Ready, Set, Read! It's National Library Week.

Starting with books of course:

Biblioburro by Jeanette Winter

Yay! One of our favorite books - the inspiring story of Luia who loves books so much he loads them up on his burro and travels with them to remote areas of Columbia to share them with children. Better yet, this book is based on the real-life story of Luis Soriano and his mission to share books. 

Tomas and the Library Lady by Pat Mora

Grandfather tells wonderful stories and Tomas and his family gather around to hear them after long days working in the fields. Tomas has heard them so many times, he knows them by heart. But then Grandfather tells him there are even more stories in the library. So Tomas meets the library lady who opens up a whole new world of stories to him.

Escape From Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstein

Luigi Lemoncello, a creative, not to mention notorius gamemaker, is building the town's new library. Find out what adventures are in store at the library for Kyle, a huge video gamer and a class clown.

Miss Moore Thought Otherwise: How Anne Carroll Moore Created Libraries for Children

by Jan Pinborough

This is the true story of Miss Moore creating the first children's room at the New York Public Library. She filled it with artwork, window seats for curling up with a good book and many, many books in many languages. But it's borrowing privileges that makes this collection so important!

The Library by Sarah Stewart

Elizabeth Brown loves books so much they've filled up the house and blocked the front door. What to do with so many books? Start a public library! Check out Elizabeth's story.

Amelia Bedelia Bookwork by Herman Parish

Knitting jackets for books? Confusing a stegasaurus with a thesaurus? Amelia Bedelia volunteers at the library and that's when the fun begins!

Pipistrelli in Biblioteca by Brian Lies

Ever wonder what happens at the library after dark? This tale of bats reading their favorite stories and making mischief in the drinking fountain will delight you. It's written in rhyme so if you're working on rhyme, it's perfect!

Library Mouse by Daniel Kirk

Library Mouse loves books so much that he decides to become a writer. Through his story, he inspires children everywhere to write.

The Librarian of Basra by Jeanette Winter

In this story, librarian Alia Muhammed Baker braves the threat of war to save the library's books. 

Moving on to videos because modern libraries have all types of resources:

Biblioburro - the traveling library

This is the video version of Columbian grade-school teacher Luis Soriano's story. He and his hard-working burros bring books to children in a remote area. Watch him travel with a collection of books strapped to his donkey, set up the books and share them with local children. Very inspiring true life story! (5 minutes long)

Celebrate Life - Celebrate Earth Day!

Books

"Little Green Books" Series

 

This trio of books includes Max, an environmentally irresponsible little monster who learns the importance of reducing, reusing and recycling, in "I Can Save the Earth!", as well documentaries that explain the "life" of a recycled plastic bottle and an aluminum can.

The EARTH Book by Todd Parr

In addition to giving Todd Parr's always colorful, kid-friendly approach, this book itself lives its message as it's created with environmentally friendly inks and printed on recycled materials. Go Todd Parr!

Videos

Saving the Environment

Short, clever and to the point - great video for kids of any age!

The Lorax (the original!)

Click to watch the Dr Seuss' Original Lorax animated TV special from 1972. It's timeless!

Earth Day

Daunting images of people's wasteful choices change to hopeful ones then end with a reminder to take care of our earth. 

Earth Day: Give Earth a Hand

Powerful and perfect for upper grades!

Earth Day Video for Kids

Everything living thing on earth is important, no matter how big or small. That's the message of this video and the Little Earth Charter they ask kids to take along with them. Great for younger students.

The Earth Song

Absolutely beautiful song and images. Sung by Nick Kello. Sorry, not able to upload an image but please click on the link above. You'll be rewarded with a celebration of the diversity and beauty of our planet and an inspiring reminder to take care of it! Great for second grade on up.

Online Games

eekoworld on PBS kids

Kids play informative games that teach them about the environment, conservation and how they can take a role to help protect the earth.

Sort recycling and garbage as you help clean!

It's easier to clean up someone else's messes! Kids sort recycling, garbage and things that can be composted as they tidy up the room.

