tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48356254078586062072024-03-13T09:58:40.399-07:00Read 'Em And LeapUsing children's books as inspiration for creative play, art, music, and learning activities with preschoolersHeidi Oklahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00294993978030713332noreply@blogger.comBlogger50125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4835625407858606207.post-61180562581141110512014-09-14T09:24:00.002-07:002014-09-14T09:26:46.534-07:00New job!Hello! I am so thrilled that you've found your way to my little blog. This was a project I started years ago when my oldest was just a toddler (now 8 years old). As the family grew, and our lives got busier, I found myself with such little time to keep up with the blog. We're still working in time for reading (at least 20 min. every day, of course!) and we still attempt our craft projects, bu<b>t</b> time to blog about our reading adventures really fell low on the list of priorities in our daily lives.<br />
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This August, I started a real job (not just freelance) for the first time in many, many years. So I am still writing on a daily basis, but this time it's for work. I am excited about my position as Content Manager for <span style="color: red;"><a href="http://do512family.com/"><b>Do512Family.com</b></a></span>. If you're in the Austin, TX area, this is THE place to go find out about all of the awesome things to do around town with kids. Please check it out!<br />
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Heidi Oklahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00294993978030713332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4835625407858606207.post-32817426022381463892014-03-26T18:22:00.003-07:002014-03-26T18:22:57.072-07:00Texas Bluebonnets<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Spring in Texas we are delighted with a beautiful display of wildflowers, and the bluebonnets, our State Flower, are among the favorite of locals. Each March and April, throughout central Texas, Mother Nature gifts us with a sea of blue wildflowers across the countryside. <br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>BOOK:</b></span><br />
<i>The Legend of the Bluebonnet </i> by Tomie DePaola is the retelling of the old Native American legend of how bluebonnets first came to grow. This books tells the story of a little orphaned girl called She-Who-is-Alone who lost her family during extreme drought. She has one cherished possession, a doll made from buckskin that had bright blue feathers in its hair. She loved the doll very much. When her tribe's Shaman states that a "great sacrifice" needs to be made, the little girl gives up her doll. The next morning, the ground is covered with bluebonnet flowers -- the same color of her doll's feathers. <i>Note:</i> This is a really such a sad story and a little heavy for my preschooler, but my 8yr old thought it was really interesting. <br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>ACTIVITY:</b></span> <b>Torn Paper Bluebonnets</b><br />
My four-year-old really likes to keep things simple when it's time for arts and crafts. He doesn't like to sit still for too long. So we took some green and blue colored paper, and I asked him to tear it up into little pieces. I then asked him to arrange them into the form of a bluebonnet, and I gave him a glue stick. And this is what he came up with. He says it will be a perfect gift for Grandma. <br />
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<br />Heidi Oklahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00294993978030713332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4835625407858606207.post-76337312482100935772014-03-08T18:30:00.000-08:002014-03-09T14:50:28.123-07:005 Easy Ideas for Stay-at-Home Fun I can't stand the feeling of being stuck in the house. Whether it's a
rainy day, or a sick day for one of my boys, or a school holiday
with no plans. (Hello, a whole week of Spring Break!) Being in the house all day makes me
really antsy.<i> I want to get out and go on adventures!</i><br />
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My boys
however, sometimes really, really like to just simply stay home. To them the idea of just getting dressed and getting in the car is too much of a
chore. So when it's a lazy day and there is no place we HAVE to be, I
slow down and try to relax about staying put in the house.<br />
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But in
order to stay calm, minimize the fighting and wrestling <i>(did I mention I
have three boys?)</i>, and limit screen time <i>(we can't watch TV all day!)</i>, I
have a few tried-and-true easy activities to break up the monotony of
stay-at-home days. Sure the boys have a thousand toys to play with, and of course we take time to read every day, but sometimes even with all of that, they need a few activities throughout the day to keep going in a peaceful manner (because somehow everything really ends in fighting). None of these are mind-blowingly original, but the bonus is that they require very little effort, planning, or supplies. Because really, if the boys get a lazy day, so should mom.<br />
<b><br />1. Scavenger Hunt</b><br />
This is so simple and easy and never
seems to get old in my house. Make a list of items you have in your
home and let the kids go around the house finding them and checking them
off the list. The longer your list, the longer they'll be busy with
this. I
should also note that this works well in our house because my oldest is 8
years old and can read. If you've got little ones, you'll need to go
along with them and read the checklist for them. That doesn't give you a break, but
it gives you a simple game to do together. <br />
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<b>2. Water "Paint"</b><br />
Oh paint, I
have a love/hate relationship with you. Why must you get under those tiny fingernails and all over those clothes?
If you're seeking something with less mess than paint, just pull out brushes and water
and let the kids "paint" on a chalkboard or any concrete surface, such as the sidewalk (or in our case, the front porch). I like to keep brushes and rollers of all sizes in the house. In addition to regular brushes, you can try mini rollers from the dollar store, sponges, Q-tips, cotton balls, etc. No clean up required -- except maybe a change of clothes.
But chances are we were still in our PJs anyway (or like today, the Peter Pan costume over the jammies).<br />
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<b>3. Making Cards</b><br />
Thanks
to Facebook, lots of far-away friends and family know what we're up to with every photo I post.
But doesn't everyone love to get a card in the mail -- especially just a
"thinking of you" card? Pull out the paper, crayons, markers, or
whatever you wish and let the kids create something to send to Grandma or
whomever your child is thinking of that day. Sometimes we write out
notes for our favorite librarian or our sweet mailman (<i>shout out to Ms.
Elizabeth and Norman!</i>). If you know yourself well enough that you think getting a card all the way to the post office to mail is too much of a hassle, have them create something for a neighbor or a teacher who you will see in person.<br />
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<i><b>Cards for March:</b></i> Want an easy idea for a Saint Patrick's Day card? This takes very little effort, but does require a tiny bit of paint. Take a bell pepper and slice it in half. Dip it in green paint to make shamrock prints, and you've got yourself some cute cards for this March holiday. No luck of the Irish required.<br />
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<b>4. Playing with your Food</b><br />
I know lots of mamas take advantage of rainy days to bake with their kids. Sometimes I do this. But sometimes getting all of those little fingers in the kitchen fighting over who gets to stir is more than I am up for. But there is always fun to be had in the kitchen.<br />
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<li><b>Beans, Pasta & Salt:</b> I love to pull out dried beans and pasta for them to make collages with. Go to town with the glue! But sometimes we also do sensory-type tables. The kids like having baking pans full of coarse salt that they can write in with their fingers -- or even drive cars in for the youngest. </li>
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<li><b>Cooked Spaghetti:</b> You can also cook up a big batch of spaghetti, mix it with a small amount of oil, and put it in a big tub (like the big plastic bins you keep sweaters in under the bed). Give the kids big spoons and forks or throw in tiny toys for them to fish out. If you think they will be too tempted to eat it, cook a little extra and put it aside for afterwards. And of course, this activity is just perfect for pairing with <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/More-Spaghetti-Scholastic-Reader-Level/dp/0590457837/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1394375100&sr=8-1&keywords=more+spaghetti+i+say" target="_blank">More Spaghetti, I Say!</a> </i>by <span class="st">Rita Golden Gelman for a little story time before or after they play.</span></li>
<b><br />
</b>
<li><span class="st"><b>Marshmallows and Toothpicks:</b> See what kinds of towers or snowmen, or other sticky creations the kids can create with these items. <i>Yum, edible tinker toys.</i></span></li>
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<li><span class="st"><b>Berries:</b> I admit that this might be too messy depending on your level of interest and patience. But if you have any raspberries, blueberries, or strawberries that are over-ripe, let the kids smash them and paint with them on paper. Of course, with this, you need to be more careful about staining, but the novelty of using berries is fun for the boys. <i>See my old related post <a href="http://www.reademandleap.com/2009/09/jamtastic-bears.html" target="_blank">Jamtastic Bears.</a> </i><br /> </span></li>
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<b>5. "Awesome or Weird?" Dance Party</b><br />
If weather really keeps us stuck in the house, my kids (and I) need to work off some energy. My favorite way to do so is my an impromptu dance party. Without telling them ahead of time or trying to get their buy-in, I just put on some music really loudly and start dancing. They can't help but join in after a few minutes. Recently my kids came up with their own game which they call "Awesome or Weird?" in which they take turns doing a creative dance move as their siblings judge whether this new move is "awesome" or "weird". It's terrific. Surprisingly, they are generally really complimentary and supportive of each other's interesting moves. (It's mine that are often pegged as "weird".) Phrase it however you wish in your own home, but the creativity in this game brings the average dance party up to new levels of fun.<br />
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I am sure you've got your own tricks up your sleeve. And I hope you share them in the comments! With summer not too far ahead, I am already trying to take note of new things to do when days are too HOT to want to go out on adventures. </div>
Heidi Oklahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00294993978030713332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4835625407858606207.post-42858047816652634232013-10-23T08:04:00.002-07:002013-10-23T08:04:55.589-07:00Season for SquirrelsWe have a resident squirrel who lives in the tree outside of my oldest son's window. My boys named him Sassy Pants. He's a bold little guy who is not afraid to get up close to check out the kids (and likely sniff the peanut butter that is always smudged somewhere on their bodies.)<br />
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Fall is here, and it seems that no matter where we look, we see squirrels busily scurrying around for nuts, playing chase across the yards, (and running across the streets nearly giving me a panic attack every time one runs into the road in front of my car.)<br />
