Have a blast with this fun science-y activity of color mixing! It can be goopy messy so make sure yer kidlets appreciate a mess and wear not so special clothing. This is best done outside and is perfect for warm weather when you can bring out the hose or squirt bottles for clean up! If you can't do it outside, keep your mixing masterpieces in their plastic baggies and at the kitchen or play table or have your wee ones each use their own cookie sheet or tray. Shaving cream on its own is easily cleaned up. Shaving cream with color may stain so be sure you want to do all this before you start and remember, a little goes a long way! click here to see a larger version of the picture!
Clockwise from the top you too can scrumdilly-do it:
*Gather your supplies, unscented shaving cream (not gel), plastic sealable baggies and food color in yellow & blue or liquid watecolor in yellow & blue. (You can of course use any colors you like but here, we're making green! Oh and you can always find natural shaving cream like Tom's of Maine which has a minty scent. The regular stuff however can be found at your local dollar store.)
*Squirt some shaving cream into a baggie
*Add a drop or two of the two colors, one color on each side of the baggie so your kidlets can see the separate colors. Seal the baggie with as little air as possible so your kidlets can mush it all up.
*Agitate the baggies so the colors get mixed.
*See how there will be patches of yellow melding into the blue making green. Let your wee ones decide how many drops of each color they want. Use poster board or paper to create a graph. Let your wee ones math it out and explore!
*Sometimes the colors leak through, if your wee ones freak out wash hands and all will be well. Though blue is harder to get out than yellow!
*Snip a corner off the baggie and have your kidlets squeeze out the foamy goodness onto a clean washable surface or splat mat. (A plastic tablecloth will work fine and if your table is in need of a good cleaning shaving cream does a great job! Just ask any grade school teacher!)
*Mound it up in your hands for shaping fun. Show it off! Take pictures! Document! Go back to the charts and graphs and see what else your wee ones can write down.
*Most of all enjoy it and squish squish squish away! Once the food color is mixed in with the cream it shouldn't stain your wee one's hands or skin. It disolves easily with water and if they choose to make a painting with it the colors from the cream will stain their paper but the cream will eventually disolve.
Have fun! Check out these other shaving cream activities:
*Marble Prints
*Shaving cream writing
*Shaving cream clouds
*Shaving cream science
*Puff paint
*Tub time paint
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Saturday, March 17, 2007
A wee bit o' green fun!
Make today a day of green. I'll try to post some pictures later but we're off for a bike ride in 4 minutes so I must type fast! Yikes! Here's a list of green fun you and yer family can try!
*Have a green breakfast! Add a drop or two of food color to your kidlet's milk.
*Make green milkshakes
*Hand your wee one a disposable camera and go on a green scavenger hunt!
*Mix green. Give your kidlet's some yellow and blue paint and have them make their own green! Use different shades of blue and yellow and have some white and black out for them also. Expirement and chart their creations!
*Collect green paint chips from the paint store and make a collage. Or, gather all the green craft materials you have and create something green!
*Serve an all green lunch or dinner. Have the wee ones come up with ideas!
*Make green cupcakes! Check out this zucchini cupcake recipe!
Most of all have fun! I'll post some pics when I get back! Happy Day!
*Have a green breakfast! Add a drop or two of food color to your kidlet's milk.
*Make green milkshakes
*Hand your wee one a disposable camera and go on a green scavenger hunt!
*Mix green. Give your kidlet's some yellow and blue paint and have them make their own green! Use different shades of blue and yellow and have some white and black out for them also. Expirement and chart their creations!
*Collect green paint chips from the paint store and make a collage. Or, gather all the green craft materials you have and create something green!
*Serve an all green lunch or dinner. Have the wee ones come up with ideas!
*Make green cupcakes! Check out this zucchini cupcake recipe!
Most of all have fun! I'll post some pics when I get back! Happy Day!
Friday, March 16, 2007
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Keeping it neat & purdy...
A painting tip. This is probably best for one or two children or maybe the kidlet who prefers to stay free of paint and goo.
When I ran a storytime and art program for kids I would sometimes have more than fifty kidlets all clamoring for their supplies. This all taking place in a retail atmosphere I would need to plan it for lickety split clean up and so we used broken down boxes for "tables" and nut cups, dixie cups or cupcake liners for paint and glue. You know the story "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" Well, that is what I have found with the kidlets. Give them the glue bottle and they use ALL of it. Give them a little cup o' glue and they use all of it and are quite happy with the smaller amount. We also used popsicle sticks and coffee stirrers to spread the glue. Some would use their fingers which was cool also. When your kidlets are young and you need to stay on a budget, dishing out the amount of paint they use will not deter them from their creativity as long as they know they can ask for more. Putting just a little in nifty printed liners makes for such an inviting atmosphere what kidlet (and grownup) wouldn't want to paint?
When I ran a storytime and art program for kids I would sometimes have more than fifty kidlets all clamoring for their supplies. This all taking place in a retail atmosphere I would need to plan it for lickety split clean up and so we used broken down boxes for "tables" and nut cups, dixie cups or cupcake liners for paint and glue. You know the story "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" Well, that is what I have found with the kidlets. Give them the glue bottle and they use ALL of it. Give them a little cup o' glue and they use all of it and are quite happy with the smaller amount. We also used popsicle sticks and coffee stirrers to spread the glue. Some would use their fingers which was cool also. When your kidlets are young and you need to stay on a budget, dishing out the amount of paint they use will not deter them from their creativity as long as they know they can ask for more. Putting just a little in nifty printed liners makes for such an inviting atmosphere what kidlet (and grownup) wouldn't want to paint?
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
An Ode to Johnny Appleseed
Yesterday was Johnny Appleseed Day and sadly I have no apple-y books on hand (I can't find my copy of Ten Apples Up On Top!) so instead I bring you a nifty list o' fun and a visual guide to apple printing!
Scrumdilly-do it!
You will need:
*apples (bruised is better)
*paper
*paint
*cookie cutters
*glitter & other optional zing
*apron or old clothes for mess
*splat mat or plastic tablecloth
Gather your supplies. You can do this with any fruit or vegetable of course!
Slice apples for your kidlets but let them use the cookie cutters if they can:
Have your kidlets paint their apple pices or they can dip them in the paint. In an attempt to keep things on the neat side, if you have a neatnick type of kid, put a small amount of paint in cupckae liner and place those in a plastic container or on a paper plate:
now they can stamp their way across the paper! They can also use the fruit as if it were a brush. You never know what thye will do. Just make sure they don't EAT the fruit!
You can add glitter or salt to the paint while it is wet and when it ries it will hold the zing1 Yo ucan also use crayons and/or markers to draw over the painting. Hang it up somewhere special, turn it into gift wrap or cover an old tissue box for fun and purdy storage!
Have fun! Here's a nifty and kid friendly applesauce recipe! Adjust it for a smaller batch and give yer kidlets 4 an older plastic knives so they can cut their own apples!
Scrumdilly-do it!
You will need:
*apples (bruised is better)
*paper
*paint
*cookie cutters
*glitter & other optional zing
*apron or old clothes for mess
*splat mat or plastic tablecloth
Gather your supplies. You can do this with any fruit or vegetable of course!
Slice apples for your kidlets but let them use the cookie cutters if they can:
Have your kidlets paint their apple pices or they can dip them in the paint. In an attempt to keep things on the neat side, if you have a neatnick type of kid, put a small amount of paint in cupckae liner and place those in a plastic container or on a paper plate:
now they can stamp their way across the paper! They can also use the fruit as if it were a brush. You never know what thye will do. Just make sure they don't EAT the fruit!
You can add glitter or salt to the paint while it is wet and when it ries it will hold the zing1 Yo ucan also use crayons and/or markers to draw over the painting. Hang it up somewhere special, turn it into gift wrap or cover an old tissue box for fun and purdy storage!
Have fun! Here's a nifty and kid friendly applesauce recipe! Adjust it for a smaller batch and give yer kidlets 4 an older plastic knives so they can cut their own apples!
Saturday, March 10, 2007
A rose by any other name...
Yes but a Chrysanthemum is a different story!
Chrysanthemum
Written & Illustrated by Kevin Henkes
Published by Green Willow Books 1996
I adore this book more than I adore bright yellow mums! This is a perfect story for you to read to the kidlet that dislikes her or his name so much that they wilt.
Scrumdillydo it:
*Have a read through and then talk about how you came to name your wee ones the names you gave them.
*Work on some more acrostic poems.
*Figure out how many words can be made from the letters of your names.
*Get a pack of Mums seeds and plant them with your kidlets.
*Get a bunch of Mums from the shop and dissect them. Press their petals or use them as paintbrushes.
*Make some chrysanthemum tea or cookies. The yellow & white petals are edible!
Chrysanthemum
Written & Illustrated by Kevin Henkes
Published by Green Willow Books 1996
I adore this book more than I adore bright yellow mums! This is a perfect story for you to read to the kidlet that dislikes her or his name so much that they wilt.
Scrumdillydo it:
*Have a read through and then talk about how you came to name your wee ones the names you gave them.
*Work on some more acrostic poems.
*Figure out how many words can be made from the letters of your names.
*Get a pack of Mums seeds and plant them with your kidlets.
*Get a bunch of Mums from the shop and dissect them. Press their petals or use them as paintbrushes.
*Make some chrysanthemum tea or cookies. The yellow & white petals are edible!
Thursday, March 8, 2007
Another NAME book & some fun!
Written and Illustrated by Niki Daly
Published by Aladdin Books 1985
I really adore this book! It has story, style and generations of love and helpfulness. Malusi heads out to the city with his Grandma Gogo. She is a lady who takes things slowly as does Malusi. Together they make a great pair. When Malusi sets his eyes on a pair of red sneakers and Gogo gifts them to him it is all he can do to take is slow with his Gogo.