Printables 

Make Earth Day part of learning all day long

Check out these free learning activities on Teacherpayteachers:

Earth Day Math Game

Games 4 Learning offers two calculation games. One requires players to throw two dice then find the sum or difference of them. The other requires players roll the dice, add the numbers then double or triple the sum. 

Earth Day

This poster lets kids share ideas with their writing.

Earth Day Center - Homophone Match

Players match homophone pairs and record them.

Product Earth Day PowerPoint

A History of Earth Day

Watch the story of how Earth Day came to be.

Talking Points

Power Saving Tips

Kid-friendly tips for saving energy and protecting our earth: could be used for making posters in groups then sharing in a class discussion.

Spring is finally here!

After a long, cold winter with oh-so-much snow, it’s time to celebrate spring. Here are some refreshing read alouds to share with your kids:

The Curious Garden by Peter Brown

This enchanting book tells the story of one boy’s transformation of one garden from an overlooked corner of the city to a colorful, life-giving place. A great way to promote working towards a greener world!

My Garden by Kevin Henkes

How does your garden grow? Does it grow tomatoes as big as beach balls? Or chocolate bunnies? Now that spring is here, we can dream big! For more fun, follow this link to Kevin Henkes’ website for a search and find activity:
Kevin Henkes' seek and Find activity

City Dog, Country Frog by Mo Willems, illustrated by Jon J. Muth

This story begins in the spring when City Dog first came to the country, ran without a leash and met Country Frog and so began a poignant tale.

Poppleton in Spring by Cynthia Rylant

Poppleton rides a bike, once again charms readers with his whimsy and lets us in on another quirky adventure.

Listen as City Dog, Country Frog by Kevin Henkes is read to you. Enjoy this sweet yet sad read aloud.

Spring is here! Everyone is so happy, even the cows are dancing! Yup, this video features happy cows on Wyke Farm.

Daylight Saving Time Countdown: Videos

Daylight Saving Time Explained by CGP Grey:
Sarcastic, informative video explaining Daylight Saving Time. About 6.5 minutes.

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!!!

Sorry! I'm a little late posting these resources but hopefully some of you will still find them helpful!

Apps:

Paid

Many of the Dr. Seuss apps are on sale today!!!

Dr. Seuss Bookshelf

While there are many great Dr. Seuss apps, I really like how this one organizes them all in one place. So great for helping students find the app that they are looking for more independently. This app is technically free but almost everything inside costs so I put it under the paid category.

Happy Birthday to You! - Dr. Seuss - $3.99

A lot of Dr. Seuss's books are available in app form but I think that this one is particularly appropriate for today.

Dr. Seuss Band - $0.99

I chose to include this one because it is just so different than the other apps. In this app, the player gets to create and play wonderful Seussical melodies. 

Free

Dr. Seuss Fun Machine Game

While the app is free, this app is meant to go with Dr. Seuss Fun Machine tile game which can be purchased at ToysRUs and other toy stores. This fun app promotes matching, memory, observation, and deduction through the use of the tiles and the interactive app.

The Lorax Tuffula Shuffula

This is a fun game where you try to shuffle the pieces around to get three or more of a kind in a row.

Books:

This time for books there are definitely way too many to list so I'll just list a few of my favorites!

Happy Birthday to You! by Dr. Seuss

This book just seems so appropriate to celebrate Dr. Seuss's birthday!

Oh, The Places You'll Go! by Dr. Seuss

This has always been a favorite of mine and a very popular graduation gift. I think I own several copies lol. It has a wonderful message about where life will take you, inspiring you through the good times and the bad.

Bartholomew and the Oobleck by Dr. Seuss

This is always a student favorite, however it is a pretty long read. I love making Oobleck along with reading this book with my students.

Hooray for Diffendoofer Day! by Dr. Seuss, Jack Prelutsky, and Lane Smith

This unique book was started by Dr. Seuss and finished by Jack Prelutsky and Lane Smith. It includes a wonderful explanation about how the book was created. 

Your Favorite Seuss by Dr. Seuss

I discovered this book the other day when one of my students brought it in to share with the class. It is a terrific collection of 13 Dr. Seuss books.

