brian Pinkney convey the final months of Martin Luther King's life -- and of his assassination -- through metaphor, spirituality, and multilayers of meaning.

Andrea's stunning poetic requiem, illustrated with Brian's lyrical and colorful artwork, brings a fresh perspective to Martin Luther King, the Gandhi-like, peace-loving activist whose dream of equality -- and whose courage to make it happen -- changed the course of American history. And even in his death, he continues to transform and inspire all of us who share his dream.

Wonderful classroom plays of Martin Rising can be performed by using the "Now Is the Time" history and the 1968 timeline at the back of the book as narration -- and adding selected poems to tell the story!
Click here to watch the video of Andrea Davis Pinkney & Brian Pinkney, author and illustrator, hear their story of the book, see illustrations.
 a "love letter to Martin Luther King" from Scholastic Press

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24. Listen to a PW KidsCast: A Conversation with Tracy Barrett

Published on December 19, 2017 | In Blog, For Parents and Teachers, How To Begin Writing For Children, Resources | 0 Comment

 

Tracy Barrett discusses ‘Marabel and the Book of Fate,’ a series opener that both uses and subverts fairy-tale stereotypes and conventions as a princess sets out to rescue her “Chosen One” twin brother.

Listen here (16+ minutes) by clicking on the photo, or click the link below to subscribe to PW's podcast on iTunes:
| PW KidsCast
Conducted by John Sellers on 12/18/2017 for Publishers Weekly
More Publishers Weekly PW KidsCast podcasts »

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“An engaging guide that offers a valuable rewards solution for frazzled moms and dads.”

Published on December 18, 2017 | In Blog, For Parents and Teachers, Recommended Books | 0 Comment

by Virginia ShillerMeg F. Schneider illustrated by Bonnie Matthews

starred KIRKUS REVIEW

A debut manual addresses many problems in parenting with a dash of fun and plenty of advice.

“He started it.” “Can you read one more story?” “I’ll do it later.” From early toddlerhood on, it seems to many a harried parent that the child-rearing path is littered with a litany of endless complaints followed by seat-of-the-pants deal-making. Tired moms and dads just might give in to expert cajoling from young ones or, worse, bribe them for more desirable outcomes. As Shiller (Child Study Center/Yale Univ.) shows in her book, there’s a savvier method of approaching standard-issue parenting troubles: the rewards plan. While many readers may have seen a generalized version of “sticker charts,” Shiller, ably assisted by Schneider, delves deeply into the subject, first by assuring the worried parent that a rewards plan is not a bribe and that kids who follow such strategies do not grow up expecting prizes for every task when they get older. The volume, with illustrations by Matthews, discusses various probable situations in detail and with good humor. What if daily hygiene is a battle? A kid who loves gymnastics could earn stickers toward lessons, for example. To encourage a child to follow bedtime rules, his mother could offer a trip to an amusement park if he earns 55 check marks on the Keeping Track charts in the next month. The key is to bargain during downtime and not when everyone’s nerves are frayed (“Wait for a calm moment. Don’t offer a reward while the hysteria is in full flower”). Although Shiller encourages dialogue, she points out that there are ways to make sure that kids don’t ask for Nintendo systems every week they make their beds. How? Negotiate. Parents of older children should especially appreciate how the same system can be used for their situations—say, when sleepovers become difficult to execute. The book includes a variety of pullout charts (Zoo, Treasure Hunt, Dinosaur Land) that can be colored in right away and examples of stickers to use when a kid slips up and makes a mistake. A cleareyed and informative look at the trials of parenting, this readable book presents one solution customized for a bevy of situations, providing a template to tackle practically every challenge through this new lens.

An engaging guide that offers a valuable rewards solution for frazzled moms and dads.

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To Be a Reader or Not: Children Ultimately Have to Choose

Published on December 17, 2017 | In Blog, For Parents and Teachers | 0 Comment

by Mark Condon, Vice President at Unite for Literacy. Father of three. A teacher and teacher educator for over 40 years, supporting professionals and volunteers to teach anyone to read and write and (as importantly) to choose to read and create throughout their lives.  In Unite for Literacy Posted on December 14, 2017

Children learning to read books respond well to adult guidance, patience and understanding. In return, adults typically expect children to daily hard work on learning to read. However, daily willingness put forth by kids toward learning to read is a bigger and wider determiner of success than can be matched by professionals and well-meaning families.