I chose this book for names because it talks about nicknames and the power of love and family. It may be a little long for your young three year olds but I think it is the perfect length for five and six andmaybe even older. Have them read to you!
scrumdilly-do it: Shoe Painting
Get out yer kidlets oldest stinkiest pair o' shoes and have them make a walking picture. Spread out large large large sheets of blank paper, giftwrap or an old sheet and secure it with masking tape.
Have your wee ones put on their sneakers and paint the bottom of one shoe with oooey gooey acrylic of biocolor.
Once done, help them up and have them "walk a picure" on the paper! Let dry and display!
You can also give their shoes a good wash and have them paint the entire pair for some fashionable fun later!
scrumdilly-do it: Nature Walk Bracelet
Take a nature walk if the weather permits. Wrap a piece of 2 inch wide masking tape, sticky side out around yer kidlet's wrist.
As you walk about your neighborhood have them scavenge bits o' nature to stick on their nature bracelet. Make sure to encourage found nature and not the plucking kind unless it is from your own yard.
Once home you can dettach the bracelet, cover with clear packing tape or contact paper, punch a hole at the top, add yarn or ribbon and turn it into a bookmark or window hanging. Really, the possibilities are endless!
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
Storytime!
Ah, books about names. Loving our names, hating our names, long names, short names, you've got it. First up is a favortie favorite by Mem Fox of course with the most whimsical illustrations by Julie Vivas!
Wilfrid Grodon McDonald Partridge
Written by Mem Fox
Illustrated by Julie Vivas
Published by Omnibus Books (a div of Scolastic) 1984 in Australia & Kane Miller Books 1985 in the U.S.
What a beautiful pairing of characters! The young Wilfrid Grodon McDonald Partridge and the older wiser and slightly forgetful Mis Nancy Alison Delacourt Cooper both share the trait of having four names. when Wilfrid overhears his parents talking about Miss Nancy's memory loss he decides to help her out. Wilfrid asks the other residents of the home what their memories are and puts together a fine collection of memories. What follows is a tear worthy tale of joy, wisdom and loss.
If this is a favorite of yours reread it! If you have never read it to your kidlets do so! Your youngs ones will dazzle you with their empathy for Miss Nancy!
Scrumdilly-do it:
Make a memory box following the ideas in the book. Have your kidlets go on a scavenger hunt either indoors or out to collect:
*something warm
*something from long ago
*something that makes one cry
*something that makes one laugh
*something as precious as gold
Set up a staging area and have a show & tell. Your kidlets can draw pictures instead or maybe you all can sit and talk about some favorite memories whenever the chance occurs.
Wilfrid Grodon McDonald Partridge
Written by Mem Fox
Illustrated by Julie Vivas
Published by Omnibus Books (a div of Scolastic) 1984 in Australia & Kane Miller Books 1985 in the U.S.
What a beautiful pairing of characters! The young Wilfrid Grodon McDonald Partridge and the older wiser and slightly forgetful Mis Nancy Alison Delacourt Cooper both share the trait of having four names. when Wilfrid overhears his parents talking about Miss Nancy's memory loss he decides to help her out. Wilfrid asks the other residents of the home what their memories are and puts together a fine collection of memories. What follows is a tear worthy tale of joy, wisdom and loss.
If this is a favorite of yours reread it! If you have never read it to your kidlets do so! Your youngs ones will dazzle you with their empathy for Miss Nancy!
Scrumdilly-do it:
Make a memory box following the ideas in the book. Have your kidlets go on a scavenger hunt either indoors or out to collect:
*something warm
*something from long ago
*something that makes one cry
*something that makes one laugh
*something as precious as gold
Set up a staging area and have a show & tell. Your kidlets can draw pictures instead or maybe you all can sit and talk about some favorite memories whenever the chance occurs.
Sunday, March 4, 2007
What's in a name?
Celebrate your name today! There's all kinds of fun kidlets can have with their names! It is one of the first things we learn how to write. When we are just starting out we may not know the whole alphabet in the right order but we sure do know how to spell our names! So, in honor of Celebrate Your Name Day, I offer up to you some links and other fun. Check it out!
*Sure it may be a little in the past, but the kidlets won't care when they learn their new Captain Underpants name from Scholastic! Your eight year olds will LOVE this!
*Teach your wee ones the letters of their names through finger tracing on sandpaper. Write out their names on a piece of sandpaper using a superwaxy crayon and have them use their fingers to trace each letter. The texture of the sandpaper will help with their sensory memory. You can also do this in the sandbox or at the beach! For even more fun textures, try finger writing their names in cornstarch!
*Enjoy the wonders of spoonerisms! Spooner-ize yer kidlets name by switching the first letter of their first name with the first letter of their last name and vice versa! Also super fun for school age kidlets!
*Have a dance around the living room or back yard to The Name Game or learn a new Name Game song...
*Older kidlets can create an acrostic poem about themselves using each letter in their first name.
*Read yer wee one a story about a character who shares their name. Don't know of any? Ask me, I'll see if I can hunt one down for ya!
*Pick up a personalized taggy pillow handmade just for yer wee one!
*Start yer wee ones off early with a name puzzle by Melissa & Doug.
*Make your home one of emergent literacy and write your kidlets's names everywhere! Or better yet, get yerself a Dymo label maker and go wild!
*Have a pirate party and get yer own pirate names!
Check back later for some nifty name reads!
Thursday, March 1, 2007
Happy Pig Day!
March 1st is Pig Day! That's me dressed up as Olivia. What a wonderful Pig Day today could be this being the year of the pig and all...I put together two lists for you, one for books and the other for fun so check them out and see if they give you any nifty ideas, I sure hope they do!
A long time ago at a pig party I held for Pig Day, I gathered an oddball assortment of all pink craft materials and asked the kidlets to make their own pigs. Now, I know there is no defining rule that says all pigs need to be pink and I told the kids this but just for fun this it what we did. I had just finished taking a children's art class and was overhwelmed with the pyschobabble of it all and decided to revamp my stories and art program to ensure all creations were open ended. I never modeled what the art should look like and I always encouraged creativity. If a kidlet asked for a supply that wasn't out and I had it, I brought it out. This pig party was the first of its kind and I was excited! You should have seen the pigs these kids made! We had fingerpainted pigs, artful pigs, playdough pigs, tissue paper pigs...it was AWESOME! The kids were all having a blast except for a three year old named Joey. He was mighty stressed out and frustrated as he attempted to draw his very first pig. I sat with him and dialogued and offered questions and encouragment and did everything I could to NOT show him how to draw a pig. I was working on fostering his atonomy which for Joey was a big deal because he had an older brother who was just old enough to dazzle him. Through his tears Joey told me he couldn't draw and was not good and I had a sad sad boy on my hands. I brought out all the pig books I read and we talked about how they were alike and different. I brought out a book with photographs of pigs so Joey could see how the illustrations were inspired. After a while he sniffled and was ready to try again. I asked him how many heads does a pig have? Three? Four? Two? Through his giggles he hollered "One!" "Well, there ya go," I said, "What shape is a pigs head?" and slowly but surely he started to draw. You should have seen the twinkle in his eye when he added two dots in a cirlce for the snout and by golly that boy drew the proudest pig of them all and I of course cried like the weepy girl that I am. I was ecstatic. I did it! He did it! We did it! I rode that high for weeks! Joey was so so so proud and excited to show his mom his pig and after that, his little self blossomed. He stepped out of his brother's shadow and created his own little world of wonder. It was always there but he just needed a push. The even cooler part was when his brother got all excited with him! I tell ya, I needed an entire box o' tissues!
Yeah, yeah, nice story lady but what does it mean? It means that while it is super easy to model an object or picture for your child, especially when they are pestering you to "draw me a monkey! draw me a monkey!" it is so much more joyful to give them the tools to create their own monkeys, pigs, trains, etc. Take a moment when you have it and sit down with them and talk it out. One thing I do when a child insists I draw or make art with them is I use spots of color and just paint strokes or dots and talk about the colors and what they remind me of. When I play with clay, I roll little balls. I stack them, I count them. All the while I dialogue about the texture, the scent, the colors and how they play into the child's world. You talk enough and soon they will talk with you and start creating their own objects! It is a thrilling experience as I am sure you all know.
Check out this nifty dad and his daughter's amazing artwork and see what this mom does with her kids' creations!
A long time ago at a pig party I held for Pig Day, I gathered an oddball assortment of all pink craft materials and asked the kidlets to make their own pigs. Now, I know there is no defining rule that says all pigs need to be pink and I told the kids this but just for fun this it what we did. I had just finished taking a children's art class and was overhwelmed with the pyschobabble of it all and decided to revamp my stories and art program to ensure all creations were open ended. I never modeled what the art should look like and I always encouraged creativity. If a kidlet asked for a supply that wasn't out and I had it, I brought it out. This pig party was the first of its kind and I was excited! You should have seen the pigs these kids made! We had fingerpainted pigs, artful pigs, playdough pigs, tissue paper pigs...it was AWESOME! The kids were all having a blast except for a three year old named Joey. He was mighty stressed out and frustrated as he attempted to draw his very first pig. I sat with him and dialogued and offered questions and encouragment and did everything I could to NOT show him how to draw a pig. I was working on fostering his atonomy which for Joey was a big deal because he had an older brother who was just old enough to dazzle him. Through his tears Joey told me he couldn't draw and was not good and I had a sad sad boy on my hands. I brought out all the pig books I read and we talked about how they were alike and different. I brought out a book with photographs of pigs so Joey could see how the illustrations were inspired. After a while he sniffled and was ready to try again. I asked him how many heads does a pig have? Three? Four? Two? Through his giggles he hollered "One!" "Well, there ya go," I said, "What shape is a pigs head?" and slowly but surely he started to draw. You should have seen the twinkle in his eye when he added two dots in a cirlce for the snout and by golly that boy drew the proudest pig of them all and I of course cried like the weepy girl that I am. I was ecstatic. I did it! He did it! We did it! I rode that high for weeks! Joey was so so so proud and excited to show his mom his pig and after that, his little self blossomed. He stepped out of his brother's shadow and created his own little world of wonder. It was always there but he just needed a push. The even cooler part was when his brother got all excited with him! I tell ya, I needed an entire box o' tissues!
