By

Learning Together Joyfully: Lion or Lamb

Welcome educators, parents, and grandparents! March is a month bursting with change as Mother Nature begins to bloom and show off her colours – especially after such a cold winter.  As we slowly enter into Spring, it’s the perfect time to celebrate some March events. Critical thinking and problem-solving are always important for adults to purposefully embed in children’s learning.  You will find a multitude of fun activities to engage with children as you celebrate Dr. Seuss’s birthday on March 2 or learn more about Irish traditions, history and Irish humour when celebrating St. Patrick’s Day on March 17 or focus on critical thinking. As excitement builds and families prepare for Spring Break, you will hopefully have many opportunities to enjoy quality time together! March looks to be another month filled with many enjoyable activities as you play, learn, and grow together with your children.

Quick Links

Use these links to quickly navigate to specific sections within this blog!

  1. Read and Sing Together
  2. Create together: Puzzles, Crafts, Drawing and Constructing
  3. Explore, Engage & Interact together
  4. Healthy Living: Movement & Nutrition
  5. Reflect: Thoughts of the Day about Learning

1.  Read and Sing together 📚

Critical Thinking – Whether you’re a caregiver, educator, or potential employer, you want children to develop complex reasoning and problem-solving skills. These qualities benefit us all. Through the use of some very basic types of open-ended questions such as the ones below, you will have your child thinking, analyzing, predicting, comparing, deciding, giving opinions and deducing, amongst other skills. Critical thinking means making logical conclusions. It is the science of understanding how arguments are formed to be reasonable or correct. Critical thinking involves the skills to:

  • separate truth from falsehood;
  • accurately evaluate other’s arguments;
  • being open-minded, rather than being dogmatic or reacting from emotion.

In today’s rapidly changing world, children need to be able to do much more than repeat a list of facts; they need to be critical thinkers who can make sense of information, analyze, compare, contrast, make inferences, and generate higher order thinking skills. This graphic shares the With the thinking associated with the re-designed B.C. curriculum.  You may be interested to read this Article about Critical Thinking (BC Curriculum)

The following picture books connect to the four phases of critical thinking: Analyze-Question-Develop-Reflect. The following graphic may assist you to ask questions when reading to further develop children’s critical thinking skills. These books are available at your school or public library will help encourage the next generation of big thinkers.

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CRITICAL THINKING/PROBLEM-SOLVING BOOKS:

