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picture books (PB)
with
musical hooks (Jamz)

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RAINBOW OF FRIENDSHIP

4/17/2024

Rainbows, positivity, music, and friendship . . .

If you're needing a dose of positivity, music and ways to change the world alongside a precious picture book and some sweet jammin' tunes, this episode is just right for you! Joni is absolutely precious and full of joy and a desire to share that joy with the world. No wonder she's an award-winning children's author and song writer. We had a great chat and we hope you enjoy joining us too!

RAINBOW OF FRIENDSHIP

Joni's first book, inspired by her daughters' girl scout days. From Bare Book to published, and award-wining, check out the interview to find out more about Joni's inspiration, writing process, and path to publication. Check out her website in the guest links section to purchase copies directly from her (and to see her other fabulous books and songs and plays.)

A Little Jam. . .(The Music Kind)

Check out Joni's very own song and the book trailer for RAINBOW OF FRIENDSHIP. Be sure to check the guest links below for where to access all of Joni's music, as well as my YouTube playlist for more fun songs and musical activities related to RAINBOW OF FRIENDSHIP.

friendship1818.mp3
File Size:	7875 kb
File Type:	mp3

Download File

Teacher Tips, Tricks and Topics

Colors (Art/Science connection) --
- For preschool through kindergarten -- color identification
- For K-2, color mixing, primary vs. secondary colors
- Color poems
Rainbow (Science connection)
- How do rainbows form?
- Colors of the rainbow in order (ROY G BIV)
Friendship (SEL/Health/Social Studies connection)
- What makes a good friend'
- Friendship character traits
- How to be a good friend
- Being friends with people different than you
Alliteration (ELA connection)
- Find examples in the book
- Write your own examples
- Alliterative sentences/poems with colors or about friendship
Similes (ELA connection)
- Find similes in the book
- Write your own examples
- Color poems "As red as. . . ." etc. (Pinterest board)
Rhyming (ELA connection)
- Find rhyming words
- Create your own rhyming pairs or word families
- Write rhyming couplets
Adjectives (ELA connection)
- Find adjectives
- Write phrases or sentences with adjectives
- Besides color, what other adjectives can we use?
PE connections
- Play hopscotch
- Kick the Can
- Hide-and-Seek
Math connections
- Color patterns
- Create story problems from the book

Tips and Topics for Music Teachers

This book would be a great companion to using Boomwhackers, bells, or color-coded solfege notation. (rainbow colors); could put the reds together, oranges, etc. and talk about how those sounds are the same (pitch); also could put sounds together (ie, CEG) and begin building chords; relate it to friendship.
Rainbow songs (connecting science and music)
Friendship songs (SEL)
Rapping rhyming couplets
Friendship song from Joni Klein-Higger
Color songs

Writing Prompts from Tonnye

Write a rhyming couplet about your favorite color. How many colors can you do?
Write a simile poem about one color -- or a simile poem about the whole rainbow of colors. (Check the pinterest board for some ideas and templates.
My Favorite Color is _______ because . . .
Write your own story about neighborhoods where kids with differences learn to be friends.
Do you think kids with differences can be friends? Why/why not?
Create a Venn diagram about you and your friend. How are you alike? Different?
Write a letter to your friend telling why they are a good friend.
Write an acrostic poem with the word friend.
Write an alliterative phrase or sentence with your name.
Write a poem or story telling which color neighborhood you would live in and why.
Write a letter from an Orange to a Purple.
Write about how rainbows are formed.
Write about a magical rainbow.
Write a letter to the author and/or illustrator telling them why you like/don't like the book.
THE GRAY RAINBOW (title)

Writing Tips from Joni

Be a part of a writing community and utilize their offerings.
Join an in-person or online critique group that specializes in your genre. If you already belong to one and want to become more prolific, consider joining a second group.
Set goals - Daily, Yearly, and Long-term. For your daily goals, incorporate three positive things a day that move you closer to your yearly goals. Whether it be creating, researching, marketing, signing up for or reading an educational blog or newsletter, registering for an author/illustrator event, or critiquing your peers' work, these accomplishments add up and keep you moving forward on your creative journey. Remember, small wins are just as important as the big ones. For yearly goals, check in every couple of months to see how you are doing. Long term goals are great to look at whenever you need inspiration.
Go out of your comfort zone. That is where the most growth happens!

Links, More Fun, Extensions for Families and Everyone!

Pinterest board full of activities for rainbow science, friendship, interviews with Joni and more!

YouTube playlist with songs about colors, rainbows, friendship, along with interviews with Joni and more.