Yeah, yeah, nice story lady but what does it mean? It means that while it is super easy to model an object or picture for your child, especially when they are pestering you to "draw me a monkey! draw me a monkey!" it is so much more joyful to give them the tools to create their own monkeys, pigs, trains, etc. Take a moment when you have it and sit down with them and talk it out. One thing I do when a child insists I draw or make art with them is I use spots of color and just paint strokes or dots and talk about the colors and what they remind me of. When I play with clay, I roll little balls. I stack them, I count them. All the while I dialogue about the texture, the scent, the colors and how they play into the child's world. You talk enough and soon they will talk with you and start creating their own objects! It is a thrilling experience as I am sure you all know.
Check out this nifty dad and his daughter's amazing artwork and see what this mom does with her kids' creations!
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
A wee bit o' toothiness
February 28th is National Tooth fairy Day and February is Dental Health Month and I thought I'd touch on something I bet you didn't know could be related to loose teeth. Reading Readiness.
Years ago I took an excellent class on Children's Literature and Emergent Literacy. My student teacher in the class had just finished her PHD in some high falutin thing dealing with neurology and children and she spoke to us about this fabulous discovery. A discovery I thought was so cool I wanted to know more about and sadly I cannot locate anything on the web so please bear with me this is an idea, a correalation and it is pretty fascintaing.
Here in the U.S. we (not all of us, thankfully) put a lot of pressure into early literacy. Parents brag about their child reading at age 3, about their infant reading and so on. What they don't realize is that it doesn't matter how early your child reads, the earliness is no indication of intelligence let it go, it is whether or not your child is READY to learn and that isn't about intelligence either, THAT is about biology and physiology and it will all click into place and your child will be none for the worse. If you are a follower of the Waldorf philosophy you will know that a prime age for teaching reading is around age 7. Did you know what else happens around age 7 and even earlier in some children? Loose teeth. There is a series of nerves that run along our upper jaw that dance all over our faces and end somewhere in the part of our brain that likes to party with abstract thought and symbol recognition. The stronger this nerve grouping gets the more able your child is to understand the symbolism in a picture, number or letter. Around age 5 when this nerve grouping really starts to strengthen (and this can happen when a child is younger also) you may notice a difference in your child's artwork. They start with the traditional hammer grip and make marks on paper or sidewalk with large sweeping motions. This brash movement falls in line with large motor skills and slowly works its way over to small/fine motor skills as your child adapts to hold her or his crayon in the pencil grip which if you notice may mirror how you hold your own pencil. As the fine motor skills develop and the grip becomes more able you will notice that the scribbles and brush strokes become shapes. People will be drawn as large circles with wavy lines to emulate limbs. This is called a mandela and children all over the world will go through this phase. Cool, no? As your child grows older, the pencil grip more firm and the teeth get looser and looser. This all corresponds to those nerves that run across the jaw and into the part of the brain that recognizes abstract thought. Think about it, you may have more than 1 child and you will notice that each child learned in their own way at their own time, did their loose teeth come at anytime relating to their artwork? Once a child's drawing of a car actually looks like a car, they have acknowledged ABSTRACT THOUGHT. Once that begins they will start to recognize that those letters that they sing about actually have more meaning then just the shape. Yes, A is for Apple but that is just a child reciting, memorizing, once they can understand that the letter A is a symbol for a sound and that each letter makes a sound and that each sound strung along with another sound can make a word...BAM! They are ready for reading. I'm not saying don't try to teach your child to read, of course you should make your home as literary friendly as possible but don't push.
Children love nothing more than sharing with you and anyone who will watch whatever new talent they have mastered. Whether it is hopping on one foot, counting to 10, using scissors or discovering glue, it makes them feel good. It makes them feels secure! When a child is feeling good all the time with all this mastery, reading can prove to be a whole other piece of fruit. Reading isn't easy. A child may start hollering out letters and words he or she recognizes while you are driving down the street. He or she will pull out a favorite book and attempt to read it, jumping the gun only the slightest and they will realize that they don't know ALL the words. This can be intimidating. I remember this very same experience myself. I know of an amazingly talented and creative young man who could do just about anything but at age 8, reading wasn't easy and he lost a lot of confidence in himself. He also started losing his teeth a little later than his friends. He's 10 now and a book freak often reading well past bedtime with a flashlight aimed at the pages. People scoffed and were alarmed when I mentioned his not reading yet but really, why? There is a huge difference in learning to read, reading later and illiteracy. Force a child too soon they may just lie and pretend to read. I know of another friend who is one of the most avid readers I know and she told me she couldn't read until 2nd grade after she finally told her sister she needed some help. You are the person who best knows your child. You will guide the min the right direction I am sure. Remember, it isn't a contest, your children's skills are not trophies to show off. Each and every child is an amazing human being all by themselves, there comes a time when their amazing smiles are toothless and their noses are tucked into a book. Read Across America Day is coming up on Friday. What are you going to do to foster your child's love of reading? Me? I would get out those art supplies!
Now on to Tooth Day:
* a list of toothy reads for youto enjoy
*make a wee trinket box to keep baby teeth safe for the tooth fairy
*make an envelope book as a keepsake for babyteeth and those tooth fairy notes
*go modern and pick up a tooth fairy pillow or make your own
*a goofy online site for games and fun
*go toothbrush shopping!
*paint with old toothbrushes
*the facts about teeth
*sing a silly song
*get this singing toothbrush for picky toothbrushers (i got this for my nephew when he was 3 and he loved it! Though it is a little annoying.)
Years ago I took an excellent class on Children's Literature and Emergent Literacy. My student teacher in the class had just finished her PHD in some high falutin thing dealing with neurology and children and she spoke to us about this fabulous discovery. A discovery I thought was so cool I wanted to know more about and sadly I cannot locate anything on the web so please bear with me this is an idea, a correalation and it is pretty fascintaing.
Here in the U.S. we (not all of us, thankfully) put a lot of pressure into early literacy. Parents brag about their child reading at age 3, about their infant reading and so on. What they don't realize is that it doesn't matter how early your child reads, the earliness is no indication of intelligence let it go, it is whether or not your child is READY to learn and that isn't about intelligence either, THAT is about biology and physiology and it will all click into place and your child will be none for the worse. If you are a follower of the Waldorf philosophy you will know that a prime age for teaching reading is around age 7. Did you know what else happens around age 7 and even earlier in some children? Loose teeth. There is a series of nerves that run along our upper jaw that dance all over our faces and end somewhere in the part of our brain that likes to party with abstract thought and symbol recognition. The stronger this nerve grouping gets the more able your child is to understand the symbolism in a picture, number or letter. Around age 5 when this nerve grouping really starts to strengthen (and this can happen when a child is younger also) you may notice a difference in your child's artwork. They start with the traditional hammer grip and make marks on paper or sidewalk with large sweeping motions. This brash movement falls in line with large motor skills and slowly works its way over to small/fine motor skills as your child adapts to hold her or his crayon in the pencil grip which if you notice may mirror how you hold your own pencil. As the fine motor skills develop and the grip becomes more able you will notice that the scribbles and brush strokes become shapes. People will be drawn as large circles with wavy lines to emulate limbs. This is called a mandela and children all over the world will go through this phase. Cool, no? As your child grows older, the pencil grip more firm and the teeth get looser and looser. This all corresponds to those nerves that run across the jaw and into the part of the brain that recognizes abstract thought. Think about it, you may have more than 1 child and you will notice that each child learned in their own way at their own time, did their loose teeth come at anytime relating to their artwork? Once a child's drawing of a car actually looks like a car, they have acknowledged ABSTRACT THOUGHT. Once that begins they will start to recognize that those letters that they sing about actually have more meaning then just the shape. Yes, A is for Apple but that is just a child reciting, memorizing, once they can understand that the letter A is a symbol for a sound and that each letter makes a sound and that each sound strung along with another sound can make a word...BAM! They are ready for reading. I'm not saying don't try to teach your child to read, of course you should make your home as literary friendly as possible but don't push.
Children love nothing more than sharing with you and anyone who will watch whatever new talent they have mastered. Whether it is hopping on one foot, counting to 10, using scissors or discovering glue, it makes them feel good. It makes them feels secure! When a child is feeling good all the time with all this mastery, reading can prove to be a whole other piece of fruit. Reading isn't easy. A child may start hollering out letters and words he or she recognizes while you are driving down the street. He or she will pull out a favorite book and attempt to read it, jumping the gun only the slightest and they will realize that they don't know ALL the words. This can be intimidating. I remember this very same experience myself. I know of an amazingly talented and creative young man who could do just about anything but at age 8, reading wasn't easy and he lost a lot of confidence in himself. He also started losing his teeth a little later than his friends. He's 10 now and a book freak often reading well past bedtime with a flashlight aimed at the pages. People scoffed and were alarmed when I mentioned his not reading yet but really, why? There is a huge difference in learning to read, reading later and illiteracy. Force a child too soon they may just lie and pretend to read. I know of another friend who is one of the most avid readers I know and she told me she couldn't read until 2nd grade after she finally told her sister she needed some help. You are the person who best knows your child. You will guide the min the right direction I am sure. Remember, it isn't a contest, your children's skills are not trophies to show off. Each and every child is an amazing human being all by themselves, there comes a time when their amazing smiles are toothless and their noses are tucked into a book. Read Across America Day is coming up on Friday. What are you going to do to foster your child's love of reading? Me? I would get out those art supplies!
