MAC & CHEESE & THE PERSONAL SPACE INVADER

K Yin, congratulations!!!  You were winner #1!!!  You have won a copy of FIRST NOTES OF SPRING by Jessica Kulekjian!!
Gennie Gorback, congratulations!!! You were winner #2!!! You have won a copy of A HOME NAMED WALTER
Thanks again to Tara Trudel for the generous prizes and a fabulous interview!

Video interview with Annie Lynn and Jolene Gutierrez

I hope you'll join us for a conversation that encompasses so much -- music, guinea pigs, SEL, teaching, writing songs, singing, integration, the power of the arts, and other stuff, too ;-).  These two ladies have become more than writing colleagues, and Kidlit pals.  They have become friends. Come hang with us for a while.  You might learn something new, or you might not, but you're bound to have fun!  We sure did!

​PB (Picture Book Tasting)
​MAC & CHEESE & THE PERSONAL SPACE INVADER

Mac and Cheese are delightful secondary characters that are sure to steal your heart, as they did Oliver's!  He wants to learn to be a good friend, and who better to serve as models than Mac and Cheese!  They're BFFs for sure!  Unfortunately, when Oliver applies his scientific observations on the friendship of guinea pigs to his own budding friendships, things don't go quite so well.  A book of friendship, being an action scientist, SEL strategies, honoring personal space, and more!  There's a bit of Spanish, a lot of guinea pig love, and a lesson to learn with a hula hoop!   Check out the teaching tips below and the links section for so many amazing ways to use this book in the classroom, the music classroom, your family read-aloud time, or your homeschool.
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MAC AND CHEESE AND THE PERSONAL SPACE INVADER 
written by Jolene Gutierrez
illustrated by Heather Bell
published by Spork publishing

A Little Jam. . .(The Music Kind)
Space Creator (an SEL song)

Using bubbles to create space, being a friend, what it means to have, honor, and maintain personal space!  This song is full of great tips, fun motions, call and response which makes it easy for kids to join in right away so they can learn and internalize what it means to be a "Space Creator"!

Teacher Tips/Curriculum Tie-ins

• Jolene has a great teaching guide and other resources for teachers here!
• Integrate SEL -- Personal space/friendship strategies
• Friendship unit
• Integrate Science -- Guinea pigs 
  • Life cycle
  • Pet care
  • Classification
  • Bring in guinea pigs for observation (if allowed by your district)
    • Compare and contrast with Mac and Cheese 
      • Venn diagram
      • 2-column chart
      • writing activity
• Integrate Science -- Scientific observation/notetaking
• Integrate PE 
  • Hula hoop activities

Tips and Topics for Music Teachers

• Use the song "Be a Space Creator" (linked above).  
  • Sing along
  • Add movements
  • Add instruments
• Other personal space songs (see the YouTube playlist in the links section)
• Friendship songs (see the YouTube playlist)
• Guinea pig songs
• Hula Hoop songs/acitivites (see the YouTube playlist)

Writing Prompts/Author Tips

Writing Prompts from Tonnye:

1. How to Be a Friend
2. Why is personal space important?
3. (non-fiction) Guinea Pigs
4. If you could rename Mac and Cheese, what would you call them and why?
5. Would you be friends with Oliver?  Why or why not?
6. How to Hula Hoop
7. Write about a special friend.
8. Write about a time you had difficulty with friendship
9. Write about a time you didn't honor personal space or someone didn't honor yours.
10. Write about why you think the hula hoop helps with personal space.
11. Title:  THE GREAT HULA HOOP MISADVENTURE
12. Title:  THE CLASS PETS

Writing Prompts from Jolene:

1. ·      Write about a friendship mistake you’ve made.
2. ·      “How to” be a good friend.
3. ·      “How to” practice respect for others’ personal space.
4. ·      If you have access to animals, observe them. How is their personal space bubble different or the same to yours?
5. ·      Write about a time when a teacher gave you advice.
6. ·      Write about your favorite animal.
7. ·      Create your own Spanish dictionary with words from the book or other words you know.
8. ·      Write a letter to Oliver or to Mac and Cheese.
9. ·      Create a recipe for a snack that Mac and Cheese would like.
10. ·      Write your own personal space song.

Writing Advice from Jolene for those of us trying to get published:
Immerse yourself in books! Visit your favorite independent bookstore or go to your library and find recent books in the genres you write. I read these books to myself, I read them aloud to kids, and I type up the text of my favorite mentor books to get a feel for rhythm, language, and page turns.
 
Immerse yourself in the KidLit community! The KidLit community is active in a variety of places across social media, around the Internet, and locally, if you’re lucky. Look for critique groups, join SCBWI, find KidLit contests, etc. These are all amazing ways to connect, learn, and grow!
 
Give yourself grace. The world is tough enough, so don’t be tough on yourself. You may not be able to write every day. That’s OK. You’re a rockstar for following your dreams!
 
