This Plus That

I just knew the minute I read Amy Krouse Rosenthal's book This Plus That, that it would be the perfect mentor text for my kindergarten friends.

They loved the book... and coming up with their own 
THIS PLUS THAT statements. We brainstormed together, tried a few on our own, then each published our favorite.

Check out some their "little life equations"....

The funniest part was - as we were almost finished brainstorming together our school secretary walked in with a delivery from my husband,...

 which prompted my students to come up with... 

Mr. Rider + Mrs. Rider = true love

Oh my goodness... melt my heart!!!!

after brainstorming together we had "try-it" time...

 Rachel wrote Brownies + M&Ms + chocolate chips = yummy!

Then we each published our favorite one.

Here is the complete collection: 

Personalize your own free picture slideshow

Growing Writers + Great Mentor Texts = awesome writing!

It was a huge hit with my class last year too!

Check out their This Plus That equations HERE. 

This Plus That, Kindergarten Style

My Kindergarten Friends and I enjoyed Amy Krouse Rosenthal's new book, This Plus That, this week.

Thank you to everyone who entered my This Plus That Giveaway.

I loved reading all of your creative equations!

After reading the book we decided to try writing our own little equations. The children did an AMAZING job with this. 

First, we brainstormed a list of ideas together. 

Next, each student tried writing their own equations. They really enjoyed playing with different ideas and words. It was wonderful to hear students brainstorming and sharing their ideas with one another.

Finally, students chose their favorite equations to publish.

*click to zoom in


amazing mentor text + creative kindergarten friends = 
writing that makes me smile! 
Check out all of the students' amazing equations below: 

This free digital slideshow generated with Smilebox

New Book: This Plus That- GIVEAWAY!!!

My kindergarten friends and I are HUGE FANS of Amy Krouse Rosenthal. 

Check out this previous post to read more about this great children's author: Amy Krouse Rosenthal

I was super excited to learn that Amy's new book, This Plus That, is out today. I can't wait to get my copy in the mail and share it with the children!! 

You can check out the book at Amazon:
This Plus That

Or watch a cute book preview on YouTube: This Plus That 

*** Would you like to WIN a copy of THIS PLUS THAT??? ***

THERE ARE SEVERAL WAYS TO ENTER:

1. Leave a This + That Statement (one of life's little equations) in the comments. 

For example .... 

 My kindergarten friends + their excitement for books = magical! 

or 

   

Pretzel M&Ms + Coke Zero = Delicious 

2. Become a follower of this blog: Literacy and Laughter 

* If you are already a follower, just leave a comment saying so for your entry. : )

3. "Like" the blog's Facebook Page: Literacy and Laughter on Facebook

4. Blog or Facebook about this post and send me the link.

*** Please leave a comment for EACH of the ways you've entered. ****

Entries must be received by: 

Tuesday, May 3rd @ 9:00 p.m. EST

Winner will be randomly selected on 
Wednesday, May 4th. 

GOOD LUCK!! 

Amy Krouse Rosenthal

Amy Krouse Rosenthal:

A Person Who Likes to Make Things

A couple of weeks ago my amazing Kindergarten team and I attended the Dublin Literacy Conference. There were many great speakers and I left feeling informed and inspired.

Hooray!

I had the pleasure of attending a class taught by one of my favorite children's authors: Amy Krouse Rosenthal. My class just LOVES Little Pea, Little Hoot, and Little Oink. We also enjoyed The OK Book, Duck! Rabbit!, and Spoon.

The books are absolutely adorable and have all become book box favorites!!!

Teachers: Click HERE if you'd like a Teacher's Guide for Little Pea, Little Hoot, and Little Oink.

During the class Amy shared her passion for making things.

She likes to make:

short movies

books

art

people happy

salads

wishes

something out of nothing

and much more!

Amy likes to celebrate life and make people smile. She is working on a special project called: The Beckoning of Lovely.

Amy shared several other short movies that she has made.

They all made me SMILE. I promise, you will find at least one that will make you smile too!

You can check out the movies (and find out more about Amy and her books) on her website:

Amy Krouse Rosenthal

Thank you, Amy, for your fun children's books, creative ideas, inspiring free spirit, and reminding me how fun it is to "just make stuff".

I look forward to seeing what my kindergarten friends make this week!