Anderson’s Bookshops (Naperville) is hosting their Fall Educator Extravaganza on October 20 at 3:00 pm. Spend the afternoon exploring phenomenal kid lit, and earn 1 free hour of professional development.
Reserve your free tickets before they are gone.
June 29, 2024
Last week, we had the distinct pleasure of experiencing the new interactive Wonder Woods Mini Golf at the Morton Arboretum. This charming, unique 9-hole golfing adventure is accessible for all visitors and the perfect outing for players age 4 and up. Wonder Woods Mini Golf is an unexpected summer treat.
—Jenn
When: Now to September 2, 2024
Hours: 10:00 a.m. to 6 p.m., last tee time 5:00 p.m.
**Please note that Wonder Woods Mini Golf will close at 4:00 p.m. on Friday, August 2. The last available tee time will be 3:00 p.m.
Tickets
Members
Child (ages 4 through 17): $6
Adult (age 18 and older): $8
Guests
Child (ages 4 through 17): $8
Adult (age 18 and older): $10
For those who are not members, Wonder Woods Mini Golf tickets must be purchased in addition to Arboretum general admission. Children aged 2 and older require a general admission ticket to enter the Arboretum; infants under the age of 2 are admitted for free.
Location
4100 Illinois Route 53, Lisle, IL 60532
After a day of sunshine and waves, make certain to stop by Cabanas Ice Cream and indulge your sweet tooth. Cabanas serves up the ultimate ice cream; pastries; pies; cakes; milkshakes & smoothies; coffees and candies. Warm temperatures are no match for the family friendly seating and service.
Hours: Monday thru Friday 10:00 am to 10:00 pm
Location: 512 Broad St, St Joseph, Michigan 49085
Anderson’s Bookshop is bringing K-8 educators & #kidlit creators back together in the Chicago suburbs for a day-and-a half of community, learning, and celebration of all things literacy! Anderson’s Bookshops gives a 20% discount to items educators purchase for their classrooms or libraries, and this will be honored at LITapalooza. As an added bonus, educators will earn CPUDs.
Hope to see you there!
—Jenn
Who’s coming to LITapalooza 2024?
Keynote Speakers: Minh Lê and Dan Santat
**Your ticket includes a free signed copy of Built to Last, written by Minh Lê and illustrated by Dan Santat.
Guest Authors:
Vera Ahiyya, John David Anderson, Cale Atkinson, Tracey Baptiste, Bethany Barton, Cece Bell, Ashley Belote, Tadgh Bentley, Terry J. Benton-Walker, Valerie Bolling, Jessica Burkhart, Nidhi Chanani, Johnnie Christmas, Ben Clanton, Abby Cooper, Lindsay Currie, Sayantani DasGupta, Cori Doerrfeld, Antwan Eady, Vicky Fang, Saadia Faruqi, Josh Funk, Alyson Gerber, Chris Grabenstein, Andrew Hacket, Nathan Hale, Kate Hannigan, Mary Winn Heider, Jennifer L. Holm & Matthew Holm, Alan Katz, Lisa Katzenberger, Supriya Kelkar, Lily LaMotte, David LaRochelle, Kari Lavelle, Jarrett Lerner, Loren Long, Stephanie V.F. Lucianovic, Kekla Magoon, Laurie Morrison, Jamar Nicholas, Rex Ogle, Jarrett Pumphrey, Jerome Pumphrey, Rekha Rajan, Jean Reidy, Mae Respicio, Michael Rex, Barb Rosenstock, Katherine, Roy, Blythe Russo, Sarah Sax, John Schu, Stephen Shaskan, Sheetal Sheth, Cynthia Leitich Smith, Esme Symes-Smith, Ruth Spiro, Elly Swartz, Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow, Jana Tropper, Refe & Susan Tuma, Colleen AF Venable, Jasmine Warga, & Kaz Windness!
Schedule
**Lunch – A variety of food trucks will be available to purchase lunch and snacks throughout day 1. You can also have lunch on your own.
Morning (located right outside the auditorium):
Lunch Food Trucks
Location
Where: Neuqua Valley High School, 2360 95th Street, Naperville, IL
As a Teaching Safari Alum, I encourage K-12 educators to participate in the upcoming fall workshop. Brookfield Zoo Teaching Safari is a free professional learning opportunity for teachers that consists of four full-day, onsite sessions at Brookfield Zoo (two weekdays and two Saturdays) and two 60-minute virtual sessions. In addition to attending and participating in these classes, participants will engage in ongoing reflection on professional growth, and create and revise a lesson plan applying program content to practice. Content and strategies explored on the Teaching Safari are informed by Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), Common Core State Standards (CCSS), and the Danielson Framework.
Attendees can earn 2 semester hours graduate credit (Dominican University) or 35 professional development hours.
The application window for the Fall Safari 2024 is opens May 20 and closes August 22.
Seats are limited so apply early!
May 2, 2024
Greetings Earthlings!
Our favorite coffee shop has taken flight and expects to “land and open the hatch this Friday (May 3).”
Load up your spaceship, fly on over, and enjoy a conversation over coffee that will be truly out of this world.
Tuesday, April 26, 2024
Dearest Tree Hugging Readers,
It is with TREE-mendous excitement that I am sharing Arbor Day literature and resources.
My love affair of trees dates back to my earliest childhood memories. Our family planted and cared for a variety of fruit trees. Apple, peach, pear, cherry, and plum trees provided shade on sunny days; fresh juicy snacks; and sweet confections that were canned or baked. As we grew, so did the trees.
When my daughter was younger, we became members of the Morton Arboretum in Lisle. Our summers were spent under the shade trees beside Meadow Lake. It was there that we played cards; drew pictures; ate picnic lunches, and escaped the noise of the world.
May this Arbor Day bring your family back to the forest.
—-Jenn 🌳
Literature for Young Sapling 🌱
Literature for Mature Trees 🌳
Resources
Tuesday, April 9, 2024 – National Unicorn Day
Breaking News…there was a rare unicorn sighting early this morning. If you were driving to work and witnessed this magical event, rest assured you were not alone. Thelma the Unicorn once again joined me in the carpool lane. We journeyed to the magical Land of Wonder & Academia. Truly the absolute best part of teaching is the unique holidays that make us giggle and take pause. Today, we explored these mystical creatures. How could I not share my Scottish heritage with my scholars?
Fun Fact: Scotland’s National Animal is the Unicorn.
Literature
May this curated list bring you joy, wonder and dreams of glittering unicorns.
**Please note: At this time, I am not affiliated with the bookshop links above (wink, wink I would love the opportunity). Direct links are included for your convenience.
The 38th Annual Scottish Festival & Highland Games
WHEN
June 14-15, 2024
Friday: 1:00pm-10:00pm
Saturday: 9:00am-10:00pm
WHERE (New location this year.)
DuPage County Fairgrounds
2015 Manchester Road
Wheaton, IL 60187
March 16, 2024
Dearest Educators & Colleagues,
Are you in need of ISBE clock hours and fresh NGSS aligned lessons? If you responded “yes”, then click the link below.
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) has a plethora of workshops this Spring & Summer. Clear your schedule and take advantage of these affordable professional development opportunities.
—Jenn
conversations-over-coffee.blog 