Now on to Tooth Day:
* a list of toothy reads for youto enjoy
*make a wee trinket box to keep baby teeth safe for the tooth fairy
*make an envelope book as a keepsake for babyteeth and those tooth fairy notes
*go modern and pick up a tooth fairy pillow or make your own
*a goofy online site for games and fun
*go toothbrush shopping!
*paint with old toothbrushes
*the facts about teeth
*sing a silly song
*get this singing toothbrush for picky toothbrushers (i got this for my nephew when he was 3 and he loved it! Though it is a little annoying.)
Friday, February 23, 2007
It's Love Your Library Day!
Check out some of my favorite books about the library!
Wish, Change, Friend
Written by Ian Whybrow
Illustrated by Tiphanie Beeke
Published by Margaret McElderry (Simon & Schuster) 2002
Little Pig loved to read. She made a small list of some words that caught her eye and then magic hapenned. A simple sweet story with magical illustrations, you will want to gift this to everyone you know!
Goin' Someplace Special
Written by Patricia C. McKissack
Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney
Published by Atheneum/Anne Schwartz Books (Simon & Schuster) 2001
It's the 1950s and Louise is on her way to somewhere special. There is much that stands in her way but she is more than determined to get there! This tear jerker of a story tells of a time when our country ran by ridiculous laws and hateful ignorance couldstill produce excitement and smiles for a young girl whose very life was affected by those laws.
Book! Book! Book!
Written by Deborah Bruss
Illustrated by Tiphanie Beeke
Published by Arthur A. Levine books 2001
What happens when a gang of farm animals get bored? Why, they go to the library of course! Check it out!
Wish, Change, Friend
Written by Ian Whybrow
Illustrated by Tiphanie Beeke
Published by Margaret McElderry (Simon & Schuster) 2002
Little Pig loved to read. She made a small list of some words that caught her eye and then magic hapenned. A simple sweet story with magical illustrations, you will want to gift this to everyone you know!
Goin' Someplace Special
Written by Patricia C. McKissack
Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney
Published by Atheneum/Anne Schwartz Books (Simon & Schuster) 2001
It's the 1950s and Louise is on her way to somewhere special. There is much that stands in her way but she is more than determined to get there! This tear jerker of a story tells of a time when our country ran by ridiculous laws and hateful ignorance couldstill produce excitement and smiles for a young girl whose very life was affected by those laws.
Book! Book! Book!
Written by Deborah Bruss
Illustrated by Tiphanie Beeke
Published by Arthur A. Levine books 2001
What happens when a gang of farm animals get bored? Why, they go to the library of course! Check it out!
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Happy Chili Day!
Happy Chili Day folks! I had grand ideas and was going to whip up a batch o' chili to show off but sadly I am sick, so no sharing or showing off. Instead I will shout out some ideas I have about chili. Chili is the perfect food no matter what kind of weather you are experiencing! It is also the perfect food no matter what type of eater you are! So, in honor of National Chili Day why don't you whip up a batch o' beans for your family and get the kidlets involved!
If you decide to make your chili from scratch, you can have a bean fest with your kidlets. Have them measure out the beans and water for soaking. Allow them to set the timer or calculate how long the beans need to soak. While you're at it, have a bean sort, mix up a number of the dry beans into a large bowl and time yer kidlets on sorting them into separate bowls. Talk about their differences, make some collage art, plant a bean. There are all sorts of things you can do not just the usual giggle giggle bean jokes which I am sure some of yer kidlets will delight in! Here's a quick one for ya:
What kind of bean doesn't grow in the garden?
A human bean!
If making your chili from scratch isn't feasable you can go with canned beans and sauces and spices though I prefer the Fantastic Foods Vegetarian Chilli Mix. I never actually follow the directions on the box save for the amount of water...I add a LOT of beans though. Kidney beans are a favorite in this casa. Your kidlets can sort the cans you are using by size. They can measure the outside of the cans with a piece of string or ribbon and then using a ruler they can measure the piece to see what the circumference of each can is.
Or if your kidlets are a little older, pull out that tape measure and let them have a go. Ask them which can they think is larger or heavier. What shape is the can? What shape is the box? Need some time to yourself? Send them on a shape treasure hunt around the house and ask them to count how many soup can shaped items they find. If you use the mix, your kidlets can help measure out the water needed. Are they old enough to operate a can opener? Let them have a go! Everyone can be involved when it is chili night! Save the box from the mix and your older kidlets can cut out pieces to make their very own robots and creatures.
Wash out the cans and make tin can telephones or if you have giant cans, make tin can stilts.
You can even have a day of assembling chili in a jar gifts for friends and family! Fun!
But wait! One of the best things about chili is making cornbread to go with it! Kidelts can also help with this and I bet they will have a blast! Check out these recipes:
Southern Cornbread
skillet cornbread
vegan cornbread
I use the recipe on the back of the Albers box, cutting the sugar a little and using rice milk instead. It is soooo good with rice milk!
Happy Chili Day!
If you decide to make your chili from scratch, you can have a bean fest with your kidlets. Have them measure out the beans and water for soaking. Allow them to set the timer or calculate how long the beans need to soak. While you're at it, have a bean sort, mix up a number of the dry beans into a large bowl and time yer kidlets on sorting them into separate bowls. Talk about their differences, make some collage art, plant a bean. There are all sorts of things you can do not just the usual giggle giggle bean jokes which I am sure some of yer kidlets will delight in! Here's a quick one for ya:
What kind of bean doesn't grow in the garden?
A human bean!
If making your chili from scratch isn't feasable you can go with canned beans and sauces and spices though I prefer the Fantastic Foods Vegetarian Chilli Mix. I never actually follow the directions on the box save for the amount of water...I add a LOT of beans though. Kidney beans are a favorite in this casa. Your kidlets can sort the cans you are using by size. They can measure the outside of the cans with a piece of string or ribbon and then using a ruler they can measure the piece to see what the circumference of each can is.
Or if your kidlets are a little older, pull out that tape measure and let them have a go. Ask them which can they think is larger or heavier. What shape is the can? What shape is the box? Need some time to yourself? Send them on a shape treasure hunt around the house and ask them to count how many soup can shaped items they find. If you use the mix, your kidlets can help measure out the water needed. Are they old enough to operate a can opener? Let them have a go! Everyone can be involved when it is chili night! Save the box from the mix and your older kidlets can cut out pieces to make their very own robots and creatures.
Wash out the cans and make tin can telephones or if you have giant cans, make tin can stilts.
You can even have a day of assembling chili in a jar gifts for friends and family! Fun!
But wait! One of the best things about chili is making cornbread to go with it! Kidelts can also help with this and I bet they will have a blast! Check out these recipes:
Southern Cornbread
skillet cornbread
vegan cornbread
I use the recipe on the back of the Albers box, cutting the sugar a little and using rice milk instead. It is soooo good with rice milk!
Happy Chili Day!
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
How About a Pancake Song?
It is addicting but has a good beat and you can dance to it! Happy Pancake Day folks!
Happy Pancake Day!
This fantastic batch o pancakes was made by flickr user squacco! I wish I could make pancakes as pretty as these!
Today is Shrove Tuesday aka Pancake Day!
Check out a happy flappy flapjack list of books I put together for you and also check out my newest kaboodle page for games and other ideas! While Shrove Tuesday is today, you can still join in the flapjack fun and celebrate National Pancake Day in the States on February 27th! To kick off your Pancake Day, whip up a batch of homemade pancakes add an assortment of toppings and enjoy! Later in the day, you and your kidlets can have a pancake toss using beanbag pancakes that you make, not the real ones! You can even have a pancake hunt...cut out a bunch of paper pancakes and hide them for your wee ones to find. Get their math on by counting all the pancakes before you hide them and then adding them up after they are found to see if they match. If you have more than one kidlet, make a graph to chart each one's findings. Turn it into a fun game but don't make it about the winning. Other hoecake fun:
*Have savory pancakes for dinner. Set up a pancake bar so kidlets can add their own toppings.
*Have a "pancake shape" hunt through the casa. How many pancake shaped items can your wee ones find?
*Make happy flapjack dolls! Cut out round pieces of felt for your kidlets to decorate stitch to a backing, have the wee ones stuff 'em, seal the mup and vioula! Happy Flapjacks! If your kidlet can use scissors have him/her cut out their own shapes. Kidlets as young as 4 (sometimes even 3) can weild a large needle and thread themselves so assist them with the sewing up of the flapjack. If you don;t feel crafty enough for some sewing with your kids, try using construction paper, paper plates or other paper and seal the flapjacks with tape or staples. The kidlets can still stuff them with cotton, tissue, old socks, etc. OR, for an added small motor skill element, use paper plates that you have hole punched around the rims and have your kidlets lace their Flapjacks closed!
Who knew pancakes could be so mathy? Don't forget to check this list for some stories you can read!
Happy Pancake Day!
**if you live in the staes and decide to eat out, IHOP has a "free" pancake offer of sorts, check 'em out! A little pancakey goodness and some donation good deeds, what have you got to lose?
Sunday, February 18, 2007
Gung Hay Fat Choy!
Happy Chinese New Year!
It's the year of the golden pig and a very special year indeed! Read more about Chinese New Year here! In honor of the year of the pig and because I am at a loss for another activity to write about at the moment (I'm sorry, but Shrove tuesday has been sucking up my brain!) here are a couple of book recommendations!
Leon and Albertine Written & illustrated by Christine Davenier
Published by Scholastic 1998 (1st American Edition)
What better love story than the one of a pig in love with a chicken? Seriously sweet and perfectly charming this book is one of my top top favorites. The illustrations make we smile and even bring a wee tear to my eye when Leon finally tells Albertine he loves her. He does it his way and it is perfect!
