The Challenge Continues . . . The 2015 Buckeye Book Award

And the reading challenge continues!  As stated in a previous post, my librarian friend Ashley Lambacher of the Book Talker and I are hosting the Buckeye Book Award Reading Challenge.  Our goal is to read all the past winners from the children’s book category in chronological order from 1982 to the present.  I will read the K-2 picture book winners and Ashley will read the 4-8/3-5 chapter book winners.  Today I continue my challenge by reading the winner of the K-2 Buckeye Book Award in 2015, The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt and Oliver Jeffers.

Duncan’s crayons are not happy and they are on strike.  In their place they left a stack of letters detailing their grievances.  Yellow and orange want dibs on coloring the sun, while peach wants to know why his wrapper was torn off leaving him naked.  Beige is tired of being ignored next to brown, and blue is exhausted from overuse.  Pink wants to be used more explaining it’s not a color just for girls.  As the complaints pile up, Duncan figures out a solution by creating a colorful drawing that addresses all of the crayons issues.  Jeffers’ illustrations bring the crayons to life giving each wax tube detailed expressions and emotions.  My students really enjoy The Day the Crayons Quit and it’s follow up, The Day the Crayons Came Home, making it a notable winner for the Buckeye Book Award in 2015.

Ashley -  I know you and your students like the crayon books, and you’re a big fan of Oliver Jeffers.  Your upcoming 2015 book is Secrets According to Humphrey.  Do your students enjoy the Humphrey series as much as my students?  

Our reading challenge is almost over!  We only have one more book to read next month.  I’m sad to see our challenge end, but I’m proud of our commitment and collaboration.  

10 Steps to Make a Doodlebot

Creating a doodlebot is one of my student's favorite makerspace activities.  A doodlebot is a robot that is made from every day materials that draws, or doodles, on it's own.  Below are the materials and 10 steps to build a doodblebot.

You will need these supplies to make a doodlebot:
- a large Dixie cup
- 4 markers
- paper to draw on
- duct tape
- a AAA battery pack with exposed wires
- 2 AAA batteries
- a small motor
- red and black wire (with alligator clips or without alligator clips)
- a penny
- wire strippers
- soldering tools (optional)

Step #1 - After you've gathered your materials, tape paper to your table for the doodlebot to try on.

Step #2 - Use duct tape to secure four markers to the outside of an upside down Dixie cup.  Be sure they all at the same height and each marker can touch the ground when standing alone.

Step #3 - Get the motor wired.  You can find small motors at hobby stores or online.  My husband soldered the red and black wires to our motor, and soldered alligator clips to the ends.  If you can't solder, you can use wire strippers to expose the ends of the wires and fold them around both metal loop on the motor.  Or you can buy wires with alligator clips on both ends.  Students can clip one end of a red wire to one of the motor's loops, and clip one end of the black wire to the other motor's loop.  

Step #4 - Tape the motor to the top of the Dixie cup, making sure the spinning rod hangs well over the edge of the cup.  A weight will need to swing from this rod, so make sure there is ample room for it to swing without the top of the cup creating an obstruction.  

Step #5 - Prepare the battery source.  I recommend using a AAA battery pack instead of a AA battery pack.  I found the AA batteries to run too hot and I've seen it melt the cup - you don't want children to burn themselves!  You can find a AAA battery pack at hobby stores or online.  Make sure the ends of the wires are exposed.  If they aren't, use wire strippers to remove the tips from both the black and red wires.  Add the AAA batteries to the battery packs.  I've found that children need to be taught how to load batteries, so this step may need to be taught.  When the robot fails to draw, incorrect positioning of batteries is often a cause.

Step #6 - Tape the loaded battery pack behind the motor on the top of the Dixie cup.

Step #7 - Tape a penny to the motor's rod.  The penny will act as a weight to make the robot vibrate and dance it's way across the paper.  This is a tricky step so I included a video to show how it's done.  Make sure the secured penny can rotate around the rod without bumping into the top the cup.  If it bumps, then your motor will need to be repositioned to allow the penny to rotate without obstruction. 

Step #8 - Remove the caps from the bottom of the markers.

Step #9 - Turn on the doodlebot.  If you have wires with alligator clips, simply clip the motor wires to the exposed wires on the ends of the battery packs.  If you have wires without alligator clips, you'll need to twist the exposed wire ends of the motor to the exposed wire ends of the battery pack.  When turned on, the penny should begin to spin like a propeller.

Step #10 - Enjoy watching the doodlebot draw and scribble it's way across the page.  To turn the robot off, simply unhook the wire connections.  

