ClassX Video Lessons Youtube Channel Awnie's House ???? Kids Book Read Aloud: THE BUSY LIFE OF ERNESTINE BUCKMEISTER by Linda R Lodding and Suzanne Beaky
Hello, my reading friends! I’m so happy you’re here to enjoy a story with me. Today, we’re going to read about a girl named Ernestine Buckmeister. She has a super busy life, and sometimes it makes her feel tired. Let’s see if things change for her in the story “The Busy Life of Ernestine Buckmeister,” written by Linda R. Lodding and illustrated by Suzanne Beaky.
Every morning, Ernestine has breakfast while her nanny, Nanny O’Dear, gets her lunch ready. Her dad rushes off to work, saying, “Live life to the fullest!” Her mom hurries to catch the bus, telling Ernestine, “Make every moment count!” But Ernestine’s schedule is so packed that she never has time to play with her friend Hugo from next door.
Ernestine’s week is filled with activities. On Mondays, she sculpts with Clay Lumpkin. Tuesdays are for water ballet with Miss Goldfisher. Wednesdays, she knits with Miss Pearl Stitch. Thursdays, she has two piano lessons with Mr. Oompa. Fridays, she yodels with a little old lady. Saturdays, she learns karate with Grandmaster Haya, and Sundays, she practices yoga with Guru Pretzel.
Even though Nanny O’Dear helps Ernestine keep track of her busy schedule, it can get confusing. One night, Ernestine’s parents notice she looks tired. They wonder if she needs more lessons, but Nanny O’Dear just says, “Oh dear.”
Every day, Ernestine watches Hugo play in his yard. He jumps on his trampoline, pretends to be a cowboy, and bounces his ball. One day, Hugo’s ball lands in Ernestine’s tuba, and she has fun bouncing it back. But then it’s time for her tuba lesson, and she sighs as she returns the ball to Hugo.
That night, Ernestine thinks about how Hugo gets to play freely. She decides to try something new. The next day, she tells Nanny O’Dear, “Today I scheduled something new!” Instead of going to yodeling, she runs to the park with Nanny.
At the park, Ernestine and Nanny have a great time. They imagine they’re tiny bugs, build a twig fort, and make daisy crowns. Meanwhile, Ernestine’s parents are worried because she missed yodeling. They search everywhere for her.
When her parents finally find her, Ernestine is happy and rosy-cheeked. She tells them about her fun day and asks if she can stop some lessons. Her parents realize that free time is important too. They decide to make changes so everyone can enjoy life more.
Now, Ernestine’s mom rides her bike to work and gardens. Her dad comes home early to build a treehouse. Nanny O’Dear loves flying kites. Ernestine sometimes practices karate with Hugo, plays the tuba, or just enjoys playing. They all learn that having a balance between activities and free time is important.
I hope you enjoyed our story today. Remember, it’s great to try new things, but it’s also important to have time to relax and play. See you next time for another fun story!
Create Your Own Schedule: Just like Ernestine, you can make your own weekly schedule! Use a piece of paper and draw a grid with the days of the week. Fill in the activities you do each day, like school, playtime, or any classes you attend. Then, add some free time where you can do anything you like, just like Ernestine did when she went to the park. Share your schedule with a friend or family member and talk about why free time is important.
Balance Game: Gather some small objects like blocks, toys, or books. Try to balance them on top of each other without them falling over. As you play, think about how balancing objects is like balancing activities in your life. Discuss with a friend or family member how you can balance your activities and free time to make sure you have fun and feel rested.
Observation Walk: Take a walk around your neighborhood or a park with a family member. Look for people doing different activities, like playing, working, or relaxing. Talk about what you see and how each person might be balancing their activities and free time. Think about what activities you enjoy and how you can make time for them in your own life.
Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript:
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Hi, my name is Luca, and I am from Virginia. Please like and subscribe to Annie’s House. I enjoy watching Annie’s videos.
Hello, my fabulous reading friends! It’s Annie. I’m so glad you came to read with me. Are you ready for a story? In this story, we’ll meet a girl who’s feeling overwhelmed and exhausted with her busy life. Let’s find out if things can change for her as we read “The Busy Life of Ernestine Buckmeister.” If you have a copy, go get it so you can read along with me.
“The Busy Life of Ernestine Buckmeister,” written by Linda Raven Ling, illustrated by Suzanne Beaky, and published by Flashlight Press.
Each morning, while Ernestine ate breakfast and Nanny O’Dear prepared lunch, Ernestine’s father zoomed out to work, calling, “Live life to the fullest!” Each morning, Ernestine’s mother zipped out to catch the bus, saying, “Make every moment count!” And each morning, Hugo from next door asked Ernestine if she wanted to play after school, but Ernestine never had time because her busy, well-meaning parents had packed her after-school schedule.
