October Newsletter

paige hilfer — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 20:32:05 +0000

FOCUS ON LITERACY
Magic Lantern Newsletter
October 2009 Volume 1, Issue 1

NEW BUSINESS LAUNCH!! We are so excited to finally be able to send out this first newsletter (although slightly primitive this first month) to say Welcome and Thank You to everyone who is now a part of this magical journey!! I’m calling Magic Lantern a journey, rather than a business because that is exactly what it’s been, and is continuing to be. We started in October 2008 with the idea for starting a business that could help kids really get excited about writing. In one year Magic Lantern has evolved into a beautiful website with fun writing projects for kids and educational resources for adults. In the near future we will be reaching out to schools and “home schoolers” with our Magic Lantern curriculum. We’ve come really far in just one year! We’re finally able to offer a place where caregivers and kids can come to get inspiration, education, connections, and GET INTO WRITING!!! Thank you to everyone who helped to define the purpose of ML – To help inspire children to love reading and writing!

Paige Hilfer, Owner

BRIO DREAM FOUNDATION – MAGIC LANTERN NON-PROFIT

Please take the time to look at the Brio Dream Foundation website – http://www.briodreamfoundation.org/ .

Ricardo Guimaraes has spread the joy of Christmas for 18 years to the homeless on the streets of Brazil and to children in orphanages as Papai Noel. The Foundation is helping to continue this tradition in Brazil and around the world. Familia Santa Clara is a family home for children in Brazil that needs help in order to stay open and provide a loving home to children who would otherwise have none. BRIO is taking over this home and needs help with this project.

In addition, Magic Lantern will be helping Marcus Houston, Brio volunteer, in his mission to provide school supplies to Denver public school children in need. Our November newsletter will provide more details on all of the ways Magic Lantern is helping with these projects.

FEATURED PRODUCT OF THE MONTH – KIDZ PUBLISHING KIT

Kidz Publishing kits include everything you need to create an original book: Story page templates, instructions, markers, and an official “Magic Lantern – Pathways to Literacy” booklet. Write and illustrate your story on the pages provided then send your completed book to us and we will bind your story pages in the highest quality library binding and send you the completed book to cherish forever!

As a newsletter subscriber you can enter the promo code “20percent” when ordering this product in the month of October for a 20% discount!

LITERACY ACTIVITIES – OCTOBER

3-5 Year Olds Alphabet Soup:

Transform your water table into a big bowl of alphabet soup! Perfect for the last warm days of fall. Make pairs of craft foam letter cutouts. Then float the letters in the water table. Provide a large plastic mixing spoon. Have your child stir the soup with the spoon. Then have him choose a letter and find its twin, placing both in a separate container. Continue until all of the letters are out of the soup! Source: Mailbox Magazine, Oct./Nov. 2005

6+ Year Olds Ghost Writing:

Just in time for Halloween, this is a sure way to get your kids writing! Start by talking about the uses of invisible ink (such as spying). Our hands and brains know how to write, even if we can’t see what we’re writing, and invisible ink can help prove it. Dip a Q-tip into lemon juice, grapefruit juice, or milk and write a message on blank paper. Let the paper dry. You won’t be able to see what you wrote. Hold up the “invisible” message to a lightbulb, lightly rub against the bulb, and watch the message appear! For faster results, you can sandwich the paper between a folded paper grocery bag and rub with a medium-hot iron. Source: www2.scholastic.org

Thanks goes to Claire Willis for finding these fun literacy activities!

MEET CARA DAVIES

Cara Davies is a Colorado state licensed educator with a M.A. in Curriculum and Instruction and an ESL Endorsement. She has worked teaching first grade, title one reading, and an adult ESL class. She volunteers for Bright Beginnings, provides tutoring services with Solutions for Students, is an educational consultant for Magic Lantern, and is currently developing workshops for parents and kids focusing on the “Experience of Writing.”

Cara is passionate about providing kids meaningful learning opportunities and finding ways to support parents in being a part of their child’s educational experience. She believes that finding resources and utilizing them are essential skills that enhance learning. Literacy is her area of focus, and she believes that reading and writing are complex, multi-layered experiences. Learning to read and write well takes time, dedication, and the ability to apply new knowledge to learning experiences. She encourages young readers and writers to find opportunities that let them explore the world around them and develop a sense of wonder for the natural world.

