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11/23/2009
"Education is the guardian genius of democracy. It is the only dictator that free men recognize, and the only ruler that free men require."
-Mirabeau Buonaparte Lamar
Featured Strategy
11/23/2009

Tips for Peer Tutoring  (adapted from Garcia-Vasques & Ehly, 1995)

  • Pair students so that each may instruct and/or guide the other on given m...[more]
Featured Lesson Plan
10/23/2009
Title: Researching Rules for Debating

Author: Maryanna Crawford

Description: This is a lively ... [more]


The BOOK NOOK is where you will find book reviews of new and older books across a number of genres. We will update this section with new reviews on a regular basis and hope you find the Book Nook useful.

Name: Step-by-Step Crafts for Summer

Category:  Non-Fiction

  AUTHOR: Kathy Ross
ILLUSTRATOR: Jennifer Emery
GRADE LEVEL: K-4

ANNOTATION: Twenty crafts are detailed in this book for children to make and use or to give as gifts. Everyday items such as a water-bottle holder made from a sock and a cold drink coaster are included. There are also many decorative items like handlebar tassels, a sparkly flower jar, and a summer bloom pin. Most of the crafts can be made with things found around the house.

REVIEW: Children will like the projects that include things they can use everyday as well as give for gifts. The illustrations provide enough detail that the crafts can be made without reading instructions, so even children who have not begun to read can be successful.
The illustrations are detailed and easy to follow. The pages are all bright colors with contrasting polka dotted borders around both pages. The children depicted are from multicultural backgrounds. The font size is large and easily read by young children.
Although the book is meant for summer crafts, many can be used for creating parent presents in the Spring. Examples include a Message Can for Dad as a Father's Day present and a Bloom Pin for a lovely Mother's Day gift. This would also be a nice book to have in a center for independent choice time. Even second graders who struggle with reading could make the crafts without much assistance using the pictures as guides.


EXTENSION: This is a nice book to have in a center for independent choice time. Even second graders who struggle with reading could make the crafts without much assistance using the pictures as guides.

REVIEWER: Sylvia B. Kendrick
CITATION: Ross, Kathy. Step-by-Step Crafts for Summer. Illustrated by Jennifer Emery. Honesdale, Pennsylvania: Boyds Mills Press, 2007.

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