Congratulations, Steena Hernandez!  You are the winner of the Zoom session with Jeni Chen!  

and. . . .

Congratulations, Jany Campana!  You are the winner of digital art from Jeni Chen!

I'll connect you all so you can work out details! Thanks for your support of Jeni and PBJamz!  Enjoy your prizes!

I sat down, via Zoom, with retired professor, author, and musician Kimberly Gordon Biddle.  Kimberly has written 3 picture books (linked in Guest Links and Giveaways section), along with some textbooks in her field of child development.  She also challenges herself to write a song to go with each book, including the one we're focusing on for the next couple of weeks!  Check the song out in the Jams section below!  Make sure you comment on the blog post to enter to win a signed book or a Zoom visit with Kimberly!

And stay tuned next week to the blog for part 2 -- teaching tips, writing prompts and more -- all related to Kimberly's book and her accompanying song!

The Double Dutch competition is at stake.  Can Darlene become the Double Dutch Queen?  Her feet get tangled and she keeps messing up.  But when push comes to shove, can Darlene do it?  With the right motivation, Darlene learns to step in to hard things and stay one jump ahead in this picture book by Kimberly Gordon Biddle. Kids who love jumping rope, whether they're double dutchers or not will enjoy this story full of can-do attitudes, and stepping in when people are counting on you.  Darlene not only becomes the queen, but the hero, too, of her own story!

Click on the link to get to the song Kimberly wrote for this story called Darlene the Double Dutch Queen

​Enjoy the song and the other resources available via Kimberly's website!  

I hope you enjoy working Kimberly's book into your classroom!  Here are some options:

• SEL -- Discuss how you handle/ new strategies for:
  • When you can't do something well
  • When pressure is high
  • When you need to perform well and you're nervous
• SEL -- How did dreams help Darlene?  Why are things easier in our dreams? How can we make our positive dreams come true?
• Social Studies -- History of Double Dutch
• Phys. Ed. -- Try some Double Dutch techniques
• Reading --
  • BME (Beginning/Middle/End)
  • Problem/Solution
  • Character sketch of Darlene 
• Language use
  • Onomatopoeia
  • Figurative language
  • Strong verbs (twirl, jump, dream, etc.)
    • Locate them
    • Act them out
• Comprehension
  • Drawing inferences -- what is the situation with the mom?  How do you know?  Cite text evidence.

Rhythm is really the musical key to everything in this story!  Rhythm is ever-present: the rhythm of the chants, the rhythm of the ropes, using the rhythm/internalizing it to be able to jump.

This book would be a great way to introduce and talk about the difference in rhythm and beat (or jump rope in general.). The rope must maintain the steady beat.  If it's not steady, it will mess up whomever is jumping and they won't be able to jump well.  It must be steady, even, and consistent.  The chants are where the rhythm comes in.  They have long and short sounds, pauses, and words overlaying the steady beat of the rope.  

Possible lesson ideas:

• Write your own double dutch (or jump rope) chants.  Take turns jumping each person's chant.
• Analyze well known chants; match them up to musical rhythm with sounds or notation.
• Discuss how chants differ from songs or poems, etc.
• Watch Double Dutch routines.  Point out the steady beat vs. rhythm
• Let students try their hand at Double Dutch.
• Allow students to tap the steady beat along with Double Dutch chants/performances, etc.  Or allow them to use simple percussion instruments.
• Use Kimberly's song in class to reinforce the story, or to sing along.
• After listening to the author's song, allow students to try their hand at a chorus or verse and chorus of their own based on the story.
• Do a variation on the author's melody.  What if you changed the style? Tempo? Rhythm?

1.  Write about a dream you have -- something you'd like to be able to do, but you can't -- YET.
2.  Write about a time you were sick or someone close to you was sick.
3.  Darlene was the middle child in her family and she didn't feel like there was anything special about her.  Write about your place in your family and what makes you special.
4.Write your own jump rope or double dutch chants.
5. Write your own song to match the story.
6. Write a letter to yourself, telling how to do something that is hard for you.  What strategies should you try?  What should you do when you feel like giving up?
7.  Write a how-to article for "How to Jump Rope" or "How to Do Double Dutch"
8. Write an acrostic poem using your name.  Each line should begin with one of the letters of your name.
9. Make a list of 10 things you can do when things aren't going right and/or you're feeling overwhelmed.
​10.  Write about an interesting dream you had.
​11. Write about why you think Darlene was finally able to double dutch.  What changed?
​

If you're going to spend  some time double-dutch jumping, you might need a yummy hand-held snack.  This one fits the bill -- and it's vegan and gluten-free, too!  A delicious way to build up your strength for some serious jump-time.  PBJ all the way. Jump in, jump out. Hey, hey, hey!