Reject the idea of writer’s block. If you feel stuck in your writing, consider trying to write a different genre, level, or topic. Or do other work, like creating your author website, researching a new idea, or critiquing someone else’s writing.

Songwriting Advice from AnnieLynn:
Annie asked me to repost Tara's excellent songwriting tips, and states that she totally concurs with Tara's suggestions.  Annie shares a couple of addendums at the bottom of Tara's tips:

A Simple 6 Step Songwriting Method from Tara Trudel:

1. Find the Hook - I like to start with a title. Song titles can create a strong feeling, express an opinion, establish a time/place/memory, or just be fun to say. A great title immediately gives your song a topic and a short, punchy lyrical phrase to build your chorus around. 

2. Brainstorm - Once I choose a title, I create a word bank where I write a list of words or short phrases related to my title. When I have a lot of options, I go back through this list and look for possible rhymes to play with in the lyrics. 

3. Write the Chorus - A simple chorus can be really effective. Repetition is a powerful songwriting tool, especially in the chorus. (Just think about how many times you've had "We Don't Talk About Bruno, no no no/We Don't Talk About Bruno" stuck in your head!) 

4. Keep the Verses Consistent - If you're new to songwriting, it's best to write verses in groups of four lines. Verses typically have the same rhyme scheme and a similar line length in each repetition. 

5. Break It Up With The Bridge - The bridge is a section where you can switch up your rhyme scheme and melody and experiment with something new. This shift in the lyrics and melody helps drive the song home to its final chorus. 

6. Collaborate - Songwriting is often a collaborative art form. If you don't have a music background, you can always work with a musician to set your lyrics to music. I've also had a lot of success following the above formula to write group songs with students in the classroom. ​


Addendums by Annie Lynn:


3. Write the Chorus - A simple chorus can be really effective. Repetition is a powerful songwriting tool, especially in the chorus. (Just think about how many times you've had "We Don't Talk About Bruno, no no no/We Don't Talk About Bruno" stuck in your head!) Annie adds: The chorus is also a great place to put the takeaway message since it is repeated often. 4. Keep the Verses Consistent - If you're new to songwriting, it's best to write verses in groups of four lines. Verses typically have the same rhyme scheme and a similar line length in each repetition. Annie adds: I recently found that writing verses for non-fiction requires a minimum of 8 lines (probably for 2nd grade & up). I ran into the same problem that NF writers have…too much “important” info is “needed” to tell the story! Is there such a thing as Musical Back Matter? Actually yes….and Front Matter too. I like to encourage Students to write a spoken dialogue in the beginning of the song, to set up the scene & use any info still needed that didn’t make it into the musical part of the song. This can also be done at the end of the song. This is where humor works great. A funny parting line will all but ensure that they remember the song and its contents. Sometimes this process leads to writing a mini musical. There are kids who would love to take that concept and work on it with other Student collaborators (I was one of them as a kid) including writers & artists that enjoy set design and costume making. You’ve got magic to make! You can do it!

Links, More Fun, Extensions for Families and Everyone!

YouTube playlist with songs and activities related to MAC AND CHEESE AND THE PERSONAL SPACE INVADER (Hula hoop songs/activities, Personal space songs, guinea pig music,  and friendship songs!)

Pinterest board full of more activities to teach, practice, and apply friendship strategies, personal space, guinea pigs, hula hoops and more!

Jolene's teaching guide/teacher resources

PBJamz Snack -- Peanut Butter & Jelly Granola Bars (Make ahead for a perfect school morning breakfast!)

If you're heading off to school like Oliver, you need a delicious and nutritious breakfast.  These healthy granola bars fit the bill perfectly!   Make a batch ahead so they are ready to grab on the way out the door or pack up for a healthy snack in your little's lunch box. Better yet, make it a weekend cooking activity WITH your littles and then breakfast is done for the week, you've spent quality time, instilled a love of being in the kitchen and cooking healthy food, AND taught a bunch of skills in context (like measuring, small & large motor skills, mixing, pouring, etc. Oh, and vocabulary too! ;-). Way to multi-task!  You rock at this parenting thing! 
Recipe 

Guest Links and Giveaways

Annie Lynn's links/info:
Twitter
YouTube
Website
Instagram

Jolene's links/info:
​Twitter
Instagram
Website
Facebook
YouTube
​

TWO Awesome Giveaways! TWO Lucky Winners!
To be eligible, comment below on this blog post.  Winners will be drawn at random from comments.  Please indicate in your comment if you are a teacher/homeschool teacher to be entered in Annie's giveaway.

From Jolene:  Your choice of
a copy of MAC & CHEESE & THE PERSONAL SPACE INVADER or
a PB manuscript critique (less than 800 words)
or
Zoom call (class visit for a teacher or publishing chat with author)

From Annie Lynn:  A jump drive with Space Creator song and lots of other amazing kids' songs that are perfect for use in the classroom or your homeschool!