A song and a Shel . . .

My kids love music.  I like to ensure that they hear it in many forms.  This includes good a capella.  Recently, that has come to mean I have incorporated The Warblers (from Glee).  The boys have always enjoyed Train's hit "Hey, Soul Sister" especially The Warblers version.

As much as the kids love to sing, and as expressive as they are, both (especially Alex, it seems) can be a bit shy if someone is caught watching them.  This has been most noticeable in the car because the kid can tell that the rearview mirror adjustment is intended to watch him.  Recently, however, Heidi got him on camera using her phone.  Unbeknownst to him, she was watching.  Below is a link to Alex singing.  Enjoy.  The boy can enunciate.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSazFf3rH4g

Owen's show-n-share for this week is to talk about his favorite author.  He has chosen Shel Silverstein.  I asked him what he wanted to learn about him; below is what Owen and I found.  The students didn't need to do this, but in the midst of three track meets this week, I thought it would be some of the best time I could have with him this week.  He quickly identified some things he wanted to know, so we worked from there.  The title is his, and I must admit, as an English teacher, it was fun to help him see the importance of citing his sources . . .

News about Shel Silverstein

By Owen Pries

He was born in Chicago on September 25, 1930.  He died on May 10, 1999.

He was a poet, singer, song-writer, musician, composer, cartoonist, screenwriter, and author of children’s books.

He wrote over 400 poems and 11 children’s books.

His books have sold over 20 million copies.

His favorite book was Lafcadio, the Lion Who Shot Back.

My favorite is A Light in the Attic.  I also like The Giving Tree.

I used Wikipedia and shelsilverstein.com to find my information.

So, yeah . . . that's kinda what's been happening around here lately.  They grow up fast, but the tree (and the Dad) is happy.