M IS FOR MARINES!

USE THIS MARINE STORY FOR MOVEMENT EXPLORATION WHEN YOU INTRODUCE THE LETTER M. THE BOLD WORDS INDICATE MOVEMENT. SCROLL DOWN TO SEE MY GRANDSON'S MARINE GRADUATION.

Molly and Michael moved down the road to Parris Island to become Marines. They marched, marched, and marched every morning. First, they mapped out their mission. They moved on their bellies in the mud. M-16 rifles were readied to aim at their mark. Bang, the marksmen never missed.

The master of Martial Arts moved with kicks and jumps. The Marines modeled his every move. They were matched against each other in a competition. Molly threw Michael to the mat. Michael mirrored the master’s best move to win the match.

At midday, the Marine recruits munched on meatballs. Then they mopped the mess tent floor until it was clean.

The Marines ran a marathon through the thick, wet marsh. They meandered through a maze. They mounted ropes and muscled their way to the top of a mountain.
They made it to the finish line, and melted to the ground in the hot sun.

On graduation day, Michael and Molly motioned to the master sergeant with a salute. They merged together onto their marks for muster. They stood straight and tall. The major general shook their hands and gave each a medal. Now they marched as United States Marines.

THESE PICTURES ARE FROM MY GRANDSON'S MARINE GRADUATION 8/28/2009. WE'RE SO PROUD OF HIM. HE'S THE CUTE TALL ONE.





















KATHY STEMKE'S WEBSITES:
Moving Through all Seven Days link:http://www.lulu.com/content/e-book/moving-through-all-seven-days/7386965#http://www.helium.com/users/406242.html
http://www.associatedcontent.com/user/237923/Kathy_stemke_dancekam.html
http://kathystemke.weebly.com

KIDZ CITY MAGAZINE CONTESTS!

Kidz City Magazine has three great writing contests running right now. 4th-5th grades, 6th-8th grades, and 9th-12th grades will be competing in their age groups for these great prizes. All three have a September 9th deadline. Pick up that pencil and start writing now. You'll have lots of fun, and you might just win!

Guidelines for all three age levels:

Write a 300 word essay about what you love most about your face.
Include the following with your submission:
Essay
Name
Contact information
Permission Slip
City and State

Chemicals have no place on your face!
Good For You Girls wants to know what you love most about your face.
Don’t hold back! We want to hear about all those freckles, dimples and all those unique features that make you —you!

Prizes:

Grand Prize: Publication in City Kidz World magazine in the September issue and a skincare kit from Good for Girls Skincare.
* Every participating student receives a certificate.

1st Place: A first place certificate, a gift certificate for $50 from a local restaurant in the winner’s community, a lifetime subscription to City Kidz World magazine, and publication of the winning entry in the City Kidz World magazine and on www.citykidzworld.com .

2nd place: A second place certificate, a lifetime subscription to City Kidz World magazine, and publication of the winning entry in the City Kidz World magazine and on www.citykidzworld.com .

3rd place: A third place certificate, a lifetime subscription to City Kidz World magazine, and publication of the winning entry in the City Kidz World magazine on www.citykidzworld.com .

Send to contests@citykidzworld.com or

City Kidz World magazine
PO Box 5294
Kendall Park, NJ 08824

Kathy Stemke's websites:
Moving Through all Seven Days link:http://www.lulu.com/content/e-book/moving-through-all-seven-days/7386965#http://www.helium.com/users/406242.html
http://www.associatedcontent.com/user/237923/Kathy_stemke_dancekam.html
http://kathystemke.weebly.com

Movement Activities for Colors

COLOR BOWLING
Put a colored square on the front of several plastic soda bottles. (Rainbow) Call a color. The student rolls the ball and tries to knock the correct bottle over.

COLOR TOSS
Toss a beanbag into a box with a colored circle on the front.

COLOR JUMP
Make vinyl color shapes and tape them to the floor. Children jump from color to color and identify the color. Or you could just make masking tape squares with a small piece of colored construction paper in each. VARIATION: Give each child a command such as: “Mary, put both hands on the red square.” “Keesha, run around the blue square.”

COLOR BUTTON SORT
Print a color name on each paper cup. Have the children put red buttons in the red cup, etc. The children can count each color when they are done sorting.

