Showing posts with label Jane. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jane. Show all posts

Friday, November 13, 2015

Friday Freebie: What Does Dr. Seuss Have to do with Dick, Jane and Sally?

en.wikipedia.org

Last Saturday, I referenced the Dick and Jane readers in my post. In looking for a picture to accompany the post, I stumbled across this article. While reading about the clashes between educational philosophies was familiar (as long as there are educators, there will be philosophy wars), I'm glad I my elementary school chose to hold on to Dick and Jane. I've often wondered if I'd have learned to read as quickly if I'd had to suffer through phonics. In fact, 35 years later, the whole word approach proved useful with my daughter as well.

If you, like me, grew up on Dick, Jane, Sally, Spot and Puff, I hope you enjoy Mental Floss's fun facts as much as I did.

Saturday, November 7, 2015

Saturday Special: Too Many Books, Too Little Space

Karen Arnold via freepik.com
I've loved reading since Dick and Jane ran with Spot. I don't remember my book collection overtaking my space when I was a kid, but then again, when I was in middle school, we moved to a house with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, giving me plenty of space for my Nancy Drew collection -- and then some.

In my lifetime, I've worked in three different bookstores, and I trace the origins of my "too many books, too little space" conundrum back to those jobs, which fed my inner book collector -- sometimes at the expense of my bank account.

Our house is a Cape Cod, so when I wanted to find resources about organizing books, I was excited to find posts on the Apartment Therapy site, where they specialize in fun ideas for small spaces. And, in a decision that matches my bookstore behavior, I couldn't decide, so I'm posting both.

The first is an article (with great pictures) that explores various ways to organize books, depending on your style (I had to grab that one!); the second, geared to a weekend project approach has videos. Both provide ideas and maybe even a little motivation for taking control of book overrun.

pixabay.com
While I'll be contributing to book overrun this weekend as I put the finishing touches on my novel, I'm looking forward to putting some of those ideas to work this winter, when I have more time to tackle my list of organizing to-dos.

Happy organizing! And, if you manage to make it through the process without getting sucked into a book you forgot you had, you're stronger than I am.