| | | | | Hello and welcome!
Through this newsletter, we hope to keep you informed on upcoming Carnegie Library events, introduce fun books, and provide resources for use in your classroom.
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| | Featured Book: Balloons Over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy's Parade by Melissa Sweet Anthony "Tony" Frederick Sarg (rhymes with "aargh") loved creating things that moved. When he was six years old, he devised a contraption to feed his family's chickens so that he wouldn't have to get out of bed. Tony grew up to create mechanical marionettes for Macy's department store in New York City.
However, this was a small task compared to his next assignment: to create a holiday parade for Macy's employees on Thanksgiving Day in 1924. Each year, Tony created larger and more elaborate floats and costumes, until he arrived at the huge, inflated puppets we see today. In this true account of Tony Sarg's life, readers learn how an enterprising young boy grew up to create the iconic floats we see today.
Winner of the 2012 Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award. |
| Brain Breaks What is a brain break? Good question! Before continuing, try this: -Blink one eye while snapping with the opposite hand, then alternate fifteen times. For example, blink your right eye while snapping with your life hand, then alternate by blinking your left eye while snapping your right hand. (Example found here.) A brain break is a simple, quick mental or physical exercise that helps to re-energize and refocus the mind--perfect for reengaging the students in your classroom. Brain breaks often incorporate small movements that can help to break up longer chunks of time by getting students out of their seats. Brain break activities can be subject specific or simply a way for students to take a break. These exercises often "cross hemispheres", requiring you to cross the midline of your body for heightened brain activity. Here's another example: -Have students line up in front of the class. On the count of three, they must sit down in alphabetical order by first name. When this becomes too easy, have students sort themselves in reverse alphabetical order. Click on the links above to access many other brain break activities to re-energize your class! |
Arbor Day April 27, 2012 Arbor Day originated in Nebraska in 1872 to encourage the planting of trees. This year, Arbor Day is on April 27. Celebrating this holiday is a wonderful way to promote environmental stewardship--here are books and activities to share with your students. You can find these books at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh! Suggested Books & Activities: Grades K-2 Books  A Log's Life by Wendy Pfeffer
This book covers the lifespan of a log, from life to death to decay. Beautiful illustrations complement the informative text.  The Great Paper Caper by Oliver Jeffers This hilarious book is about animals in a forest who must uncover who is taking all the branches from the trees. This book explores the idea of reuse and recycling. Activity: Recycling Plan a field trip to your local recycling plant to see how paper is recycled. Or, create a recycling campaign at your school to educate teachers and students about recycling. Remind students that recycling paper saves trees! Grades 3-5 Books  Planting the Trees of Kenya by Claire A. Nivola
This book follows the life of Wangari Maathai, who leaves her native Kenya to study biology in the United States. Upon returning to Kenya, Wangari finds that much of the natural beauty of her country has been destroyed. She starts a movement to replant trees to save the environment of her country. Tree by David Burnie This DK Eyewitness book includes interesting photographs and text to explore the anatomy and life cycle of different trees. The engaging presentation used in DK Eyewitness books will grab the attention of even the most reluctant science reader. Activity: Plant a Tree If you can find saplings at a reasonable price, plant a tree with your students. Hold a dedication ceremony in honor of Arbor Day. Trees can be expensive, so, alternately, students can plant flowers in plastic buckets or outside if there is room near the school. |
 Dear Educators and Librarians, The BLAST program has been so fortunate to have your support! Whether you've shown it through positive evaluations, letters of support, a "yes" vote on the referendum, or simply by regularly scheduling us to visit your school... Thank you!
BLAST is dependent on library funding, and we would like to thank all of you who took the time to carefully consider and vote on the voter initiative for public funding for the library on November 8, 2011. With the overwhelming support demonstrated by the city of Pittsburgh, we look forward to providing on-going, quality service for our community. |
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If you have any questions or any ideas that you would like to see in upcoming newsletters, please feel free to e-mail us with your input. We're here to serve you!
Sincerely,
Amy Tooley, Bonny Yeager and Emma Connolly
Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh
blast@carnegielibrary.org |
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