The Old House: Activities and Storytelling Tips

The Old House
By: Pamela Duncan Edwards
Illustrated By: Henry Cole

An empty old house wants a family to move inside, but it is in such disrepair that potential buyers keep turning away. The house’s friends (some birds, a squirrel, and a tree) try to cheer up the house and tell it to stand straight and twinkle its windows, but nothing seems to help. And when they hear the rumble of a bulldozer, they all fear for their lives. Has the old house seen its last day, or is the rumble coming from a moving truck with a happy family inside? Edwards tells a delightful read-aloud story that is full of friendship, empathy, and inspiration. Cole’s illustrations are heartwarming and bright. And the expressions of feelings he gives the house is truly clever.

Below are some activity ideas and storytelling tips for this Picture Book Favorite!

Houses Have Feelings, Too?: After reading The Old House, take children on a walk around a neighborhood. Tell them that they are going to look at houses in a different way. The house in the book had feelings, and the feelings were expressed by the houses features. Can they look at the houses in the neighborhood and decide how the houses feel? Happy? Sad? Excited? Tired? What kind of “personality” does a particular house have? Maybe a house with interesting architecture would be “clever”? Maybe a house with multicolored paints and fixtures would be “creative”?

If I Were a House: After reading The Old House, give children a piece of plain paper and some crayons, markers or colored pencils. Ask them to pretend that they are a house. What kind of house are they? A castle? A motorhome? A cottage? Ask them to draw and color a picture of this house. What colors are they going to “paint” it? What is in the yard? Is their house in a town or in the country? Does the house have any friends like the house in the book? When children are finished with their house ask them to share what they came up with. You may want to help them write a description of the house, too.

Happy Home Makeover: After reading The Old House, ask children to look at their own home. How do they think their house or apartment feels? Is there anything that they can do to make their house or apartment happier? Maybe they could give their house or apartment some friends by planting some flowers outside in the yard or patio. Could they help put a fresh coat of paint on the front door or porch? Could they wash the windows to make them twinkle and shine?

Storytelling Tips:

1. Children like to predict what is going to happen during a story. Before you read the book, ask children to look at the cover and predict who the main character is going to be? Who might the other characters be? If nobody guesses the birds and squirrel on the letters of the title, gently draw their attention there.

2. The illustrator does a great job of personifying the house. When the house shows the expression of a feeling, pause and ask children what the house is feeling. Can they show that feeling on their faces?

3. Children will naturally relate themselves to the characters in stories. In fact there is much learning happening while empathizing with characters. Ask children if they have ever felt alone like the house? Do they have friends that help cheer them up? Have they ever helped a lonely person feel better?

If you would like to buy a copy of this book, there are plenty of used copies on Amazon. Please follow this link:

http://www.amazon.com/The-House-Pamela-Duncan-Edwards/dp/0142414808/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1341357070&sr=8-1&keywords=the+old+house

And remember, by reading to children, you are cultivating a literacy culture. You are helping children build a lifelong love of reading and writing!

With Imagination,

Professor Watermelon

The Titanic and Eva Hart

This week marks the 100^th year anniversary of the tragic sinking of the RMS Titanic. The “unsinkable ship” sank to a watery grave on April 15, 1912. And while a hundred years has passed, her story is very much alive, but why? Houston, it looks like we’ve found another MUSE!

2228 passengers were aboard during the Titanic’s maiden voyage from Southampton, England to New York City. Tragically, the ship never made it to New York, and only 705 people were rescued from the sinking – mostly women and children.

Titanic survivor Eva Heart was seven years old at the time, and her recollection portrays a haunting story of those last hours amidst the North Atlantic.

“My mother had this dreadful premonition. She’d never had one before, and she never had one after, but she said ‘No, we can’t do this (board the Titanic)… something dreadful is going to happen.”

Eva’s mother was quite sure that the “unsinkable ship” was sinkable, so she slept during the day, and stayed awake, fully clothed, at night.

“My mother said that at ten minutes to twelve, she felt a slight bump,” Eva Hart recalled. “She said it felt just like a train pulling into a station… but she knew it was this dreadful something. She wakened my father and wakened me.”