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So at a recent visit to the library, with Sassy Pants in mind, we decided to check out some squirrel books.<br />
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<b><span style="color: purple;">Book: </span><i>Nuts to You! </i>by Lois Ehlert</b><br />
In this book, a rascally squirrel is up to some
tricks. He sneaks through an apartment window, but then it takes some nuts to motivate him to go back outside. The classic Ehlert illustrative style is perfect for this book. She identifies plants, birds, insects and includes facts about squirrels at the back of the book. <br />
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<span style="color: purple;"><b>Activity:</b></span> <b>Fluffy Tail Pictures</b><br />
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After reading the book, the first thing we did was take a handful of nuts and place them outside my son's window. We then watched happily to see Sassy come and devour them right away. Feeding squirrels isn't something that will be a habit in our household, but just this once, it was pretty satisfying.<br />
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<b>Fluffy Tail Pictures:</b><br />
I pulled some fluffy plumes from some tall grasses growing in front of our house (maybe pampas grass?) that provided inspiration to make a picture of a squirrel with a fluffy tail. I glanced at the squirrel in Ehlert's book and just drew a very basic squirrel outline in pencil. (You could also find a coloring page online and print it out.) I gave it to my son with a set of watercolors, and he was happy to paint it to his liking. Then, he glued the grass plumes on, and he ended up with a very cute piece of art.<br />
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<br />Heidi Oklahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00294993978030713332noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4835625407858606207.post-34102832646003619762013-09-04T09:58:00.000-07:002013-09-04T17:54:27.606-07:00Robot Zombie Costume TimeSchool just started last week for the big boys and this week for my preschooler. I am in the depths of the challenges that come with back-to-school transitions. I feel like our family is just treading water and hoping to come out happy and balanced in a week or two once all of these new schedules, routines, etc. settle in.<br />
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But while that is our world at home right now, the grocery store's packed candy aisles and decorations reminded me today that Halloween is upon us. My kids have already been asked several times by friends and family members what costumes they plan on choosing for Halloween. I need to catch my breath before I can tackle that holiday. But I know soon enough we'll be raring to go on this monster-sized season.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-O8aVRF7DxErt2tjxFasBejsI83ljhtrVzct3djh8BpeKDxW5JKICdMEetLFGZb0sgze7Le-PttbkKZPU-G2RSa386-nSTlYs6GSxYHW8nfgBotSR9z5V9YsG5WuVv58YHsvPFg6MVKM/s1600/IMG_9713.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-O8aVRF7DxErt2tjxFasBejsI83ljhtrVzct3djh8BpeKDxW5JKICdMEetLFGZb0sgze7Le-PttbkKZPU-G2RSa386-nSTlYs6GSxYHW8nfgBotSR9z5V9YsG5WuVv58YHsvPFg6MVKM/s200/IMG_9713.jpg" width="183" /></a><b><span style="color: #0b5394;">Book:</span></b> <b><i>Robot Zombie Frankenstein! </i></b>by Annette Simon is not a Halloween book, but it's a great one to pull out as we think about dress-up and costumes. This book features two robot buddies who try to one-up each other in dress-up play. They pile costume upon costume until they are dressed in hilarious ways. The illustrations are composed of simple shapes, layered upon each other to create the robots and their costumes in a delightful, colorful way.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #0b5394;">Craft:</span></b> <b>Shape Robot, Zombie, Monsters</b><br />
I love an easy craft project that my boys of varied ages can all do together. The book lends itself to such an easy project. I simply cut out a variety of shapes out of colored paper. I provided glue, and I asked the kids to create their own costumed robot. They had a terrific time with this one!<br />
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<br />Heidi Oklahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00294993978030713332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4835625407858606207.post-14427865478303528942013-08-19T18:10:00.002-07:002013-08-20T12:33:48.554-07:00Kinder RocksMy middle child, Elliot, will be starting kindergarten next week. Whoa, I'm not quite
ready. You'd think that having been through this already with my oldest,
I'd be better equipped to handle such a milestone. And yes, I am more
at ease about school anxieties, but I am still having trouble grasping
this big step for my sweet five year-old.<br />
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Today we pulled many of
our back-to-school books off the shelf and started reading in
preparation for next week. Before any big transition, we always read
stories about characters going through similar scenarios as a way
to prep ourselves. It gives us a very easy way to talk about fears,
expectations, etc., and it (usually) provides happy endings and possible
solutions to conflict.<br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>Book: </b></span><i><b><br />Kindergarten Rocks!</b></i> by Katie Davis is a
story about soon-to-be kindergartner, Dex, who gets lots of advice from
his 3rd grade big sis. Dex voices lots of his concerns through his
lovey, a puppy named Rufus. Rufus and Dex end up having a great first day of
school until Rufus gets lost. When he is found, of course, Dex realizes
that tomorrow he can go it alone at school and it would be safer to leave
his lovie at home.<br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>Activity 1: Kinder Rocks</b></span><br />
Knowing
that I don't want my son to be tempted to take his lovey to school on the first day,
and being inspired by the title of the book we had just read, I told
Elliot that we'd sit together and make special rocks. I would make one
(with love) for him to keep in his backpack as a way to remember that
I'm always thinking loving thoughts for him. And he'd make one for me to
hold when I'm missing him when he's off at school. Much like Audrey
Penn's <i><b>The Kissing Hand</b></i>, our plan was to exchange affections
to have when apart from each other.<br />
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We simply walked outside and
gathered rocks. We painted them together (yes, we used nail polish for a glossy quick dry). And after they were dry, we exchanged
them with a big hug and an "I love you." It's the perfect trinket for his backpack pocket on that first day.<br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>Activity 2: Shrinky Dinks Backpack Tags</b></span><br />
My
son chose a very plain red backpack for school. He preferred something
simplistic, but he chose to customize it with a few patches from the
craft store. Additionally, we decided to make a little name tag for it
out of Shrinky Dinks.<br />
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We simply took out a strip of plain Shrinky Dinks
paper. Elliot wrote his name in colored pencil on the rough side and
decorated it to his liking. We punched a hole through one corner, and we
put it in the oven to shrink. When it cooled, it made just the right tag
for his one-of-a-kind backpack.<br />
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So now that Elliot is ready, I just need to pull myself together and assure him that it's going to be a fabulous year ahead!<br />
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<br />Heidi Oklahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00294993978030713332noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4835625407858606207.post-80911665931017270482013-07-14T18:06:00.001-07:002013-07-15T18:22:10.273-07:00Dream House DiversityOne of the things I love about living in Austin, TX is the whole "Keep Austin Weird" slogan. In the everyday lives of my three boys, they encounter people of so many backgrounds and cultures (is hippie a culture? wink, wink). I feel so fortunate to live in a neighborhood where we can walk around and see a tiny, old home in need of some tender loving care sitting next to a large new, modern mega-duplex. Our 'hood is surely "keeping it weird", and with that we see so much expression and diversity<b>. </b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLmZvolrTaqo-MmqQUW56YSlfR3CLvT-KS9fp3b42WqUPWj5bLPOqSbWmMPpSuG20u9q1Z5WQ-FjH4N_FANLKWBwpRajlcAQLHQ2zcD8aY9vB6AsY8akZhQQpPXDIOC8q_O6PxvHP42lU/s1600/photo-20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLmZvolrTaqo-MmqQUW56YSlfR3CLvT-KS9fp3b42WqUPWj5bLPOqSbWmMPpSuG20u9q1Z5WQ-FjH4N_FANLKWBwpRajlcAQLHQ2zcD8aY9vB6AsY8akZhQQpPXDIOC8q_O6PxvHP42lU/s200/photo-20.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>BOOK:</b></span> One of my absolute favorite children's books is <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Orange-Splot-Manus-Pinkwater/dp/0590445103" target="_blank"><i><b>The Big Orange Splot</b></i></a> by Daniel Manus Pinkwater. It is a fun story of self-expression and individuality. When a seagull mysteriously flies over a house and drops orange paint on the roof of Mr. Plumbean's home, he is left to determine what to do about. And his choices are not immediately embraced by his neighbors.
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>ACTIVITY:</b></span> In full disclosure, I rarely get the time to plan ahead on arts and crafts these days. My kids were acting rowdy when reading this, so I got out paper and markers. I quickly drew a vague outline of a house. I asked the boys to pretend they are the seagull dropping paint on their brother's house. One of my boys would close his eyes while his brother marked a spot on his paper, so that he would be surprised about where it "landed." They all took turns on that until everyone had an orange mark somewhere on their house. Then they got to be creative and design the house of their dreams.
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<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdLYklqrroedJ13Rg9szEdfq71ZYswMYWaWc0yBzX3OYFLZoIUeZu453226B-rK-wGt6wCJkHo0lyVBjnrFPKx_hzKXvTecBPEILzZ1IKO8OObKDk3IZ2brA1t4d0Wl9CrgGQJaLcKywc/s1600/house2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdLYklqrroedJ13Rg9szEdfq71ZYswMYWaWc0yBzX3OYFLZoIUeZu453226B-rK-wGt6wCJkHo0lyVBjnrFPKx_hzKXvTecBPEILzZ1IKO8OObKDk3IZ2brA1t4d0Wl9CrgGQJaLcKywc/s320/house2.jpg" width="320" /></a></b></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>BONUS ACTIVITY:</b></span> On your next walk around the block, ask the kids to guess which house in your neighborhood Mr. Plumbean would most likely wish to live in and why.
Heidi Oklahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00294993978030713332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4835625407858606207.post-64954270852467217012011-08-02T10:34:00.000-07:002011-08-02T10:34:36.392-07:00Seashell Wind Chimes (repost)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPOud0qbA_EI2IuoejPscCU6bGmOepJur8A89YAUjvQqUOSX3oEHuybuhsmX3a9iEBMoNHJtrcc43NTMfF9O9UTFWW35xcWmo2IZz_NONllVJW__UDr6jymK5oNWWOwr-8ZUYtPMxxC1A/s1600-h/shell_windchime.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348504653299444514" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPOud0qbA_EI2IuoejPscCU6bGmOepJur8A89YAUjvQqUOSX3oEHuybuhsmX3a9iEBMoNHJtrcc43NTMfF9O9UTFWW35xcWmo2IZz_NONllVJW__UDr6jymK5oNWWOwr-8ZUYtPMxxC1A/s320/shell_windchime.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 320px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 149px;" /></a>In the past few months we had two lovely trips to the beach. Our time at the coast was really wonderful, and my three-year-old and I enjoyed exploring the sand and searching for shells. We brought a lot of our seashell treasures back home and ended up with a big collection. Here is just one project we tried to make some use out of our shells.<br />
