Free Printable Catholic Saints Coloring Pages

November 1 marks the Catholic holy day of All Saint's, making October 31 All Hallow's Eve (or Halloween). Use these free printable activities to explore Catholic saints, holy days and All Saint's Day and Halloween. There are pictures of Bible stories and characters to color, too.Free Printable Catholic Saints and All Saint's Day Coloring Pages

Youtube Acorn TV has UK Murder Mystery, Detective Fiction Classics

If you're like me, and have read every Christie, Sayers, Marsh you can find, and want to watch the movie versions, you need to read this. If you love Campion, Lord Peter, Poirot, Miss Marple, Sherlock, Miss Fisher, read on. If Prime Suspect, Foyle's War, Inspector Lewis, Bonekickers are your guilty pleasure, also read more. We don't have cable or even network TV (our antennae is defunct). So I'm Youtube-dependent. And I found all my UK favorites on Acorn TV. Subscribe to Acorn TV or Not? Tis the Question

Free Reading Crafts, Literature Response Lessons

Kids rejoice when released from school for vacation. But parents and teachers often worrry that learning will lag with too much time away from books? Here are reading activities and book-based crafts and literature response lessons.  Free Summer Reading Activities, Book Crafts, Literature Response Lessons

Anti-Bullying Bibliotherapy Books for Kids

This is the 75th anniversary year of the prestigious Caldecott Medal for children's book illustrations. Books are essential to learning and bibliotherapy is an important tool in teaching affective lessons. I use children's literature to defuse a gamut of emotionally charged issues. Bulling tops the list. Here's a reading list that helps kids deal with bullies in proactive ways. These books are funny and light-hearted. Anti-Bullying Bibliotherapy Books for Kids

Phryne Fisher Books, Miss Fishers Murder Mysteries Movies Jazz Age Haute Entertainment

I became hopeless addicted to Phryne Fisher, the saucy, sensitive, savvy Jazz Age Aussie lady detective of Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries. She's part tart, part humanitarian, part intelligentsia, all tough cookie. Yeah, we gals are layered like that. Phryne's like a vampy Jewish mother hen. Another thing we women rock--taking caring everyone and looking dem fine whilst doing it. And can Miss Fisher hold her Mother-of-Pearl revolver and gin! Tres elegante! Read Kerry Greenwood's books. See ABC Australia's films. Check out the website for more chic Art Nouveau graphics like this.You'll be thanking me.Anticipating Miss Fishers Murder Mysteries Season 2

Why We Raised Bibliophile Kids Without Television

As young parents my husband and I were so radical it hurt. In the ultra-conventional 80s, nonconformity did not enjoy the vogue it does now. We were hipsters when that word still meant jeans! One of our biggest phobias was TV. Steeped in the organic childhood wisdom of Dr. Maria Montessori, I demanded only the purist in educational activities for my kids. Reading books like Marie Winn's "The Plug-in Drug" underscored my TV concerns. Even when we were dating, husband and I agreed: nature is nurture. I give us credit looking back. We'd seen nothing yet of internet, video games, Blu-Ray, cellphones and cyber culture. VCRs were pretty young. We worried about cable television and vowed never to have a TV set in our home. We'd grow our kids on books we said. Technology-Free Family--Why We Raised Kids Without Television

Memoriam To Our Daughter, Isobella Raine Sachteleben, 6/28/2004

when did it happen
i'd really like to know
she was so alive
just why did she have to go?
sweet child grew
tiny heart beat
sleeping baby beauty
in my secret deep 

--Love mama (read on To Our Daughter, Isobella Raine Sachteleben Born and Died June 28, 2004)