Ruby's Wish
Written by Shirin Yim Bridges
Illustrated by Sophie Blackall
Published by Chronicle Books
Another beautiful tear jerker! This is the story of a young Chinese girl who wants nothing more than to go to school! It is New Year's and the lucky envelopes are being passed around and everyone is sharing their wishes, will Ruby's wish be granted? Based on the life of Shirin Yim's grandmother this story is a must have for any library!
Dim Sum for Everyone
Written & Illustrated by Grace Lin
Published by Dragonfly Books(Random House)
I love Grace Lin! She is fabulous, sweet and even keeps a blog! Her illustrations are delightful and her stories featuring an American Chinese family are familiar. While the culture may be different from yours (or not) the feelings of fun and excitement are much the same! Check out all of her books!
Other fun you can do:
*Pick up some blank paper lanterns and have yer kidlets paint, collage & decorate them.
*Try some green tea and almond or fortune cookies!
*Bake your own fortune cookies!
*Gather an assortment of anything and everything pink and make your own pink pigs. I've done this with kids and they have created three dimensional, tissue paper, painted, collaged & beglittered pigs! In honor of this New Year's make golden pigs!
*Play a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors
*Practice picking up small toys and charms with chopsticks
*Make your own Lucky Envelopes
*make some party cracker fireworks!
It's the year of the golden pig and a very special year indeed! Read more about Chinese New Year here! In honor of the year of the pig and because I am at a loss for another activity to write about at the moment (I'm sorry, but Shrove tuesday has been sucking up my brain!) here are a couple of book recommendations!
Leon and Albertine Written & illustrated by Christine Davenier
Published by Scholastic 1998 (1st American Edition)
What better love story than the one of a pig in love with a chicken? Seriously sweet and perfectly charming this book is one of my top top favorites. The illustrations make we smile and even bring a wee tear to my eye when Leon finally tells Albertine he loves her. He does it his way and it is perfect!
Ruby's Wish
Written by Shirin Yim Bridges
Illustrated by Sophie Blackall
Published by Chronicle Books
Another beautiful tear jerker! This is the story of a young Chinese girl who wants nothing more than to go to school! It is New Year's and the lucky envelopes are being passed around and everyone is sharing their wishes, will Ruby's wish be granted? Based on the life of Shirin Yim's grandmother this story is a must have for any library!
Dim Sum for Everyone
Written & Illustrated by Grace Lin
Published by Dragonfly Books(Random House)
I love Grace Lin! She is fabulous, sweet and even keeps a blog! Her illustrations are delightful and her stories featuring an American Chinese family are familiar. While the culture may be different from yours (or not) the feelings of fun and excitement are much the same! Check out all of her books!
Other fun you can do:
*Pick up some blank paper lanterns and have yer kidlets paint, collage & decorate them.
*Try some green tea and almond or fortune cookies!
*Bake your own fortune cookies!
*Gather an assortment of anything and everything pink and make your own pink pigs. I've done this with kids and they have created three dimensional, tissue paper, painted, collaged & beglittered pigs! In honor of this New Year's make golden pigs!
*Play a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors
*Practice picking up small toys and charms with chopsticks
*Make your own Lucky Envelopes
*make some party cracker fireworks!
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Make a paperbag book!
Just what you need to hold all those Valentines your kidlets made for you. Fun, easy and age adaptable, pull out some lunch baggies and go to town!
What you need:
*lunch sized paperbags
*scissors
*hole punch, paper punches
*crayons, markers, rubber stamps, ink, stickers and/or paint
*glue or gluestick
*sewing machine, brads or staples for binding
*anything else you can think of for decorating!
How to:
1. Gather your materials
2. Cut out the bottoms of 3 or more paper bags. This may be frustrating for younger kidlets so you may want to start the cut for them and of course do all the cutting for wee wee kidlets.
3. stack bags on top of each other and fold in half
4. Bind your book any way you like. There are oodles of options
5. Add a button closure or perhaps a flap to help keep the book closed
6. Decorate, decorate, decorate
7. Stuff and take a looksie!
You can use regular grocery bags to make BIG books to hold your kidlets artwork. You can also moit the removal of the bottom and bind the bags together to make a LONG book. Paperbag books make for great storage of flat collections. Make it a family tradition to make a book at the end of each summer to comemmorate the year. Make a book because it is fun...you don't really need a reason, do you?
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
lurvely crayons
More crayon melting fun:
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Wee Valentine Trinket Boxes
What you need:
*empty matchboxes any size
*glue or gluestick
*paper, fabric or artwork
*markers, crayons and paint & paintbrush
*bits and baubles like buttons, stickers, charms & sweets
*scissors
Gather your supplies and have yer kidlets paint both parts of the matchbox. We paint the slipcover so that if and when you glue a paper or fabric cover the words and colors won;t show through. If your children are under 3 they can just paint away...larger matchboxes would be better. Set the boxes aside to dry:
If you are covering the matchbox with paper, you will need your gluestick, paper, a pencil & scissors. You can use other types of adhesive but a gluestick is the cleanest and most kid friendly kind. Take this moment to do a little math with your kidlets. Ask them how much paper do they think they will need to cover their box? Allow them to use the ruler to measure. A good age for ruler learning is 3 years old. I have witnessed it myself and it is pretty nifty:
Mark your paper, draw the line and cut away! Now you will have a strip to wrap around the box. Origami paper is a pretty good size for this project as you won't have to trim too much of the paper. Go to town with the gluestick and wrap it around the box:
Trim you excess paper but allow for a little bit of overlap. Once you have your box wrapped, set aside so the glue can dry. I use a clothespin to hold it down:
Now it is tme to decorate the outside. I wrapped a length of ribbon around my box using white craft glue that has been "painted" on the backside. Your kidlets may want to be-glitter their boxes are maybe adorn with stickers and other fun baubles:
While the outside of the box is drying, have your wee ones (over the age of 3) gather tiny materials to put inside. These can include candy conversation hearts, stickers, paper punched shapes, tiny toys and/or teeny drawings and secret messages:
See? Super fun! You can use these boxes for all sorts of niftiness! They can be tiny tooth catch-alls for the toothfairy, a secret place to hide notes of adoration for your children, a storage box for fortune cookie fortunes or a great gift box to present to friends and family when filled with other handmade goodies! Older kids and teens can get fancier by stitching away on scraps of fabric, ironing on to some sort of stabilizer so the threads won't unravel. I use Yes! paste on my fabric boxes so that there are no clumps or glue stains. Do you have a jar full of old mismatched costume jewelry? Use a pair of pliers to twist off clip on earring backs and glue onto the box with super strong E-6000! Younger kids can paint directly onto the boxes and or glue feathers and pom-pons to the outside or you can have them paint on regular paper and use strips of that for the outside. So many possibilities! If you decide to make one or two, send me a picture and I'll feature it right here on the Do!
Monday, February 12, 2007
RAK week & Valentine's countdown
The cool thing about making shortbread is that anyone can do it. Write out the recipe on large flash cards and you've got yourself a fun math lesson for yer kidlets! Another nifty thing is that since there is no egg in the dough, your wee ones can sneak all the dough they want and not get sick...well...relatively speaking. Shortbread can be VERY flakey so the more you handle the dough and the thinner you roll it out, the less crumbly it will get. My basic shortbread recipe is as follows:
*2 sticks of butter, softenned almost melted
*1 3/4 cups of powdered sugar
*2 cups flour
*1 tsp pure vanilla extract
*additional seasonings like cinnamon, ginger, black pepper to taste...go to town!
Mix the butter and sugar first, add the vanilla and spices next then the flour. Kidlets can do the first part with a wooden spoon and mix in the flour with CLEAN hands. It is like play dough, they will LOVE it! Once the dough is mixed, loosely wrap it in a floured dishtowel or wax paper and stick it in the fridge for about 10 minutes to firm up. Roll it out on a floured surface and let the fun begin!
Add your sprinkles and whatnot...you can even have yer kidlets "paint" the dough with food color if ya like and then "punch a hole in the center of the cookie using a straw.
Stay tuned all week for more lurvely crafts for you and yer wee ones!
Sunday, February 11, 2007
Random Acts of Kindness Week
February 12th-18th is Randome Acts of Kindness Week. Take this time to teach yer wee ones a little bit o' altruism! Kick of the week with a reading of another one of my favorite books:
How Kind!
Wrtten & Illustrated by Mary Murphy
Published by Candlewick press
"How Kind" is a perfect tale of how one good thing leads to another. The story starts out with Hen giving Pig an egg and Pig feeling just so dandy about it that he gives a little something to Rabbit and so on and so on. With brilliantly colored illustrations and the repitition of "How Kind!", yer kidlets will need little encouragement to come up with kind ideas of their own. Take a cue from the book and spend the week dialoging with yer wee ones about Random Acts of Kindness. Do something nice for a neighbor, bake cookies for a dear friend, donate old toys to a local charity or take a walk with sidewalk chalk and spread some colorful cheer. The possibilities are endless and being a smilemaker is a good thing to be!
For more fun things to do check out my Kaboodle Page!
How Kind!
Wrtten & Illustrated by Mary Murphy
Published by Candlewick press
"How Kind" is a perfect tale of how one good thing leads to another. The story starts out with Hen giving Pig an egg and Pig feeling just so dandy about it that he gives a little something to Rabbit and so on and so on. With brilliantly colored illustrations and the repitition of "How Kind!", yer kidlets will need little encouragement to come up with kind ideas of their own. Take a cue from the book and spend the week dialoging with yer wee ones about Random Acts of Kindness. Do something nice for a neighbor, bake cookies for a dear friend, donate old toys to a local charity or take a walk with sidewalk chalk and spread some colorful cheer. The possibilities are endless and being a smilemaker is a good thing to be!
For more fun things to do check out my Kaboodle Page!
