Singapore Part II

Raffles

Raffles Hotel, home of the Singapore Sling

We treated ourselves to a Singapore Sling at Raffles.
No we did not stay here ;)

Singapore Art Museum

Langkawi

We had a four night stay at the Berjaya Langkawi Resort.

A little monkey business. 

We rang in the New Year with a Pirate's Party on the beach.

Chinatown

Colonial Buildings

Paper Cut-outs

Curry Chicken Noodle

Chicken rice, yum!

To be continued...

Singapore Part I

Did I mention that I went to Singapore for the holidays???!!! I was initially very nervous about this trip because I'm afraid of flying (though I force myself to get on a plane about once a year). The twenty-plus hour journey was all that I could think about, and having to do that twice, because I would eventually need to get home, gave me anxiety. My husband, however, rarely asks to plan a vacation, and this was a big deal because I would be meeting my mother-in-law's family. I know to some this sounds crazy. Countless people would have packed a bag as soon as the opportunity presented itself. I am a worrier by nature though, so I had to do that before calming myself down, thinking more rationally, and eventually relenting and saying yes. Thank you, thank you, Lim for making me brave enough to venture outside of my comfort zone. This was truly an amazing experience. Even the twenty-plus hour journey.

Layover at Dubai International Airport

Dates, dates and more dates... 

Sweet Treats: I have yet to try Turkish delight, but it always reminds me
of the book The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

A variety of Baklava

Jars filled with herbs and spices

Lovely bottles of rose water

Camel milk chocolate

Gardens by the Bay

My first meal in Singapore

I tried stingray! It tasted like cod :)

This could be straight out of Avatar. That amazing building in the background is the Marina Bay Sands. 

The Supertrees at Gardens by the Bay

So much gorgeous greenery and plant life

The Flower Dome at Gardens by the Bay

Inside the Flower Dome,
all decked out in it's Christmas finest.

Christmas Village

Man-made mountain and waterfall in the Cloud Forest

The Marina Bay Sands all lit up

The Supertrees at night

To be continued...

Art Journal: Bronze Sharpie

Playing with compliments and metallic marker ...

P.S. I'll be posting Singapore pics next week. Have a great weekend!

Making a Reading Life

Picture Book Biographies

It's a happy new year and that means it's time to get back into the groove of things. I've been missing in action since late December when I flew to Singapore!!! for a Family Christmas Holiday! (More on Singapore next week.) I am so ready to find my rhythm and get back to art journaling, classes, reading, taking walks (when the weather permits), exploring the city, cooking, laundry, ... and sharing it all here. Well, maybe not the laundry bit, but any who...

I had a lovely little catch up with some of my 3rd grade, teacher friends last week, and as talk inevitably finds it's way back to the classroom, they informed me that they were working on biographies in reading. Yay, biographies! I love teaching this unit, and I love using picture book biographies to get the kiddos excited and ready. These are some of my favorites right now. I also snuck in two chapter books from the "Who Was ____ ?" series that my teaching partner incorporated into the lessons last year. They are becoming quite popular, with new titles every time I visit a book shop. Most importantly, the kids love them!

The Boy Who Drew Birds by Jacqueline Davies

 Balloons Over Broadway by Melissa Sweet

A River of Words and The Right Word by Jen Bryant

 All of these wonderful picture books were illustrated by Melissa Sweet, one of my favorite children's book illustrators. I love how she incorporates painting and collage into her artwork. You can visit her website here and her educator page here.

Who Was Series

   

Art Journal: Protea

This page was inspired by a flower I fell in love with while studying the geography of South Africa with my third graders. My favorite part of teaching is what I learn along the way.

Happy New Year!!!

Doodling with Joanne Sharpe

Two more doodles from this online workshop.

Winter has just begun and I'm already thinking about sunshine and flowers!

One more class completed!