<span style="color: #3333ff; font-weight: bold;"><br />
BOOK:</span> We enjoyed turning this project into a mini science lesson, and talked about what shells are made of, how they are used to protect creatures, etc. The book <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Lives-Shell-Lets-Read-Find-Out-Science/dp/0780740688?ie=UTF8&tag=reem-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">What Lives In a Shell?</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=reem-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0780740688" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /></span> by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld was a great resource for this topic. We also checked out a shell guide from the library to look at the photos and learn the names of our shells.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid5znqmvP88nOQBxU_mj0MkSkRzvXWVy2qSP7eijsD3c9lbKkYpz-Vrlpb7yXKL5gjQVMWo2O3S9MNHrNs_TXEnbjoWxnfmoyZuveSgAVXT86XUzllxnG69d4mbOaygdRbCuSal4IC90c/s1600-h/shell_books.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348374232096851778" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid5znqmvP88nOQBxU_mj0MkSkRzvXWVy2qSP7eijsD3c9lbKkYpz-Vrlpb7yXKL5gjQVMWo2O3S9MNHrNs_TXEnbjoWxnfmoyZuveSgAVXT86XUzllxnG69d4mbOaygdRbCuSal4IC90c/s320/shell_books.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 176px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
<span style="color: #3333ff; font-weight: bold;">ACTIVITY:</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">Seashell Wind Chimes</span><br />
This particular project was geared just toward my three-year-old, and a bit too complicated for my 18 month-old. And I will admit upfront that it did take 2 days and some work on my part to complete. But it provided us with a nice little memento of our shell collection.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Steps 1 & 2 for Grown Ups: </span><br />
1. Find a plastic container. (Medium-sized plastic tub would work best. Margarine, sour cream, old Tupperware, etc. Ours was an olive container.) Drill 8 small holes, spaced evenly, along the bottom of the container. Then drill 2 small holes into the center top of the container.<br />
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2. Cut 9 strips of yarn (each about a foot long). Use hot glue gun to adhere one strip of yarn to the inside of 8 seashells. Let dry completely. (The last strip of yarn is used to hang the wind chime.)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMNpLcfZ7zKQ4MJ3ZNAN1z3dXBDTEurU0NqbGXzO5Wfw3-Lt_e5p79YPKoJxuImmoMMQKmCGKXps2upX7QP99BmPhJQ-yyGzMCOxzWdegfpu3nrCZkObwFHv7pGUWVTOG5UE4FuoI1_yM/s1600-h/shells_materials.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348374548261948130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMNpLcfZ7zKQ4MJ3ZNAN1z3dXBDTEurU0NqbGXzO5Wfw3-Lt_e5p79YPKoJxuImmoMMQKmCGKXps2upX7QP99BmPhJQ-yyGzMCOxzWdegfpu3nrCZkObwFHv7pGUWVTOG5UE4FuoI1_yM/s320/shells_materials.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 181px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 300px;" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Steps 3-5 for Kids:</span><br />
3. Paint the plastic container and let dry. (Note: you may wish to give it a coat of Mod Podge or a glue to seal the paint and give it a glossy finish.)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIb-Wljn450CmP_bljB2n4ECn264edFstGG8VT3dhT41No5R4zNfA9eWgR7ClQsgWjMbaL6-Kc-Hp74-LchDFNlEFPexyESIea-NfJWbzeq1woCe_PyY7m_KD01hZW2csJomt1QlCTxw8/s1600-h/shell_paint.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348373989322906738" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIb-Wljn450CmP_bljB2n4ECn264edFstGG8VT3dhT41No5R4zNfA9eWgR7ClQsgWjMbaL6-Kc-Hp74-LchDFNlEFPexyESIea-NfJWbzeq1woCe_PyY7m_KD01hZW2csJomt1QlCTxw8/s320/shell_paint.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 320px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 269px;" /></a><br />
4. Decorate the plastic container. We had foam fish stickers that my son used as well as markers and glitter.<br />
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5. Decorate the seashells. My son opted to paint glitter glue on each of his. He also tried markers, and paints would work well, too.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Steps 6 and 7 for Grown Ups:</span><br />
6. Once everything is dry, tie each seashell onto the plastic container. Then tie the remaining piece of yarn to the top of the container.<br />
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7. Hang somewhere where you'll get an occasional breeze to hear the sounds of the shells clanking softly.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBrWkrMAXvTnqF7m0p5B4KcXLtkHP9pwQGdL4ZRX8Gcf1XlYj9jDDb3wR2S3tXsqlxkbjr9W5RMGLw2_iBDtnxAP69e9vYHJ7Uv19b60Q2lSZ29Vry7Fa6A2T2GHrt7rQWGuW1IpOA44w/s1600-h/shell_chime.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348504298041174066" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBrWkrMAXvTnqF7m0p5B4KcXLtkHP9pwQGdL4ZRX8Gcf1XlYj9jDDb3wR2S3tXsqlxkbjr9W5RMGLw2_iBDtnxAP69e9vYHJ7Uv19b60Q2lSZ29Vry7Fa6A2T2GHrt7rQWGuW1IpOA44w/s400/shell_chime.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 188px;" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd4bKKMsRI3QvByx7ITkdRDd_5Irf40n9sgFxRrxEUu76Zw3472Q1hBHdRUiFXow5S7GPqQLiIefE3lhs3zWHGt1QA0Z0Nl5ZMehiWNWR9PXIMvaMp6TARU2GklQfif4XCs-ECFz8C8W4/s1600-h/shell_chime.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><br />
</a>Heidi Oklahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00294993978030713332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4835625407858606207.post-16327503066582869642011-06-15T19:56:00.000-07:002011-06-16T05:32:31.841-07:00Daddy Rocks<i>Well, I haven't posted to this blog since October. Geez. I had actually given up on it. After my third son became mobile, I just couldn't take the time to keep it going. We are continually inspired to do arts and crafts after reading books, and we do projects several times a week. I just couldn't sit down and post about it. So why now? It's summer. We're schedule-free. And we're crafting like gangbusters. My kids are so inspired by the idea of impressing their dad with homemade Father's Day gifts that I just felt compelled to capture their sincere efforts here...</i><br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Bunny-Book-Little-Golden/dp/0375832246?ie=UTF8&tag=reem-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="The Bunny Book (Little Golden Book)" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=0375832246&tag=reem-20" /></a><b style="color: #0b5394;">BOOKS:</b> My favorite Golden Book is Richard Scarry's <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Bunny-Book-Little-Golden/dp/0375832246?ie=UTF8&tag=reem-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">The Bunny Book</a></i><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=reem-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0375832246" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />.<img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=reem-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0375832246" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> It's just a sweet story that I love so much. Everyone in his family tells little baby boy bunny what they think he should be when he grows up: police officer, mail carrier, teacher, clown, etc. But baby bunny says he is going to be a great daddy bunny like his father. I find this story to be so refreshing because I rarely hear little boys verbalizing their aspirations to be a father in the same way that girls talk about growing up to be a mommy. It's just a nice Father's Day read.<br />
<img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=reem-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0399246274" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Daddy-Adventure-Day-Dave-Keane/dp/0399246274?ie=UTF8&tag=reem-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Daddy Adventure Day" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=0399246274&tag=reem-20" /></a>The other book that I discovered recently is <i><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Daddy-Adventure-Day-Dave-Keane/dp/0399246274?ie=UTF8&tag=reem-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Daddy Adventure Day</a></b></i><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=reem-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0399246274" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> by Dave Keane. It's a cute book about a little boy who gets a full day of Daddy's attention and one-on-one time. I enjoy that it's not overly-sweet. Not everything is perfect with their day from the father's perspective (he can't read his newspaper, a drink spills on the his pants), and it seems much more true to life as a parent. But from the boy's perspective, it's a wonderfully special day with his dad.<br />
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<b style="color: #0b5394;">ACTIVITIES:</b> I need to admit from the start that none of these are my own original ideas. I found these all on other blogs, and credit and a link is given to each blogger below. They were each so cute and easy and fun for my boys (ages 5, 3, and 20 months) to create.<br />
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1. <b>Dad Rocks Paperweight</b><br />
<a href="http://www.craftsbyamanda.com/2010/06/dad-rocks-paperweight-fathers-day-craft.html">Crafts By Amanda</a> shares a step-by-step guide to making this paperweight from salt dough and pebbles. My kids loved this. I mean, messy dough and rocks to play with? Win-win. (Also, I think this would make a nice little plaque in a frame for dad's desk or you could drill a hole in the top and string it up as a wall-hanging.)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuBpH1_OJtXh5mpzpfvRmzj3wl6-bScn3KQhlbQ6voticjIpKVBvlnq0E-YLdKF8BEL8Aqm91S19ZFYsn4OiCFBC0YFLt8OiC5sAw4BAR1LiePG3HUnXojaxci1y11IILN-SJuESXg0Fw/s1600/DSC_0673.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuBpH1_OJtXh5mpzpfvRmzj3wl6-bScn3KQhlbQ6voticjIpKVBvlnq0E-YLdKF8BEL8Aqm91S19ZFYsn4OiCFBC0YFLt8OiC5sAw4BAR1LiePG3HUnXojaxci1y11IILN-SJuESXg0Fw/s320/DSC_0673.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
2.<b> Daddy Popsicle Puzzle</b><br />
<a href="http://impressyourkids.org/fathers-day-craft/">Impress Your Kids</a> gave us our new favorite idea. Gluing a photo to popsicle sticks to make a puzzle is genius. So easy, and my kids LOVE it. They were fighting to take turns to do the puzzle. (I think we'll be making many of these puzzles in the future.) <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw1yBYTlH0j6yFI9ivlWr11zl_tjHfxjdDiVP1Ms_Beh_SVEnW4l6j4WL043jzGLglG0n3-rg-oJcBwGbsbPJLAYYsFIIlz0pko4aDvRLnZGDlCk8phm1lHEmJxeRpM2PzxUM4WVn62RA/s1600/DSC_0688.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw1yBYTlH0j6yFI9ivlWr11zl_tjHfxjdDiVP1Ms_Beh_SVEnW4l6j4WL043jzGLglG0n3-rg-oJcBwGbsbPJLAYYsFIIlz0pko4aDvRLnZGDlCk8phm1lHEmJxeRpM2PzxUM4WVn62RA/s320/DSC_0688.JPG" width="294" /></a></div><br />
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3.<b> Handprint Wall-Hanging</b><br />