COLOR COMBO
Write red, yellow, blue, green, purple, and orange on a paper. Show them how to combine the primary colors to make the secondary colors. (Red over blue makes purple) Using red, yellow, and blue colored tissue paper circles have the children glue the correct color under each word.

COLOR CARDS
Write the color names on one side of an index card and a construction paper triangle on the other side. After reading the color name, the children can flip the card over to see if they are correct.

PHOTO CUBE COLORS
Put a color and action command in each side of a photo cube. Example action command: 5 jumping jacks, or hop on one foot. Children take turns tossing the cube. If they can identify the color they get to follow the command.

STINKY CHEESE COLORS
Place color shapes into a paper bag. Also place a few triangles of construction paper cheese wedges. Children take turns picking a color out of the bag to identify. If they pick cheese, they hold their nose and say, “Pew, stinky cheese.”


Websies for Colors:

http://www.littlegraffes.com/ colors.html

http://www.kidnkaboodle.net/colors.html

http://www.kinderpond.com/colorunit.html

http://www.hummingbirded.com/lessonplan-colors.html


Color Songs and Poems:

http://www.reagankinderbears.com/colorsongs.htm

http://www.canteach.ca/elementary/songspoems20.html


Kathy stemke's websites:
Moving Through all Seven Days link:http://www.lulu.com/content/e-book/moving-through-all-seven-days/7386965#http://www.helium.com/users/406242.html
http://www.associatedcontent.com/user/237923/Kathy_stemke_dancekam.html
http://kathystemke.weebly.com

I'm on the list of the 100 Best Blogs for Homeschooling Moms

I'm so excited to be included in the "100 Best Blogs for Homeschooling Moms." It's nice to know that I'm helping people. You can find the list at this link. http://www.onlineeducation.net/2009/08/16/100-best-blogs-for-homeschooling-moms/

Kathy Stemke's websites:
Moving Through all Seven Days link:http://www.lulu.com/content/e-book/moving-through-all-seven-days/7386965#http://www.helium.com/users/406242.html
http://www.associatedcontent.com/user/237923/Kathy_stemke_dancekam.html
http://kathystemke.weebly.com

PASSING ON THE ONE LOVELY BLOG AWARD

Thank you, Karen Cioffi, http://karenandrobyn.blogspot.com and Nancy Famolari http://nancygfamolari.blogspot.com for recently awarding me with the One Lovely Blog Award. I'm honored to be included with this group of fantastic women. Now it's my turn to pass on this award.

The rules are simple:

1) Accept the award, and don’t forget to post a link back to the awarding person.
2) Pass the award on.
3) Notify the award winners.

I'm honoring a woman with The Lovely Blog Award who has always given encouragement and friendship to our Virtual Book Tour group. Dianne Sagan, a full-time ghostwriter and author with many published works has been a shinning light in our group. She not only gives to other authors, but she is active in her church teaching Women’s Bible studies,and Adult Sunday School. She served as a volunteer for five years with the Sharing Hope Ministry, a prison ministry to incarcerated women. She has also been a Small Group leader and a member of the choir. Thank you for all you do, Dianne. http://dgsagan.tripod.com
http://www.diannesagan.wordpress.com

Moving Through all Seven Days link:
http://www.lulu.com/content/e-book/moving-through-all-seven-days/7386965#http://www.helium.com/users/406242.html
http://www.associatedcontent.com/user/237923/Kathy_stemke_dancekam.html
http://kathystemke.weebly.com

GREAT MATH GAMES SITES!

Some of these games have versions that are appropriate for many differing levels. Check them out.

Math Mayhem: Basic Facts Add, Subtract, Multiply or Divide

TimezAttack Basic Facts Multiplication (You have to download this one and provide an e-mail address. The basic version is free and the kids really seem to like it.)

Spacey Math: Basic Facts Add, Subtract, Multiply or Divide

Math Arcade at FunBrain: Math Skills all grade levels

Two Minute Warning: Multiply

Primary Games: Lots of Pre-k through 4th games

Cool Math Games

Math Playground

Harcourt Math Games (This one isn't as "arcade" oriented but I like they way it uses the math vocabulary in the problems.)