SUPPORT YOUR WRITER

Staring at a blank page is intimidating for most people, and children are not the exception. Whether the child you are working with is a novice or an experienced writer, it is important to provide support and encouragement. A developing writer needs time to write and acquire the new skills and strategies they are learning. One of the best ways parents can support their child is to give them time to do this. Like many other activities, one makes improvement through practice. Writing in a journal is wonderful activity because it provides a safe place for kids as well as adults to practice. When kids are allowed to do this, they can begin to see themselves as writers. Parents can also be part of this activity. For example, you may create a family journal where each person in the family can write down a question and then take turns passing the journal around and answering the question. When your child sees you value writing time, then they also learn to value that time.
- Cara Davies

CRAFTS

3-5 Year Olds
Glue Ghosts: These little ghouls are absolutely adorable and require only glue, imagination and a little bit of patience! Source: http://crafts.kaboose.com/glue-ghosts.html

Supplies Needed: White school glue, Waxed paper, Googly eyes, Felt, buttons, pom-poms, etc (all optional)

What to Do: Place a piece of waxed paper on a flat surface. Squeeze glue from the bottle into the shape of a ghost. Place
googly eyes into the glue. If you would like to decorate your ghost, use felt, buttons, pom-poms or whatever you like to add character. We made a simple bow tie from green felt and added mini pom-poms for buttons. Set aside in an out-of-reach area to dry overnight. Note: Expect for them to take all night – and possibly a few hours more – to dry completely. Once dry the ghosts will look like they blend into the waxed paper. Carefully peel them paper and use them as decorations around the house.

6+ Year Olds

Pasta Skeleton: When you’re done, you’ll have a great Halloween decoration that you can also use to learn the names of some of our bones. Source: http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/halloween/pastaskeleton/

Supplies Needed: A few different types of pasta and dried beans, like spaghetti, macaroni, tiny tube pasta, long tube pasta, wagon wheels, long spirals, tiny shells, wagon wheels. A piece of black construction paper. White glue. A white crayon to write your name (or label bones)

What to Do: Glue the pasta to the black paper using white glue. Have the kids arrange the pasta on the paper before gluing (to make sure that they have room for the whole body on the piece of paper). You can use just about any type of pasta (or dried beans) for the bones. A wagon wheel is nice for the head. Spaghetti makes good fingers and toes. Tiny tubes or dried lentils are good as vertebrae in the spine. Long tubes make collar bones. Longer tubes or long spirals make good arm and leg bones. Small shells or dried white beans are nice for the kneecaps, wrists and and ankles. Two dried lima beans make good hips. Label the major bones using a white crayon.

OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES

3-5 Year Olds

Nature Bracelet: Who knew someone could make jewelry from their surroundings? Before going outdoors with your child, wrap a piece of masking tape to his wrist, sticky side up. As you explore, help him attach colorful leaves, flowers, and other interesting discoveries to his bracelet. When done, use scissors to snip off the nature bracelet. Display on a bulletin board, shelf, or wall. Source: http://fun.familyeducation.com/toddler%20outdoor-games/36932.html?detoured=1

6+ Year Olds

Running Bases: With the World Series here, why not have your kids play a fun baseball-inspired game? Set up two bases (you can use a towel or rug) about 20 feet apart from each other. A player stands on each base, tossing a softball back and forth. Other players run back and forth between the bases, trying not to get tagged by the ball. If a player is tagged, they take the place of one of the players on the bases.
Source: http://www.scholastic.org/

WRITER’S WORKSHOP

My Backyard Adventure: Creating a Nature Journal

Tuesdays, October 27, November 3, and 10, 4-5:30 p.m.
Ages 6-12 years.
$ 35.00 for the three-week session.

The natural world around you is a beautiful place! Come and learn how to use a writing journal to help you explore your
backyard and other environments! This interactive class is designed to motivate children to write and sketch about the environment while spending quality time with nature. The cost includes “An Adventure in My Own Backyard: a kid’s nature journal” a Magic Lantern theme journal.

Instructor: Cara Davies, M.A.
She encourages and assists young readers and writers to develop a sense of wonder for the natural world.

Please come and join us at the Majestic View Nature Center at 7030 Garrison Street, Arvada, Colorado! 720-898-7405 www.arvada.org/nature

Magic Lantern
15400 W. 64th Ave., #9E, PMB 141
Arvada, Co. 80007

Tel: 303-456-9355
Fax: 303-456-9355
E-mail: info@mymagiclantern.com

Website: http://www.mymagiclantern.com/
Blog: blog.mymagiclantern.com

LIGHTING THE PATH TO LITERACY!!!

Magic Lantern Blog » Newsletter

October Newsletter