<a href="http://rootsandwingsco.blogspot.com/2009/06/fathers-gifts.html">Roots and Wings Co.</a> showcases an amazingly beautiful and elaborate take on this idea. But the original idea came from her four-year-old's summer camp craft, and that is what we had the energy to recreate. The boys all got to participate with the painting, and my two older boys loved stringing the beads. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVlPk2qJGNhjAbR59JjPsTBA61tY0fc1d59cYaHCxszMynZXLxtqA8Yrd6DvgpEin7fRUsfXvptRA4sum2cBjKl86Zn3qHgIUyxbRpj0-i9XsxA5mbKWmmdL6bKh0vNp4ScWtxlcfHrYg/s1600/DSC_0686.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVlPk2qJGNhjAbR59JjPsTBA61tY0fc1d59cYaHCxszMynZXLxtqA8Yrd6DvgpEin7fRUsfXvptRA4sum2cBjKl86Zn3qHgIUyxbRpj0-i9XsxA5mbKWmmdL6bKh0vNp4ScWtxlcfHrYg/s320/DSC_0686.JPG" width="178" /></a></div>Heidi Oklahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00294993978030713332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4835625407858606207.post-1293551089243554842010-10-26T19:35:00.000-07:002010-10-26T19:39:19.553-07:00Nature Walk Faces<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj76iIlTTxlI8ZwSGWiNQ0ex47TsIMp_vsNasARalTrMUYHfBo1n8wM0eLA53UCR4-3E00lMItlbilkNdSCcM6ERZ26QTPa1kqFWVnML0n6f6HJOkyZ3b1-x9HYMV-q0YB9Ggl1u0Ftie4/s1600/DSC_1652.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj76iIlTTxlI8ZwSGWiNQ0ex47TsIMp_vsNasARalTrMUYHfBo1n8wM0eLA53UCR4-3E00lMItlbilkNdSCcM6ERZ26QTPa1kqFWVnML0n6f6HJOkyZ3b1-x9HYMV-q0YB9Ggl1u0Ftie4/s200/DSC_1652.JPG" width="200" /></a><i>First I have to just own up to the fact that I am really having a tough time keeping up with this blog. It's not that there's any lack of reading or crafting in my home. In fact, the craft projects are coming on like gangbusters. I swear my two older boys are going through as much glue as a whole class of preschoolers. Anyhow, I find it so hard to actually sit down and post our activities. So here is a very delayed post. But I wanted to get in something related to Autumn before winter comes. </i><br />
<div style="color: #0b5394;"><b><br />
</b></div><b style="color: #0b5394;">BOOK: </b>I love Lois Ehlert's creativity. I had the wonderful opportunity to meet her a few years ago, and since speaking with her, I have an even greater appreciation for her storytelling and collage technique. I had never seen <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Boo-You-Lois-Ehlert/dp/1416986251?ie=UTF8&tag=reem-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Boo To You! </a></i><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=reem-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1416986251" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />until a recent trip to the library. It's a lovely showcase of her use of objects found in nature to illustrate her story. I must disclose that my ultra-sensitive boys were not crazy about the tale, as they thought the mice were being too mean to the cat. They didn't seem to understand that the cat's objective was to eat the mice. And they thought that throwing broccoli (of all things) at the cat was such an insult.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjodEMFP1cHrUQUP6UxeG-5YRIiapiefsSEBmqotdzRMAmpwO9o52fIFl0rNFkAzGOGca2gCM5EzzWKgcGLk8jTuc1IyTIU8DbB7fKvM6P7NCoso700qw-gT_W61-vZYVdaHXjGs5bupG8/s1600/DSC_1658.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjodEMFP1cHrUQUP6UxeG-5YRIiapiefsSEBmqotdzRMAmpwO9o52fIFl0rNFkAzGOGca2gCM5EzzWKgcGLk8jTuc1IyTIU8DbB7fKvM6P7NCoso700qw-gT_W61-vZYVdaHXjGs5bupG8/s320/DSC_1658.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<b style="color: #0b5394;">ACTIVITY: </b><b>Nature Faces</b><br />
Just a quick browse of Lois Ehlert's pages would inspire anyone to copy her illustrative collage style, and so that is what we tried on a small scale.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3KYVm5Kr8N-DpJHfoPcRBA_BbDISrCqsiW13nWfck6Db6j7DH6tJuPuUM_pZ8QoDolBAmMKs3gLiHqCkbtu4eZXdMshXfiEwQObDRLzUbYzeQgQGiTWVm4Zfyp89WexUlVZP__e8MTsE/s1600/DSC_1648.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3KYVm5Kr8N-DpJHfoPcRBA_BbDISrCqsiW13nWfck6Db6j7DH6tJuPuUM_pZ8QoDolBAmMKs3gLiHqCkbtu4eZXdMshXfiEwQObDRLzUbYzeQgQGiTWVm4Zfyp89WexUlVZP__e8MTsE/s320/DSC_1648.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
First, we went on a little nature hunt in the front yard, picking up acorns, pecan shells, leaves, sticks, etc. Then I gave the boys a piece of construction paper cut in a circle shape to use as a face. The boys simply designed their faces with the objects found in the yard and glued them in place. The results were cute!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5yUQhLN9KD1Cg5toefKNNOR3pCvZg6vHSyHc4a3YwRkZy6KfSwpUMz9q0_kbExOANBlDhyphenhyphenhVj-u135IGSfoNKNuK35MvOmhytlhTRJbZaEUioHG7V2q3TC7zB_QMPUpmGb1MoNlNYJx0/s1600/DSC_1661.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5yUQhLN9KD1Cg5toefKNNOR3pCvZg6vHSyHc4a3YwRkZy6KfSwpUMz9q0_kbExOANBlDhyphenhyphenhVj-u135IGSfoNKNuK35MvOmhytlhTRJbZaEUioHG7V2q3TC7zB_QMPUpmGb1MoNlNYJx0/s320/DSC_1661.JPG" width="225" /></a></div>Heidi Oklahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00294993978030713332noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4835625407858606207.post-21031234888803221222010-08-15T07:42:00.000-07:002010-08-15T07:44:45.075-07:00Clowning Around<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX40p9YvftmBobTIFIYiYFzXLwt57F_xYb114iVErhUdhTrafV6OLwITUUAbKOJhe91OodY0O6A1-56WhIUSqwwjKwzAGvkPNUv5OWxE8-CJ3JPQIX22VilUgR0bz67s8mAYhyphenhyphenkrBsKJA/s1600/DSC_1180.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX40p9YvftmBobTIFIYiYFzXLwt57F_xYb114iVErhUdhTrafV6OLwITUUAbKOJhe91OodY0O6A1-56WhIUSqwwjKwzAGvkPNUv5OWxE8-CJ3JPQIX22VilUgR0bz67s8mAYhyphenhyphenkrBsKJA/s200/DSC_1180.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>At the start of 2010, each person in our family requested one thing that they would like to do this year. My oldest (age 4) he said he wanted to go to the circus. My children have never been. In fact, I haven't been since I was about twelve years old. So this week, the circus is coming to town, and we've been reading books with a big top theme.<br />
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</b><br />
<b><span style="color: #0b5394;">BOOKS:</span> </b>My children only know about the circus through books. One of our favorites is <i><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Oliver-Can-Read-Book-Hoff/dp/0064442721?ie=UTF8&tag=reem-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Oliver </a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=reem-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0064442721" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /></b></i>by Syd Hoff about such a lovable elephant who wants to dance in the circus. And then we also have <i><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Tightrope-Poppy-High-Wire-Sudipta-Bardhan-Quallen/dp/140272411X?ie=UTF8&tag=reem-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Tightrope Poppy the High-Wire Pig</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=reem-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=140272411X" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /></b></i> by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen in our home collection, which is about a little pig who tries and tries again to reach her goal. But in preparation for our trip to the circus this week, I wanted to read a few other books and found some at the library. <i><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Bearymore-Picture-Puffin-books-Freeman/dp/0140502793?ie=UTF8&tag=reem-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Bearymore</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=reem-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0140502793" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /></b><b> </b></i>by Don Freeman is the tale of a sweet circus bear who stumbles upon a new act while trying to stay dry in a rainstorm. A few other circus books include <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Word-Birds-Circus-Surprise-Early/dp/0516465546?ie=UTF8&tag=reem-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank"><i><b>Word Bird's Circus Surprise</b></i> </a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=reem-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0516465546" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />by Jane Belk Moncure, <i><b>Big-Top</b><b> Circus</b></i> by Neil Johnson and <i><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/If-Ran-Circus-Classic-Seuss/dp/039480080X?ie=UTF8&tag=reem-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">If I Ran the Circus</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=reem-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=039480080X" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /></b></i> by Dr. Seuss.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioynx6re3pRjHUdQg2mvsV-HOjtV3OuudnF60EllqO9qhMK667v7vOyvWtfwM025TRgW4_V1TvjLIroFcAdMhHu3MQ_PzpEFdh5nd7BjCCCb_QyUSTTOccF6hHSr9OFyNoLiNlvAKzQnM/s1600/DSC_1189.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioynx6re3pRjHUdQg2mvsV-HOjtV3OuudnF60EllqO9qhMK667v7vOyvWtfwM025TRgW4_V1TvjLIroFcAdMhHu3MQ_PzpEFdh5nd7BjCCCb_QyUSTTOccF6hHSr9OFyNoLiNlvAKzQnM/s320/DSC_1189.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFR1qUWIPqiXVOKjYiw0gn_zJvpzWmWxhPL2-SiMq51vinqL7TmNb1LbDQc0zH2qpSktxJhS8EI6bn6EsvRgHoCsHIrhiPR7yVpvtWjekA7raBIgTB2PA6fiQHHTO8WOWJ9RIl-Tvs2IY/s1600/DSC_1186.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFR1qUWIPqiXVOKjYiw0gn_zJvpzWmWxhPL2-SiMq51vinqL7TmNb1LbDQc0zH2qpSktxJhS8EI6bn6EsvRgHoCsHIrhiPR7yVpvtWjekA7raBIgTB2PA6fiQHHTO8WOWJ9RIl-Tvs2IY/s320/DSC_1186.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB19MiQF5uhrjdNjFlYSD0qmVrOCffp895YH9rOYY9Fi43Pp_oTAy9s90RBHvu2WQAbCKDtRe2f6HBT2gZ6CKoJWWO6cxjg-sRydqwD_2s6yt7ndfurBoA9N9lfcayMWkZNmtPONVUuE8/s1600/DSC_1188.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB19MiQF5uhrjdNjFlYSD0qmVrOCffp895YH9rOYY9Fi43Pp_oTAy9s90RBHvu2WQAbCKDtRe2f6HBT2gZ6CKoJWWO6cxjg-sRydqwD_2s6yt7ndfurBoA9N9lfcayMWkZNmtPONVUuE8/s320/DSC_1188.JPG" /></a></div><br />
<b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">ACTIVITY:</span></b> <b>Hand Print Clowns</b><br />
My kids like anything that involves tracing their hand prints. So I started by doing that on construction paper. I cut out the hand prints, red circles for noses, triangles for hats, two round circles for faces, and a few various other shapes. The boys just glued their clown faces together as they liked, using the hand print cut-outs as the clown hair. They finished things off with googly eyes and markers to decorate.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1sP3a31zrPiwTMcuIh_r77XgQbuq482ar5qAoVCtY7g_Weehkxmrp-_SwC4hUB-LHvvQwxg-LSRUbTsPqtci8MRJgWjn46m2GGWYaKX8E6JKArfBG1aNg1ct1KPjRSVRCCCQaUZqv_As/s1600/DSC_1175.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1sP3a31zrPiwTMcuIh_r77XgQbuq482ar5qAoVCtY7g_Weehkxmrp-_SwC4hUB-LHvvQwxg-LSRUbTsPqtci8MRJgWjn46m2GGWYaKX8E6JKArfBG1aNg1ct1KPjRSVRCCCQaUZqv_As/s320/DSC_1175.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXDZNUIvh7sZ8bUdyQIANeFYc-1DFcupIS5W2w425prfUXNFEa0zyqdIf132MKZQngzd09rNa8rwvimluqam4-gvhRx1sqvp4CiZyNZ_-aA8zQf1_kApaX1R_605Vi-Dup5ZA5jUwZRTs/s1600/DSC_1184.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXDZNUIvh7sZ8bUdyQIANeFYc-1DFcupIS5W2w425prfUXNFEa0zyqdIf132MKZQngzd09rNa8rwvimluqam4-gvhRx1sqvp4CiZyNZ_-aA8zQf1_kApaX1R_605Vi-Dup5ZA5jUwZRTs/s320/DSC_1184.JPG" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh76eyqdirXvu0hCRPsGsc_-mrwtSDPS0CxhB7-IHFR31kxz4u_3bZs34YiNh6X-Qn5OYM_-ndIZaaHyJPizApwVjTkSU1ET-GaJcT6Nn7QRu0cSMLS65Anwo7-RAsCNiQKTTdvoU4Nnhs/s1600/DSC_1182.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh76eyqdirXvu0hCRPsGsc_-mrwtSDPS0CxhB7-IHFR31kxz4u_3bZs34YiNh6X-Qn5OYM_-ndIZaaHyJPizApwVjTkSU1ET-GaJcT6Nn7QRu0cSMLS65Anwo7-RAsCNiQKTTdvoU4Nnhs/s320/DSC_1182.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Now, we're just ready for our first outing to the circus!Heidi Oklahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00294993978030713332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4835625407858606207.post-21744034283708003452010-07-12T14:21:00.000-07:002010-07-13T06:25:59.725-07:00Curious Chocolatiers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcyeBfqiBXIdv-7fh-c8zZvPfFFz5lF8mhaC41W0FeMbI3pR_NRmFpM3KcuX_B-OQh_q1HfSwWTI2NBMeDu-S9VatTKFect_PmUAaJYAGOl5nMpRPuwJ7xC9gtSexdunDQKfuG73h2Rqk/s1600/DSC_0920.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcyeBfqiBXIdv-7fh-c8zZvPfFFz5lF8mhaC41W0FeMbI3pR_NRmFpM3KcuX_B-OQh_q1HfSwWTI2NBMeDu-S9VatTKFect_PmUAaJYAGOl5nMpRPuwJ7xC9gtSexdunDQKfuG73h2Rqk/s200/DSC_0920.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>Let me start with a note to make myself feel better about this post: I do strive to promote healthy eating in my family. With my first son Oliver, I was able to keep him oblivious to the world of candy until he was three-years-old. Then Halloween happen this past year. Wow. He and his two-year-old brother, Elliot, were so excited about their discovery of sugary confections. I've been lucky enough to limit candy as a treat, but none the less, the boys like to read, think, talk, and dream about CANDY.<br />