​You can find the recipe here, courtesy of Sarah Bakes Gluten Free.  I haven't tried these ones on my own yet, but they look quite delicious!  If you give them a try, leave a comment below and let us know  how you like them!

Kimberly's website

Twitter

Facebook

​Instagram

​Goodreads

Amazon links for Kimberly's books


Kimberly has offered 2 prizes for this episode of PBJamz, which will be available through 11:59 PM EST on Wednesday, July 6.  To be eligible for giveaways, leave a comment on this episode any time before then.  I will draw 2 random winners for a copy of (any one of) Kimberly's picture book, and a (separate winner for a) Zoom  session with her.

Angel Gantnier, you are the winner of a signed copy of ROCK STAR RECESS!
​
Nelly Nunez, you are the winner of a zoom session with Patrick and Emily!

Congratulations to BOTH of you!  Thanks so much to Patrick and Emily for joining me and sharing about ROCK STAR RECESS!  You both ROCK, too! :-). I'll connect you all and hope you enjoy your awesome prizes!


Starting this week, episodes of PBJamz will air in segments. This episode will begin Thursday, June 9 and will conclude Wednesday, June 22, which means you have 2 weeks to get your comments in and enjoy this episode before a new one airs! Stay tuned next week for tips for elementary teachers, and music teachers, writing prompts, and a yummy PBJ recipe!

This is a creative conversation you do NOT want to miss!  Not only is Jeni absolutely charming, but she is full of great information and beautiful insights about finding our spark! We talk art, music, writing, teaching, and more.  If you've lost your creative spark, if you're a music teacher, artist, art teacher, if you haven't yet found your "element" (Watch the video to see what I mean), this one is for you!  I'm pretty sure you'll be blessed!  Be sure to leave a comment to be eligible for Jeni's prizes (Yes, plural!  There are two prizes!  Check out the Giveaway section to see what Jeni is offering! :-))

What a lovely book!  Jeni helps us see the world through Emet's eyes -- at first full of color, zest, vibrance, and LIFE.  Then, as he loses touch with his artistic creativity, his world changes to grayscale -- literally and figuratively!  When his grandparents give him an art set, he 's reminded of how much he loves art, and rekindles the spark.  Once his world is full of color again, he's equipped to help others regain their own zest for life. It's a wonderful book for kids, but it's also a wonderful book for adults!  Whether your zest/element/passion is art, music, handcrafts, welding, travel, gardening or something totally different, my wish for you is that you find and maintain your connection to your creativity -- whatever that looks like.  This book will inspire you to do just that!

A fun little movement song whose lyrics and movements inspire you to be creative and use your imagination.  Check out the YouTube playlist for more songs, activities, music, conversation, and art to light the spark in your classroom, your family, your home, your art studio, your music-making area . . . bring on the creativity, and then let it flow, and don't ever let it go!

This book is all about creativity, arts, and imagination!
I highly encourage you to watch the TedTalk that Jeni refers to and reflect on your own teaching practice.  I'm definitely looking at changing some things up to foster more creativity in my students in the coming years.

• Integrate the arts 
  • music
  • visual art
  • drama
  • dance
• Offer student choice as much as possible
• Allow open-ended activities and out-of-the box problem-solving
• Excellent article with tips for creativity
• Another helpful article about fostering creativity
• Here's an article for you, as teacher, to foster and develop your own creativity
• There are lots more tips in the Pinterest board and in the YouTube playlist.  Access them in the links section below!

This book presents the perfect time to do an arts mash-up to explore creativity on a whole new level.  In addition to the specific ideas in the YouTube playlist and Pinterest board, consider these ideas for using EMET'S BOX in the music classroom.