Who Was Dr. Seuss? by Janet Pascal

A fabulous biography for kids of Ted Geisel, the famous Dr. Seuss!

Lessons:

Paid

Dr. Seuss "I Have, who has" Rhyming Game by Brittany Fidazzo

A fun "I have, who has" rhyming game to play with your students. For an extra challenge, time your students and try to beat the clock! Price: $2.00

Dr. Seuss Character Traits by Totally Teaching

This very versatile craftivity helps students brainstorm the character traits of several of Dr. Seuss's characters. Price: $3.00

Dr. Seuss! Literacy and Math Activities! by Jaimie Knudson

This very cute packet includes everything you need to have a terrific Dr. Seuss day, week, or month with activities to go along with at least seven of Dr. Seuss's most popular books! Perfect for Pre-K, Kindergarten, and 1st Grade. Price: $5.75

Dr. Seuss Activities by Kindergarten Kristy

This huge, 101 page, packet includes a plethera of activities for your students to do in honor of and celebrating Dr. Seuss including writing prompts, graphing pages, and beginning sound matching. Price: $10.00

Dr. Seuss Craftivities (S.Malek) by Starsha Malek

Very fun Dr. Seuss writing craftivities! Price: $1.00

Dr. Seuss Feud Bundle: 2 Seuss Themed Powerpoint Games by Not Just for Elementary

This bundle includes two very fun Family Feud like PowerPoint Games. Price: $6.00

Free

Dr. Seuss Noun, Verb, Adjective Sort by Kelly Witt

Adorable noun, verb, and adjective sort with a Dr. Seuss theme! Price: $2.00

Dr. Seuss Reading Log (Read to Succeed!) -- FREEBIE! by Emily Nutt

This terrific freebie is a great way for your students to keep track of the books they read!

Dr. Seuss Week Activities - Free by TeachingInCali

Want to celebrate Dr. Seuss for a week but unsure of where to start? This helpful freebie looks like a great starting point!

Dr. Seuss Bookmarks {Free} by First Class in 4th Grade

Super cute, FREE, bookmarks to celebrate Dr. Seuss!

Dr. Seuss Research Activity by Heidi Lukofnak

A wonderful Dr. Seuss research page.

Videos:

Dr. Seuss The Cat in the Hat provided by Colin Macleod

Original cartoon version of The Cat in the Hat. Time: 25 min.

Dr. Seuss on the Loose (complete - HQ) provided by Cosmic MC

This video is a compliation of The Sneetches, The Zax, and Green Eggs and Ham. Time: 25 min.

Hop on Pop - Dr. Seuss [HD] provided by Elizabeth Buckler

Time: 9:41 min.

Oh, the Places You'll Go! by Dr. Seuss provided by palombab

Time: 7 min.

ABC by Dr. Seuss provided by StoryTime202

Time: 5 min.

Dr. Seuss The Zax provided by Mason Sullivan

Time: 3 min.

Dr. Seuss - The Grinch Grinches the Cat in the Hat (1982) provided by Tanya Toon

Time: 25 min.

Dr. Seuss Beginner Book Video 1 Fish, 2 Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish provided by Muhammad Waqas

This is a good video but it does have a little bit of a strange intro. You may wish to skip the first 30 seconds. Time: 23 min.

Dr. Seuss Horton Hears a Who Full Movie provided by TelevisionToons

Time: 25 min.

Dr. Seuss Green Eggs and Ham provided by hooray0008

Time: 8 min.

Dr. Seuss - Halloween is Grinch Night provided by Cosmic MC

Time: 25 min.

The Lorax by Dr. Seuss's (1972)WebRiP XviD_X-Release provided by TheXRelease

Time: 25 min.

Fox in Socks by Dr. Seuss provided by StoryTime202

Time: 7 min.

Five Fun Facts about Dr. Seuss

Five fun, kind of goofy facts about Dr. Seuss. Time: 3 min.

SEUSS - A Dr. Seuss Documentary provided by thereelifeprod

A great, short biography of Dr. Seuss. Time: 2.5 min.