Eva’s father went to the deck to see what had happened, and he quickly came back to get his family. The family learned that the ship had hit an iceberg. Since Eva’s mother had not fallen asleep, she and Eva were one of the first people on deck. This gave them a spot on one of the few lifeboats. Her father told her, “Hold mummy’s hand and be a good girl.” That would be the last time she saw her father.

The officer on lifeboat #14 rowed the boat as far away as possible from the Titanic so that the enormous ship would not pull the lifeboat underwater when it sank. Eva could still hear the commotion on board.

“There wasn’t any panic until the lifeboats left, and then there was panic galore,” Eva Hart recalled. “We were down on the ocean. We could hear them running about the deck. They were screaming. You could imagine people coming up from their cabin and finding no lifeboats, then tearing around to the other side.”

As the Titanic continued to sink, Eva watched. She couldn’t close her eyes. She watched the Titanic snap in half and listened to the helpless people drowning. She said that the most dreadful sound of all is the sound of people drowning – the screams.

“And then the whole world stood still that night,” Eva Hart recalled. “Once the lights had gone and the ship was gone… the silence was dreadful.”

The lifeboats eventually pulled together and evened out the number of passengers in each. At this point Eva was separated from her mother, which she recalled as a terrifying experience. They would not find each other until they had been rescued by the Carpathia later that morning.

The crew of the Carpathia dropped down rope ladders for the adults to climb toward the hatch on the side of the ship. Children were placed in sacks and lifted with cargo nets – quite successfully but still terrifying, Eva Hart recalled.  

But the most pathetic experience Eva Hart remembered was watching the women looking for their husbands on the Carpathia, realizing very quickly that they had gone down with the ill fated ship.

So, why are people still fascinated with the sinking of the Titanic? Probably because it was an accident that should not have claimed a single life. It took over two hours for the ship to sink. If there were enough lifeboats, no one would have died. 

Today, the Titanic rests nearly 13,000 feet below the ocean’s surface. Eva Hart and all other survivors have now died, but the legacy of the RMS Titanic will live on for quite some time.

With this new knowledge, what kind of story could you write? Maybe these “what if” questions will help you get started.

What if your main character was an alligator who had boarded the Titanic unbeknownst?

What if the Titanic was ghost ship that could be seen crossing its route from England to New York?

What if your main character took a submarine down to the wreckage of the Titanic. What mysterious object would they uncover?

The possibilities are endless! And please leave your own “what if” questions in the comment section below. I’d love to see what you come up with.

Grab a cup of hot cocoa, a piece of paper and a pencil, and let’s begin. With your imagination, we can go anywhere! I look forward to seeing where you take us!

With Imagination,

Professor Watermelon

P.S. The word of the day is “Carpathia.” Here is the definition: the transatlantic passenger steamship who made her maiden voyage in 1903 and became famous for rescuing 705 passengers from the ill fated Titanic.

Howler Monkeys

I was browsing Mr. Gillenwater’s new books on South American animals this weekend and was completely captivated by the howler monkeys. I’ve always had a weakness for these adorable creatures, so I knew I was in for a treat. I had also found another MUSE!

Did you know that howler monkeys are one of the loudest animals on Earth? In fact, the only animal that is louder is the blue whale.  

Due to a large throat chamber and a special bone that acts as an amplifier, these monkeys can be heard up to three miles away. But why would an animal want to be so LOUD?

Howler monkeys are very territorial, and they travel in groups called troops. The males howl in the morning and in the evening to let other troops know where they are. In other words, these howls are essentially saying, “Stay away!”

And guess what they eat? Leaves, fruits, shoots, flowers, and don’t forget about the occasional bug. YUM! (Not chocolate covered, sadly)

Howler monkeys also sleep a lot – up to fifteen hours a day. Humans are lucky to catch eight hours of zzz’s.

One of the most interesting features of the howler monkey is its prehensile tail. Howlers use their tails like a hand to grip and hang from branches. They also use it to anchor themselves to a limb while sleeping.

Howler monkeys weigh up to twenty-five pounds and grow up to thirty-six inches long (head and body).  They have black, brown, or red fur. Howlers live up to twenty years in the wild.

With this new knowledge, what kind of story could you write? Maybe these what if questions will help you get started.

WHAT IF your main character was a howler monkey with a sore throat?

WHAT IF your main character lived in Brazil and became friends with a troop of howler monkeys?