On Mondays, she sculpted with Clay Lumpkin. On Tuesdays, she did water ballet with Miss Goldfisher. On Wednesdays, she knitted with Miss Pearl Stitch. On Thursdays, she took two piano lessons with Mr. Oompa. On Fridays, she yodeled with a little old lady. On Saturdays, she studied karate with Grandmaster Haya, and on Sundays, she practiced yoga with Guru Pretzel.
Thank goodness the Buckmeisters had Nanny O’Dear to help Ernestine stay on schedule. Nanny made sure Ernestine got to all her classes, but sometimes things got confusing.
When Mr. and Mrs. Buckmeister dashed home from work late one night, they noticed that Ernestine looked pale. “Maybe she needs some face painting lessons,” said Mr. Buckmeister. Nanny O’Dear just said, “Oh dear.”
Each day, Ernestine slowed down long enough to watch Hugo play in his yard. He flip-flopped on his trampoline, giddy-upped like a cowboy, and bounced his ball. One afternoon, Hugo shouted, “Look out!” as his ball sailed over the fence and landed in Ernestine’s tuba. Ernestine bounced the ball to Nanny and squealed, “Bounce it back!”
“Oh dear,” said Nanny, “it’s time for tuba.” Ernestine sighed and passed the ball back to Hugo. That night, Ernestine practiced yoga in bed. She inhaled and stared at her busy schedule, then exhaled and thought about Hugo and how he got to play freely.
Then Ernestine had an idea. The next afternoon, she announced, “Today I scheduled something new!” “But you have yodeling,” said Nanny. “It’s written on my calendar. Have you seen my phone?”
“Oh dear,” said Nanny. Ernestine dashed across the yard to the park. “Nanny, now we’ll be late for yodeling!”
Ernestine reached the hilltop and flopped onto the grass, pulling Nanny down with her. “Oh dear,” muttered Nanny. “Look!” Ernestine sang. Nanny stopped huffing and noticed the beautiful view.
Before long, they were imagining they were tiny bugs in a huge world, then Pioneers building a twig fort. Nanny showed Ernestine how to make a daisy crown.
Meanwhile, the little old lady who called Mrs. Buckmeister reported that Ernestine had missed yodeling. Mrs. Buckmeister called Mr. Buckmeister, worried about their daughter. They tried to call Nanny O’Dear, but she didn’t hear her phone, so the Buckmeisters set out to find their daughter.
“Have you seen Ernestine?” they asked at knitting class. “Sorry, I can’t help you,” replied Mrs. Stitch without dropping a stitch. They dashed to karate, where Grandmaster Haya answered, “No.”
“Maybe she’s at water ballet,” called Mrs. Buckmeister. They zoomed to Clay Lumpkin’s studio, where there were lots of children sculpting but no Ernestine. They rushed to yoga, but Guru Pretzel was meditating and didn’t hear them.
By the time they looked everywhere, the Buckmeisters were frazzled. “Oh, this is what poor Ernestine does every week,” panted Mrs. Buckmeister. “No wonder she always looks so pale,” added Mr. Buckmeister.
Then, off in the distance, they heard bubbles of laughter. The Buckmeisters trudged up the hill and found Ernestine, her cheeks as rosy as apples.
“Where have you been?” called Mrs. Buckmeister. “Oh dear,” stuttered Nanny. “Well, you see, we were right here!” Ernestine squealed. “It was my idea! We saw pictures in the clouds, rolled down the hill, pretended we were bugs, and then I was a princess! I want to do it again!”
The Buckmeisters were stunned. “I like taking lessons, but can’t I stop some of them?” pleaded Ernestine. “But how will you live life to the fullest without sculpting and swimming?” asked Mr. Buckmeister. “Right,” Mrs. Buckmeister agreed. “And how will you make every moment count without yoga and yodeling?”
“Like this,” Ernestine said. Everyone inhaled, then exhaled. “My, the view is heavenly,” said Mrs. Buckmeister.
Since that day, Mrs. Buckmeister bikes to and from work and has taken up gardening. Mr. Buckmeister tries to get home early once a week to build a treehouse, and Nanny O’Dear has discovered the joy of flying kites.
As for Ernestine, some afternoons she practices karate with Hugo, sometimes she plays the tuba, and sometimes she just plays. Ernestine and her parents learned that free time is important too and that it’s good to have a balance in life.
I hope you enjoyed our story today. See you next time!
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