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</div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0b5394;">BOOK:</span></b> We love all things related to Curious George in our house. One of the boys' favorite George books is Margret and H.A. Rey's <i><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Curious-George-Goes-Chocolate-Factory/dp/0395912148?ie=UTF8&tag=reem-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" style="color: #0b5394;" target="_blank">Curious George Goes to a Chocolate Factory</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=reem-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0395912148" style="border: medium none ! important; color: #0b5394; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> </b></i>where the lovable monkey gets mixed up into chocolate-making hijinks and ends with a tummy ache. When reading this book for the hundredth time this week, we got to page 10 which lists -- with illustrations -- each type of chocolate that is made in the factory. "This little swirl means fudge, this one says that caramel is inside, and this wiggle is for marshmallow." Oliver stopped me there to ask if candy like this really exists. (Clearly he has not yet had the chance to dive into a box of <span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="-moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; background: rgb(255, 255, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%;">Godivas</span>.) "Yes," I told him. His eyes got wide. "And as a matter of fact, we could make some today," I said. And then the fun began...</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYEM73ESKfYem3DkwAYlchL4mwKjCqClnaGInLcZiBeTGoFWwtArv_XMSNH9RvsW1sd7rUEb0lPWlFLWhw9jVvgXDJ-UkylNM4WsrrCdhiYP2CnkUR0GaYft2yF05M6XAchqAAt0PG1_U/s1600/DSC_0929.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYEM73ESKfYem3DkwAYlchL4mwKjCqClnaGInLcZiBeTGoFWwtArv_XMSNH9RvsW1sd7rUEb0lPWlFLWhw9jVvgXDJ-UkylNM4WsrrCdhiYP2CnkUR0GaYft2yF05M6XAchqAAt0PG1_U/s320/DSC_0929.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
</div><div><b style="color: #0b5394;">ACTIVITY: </b><b>Easy Fudge</b></div><div>My mother happened to be here for a visit when I offered that we could make candy. The only reason I even suggested this treat is that she has the easiest recipe for fudge that I have ever seen. So she and the boys got to work, setting up their own chocolate factory at our house. </div><div><br />
</div><div>Ingredients needed:</div><div>- 3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips</div><div>- 1 can sweetened condensed milk</div><div>- 1 tsp vanilla</div><div>- any optional add-ins such as nuts, marshmallows, etc.</div><div><br />
</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhscBqHjLntCRKRV4AH0B_a89LZp5bPnzVFA7q1hY08qr3y9VUMep_yL9N-9Dul8FRTMgIJz_axpP3u4pxBSMKvWgSrTH5SM-6GXds7IwZ4EtmkWrIDIaS8sRjvj35c9ie6D_Qnt6pVLgg/s1600/DSC_0855.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhscBqHjLntCRKRV4AH0B_a89LZp5bPnzVFA7q1hY08qr3y9VUMep_yL9N-9Dul8FRTMgIJz_axpP3u4pxBSMKvWgSrTH5SM-6GXds7IwZ4EtmkWrIDIaS8sRjvj35c9ie6D_Qnt6pVLgg/s320/DSC_0855.JPG" width="305" /></a></div>My mom let the kids help her measure the chips and put them into a large, microwave-save bowl. Then they stirred in the can of milk. This mixture then went into the microwave for 3 minutes, stopping halfway just to stir it. After the microwave finished, the vanilla was added. The boys wanted to add marshmallows, so they did as it was being poured into an 8x8 square pan, lined with waxed paper. Once the fudge set in the refrigerator after a few hours, it was ready to cut and sample. And the kids were curious monkeys as they waited to see how it would taste. But believe me, they were happy with the results!</div><div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_rkmT2pYvyfMkZwUEjHQX_JtUzgeVluHYMDad650WuDAEs4XE40RuI7oC7HPTxj55_vl3YQBSXytSzuagL5EHc1EXsXr7ApcmrfFDG_9Z8rs7Bz7ghJbbY7dJVaOXt3Jd2lrwibq_PA8/s1600/DSC_0868.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_rkmT2pYvyfMkZwUEjHQX_JtUzgeVluHYMDad650WuDAEs4XE40RuI7oC7HPTxj55_vl3YQBSXytSzuagL5EHc1EXsXr7ApcmrfFDG_9Z8rs7Bz7ghJbbY7dJVaOXt3Jd2lrwibq_PA8/s320/DSC_0868.JPG" width="301" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;"><br />
</span></span></div></div>Heidi Oklahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00294993978030713332noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4835625407858606207.post-48078792835296375322010-05-19T18:04:00.000-07:002010-05-19T18:43:58.971-07:00Shopping with Mama<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg3aLoI_dbtXpU__Zz6G_YOFzzOCSZJM55a6LgbhU9NQ4mI0Z5trMm6op5s2gsqohd4IzZNMYxun6Z1gofAIaiSG0yyIIRl6KpdEHoPD_v9NGGyXQtyMkzZiOocC-ycn3wIlNkpK6yU3I/s1600/DSC_0358.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg3aLoI_dbtXpU__Zz6G_YOFzzOCSZJM55a6LgbhU9NQ4mI0Z5trMm6op5s2gsqohd4IzZNMYxun6Z1gofAIaiSG0yyIIRl6KpdEHoPD_v9NGGyXQtyMkzZiOocC-ycn3wIlNkpK6yU3I/s200/DSC_0358.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">BOOK:</span> </b>For anyone who has experienced the toddler meltdown in the grocery store (that is all of us, right?), you will appreciate this book. What's better is that my children, who have had such meltdowns, really appreciate this book, too. And I love that all of these llama books are so fun to read aloud. We really enjoy this story about a mama who's got to get things done, and her little llama who is just not having fun on the shopping trip. Check it out:<i><b> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Llama-Mad-at-Mama/dp/0670062405?ie=UTF8&tag=reem-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Llama Llama Mad at Mama</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=reem-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0670062405" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> </b></i>by Anna Dewdney. <br />
<div style="color: #3d85c6;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #3d85c6;"><b>ACTIVITY: </b></div><b>Shopping List Collage</b> - After reading this book today, we also got our local grocery advertisement in the mail. My two year old is especially fond of assisting me with grocery lists and talking about all of the foods we should buy at the store. I figured the boys would enjoy making a visual grocery list, too.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_odAflhFhnUKtdseI3sjps0CGFiYXJ-AEii8UPEHdKV5Hlx1g1whwuzrahvqA47ZBUMxd5pyqON5vN2tKBA20dBlrKvTv23Zwcw96O094iAZoC-Wd0dKTFhRpPn94u9VCyVjF1fpQdbQ/s1600/DSC_0347.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_odAflhFhnUKtdseI3sjps0CGFiYXJ-AEii8UPEHdKV5Hlx1g1whwuzrahvqA47ZBUMxd5pyqON5vN2tKBA20dBlrKvTv23Zwcw96O094iAZoC-Wd0dKTFhRpPn94u9VCyVjF1fpQdbQ/s320/DSC_0347.JPG" /></a></div>The kids went through the newspaper ads and chose food photos that they wanted to add to their "list". I cut out pictures and gave them each their pile of wishlist foods. (Yes, there were a lot of cookies.) Then the boys glued their photos to construction paper.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyxGSRq99NlLQkHJJGJou725k7ZRUCaZo2TVtVSCR__Q35Udrf6fwYIrhyphenhyphen_dzIrlsH8iyhJ8OeQf4811GEdwPwlYDitkxK2yXauYh1pPl-KDgGY9XMWw6-pEmk8vaxl6GmmaQ-PpA5y18/s1600/DSC_0349.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyxGSRq99NlLQkHJJGJou725k7ZRUCaZo2TVtVSCR__Q35Udrf6fwYIrhyphenhyphen_dzIrlsH8iyhJ8OeQf4811GEdwPwlYDitkxK2yXauYh1pPl-KDgGY9XMWw6-pEmk8vaxl6GmmaQ-PpA5y18/s320/DSC_0349.JPG" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAK9zUPWQhyAPBCoN2_VQzK06pBDND041QA7Tp2BVv6LBq52Cz2lZL_vJB1WLV6uBQ6zHJTj1jUzEcH1k2NcdwHenjQk2SDFqrUbFZzRbr_9Gda1nFWCm2U0ydCEfe6sLiJUf64Brd9v8/s1600/DSC_0355.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAK9zUPWQhyAPBCoN2_VQzK06pBDND041QA7Tp2BVv6LBq52Cz2lZL_vJB1WLV6uBQ6zHJTj1jUzEcH1k2NcdwHenjQk2SDFqrUbFZzRbr_9Gda1nFWCm2U0ydCEfe6sLiJUf64Brd9v8/s320/DSC_0355.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2cLq_EPUsddJbByuqSFxprsRoHvkUHEm-L10ww5pWb9IHAdh2N5NbRrV5R4TnHLCScdfSQLz9E0PmcoM_FPozfwzfA3fRibsn6EgR5t3CsGFk97rp-DM9X52wRwdWxo69HjbgzZqUCPw/s1600/DSC_0354.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2cLq_EPUsddJbByuqSFxprsRoHvkUHEm-L10ww5pWb9IHAdh2N5NbRrV5R4TnHLCScdfSQLz9E0PmcoM_FPozfwzfA3fRibsn6EgR5t3CsGFk97rp-DM9X52wRwdWxo69HjbgzZqUCPw/s320/DSC_0354.JPG" /></a></div>Afterwards, they wanted to compare "lists" and talk about each other's food choices. This led to a nice discussion about the food pyramid, by the way. And was a good way to start a conversation about nutrition.Heidi Oklahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00294993978030713332noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4835625407858606207.post-39575281430813113462010-05-02T12:25:00.000-07:002010-05-02T19:12:22.842-07:00Mother's Day BookmarksSeeing as though I come from a long line of women who are voracious readers, I thought bookmarks would be great gifts for the kids to make this year. It was a fun activity, and I know the special moms in our lives will be happy with them, too.<br />
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<span style="color: #3333ff; font-weight: bold;">BOOKS:</span><br />
All of the Mother's Day books that we read recently have a very similar theme -- a young character seeking the perfect present for his mother, only to discover simple things such as hugs, kisses, and songs are the things that mom treasures. These charming stories include: <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Present-Mom-Vivian-French/dp/0763626929?ie=UTF8&tag=reem-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">A Present for Mom</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=reem-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0763626929" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /></span> by Vivian French, <i><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mothers-Day-Mice-Eve-Bunting/dp/0899197027?ie=UTF8&tag=reem-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">The Mother's Day Mice</a></b></i><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=reem-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0899197027" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> by Eve Bunting, and <b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/T-Rex-Mothers-Day-Hug/dp/0060531266?ie=UTF8&tag=reem-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">T Rex and the Mother's Day Hug</a></i></b><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=reem-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0060531266" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> by <span class="ptBrand">Lois G. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Grambling</span>.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqhdHaK9OASnGAwmQEUWWWs8Fe-BEA2EvoXfDZO7oin45oW3Oq2l9FVm0e64ks4-Cdps7I8NB7lHbM748O1SnL4712RKbrQrvUkWwsNpQmT2i__NWiuqhimD8IhK64s_XDug63Mo5COvQ/s1600/DSC_0120.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466757765890432018" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqhdHaK9OASnGAwmQEUWWWs8Fe-BEA2EvoXfDZO7oin45oW3Oq2l9FVm0e64ks4-Cdps7I8NB7lHbM748O1SnL4712RKbrQrvUkWwsNpQmT2i__NWiuqhimD8IhK64s_XDug63Mo5COvQ/s320/DSC_0120.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 176px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 372px;" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzplwfDh790wcND2-YcsZ62_WOXzfiSzjMUIpXk6EEwcO4YT0OvoDCMyhyQXHgZ6LnmPns6ye5AhkknWGwG9tZGW1FmaAgL3n7lzDilk9XWCTtbLWl3q7JRlHl5SwFbzEEm7AslralKLU/s1600/DSC_0122.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466757887139327122" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzplwfDh790wcND2-YcsZ62_WOXzfiSzjMUIpXk6EEwcO4YT0OvoDCMyhyQXHgZ6LnmPns6ye5AhkknWGwG9tZGW1FmaAgL3n7lzDilk9XWCTtbLWl3q7JRlHl5SwFbzEEm7AslralKLU/s320/DSC_0122.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 259px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 215px;" /></a><br />