A Plus Math Games


Kathy Stemke's websites:
Moving Through all Seven Days link:http://www.lulu.com/content/e-book/moving-through-all-seven-days/7386965#http://www.helium.com/users/406242.html
http://www.associatedcontent.com/user/237923/Kathy_stemke_dancekam.html
http://kathystemke.weebly.com

Assessing the Value of Learning Math by Using Manipulatives

Manipulatives are any various objects designed to be moved or arranged by hand as a means of developing motor skills or understanding abstractions, especially in mathmatics. Children can use these manipulatives to get concret pictures of abstract concepts. Research indicates that the best way for students to learn is in three phases: first, by seeing the mathmatical concepts in a concrete, hands-on way; second, by drawing pictures that represent the same things as the concrete; and finally, by moving to the abstract, theoretical concepts.

The use of manipulatives would be essential for the first phase of learning.
Everything we know about young children dictates that early math programs must be concrete, filled with play and exploration. It's commonly believed that when you hear something, 10% of the information is retained. If you see it, hear it and say it, 40% is retained. But, if you also handle it, you retain 70%-100% of the information. Using math manipulatives, handling concrete objects helps the student to learn and retain abstract concepts in math.

TO READ THE REST OF THE ARTICLE WITH MANY PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING LINK:
http://www.helium.com/items/1166822-math-manipulatives-unifix-cubes-value-of-learning-educational-resources-geometric

Kathy Stemke's websites:
Moving Through all Seven Days link:http://www.lulu.com/content/e-book/moving-through-all-seven-days/7386965#
http://www.helium.com/users/406242.html
http://www.associatedcontent.com/user/237923/Kathy_stemke_dancekam.html
http://kathystemke.weebly.com

The day has finally come. My first ebook is for sale on Lulu for $3.00! Just click on the following link to find the book. If my book doesn't appear at the top of the page, return to the blog and try again.

http://www.lulu.com/content/e-book/moving-through-all-seven-days/7386965#

This book inspires movement as children learn about the days of the week. The lyrical rhymes also teach them how to spell each day! The activities at the end of the book are designed to reinforce the concepts as well as give impetus to movement exploration. The picture above is an example of one of the activities.

Moving Through all Seven Days link:http://www.lulu.com/content/e-book/moving-through-all-seven-days/7386965#http://www.helium.com/users/406242.html
http://www.associatedcontent.com/user/237923/Kathy_stemke_dancekam.html
http://kathystemke.weebly.com

REBEKAH REDEEMED BY DIANNE SAGAN

Thank you for returning to my blog to learn more about Dianne Sagan and her important book.
Rebekah Redeemed,
Dianne G Sagan
© 2009 Dianne G Sagan

Excerpt from novella:

Benjamin sized up the little girl. A flicker of recognition in the older man’s eyes quickly turned to ice. Stepping closer he reached down to the child and she pulled away. “Look at me, child,” he commanded with a little less animosity in his voice.
Rebekah lifted her chin and looked into her uncle’s brown, lined face. He pushed the shawl off her stringy brown hair, and for a moment the lines in his face softened and his eyes showed compassion. “You look like your mother,” he mumbled to himself. Then he stood back, cleared his throat and narrowed his eyes once more.

“You want me to take her in, is that it?”

“Yes. We have little and cannot take her as our own.”

“What is in it for my wife and me?”

“She is strong and a good worker. She is good with lambs. She can help with cooking and drawing water. I know she looks small, but she is strong and obedient. She could be a useful addition to your household. A daughter is not like having a son, but they can work.” Caleb tried to sell the idea to the shopkeeper.

“Well,” he sized up the child and scratched his bearded chin. “She could help my wife.” He stood in silence, strolled out into the street, and looked up and down at his friends and neighbors. Then, turning on his heel, he walked back to Caleb and said without emotion, “You asked around the village for me? Others know of the child?”

“We asked people so we could find you.”

With one more glance up and down the street, Benjamin saw the rabbi walking toward them. “The Torah does say that we are to care for orphans and widows. She is my dead sister’s child, no matter what else happened between us. I will take her in, but not as a member of my family.”

“Shalom. May you...”

Benjamin reached for the girl. He interrupted Caleb, “I will not pay you for her. Go back where you came from. I take her because it is my duty under the Law of Moses.”
Caleb turned to go. Benjamin pushed Rebekah toward the back of the shop. She looked over her shoulder at her father’s friend for the last time.