When I ask my students to create a doodlebot, I give them all the materials and a picture of the end product.  Using the picture as a guide, the students need to figure out how to build the robot.  The penny can be the trickiest aspect of the doodlebot and the part I help students with the most.  I've used this activity successfully with students in grades 2nd-5th.  

I hope you found these instructions to make a doodlebot helpful.  If you have any questions, feel free to email me at jill.merkle@yahoo.com.  

My One Little Word for 2017

I love the “one little word” movement.  It’s the closest thing I get to making a new year’s resolution.  Last year, my one word was POSITIVE.  I can honestly say that it shaped my 2016 year.  I’m in a different place at the end of this year than I was at the end of last year.  

For 2017, my one little word is CATALYST.  I’m in a new school within a new district, so I’m attempting to make my mark as the school’s new teacher librarian.  So far, I’ve redesigned the library and introduced the staff, students, and parents to a school-wide cardboard challenge and hour of code.  For the remainder of the school year, I’ll continue my work as a catalyst for growth with the following:

• I want to be a catalyst for new thinking and learning with the start of the school’s makerspace.
• I want to be a catalyst for innovative ways to integrate technology and social media in the classroom for both staff and students.
• I want to be a catalyst for increased access to books with a little free library for the school.
• I want to be a catalyst for increased participation in summer reading with my unique and creative ways to promote reading over the summer months.
• I want to a catalyst for participation in growth mindset for both staff and students.

A new job brings new opportunities, new opportunities to influence change.  I’m excited for the new year ahead and ready to act as a catalyst.  

My Top 5 Blog Posts in 2016

I love the blogging community and reading daily posts from my PLN of inspirational educators, librarians, and specialists.  I entered the world of blogging in April 2015.  Since then, I've written a variety of posts about the work I do as an elementary librarian.  This year my most popular posts surrounded my work with Little Free Libraries and makerspaces, and my participation in the 10 for 10 reading community.  Here are my top 5 blog posts in 2016:

1- My #pb10for10 - Picture Books for a Makerspace

2- Tips to Start a Little Free Library

3- Tips to Manage a Little Free Library

4- My #nf10for10 - My Favorite Nonfiction Picture Books from 2015

5- Books for Your Makerspace

The Challenge Continues . . . The 2014 Buckeye Book Award

And the reading challenge continues!  As stated in a previous post, my librarian friend Ashley Lambacher of the Book Talker and I are hosting the Buckeye Book Award Reading Challenge.  Our goal is to read all the past winners from the children’s book category in chronological order from 1982 to the present.  I will read the K-2 picture book winners and Ashley will read the 4-8/3-5 chapter book winners.  Today I continue my challenge by reading the winner of the K-2 Buckeye Book Award in 2014, Carnivores by Aaron Reynolds.

Carnivores is a humorous story with a good message.  It starts by introducing three carnivore animals, the lion, great white shark, and timber wolf.  They are all experiencing an identity crisis.  Since they’re carnivores, the other animals don’t seem to like them.  Upset by the social stigma formed against them, these three form a support group.  Their first initiative is to go vegetarian, however this plan is doomed.  To fit in, they try wearing disguises but friendships formed never seem to survive.  When the wise owl attends a meeting, he convinces the animals not to feel guilty about being a meat eater.  This book teaches kids to be happy with who they are, not to worry about criticism over characteristics that can’t be changed.  The illustrations are classic Dan Santant; detailed and colorful, capturing each animals expressions perfectly.  In my library, students ask for this book a few times a week!  So, it’s no surprise it won a Buckeye Book Award in 2014. 

Ashley -  Do your students enjoy Carnivores as much as my students?  Your upcoming 2014 book is a really good one, Escape From Mr. Lemoncello’s Library. 

Would you like to join Ashley and I as we read through Ohio’s award winning books?  We welcome any and all who are interested in participating in this fun reading challenge.  For more information, click here.

Steps to Host an School-Wide Hour of Code Event

Are you an elementary school librarian interested in hosting a school-wide Hour of Code event?  Here are some suggestions to organizing a coding celebration at your own school.

What is Hour of Code?  For those who don’t know, Hour of Code is an annual coding event started by code.org, a non-profit organization with a goal to teach computer science to children all over the world, especially girls and students of color.  Hour of Code was launched in December of 2013, with 20 million students participating.  It continues to thrive today with over 300 million students participating in Hour of Code in December of 2016.  

Why should students learn to code?  Today’s students need to learn to code for future job success.  Coding is a type of literacy that students will be reading and writing for their future careers.  It will be the basis for every job in any field - like entertainment, medicine, education, agriculture and beyond.  The technology our students will create in the future will solve problems and make life easier and more enjoyable.  