<span style="color: #3333ff; font-weight: bold;">ACTIVITY:</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">Bookmarks for Mom</span><br />
If your kids are like mine, they are pretty happy with an activity that includes glue and stickers. We were planning to make bookmarks this year, and then I happened to come across a pack of foam bookmarks in the craft section of our dollar store that were perfect (and saved me time). I cut out photos of each of the boys, and they glued them to one side of the bookmark. And on the other side, the boys decorated with assorted foam stickers. They were so happy with the bookmarks that they wanted to make more and more for all the mamas on our street.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAdWUeklAQnlyKhu90gGwm21vCIjyfEJd8d_BiqVsnSriekjmaIUsIuQT8ARzILF8m4ASWy_ygPOkS7oJeR9eqw4uaU_KepkXOb_ajTrfhlWbR0e1MPcbPKRxE0K4j08en7MzDLXKHbBc/s1600/DSC_0118.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466756444718034882" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAdWUeklAQnlyKhu90gGwm21vCIjyfEJd8d_BiqVsnSriekjmaIUsIuQT8ARzILF8m4ASWy_ygPOkS7oJeR9eqw4uaU_KepkXOb_ajTrfhlWbR0e1MPcbPKRxE0K4j08en7MzDLXKHbBc/s320/DSC_0118.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 247px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a>Heidi Oklahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00294993978030713332noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4835625407858606207.post-49944138340533343282010-04-19T19:14:00.000-07:002010-04-20T18:33:24.152-07:00More Spring Flowers<span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">BOOK:</span> I am so happy it's spring. I love spending time outside with the kids, especially knowing our weather ahead will be scorching hot too soon. The kids are also really into the season -- looking at birds, going on nature walks, pointing out flower buds, etc.<span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;"> It's Spring!</span> by Samantha Berger is a sweet book featuring happy animals spreading the word that spring is here.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXnH6OpeBUk5s0A2XItuEJUYAy5THEyL-_d5XdGgz8zvQA66NyQEM-g53mVqrpH_d0jvbHIJuyiBDOOuuPZcGfEmAMQdmDoetuhSafJ0Uk5xirAZLmQEC_uwMyv8G3E5djdGlh6Zjk8iA/s1600/springbook.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 234px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXnH6OpeBUk5s0A2XItuEJUYAy5THEyL-_d5XdGgz8zvQA66NyQEM-g53mVqrpH_d0jvbHIJuyiBDOOuuPZcGfEmAMQdmDoetuhSafJ0Uk5xirAZLmQEC_uwMyv8G3E5djdGlh6Zjk8iA/s320/springbook.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462038753609418594" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">ACTIVITIES:</span> The boys love pointing out flowers that are blooming all over town. So we've been making quite a few of our own (that won't bother my allergies). Here are a few we've tried recently.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1. Toilet Paper Roll Flowers</span><br />For this, I just cut a third of the of the cardboard roll and then made slits all around it for the flower petals. I also cut a strip of cardboard to use for the stem. Then, the boys painted them to their liking, we let them dry. And then we just taped them together. So simple.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi4FS4IGJU0eclWplxvSILQP8vI2XeSg5oyZAqOqFUDLKuPEDM8yrF7YdeZwFmN-WociTGPAkYE5f8Eyqy55s71dFLa5xSvEp75tPuq5DAlOoLdqbXdHDjWD6ybTbYD4C3A_u3fqbSgfM/s1600/spring_flower1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi4FS4IGJU0eclWplxvSILQP8vI2XeSg5oyZAqOqFUDLKuPEDM8yrF7YdeZwFmN-WociTGPAkYE5f8Eyqy55s71dFLa5xSvEp75tPuq5DAlOoLdqbXdHDjWD6ybTbYD4C3A_u3fqbSgfM/s320/spring_flower1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462038519724856674" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwDF9TNIjkswGBrjzDzaVmKnQk7ubC9bKUZ0PvcL8RI-H_raRHvITYSqgpXut7ywi5ULaPk26oz_xkKqZs_ewF8GwzmKO2QFbbX3Y74q_nr5U59zuyMem9NaBsPPYB3KUO7FW1uCNWlmg/s1600/tpflowers.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwDF9TNIjkswGBrjzDzaVmKnQk7ubC9bKUZ0PvcL8RI-H_raRHvITYSqgpXut7ywi5ULaPk26oz_xkKqZs_ewF8GwzmKO2QFbbX3Y74q_nr5U59zuyMem9NaBsPPYB3KUO7FW1uCNWlmg/s320/tpflowers.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462038309219868722" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2. Hand Print Flowers</span><br />The kids like doing any artwork that includes their hand prints. So this one was a big hit here. I simply traced the boys' hands on construction paper and cut them out later when the kids were playing. Then when all the cutting prep work was ready, the boys glued them to a strip of green construction paper as the stem.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikBIOkSxy4mWf5dMhnUgd6c1pIhWffzuWSE5Ri-oOwvx5CrQOkcWeYDSvomFBUSE7YYxPo6Obr1K3c-NvliD5HNwJC178dCJ6vpGujex52Hg8_za02y17QW0oMcZcHwE3SRTUzM2WVBXE/s1600/spring_flowers_hands.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 249px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikBIOkSxy4mWf5dMhnUgd6c1pIhWffzuWSE5Ri-oOwvx5CrQOkcWeYDSvomFBUSE7YYxPo6Obr1K3c-NvliD5HNwJC178dCJ6vpGujex52Hg8_za02y17QW0oMcZcHwE3SRTUzM2WVBXE/s320/spring_flowers_hands.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462037985644766914" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo6HxP_2UrloDhIDV1Do3SE6BOW84HgyX6Se6Xz0lr1KAvnwJwVjc5dZPRPkkPd057ujMbo7aIr8uMU8vFqeWlO9YFV_RlbJ-Q-6rhaC6pimbSreD58M7aFR2cbzvWytLakAY8IAIAm_Y/s1600/spring_flowers_hands2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo6HxP_2UrloDhIDV1Do3SE6BOW84HgyX6Se6Xz0lr1KAvnwJwVjc5dZPRPkkPd057ujMbo7aIr8uMU8vFqeWlO9YFV_RlbJ-Q-6rhaC6pimbSreD58M7aFR2cbzvWytLakAY8IAIAm_Y/s320/spring_flowers_hands2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462037738180037506" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjooQSeVFVRKzebzAxpPCOWFZ4__xpB4oYf31desO5X63PKwlbZTQhBWb2rePVCmhZA6w7W68vWz2Pnfp0en2vj6cDVj8ezID_7B1q7Wjm95ENjYIrgVJkJndUuVJvkQB0GzeqyejyoqcI/s1600/handprint_flowers.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 189px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjooQSeVFVRKzebzAxpPCOWFZ4__xpB4oYf31desO5X63PKwlbZTQhBWb2rePVCmhZA6w7W68vWz2Pnfp0en2vj6cDVj8ezID_7B1q7Wjm95ENjYIrgVJkJndUuVJvkQB0GzeqyejyoqcI/s320/handprint_flowers.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462396873100600530" border="0" /></a>Heidi Oklahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00294993978030713332noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4835625407858606207.post-21998493715210455172010-03-20T19:03:00.000-07:002010-03-20T19:23:15.972-07:00Spring Flowers<span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">BOOKS: </span>The first buds on the trees, daffodils popping up in the yard, sunny skies, and warm afternoons. Ahhh, Spring is here!<span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;"> Countdown to Spring! An Animal Countin</span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">g Book</span> by Janet Schulman is a favorite at our house. While my 4-year-old is now a master at counting, my 2-year-old is now trying to count to 10. So this little book gives him nice practice. Ladybugs, bunnies, chicks, and more -- this book has us counting all the springtime creatures and ends with one big Easter basket full of goodies for the animals.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1SWBweZrWPGyLFV7JbTziOhgOW_7t0I8ZRhsLczH1I7HgUA5LkSpnfia2YdndcoC1Fv8kG__oOAY5krnF6-2hMfeW4sbQ2irYc8eZ80DgBEnzEt2WsEQmS2OZ2GsEmyIu0K3vAGbKcac/s1600-h/DSC_0442.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 246px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1SWBweZrWPGyLFV7JbTziOhgOW_7t0I8ZRhsLczH1I7HgUA5LkSpnfia2YdndcoC1Fv8kG__oOAY5krnF6-2hMfeW4sbQ2irYc8eZ80DgBEnzEt2WsEQmS2OZ2GsEmyIu0K3vAGbKcac/s320/DSC_0442.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5450906520762945298" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">ACTIVITY: </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Noodle Flowers</span><br />While this is not an exact correlation to the book, we decided to make spring flowers. First I provided my boys with construction paper on which I had pre-glued flower stems. Then, I asked the boys to glue on wagon wheel-shaped noodles for flower petals until they were happy with the look of their flowers. Then they colored the noodles with markers for some color. This was incredibly easy and kept the interest of both my 4 and 2 year old. You can easily add a math element to this by asking the children to count out the number of noodles on each flower.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsnZGerKrpWR-zFjfr_pmtVymHeVsn1iyXXRLs0vazHIk5IJf_jDVl2IiirGusM3Wb-ZaCYgQLG88KogRTi4UGXEMZRZMGNRjnZs9SqSJbox4d7R3JIi_Evr8ULs3QaVwnH8oZ1rek0D0/s1600-h/flower_noodles2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 242px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsnZGerKrpWR-zFjfr_pmtVymHeVsn1iyXXRLs0vazHIk5IJf_jDVl2IiirGusM3Wb-ZaCYgQLG88KogRTi4UGXEMZRZMGNRjnZs9SqSJbox4d7R3JIi_Evr8ULs3QaVwnH8oZ1rek0D0/s400/flower_noodles2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5450905960480873986" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxkEjrjwwN6kBp2nLp2hTfU8j2Y4ocz1fKT3Odk7MUm7ky9-yJUd2tFVqIIvIZl8Lq_vX0Tn6AOfVq8gTUMJwtNwWgtM0UjHaEuOF3nV4Yv3XeSGFktg7S72RdC-rBTRAZdkGfHO-pbGs/s1600-h/flower_noodle3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxkEjrjwwN6kBp2nLp2hTfU8j2Y4ocz1fKT3Odk7MUm7ky9-yJUd2tFVqIIvIZl8Lq_vX0Tn6AOfVq8gTUMJwtNwWgtM0UjHaEuOF3nV4Yv3XeSGFktg7S72RdC-rBTRAZdkGfHO-pbGs/s400/flower_noodle3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5450905691632517106" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGsBBwca5Z6tCohjuEEvP0hz60b2g_3VMKii3wn04ofV642uGUZmp8kPHAO1Vp-VwNG3nE06Ad-TfSXP__7ECHR3OAQv8lTiNbiKmjuSKzhSnDthVp2tByYWAc2300dQikU-CQ8bo0FhU/s1600-h/flower_noodles4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 350px; height: 263px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGsBBwca5Z6tCohjuEEvP0hz60b2g_3VMKii3wn04ofV642uGUZmp8kPHAO1Vp-VwNG3nE06Ad-TfSXP__7ECHR3OAQv8lTiNbiKmjuSKzhSnDthVp2tByYWAc2300dQikU-CQ8bo0FhU/s400/flower_noodles4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5450905499254099954" border="0" /></a>Heidi Oklahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00294993978030713332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4835625407858606207.post-23565675897328049192010-01-10T19:55:00.000-08:002010-02-06T19:13:13.948-08:00Snow and IceAs our dear friends back home in Washington, DC contend with this winter's second "snowpocalypse", I am feeling really grateful for our sunny, warm days here in central TX. But since it is winter, we've certainly had snow on our minds and featured on our bookshelf.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255); font-weight: bold;">BOOKS: </span><br />We have so many great choices when it comes to children's books about snow. Here are just a few we're reading right now... <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Snow</span> by Uri Shulevitz is a beautifully illustrated book that tells the story of a small boy who's optimistic about a snowfall, despite the towns people's cynical attitude towards such a snow storm. We're also enjoying <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Hello, Snow!</span> by Hope Vestergaard which describes a little girl's excitement about a fun snow day that includes such classics as sledding, snowmen, and hot cocoa.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg7JzErwS-IJJlV-PsEdcQo0e5q7usL3d6QZ0yk4Ghop6d9S2pbQ45hGgXqubcCwkT46CB5YKUiME9UeO01PvZDlFC_8uiIl50ALSpRcw963nu-QroqfmeYjdrSi0JELWZoMbPNrQ2BMc/s1600-h/DSC_0004.