  • Bad Dog by Mike Boldt. All the way through this book, the kid narrator complains about their “terrible dog.” It doesn’t come when it’s called, it won’t go for walks, and can’t do tricks. Of course, the young reader will quickly pick up on the fact that… it’s actually a cat. So the reader figures out something the narrator doesn’t know. The reader must discount things the narrator says that simply don’t make sense. That’s critical thinking. Also, the book is funny.
Book cover of Bad Dog
  • Facts vs. Opinions vs. Robots by Michael Rex. Critical thinking begins with facts. But what’s a fact? That question often seems harder to answer these days. The author effectively uses robots to help kids understand the difference between facts and opinions. Because robots are fun! (That’s an opinion.) Some of the robots in the book have square heads. (That’s a fact.)
Book cover of Facts vs. Opinions vs. Robots
  • More-Igami by Dori Kleber. Learning something new takes practice and patience.  In this charming story, a boy tries to figure out how an origami crane is made – he analyzes, questions and develops a plan! What a perfect story for introducing critical thinking!
  • The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires. One of the important stages of critical thinking is to analyze a situation and redirect your thinking if things are not working.  When the little girl in this book decides to make a ‘most magnificent thing’, it doesn’t exactly go the way she had planned, resulting in a whole lot of frustration- making this a perfect book to begin the conversation about the importance of thinking critically.
Most Magnificent Thing, The by [Spires, Ashley]
  • Your Fantastic, Elastic Brain by JoAnn Deak. Metacognition is a huge part of being a critical thinker and knowing how your brain works is a great first step in helping making thinking more tangible.  I love how this simple book explains how your brain works and how you can shape it.  I especially like the focus on how making mistakes, practicing, and gaining new knowledge can “stretch” your brain!
  • The Thingamabob by Il Sung Na. When a curious elephant finds a ‘thingamabob’ – he uses critical thinking to figure out exactly what it is!  Simple, playful, delightful!  I love how he asks LOTS of questions during the process!
  • Going Places by Peter & Paul Reynolds. This book celebrates the creative spirit and thinking outside the box – both figuratively and literally!
  • On a Beam of Light – A Story of Albert Einstein by Jennifer Berne. When this picture book biography about the extraordinary life of Albert Einstein was released, I talked about it ALL THE TIME!  Big questions, deep thinking, thoughtful reflection – my favorite topics!  This book will inspire your students to  wonder, think, imagine, and be curious.
  • A Home for Bird by Phillip C. Stead. While stories about creating something concrete can be used to introduce children to critical thinking, it is important for them to see how critical thinking can be applied to other aspects in our life- including friendship.  This book is a sweet, tender story of a shy bird and his thoughtful friend who is determined to help his quiet companion.  Vernon, the toad, uses critical thinking to figure out just what Bird needs.  
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  • What To Do with a Box by Jane Yolen & Chris Sheban. You can probably guess what’s going to happen in this book, right? Clearly, there’s a metaphor here. Enjoy all the things a child can imagine with outside-of-the-box thinking in this rhythmic tale.This simple, charming book by the great Jane Yolen will inspire your students to analyze, question and develop their box into something amazing!
  • Seven Blind Mice by Ed Young. In this Caldecott Honor winner, seven blind mice try to determine the identity of an unfamiliar object. In Young’s take on the classic Indian tale, each mouse only gathers partial information. Of course, it takes the wisdom of the seventh mouse to put the pieces together and solve the puzzle.
  • Duck! Rabbit! By Amy Kourse Rosenthal & Tom Lichtenheld. This picture book takes the well-known duck or rabbit puzzle and tells a story. Obviously, readers will feel compelled to see both sides of this argument. This is a humorous introduction to considering varying viewpoints.
  • Mistakes Are How I Learn by Kiara Wilson. As we all know, mistakes are a part of the learning process. In this encouraging book, Wilson reminds kids to give themselves grace and space to make mistakes – especially when problem-solving. This book is a good reminder for little perfectionists.
  • Owen by Kevin Henkes. Owen’s fuzzy yellow blanket is his favorite possession. Everywhere Owen goes, his blanket goes with him. Owen’s parents are in despair—soon Owen will begin school, and he can’t take Fuzzy with him then. Whatever can be done? They come up with a wise solution to solve the problem. This Caldecott Honor Book provides reassurance and laughs whether shared at home or during circle time. Many children use some sort of security object, whether it’s a toy, a thumb, or a binky. For those not yet ready to let go and for those who have moved on, here’s a story about making compromises that speaks to us all.
  • On the News: Our First Talk About Tragedy by Jillian Roberts. This book gently introduces young children to the realities of natural disasters, terrorism and other forms of tragedy. In age-appropriate language and tone, Dr. Roberts explains what tragedy is, the feelings it may create and how to manage those feelings. She also emphasizes the good that can come out of tragedy, looking at how people help one another in caring, compassionate and heroic ways. The book’s question-and-answer format will help parents have a meaningful conversation about these difficult topics with their children and equip them to better handle questions and analyze solutions that arise when children are exposed to the news.
  • Can You Believe It? How to Spot Fake News and Find the Facts by Joyce Grant. Should we believe everything we read online? Definitely not! This fascinating book for older students will tell why. It explores how real journalism is made, what “fake news” is, and how to spot the difference. It’s chock-full of practical advice and thought-provoking examples. Never judgmental, and often hilarious, the book encourages readers to use skepticism and helps them hone their critical thinking skills to make good choices about what to believe and share. It also looks at how bias can creep into news reporting, why celebrity posts may not be truthful and why we should be suspicious of anything that makes us feel super smart. Engaging text is broken into manageable chunks, with loads of Kathleen Marcotte’s playful illustrations on every spread to help explain tricky concepts. This teaching guide may be helpful. 

