E-Scoop

Sign up for E-Scoop

Get Kid Scoop's free weekly e-newsletter! Enter your email address in the linked form to receive E-Scoop, free of charge, each week.

June E-SCOOP

Week of 6/6/10— SAFETY SIZZLES —FIRE PREVENTION
Week of 6/13/10— HEY DAD! CAN I HAVE SOME MONEY?
Week of 6/20/10— SOUTH AFRICA
Week of 6/27/10— CELEBRATING INDEPENDENCE

Kid Scoop publication week of 6/06/10
SAFETY SIZZLES

FIRE PREVENTION

With the summer heat fast approaching, teach your students the important information they should know about fires. Help them plan a family escape route and know what to do in the event of a fire at home. Go through the Fire Safety Rules with them and make them aware of the important fire safety equipment they should store in their homes.

LEARN ABOUT FIRE SAFETY
http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/kids/flash.shtm
AUDIENCE: 3rd to 5th grade classrooms
U.S. Fire Administration for Kids created this page, where kids can click to “learn about” and for “fun and games.”

FIRE FACTS
http://www.firefacts.org/
AUDIENCE: 3rd to 5th grade classrooms
Fire Safety Made Fun includes a kid zone, teacher resources, parent center and links.

CRAFTS AND GAMES
http://www.atozteacherstuff.com/Themes/Fire_Safety/
AUDIENCE: 3rd to 5th grade classrooms
Fire Prevention Week crafts, songs and fingerplays and much more.

Books

Brown, Marc. Arthur's Fire Drill. New York, NY: Random House, 2000.
AUDIENCE: 1st to 3rd grade readers
Arthur helps ease D.W.'s fire fears by practicing fire drills at home.

Klein, Abby. Firehouse Fun. New York, NY: Scholastic Paperbacks, 2009.
AUDIENCE: 1st to 3rd grade readers
"Freddy's class is learning about fire safety! Freddy Thresher's class is taking a field trip to the local firehouse to learn about fire safety. But Freddy has a problem--he's afraid to slide down the fireman's pole. Can he find a good place to hide? Or can Freddy learn to be as brave as a real fightfighter?"

Miler, Edward. Fireboy to the Rescue!: A Fire Safety Book. New York: Holiday House, NY, 2010.
AUDIENCE: 1st to 3rd grade readers
Fireboy gives tips on preventing fires and staying safe if a fire does start.

Kid Scoop Publication Week of 6/13/10

Hey Dad! Can I have some money?

FINANCIAL LITERACY SERIES

Kids often turn to their parents for money. This week Kid Scoop’s Financial Literacy series continues with a look at the concept of an allowance. How did that start? And, if your parents do give an allowance, what are some smart ways to use it?

GUIDANCE
http://life.familyeducation.com/allowance/jobs-and-chores/34438.html
AUDIENCE: Adult resource
Teach your child responsibility and money management by assigning age-appropriate chores and providing a regular allowance. Learn the best way to set your child's allowance, and get help deciding whether to reward your child for helping out around the house.

THE ALLOWANCE GAME
http://www.prosperity4kids.com/theallowancegame.shtml
AUDIENCE: Adult resource
The Allowance game, by Lori Mackey, is a wonderful tool that you can use to teach a phenomenal amount of information about finances and wealth to your children. You can use it to break bad habits, stop your kids from spending all of YOUR money, teach the value of money, teach your child how to become a wise consumer, and teach a work ethic. I know you’re thinking “Yeah, right!” But read further, and you will understand why I make these strong assertions!

YOUTH AND MONEY
http://www.extension.umn.edu/youth&money/Preschool-Elementary.html
AUDIENCE: Elementary School classrooms
Preschool and elementary school financial literacy for students, parents and educators.

Books

Hall, Margaret. Your Allowance. Chicago, IL: Heinemann Library, 2000.
AUDIENCE: 1st to 3rd grade readers
Offers young people information on how to manage the money they have, providing advice on spending, saving, and donating money to help others.