• Since the girl in the book plays violin, it's a great time to listen to some beautiful violin music.  You could do a comparison between classical violin and Lindsay Stirling, or just focus on some of your favorite violin music.
• To add another artistic/creative level, give students art supplies and allow them to create based on the music.  There are lots of ways to do this.  One of my favorites is to play a minute or so of music, giving students a black crayon to move it across the page with swirls and flourishes, crossing over, however the music moves them.  Then, continue to play music and allow them to color each section a different color or however the music sounds to them.  Check out the Pinterest board for other ways to blend art and music.
• This book also creates a great space for allowing students to create in many other ways
  • Let them create their own scarf/ribbon/plate routine to a piece of music.  (I did this last year with the same  piece of music over 3 weeks.  You could extend it even longer if you wanted.  The first week, they explored and played around with different moves, but as they got more familiar with the music, their moves matched better and better.  By week 3, lots of them had really nice little scarf routines.
  • You could do the same thing with movement.  For younger kids, you could teach them 3-4 moves, but let them put them together however the music moves them.
  • For older, more advanced kids, they could create a movement sequence.  You could allow them to group themselves or you could group them and give each group a section to choreograph.  This would tie in beautifully with a study of form.
• Another fun way to explore creativity is to sing songs in different ways/voices:
  • like a mermaid
  • like a grumpy old man/woman
  • like a chipmunk
  • etc. . . .
• Composing is a natural expression of creativity.  In lower grades, using shapes, colored stickers, or musical notation if they're ready, allow them to create  their own measure.  Put the measures together to create a rhythmic song, or switch this up a bunch of ways: 4 measures, choose instruments, layer instruments, etc.
• In older grades, with pitched instruments, let them use the note/fingerings they've learned to create their own melody.
• A very simple way to integrate creativity with listening is just to allow them to listen to a piece of music without telling them anything about it and ask them what they visualized or to draw what it made them think about.
• Take music outside if you have Ann area of concrete and use sidewalk chalk for self-expression.
• Play a simple melody and let them create words to go along.
• The idea is to allow students to be creative in ways you don't normally, to think outside the box.

Here are my top 3 tips for beginning author + illustrator
1. Learn the craft. 
After I had the idea for Emet’s Box, I took two picture book illustration classes at my local art school. I learned how to make dummy books and how page turns play an important part in the storytelling. Another thing I learned in my classes was the interplay between words and images. For example, the words can mean one thing and the pictures show a totally different thing. 
I also learned a lot about the craft of making picture books and about publishing by joining my local SCBWI. The support and encouragement of the people I met at my local SCBWI were invaluable.
2. Write down your ideas!
I wrote down the first draft of Emet’s Box at dawn, in the dark, on pieces of scrap papers. I didn’t work on the story until 2 years later. If I hadn’t written it down, I would’ve forgotten about it and it wouldn’t exist today as a published picture book. Another thing I learned from writing lots of proposals to artist calls is that people can feel it when your writing is coming from your heart. When it got tough and I almost gave up on Emet’s Box, I went back to my first draft and remembered why I wanted to tell the story in the first place. That initial inspiration helped me persevered and I think people can feel your heart in your story.
 3. Appreciate where you are now in your journey
I sent out a bunch of dummy books to publishers around the time the pandemic hit at the beginning of 2020. I hadn’t heard back for several months so I check the publishers’ websites and all of them said they stopped looking at submissions because of the pandemic. I remembered sitting at home, during lock down and appreciating the time I had to re-read all my favorite books and having my family with me.  It was a genuine feeling of satisfaction that stood out to me. Shortly after, Emet’s Box was picked up by my publisher The Little Press. 

​I believe that our feelings and emotions are energies that let us know if we are on the right track. When I am writing or drawing or just sitting on the sofa and if I feel that energy of love, inspiration, contentment, I know I am onto something.

I keep adding to Pinterest and YouTube, so feel free to save the boards and playlists or bookmark them to come back to later.

The Pinterest board is full of all sorts of creative activities -- art, music, a blend of the two, and more ways to cultivate and express your creative element. There are options for families, classrooms, music, and more!

The same is true for the YouTube playlist.  Choose whatever works for your situation, and enjoy diving into creativity -- again, or for the first time!

Here is the Ted talk that Jeni referenced in the interview.

The ultimate creativity foray for PBJ lovers -- make it into a snack board!  Here's one version:  https://thebakermama.com/recipes/pbj-snack-board/
All credit to the Baker mama for this photo and this fabulous idea!  You can check out her other recipes at: thebakermama.com
But, in true creative, imaginative style, you can do this one any way you want to.  Put out a bowl of peanut butter, a few selections of jams/jellies with various breads, crackers, fruits, chocolate, veggies, pretzels, popcorn, etc. and let everyone get as creative as they dare with all the PBJ loveliness!  What creations will you make?  How about your kids?  No holds barred.  Let your creativity run wild and see what amazing combos and creations you love!

Jessica Hinrichs
Congratulations!  You are the winner of a copy of CLARINET & TRUMPET by Melanie Ellsworth!  Thanks so much for all of your support for PBJamz!  I know you'll enjoy the book!  Thank you Melanie for joining me on PBJamz and for your generosity!  I'll connect the two of you on Twitter to arrange for prize delivery!!!

Join us as we talk writing, music, illustration, teaching, teamwork and more!  I had a great conversation with Patrick Baggatta (author) and Emily Mullock (illustrator) of the book ROCK STAR recess, published by Union Street Kids. Join three precocious kids and their friends as they explore their rock star dreams over recess!  There's something in this conversation -- and this book, for everyone.  Keep reading below for writing tips and prompts, teaching ideas for regular classrooms and music classrooms, and even a perfect concert snack below!  Rock on!

