April 1st - Fools' Day - School Jokes

"A day without laughter is a day wasted."

Charles Chaplin

• Since discovering the joy of telling jokes it’s a way to experience a lifelong companionship, laughter and self-confidence get ready for an upcoming joke day, Friday April 1^st - April Fools by collecting some jokes that you can share with your friends and teachers.
• Practice telling jokes, listen carefully, be patient, enjoy it and never spoil the punchline! For example:

Teacher: Why are you late for school?

Student: Because of the sign on the road?

Teacher: What sign?

Student: School Ahead. Go slow!

Teacher: If you had 19 oranges, 11 strawberries, 5 apples and 9 bananas, 
what would you have?

Student: A yummy fruit salad.

Teacher: Where is your homework?

Student: I ate it.

Teacher: Why?!

Student: You said it was piece of cake!

Student: Teacher, would you punish me for something I didn’t do?

Teacher: Of course not.

Student: Good, because I didn’t do my homework.

What food do math teachers eat?

Square meals!

What did you learn in school today?

Not enough. I have to go back tomorrow.

How do you get straight A’s?

By using a ruler!

Knock! Knock!

Who is there?

B-4!

B-4 who?

B-4 you go to school, do your homework!

Student: If sleep is really good for the brain, then why is it not permitted in school?

C.L.A.S.S. = Come Late And Start Sleeping

Check the links for more jokes:

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/jokes/index.shtml

http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/search-results?_q=joke (try Lunch Box Jokes and Joke Bookmarks)

http://www.childhoodbeckons.com/2012/07/30-jokes-your-kids-will-love.html

http://jokes4us.com/miscellaneousjokes/schooljokes/kidjokes.html

http://www.prongo.com/jokes/index.asp

http://www.funology.com/jokes-and-riddles/

http://www.ducksters.com/jokesforkids/

Practical jokes also called prank, gag, jape, or shenanigan.

by BP

Play few practical jokes on your family members. Check the links:

Family-FriendlyApril Fools' Day Pranks | Parenting

Howto Play an April Fool's Day Prank on Your Family

Howto Make April Fool's Food

Mystery Books for Young Readers

One of the most popular types of literature for grownup and young readers is mystery and detective fiction. Students love reading mysteries because they are safely thrilled. They can see the dark side of people, but they know that justice will prevail.  Good overcome evil.

Student hunting for mystery clues makes for careful reading and looking at the books analytically involves sequencing, summarization, and looking for patterns among other skills. In mysteries, there are puzzles to solve.  The reader must piece together the clues, and if he does this one step ahead of the detective, he puffs up with pride feeling smarter than Sherlock Holmes. 

Reader responds to books because he can relate to one of the characters.   With an investigator, or amateur detective kid becomes a part of the solution.  He is on the winning team, capturing villains, killers, and righting wrongs.

More than the puzzle, though, mysteries help kids cope with the psychological and emotional concept of death and our own mortality. 

In real life, we’re never prepared for death.  It is never rational and never easily accepted.  Ah, but in a mystery, death makes perfect sense or at least it does by the time the sleuth has solved the crime and brought the killer to justice.  He or she uses brain power to deduce the truth behind the facade the killer has created.

Reading great mysteries reality falls away and reader becomes part of this fictional world that’s captivated his imagination.  It’s magical! 

In general mysteries cover such a broad range of settings and subject matter that they can easily be integrated across many areas of the curriculum.

There are mysteries which rely on codes or on detecting patterns in the clues which are great for focusing on math skills. There are crime-solving nonfiction titles which can lead to the science of forensics. There are mysteries set in different time periods and locations that bring in history and geography. Many mysteries include police officers or detectives which fit well with units on communities or crime and justice themes. There are great mysteries set in art museums or involving forgery. Finally all the mysteries allow us to dig into language arts topics such as characters and writing styles. Mysteries, in particular, are good for noticing and practicing plot writing techniques.

Recommended mystery books:

http://www.bookworm4kids.com/Mystery.html

http://www.readingrockets.org/articles/books/c363

http://bestmysterybooks.com/best-mystery-books-for-children.html

http://www.scholastic.com/parents/blogs/scholastic-parents-raise-reader/10-best-mystery-series-girls

Good Book – “Violet and the Pearl of the Orient” by Harriet Whitehorn and More

As of my 8 years old daughter Violet Mystery Series is must-to-read book.