How can school librarians and teachers learn more about coding?  To educate yourself as a teacher and advocate of coding, I recommend taking a code.org class.  Free courses for educators can be found on their website.  This one day class taught me coding basics and how to teach coding to my students.  

Why code.org?  This is a great place for students to learn the basics of coding and move towards more complex algorithms written in JavaScript.  Plus their activities are high-interest involving characters from Angry Birds, Star Wars, and Minecraft to name a few.  Their Code Studio teaches coding through Blockly.  Students simply drag and drop blocks in a particular order to write a program.  Hour of Code allows students to apply the basics learned in Code Studio in a variety of engaging projects.  Many start with Blockly and advance to writing JavaScript.  All levels are self-paced with tutorials and hints instructing students what to do.  Most of the time, students feel like they’re playing a video game rather than learning computer science!

Get your school involved in Global Hour of Code  The annual global Hour of Code event takes place the first full week of December.  To prepare, in October I asked my principal to support my efforts to bring this exciting event to our school.  With his consent, we chose one day during the week of global Hour of Code to host our school-wide event (we chose the Friday of that week).  I went to code.org and signed up my school to participate in the event - you’ll want to do this because the organization will send you fun promotional posters and stickers.  Also in October, we told staff the date explaining that their classrooms would engage in Hour of Code at some time during the day, but they could choose when and for how long.  There are wonderful promotional videos on code.org that I used to educated, encourage, and excite people (principal, teachers, parents, students) about the Hour of Code event.  I highly recommend checking out these videos and using them to your benefit.

During the week of Hour of Code in December, students were told at a town meeting they would participate in a coding event - they were pumped!  This same week, I taught students coding basics during library lessons.  I even held a ‘Lunch and Learn’ for teachers to learn coding while they ate lunch.  Armed with the basics, every classroom teacher in my building allowed time for students to participate in Hour of Code.  I freed up my schedule allowing teachers to sign up with me if they wanted my assistance.  Kingergarten and 1st graders did Code Studio on code.org, learning to code through Blockly.  Students in 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade did Hour of Code on code.org, many were coding with Blockly while advanced coders were coding with JavaScript.  No matter their age or experience, all students were engaged and loved every minute of coding!

Looking towards 2017  I plan to host Hour of Code at my school again next year in December.  My hope is that students and teachers will continue to visit Hour of Code throughout the school year.  Hour of Code has four courses for students to work and advance through.  Hour of Code isn’t the only place to learn coding, the code.org website lists suggestions for other locations to learn coding.  Apple has Swift Playground and there are a ton of apps that teach coding as well. 

In the end, it doesn’t matter where students start . . . getting them involved is what is most important.  If you’ve considered hosting an all-school coding event, I encourage you to give it a try.  It’s easier than you think, and the benefit to students are great.  

The Challenge Continues . . . The 2013 Buckeye Book Award

And the reading challenge continues!  As stated in a previous post, my librarian friend Ashley Lambacher of the Book Talker and I are hosting the Buckeye Book Award Reading Challenge.  Our goal is to read all the past winners from the children’s book category in chronological order from 1982 to the present.  I will read the K-2 picture book winners and Ashley will read the 4-8/3-5 chapter book winners.  Today I continue my challenge by reading the winner of the K-2 Buckeye Book Award in 2013, Creepy Carrots! by Aaron Reynolds.

Creepy Carrots! chronicles the journey of Jasper Rabbit.  Jasper loves carrots, especially the ones from Crackenhopper field.  But one day, as Jasper is about to help himself to another snack, he hears the sinister sounds of carrots creeping.  From there it goes from bad to worse.  Paranoid Jasper sees the carrots everywhere: in his bathtub, in the garden shed and even in his bedroom at night.  Or is he just suffering from an overactive imagination?  The illustrations fit the harrowing tone of this book perfectly.  Each page has just a touch of orange, either as the carrots or as the objects that Jasper thinks might be carrots.  It helps paint the story and keep the reader guessing if Jasper really IS seeing carrots or just imagining them.  The ultimate massage is greed isn’t good.  For Jasper, his greed for carrots proved to be his own undoing.  My elementary students love this book!  Especially the 5th graders, which is a difficult audience to capture with a picture book.  Because this book is well-loved by many, it’s a perfect win for the 2013 Buckeye Book Award.

Ashley -  What do you think of Creepy Carrots?  Your upcoming 2014 book is a really good one, Escape From Mr. Lemoncello’s Library. 

Would you like to join Ashley and I as we read through Ohio’s award winning books?  We welcome any and all who are interested in participating in this fun reading challenge.  For more information, click here.

