Top 10 Reasons to #OptOutside on Black Friday

We have plans to spend another Thanksgiving camping in Gatlinburg. We will be returning for the fourth time to Greenbrier Campground. We spent last Thanksgiving there and really enjoyed our visit.

REI is behind the #OptOutside movement which encourages people to choose the outdoors. They are hoping to get the word out that spending time in the great outdoors is much better than spending time in the mall.

Luckily I have never been a big shopper. You won't catch me going anywhere near a large store or mall on Black Friday. Nothing is worth the hastle!

Thanks to the #NatureWritingChallenge I have come up with my Top 10 Reasons to #OptOutside on Back Friday.

10. Nature is easier on your pocket book.

9. You can take your chance running into an angry animal or you can guarantee you will run into an
    angry parent.

8. Nature doesn't require you to dress to impress. Roll out of bed and go!

7. Nature is unlimited. The TV on sale for $199 is limited to one per customer.

6. You can see an open trail ahead of you instead of a line of people waiting for the register.

5. You can have a picnic with a view instead of fighting for a seat at the food court.

4. Wear a backpack instead of carrying an arm full of bags.

3. Nature is peaceful and stress free, Black Friday isn’t.

2. You can hear birds chirp instead of the ding of the cash registers.

1. Parking spaces are easier to come by and they have a view.
Happy Thanksgiving. Don't forget to find some time to enjoy the outdoors.

World Read Aloud Day

Thursday, February 1st is World Read Aloud Day.

Working in an elementary school I assumed that read alouds were still a daily part of a teacher and student's day, at least for the younger kids, but then I had two conversations this week that rocked my world. A first grade and a third grade teacher told me that they both didn't have time in their day to read. That is how scheduled their classroom time has become.

The first grade teacher dropped off her class and handed me an index card with the names of six students who were ready to start reading chapter books. When it came time to check out I showed them a few series that they might like and that would be appropriate for beginning chapter book readers. In my school first grade students are allowed to get one book. After one little boy made his choice he asked me if was allowed to get a picture book. I told him that next week I would let him and that I would increase their books up to two. He seemed disappointed that he couldn't get a picture book that day.

The teacher came to pick them up and asked how book selection went for these students. I updated her and told her about the little boys comment. She said she wasn't worried about it because she had hundreds of books in her classroom that they could read because she didn't have time to read them. What? First grade students don't get read to? We chatted about this and she told me that she just didn't have time in her day. How upsetting!

The other teacher was moved up from second grade this school year so she could teach third grade. When she came to pick her class up she commented about how much she missed being able to read to her kids like she did in second grade. What? Again no read alouds? She told me the same story about how she just didn't have time during the day.

I believe that students of all ages can benefit from a read aloud. When it comes to the older students it has to be the right book but there are plenty out there. It makes me sad to think that I may be the only teacher reading to them on a weekly basis. For most of my students, coming from their socioeconomic backgrounds, it is fairly safe to assume that they don't get much reading time at home with their parents. You know what they say about assuming though.

The two conversations this week prompted me to send out an e-mail telling teachers about World Read Aloud Day and inviting them to come visit me to get a book. I hope I will get a few visitors and that my teachers will find time on Thursday to fit a story in their cramped schedule.

November is NaNoWriMo time!

It’s November 1^st and I have decided to participate in my first NaNoWriMo event.

You may wonder what this is. November is National Novel Writing Month and it’s a push for writers to write and edit their novel. You can find out more details HERE

My goal has been to record the events as I learn how to become a Girl Camper from scratch. My big picture goal is possible publication of my journey into a book. Since school started back in August my writing has taken a back seat. As Victor Hugo said, “There is nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come”.

Projects I can work on
- Catch up on my Campbrarian journaling 

- I have an idea for a picture book that is written in the perspective of a library book.

- I love a good scary story or mystery. I believe in the paranormal and want to write a YA novel that has a ghost hunting element.

- I have some pictures from an abandoned watering hole that I turned black and white and they are literally haunting me to write a story about them. 

As you can tell I need some focus and I am hoping NaNoWriMo can give me some.

Up for another challenge?

I finally have a Saturday where I have no plans until this evening. It's perfect timing because
1. I'm trying to beat a cold and I need some rest.
2. I desperately need some down time.
3. It's Dewey's Readathon today, and my first one!

Can I spend the whole day reading, unfortunately no but I'm going to see what I can get done.

You can sign up and read more details here.


HOUR 0 ANSWERS

1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today?Rockvale, TN

2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?

The Hate You Give

3) Which snack are you most looking forward to?

Chocolate

4) Tell us a little something about yourself!This is my 16th year as an elementary school librarian. I am the mom of two boys. My hobbies include reading, scrapbooking, running, photography, and ghost hunting. An eclectic mix I know! I also love to travel. We bought a travel trailer this summer and we've started camping. My ultimate goal is to be a self-sufficient girl camper and take a year off of work to travel the US with my children.

5) If you participated in the last read-a-thon, what’s one thing you’ll do different today? If this is your first read-a-thon, what are you most looking forward to?

This is my first read-a-thon. I am just hoping to get some chores done in between reading. I'm hoping I don't feel guilty for how I am choosing to spend my time today.

Spookathon Readathon

Despite how this post on Twitter by @thespookathon starts, now is the time to join me and hundreds of other readers.

The #spookathon reading challenge starts tomorrow and runs until the 22nd. I'll be making posts on Instagram and you can follow me there @campbrarianintn

What will you be reading?

Library Orientation - Book V & VI

Books #5 & 6
Whose Afraid of the Big Bad Book? by Lauren Child
Beware of the Storybook Wolves by Lauren Child
Second Grade, Lessons Two and Three

These books are hidden gems! 

The main character Herb does NOT know how to take care of his books and one night he tumbles into his story when he falls asleep with the book on his head. The fairy tale characters aren’t happy to see him. Will he be able to escape this nightmare and fix his mistakes? I tie this book in with library book care for my second graders. They should know how to treat a library book but this book serves as a good reminder. I will end the story by going back and identifying fairy tale characters in the book.

What I love about these books
- That the characters are easily recognizable from favorite fairy tales.
- Lauren Child created her book with pages upside down and holes in the pages. The kids are in awe!
- I can use a variety of voices to really create the mood. You should too!
- That I can follow up this story the next week with Beware of the Storybook Wolves. The little wolf plays a major role in this book and you’ll have to go back and point him out to the students when he makes a cameo in Whose Afraid of the Big Bad Book. Here’s a hint; check the ball room dancing page. The kids love seeing him again because they probably didn’t notice him the first time.

Library Orientation - Book IV

Book #4
Miss Smith’s Incredible Storybook by Michael Garland
Third Grade, Lesson One

A magical storybook where the characters come out of the book? That’s Miss Smith’s Incredible Storybook. Miss Smith isn’t like any other teacher Zack has had before. When she reads from her magical storybook the characters come out of the story and come to life. The kids enjoy seeing familiar fairy tale characters take over the school when Miss Smith is running late and Principal Rittenrotten is left to read to the class from the book.

There are more books in the series so it’s easy to continue to excite your students with another Miss Smith book. As a lover of a good scary story you might be able to figure out which one is my favorite. You can consider bringing that title out in October. We always have that crazy week before Halloween when the kids are overly excited.
Miss Smith Reads Again!
Miss Smith and the Haunted Library
Miss Smith Under the Ocean