Violet Books by Harriet Whitehorn - Recommended by BP, 2016

Publication Order of Violet Books –

Violet and the Pearl of the Orient, (2014) Paperback

Violet and the Hidden Treasure (2015) Paperback

Violet and the Smugglers (2016) Paperback

Violet and the Mummy, coming March 2017

“Violet and the Pearl of the Orient” – Book Blurb

“A new family has just moved in next door, and Violet cannot shake the feeling that there might be something odd about them. Her fears are realized when Dee Dee Derota, her eccentric neighbor, loses her precious jewel. When questions about the new family’s involvement in the theft arise, Violet will have to step up to uncover the truth.” Form Book Series In Order

http://www.bookseriesinorder.com/harriet-whitehorn/

“Violet and the Hidden Treasure” - Book Blurb

“Violet Remy Robinson is a young detective, a genuine Sherlock Holmes in the making. When the Easter Holiday affords her the opportunity to travel to India, she has the chance to spend some quality time with Celeste, her grandmother. She enjoys many an adventure, even going so far as to meet the Maharajah, a special friend of Celeste, as well as his pet parrot.

Upon returning home, Violet is surprised to receive a visit from the Maharajah’s butler; what’s more, he asks her to take care of the Maharajah’s parrot. Time soon reveals that the parrot just might hold a crucial key to the fortunes of the Maharajah. This explains why someone is trying to kidnap her.

Violet now has the task of discovering the culprit behind the potential crime before they can succeed in stealing the parrot from under her nose.” Form Book Series In Order

http://www.bookseriesinorder.com/harriet-whitehorn/

”Violet and the Smugglers” - Book Blurb

“Well, it’s the summer holidays and Uncle Johnny has inherited a sailing boat, on which Art and Violet set sail from Greece to Venice, uncovering some smugglers on the way. They meet up with Rose in Venice, along with a host of other characters, some old, some new, and set out to crack the smugglers ring.  I’d better not say too much more, but I’m really pleased with this book and I hope it captures the fun and excitement of an adventurous summer holiday, combined with a good old mystery.” From Young Writers

https://www.youngwriters.co.uk/guest-author-interviews.php?page_id=harriet%20whitehorn

“Violet and the Mummy” is set partly in London and partly (no surprises here) in Egypt. More too come. From Young Writers

https://www.youngwriters.co.uk/guest-author-interviews.php?page_id=harriet%20whitehorn

Check also http://harrietwhitehorn.com/

http://www.yayeahyeah.com/2014/08/blog-tour-violet-and-pearl-of-orient-by.html

How to Become an Articulate Speaker

In our competitive world it is important to be an articulate speaker. 

With a little bit of help and self-control everybody can become one.  

To Sound Confident

Maintain a good, upright posture: head up, shoulders retracted, elbows and knees close to the midline of your body, relaxed and calm. The line of gravity should be kept near the center of the base of the body. Keep your eyes on a listener. Support your words with gestures and facial expressions.  

To Sound Intelligent

Speak with slower pace to allow yourself to select the most appropriate vocabulary and to give the impression of thoughtfulness.

To Sound Articulate

Pronounce the final sound in a word and use its energy to carry over to the following word. Pay special attention to final ‘t’ and ‘ng.’ For example: report, result, consult, belong, prolong, fling.

To Sound Powerful

Use short, simple declarative sentences. Say what you mean and mean what you say. Eliminate unnecessary conjunctions, adverbs, and adjectives – especially superlatives. For example: loveliest, coolest, brightest, sweetest.

To Sound Polished

When answering a question add a short phrase of clarification to your ‘yes’ or ‘no.’ For example, “No, I did not hear it.” “Yes, I understand you.”

Read also:

“It's the Way You Say It: Becoming Articulate, Well-spoken, and Clear" by CarolA. Fleming 

The book describes the exact habits of speech and self-comportment that reveal our level of confidence, how to move the location of where we create sound to become more compelling and approachable, what small talk is all about and how to participate and end a conversation when it's time. 

You can watch an interview with an author.

How toImprove Your Communication

"Spiraling into Art and Nature" - Nurture Your Child Interest

Spiraling into Art and Nature by John Edmark, March 2016

Once again to follow our child's interest we participated in a family class “Spiraling into Art and Nature” organized by and at The MoMath Museum, New York http://momath.org/  where

JohnEdmark presented and shared his outstanding ideas with the curious kids and their snooping parents.

Basia with Peter at The MoMath Museum, New York, March 2016

“Why do we see spirals so often in the world around us?  What is so singular about their geometry that makes them recur in many contexts? by The MoMath Museum, New York

John Edmark, inventor, artist, and professor of design at Stanford University, guided participants in constructing their own spirals, following the hidden recipes that nature uses in creating pinecones, artichokes, pineapples, and more.  Along the way, he presented the subtle connections between these spirals, the Fibonacci series, and the golden ratio.  Kids and the parents could share in the beauty that has catapulted Prof. Edmark's latest video, "Blooms: Strobe-Animated Sculptures." See below.

Blooms: Strobe-Animated Sculptures

https://youtu.be/1cSR3FTQTyc

"From Their Studios" with artist John Edmark

https://youtu.be/qYmkF1839cs

www.johnedmark.com/

http://www.autodesk.com/artist-in-residence/artists/john-edmark