Read. Write. Mom!

How To Host A School Reading Fair

Posted on January 9, 2013January 20, 2024 by Mandy

Since the new year has started, I have received several emails asking me about the reading fair our school organizes each year. I’m always excited to talk about it because it’s one of the most fun things we do all year long and it really helps the children get creative while helping them develop an appreciation for reading. I thought I would go ahead and make a post about how to host a school reading fair so it would be easier to find in the future in case anyone happened to be searching for information about reading fair projects.

HOW TO HOST A SCHOOL READING FAIR

GETTING STARTED

The first thing we do is set a date for the school-wide reading fair. We send out information in late October and do the reading fair after the Christmas holidays so the kids can have a little extra time to complete their projects. We send the children home with a letter explaining the general purpose of the reading fair and the date and time it will be held.

We follow the basic guidelines as defined by the Mississippi Department of Education. We send each student home with a copy of these guidelines.

Students come to the library and check out a book for their reading fair projects. I always let them keep these books until after the reading fair because it’s for a special project, but some students choose to use a book they already have at home.

Students purchase a tri-fold project board to use as their storyboard.

I go ahead and purchase awards for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place in each division or group. We use award ribbons and purchase them online, so be sure you order them in plenty of time.

GETTING TO WORK

I tell the students to be as creative as possible when designing their storyboards. As long as it’s within guidelines, anything goes! Borders, sequins, feathers, crayons, markers, and ANYTHING that captures the essence of the story and grabs attention while looking tasteful. Here are two really amazing storyboards that use lots of creativity:

I also tell my students NOT to write their names anywhere on the front of the board. I ask them to write their name in pencil real small on the back of the board.

Each fiction storyboard is labeled with the following story elements: Title, Author, Publisher and Publication Date, Main Characters, Setting, Plot Summary, Conflict, Solution, Author’s Purpose, Tone, or Mood. Non-fiction requirements can be found in the guidelines. Since we are an elementary school, we rarely have any non-fiction entries.

Our students complete their projects at home, but if you have time in your classrooms (and supplies), you could also help them at school.

BEFORE THE FAIR

Ask several people in your community who are not affiliated with the school (just to keep it fair) to come and judge the reading fair projects. Depending on the size of your school or how many students are participating, it’s good to have at least three judges for each division. Since our fair is small, we can get away with three judges in total. Judging usually takes them 2-3 hours total and then scores are tallied up. Ensure they know they may be at your school most of the day. If they have to stay through lunch, you might offer to purchase them a school lunch or allow them to leave to go and eat. You might also have sandwiches and chips for them. It’s entirely up to you.

Provide snacks and drinks/coffee for your judges. You might ask your PTO or fellow teachers to provide light snacks and drinks.

Make copies of score sheets for each judge and have them on a clip board waiting when they arrive.

Remind students about deadlines (I like to have all projects turned in a few days before the fair) and answer any last-minute questions.

Label each project board with numbers. Cover any names to keep judging fair. I just use small sticky notes to number each project since they remove easily without damaging the project. I place these sticky notes on the front of the board in a corner so the judges can find it easily.

THE DAY OF THE FAIR

Set up all the reading fair projects on tables according to their prospective grade levels or categories so they are almost at eye level. We use tables from our school library and classrooms and we set up in our school gym.

Have judges arrive about 30 minutes before start time, welcome them, let them grab a drink or some snacks if they want, and give them their clipboards and pencils. Let them know where restrooms and snacks are and let them know you are available to answer any questions. I also go over the judge’s score sheet with them so they understand how to fill it out correctly.

Once judges finish scoring all the boards, tally up the scores. Have as many calculators on hand as possible. You can ask the judges to do it or have other helpers available to do this part. Be sure to thank the judges and any helpers for their time.

Once winners are determined, we place their ribbons by their projects and announce the winners over the school intercom. You might consider having a short assembly to pass out awards. We also let all of the students come through the gym after the fair and see all of the projects. They love this and it even inspires some of those who chose not to participate to get excited about participating the next year.

Take pictures of the winners for local newspapers, class blogs, and school newsletters.

AFTER THE FAIR

Be sure and send a thank you note to all reading fair judges. We also gave our judges a little gift bag, but a thank-you note will suffice.

Our students who place first in their divisions move on to the district competition the following week. The district level is even more fun because there are even more great reading fair projects to check out.