“Come. You must meet your mistress. You have taken up enough time. I have a business to run and customers to serve.” He spoke as if he were an important man.

Rebekah stepped through the door into a small courtyard and into a new life. She prayed silently that it would get no worse.


Rebekah Redeemed ISBN: 978-0-937660-52-2
Now available online at AWOC.com or Amazon.com

Dianne Sagan's websites:
http://dgsagan.tripod.com/
www.diannesagan.wordpress.com
http://www.authorsden.com/diannesagan

Kathy Stemke's websites:

Moving Through all Seven Days link:http://www.lulu.com/content/e-book/moving-through-all-seven-days/7386965#http://www.helium.com/users/406242.html
http://www.associatedcontent.com/user/237923/Kathy_stemke_dancekam.html
http://kathystemke.weebly.com

Encouraging Creative Movement and Music in Young Children

HeliumEncouraging creative movement and music in young children

http://www.helium.com/users/406242.html
http://www.associatedcontent.com/user/237923/Kathy_stemke_dancekam.html
http://kathystemke.weebly.com

REBEKAH REDEEMED BY DIANNE SAGAN

Today, I am pleased to have a writer with us whose talents know no bounds. Dianne Sagan is a ghostwriter, a guest editorialist writing Op-Ed pieces for the Amarillo Globe-News, a writer of short stories and flash fiction, and she is also a book reviewer. She joins us today to talk about her diverse experience in the industry and to give us a glimpse into what she’s working on right now.

I honored to introduce you to my readers, Dianne.

Thank you Kathy, it’s nice to be here.

I have to admit I am really interested in finding out more about your ghostwriting work. How did you get involved in this aspect of writing? What types of subjects do you cover?

A writer-acquaintance of mine who is a member of Panhandle Professional Writers was doing ghostwriting and started getting so much work that she put out a call for freelance editors and ghostwriters. I talked to her about it and decided to give it a try, and I discovered that I not only enjoyed the process but that I also had some talent for it. The books I’m writing at this time are nonfiction “business success and leadership” books concerning issues of human performance, which happens to align neatly with the consulting that my husband and I do. My clients are entrepreneurs, dentists, corporate executives, speakers, men and women in a wide array of professions. I would love to expand into ghostwriting Christian nonfiction.

Do people ever ask you why you have chosen to be a ghostwriter instead of writing your own books?

Yes, I get that question a lot. My goal has been to be a freelance writer and to be able to live well from my work. That isn’t always easy to do when selling my own work. When this opportunity came along, it was a perfect fit. Ghostwriting provides a good income on a steady basis, and although I have less time to work on books under my own byline, it is well worth it. It also gives me experience and a track record for being able to complete books and make deadlines. It has also helped me prove to myself that, yes, I really can write a first draft of a two hundred-page manuscript in four weeks!

Speaking of your own books, what book is published and available to our readers right now?

My current projects include a series of Christian fiction novellas. The series is called Touched by the Savior. Each book is the story of a little known woman who met Jesus during his ministry.

The first is titled, Rebekah Redeemed. It's about an orphaned Rebekah who becomes a servant in her uncle’s house in Bethany. Traded from relative to relative, she suffers neglect and abuse. When a Roman soldier assaults her, she flees in fear of her life and hides. Rebekah is discovered and Lazarus becomes her kinsman redeemer. Can Jesus redeem her soul? Can she forgive or break the chains of her past?

It sounds like children will learn important spiritual principles and enjoy themselves too. Where can we buy this book?

Rebekah Redeemed ISBN: 978-0-937660-52-2
Now available online at AWOC.com or Amazon.com

How can we learn more about you and your books?

Your readers can visit me on the following websites:
http://dgsagan.tripod.com/
www.diannesagan.wordpress.com
http://www.authorsden.com/diannesagan

Thank you, Dianne, for your visit.

Your welcome, Kathy. I enjoyed it.

Everyone come back August 3rd for more about Dianne’s exciting book, Rebekah Redeemed. In fact, we're going to include an excerpt from the book.

Kathy Stemke's websites:
http://www.helium.com/users/406242.html
http://www.associatedcontent.com/user/237923/Kathy_stemke_dancekam.html
http://kathystemke.weebly.com