The Challenge Continues . . . The 2012 Buckeye Book Award

And the reading challenge continues!  As stated in a previous post, my librarian friend Ashley Lambacher of the Book Talker and I are hosting the Buckeye Book Award Reading Challenge.  Our goal is to read all the past winners from the children’s book category in chronological order from 1982 to the present.  I will read the K-2 picture book winners and Ashley will read the 4-8/3-5 chapter book winners.  Today I continue my challenge by reading the winner of the K-2 Buckeye Book Award in 2012, We Are in a Book by Mo Willems.

We Are in a Book is classic Elephant and Piggie.  This series highlight’s best friends Gerald and Piggie.  In this edition, the two realize someone is watching them.  Is it a monster?  No, it’s the reader! They realize their power and understand they can make the reader say anything out loud.  Piggie decides upon “banana” making Gerald and the reader crack up.  Then they realize that books end!  Piggie says the book is moving too fast and insists he has more to give.  Then they cleverly realize that books can be reread and ask the reader, “Will you please read us again?”  Willems’ illustrates fun visual gags as the characters hang on speech bubbles, block words, and lift the corners to reveal the pages that remain.  I’m a big fan of books by Mo Willems and the Elephant and Piggie series, and my students love them as well.  It’s no surprise that this book won the 2012 Buckeye Book Award. 

Ashley - Your upcoming 2013 book is a good one, Brian Selznick’s Wonderstruck. Remember when we saw him at the AASL conference last fall?  

Would you like to join Ashley and I as we read through Ohio’s award winning books?  We welcome any and all who are interested in participating in this fun reading challenge.  For more information, click here.

Taking the Global Cardboard Challenge to a New Level

What can you make out of cardboard?   Many have heard of the Global Cardboard Challenge inspired by Caine’s Arcade.  It asks children all over the world to build anything they can dream up using cardboard, recycled materials, and imagination.  It’s held annually on the first Saturday of October.  Students and their parents visit their school’s event for a few hours on a Saturday and build something together.  However, participation is optional, and it often conflicts with children’s extracurricular activities and time with their families.  This year, I took a new approach to the Cardboard Challenge and hosted it on a school day.

To allow all students in my school the opportunity to participate in the Global Cardboard Challenge, I hosted it on a Friday in October.  It was wonderful to see all students enjoying the event as they created spectacular creations and collaborated together.  Parents were invited and volunteered by helping students with cutting difficult shapes with box cutters and tearing duct tape for little fingers.  The event was connected to learning as teachers provided extension activities including pre-designing and post-reflections.  

Ultimately, hosting the Global Cardboard Challenge on a school day took the event to a new level.  We had 100% participation and classroom connections.  This new twist on the Cardboard Challenge is sure to make a big impact on my school’s culture for the remainder of the year as we embrace a maker mindset and encourage creative problem solving.

The Challenge Continues . . . The 2011 Buckeye Book Award Winner

And the reading challenge continues!  As stated in a previous post, my librarian friend Ashley Lambacher of the Book Talker and I are hosting the Buckeye Book Award Reading Challenge.  Our goal is to read all the past winners from the children’s book category in chronological order from 1982 to the present.  I will read the K-2 picture book winners and Ashley will read the 4-8/3-5 chapter book winners.  Today I continue my challenge by reading the winner of the K-2 Buckeye Book Award in 2011, Shark vs. Train by Chris Barton.

Shark vs. Train is a head to head competition between two toys.  Two boys dig through a toy box.  One pulls out a shark, the other selects a train.  It is shark vs. train, but which very determined toy is going to win the fight?  Of course if they are under the ocean waves, the shark has the edge, but if they are on some railroad tracks, the train is going to win hands down.  What do you think if they are on a seesaw or in a hot-air balloon?  The two go head to head in all kinds of contests. They bowl, shoot baskets, take a flip off the high-dive board, sell lemonade, go trick-or-treating, go on carnival rides, play games, and hide-and-seek.  When Mom calls out, "BOYS! LUNCH!!" it's time to for a little break . . . until next time.  Tom Lichtenheld's artwork is colorful and fun, capturing each competition and the intense expressions on each boys face as they face off.  I’m a big fan of books by Chris Barton and illustrations by Tom Lichtenheld, so I’m glad to see they won the 2011 Buckeye Book Award.  

Ashley - Your upcoming 2011 book is not a chapter book this time, it’s Bill Thomson’s Chalk wordless picture book.  I love this book’s portrayal of the magic that can be created by sidewalk chalk.

Would you like to join Ashley and I as we read through Ohio’s award winning books?  We welcome any and all who are interested in participating in this fun reading challenge.  For more information, click here.