Author: cindyindigo

Posted on by cindyindigo

Frosty Feathered Friends


This is turning out to be an awfully cold winter.

Lucky for us we can go inside where it’s warm.
The birds and other wildlife don’t have that opportunity, so it’s important they are able to find food to fuel their bodies.
If you can, leave some birdseed out for them. You’ll enjoy watching the variety of birds who come to feast on the tempting treats you’ve provided.
HIGHLIGHTS online magazine has a fun bird quiz you can play. You’ll not only be able to see possible bird visitors to your feeder. You’ll be able to hear them as well.
You can go to the library where you’ll find books on birds, like BACKYARD BIRDS OF WINTER by Carol Lerner. You’ll discover interesting information about the birds visiting your backyard. You can even keep a log of the different birds you see each day. Keep binoculars handy and a camera. Can you snap a shot of one? Or try to draw a picture.
Which ones are your favorites?
Posted on by cindyindigo

Hands Up to Start a Story

The new year is a great time to start writing–a story a week would be a great goal.

All you need to start your next story is your hand.

That’s right.
Place your hand flat on a piece of paper.
Trace around it.
In the center of your hand, write one sentence about the story you want to write.
A story about bringing my dog home for the first time.
Above the little finger, write “WHO.”
Then above the next finger, write “WHAT.”
Above the next finger, write “WHY.”
Above the next finger, write “WHEN.”
Above the next finger, write “WHERE.”
Now fill in the information on each finger.
WHO: my dog Patches and me
WHAT: bringing Patches home from the animal shelter
WHY: to show how scared Patches was at first
WHEN: last summer for my birthday
WHERE: at my dad’s house

Now, using your handy outline,
start at the beginning–
and tell your story.
Don’t forget to give your story a fun title, like “A Place for Patches.”
You can even add illustrations or photos.
Get ready, set, write!
Posted on by cindyindigo

Teachers First with Poetry


I am very pleased to announce that TEACHERS FIRST.com chose my poem, “Buggy Alphabetics,” as a teaching poem on their website.

Click on the link to TeachersFirst.com and scroll down the page a bit for a quick hands-on poetry lesson featuring my poem–so wonderfully illustrated on my website by Nikki Schaefer. Of course, you’ll want to visit my acrobatic bugs in the
Writings section of my website, so you can enjoy the slideshow as well.
If you want to try an ABCEDARIAN–an alphabetic poem that uses the letters A-Z in proper order as the first letters of every line–start with only a few letters. As you become more comfortable with this poetic challenge, see how far you can go–alphabetically–with your lines. In a new Abcedarian I created below, I give myself a little leeway with an extra word, here and there, after the main letter word on a few lines. I also use two semi-invented words. (Can you find them?) That’s why poetry is so much fun–it’s puzzles and puns and wordplay all wrapped up in the coolest formats.
Give an ABCEDARIAN a try!
*****
FEATHERED FESTIVITIES
A
Bright
Cardinal–
Dressed
Elegantly–
For the Festivities,
Gathered
Holly berries
In a
Jaunty
Kitbag
Loaded with
Miscellaneous
Nuts and
Offerings,
Perfect
Quota for the
Robins,
Sparrows, and
Turtle doves’
Up-tempo
Vocal
Warblings and
X-citing
Yuletide
Zelebration!





Posted on by cindyindigo

Let It Snow!


HIGHLIGHTS Magazine has a new hidden picture puzzle for December: Let It Snow by Linda Weller.

Click on the link to download the picture and start searching. I am always amazed how the artists manage to hide all the objects in plan sight. Remember, sometimes it’s easier to find a hidden object by turning the picture upside down or sideways.
Life can be like that sometimes too–when you take a look at something from a totally different perspective, you can find new answers or ideas. And since I can truly stand on my head, I do know what the world looks like upside down. Do you?
What would snow look like if you were standing on your head? Would it be falling down or falling up? Here is how I would write the letters if I were upside down…
W
O
N
S

Tis the season to be silly!
Posted on by cindyindigo

Holiday Dinosaurs


I visited New York City last week to hang out with my son Matt. We braved the wind and rain on Wednesday to visit some museums. Guess where we found a pair of evergreen dinosaurs?

At the Museum of Natural History. The dinosaurs smelled super fragrant and were very, very big!
So that started me thinking, what do dinosaurs do for the holidays? You, of course, know where to look for the answer to that question–picture books!
Here are some suggested titles to help discover all the dinos’ holiday happenings:
DINOSAUR ON HANUKKAH by Diane Levin Rauchwerger
HAPPY HOLIDAYSAURUS by Bernard Most
If you wrote a story about dinosaur happenings over the holidays, how would your holidaysaurus be celebrating?
Posted on by cindyindigo

Fun New Reads

Although it gets rather crazy this time of year, I have been able to read some new picture books. A few I really enjoyed–both for the stories and the illustrations–are listed below:

THE ODD EGG by Emily Gravett/ Simon & Schuster, 2008.
I love the softly drawn animals–who all have an egg, “except for Duck.”
Duck finds a special egg and proceeds to hatch it, despite the hoots from the others.
The book has some fold-and-reveal flaps which young readers will enjoy.
And when Duck’s egg finally does crack, everyone is in for a surprise.
ALL THE WORLD by Liz Garton Scanlon/ illustrated by Marla Frazee/ Beach Lane Books, 2009.
Even though this is not a Christmas book per se, its message is the Christmas message of “hope and peace and love and trust.”
This is a lyrical book, with an unassuming rhyme and easy flow, as writeen by Ms. Scanlon.
I was already a fan of the illustrator, Ms. Frazee–who I’ve had the privilege of meeting.
She creates lush pages, splashed with color and life.
This would be a sweet present to find beneath the tree for most anyone.
YUMMY: EIGHT FAVORITE FAIRY TALES by Lucy Cousins/ Candlewick, 2009.
I’m a fairy tale fan from once upon a time, and this new collection–written and illustrated by Ms. Cousins–presents easy to read stories with bright, bold pictures sure to capture young readers’ interest.
I shared this book with a second grade student, and he thoroughly enjoyed reading three of the eight tales–we ran out of time for more.
Too many young readers are not given adequate exposure to the richness and fun of classic fairy tales. Thanks, Ms. Cousins, for creating this wonderfully magic tale collection.
Reading with the children in your life is the best gift you can give them.
Have fun!
Posted on by cindyindigo

Turkey-Time Fun


Thanksgiving is almost here–fun with the family and lots of luscious food. But if you want to have some creative fun this Thanksgiving, here is a link to HIGHLIGHTS magazine. You’ll learn how to make your very own TURKEY FINGER PUPPET.

You might want to make up your own Thanksgiving story to accompany your turkey–and perhaps you’ll want to make additional finger puppet characters as well.
Or perhaps you’ll want to use your turkey puppet to help tell what you’re thankful for this year.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!