Give Them A Hand - They're Wearing Two Hats!

 

Last week was a great experience as we headed into week two of our homeschooling journey. We even managed to fit some unexpected fraction practice in when Emily made Amish Sugar Cookies as her contribution for Cook Book Club last Tuesday. As she placed the balls of dough deliciously rolled in cinnamon and sugar onto the baking tray, I told her there would always be three rows of four on the tray. After she quickly calculated that there would be twelve balls on the tray and had actually placed six, I asked her what fraction she could make. She came up with 6/12 and we discussed how that was equal to 1/2 when reduced. She added three more yummy balls of dough and I asked her what fraction that would be.

I was completely taken by surprise when she answered 3/4. Of course that was correct, but I was expecting the answer of 9/12. When I asked her how she came to that conclusion she told me, "I saw a pie in my head Mommy. And three of the four pieces were in the pan so it had to be 3/4." I was wowed. She had looked at the dough, had seen that three of the four rows we talked about were filled in, and had come up with a fraction. Next, we needed 3/4 a teaspoon of cream of tartar. Unfortunately, there is no 3/4 of a teaspoon; so she figured out that she could use the 1/4 teaspoon three times to equal three fourths. I was excited because we were able to make math fun. Not the strange mean, mode, median math that no one ever uses, but practical math one uses use every day in real life.

 

 

While I truly love being able to spend so much time with Emily and being able to instruct her in her daily lessons, I still respect those great teachers in the school system that love children and work hard to make learning fun. Teachers that go beyond just showing up for the job. Many of the teachers that I am proud to call my friends are also children's authors. Wearing two hats, that of author and teacher, is definitely going beyond the call of duty in my opinion. So please give a sincere round of applause to these fine folks below and take some time to check out the books they have lovingly created.

Lisa Tortorello is a teacher in Chicago and has written two books for children. The first is The Moose at the Manger a unique telling of the nativity tale, and the second is Mark the Missing Moose a story of sharing grief and not keeping it bottled up inside.

Laura Eckroat is a teacher in Fort Worth and has written four books for children. Her first book Life of Bud is the story of life and death and all that is in-between as perceived by a tree bud. Her second book, and my favorite is A Simpler time. It is the story of slowing down and appreciating the simple things. Her third book, Went Out For a Donut and Came Back With A Muffin, is the story of her rescue dog Muffin. And finally, What's In The Corner - A Muffin Tale.

 

 

 

Judi Cheshire is a teacher in Pipe Creek, Texas who has written My Finny, Fin, Fin which is a wonderful retelling of The Three Little Pigs done with dolphins and a big bad shark.

 

 

 

 

Well, that about wraps it up for this week. Join me next week for another exciting episode, same crazy time, same crazy channel. And feel free to drop by my personal website, Fun With Aileen, any day of the week for even more on reading, writing, my very own early grade chapter book, Fern Valley, and my sequel, Return To Fern Valley! I'm also on twitter @AileenWStewart if you want an extremely brief glimpse into my days.

Just A Hoppin' Around

Once again I have been invited to a children's blog hop, but unlike the last time (I'm sighing and blushing now), this time, I remembered to post. For this particular hop, I was invited to participate by the very sweet Angie Churney, author of the Writing On The Sly blog. Please be sure to stop by her site and leave her a little comment love.

As with most hops, when the host is introduced it is then time for the new hopper (me) to answer some writing questions. So with out further ado, I will dive right in.

What are you working on right now?

Now that November has arrived, I am getting ready to start the production process for the sequel to Fern Valley which is titled Return To Fern Valley. For those of you not familiar with the publishing process, I begin with editing. My editor will make suggestions and it is up to me to follow through and make corrections. From there, I will move onto various stages like working with my illustrator, cover designer, layout designer, and last but not least, the final editing stage. I am also working on the third book in the Fern valley series in hopes of having it ready for publishing possibly next fall.

How does your writing process work?

My writing process isn't really a process at all. Unlike what all the trendy articles tell you, I do not write daily, I do not set aside specific times every day, week, or month to write. I do not use outlines. Basically,  I only write when I feel inspired. I do most of my writing after my daughter goes to bed or while she is at school because these are the two times of maximum quiet. If I try to write while she is home and awake, I hear a constant whine which sounds something like this, "How much longer are you going to be on the computer. Are you done yet? You are always on the computer." You can probably imagine now, why I choose those specific times to write!

.Who are authors that you most admire? 

I admire many, many authors both living and dead. Of those who have long ceased to be, I admire Samuel Clemons, otherwise know as Mark Twain, quite a bit. I  have also been know to gush about Phyllis A Whitney,  and  George Elliot aka. Mary Anne Evans. Of those still with us, I very much admire the books of new author, Laura Eckroat, the ever so famous, Tommie dePaola, and my friend from across the pond, Joyce Dunbar.

Where do you turn for instruction and inspiration?

I  turn to fellow authors for instruction. Those well seasoned veterans not adverse to sharing their wealth of knowledge. And since I do indeed believe in paying it forward, I also willingly pass on the tid-bits of wisdom I acquire on my journey. As for inspiration, that comes from almost anywhere: my childhood, my daughter, my cats, music, nature, even the strange dreams my besties share with me.

Well now that you know more about me, possibly more then you ever wanted to know, it is time to pass the torch to my fellow hoppers.

Please be sure to check out my fellow children's authors Gailya Keller and Pat Brannon as they continue the hop.

Gailya is the author of  The Secret Of Smiley Woods and her blog can be found at So, the other day I was thinking.

  

Pat is the author of many books, including Has A Donkey Ever Brought You Breakfast In Bed, and her blog can be found at Pat's Blog.

And just in case you are wondering where I get my beautiful, free, clip-art,  I use the excellent work of Phillip Martin. So be sure to stop by his lovely site as well.

Signing of for now with wishes for a bright and beautiful day!