WHAT IF your main character was a howler monkey made from metal?

The possibilities are endless, and please leave your own what if questions in the comment section below. I’d love to see what you come up with.

So, grab a cup of hot cocoa, a pencil and a piece of paper, and let’s begin. With your imagination, we can go anywhere. I look forward to seeing where you take us.

With Imagination,

Professor Watermelon

The word of the day is “prehensile”. Here is the definition: adapted for seizing, Grasping, or taking hold of something.

Snow Globes

I was visiting a friend yesterday, and on her fireplace mantle, I noticed the most intriguing snow globe. Inside the perfectly shaped glass dome, was a replica of New York City. I could see the Chrysler Building and the Empire State Building. I could even see Central Park with tiny horse drawn carriages roaming the streets and paths.

I was entirely captivated by the little world held within this water-filled globe. I had to shake it. And when I did, sparkly snow swirled around the city and eventually settled again on the streets.

Snow globes! Who thought of this quirky idea? And where was the first snow globe made. I realized I had just found another MUSE! After dinner, I went home to my writer’s studio and did some research. Here is what I found:

It was the turn of the 20^th century in Vienna, Austria. A surgeon asked Mr. Erwin Perzy, a medical instrument specialist, to make the Edison light bulb brighter. The surgeon wanted a brighter light for his operating room.

Perzy knew that shoemakers often placed a globe of water in front of a candle to make brighter light. He figured he would use the same strategy with the light bulb. He would sprinkle the water with white grit for even more light magnification.

Since the white grit simply fell to the bottom, Perzy scrapped the idea for making a brighter light. But he was intrigued with how the white grit floated to the dome’s floor. It reminded Perzy of snow. This fascination led Perzy to create the first snow globe.

In fact, Perzy patented the idea and began mass manufacturing this new toy. By 1908, the snow globe had become so popular that Austrian Emperor Franz Josef gave him a special award for his toy making skills.

And the company is still thriving today. Erwin Perzy’s grandson, Erwin Perzy III, runs the business, and has made special snow globes for President Clinton and President Obama’s youngest daughter.

Today, snow globes are made by many other manufacturers. And some are much more fancier than Perzy’s Original Snowglobes – which still come on a simple black base with minimal subject matter inside the globe.

With this new knowledge, what kind of story could you write? Maybe these “what if” questions will help you get started:

WHAT IF your main character got trapped inside a snow globe? How did it happen, and what did she/he have to do to get free?

WHAT IF New York City was really inside a snow globe. Is there a larger world outside of the snow globe. Who does this snow globe belong to? What happens when they shake it?

WHAT IF your main character had kept something secret inside a snow globe? What is it, and what would happen if somebody or something found out about it or wanted to steal it?

The possibilities are endless, and please leave your own “what if” question in the comment section below. I’d love to see what you come up with.

So, grab a cup of hot cocoa, a pencil and a piece of paper, and let’s begin. With your imagination, we can go anywhere. I look forward to seeing where you take us!

With Imagination,

Professor Watermelon

The word of the day is “Austria”. Here is the definition: a country in central Europe. Vienna is the capitol city.

Frankenstein vs. Terminator (By: Ryan T.)

Chapter One: Frankenstein Gets a Pet

Once upon a……. whatever.  So, once there was a freaky maniac named Frankenstein.  He really was always alone. He sits in his mansion watching TV and eating potato chips.  Finally, he got his tushy up and said, “I NEED A PET!!!” 

So, he went to the freaky pet store, and he went in and there was a real vampire sitting at the front desk.  “Hello, welcome to the Freaky Pet Store. How can I help you?” he said in a deep voice.

Frankenstein said, “Oh, can I have an 8 foot Cobra please?”  

“Sure,” said the vampire. “Here is the food, and give him 5 cups of blood to drink every day, and this one is well trained.

“Thanks!” said Frankenstein.

“No problem,” said the vampire.

So, Frankenstein went home and he said to the pet, “I am going to call you Bob.” The Cobra smiled.

“Looks like you like your name,” said Frankenstein. Bob nodded.

So they went home and Frankenstein made Bob some food.

“Ok, so this is your food and here is 5 cups of blood,” said Frankenstein.

