Willow
Willow
(Book 1/3 in the Willow Series) By Denise Brennan-Nelson and Rosemarie Brennan
Summary
A free spirited girl opens her organized, inflexible teacher's eyes to creativity and imagination.
Your Fantastic Elastic Brain - Stretch It, Shape It
Your Fantastic Elastic Brain - Stretch It, Shape It
By JoAnn Deak, Ph.D.
Summary
This book teaches children that they have the ability to stretch and grow their own brains. It also delivers the crucial message that mistakes are an essential part of learning.
A Shelter In Our Car
A Shelter In Our Car
By Monica Gumming
Summary
Since she left Jamaica for America after her father died, Zettie lives in a car with her mother while they both go to school and plan for a real home.
Questions
1) Where do Zettie and her mom sleep? Do you think it feels comfortable? Safe? Warm enough?
2) Has Zettie always been homeless? Where did she live before?
3) What are things she misses from living in a home?
4) How does she solve the issue of not having a bathroom, since she sleeps in a car? That is a great way to adapt in order to solve a problem!
5) How do they solve their lack of food and drink issue? Here, they show another sign of being flexible!
6) How do you think Zettie felt when teased/bullied by kids in her school?
7) Did you notice how people’s eyes looked throughout the book? How do you think they felt? A: discouraged, sad. Did they look any different on pages 28-31? A: Yes! They looked happy and hopeful there!
I Just Want to Do It My Way!
I Just Want to Do It My Way!
By Julia Cook
Summary
RJ’s way of doing things is not working out for him. When he decided to try another way, he agreed to try harder to stay on task and even ask for help when needed. Then, things started working out!
Questions
1) Do you have a certain way, like RJ does, to eat ice cream?
2) Do you ask for help from an adult when you need it?
3) Do you get easily distracted when doing homework, cleaning up your room or doing other long tasks? What helps you focus? Have you tried to stay in a quiet place to finish a task? Did it work?
4) Why couldn’t RJ try different ways to do his assignments before his mom and dad talked to him? A: RJ wasn’t flexible; he was rigid on his ways of thinking.
5) Can you think of certain things you do that are always done in the same way? For example: putting clothes/shoes on, eating a meal (eating favorites first, or from the outer part of the plate towards the center, etc.). Are you willing to try them in a different way? Go try it!
6) Do you like to learn new ways of doing things? Try this: Draw a picture of your favorite place using your non-dominant hand, then try to stay inside the lines when coloring with that same hand!
Community Soup
Community Soup
by Alma Fullerton
Summary
In a garden outside a Kenyan schoolhouse, the children work together to harvest the vegetables they have grown and make them into a soup for everyone to share, but Kioni's goats have followed her to school today and they are trying to eat all the vegetables.
Questions
1) (page 3) Why aren't the teachers using a stove? Which character strength do the teachers show by cooking in pots on the ground? A: flexibility, adaptability.
2) Do you thinks those kids also leave something even if they don't spend their whole day inside a classroom? What types of things are they learning by preparing soup together?
3) In Kenyan villages it is normal for kids to help with various chores. Can you name a few of the chores those kids are doing that you saw in the book? Do you have any chores to do at home or in school?
4) Why do you think there is a “no goats rule” at their school?
5) Who got mad at the goats for being on school grounds?
6) What does Kioni's consider doing to the goats after feeling so mad at them? Does anyone have a better idea of what to do with the goats? What an example of flexible thinking!
