July is National Ice Cream Month!

Do you scream for ice cream? Do you like to eat ice cream from a cone or a dish?

What’s your favorite flavor? Have you ever had your ice cream plop out of the cone and onto the ground? Has your cone ever sprung a leak and you got covered in sticky ice cream? If you were ice cream, what flavor would you be?

Write a poem or a few paragraphs using any of these questions to get you started (Original compositions only, please!). Send them to me by June 30th  and I’ll publish them on my website in time for National Ice Cream Day (Third Sunday in July).

I can’t wait to hear from you! In the meantime, eat some ice cream for “research purposes!”

Summer Reading

What’s better than reading a book? Reading a book and earning prizes! Every summer your area library sponsors a summer reading program. It’s free! You can participate in activities such as arts and crafts as well as attend special events with various entertainers (clowns, magicians, storytellers, etc.).

What if you’re at camp all summer and can’t get to the library? Scholastic.com has a free summer reading program http://www.scholastic.com/summer. All you have to do is sign up, read like crazy, and then log your reading minutes.

But that’s not all! According to Scholastic, “The 20 schools with the most minutes logged will receive recognition in the 2012 Scholastic Book of World Records.” How awesome! Can it get any better than that? Yes! All you have to do is participate in weekly reading challenges, earn digital rewards, enter sweepstakes to win fabulous prizes, and more.

Kids who read succeed! What’s your plan for success this summer? Please leave me a comment. I’d love to hear from you!

The Friendly Letter

Do you ever feel shy talking to grownups? Have you tried writing to them? A few years ago I wrote a letter to my second grade teacher telling her how she inspired me to become a teacher. I mentioned all of the hands-on science experiments that we performed! I’ll never forget looking at onion cells through a microscope! She was so touched by my words that she wrote back to me. She remembered me holding her purse while we walked around chatting during recess!


Now that the school year is coming to an end, many children like to get their teacher a gift. My favorite gifts are letters and cards from my students. I save them and hang them in my classroom on the inside of one of my cabinets. When I’m feeling less than inspiring, I open the cabinet doors and reread the words of love and gratitude. It’s nice to know I’ve had a positive impact on so many lives.

What did you like about this school year? What did your teacher do to make you a better person? Write him a friendly letter thanking him for all of his hard work. You’ll make his day—and more!

Have you written to a grownup? Have they responded? Please leave a comment. I’d love to hear from you!

You At the Zoo!

Do you love animals? I do! Visiting a zoo is a great way to see animals you don’t get to see every day! Chances are there is a zoo near you!
Do you want to see lots of animals at the zoo? Then your job is to walk and talk slowly and quietly when you are near animals. You don’t want to scare them away!

Do you want to learn about animals? Take the time to read the signs. If you can’t read, have a grownup read them to you.

Do you want to have fun while learning? Many zoos have interactive displays for kids. Have your grownup help you read and follow the directions at these exhibits and you’ll have a fun time while you learn interesting facts about your favorite critters!

Do you want to have an enjoyable day? Use your self-control and you’ll have a fun time!

Do you want to get a sneak peak? There are some great zoo websites that help you plan your day, tell you more about the animals, and even view some live videos via webcams of different animals! Here are a few zoo websites to get you started: New York, NY: Washington D.C.: Cincinnati, OH: San Diego, CA. Zoos close to western Massachusetts include the Zoo at Forest Park, Springfield, MA: http://www.forestparkzoo.org, the Roger Williams Park Zoo in Rhode Island: http://www.rwpzoo.org, and the Boston area, http://www.zoonewengland.org/.

Go wild and visit a zoo near you!

Have you been to a zoo lately? Leave me a comment I’d love to hear all about it.

Losing a Loved One

Have you ever loved someone or something in your life only to have it die? A sad part of life is death. All living things die. What does this tell us? Life is precious and something that we shouldn’t take for granted.


I remember when my first pet died. He was a black cat named Inky. I found him in my closet curled up as if he were sleeping. My dad checked and told me Inky wasn’t breathing, he had died. What amazes me to this day is the fact that my dad took the time to make a wooden box for Inky. We buried him in the back yard and planted some flowers in that spot. We talked about Inky and all the fun times we had with him. It was sad but it helped me deal with losing my furry friend.

Everybody feels different things at different times when a loved one dies. You might cry, or you might not. You might feel angry or empty. You might feel sad or tired. You may feel nothing. These feelings are all normal. The important thing is to tell a grownup and not keep your feelings stuck inside you.

At school it’s a good idea to let your teacher know so that if you act a little different he’ll understand. If you need to take a walk, get a drink of water, or talk to the school counselor, that might help. Your friends may not know what to do or say. They may say something that makes you sadder or even angry. They may hover over you and annoy you. Remember they care about you and are just trying to help. Ask a grownup to assist you, if you need it.

Writing about your loved one might be helpful. You could write about all the great times you had together. That would be an awesome tribute to them and a great remembrance for you to enjoy in the years to come.

There are a lot of great books out there that might comfort you. When I feel sad about losing my dogs I read “Dog Heaven” by Cynthia Rylant. I like to think that they’re up in heaven playing together. I just ordered Cynthia Rylant’s “Cat Heaven.” I have two old cats and I know I’m going to need some consoling when they die someday because I know all living things die. Sad but true.

Have you ever lost a loved one? Please leave me a comment. I’d love to hear from you.

Maple Sugaring

Do you like maple syrup? Do you know how it’s made? If you live in or near New England, you’re in luck! Why? It’s maple season! Freezing nights and warm days makes the sap in maple trees flow. Maple producers are collecting this sap and boiling it down to make thick, sweet maple syrup and other maple treats!

Did you know you can go to a sugarhouse and watch how maple syrup gets made? Let your grownup know that you’d like to go and check it out. Be sure to have an adult help you research maple sugarhouses to find the ones closest to you.

Here are some common questions:
• How and when is maple syrup made?
• Can all maple trees produce syrup?
• What is "sap"?
• Does it really take a lot of sap to make a little syrup?
• How long can maple syrup be stored and used?
• How is sap collected?
• What is the difference in "Grades"?
• How do pure maple and blended candies differ?
• How is maple cream produced?
• What is "sugar-on-snow"?
• How long can maple syrup be stored and used?

After you visit a sugarhouse, how many of these questions can you answer? Did you have fun? Leave me a comment. I’d love to hear about your adventures!

April Fool's Day

April Fool’s Day can be a lot of fun. The tricky part is to prank people without hurting them or being mean. My favorite prank is to point to the floor as someone is walking by and say to them, “Be careful.” People stop and look down then you say, “April Fool.” This prank is simple yet effective!


Have you ever pranked someone on April Fool’s Day? I’d love to hear about it. Leave me a comment below.