Pop-Up MakerSpace Tomorrow, 9/15!

St. Anne’s-Belfield families, don’t forget! Tomorrow morning, Ms. Wilkens and I are offering students a chance to visit outer space in the Learning Village Library. To honor Mae Jemison and her visit to the University of Virginia next week, we will be opening the library early for students to participate in space-themed robotics, engineering, and […]

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The Definition of Literature

The other day, a few coworkers and I found ourselves in a raucous debate about literature. We bantered back and forth – what does that term encompass? What does literature really mean? It started good-naturedly but, before long, the conversation got heated. One teacher in particular, an accomplished reader and educator of 10+ years, had a clear cut definition – […]

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Kwame Alexander on Children’s Books and the Color of Characters

If you followed along with my book reviews over the summer (or have ever talked to me for more than five minutes in person), then you know that I’m a huge Kwame Alexander fan. Okay, maybe huge is an understatement. He makes me swoon. I write his name in cursive all over my school notebooks. […]

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The Summer I Read like a Student

This summer, I challenged myself to read 30 books. Between the making and the biking, I was ready to do what I challenge my students to do – practice, work toward becoming a better reader, and find the joy in discovering a new story. The challenge was important to me on multiple levels. After a school […]

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Books on Bikes Summer 2016 Finale: Books on a Bus

Just as the beginning of the summer means pumping tires, checking helmets, and tying shoelaces, the end of the summer means something certain for Books on Bikes, too – our big summer finale. After a summer full of giving out books to read and popsicles to eat, we wanted to celebrate the thousands of books […]

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The Summer I Became a Maker

I’ve heard the word pushed in my meetings and educational conferences in a million different ways. Making. MakerSpace. Maker project. Maker initiative. Make, make, make. It can be frustrating, as an educator, to have new teaching trends and discoveries constantly sent your way. And admittedly, from the outside, the idea of making in education looks like […]

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Lights, Science, ACTION!: Thank You

When we last left Lights, Science, ACTION!, the crew was getting their hands dirty (both literally and physically) with allllllll the science. From filmmaking to seed planting, we were knee deep in exciting, real-world science experiences, and loving every minute of it! In case you missed it, Lights, Science, ACTION! is a club offered by […]

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Good Morning, Library

The best part of waking up… is checking out some books. Ride along on a morning checkout in the Learning Leopard Library in this new time-lapse video. Hold on tight!

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Introducing: Lights, Science, ACTION!

Somewhere during the STEAM Team madness, I got an email. Local non-profit Light House Studio had an idea for a workshop that would be perfect for our tech-savvy, ever curious scientists. Would I like a STEAM Team project about movie making and science? Nope. No thanks. I don’t want this to be a part of […]

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This Month in Photos: March 2016

Spring is officially here, bringing with it all of the excitement of beautiful weather, bright flowers, and fun activities! Johnson is a flurry of excitement these days, and it’s all a librarian can do to keep up. March and April have been busy busy busy, and I’m happy to share a snapshot of some of […]

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