Wednesday, February 7, 2007
Neighborly read
In honor of Neighbor Day I thought I would share with you one of my most favorite books ever! Okay, I know I say that about all th books I write about but this book is truly sweet, special and perfect for sharing with your kidlets. It is a bit on the sad but sweet side but I have read it to three year olds who really amazed me with their compassion and ideas on the story. The added plus is that it is about one of today's most popular crafts...knitting! I don't even know if it is still in print and my copy is a paperback but I love it all the same.
Mr. Nick's Knitting
Written by Margaret Wild
Illustrated by Dee Huxley
Published by Voyager Books (Harcourt) 1988
Everyday on the train as Mr. Nick travels to work, he pulls out his knitting and knits alongside his train neighbor Mrs. Jolley. One day Mrs. Jolley isn't on the train and then another day comes when she isn't there and another and another. Mr. Nick finds out that Mrs. Jolley is in the hospital and is very sick. MR. Nick decides to knit up something extra special for his neighbor and dear friend. What he makes is most beautiful and inspiring.
You can use this book as a sounding board for yer kidlets and have them make their own creations. No knitting necessary. A paper quilt will work also. A wee bit more fun can be found over on Kaboodle.
Have fun and don't forget to Wave All Your Fingers At Your Neighbor today!
Mr. Nick's Knitting
Written by Margaret Wild
Illustrated by Dee Huxley
Published by Voyager Books (Harcourt) 1988
Everyday on the train as Mr. Nick travels to work, he pulls out his knitting and knits alongside his train neighbor Mrs. Jolley. One day Mrs. Jolley isn't on the train and then another day comes when she isn't there and another and another. Mr. Nick finds out that Mrs. Jolley is in the hospital and is very sick. MR. Nick decides to knit up something extra special for his neighbor and dear friend. What he makes is most beautiful and inspiring.
You can use this book as a sounding board for yer kidlets and have them make their own creations. No knitting necessary. A paper quilt will work also. A wee bit more fun can be found over on Kaboodle.
Have fun and don't forget to Wave All Your Fingers At Your Neighbor today!
Monday, February 5, 2007
Howdy Neighbor!
February 7th is "Wave all your Fingers at Your Neighbor" Day. I like to call it "Howdy Neighbor Day!" So, without further ado I bring to you an idea for a nifty gift to make for your neighbor or anyone else you feel the need to say "howdy" to. All craftiness here is do-able for kidlets of all ages and of course can be vamped up for us grown-ups.
Surprise your neighbor with a felty doorknob hanger. I used to make these for my teachers when I was a kid and yes this was in the seventies. I apologize for not having a template for you but I am not quite the computer savvy dilly girl but I'm sure you are all cafty enough to make up your own. I kind of winged mine but you may want to play around and draw a template first on scrap paper. Regular sized printer paper works well. I often use pages from magazines I'm tossing for patterns. Orientate your paper so that is it horizontal and mark out about 4 1/2 inches or so from one side and cut into a rectangle. From there you can create a keyhole shaped (or not) pattern for your felty piece. Have fun!
Gather your materials:
*felt
*scissors
*tacky glue or craft glue
*sequins, glitter, glitter glue and all that jazz
*paint and other collage-y fun
*needle & thread if yer kidlet can sew
limit your supplies to your kidlet's age and what they like best to use. Only put out what they can handle and of course you do all the scissor work if they are really young.
Cut out your basic shape and cut a small X into the top of your felt piece. This will be where you slip it over the doorknob. The remaining area is where your kids can go to town.
Decorate to your heart's content. Kids can paint, glue and/or sew their design on. Set aside to dry and sneak it onto your neighbor's frontdoor when they aren't looking with a little note about how they make your day better. Everyone loves a little love. Wouldn't you?
Surprise your neighbor with a felty doorknob hanger. I used to make these for my teachers when I was a kid and yes this was in the seventies. I apologize for not having a template for you but I am not quite the computer savvy dilly girl but I'm sure you are all cafty enough to make up your own. I kind of winged mine but you may want to play around and draw a template first on scrap paper. Regular sized printer paper works well. I often use pages from magazines I'm tossing for patterns. Orientate your paper so that is it horizontal and mark out about 4 1/2 inches or so from one side and cut into a rectangle. From there you can create a keyhole shaped (or not) pattern for your felty piece. Have fun!
Gather your materials:
*felt
*scissors
*tacky glue or craft glue
*sequins, glitter, glitter glue and all that jazz
*paint and other collage-y fun
*needle & thread if yer kidlet can sew
limit your supplies to your kidlet's age and what they like best to use. Only put out what they can handle and of course you do all the scissor work if they are really young.
Cut out your basic shape and cut a small X into the top of your felt piece. This will be where you slip it over the doorknob. The remaining area is where your kids can go to town.
Decorate to your heart's content. Kids can paint, glue and/or sew their design on. Set aside to dry and sneak it onto your neighbor's frontdoor when they aren't looking with a little note about how they make your day better. Everyone loves a little love. Wouldn't you?
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Container painting!
It's fun! All ya need is:
*empty oatmeal container (or any container with a lid)
*paper that will fit inside your container
*tempera or acrylic paint
*roundish objects like superballs, corks, pom-pons, etc.
*tape
Gather your supplies. I let the kids choose 3 colors of paint. Acrylic has the best vibrancy unless you can get your hands on some Biocolor which is AWESOME! Tape paper to the inside of your container and add a couple of drops of paint...
Add your items, these will act as paintbrushes replace the lid and shake, shake, shake!
Dump out yer objects, wash to reuse or let them dry and be their own art.
Pull out the paper and let dry. I tape it to a window. Display on the fridge, frame or use as giftwrap. So much fun. Let your kidlets experiment with different types and sizes of objects and colors of paint. Have fun!
*empty oatmeal container (or any container with a lid)
*paper that will fit inside your container
*tempera or acrylic paint
*roundish objects like superballs, corks, pom-pons, etc.
*tape
Gather your supplies. I let the kids choose 3 colors of paint. Acrylic has the best vibrancy unless you can get your hands on some Biocolor which is AWESOME! Tape paper to the inside of your container and add a couple of drops of paint...
Add your items, these will act as paintbrushes replace the lid and shake, shake, shake!
Dump out yer objects, wash to reuse or let them dry and be their own art.
Pull out the paper and let dry. I tape it to a window. Display on the fridge, frame or use as giftwrap. So much fun. Let your kidlets experiment with different types and sizes of objects and colors of paint. Have fun!
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Make a Time Capsule!
If you are an oatmeal family, chances are you often find yourself with an empty container or two. You have used those containers for storage, drums, buildings, and perhaps science projects, but have you made a time capsule yet? January is the perfect month for Time Capsule making. You and yer kidlets can accumulate some great good stuff from the previous year to tuck away and bury until next year. You can make it a family tradition! Here's a nifty how to guide with pictures and everything!
To start, you will need to gather your supplies:
*Empty oatmeal container
*glue, gluestick, and/or tape
*markers, crayons & paint
*nifty printed papers, giftwrap, constructionpaper or magazine pages
*ribbon & other collage items for that extra bit of pizazz
Remove the paper label from your oatmeal container and have your kidlets decorate the outside. If using regular sized paper, you will need two sheets to cover. Have the kids decorate the paper first before wrapping the container. Allow their creations to dry and make sure they know there may be overlap if using two sheets.
Now, while waiting for the niftiness to dry, gather your materials to tuck away inside. My container contains some of the following:
*nifty handmade postcards from friends
*a favorite xmas gift
*a favorite robot toy
*something I made
*a valentine I cherish
*a wee notebook full of swap notes I wrote to myself
The ideas are only limited to size. Include photographs, report cards, artwork, letters, stories, softies...you get the picture. Get old fashionned and make an audio tape of your kids talking aobut their favorite bits of the year or make a mix cd full of your favorite tunes from the year.See? Too many ideas!
Once your time Capsule is dry and ready, tuck all the goodies inside, add the date somewhere and seal. I used packing tape.
Now, where oh where are you going to "bury" it? YOu can tuck it away in a closet or the attic. If you choose to actually bury it, make sure you wrap it up in a plastic bag and have the kids create a map to the treasure!
Another spin on the Time Capsule for older kids would be to have them write themselves a letter about the year. Gather some smallish flat items like a favorite cd, artwork and photographs and put them into an envelope with their name on the front. Seal and hold onto it for 5 or more years. When they reach 16 or 18 or 21 mail them their time capsules for their birthdays. It is a gift more fun and precious than you can ever know!
To start, you will need to gather your supplies:
*Empty oatmeal container
*glue, gluestick, and/or tape
*markers, crayons & paint
*nifty printed papers, giftwrap, constructionpaper or magazine pages
*ribbon & other collage items for that extra bit of pizazz
Remove the paper label from your oatmeal container and have your kidlets decorate the outside. If using regular sized paper, you will need two sheets to cover. Have the kids decorate the paper first before wrapping the container. Allow their creations to dry and make sure they know there may be overlap if using two sheets.
Now, while waiting for the niftiness to dry, gather your materials to tuck away inside. My container contains some of the following:
*nifty handmade postcards from friends
*a favorite xmas gift
*a favorite robot toy
*something I made
*a valentine I cherish
*a wee notebook full of swap notes I wrote to myself
The ideas are only limited to size. Include photographs, report cards, artwork, letters, stories, softies...you get the picture. Get old fashionned and make an audio tape of your kids talking aobut their favorite bits of the year or make a mix cd full of your favorite tunes from the year.See? Too many ideas!
Once your time Capsule is dry and ready, tuck all the goodies inside, add the date somewhere and seal. I used packing tape.
Now, where oh where are you going to "bury" it? YOu can tuck it away in a closet or the attic. If you choose to actually bury it, make sure you wrap it up in a plastic bag and have the kids create a map to the treasure!