This book is a wide-open, colorful, rollicking story of  three precocious characters and a host of friends and how they tried to rock their dreams -- all at recess!  When the main character decides she's had enough "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star", she freestyles an idea to make things a bit more colorful and energetic, but with all the distractions and things screaming for their attention, they might have forgotten the most important part of their dreams. Will they pull off their rock star status or will the lights fade to a twinkle?

This is a fun little rockin' version of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.  There are more great music and videos in the YouTube playlist linked below in the Links section where you can choose your own favorite, share them with your favorite kids, integrate them into music lessons and more!

There are quite a few ELA objectives that you could use this book to target:

• Onomatopoeia
• Dialogue
• Drawing conclusions/inferences
  • "The Sensitive One"
  • "The Sensible One"

There are also some wider concepts that would be beautiful  to teach in a classroom setting:

• The Power of Teamwork
• Following Your Dreams
• The importance of preparation

Since the book focuses on "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star", pairing lots of activities for Twinkle Twinkle is a great idea!  Check out the YouTube playlist and the Pinterest board for lots of specific ideas to enhance the book experience using Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, including:

• singing
• dancing
• playing
  
  • Boomwhackers
    
  • recorders
    
  • piano
• variations
• rewriting lyrics
• note-reading
• history of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star (very fascinating, BTW)

Also, as you can tell from the title, the book focuses on an elementary school "rock band", so this would also be a great time to introduce Rock as a musical genre.  There are lots of ways you could do this:

• Create lessons based on individual rock stars: guitarists, vocalists, percussionists, etc.
• Focus on specific rock bands
• Trace the history of rock to its roots
• Discuss and share examples of rock as a genre and its coordinating characteristics
• Listen to rock  versions of kid songs (including Twinkle. . .)

It would be a good time to do a unit (or a lesson or two, depending on the age range) of creating variations.  There are lots of great variations on the melody of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star!  You could listen to a lot of different variations, talking about which musical elements were changed in each.  Did they change the tempo?  The rhythms?  The instrumentation? The pitches?  How can you recognize a "theme" amidst the variations?  Allow students to change something to create their own variation on Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.

YouTube Playlist full of amazing varied versions of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, classical music connections, and fun activities for young aspiring "rock stars"!

Pinterest board full of tons of rock star fun, teaching tips, music activities and so much more!  Check it out here!

The History of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star:​ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twinkle,_Twinkle,_Little_Star

​I'm including this link here because it is FULL of great resources for Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, but please realize there is some misinformation, particularly  in her explanation of the meaning and alliteration.  (Alliteration is actually using the same beginning sounds in close proximity [Think of tongue twisters]. What I think the author was trying to refer to was similes -- figures of speech that compare unlike things using like or as. "like a diamond in the sky" is comparing the star with a diamond.). But she did amazing work putting together the resources, so do please go check this one out! 

A great summer project:
Go to a concert as a family.  Talk about the prep it must take and all of the people involved to make the concert happen.  *Can be any genre of music.  :-)

What better snack for a rock star concert than a yummy popcorn?  Well, I found the perfect PBJamz version of this snack -- PBJ popcorn!  You can try out the  recipe here from Something Swanky!  Enjoy it at a concert, with a movie, or just for an afternoon or evening snack.  Let me know in the comments if you try it out! :-)

Emily and Patrick have graciously and generously offered two prizes!  Comment below for a chance to win:
a signed copy of ROCK STAR RECESS -or-
a Zoom session (classroom visit for a teacher or a publishing conversation with author or illustrator)

Social Media Info: 

• Twitter: @EmilyMullock @pbaggatta77
• Instagram: @rockstarrecess 
• Website: www.friendsonthemoon.com

To purchase your very own copy of ROCK STAR RECESS

​Patrick began his writing career as an editor for popular magazines and websites such as Game Players, Next Generation, CNet, and PC Gamer. From there, he went on to write, edit, and contribute to multiple videogame narratives for Disney and other renowned publishers. Currently, Patrick and his creative partner are developing and writing scripts for original kids’ animation projects with major production studios. Rock Star Recess is his first children’s book, which is also in development as an animated special.
 
Emily has published two original children’s books called Go Away, Unicorn! and the sequel, Go Away, Unicorn! Doggone Magic, both of which are published by McKellar Martin and picked-up by Scholastic. Go Away, Unicorn! went on to become a TV series for Disney Channel. Emily also illustrated the children’s book Dude, published by Benjamin Brown Books. Emily has recently co-developed the story for Rock Star Recess. She is currently developing pitch bibles and co-writing scripts for original animated series in development with eOne, Nelvana, Wonderstorm, Toon2Tango, and Boat Rocker.