PBJamz Snack

For this lovely book about friendship and rainbows, a rainbow of shortbread thumbprint cookies seems the perfect PBJamz snack for sharing. Gather jams and jellies in a rainbow of colors and create your own delectable cookie rainbow and celebrate friendship with your besties! Get the recipe here.

Guest Links and Giveaways

Social Links:
Joni’s Website: www.joniworld.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JoniKleinHiggerBooks/
X: https://twitter.com/KleinHigger
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jonikleinhigger/

Links to Joni’s Books
Barnyard Bubbe’s Hanukkah:
Barnyard Bubbe's Hanukkah
amazon.com

Ten Tzedakah Pennies:
Ten Tzedakah Pennies
amazon.com

Links to Joni Klein-Higger’s music: Joni's music is available on Spotify and most online music stores including, Apple Music, and Amazon Music.
Joni Klein-Higger
open.spotify.com

Joni Klein Higger
open.spotify.com

Joni is excited to share a copy of Barnyard Bubbe’s Hanukkah with one lucky winner. To be eligible to win, simply leave a comment below by 11:59 PM (EST) on May 1, 2024. Winner will be drawn at random from comments.

10 Comments

MISS MCDONALD HAS A FARM

4/4/2024

7 Comments

Down on the Farm chat with Kalee Gwarjanski

Come enjoy a chat on the farm -- MISS MCDONALD'S FARM. You'll enjoy your visit, although it's not your traditional moo moo here. Instead, it's an E-I-E-I-Grow(ing) experience. Join debut author Kalee Gwarjanski and me as we chat about musical inspiration, an AHmazing path to publication, and lots of fun chatter about this fun fractured farming tale. And be sure to check out all the resources below!

MISS MACDONALD HAS A FARM

It's "Old MacDonald" with a twist. MacDonald isn't old, and it's . . .a . . .girl! And, she doesn't have lots of animals on her farm, but she does have lots of plants! E-I-E-I-GROW! This book is perfect for everyone who has a green thumb (or wishes they did); great for our youngest gardeners and farmers. Enjoy learning about plant life cycles and the farm to table experience in a fun, familiar and engaging way with this lovely female-forward version of a classic!

A Little Jam. . .(The Music Kind)

This instrumental version of "Old McDonald" is the perfect accompaniment to sing along with Kalee's version of MISS MCDONALD! Grab your copy of the book, turn pages and sing along! You could also sing the traditional version of words or play one of the versions of Old MacDonald and compare/contrast. Also you could have kids mix and match or write their own version of what they might find on farms in their geographical area. There are lots more musical pieces in the YouTube playlist in the links section for you to explore about all the themes in the book.

Teacher Tips, Tricks and Topics

Plant life cycles
- Lettuce
- Peas
- Tomatoes
- Zucchini
- Potatoes
- Green beans
- Pumpkins
- Corn
Farm field trip! and/or . . .
Guest speaker (local produce farmer, agricultural extension agent, etc.)
Seed planting (STEM) -- lettuce and peas both grow fairly quickly. You could plant seeds for kids to take home or make a raised bed at school. (There are grants available for school gardens . . .) Cardboard egg cartons make great biodegradable seed starters. You can also use toilet paper/paper towel tubes and fold to create a bottom.
- For math connections, measure growth and graph or chart it.
- For science connections, create a journal and have students observe, draw, and write about changes in the seeds/plants as they grow.
"Grow" word family
VERBS! So many great verbs for how plants move and grow. (PLANTS CAN'T SIT STILL by Rebecca E. Hirsch might be a fun companion book as it talks about all the ways plants move)
Tasting party (Check for allergies) Taste the foods mentioned in the book. Graph favorites for math connections
Salad bar lunch -- work with cafeteria, local restaurant, etc. to set up a salad bar for lunch
(Social Studies) Compare various types of farms or regional differences in farms: Compare farm life in different cultures, the different foods popular in various cultural foods.
(SEL) Caring for other living organisms, patience, perseverance
(Art) Use vegetables to make art by dipping them in paint to create designs. Cut them in different ways for variety (lengthwise, crosswise, use ends, etc.)
Be sure to check out the YouTube playlist and the PInterest board in the links section for even more ideas.

Tips and Topics for Music Teachers

Old MacDonald is the obvious choice here. Some options
- Experience various versions of Old MacDonald
  - Different lyrics
  - Different styles of music
  - Different instrumentation
- Learn to play Old MacDonald on instruments:
  - Recorders
  - Bells/Boomwhackers
  - Ukelele
  - Piano/keyboard
  - Mallet insstruments
- Create new lyrics based on a different kind of farm
- Use ORFF instruments to play along with Old MacDonald
- Write out the rhythm patterns used in Old MacDonald
- Check out the YouTube playlist for some fun rhythm play-along videos, rhythm stick activities and more.