Happy Birthday from The Lorax

Kind of a funny little video clip saying happy birthday. Time: 1:00 min.

Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss! provided Z Bayardo

Happy Birthday song for Dr. Seuss. Time: 1:16 min.

President's Day Countdown: Videos

The President! by Harry Kindergarten Music:
Fun song about Washington and Lincoln. About 2 minutes.

Adventures from the Book of Virtues: Honest Abe by kidmango:
Animated, fictional video about two kids who learn about Abraham Lincoln.

Kid President's Pep Talk to Teachers and Students! by SoulPancake:

Hilarious video where Kid President gives advice to students and teachers. So great! About 4 minutes.

Kid President meets the President of the United States of America by SoulPancake:

Kid President visits the White House and meets Barack Obama. I love Kid President! About 4 minutes.

Animaniacs - Presidents by eoliathain:

Animaniacs sing a song about all of the Presidents. About 3.5 minutes.

Presidents Day: Mr Lincoln by Peter Binskin:
Song about Abraham Lincoln. About 3.5 minutes.

Animated Hero Classics General George Washington by Jen Crescimanno:

Video about George Washington. About 30 minutes.

Animated Hero Classics President Abraham Lincoln by Jen Crescimanno:

Video about Abraham Lincoln. About 29 minutes.

Presidents Day: The First Five Presidents by Peter Binskin:

Song about the first five Presidents. About 3 minutes.

Presidents Rap - Washington to Obama by Smart Songs:

Great rap about the Presidents. About 4 minutes.

Just Like You Down Syndrome Video

Just Like You Down Syndrome - Isaac Alongi
This is a heartwarming video that "identifies how to handle and accommodate differences while celebrating the many similarities our friends with Down syndrome have with their peers."

Valentine's Day Countdown: Videos

Animated history of Valentine's Day by Ya Bo:

A cute animated video on the history of Valentine's Day. About 1.5 minutes.

I Wrote This Song for You by Jimmy Joe Lee:

A cute love song. A little under 2 minutes.

Valentine's Day SpongeBob Video

A quick 36 second Valentine's Day SpongeBob Video. About 1/2 minute.

http://spongebob.nick.com/videos/clip/valentines-day-clip.html

Un-Valentine's Day (Winnie the Pooh): 

Charming, longer video of Valentine's Day deep in the Hundred Acre Woods. About 21 minutes.

The True Meaning of Valentine's Day (Charlie Brown) by xtremepizan:

A Peanut's take on Valentine's Day. About 2 minutes. *Great follow up video for Peanuts Motion Comics - Valentine's Day HD by Bivin George. 

Franklin's Valentines by Guidance Videos:

Episode of Franklin in which he makes valentines. About 12 minutes.

Happy - Pharrell Williams

Despicable Me 2 - Happy - Pharrell Williams

A great short video clip to use as a send off, movement break, or just to feel happy! :)

Groundhog Day Countdown: Videos

Groundhog Day by MOnature Kids:

Cute, short, informational video for kids on the history of Groundhog Day. Just under 3 minutes.

Groundhog Day Music Video by Billy Grisack

Fun, country song about Groundhog day. About 3 minutes.

Groundhog Day (2014 HD) by Michael Evans:

Just want to observe a groundhog moving around in his natural habitat? This is a cute video of just that. About 3.5 minutes.

The Groundhog Day Song by Aceygee:

A funny song about Groundhog Day. About 1.5 minutes.

Groundhog Day Explained by CGP Grey:

A funny video explaining Groundhog day. About 2.5 minutes.

Storyline Online

Storyline Online is a great website where well known Screen Actor's Guild Foundation actors read children's books aloud in engaging videos that are easy to stream online. We have both used them in school with our students, sometimes to entertain the students during indoor recess in these cold months and sometimes to supplement our lessons.

So far, Anna's favorite is I Need My Monster  written by Amanda Noll and read by Rita Moreno. Rita does an incredible job with the voices. So fun!

Marti loves Harry the Dirty Dog written by Gene Zion and read by Betty White. It's an old classic that has some added animation. Enjoy!