McDonald, Megan. Judy Moody Declares Independence. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press, 2005.
AUDIENCE: 3rd to 5th grade readers
After learning about the American Revolution on a family trip to Boston, Massachusetts, Judy Moody makes her own Declaration of Independence and tries to prove that she is responsible enough to have more freedoms, such as a higher allowance and her own bathroom.

Orr, Tamra. A Kid's Guide to the Economy. Hockessin, DE: Mitchell Lane Publishers, 2010.
AUDIENCE: 1st to 3rd grade readers
Out of the headlines—The basics of economics—Meet supply and demand—A never-ending cycle—Coping with a changing economy—Going green.

Kid Scoop Publication Week of 6/20/10

SOUTH AFRICA

This summer, sports lovers worldwide will be looking to South Africa to watch the World Cup Soccer Championship games. It is the first time the World Cup has been hosted by an African nation.
This week Kid Scoop takes a virtual visit to South Africa to find out about this fascinating country.

50 FACTS
http://www.larktours.com/50-interesting-facts-about-south-africa
AUDIENCE: Elementary school classroom
50 interesting facts about South Africa, including;
14. South Africa is the only country in the world to voluntarily abandon its nuclear weapons program.
15. South Africa has 19,004 miles of railway track - 80% of Africa's rail infrastructure.
16. South Africa generates two-thirds of Africa's electricity.

AFRICA KIDS PAGE
http://www.ibike.org/library/africakids.htm
AUDIENCE: Elementary school classroom
The Africa Kids Page includes wonderful links to fun and games.

FIFA
http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/
AUDIENCE: Elementary school classroom
The official page for the 2010 Fifa World Cup South Africa.

Books

Cornell, Kari and Peter Thomas. Cooking the Southern African Way. Minneapolis, MN: Lerner Publications Co., 2005.
AUDIENCE: 1st to 3rd grade readers
Easy menu ethnic cookbooks

Isadora, Rachel. A South African Night. New York, NY: Greenwillow Books, 1998.
AUDIENCE: Kindergarten to 2nd grade readers
The inhabitants of South Africa divide their activities by day and night, as the animals in Kruger National Park go about their business while the people of Johannesburg sleep and then lie down in the shade as the people wake up.

Winter, Jeanette. Elsina's Clouds. New York, NY: Frances Foster Books/Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2004.
AUDIENCE: Kindergarten to 2nd grade readers
In South Africa, a Basotho girl paints designs on her house as a prayer to the ancestors for rain.

Wolfson, Margaret Olivia. Marriage of the Rain Goddess: A South African Myth. New York, NY: Marlowe & Co., 1996.
AUDIENCE: Kindergarten to 2nd grade readers
A retelling of a Zulu myth about the joining of heaven and earth when Mbaba Mwana Waresa, the rain goddess, chooses a mortal for her husband.

Kid Scoop Publication for Week of 6/27/10

CELEBRATING INDEPENDENCE

Many countries have a day in which they celebrate independence. This week Kid Scoop reports on Independence Day celebrations around the world. Students will read and organize information to analyze what is the same and what is different about Independence Day celebrations in several different countries.

AROUND THE WORLD
http://aglobalworld.com/international-independence-days/country-independence-day.php
AUDIENCE: Teacher Resource
Plug into your calendar the date when nations worldwide commemorate when they gained independence after being part of another state or colony. The annual holiday is called independence day and each country celebrates the specific date it achieved its freedom.

MEXICO
http://gomexico.about.com/od/festivalsholidays/p/independence.htm
AUDIENCE: Elementary school classrooms
“In the early hours of September 16th, 1810, Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, a priest in the small town of Dolores, Guanajuato, rang the church bell to gather the townspeople. He called for the people of Mexico to rise up against the Spanish Crown, thus initiating Mexico's War of Independence. The country did not achieve independence until 1821, but it is this event, known as the Grito de Dolores which is commemorated every year in town squares across Mexico.”

