Making Memories with Mem

Mem Fox was the star of the class this week.  She was born Merrion Frances Partridge but is known as "Mem."  She was born in Australia and moved to Africa at the tender age of 6 months.  As a young adult she moved to England to go to acting school where she met her husband.  At that time Mem Partridge became Mem Fox.  The Fox family moved to Australia where they currently live.  Mem became interested in children's literature when her daughter was a baby.  She tried her hand at writing.  Her book was rejected 9 times over 5 years but went on to become the best-selling children's book in Australia.  Talk about perseverance! Mem is passionate about helping children become fall in love with books.  She works tirelessly to educate parents in early literacy.  There are lots of great resources on her website.  

Here are some you may want to explore:

•  How to Read Aloud

•  Hear Mem read some of her books

•  Pearls of Wisdom for Parents and Teachers

•  Video interview with Mem

•  Celebrity Reading of Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge

In the book Whoever You Are, Mem celebrates how much we are alike on the inside even though our lives on the outside may be very different.  In class, we created a class book illustrating some of the many things that are the same.  Here is Jack's:

We learned a little about Mem's birthplace and current home, Australia.  That book of hers that was rejected over and over was titled Hush the Invisible Mouse.  She later renamed it Possum Magic and it was the inspiration for our study of Australia.  We looked at Australia on the globe, decorated a map of the country, and colored the flag.  Of course, we had to try some Australian food.  We tasted vegemite on some water crackers.  It is an acquired taste.  I think it’s yummy but most of the kids weren’t huge fans.  Here is Leah tasting this snack from down under.

Hattie and the Fox was the perfect book to brush up on our acting skills.  We enjoyed reading the book, acting it out, singing it, and creating a pull-through to practice retelling it.  Here is a photo of some of our barnyard friends.  Look for a video of the performance soon.

Upcoming Events:

•   April 14-Field Trip-walk to CSD High School (Chaperones needed)

•   April 15-Half Day, Spring Break Begins

•   April 16-26-Spring Break

•   April 28-Field Trip to Wing Haven

•   May 5-Half Day-Conferences

•   May 6-Half Day-Conferences

•   May 13-Half Day

•   May 23-Ocean Play (Time TBD)

If you are able to help chaperone any of the upcoming field trips, please send me an email mjmayo@bellsouth.net

Class Needs:

• Paper towel and toilet paper rolls.
• Scraps of wallpaper, scrapbooking paper, fabric, ribbon or any craft supply that can be glued to paper (for our field trip to the HS Art Room)

Weekly Readers

A special thanks to our “Weekly Readers.”  What a treat to listen to Whoever You Are in Spanish and English by class moms, Sra. Karla and Ms. Kim!  Thanks also to Caleb’s mom, Ms. Lisa for introducing us to The Goblin and the Empty Chair. Click here to join them-

I want to read!