ST. PATRICK’S DAY BOOKS – With St. Patrick’s Day, a delightfully fun holiday, coming on March 17, share some books that will enchant children as they search for four-leaf clovers, pots of gold, leprechauns and learn more about favored Irish traditions. The following are books to help children understand and enjoy St. Patrick’s Day. Whether it’s a book about the significance of the holiday, a classic folktale, or a romping adventure with a leprechaun, read on and enjoy!

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  • The Leprechaun Under the Bed by Teresa Bateman. “A leprechaun can be alone without being lonely,” says Brian O’Shea. And that’s how Brian likes it– so when a big human man tries to build a cottage on top of Brian’s underground home, the leprechaun does his best to scare the fellow away with his magical tricks. But Sean McDonald refuses to be frightened off. 
  • Jamie O’Rourke and the Big Potato by Tomie dePaola. This classic folktale is a favourite for a reason! The hilarious story of Jamie O’Rourke, the laziest man in Ireland, and the giant potato is bound to be a favourite of children. Jamie grows a giant potato and has to enlist the help of anyone he can find to get it out of the ground. But what do you do with a giant potato? This story is excellent for sequencing.
  • Fiona’s Luck by Teresa Bateman. This original folktale tells the story of an Irish girl named Fiona –  a strong female role model! She devises a cunning plan to get back all of the good fortune that a greedy Leprechaun King has taken. Fiona is clever and uses her brain to bring luck back to the Irish people. Through clever charades, Fiona uses her wit to outsmart the powerful Leprechaun King and restore luck to the Emerald Isle.
  • The Night Before St. Patrick’s Day by Natasha Wing. In this story, two siblings spend the night before St. Patrick’s Day creating a plan to trap a leprechaun. Not only do the siblings work together to create a plan but the author also does a great job of adding in St. Patrick’s Day traditions. The most exciting part is trying to figure out if their plan will work and if they will end the story with the leprechaun’s pot of gold!
St Patricks Day Read Alouds | The Night Before St. Patrick's Day
  • How to Catch a Leprechaun by Adam Wallace. This fun, rhyming story is written from the point of view of a leprechaun! Children enjoy trying to find the leprechaun on each page and trying to figure out what the leprechaun will be up to next. This story can be used to discuss, brainstorm and write how they would create a leprechaun trap. Start a St. Patrick’s Day tradition and inspire your children to build leprechaun traps of their own at home or in the classroom! Laugh along in this zany story for kids that blends STEAM concepts with hilarious rhymes and vibrant illustrations!
How to Catch a Leprechaun
  • St Patrick’s Day by Anne Rockwell. Mrs. Madoff’s class are celebrating St. Patrick’s day with gusto–wearing green, dancing Irish dances, writing reports, and acting in a play. And Evan, who is of Irish ancestry, shows pictures of his visit to Ireland to see his grandparents.
  • Tim O’Tolle and the Wee Folk: An Irish Tale by Gerald McDermott. When the evil McGoons trick Tim O’Toole out of his fortune, he teams up with his benefactors, the Little People, to regain his treasure. McDermott has produced a rollicking version of the old European tale, filled with sly Irish humour. Cheerfully vivid illustrations perfectly match the spirit of the story. McDermott’s language subtly captures the lilt and rhythm of an Irish brogue, making this an effortless read-aloud…almost as good as a trip to the Emerald Isle.
  • That’s What Leprechauns Do by Eve Bunting.What do leprechauns do? They bury a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, of course. But as Mrs. Bally Bunion’s ox, Miss Maude Murphy’s hen, and Old Jamie soon find out, they can’t resist having a little fun along the way. For, besides burying pots of gold, mischief is what leprechauns do! This is a lively fun tale that’s perfect for mischief makers of all ages!
  • My Lucky Day by Keiko Kasza.  If you are looking for an engaging book to further explore the idea of luck around St. Patrick’s Day, this is the one. Fox thinks it is his lucky day when an absolutely scrumptious piglet knocks on his door by accident … or is it? Through amusing, lively illustrations, this laugh-out-loud tale is about a very gullible fox and a sly piglet that students will love! A story perfect for read-aloud time or personal reading time.