Another spin on the Time Capsule for older kids would be to have them write themselves a letter about the year. Gather some smallish flat items like a favorite cd, artwork and photographs and put them into an envelope with their name on the front. Seal and hold onto it for 5 or more years. When they reach 16 or 18 or 21 mail them their time capsules for their birthdays. It is a gift more fun and precious than you can ever know!
Monday, January 29, 2007
Storytime
I guess I need to write a kids book about oatmeal since I cannot think of any but what I did come up with was this book which I adore adore adore!
Toot and Puddle: The New Friend
Written and Illustrated by Holly Hobbie
Published by Little Brown
A delightful story of friends and lesson learning. Everyone is excited when Daphne comes to play but she soon looses her appeal as she is so good at everything and knows it. Second best doesn't play well with her and she can be quite the snooty pig. Can you find the oatmeal reference? Enjoy all the other Toot & Puddle books also!
More Toot and Puddle fun here and here
Toot and Puddle: The New Friend
Written and Illustrated by Holly Hobbie
Published by Little Brown
A delightful story of friends and lesson learning. Everyone is excited when Daphne comes to play but she soon looses her appeal as she is so good at everything and knows it. Second best doesn't play well with her and she can be quite the snooty pig. Can you find the oatmeal reference? Enjoy all the other Toot & Puddle books also!
More Toot and Puddle fun here and here
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Oatmeal Month?
Funny how January can be so many different "months". In honor of Oatmeal Month I present to you some nifty oatmeal fun. For starters, why not read about why oatmeal is good for you? Then, tomorrow, whip up a batch of the best oatmeal ever and let yer kidlets add their own fruity fun to make it their own.
Perfect Oatmeal
*bring 1 3/4 cupcs slightly salted water to a boil
*add 1 cup uncooked oats
*turn heat down to low and simmer about 5 minutes
*add a couple o' dashes of cinnamon and stir, let simmer until water has evaporated
serve up into bowls and add yer toppers. My favorite is a squirt of honey, a dash of half n half, handful of blackberries, 1 tablespoon of granola & a dash of black pepper. Kidlets may like fresh fruit like bananas or strawberries. Dried fruit like raisins or apricots. Brown sugar and cooked apples, a drizzle of chocolate sauce and some mini marshmallows or a 1/4 cup of fruit cereal added for color are a few other ideas. Let yer kidlets create, they may come up with a favorite of yours!
Of course I have put together a kaboodle page for you. Check out some more oatmeal fun below:
Vegan Oatmeal Cookies
Awesome Oatmeal Cookies
Homemade Oatmeal Bath Soak
Kid Friendly Oatmeal Clay
Friday, January 26, 2007
It's Australia Day!
Hi folks! Today is Australia Day for all my friends down under! In honor of Australia Day I bring to you two book recommendations and some pretty pics on how to make your own fairy bread!
First up, one of my favorite stories by the ever fabulous redhead Mem Fox:
Written by Mem Fox
Illustrated by Pamela Lofts
Published by Voyager Books
Not really a tribute to Australia but an honorable mention is Alexander & the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day!
Written by Judith Viorst
Illustrated by Ray Cruz
Published by Aladdin
For Fairy Bread you will need:
*soft white bread (though I prefer squaw bread)
*soft butter, margarine or clotted cream
*a bevy of sprinkles, jimmies and sugar
*large sized cookie cutters, about the size of a slice of bread
*a clean surface or splat mat
Maggie, the wee one who first introduced me to fairy bread likes to flatten her bread first by smashing it with her wee fists. So, after flattening you will want to butter your bread slice liberally. Give the kids plastic knives and they can do it all themselves! After buttering, have a go with all the sprinkles and such:
Cut out with yer cookie cutter...
...and, enjoy!
Happy Australia Day everyone!
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Happy Pie Day!
Yup, today is pie day and while I am indeed baking a pie today, at some point, do not have any purdy pictures to share, nor do I have any of the Pie Books I recommended on my LISTMANIA list...drats! Wait, here is an okay pic of a tart I made, this could work! So, for now, take a gander over to my Kaboodle page for some linky-dinks for some pie crazy fun and here are a few ideas you could try for today with yer wee ones.
*Make some pie crust! Here's a vegan recipe that is easy and fun and yer kidlets can play with it like play dough. You can roll it out and they can make wee little pie crust cookies that would be yummy with jam. You can also make wee tarts by folding the dough up and over a dollop of jam or preserves...yummy!
*Have any aluminum pie pans? set them out with an assortment of collage materials and let yer wee ones make a wall hanging. Once everything is dry, add a picture hanger to the back and viola! Instant art!
*Make a shaving cream pie! Cover the play area with a splat mat or vinyl table cloth, pull out yer alluminum pie pans (you can also pick them up at the supermarket for cheap or save them from previous pie fun), add a little shaving cream and a few other washable toys and such and let them have a go at it. A Place of Our Own mentions using food color. I would recommend using Liquid Watercolor. A little goes a LONG LONG way and you can go in as a group to purchase all the colors and then split them up into smaller portions using the nancy bottles. Seriously, this stuff lasts a long time!
*If the weather permits, make mud pies! You can make them indoors if you are very brave but outdoor play is always a plus!
Okee doke, folks! That's all I have for now. Tomorrow, make sure you pay someone a compliment. After all, it is National Compliment Day!
Monday, January 22, 2007
Jek's Book Nook!
Believe it or not, January 20 was/is National Fancy Rat and Mouse Day. So, I know I still owe you some popcorn fun but until then, I offer up to you a recommended read of two very fine and "fancy" mice...
Bernelly and Harriet
Written and Illustrated by Elizabeth Dahlie
Published by Little, Brown
In this whimsical Country Mouse, City Mouse story, Bernelly, the countrified cutie is a flyfisher with style. While she prefers her quiet country life of fishing and gardening, she is a girl who loves a good pair of shoes. When she is in need of a new pair of boots, she rings up her dear fancy city cousin and proposes a visit. City mouse Harriet is a famous artist who loves to visit new places that will inspire her creativity. While the two discover that they prefer their own lives to each other's, they are fancy enough to see the whimsy in all that is around them! With beautiful illustrations you can't help but almost want to tear these pages out and frame them...almost!
Check out flickr-ette Cathy Gaubert for some whimsically fancy rats and more! She even has some squirrely goodness up. Cuz ya know, yesterday was Squirrel Appreciation Day! Oh and she has an etsy shop also!
And, just in case you are really into real fancy mice and rats. Here's some info on the critters!
Thursday, January 18, 2007
it's national thesaurus day!
here's a few synonyms for scrumdilly-do...
delicious, adorable, ambrosial, appetizing, choice, colorful, creative, dainty, darling, delectable, delightful, delish*, distinctive, divine, enjoyable, enticing, exquisite, good, gratifying, heavenly, inviting, luscious, lush,magnificent, mellow, mouthwatering, nectareous, nice, palatable, piquant, quirky, rare, rich, sapid, savory, scrumptious, spicy, succulent,sweet, tasteful, tasty, tempting, titillating, toothsome, very pleasant, well-prepared, well-seasoned, yummy
we won't even think of antonyms! :)
delicious, adorable, ambrosial, appetizing, choice, colorful, creative, dainty, darling, delectable, delightful, delish*, distinctive, divine, enjoyable, enticing, exquisite, good, gratifying, heavenly, inviting, luscious, lush,magnificent, mellow, mouthwatering, nectareous, nice, palatable, piquant, quirky, rare, rich, sapid, savory, scrumptious, spicy, succulent,sweet, tasteful, tasty, tempting, titillating, toothsome, very pleasant, well-prepared, well-seasoned, yummy
we won't even think of antonyms! :)
Fruit Punch Popcorn
Lookie this amazing flickr picture by Grat2001! Tomorrow is National Popcorn day! Stay tuned for pics & fun! For starters here's my newest book list for kidlets...and...kaboodle fun too!
Monday, January 15, 2007
Happy Hat Day!
And an honorable mention the late, more than great Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. You humble me.
To add a little smile to your day and an activity or two just in case you need something to do, here are a few ideas for National Hat Day!
For nifty books with swell illustrations you can check this list I put together for you. For some nifty linkeroos and craft supplies, you can check out my Kaboodle page!
Last year, Mr. A-go-go & I made our hats out of newspaper and coffee filters, respectively. This year my hat was made from giftwrap and the Mister's from a brown paper grocery bag. You don't have to go out and get any supplies, use what you have, it's fun!
For the giftwrap hat, all you need is a large sheet of paper, masking tape and craft supplies.
To start, you plop the sheet of paper on top of your kidlets head. Use your hand to pseudo-shape a crown on yer wee one's head and then wrap a band of masking tape all the way around to secure. Take hat off head and roll excess paper into the crown to create the brim...tape into place with packing tape or colorful duct tape or whatever yer kidlet desires.
Now, let the decorating begin! I wasn't into a short crown so I taped together two pieces of black construction paper front to back but only tapeing at the sides to create a sort of tube. I then plopped the tube over my crwon and taped down for securiy. After adding a papercut feather and a packing tape button brooch I was ready for Hat Day!
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Soupy reads!
Being National Soup Month and all, I thought I would introduce you to two of my favorite soup books. There are oh so many more and you can check out a list I put together here but for now I shall tell you about these two.
Mean Soup by Betsy Everitt
Published by Harcourt Brace in 1992
Mean Soup is the story of one young Horace's very bad day. From love notes, to foot stomping to almost poodle killing, Horace was having a very bad day. Not so bad that he wanted to move to Australia, but close. To make the day not so bad, Horace's mother whips him up a batch of Mean Soup that is so delightful how could anyone not smile. The illustrations are a technicolor delight and the crankiness of Horace is a tribute to us all. An interactive book if you read it right, Mean Soup will have yer kids in a frenzy of growling and giggles. I do both everytime I read it!