FESTIVITIES
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/07/02/independence-day-celebrat_n_222582.html
AUDIENCE: Elementary school classrooms
“As Americans prepare celebrations for July 4th, it's worth taking a look around the globe to other countries that are equally as festive in commemorating their respective Independence Days. Indeed, in a post-colonialist world, most states--from Latin America to the Middle East to East Asia--have some kind of annual commemoration, usually with a national holiday included.” Great photographs.

Books

Claybourne, Anna. Gandhi: The Peaceful Revolutionary. Austin, TX: Raintree Steck-Vaughn, 2003.
AUDIENCE: 1st to 3rd grade readers
A biography of the gentle but stubborn man who called on all Indians to disobey British laws through civil disobedience and non-cooperation until India was granted independence.

Heiligman, Deborah. Holidays Around the World: Celebrate Independence Day: With Parades, Picnics, and Fireworks. n.p: National Geographic Children's Books, 2007.
AUDIENCE: 1st to 3rd grade readers
All the history and culture of Independence Day is here, along with fun facts, an all-American recipe. Also looks at how people from other nations celebrate their independence days.

Nobleman, Marc Tyler. Cinco de Mayo. Minneapolis, MN: Compass Point Books, 2005.
AUDIENCE: 1st to 3rd grade readers
Explains the Mexican holiday Cinco de Mayo, when and where it is celebrated, the events that take place, and who celebrates it.

Kid Scoop Publication for Week of 5/31/10

CAMP KID SCOOP - SKIN PROTECTION

What happens when your skin gets too much sun? What kinds of things do you do to protect yourself from the sun? This week, Kid Scoop looks at how and why your skin burns and helps you understand why protecting yourself is important.

EPA
http://www.epa.gov/sunwise/kids/index.html
AUDIENCE: Elementary school classrooms
The Environmental Protection Agency site with information and games for kids to learn about healthy ways to have fun in the sun.

BASIC FACTS ABOUT SKIN
http://www.healthunit.org/sunsafety/aboutskin.htm
AUDIENCE: Elementary school classrooms
Leeds, Grenville & Lanark District Health Unit, from Canada, designed this page with a clear, informative drawing of skin, basic facts about it and what a simple explanation of what skin does. A great place to begin a conversation with kids.

KIDS HEALTH
http://kidshealth.org/kid/stay_healthy/body/skin_care.html
AUDIENCE: Elementary school classrooms
Kids Health, as always, explains things clearly. What is skin? “It keeps your insides from falling out. It helps you warm up when you're cold and can cool you off when you're hot. It lets you feel things by touch. It protects you... And what does your skin ask for in return for all the wonderful things it does? Just a little care and consideration. So let's learn how to take good care of the skin you're in.”

Books

Lew, Kristi. Clot and Scab: Gross Stuff About Your Scrapes, Bumps, and Bruises. Minneapolis, MN: Millbrook Press, 2010.
AUDIENCE: Pre-school to 2nd grade readers
Scrapes, scabs, and scars: shredding your skin -- Sticky, red, and full of life: blood's everybody's buddy -- Flow, gush, and pool: all about bleeding -- Stop, clot, and rot: the flow stops here.

Stanley, George E. The Secret of the Green Skin. Third-Grade Detectives #6,Fullerton, CA: Aladdin Books, 2003.
AUDIENCE: 2nd to 4th grade readers
This sixth installment puts Mr. Merlin's class on the case of food poisoning. The classmate whose parents own the restaurant where it occurred fears the possible consequences of this troubling situation. Their teacher enthusiastically supports the sleuthing as the young detectives figure out the root of the problem.

Tyler, Michael. The Skin You Live In. Chicago, IL: Chicago Children's Museum, 2005.
AUDIENCE: Pre-school to 2nd grade readers
“This picture book takes a cheerful look at human diversity by focusing on skin. Rhyming verses describe the many experiences that can be had in it … the different shades in which it comes … and the things that it is not ”