BOOKS ABOUT THE SPRING EQUINOX – Since ancient times, people have celebrated the arrival of Spring with pagan rituals and traditions, as a commemoration of new beginnings and the renewal of nature. Usually, the Earth has a tilt of 23.4°, however, during the March Equinox, the Earth’s tilt is zero in relation to the sun, meaning it is not pointing towards or away from it, but rather the tilt is perpendicular to the sun’s rays. Following the Spring Equinox, it is the Northern Hemisphere that is pointing towards the sun, which is why the days become longer and warmer. The spring equinox is approaching in North America on March 20. To inspire conversations about the beauty of this seasonal transition, here are a few spring equinox books for kids. Check out the following titles at either your school or public library. Enjoy!

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  • A New Beginning: Celebrating The Spring Equinox by Wendy Pfeffer. The spring equinox signals the time of year when the days are getting longer, the growing season has begun, and animals give birth to their young. With accessible, lyrical prose and vibrant illustrations, this book explains the science behind spring and shows how the annual birth of Earth has been celebrated by various cultures throughout the ages and the world. Teachers will appreciate the simple science, the multicultural history, and the hands-on activities in this book. Parents and librarians will enjoy sharing it with children at Easter and Passover time.
  • Everything Spring by Jill Esbaum. Part of the National Geographic Kids series. This book explores all of the wonders of springtime with real photographs of nature. Learning really comes alive through the beautiful photographs and simple explanations of the emergence of new life during the spring season.
  • In Like a Lion, Out Like a Lamb by Marian Dane Bauer. Rattling windows with the roar of a late-winter storm, March shows up like a lion– wild and messy, muddy and wet.  In rhythmic, exuberant text, Newbery Honor-author Marion Dane Bauer conveys the changeable nature of spring weather, as the lion makes way for the lamb—with a huge sneeze!—as the trees and flowers spring into bloom. 

BOOKS ABOUT DR. SEUSS – Celebrate Dr. Seuss’ birthday on March 2 and kick-off a week of reading Dr. Seuss books! You can’t go wrong with a Dr. Seuss book as they make everyone giggle as kids have fun and enjoy the rhyming words. Dr. Seuss wrote and illustrated more than 60 children’s books over his lifetime. There are several related Dr. Seuss activities in the following sections which you may wish to place at a Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss Centre or choose to enjoy at home with your children after reading one of the following books.

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  • Fox in Socks by Dr. Seuss. This rhyming romp includes chicks with bricks, chewy blue glue, a noodle eating poodle, and so much more! Just try to keep your tongue out of trouble! Rhyming has never been more fun! These laugh-out-loud books, using simple words with supporting illustrations, are easy to read and should encourage children to read on their own.
  • Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss. “Do you like green eggs and ham?” asks Sam-I-am… “In a house or with a mouse? In a boat or with a goat? On a train or in a tree?” Sam keeps asking persistently. With unmistakable characters and signature rhymes, this beloved favorite has cemented its place as a children’s classic. In this most famous of cumulative tales, the list of places to enjoy green eggs and ham, and friends to enjoy them with, gets longer and longer. Follow up this read with a sequencing activity.
  • The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss. Poor Dick and Sally. It’s cold and wet and they’re stuck in the house with nothing to do . . . until a giant cat in a hat shows up, transforming the dull day into a madcap adventure and almost wrecking the place in the process! Written by Dr. Seuss in 1957 in response to the concern that “pallid primers” with abnormally courteous and unnaturally clean boys and girls were leading to growing illiteracy among children. This book thankfully changed the way children learned how to read.
  • Wacky Wednesday by Dr. Seuss. From a shoe stuck on the ceiling to tigers at school to flying cars, this is no normal Wednesday! Kids will love counting up the crazy things they see on every page in this search-and-find activity book featuring the madcap magic of Dr. Seuss’s rhyme, and  hilarious illustrations!
  • Sleep Book by Dr. Seuss. Celebrate sleep with Dr. Seuss’s classic rhyming bedtime story picture book. Van Vleck, a very small bug, is getting sleepy, and his yawn—contagious as yawns are—sets off a chain reaction, making all those around him feel sleepy, too! With typically “Seussian” nods to alarm clocks, sleepwalking, and snoring, this charming ode to bedtime will lull listeners (and readers) toward dreamland. Zzzzzzzzzz.
  • Bartholomew and the Oobleck by Dr. Seuss. Join Bartholomew Cubbins in Dr. Seuss’s Caldecott Honor–winning picture book about a king’s magical mishap! Bored with rain, sunshine, fog, and snow, King Derwin of Didd summons his royal magicians to create something new and exciting to fall from the sky. What he gets is a storm of sticky green goo called Oobleck—which soon wreaks havoc all over his kingdom! But with the assistance of the wise page boy Bartholomew, the king (along with young readers) learns that the simplest words can sometimes solve the stickiest problems.