The roles that parents and teachers play for children can make their learning to read a triumph to be celebrated or an ordeal to be endured. Which one it is will impact whether children become lifelong readers and learners or they grow up barely able to read, and rarely choose to do

Early on, children must feel encouraged by adults to select to read books they find interesting so they in turn choose every day to read books for their own enjoyment. This encouragement may require significant participation by a child’s family that knows the child and their interests better than their teachers can.

choosing 3The materials teachers use and the books we choose to offer to children are certainly likely to match the home culture and language of many of our students, but for other children “book English” is far from the familiar language of their home. For a subset of children, the word choice, sentence structure and cultural conventions in their homes will diverge from that presented in school books written for the average child. If collaborating teachers and parents can connect each child with books that are solid matches to their home lives, languages and aspirations, then there is a higher likelihood they will recognize the personal benefits to be derived from choosing to read. Otherwise, for kids who are required to read books with content irrelevant to their lives, there is much more work to be done than for their classmates whose lives and language experiences more completely parallel that found in their books.

Thus, school and home collaboration in book choices is an irreplaceable asset in helping children learn to read.

Another dilemma faced by teachers and parents alike is that young readers often want to read the same kinds of books over and over. But don’t worry! With adult support and patience, at some point kids will want to read something new—a book that a friend has liked or even one that an adult has suggested. And eventually, with well-earned confidence, they’ll begin to identify and read books that are a little challenging without being intimidating, building a path to continuing growth. Then it’s time to celebrate. Lifelong reading and learning begin.

 

 

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19. Read Recommended Picture Books 2017 from The Horn Book Herald

Published on December 13, 2017 | In Blog, For Parents and Teachers, How To Begin Writing For Children, Recommended Books | 0 Comment

 

 

 

December 2017 Horn Book Herald: Picture Books Edition

December 12, 2017 by Horn Book

Welcome to our all-picture-books-all-the-time edition of The Horn Book Herald! In this issue you’ll find five questions for Julia Denos and E. B. Goodale (the team behind Windows, a 2017 Horn Book Fanfare selection); posts from our Calling Caldecott blog; lists of recommended holiday books; ideas for Family Reading; our thoughts about what makes a […]

December 2017 Picture Books Horn Book Herald: More recommended reading

December 12, 2017 by Horn Book

• Fanfare: The Horn Book’s choices for the best books of 2017 • 2017 Boston Globe–Horn Book Picture Book Award winner and honor books • The New York Times Best Illustrated List • “Why the Hell Hasn’t Photography Won the Caldecott?!?” • Julie Danielson on running mock Caldecotts • “Calling CaldeNott”: Thom Barthelmess on extraordinary […]

December 2017 Picture Books Horn Book Herald: Calling Caldecott’s latest contenders

December 12, 2017 by Horn Book

Begun in 2011, The Horn Book’s Calling Caldecott blog asks: What can win? What will win? What should win? Here are some of our favorite recent posts. • Roger Sutton on The Little Red Cat Who Ran Away and Learned His ABC’s (the Hard Way) by Patrick McDonnell • Tarie Sabido on How It Feels […]

 

Five questions for Julia Denos and E. B. Goodale

December 12, 2017 by Katie Bircher

Julia Denos and E. B. Goodale have been friends and creative collaborators since their days working together at a children’s bookstore — where I was lucky to work with them. I’ve always admired their individual projects, and it was a pleasure to chat with them about their collaboration (and one of my favorite picture books […]

Holiday High Notes 2017

November 30, 2017 by Horn Book

We have a little section of books this time of year. They’re new (and some reissued), and filled with winter cheer. Nutcracked by Susan Adrian Intermediate    Random    234 pp. 9/17    978-0-399-55668-5    $16.99 Library ed.  978-0-399-55669-2     $19.99 e-book ed.  978-0-399-55670-8    $10.99 During each rehearsal for her role as Clara in The Nutcracker, Georgie finds herself — […]

 

 

Books mentioned in the December 2016 issue of What Makes a Good…?

December 9, 2016 by Horn Book

What Makes a Good Picture Book? Wordless Picture Books Becker, Aaron  Return Gr. K–3     40 pp.     Candlewick     2016 ISBN 978-0-7636-7730-5 Boyd, Lizi  Flashlight Preschool     40 pp.     Chronicle     2014 ISBN 978-1-4521-1894-9 Cole, Henry  Spot, the Cat Gr. K–3     32 pp.     Little Simon     2016 ISBN 978-1-4814-4225-1 Ebook ISBN 978-1-4814-4226-8 Idle, Molly  Flora and […]

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