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 275px; height: 257px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg7JzErwS-IJJlV-PsEdcQo0e5q7usL3d6QZ0yk4Ghop6d9S2pbQ45hGgXqubcCwkT46CB5YKUiME9UeO01PvZDlFC_8uiIl50ALSpRcw963nu-QroqfmeYjdrSi0JELWZoMbPNrQ2BMc/s400/DSC_0004.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435330476332769922" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDMQmQOptH8Jo9PzsqYpE1ghdjg8XRM5ryKziz2Xi2vjW2K8bOxk8NT8OmqBBiWVDQWgWS8lF1UTkcGEt8CmvkRFJI5bDzEpfnd_6b48yFlBpS7pUtYi_h_tFZZoo0X_SwM8gV_4yz2QI/s1600-h/snow_book2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 227px; height: 261px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDMQmQOptH8Jo9PzsqYpE1ghdjg8XRM5ryKziz2Xi2vjW2K8bOxk8NT8OmqBBiWVDQWgWS8lF1UTkcGEt8CmvkRFJI5bDzEpfnd_6b48yFlBpS7pUtYi_h_tFZZoo0X_SwM8gV_4yz2QI/s400/snow_book2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435333432496695538" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">ACTIVITIES: </span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1. Snowball Roll</span><br />The boys wanted to do an art activity, and I had white paint sitting on the counter piled up next to some boxes left over from Christmas that I needed to put away. So we tried a snow paint experiment that was lots of fun. First we took a small bouncy ball and coated it with white paint. Then we placed a sheet of dark construction paper in an old shirt box. We dropped the ball into the box and shook up the box to watch the ball roll around and make a picture. It was fun, and we did it several times.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge2DwjHlzwRH1JLM6G2pLX7J3wGkr-MIPismNhRYuXcsTxFRDNCC6M2Q08WblfBEWUiITOD2ZWnvzyIRDC8cIiCNPvIYn5a2xJxGJNlsQsdPu_inW8HZlGLokpqQQtyn0mz1wSf6YRl_4/s1600-h/snow_roll.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 236px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge2DwjHlzwRH1JLM6G2pLX7J3wGkr-MIPismNhRYuXcsTxFRDNCC6M2Q08WblfBEWUiITOD2ZWnvzyIRDC8cIiCNPvIYn5a2xJxGJNlsQsdPu_inW8HZlGLokpqQQtyn0mz1wSf6YRl_4/s400/snow_roll.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435330120720182466" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">2. Ice Bowling</span><br />After a few freezes this winter, I thought it would be fun for the kids to put some water out one night to wake up to find ice. This is when we decided to try setting up an ice bowling set. We filled some small plastic cups for the pins and several water balloons for mini bowling balls. They sat out all night, and in the morning all was frozen. The kids were excited to set up an ice bowling lane and give it a try. I simply slid the ice out of the cups for the pins and gently cut the balloons off for the bowling balls. After two rolls down our bowling lane, the balls started to fall apart. But this experience was more for the novelty of it than the sport. Afterwards we had fun just throwing and smashing the ice.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-DA1PM-owQa-N5omrAcVasVh3npY69UAUAHD7mZ-GZFWy2pnLFjX8YBHUpg9nTe-sSQmTLcPET7LNhv1l7o721PSM88zPJjqa7NuoKYpPMGqjTz6tt0_8AwgEYfku3BiRk07uqT1CSLI/s1600-h/ice_loot.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 219px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-DA1PM-owQa-N5omrAcVasVh3npY69UAUAHD7mZ-GZFWy2pnLFjX8YBHUpg9nTe-sSQmTLcPET7LNhv1l7o721PSM88zPJjqa7NuoKYpPMGqjTz6tt0_8AwgEYfku3BiRk07uqT1CSLI/s320/ice_loot.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435327762221226338" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK54NAjeU5qPf6OsLt1cn-o00Sv2qJ_t833D4jivo-49oA0CVl0i6MnHbX2F5ZRSAV1dlI3FgGEj6c3fDO2tleb6XsYYQ9zUgjsFJjdVLwezbKEjsChqEay5wR91s3jyvl1OhAgLNpqYw/s1600-h/ice_balloon.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 222px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK54NAjeU5qPf6OsLt1cn-o00Sv2qJ_t833D4jivo-49oA0CVl0i6MnHbX2F5ZRSAV1dlI3FgGEj6c3fDO2tleb6XsYYQ9zUgjsFJjdVLwezbKEjsChqEay5wR91s3jyvl1OhAgLNpqYw/s320/ice_balloon.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435327545778583602" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi322uSLD6d46rtdebD8i0olBYPgd2-dynWvzT2UaE0TxQprRHNIdDxfvBSM-clFqx6jOl15DmtdgenbExNGjkO_Gl2PpIYrJ_xWjLaRd2RakIP28lVoGP3Zy5JVUrhl1WfB6YoF3ZBM3I/s1600-h/ice_setup.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 275px; height: 264px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi322uSLD6d46rtdebD8i0olBYPgd2-dynWvzT2UaE0TxQprRHNIdDxfvBSM-clFqx6jOl15DmtdgenbExNGjkO_Gl2PpIYrJ_xWjLaRd2RakIP28lVoGP3Zy5JVUrhl1WfB6YoF3ZBM3I/s320/ice_setup.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435329499555256770" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFecPLDRrGK6QNQ-znizCGw40xiH7tEa2KennGH1MFoc1kOAYzMOar4Uu-vry3JfVFgrMvomJ-JbdYiKH9c3NWOSMsaCaEtPcFjQmX-IWEkL7JnmfgGasxvozFqbq_QztZavQ3YbOTNFE/s1600-h/ice_bowl.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 204px; height: 459px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFecPLDRrGK6QNQ-znizCGw40xiH7tEa2KennGH1MFoc1kOAYzMOar4Uu-vry3JfVFgrMvomJ-JbdYiKH9c3NWOSMsaCaEtPcFjQmX-IWEkL7JnmfgGasxvozFqbq_QztZavQ3YbOTNFE/s320/ice_bowl.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435329731489304850" border="0" /></a>Heidi Oklahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00294993978030713332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4835625407858606207.post-20067613000704177432010-01-10T19:03:00.001-08:002010-01-10T19:57:17.838-08:00SnowmenWe don't have any snow here in central TX, but we do have very chilly temperatures. And we've got snowmen on our minds.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">BOOKS: </span>There are just so many cute snowmen books out there. Here's just a few we're enjoying these days... <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">All You Need For a Snowman</span> by Alice <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Schertle</span> is a fun read-aloud describing all the accessories needed to make two huge snowmen. <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Snow Magic</span> by Harriet <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Ziefert</span> is a lovely story of how all the snow people come together on the first night of winter for a fun party. <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Snowballs</span> by Lois <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Ehlert</span> includes her creative illustrations, and my boys love talking about what items she uses to decorate her snowmen. <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Snow Family </span>by David Kirk tells the tale of a boy who builds snow parents for a group of wild snow children who need love and care.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT6fDJlPAbG1E_ou0UH460ACtYB8VIZCnE3kzxX4RYCNV_iru-KH9NR0h3uSnXkWM5v3xnU_C6Ynn5bFBSph9Y4jnFAwKHp9vc9zOv35w8NRH6B-7GFeKQFq_BvEh6J8l0uacAJq5xgEc/s1600-h/snowmagic.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 216px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT6fDJlPAbG1E_ou0UH460ACtYB8VIZCnE3kzxX4RYCNV_iru-KH9NR0h3uSnXkWM5v3xnU_C6Ynn5bFBSph9Y4jnFAwKHp9vc9zOv35w8NRH6B-7GFeKQFq_BvEh6J8l0uacAJq5xgEc/s400/snowmagic.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425323708460972114" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKphRI57HBgu_7h7Ulr1NyJh0egsfV-4fl6Hpug6_W-ex57iskniQmaALRrRgsGd6Eplfzip-lVcTKii4uifU1ojSfO4qXgsn3liamczZ7ThK5GXV2ImiQMtxxKEhYxD_0w3m4e1rgzJQ/s1600-h/snowmanbook.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 219px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKphRI57HBgu_7h7Ulr1NyJh0egsfV-4fl6Hpug6_W-ex57iskniQmaALRrRgsGd6Eplfzip-lVcTKii4uifU1ojSfO4qXgsn3liamczZ7ThK5GXV2ImiQMtxxKEhYxD_0w3m4e1rgzJQ/s400/snowmanbook.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425324298726677586" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLXgWrYicyeXrKidN2jrFmvGH2R6Uj4eBN-wL2nen4MkG7T3ok56UQspZPFT4Cd8Y6PddaMbrSO9YJwddLLM57WkQfNL8fc-WfAbDtkOzhhruPBOzxi4Ngf4aeTMCFrbd0Z1w7p8TndNs/s1600-h/snowfamily.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 204px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLXgWrYicyeXrKidN2jrFmvGH2R6Uj4eBN-wL2nen4MkG7T3ok56UQspZPFT4Cd8Y6PddaMbrSO9YJwddLLM57WkQfNL8fc-WfAbDtkOzhhruPBOzxi4Ngf4aeTMCFrbd0Z1w7p8TndNs/s400/snowfamily.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425323471414102834" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">ACTIVITIES: </span><br />1. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Coffee Filter Snowman</span><br />As usual, I was in a rush trying to think up a quick and easy craft. I didn't feel like spending a lot of time cutting paper, so I <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">immediately</span> thought of coffee filters for our snow bodies. One large coffee filter works for the bottom portion of the snowman. For the snowman's middle, I simply cut about a half inch off the rim of a coffee filter and saved that access portion to be used as floppy arms. For the head, I used a white cupcake liner. The kids used glue sticks to put all the snowman pieces together. I just cut out some simple shapes for hat, nose, buttons, etc. from construction paper that the boys glued on. This took us very little time, and the boys were really happy with these silly snowmen.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhak8JAYpLLHnD5DibWhSKxs3f7T6h5sQyFwxf7kZNBUG1exUhdyfr0mwRvoe0nAb7FfTiBfBQxFWjtyQ-MM5Q436Z1vnkQGUPm0mK73jiiSsM2Tg1c6lCyZseqXznazAjEjhWl8emU36k/s1600-h/snowman.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 350px; height: 307px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhak8JAYpLLHnD5DibWhSKxs3f7T6h5sQyFwxf7kZNBUG1exUhdyfr0mwRvoe0nAb7FfTiBfBQxFWjtyQ-MM5Q436Z1vnkQGUPm0mK73jiiSsM2Tg1c6lCyZseqXznazAjEjhWl8emU36k/s400/snowman.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425323088886687778" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyPAMRMKlrnVVFTPme8iFVYZ0NJNKsv6KWTz5STzuvbMejsJma1Wm77kLn_mF2DCsvTfSW7upzmGF5BW0liOOEyGoIRSgTHDg9xk0MIW4TR6RQrOPylV_-25nI-yQ0IkZSVnyRvfPD16k/s1600-h/snowman_oliver.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 212px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyPAMRMKlrnVVFTPme8iFVYZ0NJNKsv6KWTz5STzuvbMejsJma1Wm77kLn_mF2DCsvTfSW7upzmGF5BW0liOOEyGoIRSgTHDg9xk0MIW4TR6RQrOPylV_-25nI-yQ0IkZSVnyRvfPD16k/s400/snowman_oliver.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425322770117906546" border="0" /></a><br />2. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Toilet Paper Snowman</span><br />I saw this idea on various blogs and thought we'd give it a try. I'd say it was a big hit here. For directions, check out <a href="http://just4funwithsandy.blogspot.com/2008/12/paper-towel-roll-snowmen.html">Just for Fun</a>.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyBc_oYWVAuc1hMpucMozIhEpYkjN4kqZ0ERkaVzubslR29EOiHo3uQ_OfSw8rjZbWRbtV46nPZbxKOTBH286o0KZ_JBqroxxj1-_chSxzfD8BINFNDYugr4DWyPPiduUdZXjGUmv21QY/s1600-h/snowmanTP.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 201px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyBc_oYWVAuc1hMpucMozIhEpYkjN4kqZ0ERkaVzubslR29EOiHo3uQ_OfSw8rjZbWRbtV46nPZbxKOTBH286o0KZ_JBqroxxj1-_chSxzfD8BINFNDYugr4DWyPPiduUdZXjGUmv21QY/s400/snowmanTP.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425322493553522946" border="0" /></a>Heidi Oklahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00294993978030713332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4835625407858606207.post-27542081757756324402010-01-01T19:03:00.000-08:002010-01-01T19:43:09.864-08:00Pizza Time<span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">BOOKS:</span> I can't believe I had never read William <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Steig's</span> <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Pete's A Pizza </span>before today. It's terrific and sentimental for me, as it reminds me of a game my dad played with me as a child. In the book, Pete is feeling grumpy, and to cheer him up, his dad pretends to make Pete into a pizza (stretching him as the dough, topping him with checkers as pepperoni, etc.) In my childhood, my dad would make me into a hot dog, and with my own boys (living in central TX) we do this same game with our own variation -- tacos!