The Kate Effect

Book Crush: Draw.Write.NOW

Today's crush is on a series of book that SHow how to DRAW an animal, then WRITE about that animal. It's awesomeness is blew my mind. Kate and I already have a journal page we do on a semi-daily basis. It's simple. Kate draws something and then she writes something.

I have to tell you that this is THE MOST FAVORITE-IST thing we do. seriously. 

I love disciphering each word and sentence. Since last Spring we have seen Kate's handwriting change and smooth out - often times I am able to hone in on a letter she is getting a bad habit about. Her words are phonetically spelled which means they are often wrong but she is getting her sounds and really putting to use. She suddenly started using periods one day and even commas. I was corrected when reading her journal page out loud one day because I did not pause long enough where she had placed a comma.

I love hearing what she is thinking about. It's all amazing.

This book series is a little challenging for Kate since the sentences are big and full - and she has to copy the text rather than forge ahead on her own - but I love it and I think that many kids through elementary would enjoy it.

Being the artsy type - I really enjoy the drawing portion. Kate has really grown in her confidence in drawing new things. She is pretty confident in most thing but she doesn't like to mess up her drawings or not have them come out the way she imagines them. I believe that just doing the step by step drawing she has (without talking about it or teaching it) gained a foundation for how objects can be drawn from shapes, how to connect the shapes and proportions.  

All of the books have a theme - this one was animals in different environments....river, pond, dry grassland, ocean. It is great supportive material for any study.

As if drawing, writing and facts were not enough....

The book even talks about how to create backgrounds and perspective.... See the right hand page - it's showing/teaching the 'Rule of Thirds'. The photographer in me just squealed. 

find, check out & enjoy.

Book Crush: America's Women

This book crush is for the adults. This THICK book is filled with stories, antidotes and facts about American history beginning with the first woman to step off a ship in the 1600's. The joys... the misconceptions... the horrors unspeakable - all in a fight to be apart of this nation. 

Multiple times I would slam this book shut and think 'humanity is stupid.' How often do we repeat the same flawed thoughts? 

Every time I am brought right back to remember that while we are extremely flawed we have a gracious and merciful God who has gone to the greatest lengths to make a way for us. A way to be redeemed, restored and forgiven. Before reading this book, my concept of this was so very broad. I got it, but not in the detailed and haunting way I do at this moment. We are truly lost in every way. Some of the things that seemed obvious and logical a hundred years ago are completely ridiculous. Yet, how many things do we regard as common knowledge that later will seem unthinkable.

This is just my reaction to the text - I need to make it clear that it is under no certain terms a christian written or slanted book. It reads more like a news article or history book. Maybe not as dry but it is not partial to christians or any faith or race. It speaks of the lives of indians, colonist, pioneers, slaves of all kinds, plantation wives, writers, doctors... anyone who had a voice or wrote a thought in their diary regarding the lives of women.

I am curious to how much to the text will stay with me and for how long. Right now it is so fresh in mind that it colors my thoughts. For instance.... 

Upon hearing a girl talk about giving birth and say "women have been doing this for 100s of years with just a midwife..." I am immediately flooded with thoughts about how childbirth has changed over time. If only this girl had the slightest clue what birth a hundred years ago looked like. Would she really be so flippant to think our current medical technology as inconvenient? What would she say about the way the medical community has gained it's experience - for it was not an easy or humane road.

This book has lifted the veil and made me think hard about life in those varies time periods. It's more than the thrill of making butter like a pioneer - it's the wonder that the pioneer woman survived at all. I learned pioneers heading West were often middle to upper class families because they had the money to actually purchase the wagon and supplies. These were fine ladies not poor waifs. Ladies who society expected to be genteel proper. Yet they braved a land where they would be pushed to the limits physically emotionally, often times end up in a home with dirt floors and no husband to speak of.

If you like to learn things. If you enjoy history. If you are a woman and feel at times that life is unfair. This book is, at it's very least, a really interesting read.

Book Crush: Emily's Everyday Manners

Mind your Manners!  - I find myself wanting to say this lately but slightly frustrated because Kate seemly oblivious about what I am talking about. Sure she know what generally is polite and not. We have had to work through ALOT of social situation that she was not comfortable with from the very beginning and she has come INCREDIBLY far.         

    Still there are so many thing that I don't even realize I expect but we have never gone over - because we had just never run into that situation before....

      But there we are int he middle of a slightly awkward moment and Kate staring up at me like  "What?"

So when I saw this book and thumbed thru it - I got a little excited. It's  concise and has good explinations and funny little excerpts of what is not ok to do. 

     Most importantly it does not focus on being "good" or "perfect" but making people feel comfortable and at ease. It's just the right age for Kate and has situations she is running into like having friends over, being a flower girl or the dreaded family hug from that one person :)

It was a great jumping off point and we could read the page and then talk talk talk about things we might do in our lives. 

This one book turned into a five day little series of manners lessons. Only she didn't know they were lessons because we dressed up in the play clothes and role played.

Bottom line: I really like this book.

 

Book Crush: The Perfect Pony

I am not sure why I do this to myself but I do.  I go to the library, stumble upon a book that has ponies or horses and slide it into our book basket. My first thought is: Kate will love this! 

Of course she will love it - she loves ponies. 

The repercussions of such book choices are grave. Choosing this book will spur on DAYS of requesting horseback riding lessons. To make matters worse...the books usually have a heroine name Kate or Katie. I am not sure why but more often than not we crack open a book to fin Kate's name.

Thankfully Kate stopped asking for a horse and has settled for horseback riding lessons. This is a much more attainable but still lofty goal.

All of that to say... here is another good book about ponies.

Yes, the main character is named Katie.

The Perfect Pony by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

It is a sweet little book about finding 'just the right' pony  - which sometimes requires looking passed the outward appearances. It's cute and the mom is prodding,wise and PRESENT. I am a very tired of stories/cartoons/books where adults are not mentioned.  Kate is constantly asking "Where is their mom and dad...are they an orphan?"  Often time the answer is: No they are not an orphan their mom and dad are just not supervising them or paying attention.

I am pretty sure we will have to do this horse "thing" soon.  wish me luck.