IF YOU ARE HAPPY AND YOU KNOW IT...ENTER THE CONTEST!

Hi All!

First things first. We are working on new stories that we hope to have out by the end of summer.

Mr. Chris and I were asked to be involved in a really innovative curriculum project for the county in which we teach, so as of now, that is where our creative writing is flowing. Whenever we have something new for you to check out though, we'll post it here. For now, I hope that this contest can tide you over!

The first half of summer vacation has been busy! We have just returned home from two weeks of traveling to Buffalo, NY and Boston, MA to visit our lovely families. During our trip to Boston, we took a mini-vacation to North Conway, NH to a place called Story Land.
It is a place where they bring many children's stories to life in very creative ways. While my wonderful father was taking pictures, I had an idea for a contest. I contacted one of our favorite children's book publishers, Barefoot Books, and they generously donated a perfect prize to help keep your minds illuminated the rest of the summer!

Here is how the contest works:

1. Look at the pictures below from Story Land.

2. Identify the children's story that each picture features. For each one you identify, that will count as one entry! So, if you correctly identify all 5 of the pictures you have 5 entries.

3. The last picture that is included is the BONUS picture. If you can tell me which children's story it is from, then you will receive an extra 2 entries.

4. If you share this with 5 other people (proved by including me on the email) or posting it on your blog (send me your blog site) you will recieve 5 extra entries.

5. Visit www.barefootbooks.com and search around their easy to use and eye catching new website. Share something you really enjoy about their site and receive an extra 3 entries. Also, if you place an order by today, July 15th and enter the code HAPPY during check out you can receive 20% off your order!

6. Leave a comment on the blog, send me your entries at nightlightstories@gmail.com, or Tweet me at nightlight08. Do just one thing or do them all! Any one of these you choose to post will enter you for a chance to win.

7. Contest ends August 1st!

PICTURE #1

PICTURE #2

PICTURE #3

PICTURE #4

PICTURE #5

BONUS PICTURE (Hint: Search around the blog)

What Do We Win?

I am so HAPPY that you asked!

Barefoot Books is generously sending us a copy of their new book with singalong CD:

"Clap your hands and sing along to this fresh take on a traditional singalong.

The multicultural children in this colorful early learner encourage action and imagination, and two full spreads at the end teach "hello" in thirty-six languages, and the names of the children and their countries of origin."

Even if you do not win the book, everyone can still be a winner! Today, July 15th, Barefoot Books is offering a free download of IF YOU ARE HAPPY AND YOU KNOW IT on their site. Here is the link to the download. Please click away and ENJOY!

IF YOU ARE HAPPY AND YOU KNOW IT FREE DOWNLOAD

As always, I look forward to watching the glow grow brighter with the

many stories we can share together.

Learning Something New

Hi All,

I have been busy learning something new and I am so excited to share it with you!

I shared a resource with you in the "Summer Reading Is All Around Us" post called CAST's Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Book Builder. You can use this site to create, read, and share engaging digital books.

So, I decided to use our son and one of our "flashlight episodes" called "The I'm Sorry Truck" to create a book with pictures for our listeners. Here is how we did it:

*First, my son and I planned out each page together by breaking up the story into pages.

*Next, we took pictures to match what was happening on each page using his trucks and our digital camera.

* Then, we went to CAST's Book Builder and signed up for a free account.

*We chose a format for the pages of our story and then put our pictures and story in. If you are really tech savvy, you can do your own audio, or you can choose from one of the three coaches to tell the story for you. We chose one of the three coaches, named him Tucker, and had him read the story for us.

*Once you are happy with the story you have created, you can publish it to the library. You can also download it to your computer so that you can print it out and have an actual book to share with a sibling, a friend, a grandparent, or anyone!

You can check out "The I'm Sorry Truck" on Book Builder by going to http://bookbuilder.cast.org/ and clicking on the Explore Shared Books Library tab. You do not need an account to look at other shared books. Once you are in there just search by TITLE and type in The I'm Sorry Truck.

We would love to share any titles you have created in there. Leave a comment on the blog if you have created something in Book Builder, or let us know what you think about the book we created. We hope you are having a wonderfully creative summer!