I hope this explains in a little more detail how we hold our school’s reading fair. It’s not perfect by any means, but it works for our little school, and the kids really enjoy it and are so proud of their work. I also display many of their projects on top of my library shelves all year long. It really makes the library come alive and we get so many compliments on them when people visit our library.

Looking for more great reading fair inspiration? Start here. Also, be sure to follow me on Pinterest and never miss any reading fair news!

Dermagist Complete Rejuvenation Skincare System

Posted on January 8, 2013January 10, 2016 by Mandy

As I grow older, one of the things that frustrates me the most is getting wrinkles. I know this is just an inevitable process of aging, but it’s really starting to bother me as I approach 40. One of the biggest issues I have with just about any skincare products (high end or retail) is that I have very sensitive skin and sensitive eyes. I end up throwing out everything I buy because it never works or irritates my skin. Last winter I just learned to put up with dry skin, which I hated because it was very uncomfortable, but I just couldn’t justify sinking anymore money into products that never worked.

Fortunately, I have found the perfect solution for my dry facial skin. The Dermagist Complete Rejuvenation System is one of those products I don’t mind raving about here on my blog because it actually works and it’s worth every penny. I love it alone simply for the fact that my skin feels so much better and looks healthier, but it’s also reducing the appearance of those fine lines and wrinkles that are creeping in. I can literally tell a difference when I use these products before I apply my makeup and after I take off my makeup at night. I’ve had no issues whatsoever with these products irritating my skin or eyes.

The Dermagist Complete Rejuvenation System consists of Instant Effect Lifting Serum, Dynamic Age Defying Serum, and Original Smoothing Cream. These products are intended to be used together for 30-45 days in order to get the maximum benefit. These products target wrinkles with peptides that shrink enlarged pores, reduce age spots, fade redness, and drastically improve deep wrinkles as well as fine lines. You can even keep using them together after the initial treatment period, or just use the ones you want to use. I’m still using all three because I love the results.

If one of your resolutions this year was to start taking better care of yourself, then do your skin a favor and check out all of the amazing products in the Dermagist skincare line.

I was provided with products to facilitate my review. All opinions are my own.

Best Pancakes Ever- My Mama’s Recipe

Posted on January 7, 2013January 10, 2016 by Mandy

When I was growing up, I looked forward to weekends because that was when my mama would make my favorite breakfast food ever; pancakes. She made them from scratch and they were so delicious that I’m forever ruined. No other pancakes taste as good as these, especially not anything store bought and frozen. *shudder*

Her recipe is really simple and probably very similar to other recipes, but I wanted to share it here just in case you might be looking for the best pancake recipe ever (yes, I am completely biased) or even to start making some home cooked memories of your own. My mom made sure to send me off into my married life with this treasured recipe and I am so glad. It’s one recipe I can’t screw up! Now, if I could just find some great tasting sugar-free syrup, these would be even better. I hate not being able to use the real stuff.

Mama’s Pancakes

1 egg

1 cup of self-rising flour

3/4 cup of milk

2 tablespoons of oil

1 tablespoon of sugar

Beat egg with hand beater until fluffy. Beat in remaining ingredients just until smooth. Grease a heated griddle. Pour in mixture (as little or as much as you want, depending on the size of the pancakes you want) and cook pancakes on both sides until puffed and dried around the edges.

Get Rid Of A Cold Fast With Cold- EEZE

Posted on January 7, 2013January 10, 2016 by Mandy

Being sick is no fun, especially if you can’t stop everything, crawl in your bed, and rest up until you feel better. As a mom, I don’t hardly ever stop for sickness. I still have to keep going and when I have a cold, the only thing I want to know is how to get rid of a cold. Thankfully, Cold-EEZE can help shorten a cold and it works fast.

This is the season for sickness and we’ve already had one bout of cold in our home with our son. Thankfully, he didn’t pass it on to the rest of us, but I was prepared with Cold-EEZE just in case. So how does Cold-EEZE work? You simply take Cold-EEZE as soon as you start to feel cold symptoms and its unique zinc gluconate formula releases zinc ions to fight your cold virus. Several studies have shown that the zinc ions inhibit the common cold virus’ ability to replicate, and other studies have proven that using Cold-EEZE Lozenges shortens the duration of the common cold by nearly half.