Bob wagged his tail and ate it with delight.  Frankenstein smiled, and he sat on his chair and turned on the TV, and he went on to cartoons, and then the TV shut off, and then guess who showed up on the TV screen? It showed the Terminator.

Chapter two: The Talk

The Terminator popped up on the TV screen.  

The Terminator said, “Hello! Got a pet too?”  

“Yes, I did, and who are you anyways? Said Frankenstein

“Well, I am the Terminator,” said the Terminator.  

“I have heard many stories about you,” said Frankenstein. 

“So, I have a pet dragon and I bet he can beat yours,” said Terminator. 

“Oh now that is a different subject. I believe that my pet, Bob, can beat your dragon,” said Frankenstein.  

“Well, if this is going to be a argument, there is a volcano crystal in my world and it makes you powerful. I am going to get it,” said Terminator. 

“Really,” said Frankenstein. “I am going to get it before you.” 

“Really! Then, I will pull you and your pet into my universe, and we will see about that,” said Terminator. 

“Noooooo!” said Frankenstein. Right when he said it, he saw the room twirl around and then he was gone.

Chapter three: Terminator’s world

Frankenstein fell on hard ground. He got up, and his pet was confused. 

“I think we are in Terminator’s world.” said Frankenstein. 

Bob nodded. Then Terminator went over to them. 

“Hi, this is my world. As you can see, you are going to battle me and my dragon,” said Terminator. 

“Terminator, what have you done?”  said Frankenstein.

“Well, I teleported you to my world,” said Terminator. “You have to battle me, ok,  so let’s go.”

He guided Frankenstein to a place. 

“Here! Wear this, and here is a sword! We are going to battle each other,” said Terminator. 

So,  they both put on their gear, and they stood at the edge of the volcano. 

“So, Frankenstein up on top of the volcano, there is a crystal in the air. Grab it and run down as fast as you can,” said Terminator. 

They stood there and waited for it to begin.                

Chapter four: The Battle

“Let’s go,” said Terminator.

So, they ran up the volcano, and Terminator swung his sword at Frankenstein. Frankenstein blocked it. Then, Frankenstein started battling with his sword, and then he ran even more.  Then Terminator tripped him, and Frankenstein landed on the ground.

This is your last look,” said Terminator.

Bob bit him hard.

“owwwwww!!!!” yelled Terminator.

Frankenstein kicked him, and Terminator flew and landed face first. 

“It’s on!” said Frankenstein.

Frankenstein ran up, and then Terminator jumped in front of Frankenstein. 

“Give up!” said Terminator.

“No,” said Frankenstein. 

They had a sword fight, and then terminator cut Frankenstein. 

“Oww!!” said Frankenstein. T

Then, Frankenstein kicked Terminator hard, and Terminator fell to the bottom of the volcano. 

“Oh, it’s on,” said Terminator.

Terminator called his dragon, and it was an electric dragon.  It struck lightning at Frankenstein, and it hit Frankenstein in the stomach.  Frankenstein fell to the ground huffing and puffing.  He felt like it had struck his soul out.

“Ha ha!” said Terminator. “I’m winning!”

“Not anymore,” said Frankenstein.

His eyes turned gold.

“What the heck?!” said Terminator.

Frankenstein smiled and threw his sword at Terminator, and it hit him. 

“Oww!!” said Terminator.

“Frankenstein! Someday I will get you!!!!!!” said Terminator.

He had a big black hole, and Frankenstein ran. Then, Terminator threw a grenade, and then Frankenstein caught it and threw it back at Terminator, and it blew up. 

Frankenstein ran up the hill, and finally he got the crystal.  Terminator jumped at him with a sword, and then Frankenstein grabbed a sword on the ground and stabbed Terminator. 

Then Terminator turned into gold dust.  Frankenstein went down the volcano, and he saw a portal. He and Bob jumped in the portal.  Then Frankenstein and Bob were at home with the crystal.                

THE END!!!

Popcorn

It is very hard for me to go to the movies without ordering a big bag of buttery popcorn. This Thanksgiving weekend was no different.

While I chomped down on the fluffy, yet crunchy goodness, I wondered how popcorn became so popular in America. At that moment, I knew I had found another MUSE!

