Toon Books with Professor Garfield

Hi Fox Run Readers!

Are you looking for something new and different to do with your computer? Something that's fun and free, but also keeps your brain sharp? Try Toon Books with Professor Garfield!

You can listen to these graphic novels in English, French, Spanish, Russian, or Chinese. Won't that surprise your teacher when you come back to school speaking Chinese?

There's a cool game on this website too. It's called Reading Ring. You are in a wrestling ring. To win, you put Garfield comics in order and answer questions about them.  Click here to try Reading Ring!

I tried them, and I liked them! I hope you do, too!

Backyard Fun

The backyard is a great place to explore nature. It also provides an opportunity to learn science, reading, writing, math, and art.
First, make a chart and ask your child what they think they know about bugs. Write their responses under the first part of the chart.
Then ask your child what they want to learn about bugs and what would be a good location for learning about bugs.

What I think I know about bugs…	What I want to learn about bugs…	What I learned about bugs…	Questions I still have about bugs…

After you fill out the first two sections of the chart, read from the book selections on Bookflix.
http://bkflix.grolier.com/
The username is foxrun and the password is bookflix.
Under the Animals and Nature section, you will find a cute and informative book entitled,
Bugs!Bugs! Bugs! by Bob Barner.
It is a colorful and musical book that introduces children to grasshoppers, caterpillars, ladybugs, and other backyard insects.
After reading this first book, help  your child list what they learned about bugs in the third section of the chart. You may want to replay the book in order to help in remembering the facts.
Then you can read the non-fiction book that is paired with the first book, A Ladybug Larva Grows Up.
At this point, you can ask your child what else they learned about ladybugs.
There are word matching and ladybug drawing activities provided by Bookflix.
 Fill out the last section of the chart by asking about questions they may still have about bugs.

You can extend the science lesson by going out to the backyard and asking your child where they think they might be able to find insects, with your supervision. Remind them about safety and that animals are living things that must be respected.
Begin by sectioning off any 12X12 section of the backyard that your child chooses. If possible, provide a magnifying glass. With your assistance, your child can observe the area. If insects are found, you can help lift the  insect onto an index card in order to observe its movement, describe its characteristics, and discuss the insect's role in the environment. This is a great opportunity for discussion.

For art, your child can draw the backyard, draw insects that are of particular interest, or draw on any related topic of his/her choice.
Your child can draw a picture in the writing notebook and write about the day in the life of an insect, living things in my backyard, or any topic of choice.
For math, you can model creating a math story such as:
There were 3 ladybugs sitting on the rose bush.
2 more ladybugs landed on the rose bush.
How many ladybugs are on the rose bush now?
Encourage your child to solve the problems using household items, drawing the picture, using numbers and words.
The next step would be to have your child create a math problem on his/her own.
The possibilities for learning fun activities  in your backyard are endless. Have fun!

The Listening Walk

The Listening Walk by Paul Showers
This cool book is about a girl who goes on a listening walk with her father and her dog, Major. It is a silent walk, with no talking.
She listens to the sound of her dog walking, "twick, twick, twick" and her fathers shoes, "dop, dup, dop".
This is a great way to combine reading, writing,  physical exercise, and quality family time.
Read the book.
Take a silent walk with the family.
Return home and discuss the sounds that were heard on the walk.
Write the words.
Creating sound words would help develop reading skills by reinforcing word families.
What sounds did you hear that had these sounds?(-ink, -ing, -ong, -ip, -onk, -ow, -op, -up, -ick, etc.)
Another activity could be to write a description of one of the sounds that was heard on the walk.
For example, if you heard a bird tweeting or chirping, you could create a word bank about birds and then use these words to write a short story or a few sentences. The word bank could include: tree, bird, branch, flying, singing, chirping, tweeting, song.
A variation of this activity could be to take walks that focus on one of the other senses, such as the sense of sight, the sense of smell, or the sense of touch.
What do  you see on this family walk?
How does the rock feel when you touch it?
What are some of the different things you can smell on the walk?
Another variation could be to use the family walk as a math activity.
On one evening walk, you can count the mailboxes on one block. 
Upon returning home, have your child draw symbols for each mailbox.
How many mailboxes are on our block? How do you know?
How many mailboxes are on one side of the block? How many mailboxes are on the other side of our block?
If there are 10 mailboxes on our block, and each house has a mailbox, how many houses do you think are on our block?
Look for something different to count each night.
Enjoy your summer evenings!

Summer Poetry

Summer is a season rich with images. Children can have fun using their five senses to capture the summer activities and emotions in poetry. Read Write Think provides some interactive templates for writing poetry such as acrostic poems, diamontes, and theme poems. The activities are leveld for grades 2-8, however poetry is for all ages. This could be a great family activity.
Bright Ideas