I think the great thing about Cold-EEZE, other than shortening the duration of the common cold, is that it doesn’t cause drowsiness, light headedness, or affect blood pressure. It’s also safe to take with most other medications, but of course, it’s always best to read the warning label to be absolutely sure. This is great news for those who have other medical conditions that need to be considered and those of us who can’t stop and give in to the misery of a cold.

Cold-EEZE comes in several formulas: Quick Melts, Lozenges, and Oral Spray. There’s even a formula for kids called Kids-EEZE. You can purchase Cold-EEZE at most retail stores or online. It’s definitely one product you want to have on hand at all times so the common cold doesn’t ruin your day.

I was sent sample products to facilitate this post. All opinions are my own.

New Years Day Food

Posted on January 3, 2013January 10, 2016 by Mandy

To some, this might be called traditional New Years Day food, which is supposed to bring good luck.

Black-eyed peas

Cornbread

Cabbage

Hog jowl

But here in the South, this is just “soul food”. This particular plate of food came from the best kitchen in the Mississippi Delta: my grandmother’s. Yes, I am totally biased, but she makes the best comfort food ever. Her chicken and dumplins are to die for. Our family enjoyed this traditional New Year’s Day lunch at Maw-Maw’s house and then sat around and visited. It was a bittersweet day for us as a family, but we were all happy to be together and have learned this past year to cherish these times as much as we can.

Did you enjoy any of these foods on New Years Day? I would love to know what you had in the comments. It’s so neat to hear about different traditions.

Walgreens “Night At The W” Beauty Prize Pack Giveaway

Posted on January 2, 2013January 10, 2016 by Mandy

If you love looking your best and want to learn a few new tips and tricks for your beauty routine this new year, you will definitely want to attend “Night At The W”, a beauty themed event aimed to helping you look your very best, on January 10, 2013 at every Walgreens store in the U.S. from 4-9 PM.

Beauty Advisors will be on hand to answer your questions and tell you how you can get your own glamorous look for the new year. There will also be chances to win some fabulous prizes! This is being billed as the official after party for The People’s Choice Awards. I’m excited about stopping in and I hope you will make plans to visit your local Walgreens store to get in on the fun!

LOOK YOUR BEST

According to Fashion Consultant/”Godfather of Style,” Tim Gunn: you don’t have to spend a fortune to get your own “red carpet ready” look. On behalf of Walgreens, Tim offers the following great tips and tricks:

·Get a Camera-Ready Smile: A bright white smile is absolutely necessary whether you’re walking the red carpet or the runway. A simple tip I tell all the runway models is use something like a Crest Whitestrips. There’s this 2 hour treatment you can put on when you are getting ready.

·Get Ready for Your Close-Up: When it comes to facial hair removal, there’s nothing to be ashamed of, and there’s everything to gain. Olay has something new that is perfect for this and because it’s from Olay you know your skin will look fabulous!

·Every day is a new chance for you to “walk the runway,” so I like to encourage woman to try new things whether it be a new lipstick or nail color.

·Some of the most stunning looks I have seen lately are topped off with healthy-thick hair. Not every woman has thick hair and as women age their hair tends to thin. There is a new hair thickening product on the market from Pantene that will give you that gorgeous hair

·To keep your skin glowing, it is important to stay hydrated by using a good moisturizer and drinking lots of water. And you can make your features pop with the right makeup and brightest smile.

GIVEAWAY

Would you love to win the products pictured above? I have a special giveaway package for one lucky reader which includes the following:

Crest® 2 HR Express Whitestrips

Olay® Facial Hair Removal (Medium to Coarse)

Pantene® Expert Collection AgeDefy Thickening Treatment

CoverGirl® Clump Crusher (Very Black)

CoverGirl Jumbo Gloss Balm

CoverGirl Nail Gloss.

To enter, use the Rafflecopter form below. Giveaway open to U.S. residents 18 and older. Void where prohibited. Ends January 21, 2012 at 12:00 AM EST.

I was sent the following products by Procter & Gamble to facilitate my review and an identical prize pack to give away to a reader. All opinions are my own.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Happy New Year!

Posted on January 1, 2013January 10, 2016 by Mandy

I can remember this exact time last year, I had so many little items on my New Year’s resolution list that I wanted to accomplish. Some of those things were serious, but most of them were frivolous. I was so excited about the new year ahead and all of the great things I wanted to make happen.