Alvie Eats Soup by Ross Collins
Published by Arthur A. Levine Books in 2002
With its cool graphic design and semi retro feel, Alvie Eats Soup is a delight to read and look at. The grandson of a world famous chef, Alvie only eats soup. Not only does he eat it but he is obsessed by it. Eating soup, talking soup, reading soup, it is all about the soup. Poor Alvie's parent's don't know what to do! When Granny Franny decides to visit they pull out all the stops to get aLvie to change his ways but nothing works. What will Granny say?
So there ya go, two fun soupy reads for Soup Month! Have a nice bowl today, won't ya?
Mean Soup by Betsy Everitt
Published by Harcourt Brace in 1992
Mean Soup is the story of one young Horace's very bad day. From love notes, to foot stomping to almost poodle killing, Horace was having a very bad day. Not so bad that he wanted to move to Australia, but close. To make the day not so bad, Horace's mother whips him up a batch of Mean Soup that is so delightful how could anyone not smile. The illustrations are a technicolor delight and the crankiness of Horace is a tribute to us all. An interactive book if you read it right, Mean Soup will have yer kids in a frenzy of growling and giggles. I do both everytime I read it!
Alvie Eats Soup by Ross Collins
Published by Arthur A. Levine Books in 2002
With its cool graphic design and semi retro feel, Alvie Eats Soup is a delight to read and look at. The grandson of a world famous chef, Alvie only eats soup. Not only does he eat it but he is obsessed by it. Eating soup, talking soup, reading soup, it is all about the soup. Poor Alvie's parent's don't know what to do! When Granny Franny decides to visit they pull out all the stops to get aLvie to change his ways but nothing works. What will Granny say?
So there ya go, two fun soupy reads for Soup Month! Have a nice bowl today, won't ya?
January is Soup Month!
Are ya ready?
What better way to kick off soup month than by whipping up an excellent homemade soup. The niftiest thing about soup is it doesn't take much to make. If you are super adventurous you can make your own stock but if you aren't or don't have time, keep a few boxes of broth on hand or grab yourself a package of chicken, beef or vegetable cubes next time you are grocery shopping.I used to buy soup cookbooks left and right but found that my favorite soups were the ones where I would simply add whatever I had in the kitchen. Mr. A-Go-Go just made a soup like that last night and it is full of onion & potato goodness! Yum! So, pull out that pot, assess what you have and ask yer kidlets what they would want...have them help make the soup. What better way to get them involved? Starting at two years, your kids can help in the kitchen...or maybe the younger ones can sit at the table but you can have them cute soft produce with plastic utensils and they can wash, rinse & dry veggies also, in fact let them tell you what they want in the soup and cook up some warm savory goodness tonight!
While you're cooking yer fantabulous soup, pull out some fantabulous stories and have a read-around! There are soooo many fun soupy books out there that I made a list here for you to enjoy. Also, why not pull out some alphabet pasta and let the kidlets have a go at creating something personal. You can purchase dry alphabet pasta for less than a buck at most supermarkets. I find mine for .35 cents in the "International" food aisle. How dorky is that? Leave the pasta au natural if you like and the kids can glue away and paint to their hearts' content or you can dye up a batch yourself with the use of a few seal and lock baggies and some paint. Use what you have but if you are interested in the best paint in the world, check out the Liquid Watercolors from Discount School Supply! This paint is more awesome than awesome...and...it is non-toxic! Place 1/4 cup of pasta or rice in a baggie with a squirt of paint, seal. Shake up the bag and release the colored fun onto a cookie sheet prepped with wax paper. Spread to a single layer and let dry. Depending on how wet your paste/rice us this could take up to an hour to dry. Mine took 10 minutes! Young kids will have a blast shaking up their own pasta and you can of course turn this into a lesson of color mixing. Just remember, a little goes a long way, both with the paint AND the pasta. If using perfeclty edible food isn't your thing have the kids create collage art with other materials. You don't need a reason to make art!
Okee doke...yer making soup, yer making art, what next? Well, if your soup comes from a can, which is perfectly okay, why don't you make use of those cans? Wash them, sand that little sharp piece down and set out yer art supplies. Here's a list of ideas in case yer having a brain funk:
glue, glue stick, Yes! paste
construction paper, magazines, origami paper, tissue, fabric
scissors
markers, pens, crayons &/or paint
bits and baubles like felt, feathers, beads, pasta...etc.
Put your supplies out on a prepared surface (read, splat mat or newspaper) and let the kidlets go at. You can make pencil tins, art tins, toy containers...they can even turn their cans into creatures if you have all sorts of sizes. Don't limit this activity to soup cans...the possibilities are endless. My all time favorte tin can project was Stilts!
If your kids are older and of the eye rolling age or maybe you want to host a crafty tin can party, you can make beautiful tin can lanterns. For the lanterns you will need:
tin cans (not lined with plastic)
hammer and nails
a drill or two if ya like
sharpie
pattern if you have one to use & tape
tealights, small votive candles
It is easiest to hammer through the cans if you have them full of ice, so fill em up with water and freeze the night before so they will be ready for the crafting. Use a sharpie to dot a design over the can or find and image/design you like and print to the size of the can, wrap around, and secure with tape. Place nail on top of marked dot and hammer until it pokes through the can. Continue until finished and voila, a pretty lantern. Don't forget to use tealights. You can leave your lantern like it is and place it on the ground or you can hammer two holes at the top, across from each other, thread with a piece of wire and loop the ends to lock into place and hang for a pretty effect. If my instructions are too jumbly, check out the link up there...
And, last but not least, soup goes on sale all the time so why not purchase a dozen cans or so and donate them to your local food bank or shelter. Get the kids involved here also because giving is a cool thing. Not sure what else to do? Make up a batch of homemade soup for an ailing neighbor. Soup freezes well and if you find yourself with too much soup, freeze it for later, you can always find a use for it for you or for others.
Thursday, January 4, 2007
salutations!
The idea for this blog started as an idea for a newsletter about ten years ago. I have long been a children's book afficionado, for seven years I ran a storytime/arts & crafts program through a major bookstore chain. I wrote Children's book recommendations for a Los Angeles area parenting magazine and did many hours as a volunteer story reader for various organizations.
My love for Children's books knows no bounds and if I had more spending money and more room for storage, I would have even more picture books than I do now. I would have more if I could stop giving them away also. Anyway, while I loved my job at the bookstore, I was really a bookstore employee and had other areas of responsibilty outside of my love for the stories and art. One of my favorite things to do was speak with parents about their kids, books and art. Through my schooling at almost every wee little college in L.A., I have amassed a wealth of knowledge on creativity and child development. I am once of those geeks who when she learns something that is just too too cool, she has to tell EVERYONE about it and frankly, children and their development is the coolest thing of all. Also, at that time, the people I surrounded myself with couldn't care less for kid's books and development (but not you bunny or you leets, not you!). I thought, wouldn't it be cool if I could get my act together to write out a monthly newsletter that included activity ideas and recommnedations and such? Yeah, it would be cool but my act was far from together.
Then, about six years ago I discovered the internet and blogging. It was also around this time that my bookstore career ended (which is another long story) and I was jonesing for storytime, activities and kid's stuff. I thought hey, I could someday do a website that modeled my old calendars of activities. I could recommend kid's books again, I could help plan birthday parties online! Yes, I also did children's book birthdays. However, me, being the computer inept that I am, never believed in myself enough to do it but then I met the husbandman and he has been extra special at encouraging me to do what I lurve so I have been thinking about it more and more but then sometime last year I discovered Kiddley. I thought "Oh No!" I can't do it now, Ms. Loobylu is doing it and I can't copy her. Kiddley is awesome! So I sat in a slump for the rest of 2006 but more and more I thought I could do it. scrumdilly-do would be different. It would be me as jek in the box presenting my love of activities and books for kids. So, I resolved to make it and many other things happen in 2007 and here I am. It won't be as fancy as the amazing Kiddley and you all may not even read this long long missive here but for me and my lurve I will do this. I will try.
I miss my stories, my art, my kidlets. Maybe this way I can help you give your kids a love for reading!
My love for Children's books knows no bounds and if I had more spending money and more room for storage, I would have even more picture books than I do now. I would have more if I could stop giving them away also. Anyway, while I loved my job at the bookstore, I was really a bookstore employee and had other areas of responsibilty outside of my love for the stories and art. One of my favorite things to do was speak with parents about their kids, books and art. Through my schooling at almost every wee little college in L.A., I have amassed a wealth of knowledge on creativity and child development. I am once of those geeks who when she learns something that is just too too cool, she has to tell EVERYONE about it and frankly, children and their development is the coolest thing of all. Also, at that time, the people I surrounded myself with couldn't care less for kid's books and development (but not you bunny or you leets, not you!). I thought, wouldn't it be cool if I could get my act together to write out a monthly newsletter that included activity ideas and recommnedations and such? Yeah, it would be cool but my act was far from together.
Then, about six years ago I discovered the internet and blogging. It was also around this time that my bookstore career ended (which is another long story) and I was jonesing for storytime, activities and kid's stuff. I thought hey, I could someday do a website that modeled my old calendars of activities. I could recommend kid's books again, I could help plan birthday parties online! Yes, I also did children's book birthdays. However, me, being the computer inept that I am, never believed in myself enough to do it but then I met the husbandman and he has been extra special at encouraging me to do what I lurve so I have been thinking about it more and more but then sometime last year I discovered Kiddley. I thought "Oh No!" I can't do it now, Ms. Loobylu is doing it and I can't copy her. Kiddley is awesome! So I sat in a slump for the rest of 2006 but more and more I thought I could do it. scrumdilly-do would be different. It would be me as jek in the box presenting my love of activities and books for kids. So, I resolved to make it and many other things happen in 2007 and here I am. It won't be as fancy as the amazing Kiddley and you all may not even read this long long missive here but for me and my lurve I will do this. I will try.
I miss my stories, my art, my kidlets. Maybe this way I can help you give your kids a love for reading!
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