As always, I look forward to watching the glow grow brighter with the many stories we can share together.

EPISODE 10: The Watermelon Seed

Click here to listen to: The Watermelon Seed

Hi All,

We are hoping you are enjoying the start of your summer! In our last post we listed a few reading programs we found helpful and illuminating to keep you reading all summer long. Here is one more program from Scholastic Books that we just discovered!

What did you say? A word of the day! That is right! In our story there are

many juicy words that are fun to learn and say!

astute: smart, quick, perceptive
awry: away from the expected or proper direction; amiss; wrong
protruding: to thrust forward
sweltering: oppressively hot and humid
viable: able to live and grow

JUST ADD IMAGINATION!

Try these activities to keep your imagination glowing after hearing the story.

1. Write a letter to someone you love about what you plan to do this summer. Don't forget the FIVE parts of a letter: Heading, Greeting, Body, Closing, and Your Signature.

2. Make your own observations. Save a seed from any kind of fruit you eat, such as a watermelon, an apple or a pear. Give it a few days to dry. Plant the seed in a cup of soil. Place it in the sun and water it daily. What changes do you see happening? Write them down or draw them out.

COMPREHENSION CHALLENGE

After listening to the story, can you recall the details to answer these questions?

1. What did the boy first notice was changing in his mom?

2. Why did the boy think the mom was growing a watermelon in her belly?

3. List 3 observations the boy made about his Momma's belly that he wrote his Grandma about?

BRIGHT BIRTHDAY WISHES

We want to send out bright birthday wishes to:

John D of Valencia, Spain

Kerry W of Cambridge, MA

Sue H of East Amherst, NY

Samantha R of Bedford, MA

We hope your day SPARKLED!

If you know someone who has a birthday coming up and you'd like to send them a Night Light Birthday wish, send us an email at nightlightstories@gmail.com.

Please send us your loved one's first name and the first initial of their last name only and we'll pass along the birthday wish. There are no age limits!

POST IT

We hope you have some wonderful summer time plans, whether it is playing in your yard or traveling to the beach, we'd love to hear about them.

Feel free to post fun summer time activities on the blog.

As always, I look forward to watching the glow grow brighter with the many

stories we can share together.

Summer Reading is All Around Us

Hi All,

Summer is upon us! It is a time to relax, regroup, and re-energize. One great way to do that is by reading! Click here to read an article with some great tips on how to keep kids reading from the first day of summer vacation all they way through the first day of the new school year.

There are many valuable resources on the web that encourage reading and comprehension. One of our favorites at Night Light Stories is CAST's Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Book Builder! Use this site to create, read, and share engaging digital books that build reading skills for students.

There are also reading programs running all summer long that are free and plentiful. Below, I have listed just a few that I found that have some valuable resources. Check your local library for any such events happening in your area. Feel free to post them on the blog to share with others. Summer reading is important to keep every imagination illuminated. Happy reading and listening!




Barnes and Noble Summer Reading Program

Kids can earn a free book when they read 8 books this summer. Simply visit the site, download the reading journal and earn your way to a free book by reading. Eligible to children in grade levels 1-6. They also have a wonderful list of children's books to check out this summer.


New York State Summer Reading Program

New York State has a creative summer reading program to keep kids reading all summer long.


Loudoun County Library Reading Program

Loudoun County Public Library in Loudoun County, Virginia also has a fantastic reading program. There are many imaginative activities and useful resources for all ages.
(The image above is used with permission from Loudoun County's Public Library.)


Jefferson County Library Reading Program

The website for the summer reading program in Jefferson County, MO has interactive websites for kids and summer reading suggestions for all ages.


As always, keep the glow growing brigher with the many stories we can share together.

THE WINNER IS:

GUNNAR!

Congratulations! We hope you enjoy the Automoblox Pick-up Truck

Also, thank you for the glowing entries from:

Joe

Maisy

Michael

Saben

Sally

As a special thanks for your entries, everyone is winner! Send us your address at nightlightstories.gmail.com so that we can
send you a complimentary

book from Hatchette Books! Great job everyone!

As always, I look forward to watching the glow grow brighter with the many stories we can share together.