March 2009
Monthly Archive
Sneak Peek
Posted by Karen on 23 Mar 2009 | Posted in: Andersen Corporation, Contests, Grants, In2Books, Learning Magazine, Meet Me at the Corner, Penguin, Special Events, VariQuest, Walden Media
 |
The spring issue of Learning® magazine is hitting the mail. We’ve received our first printed copies, which means our readers will find the new issue in their mailboxes any day now, too. I thought I’d give you a sneak peek into the magazine and share a few of the fun freebies we’ve included this time around: |
| In the mood to travel? One lucky teacher will win a free trip to the American Library Association annual conference this summer, courtesy of Walden Media. Enter at www.walden.com/alatrip. But hurry—the deadline is April 13, 2009! |  |
 |
Mother’s Day is coming up! Four lucky students will have a chance to win flowers for their mothers, Makit gift baskets, and more in the Seven Reasons I Love My Mom contest from virtual field trip provider Meet Me at the Corner. Entries are due April 30, 2009. |
| There’s a new book in the best-selling Ladybug Girl series. Ladybug Girl and Bumblebee Boy has just hit stores. Download your free classroom activity kit at www.penguin.com/teachersandlibrarians. |  |
 |
Teaching safety will be more fun with the wealth of free materials available from Andersen Corporation. This kit includes a poster, safety flash cards, activities, a game, send-home brochures, and more. Request it all by emailing lofk@andersencorp.com or contacting Kathy Coen, Andersen Corporation, LookOut for Kids Program, 100 Fourth Avenue North, Bayport, MN 55003-1096. |
| In2Books is a research-based e-mentoring program for grades 3-5. It’s free to the first 1,000 Title I schools that apply for the 2009-2010 school year. Get all the details at www.in2books.com. |  |
 |
Plus, our new contests are ready for you to enter. This issue features over $3,000 in prizes. More than 100 lucky teachers will win! |
Start loading up on these freebies and much more! Have fun!
|
|
| Karen |
 |
P.S. Here’s one more contest that I just found out about. Varitronics is offering the VariQuest Grant Giveaway. Sign up for a free product demo and you’ll be entered to win one of three $1,000 grants for VariQuest products. For all the details, go to http://www.variquest.com/freedemo and submit the free demo request form, including promotion code VQGRANT. The contest runs through April 30, 2009. |
And the Winner Is…
Posted by Karen on 13 Mar 2009 | Posted in: Capstone Press, Contests, Ellison, Learning Magazine, New Books, Scholastic, Teachers' Choice Awards
| We give away prizes in Learning® magazine–lots of prizes! There’s nothing more fun than calling a teacher to let her know that she just won something. It’s sort of like being the tooth fairy, the Easter bunny, and Santa Claus, but with gifts designed especially for teachers. Whether the item is worth $10 or $1,000, every winning teacher I’ve ever talked to is appreciative, excited, and eager to share with students and colleagues. |  |
 |
Yesterday I got to talk with Michelle Strange, a third-grade teacher at Talbott Elementary in Talbott, Tennessee. Michelle won a complete set of our Teachers’ Choice Award-winning children’s books. She’d forgotten she’d even entered the contest, so when she heard the news that she’d won, she was excited. Then she got REALLY excited when she came home a few days later to find a huge box on her front porch. Could those be her books? Yep! |
Michelle, her husband, and their two children spent hours reading through the books before she took them to school to share with her students. Michelle’s Title I school doesn’t get boxes full of new books every day, so these are a big deal!
| Michelle and her class are still working their way through the pile, but so far the You Choose Books from Capstone Press are a favorite. Readers choose the path that the story will take, so each time they read the story, it is different. This series is especially good for students who don’t always enjoy reading, Michelle says. |  |
 |
The series called The 10 from Scholastic is another favorite. Students learn about everything from the ten grossest bugs to the ten most daring escapes. Michelle’s children love the format! |
| Michelle said that she didn’t think real teachers won contests like these–until she was a winner herself. So the next time you see our WIN! logo on the Learning website or in the magazine, go ahead and enter that contest. There could be a box full of prizes sitting on your front porch sometime soon! |  |
|
|
| Karen |
P.S. There’s an exciting new addition to the Learning website! Ellison is offering free, downloadable activities plus a chance to WIN an All-Star Starter Set. Hurry–the contest ends March 31. Remember what I said about real teachers winning our contests? This could be your chance!
A Blizzard of Boxes
Posted by Karen on 03 Mar 2009 | Posted in: Abdo Publishing, Abrams Books for Young Readers, Barron's Educational Publishing, Candlewick Press, Kids Can Press, McWiz Games, New Books
Believe it or not, today is a snowy day here in North Carolina. And the perfect task for a day like this is to dig into the blizzard of boxes I’ve recently received to see what kinds of goodies are inside. Let the bubble wrap and packing peanuts fly! Here are a few of my favorite products this time around:
 |
Have you ever seen a duck in a raincoat? That’s silly–or is it? Students ages 4-7 learn all kinds of clever science facts with this engaging book from Kids Can Press. |
| Extra, extra, read all about the ancient Romans, Greeks, Aztecs, and Egyptians with these books, which are written in a newspaper style. You’ll find articles, advice columns, employment ads, and more to give students ages 9-14 a feel for the times. The History News series is from Candlewick Press. |  |
 |
Students want to know all about President Barack Obama. This book shares the president’s story and includes a timeline, photos, and much more, all in kid-friendly terms. This new book, part of the Checkerboard Biography Library from Abdo Publishing, is for grades 3-6. |
| Open this suitcase and discover the world! That’s the goal with this game, in which students use their geographic knowledge to race from Paris to Beijing. It’s from McWiz and is for ages 10 and up. |  |
 |
These verses take young adventurers on a tour of the world’s biggest cities, from San Francisco to Shanghai and back again. Well-known poet Lee Bennett Hopkins leads the way with taxi tales, subway stories, and much more. The book is from Abrams Young Readers. |
| Tone up your tangram talents with this book and manipulative set! Students use the magnetic tangrams to create people, pets, patterns, and even a tangram tale. The book is from Barron’s and is for ages 8 and up. |  |
I’ll have more fun products, contests, and info to share soon. In the meantime, I think a cup of hot cocoa is calling!
|
|
P.S. We’ve just sent our Spring issue of Learning magazine to the printer. If you’re not receiving a copy, visit our website to request yours today!