SONGS:

ABOUT MARCH

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DR. SEUSS

CRITICAL THINKING

ST. PATRICK’S DAY

HEALTHY HABITS

2. Create together: Puzzles, Crafts, Drawing and Constructing 🧩

Creative thinking is an essential skill for children. It helps children develop social skills, learn to manage their emotions and express themselves. When children learn new concepts, they become more confident and grow strong in body and mind. Their memory improves which gives them much pleasure and joy. It improves their mood and makes them happier. Creative thinking helps boost children’s problem-solving and critical thinking skills. Fostering creativity is one of the most rewarding—and challenging—goals that teachers and parents of young children can set for themselves. While it may seem simple enough to put out art materials—and let young children bubble with their novel ideas—it takes a lot of thought and skill to establish a learning environment that nurtures creative thinking. Only by intentionally connecting educational goals with open-ended, inspiring approaches can teachers encourage children to express and develop their creativity as part of the learning process. Download these Clock Play Dough Mats. True creativity emerges from the combination of knowledge, skill, inspiration, and persistence…and designing a Leprechaun trap or creating on Play Dough Mats!

ST. PATRICK DAY’S ACTIVITIES:

  • Sign-up for a template and follow these directions to have your children create a Leprechaun Bookmark or just have your children draw their own Leprechaun.
  •  After reading My Lucky Day by Keiko Kasza, follow up with a discussion and completion of a chart detailing what attributes each child has to make them lucky as well as things they’re thankful to have. 

PROBLEM-SOLVING/CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS:

When problems arise, don’t rush to solve children’s problems for them. Instead, help them walk through the problem-solving steps. Offer guidance when they need assistance but encourage them to solve problems on their own. If they are unable to come up with a solution, step in and help them think of some – resist automatically telling them what to do. 

  • Matchstick Buildings– Build 3D structures out of matchsticks/toothpicks little marshmallows, playdough. This will teach some technology skills and encourage planning, thinking and problem-solving as your child tries to figure out how to join parts together and make things stand, balance or hold in a particular position. (Empoweredparents.com)
  • Build a Story – This game is about creative thinking and language development. Start by making up an introduction to a story: Once upon a time, there was a little gray cat. Your child then adds a sentence to the story, thus changing the direction of the story: The little grey cat was lost in the woods. Then you add a sentence and so the story continues: Suddenly, he heard a whisper behind him and he froze. This game usually ends in fits of laughter and a ridiculous story but uses a lot of brainpower and imagination. (Empoweredparents.com)
  • Tangrams are great for learning patterns. They usually come with pattern cards to follow but this particular activity should be done without them.
  • Riddles are a type of brain teasers that are often worded in the form of a question. These questions include clues that are often puzzling and misleading, thus forcing you to think away from a valid answer. Enjoy and explore these funny Riddles with your children. (kidpillar.com)
  • Read the book More-Igami by Dori Kleber and then create these very simple Origami for kids with easy instructions.

3. Explore, Engage & Interact together 🌍

CELEBRATE DR. SEUSS’ BIRTHDAY – MARCH 2,2023

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4. Healthy Living: Movement & Nutrition 👭

We all want what is best for our children, so it is important to ensure their physical and nutritional well-being are looked after. Children need healthy habits to grow positively, stay away from illnesses and have a strong immune system. Remember a healthy child today will grow into a healthy adult!

NUTRITION:

Celebrate St.Patrick’s Day by having your children join you in the kitchen the following soda bread and potato recipes!

Celebrate Dr. Seuss’s birthday and prepare the following recipes:

MOVEMENT: 

5. Reflect: Thoughts of the Day about Learning 💭

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