Louisa June and the Nazis in the Waves -- middle grades novel that shares a story about the homefront during World War II

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

What have you learned about World War II? I know we all have heard about Pearl Harbor and Hiroshima. We all know about the concentration camps and the evil that happened in them. You may have heard about the Japanese internment camps here in America. Over the years I have shared many books for different ages about World War II as well as posts about heroes of the time. However, I personally had not heard about the U-boats that threatened the East coast during the war. Today I am sharing a middle grades novel that shares a story based on some of the events on the East coast during World War II. The book is Louisa Jane and the Nazis in the Waves by L.M. Elliott. It goes beyond just sharing about the war. This book also includes mental health issues, family, and grief.

Family Legacy Maps -- a Piece of Your Ancestry on the Wall

 

Disclosure: I was sent my own Family Legacy Map in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

How much of your ancestry do you know? Do you use one of the on-line services like Ancestry or Family Search? I always find it so interesting. Well, now there is a new company, Family Legacy Maps, that takes your information and photos and creates a family map for you! My friend, Aaron Carapella of Tribal Nations Maps (see my reviews), and Jon Vanderveer cofounded this new company. Can I tell you how neat it is?

The Golden Quest -- Review & Giveaway and Compound Interest Activity Ideas

 

Disclosure: I was sent a digital copy of this book to write this review. I am working with The Children's Book Review and David Delisle and will receive a small stipend for this review. All opinions are my own.

What have you taught your child(ren) about money? It can be a hard topic for some. The other day I was having a conversation about how it is so different for this generation. When we were young, we used money. We got money. We earned money. We saved money. We spent money. These days almost everything is purchased with plastic. We order online and use a credit card. Most people pay with credit card just about everywhere. I know I often don't have that much cash on me. Our credit world is teaching kids a different lesson than we learned, and they may not truly understand that we have to pay for the purchases when the credit card bill comes. Today I am going to share a fun graphic novel style book for kids that helps teach about money. It is The Golden Quest by David Delisle and illustrated by Travis Hanson. 

Origami for Geometry Class with Marbled Patterns Origami Paper

  

Disclosure: I was sent a pack of this origami paper in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

As I mentioned I am returning to the high school math classroom in the fall! One of my goals is to bring more hands-on activities as well as projects to the class. One of the classes I am pretty sure I will be teaching is geometry. I am so excited to be back in the geometry classroom. I am hoping to use origami in the classroom and definitely want to have an origami project in the geometry class. This year's teacher did this, so I am working off her idea and adding my own spin. Today I am going to share two origami tutorials all using a beautiful pack of Origami Paper 500 Sheets Marbled Patterns 6-inch paper. This particular pack of paper is being released in July 2022, but there is a similar pack of 200 sheets already available. 

Fun Facts about Crayons and Our Exploration of Crayon Racing

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

If you have kids, you have crayons. Most restaurants give kids some crayons to keep them busy while their food is being prepared. I know we have quite a supply from over the years. But have you ever really thought about crayons? What are they? I decided to gather some fun facts for you about the childhood staple and then I have a fun book to share with you to give you a use for the crayons sitting around your house.