A few days later, something happened that really made me see how insignificant most of those things on my resolutions list were. It made me see how self-absorbed I was. It made me see what truly mattered and what wasn’t worth dwelling on.

It’s totally ok to set goals for yourself. In fact, that’s a wonderful thing to help you become a better person. However, I would encourage you to also look outward, around yourself. Look at your friends, co-workers, family members, even the strangers you come in contact with everyday. Are they smiling? Are you picking up on anything different about them? Often times we have a thought about something and then dismiss it as inconsequential or nothing to worry about.

This year I would encourage you to do these things:

Love your people.

Check on them often and ask them how they are doing. If your gut tells you otherwise, keep checking in with them. Encourage them. Tell them how important they are to you. Remind them of what makes them special and how appreciated they are.

Be merciful. You really don’t know what someone is battling on a daily basis.

Always practice kindness, even to strangers. Your smile may just be the one they need that day. A kind word of encouragement goes a long way.

Yes, these are very obvious and basic things we’ve all heard before. But sometimes, it’s easy to get caught up in the busy-ness of life that these things get pushed to the back and far down on our list of priorities.

Make looking out for others a priority this year.

I wish you a very happy and healthy New Year.

How To Set Blog Goals For The New Year

Posted on December 31, 2012January 10, 2016 by Mandy

If you’re a blogger, have you thought about what goals you want to achieve for your blog in 2013? I used to roll my eyes at this question and not give it much thought other than “just keep blogging” and maybe “increase my traffic”. For me, setting blog goals was always difficult because I couldn’t ever pinpoint exactly what I wanted from doing this. I thought I had to have some lofty goal to aspire to that would probably never be achieved because, truth be told, I felt like those goals were what I was supposed to want from blogging, not what I really wanted. I figured if I was to be successful, I had to do _____ and ______, even if those things felt really foreign to me. When I thought about the amazing opportunities I enjoyed through my blog in 2012, I realized that if I wanted to keep improving on that, I had to have a road map leading me somewhere. After giving this way more thought than I probably should have, I finally figured out how to discover what I wanted from my blog for the new year.

YOU’RE DOING IT WRONG

Since I couldn’t figure out in detail what I wanted, I flipped my way of thinking. I asked myself instead what did I not want to happen with my blog in 2013. This brought forth a ton of ideas. It’s pretty obvious that we do the things we do in life to avoid the things we don’t want to happen. This way of thinking helped me tremendously with setting some solid goals that I feel comfortable I will see some growth with. My goals for 2013 probably aren’t anymore different or original than most bloggers, but I’m writing them down here for me to refer back to throughout the year and possibly help anyone who reads this get some starting points for their own goals.

IN 2013 I WANT…

1. Balance In Posts- I feel like the majority of my posts this year were for product reviews and advertorials. This is completely ok to do, but I want to create more personal content, like sharing ideas, recipes, and things I’m interested in. There’s a happy medium somewhere and I intend to find it.

2. Improve my photography skills for blogging- I have no aspirations to learn how to be a fabulous photographer and start a side business doing it. I just want to learn to take the best pictures I can for my own satisfaction to be used on my blog.

3. Earnings- One aspect of my blog I really enjoy is getting paid to do what I love to do. I have set a goal for a specific amount of money I would like to earn this year from my blog. I’m keeping this number private, but I know what it is, and it’s not too big or too small an amount to shoot for. I also want to be able to save as much of this money as possible to put towards some other personal/family goals.

4. Flexibility- I want to make wise choices about the work I accept to do on my blog. As bloggers, we’ve all been told to “know our worth” and not to accept anything less than (fill in a dollar amount here) for our work. I also believe my work is worth being paid for, but I’m not going to hold myself to a rigid amount that I will accept for my work. If it’s work I am proud to do, within reason as far as what’s expected of me, and a dollar amount in earnings I am comfortable with, I will take the work. At the same time, I know my limitations better now as far as the time I have to dedicate to doing campaigns and reviews. I will have to be more mindful about what I accept to take on.

5. Authenticity- Somewhere along the way, I feel like I’ve lost my “voice” as far as blogging. When I first started blogging, this came so easily. I don’t know at what point this started slipping away, so I really want to work on this.

I have to admit that laying this all out here feels pretty strange because setting goals for my blog is a new thing for me, but I would love to hear from those of you that have also set your own blog goals. Feel free to link up in the comments.