After the movie, I went back to my writer’s studio to research POPCORN. Don’t’ tell anybody, but I popped another bowlful when I got there. I munched and munched while unraveling the history of this popular snack. Here is what I found:

The oldest ears of popcorn were found in a cave in New Mexico. These ears are believed to be around 4000 years old.

Native Americans were the first to eat popcorn. Some believed that little spirits lived within the corn, and when heated, the little spirits became angry. They would pop out of their little homes and disappear as a tiny cloud of steam.

Some Native American tribes also used popcorn for ceremonial use. The Aztecs wore headdresses adorned with popcorn. They would also decorate statues of the corn god with popcorn.

Traveling closer in time, Charles Cretors invented the first mobile popcorn popper in 1893. People could cart this machine around to fairs and expositions and make a good profit.  This led to increasing popularity of popcorn in America.

During the Great Depression (1930’s), popcorn stayed relatively inexpensive compared to other “luxury” type foods. A struggling family could usually afford the five cents a bag of popcorn would cost.

During World War II, Americans tripled their popcorn indulgence. Since sugar was sent to the U.S. troops overseas, there was less sugar to make candies and other snacks. Popcorn became a quick alternative.

Popcorn was already enjoyed at movie theatres before the invention of the television. Soon, Americans made the habit of eating popcorn while watching their favorite shows and movies at home, too. And with the invention of the microwave and microwavable popcorn, popcorn consumption rose even more dramatically!

Today, Americans eat 17 billion quarts of popcorn each year. That is an average of 54 quarts per person. I’m sure I eat at least double that! (snicker…snicker)

So, how does Popcorn pop, anyway?

Each kernel of popcorn contains a tiny drop of water. This water is stored inside a circle of soft starch. A hard outer hull bundles this soft starch.

When water is heated, it starts to expand. At 212 degrees, the water turns to steam and turns the starch into a gelatinous goop. After the contents reach 347 degrees, the pressure inside causes the kernel to POP!

The gelatinous starch spills out and cools very quickly. This causes it to harden into the fluffy shape we are familiar with. The kernel is now up to 50 times its original size!

While researching, I also found out that most of the world’s popcorn is grown in the great Midwestern state of Indiana! Indiana is also home to the most famous popcorn man, Orville Redenbacher! I’m sure you have seen his brand of popcorn in the aisles of your local supermarket. Here are his most famous lines:

“My gourmet popping corn pops up lighter and fluffier than ordinary popping corn. Mine is blowing the top right off the popper. Mine eats better, too. Try my gourmet popping corn. You’ll taste the difference, or my name isn’t Orville Redenbacher.”

With this new knowledge, what kind of story could you write? Maybe these “what if” questions will help you get started:

WHAT IF my main character had a magic popcorn kettle? With some magic words, the kettle popped an endless supply of popcorn.

WHAT IF your main character lived on a popcorn farm in Indiana? One night he sees a spaceship land in one of the fields. What do the aliens want with his popcorn???

WHAT IF the ghost of Orville Redenbacher knocked on your door? Would you give him some popcorn to go away? Or would you invite him in to stay a while? What would your main character do?

The possibilities are endless, and please leave your own “what if” question in the comment section below. I’d love to see what you come up with.

So, grab a cup of hot cocoa, a pencil and a piece of paper, and let’s begin. With your imagination, we can go anywhere. I look forward to seeing where you take us!

With Imagination,

Professor Watermelon

The word of the day is “gelatinous”. Here is the definition: having the nature of or resembling jelly or gelatin.

Frankenstein By: Alex K.

Once upon a time there was a man. The man loved monsters. He got invited to a science club. The man learned that if you have enough energy to shock a brain of a dead person, it would live again.
Five years later he built himself a castle. One night he heard a sound that was coming from the basement. He went downstairs to take a look. He saw a dead person in bars. It was saying something. It said “I want to live”.

So, he got a medal bar and stuck it through the dead guys head. He got two balloons and rubbed them together. Just then, a lightning bolt shot out of the balloons. The dead guy hopped up and did the tango with the man.

Then the dead/alive guy said, “Pumpkin!”

One minute later they were watching TV and NASA said that an asteroid was coming towards Earth. So the dead/alive guy got some rocket boots and a ray gun and went into space.

He blew up the asteroid with the ray gun. He went back down to Earth, and a whole crowd was cheering for him. He was very popular. He got a nickname called Frankenstein.