Writing Prompts from Tonnye

If you've ever visited a farm, write about what that was like.
If you had a choice between lettuce, peas and tomatoes, which would you choose to eat and why?
Write a "how to" article teaching someone how to grow lettuce/peas/or tomatoes.
Write about the life cycle of one of the plants in the book.
Write your own version of Old McDonald Had a Farm.
Write a poem about something that grows.
Write a letter to Miss MacDonald.
If you had a farm, what would you grow and why?
Would you prefer to visit Miss MacDonald or Old MacDonald? Why?
Write a shape poem about tomatoes.
Write a diamante poem starting with Old MacDonald and ending with Miss MacDonald.
Make up your own salad recipe.
Write a letter to the author or the illustrator telling them what you like about the book.
Write an alliterative poem about one of the vegetables in the story.
In the back matter there's a recipe for a Harvest Vegetable Bake. Which vegetables would you put in and why?
Look carefully at the pictures and list all the animals you see in the pictures. Why do you think the illustrator included them? Why are they important?
Choose a word you didn't know before. Make a chart showing the word, what it means (the definition), draw a picture to represent the word and write a sentence with the word.
I would/would not want to be a farmer because . . .
On the last spread, there is something inside the pumpkin. Write about what you think is inside the pumpkin.
Choose one of the vegetables and make a list of all the ways you can eat it.

Writing Tips from Kalee

1. Critique partners. Need I say more?? Find some good ones who are actually critical (not just complementary) and just as invested as you in furthering their craft.
2. Stay on the bus. (I can't remember who coined this phrase for me, but I wrote it on a sticky note.) You never know when your YES will come. But you do know it will never come if you don’t ask for it. So participate in everything you are able, even if the little voice inside says “is this worth it?” Yes, it is always worth it.
3. "Keep it simple. Make it sing." Another sticky note mantra that I don't remember the origin of. Picture books are meant to be read aloud to children and this phrase helps me focus on that during revisions.

Links, More Fun, Extensions for Families and Everyone!

Pinterest board
Lots of ideas for resources to go along with MISS MACDONALD

YouTube playlist full of various versions of Old MacDonald, songs about growing plants, the farm to table experience, and more!

PBJamz Snack

When strawberries and milk come directly from farm to table, this milkshake will be even better! Healthy, natural, and delicious! If you're growing (or buying from your local farmers' market) peaches or blueberries, etc., you can substitute those for the strawberries. You can find the base recipe here, and then have fun playing with it!

Guest Links and Giveaways

www.kaleegwarjanski.com

Twitter/X

Amazon

Linktree

Order at my local indy! Custom signing available

Miss MacDonald Has A Farm Picture Book Trailer
Website - Free Coloring Pages
Request a FREE custom signed bookplate
Twitter

Roarin 24s Group

Kalee has generously offered a winner's choice! Will you choose a picture book manuscript critique or a classroom zoom for a GIVEAWAY if you win? To be eligible, simply leave a comment below. One winner will be chosen on Thursday, April 18. You have until 11:59 PM EST on Wednesday, April 17 to comment and be eligible for the prize!

7 Comments

PBJamz

This page is the official space for PBJamz -- multimedia Jamorama celebrating all things PB (picture books) and Jamz (music), although we'll indulge in the other PBJ snacks where appropriate :-). Join us each Thursday for new content connecting picture books and music!

Spotlightingpicture books (PB)withmusical hooks (Jamz)

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RAINBOW OF FRIENDSHIP

Rainbows, positivity, music, and friendship . . .

RAINBOW OF FRIENDSHIP

A Little Jam. . .(The Music Kind)

Teacher Tips, Tricks and Topics

Tips and Topics for Music Teachers

Writing Prompts from Tonnye

Writing Tips from Joni

Links, More Fun, Extensions for Families and Everyone!

PBJamz Snack

Guest Links and Giveaways ​

MISS MCDONALD HAS A FARM

Down on the Farm chat with Kalee Gwarjanski

MISS MACDONALD HAS A FARM

A Little Jam. . .(The Music Kind)

Teacher Tips, Tricks and Topics

Tips and Topics for Music Teachers ​

Writing Prompts from Tonnye ​

Writing Tips from Kalee​

Links, More Fun, Extensions for Families and Everyone!

PBJamz Snack

Guest Links and Giveaways

PBJamz

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Categories

Spotlighting
picture books (PB)
with
musical hooks (Jamz)

Guest Links and Giveaways

Tips and Topics for Music Teachers

Writing Prompts from Tonnye

Writing Tips from Kalee