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK2Eo3wP4-UjVHIGum3vMa3BP-fFqLN770Ueo-0szjSL6a08EV1dNocxZQuV1vk5FU2IFo3puqZU4X1YxCPBYvhdc013l7ySGvpxktCIDB-FxJM9Agr0_vsD97oESV9yCQgMmLPttxou4/s1600-h/petepizza.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 308px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK2Eo3wP4-UjVHIGum3vMa3BP-fFqLN770Ueo-0szjSL6a08EV1dNocxZQuV1vk5FU2IFo3puqZU4X1YxCPBYvhdc013l7ySGvpxktCIDB-FxJM9Agr0_vsD97oESV9yCQgMmLPttxou4/s400/petepizza.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421981318675634434" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">ACTIVITIES:</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1. Be a Pizza (Hot Dog, or Taco) Game: </span><br />Just as Pete's father does, simply act out the process of making pizza, using your child as the dough. Add whatever toppings, tickles, and silliness you wish. Now personally, I do like my version with the (soft) taco best because I use a blanket as a tortilla to wrap the kids in. They seem to love that part in particular. You really don't need any props for these games, (my dad always just pretended to squirt mustard on us hot dogs), but sometimes we use play food from our toy kitchen, sometimes we use checkers or pieces of paper as foods and condiments. Whatever you prefer is fine. Just don't forget to (pretend) to eat your delicious creation. :)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNm_O-mIrGc5flcLLYpUUKBcfiE1Nc1jZRkgJd9Jk_CHBF4GMlEXuASMPhaAAFL970bpzhMqePiMtl8vkUr8QDInqRDVLj68ZoVPsD2t_qFDRzZP3SjADXzwB3hbmGiSqEtKNy1nGsXCQ/s1600-h/pizzaboy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 343px; height: 135px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNm_O-mIrGc5flcLLYpUUKBcfiE1Nc1jZRkgJd9Jk_CHBF4GMlEXuASMPhaAAFL970bpzhMqePiMtl8vkUr8QDInqRDVLj68ZoVPsD2t_qFDRzZP3SjADXzwB3hbmGiSqEtKNy1nGsXCQ/s400/pizzaboy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421981120262190050" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2. Make Pizza</span><br />What kid doesn't like getting messy in the kitchen? After reading this book, you're sure to want a slice or two. So why not gather the kids and make your own? We make our own crust (and I like this <a href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Pizza-Dough-108197">recipe on <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Epicurious</span>.com</a>), but you could always buy <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">pre-made</span> crust from the store. The fun is putting it all together. Let the kids spread the sauce, sprinkle the cheese, and pile on their choice of toppings. The pizza always tastes better when they make it <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">themselves</span>. Enjoy!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikypbNChu5x4fEYsNs1u1V_yfgsnQoX7-u3HzXMEixYWqJTcxH-jqcVabWdCLZvprige5YDqj2ZMIU0mbMYLJeJ-vkxeVAkuyeI7PtFvOQyP9br9eXbxU5ZATZ28LjHY3CkvruCBdWJq8/s1600-h/pizza1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 350px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikypbNChu5x4fEYsNs1u1V_yfgsnQoX7-u3HzXMEixYWqJTcxH-jqcVabWdCLZvprige5YDqj2ZMIU0mbMYLJeJ-vkxeVAkuyeI7PtFvOQyP9br9eXbxU5ZATZ28LjHY3CkvruCBdWJq8/s400/pizza1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421980695409279090" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLHZymQ9UxfxhkjjP5qpLAab3cKAut_lWpQ-z8lYWL8G9lxZi1MqIYOXHhY1T8mVQV4db8OxmghYWfLkLOeHgeExKBpt6lJsn02mWdcHkQ9VAR0Jvseg3bQccKT22yS4uDaFTiurtXAGY/s1600-h/pizza2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 350px; height: 312px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLHZymQ9UxfxhkjjP5qpLAab3cKAut_lWpQ-z8lYWL8G9lxZi1MqIYOXHhY1T8mVQV4db8OxmghYWfLkLOeHgeExKBpt6lJsn02mWdcHkQ9VAR0Jvseg3bQccKT22yS4uDaFTiurtXAGY/s400/pizza2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421980346399960322" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEEMqQoO-7NTQX9sMAwQT87GLFACZkKGALKiHC3NrKDeGmF-zD0phWJAGdWkRID-0Qyk5S_5Ymp5Iub9Au83pjpJs813uJX6Syt9P_alAnL61-afnPjaotQF65yuStD7lq8ZjRGcMGdsM/s1600-h/pizza3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 350px; height: 282px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEEMqQoO-7NTQX9sMAwQT87GLFACZkKGALKiHC3NrKDeGmF-zD0phWJAGdWkRID-0Qyk5S_5Ymp5Iub9Au83pjpJs813uJX6Syt9P_alAnL61-afnPjaotQF65yuStD7lq8ZjRGcMGdsM/s400/pizza3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421980171342119170" border="0" /></a>Heidi Oklahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00294993978030713332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4835625407858606207.post-45774609841615580352009-12-20T19:52:00.000-08:002009-12-20T20:31:45.017-08:00Christmas Cheer<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcyO5s-yejfSI8_hOmmab4tOHqP0pGCvvykZMw5VPLa4KSmTmvdV52EYGXppZFevy3iDzs7rHAgexRwxRqP0SF6KWC3ZFM5yIUYN4XeXo4MdXJbqHL5M2i4hPzbdplx1gc-FSrtLe4Qqs/s1600-h/babyG.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 192px; height: 187px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcyO5s-yejfSI8_hOmmab4tOHqP0pGCvvykZMw5VPLa4KSmTmvdV52EYGXppZFevy3iDzs7rHAgexRwxRqP0SF6KWC3ZFM5yIUYN4XeXo4MdXJbqHL5M2i4hPzbdplx1gc-FSrtLe4Qqs/s200/babyG.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417536609709479826" border="0" /></a>For any of you who have kept up with this blog, I am sure you have noticed that I have really been neglecting my updates. Well here's my reason why... baby Graham was born 9/29/09. And so life with THREE boys (ages 3 and under) at home has kept me more than a little busy these past two months. And thus, even now, I am afraid I am not given the time to do a great job posting about our holiday crafts. So I am simply going to list the highlights of our Christmas craft-making here. Happy holidays to all!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">BOOKS: </span>There are so many inspiring holiday books out there. I'd love to hear your favorites actually if you care to share! But here are just a few we're reading these days: <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">If You Take A Mouse to the Movies</span> by Laura Numeroff, <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Merry Christmas, Curious George</span> inspired by H.A. Rey, and <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Gingerbread Friends </span>by Jan Brett.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF88V3JiWdkPHSeazwNXU81YzmgzuhSD_KTCf6xdPaazlr3l20y_3R9TkRndojk5AQgEMJx76dK1-MQY0xWcOv4ssguApha5hYMDH-SbJ0CaUkLCrP62LtJoUjC8Ova8k0wC1hEKg4n1w/s1600-h/xmas.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 132px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF88V3JiWdkPHSeazwNXU81YzmgzuhSD_KTCf6xdPaazlr3l20y_3R9TkRndojk5AQgEMJx76dK1-MQY0xWcOv4ssguApha5hYMDH-SbJ0CaUkLCrP62LtJoUjC8Ova8k0wC1hEKg4n1w/s320/xmas.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417536314242872498" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEb402Ha3CrzDmbIbk83mb0gkt36i92S0b3NHIeZf__wI-YqeIFGj0ZdBQg_eucVgcwfIUpAvEpnPJdaoMOwbTwaGuwPl7OIfnakFMzq8PYLGRAUqydo50lzCTpjrn1pXMc5qPmnLKxVc/s1600-h/xmasbook2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 208px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEb402Ha3CrzDmbIbk83mb0gkt36i92S0b3NHIeZf__wI-YqeIFGj0ZdBQg_eucVgcwfIUpAvEpnPJdaoMOwbTwaGuwPl7OIfnakFMzq8PYLGRAUqydo50lzCTpjrn1pXMc5qPmnLKxVc/s320/xmasbook2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417536175940657234" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">ACTIVITIES:</span> These are just a quick sampling of what we've been trying this December:<br /><br />1. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Wagon Wheel Pasta Christmas Trees</span><br />Easy as it looks. Simply cut a triangle of green construction paper. Let the kids glue wagon wheel-shaped pasta to it, add glitter, and there you go!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj98LIW1WadWImfxc8mjy6ovZxCK0yovHTWvmU8k63qdlXj5CYhq0Flj4tL5lvirUEGuWueTlyg7iHNQIaZ3pPjTHvTAeC0-lcnAyov7xemQHBHfSCd67ze4mmbSbIshUm1jVmdzCo4kUc/s1600-h/noodletree.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj98LIW1WadWImfxc8mjy6ovZxCK0yovHTWvmU8k63qdlXj5CYhq0Flj4tL5lvirUEGuWueTlyg7iHNQIaZ3pPjTHvTAeC0-lcnAyov7xemQHBHfSCd67ze4mmbSbIshUm1jVmdzCo4kUc/s320/noodletree.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417535950736599010" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhHNbKNi-RIEagV7YnPiiQHbZFC2KkxJ31I73VQh6HRZZgtDAPqSmPWtPLEyznnJqofDT6rN8HH7p4Q24z2FTVC_-OQupE1hBxRPyyEYTQwERwC79du1NWw8GvvXbCc8Uh6C0kCEU1aV4/s1600-h/noodletree2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 222px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhHNbKNi-RIEagV7YnPiiQHbZFC2KkxJ31I73VQh6HRZZgtDAPqSmPWtPLEyznnJqofDT6rN8HH7p4Q24z2FTVC_-OQupE1hBxRPyyEYTQwERwC79du1NWw8GvvXbCc8Uh6C0kCEU1aV4/s320/noodletree2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417535792190967410" border="0" /></a>2. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Salt Dough Ornaments</span><br />This is a preschool crafting classic. We made a batch of salt dough (any recipe would do, let me know if you need one), and added food coloring to create the colors. I then used cookie cutters to get the basic shapes we wanted and had the kids decorate them with small rolled balls of the dough. Before baking we used a straw to make a hole in the top. They baked for 2 hours. Once cooled we used mod podge to seal them. I then tied a piece of yarn through the hole for the ornament.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK5Kw5tknrF4_UyHqg-l29UQRxHYmMp7wTlz0kykZKRkYGpjAW0PB5lB4yiyRE3LB3N21q72tlVLER_XoEwQqZZt_fdIQnzSdyvpKG_IkqcMiEab_d9hRTFw8PGIB1ca7f1bVHf-PNM48/s1600-h/ornaments1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK5Kw5tknrF4_UyHqg-l29UQRxHYmMp7wTlz0kykZKRkYGpjAW0PB5lB4yiyRE3LB3N21q72tlVLER_XoEwQqZZt_fdIQnzSdyvpKG_IkqcMiEab_d9hRTFw8PGIB1ca7f1bVHf-PNM48/s320/ornaments1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417535625789686498" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrfrpNjks2mFnaUHUawBfhLirAMB5cMV2vfpgwhhMkxbPqy33hrQ9B2-UggWP8oeBEJyQzzSMOZM3l13uazSB1PcJ_7jCqgB9L9mJs-wDR9Q0yOgCxb3BV6AtdnGYHygghiStTDM0Bz84/s1600-h/ornaments2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 295px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrfrpNjks2mFnaUHUawBfhLirAMB5cMV2vfpgwhhMkxbPqy33hrQ9B2-UggWP8oeBEJyQzzSMOZM3l13uazSB1PcJ_7jCqgB9L9mJs-wDR9Q0yOgCxb3BV6AtdnGYHygghiStTDM0Bz84/s320/ornaments2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417535479569734114" border="0" /></a><br />3. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Pine Cone Ornaments</span><br />We painted pine cones and then covered them with glitter. I tied ribbon on them to hang on the tree. The kids had a great time with these and were particularly proud of these creations.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_5RoUH3nPibfWQxGSSuEXMSI91JHi5z13Vlo9U4icY1PUJIqnFlf4rUA2euuLmhYbOg3ughumJJy2umbva-7m6LtA9Bcygk3saTouaw5EhWTEs_DgQedANMzVJ9nnUKm9FG1dcuBfZtQ/s1600-h/pinecone1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 270px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_5RoUH3nPibfWQxGSSuEXMSI91JHi5z13Vlo9U4icY1PUJIqnFlf4rUA2euuLmhYbOg3ughumJJy2umbva-7m6LtA9Bcygk3saTouaw5EhWTEs_DgQedANMzVJ9nnUKm9FG1dcuBfZtQ/s320/pinecone1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417535286751970802" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvM9KgNjrEcqluA36B0oCIVaaS7Dgm96kVXGa-AW5xb8Fi04ehmh2sqZGSSoWwhLJGcMPrh8KtIibHfh0V366kMHyU3FB6pH_ASws3YXk3QS_-fws91Ojt0E0jr6nxz1npxd9JF_jOTQE/s1600-h/pinecone2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 255px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvM9KgNjrEcqluA36B0oCIVaaS7Dgm96kVXGa-AW5xb8Fi04ehmh2sqZGSSoWwhLJGcMPrh8KtIibHfh0V366kMHyU3FB6pH_ASws3YXk3QS_-fws91Ojt0E0jr6nxz1npxd9JF_jOTQE/s320/pinecone2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417535132758715730" border="0" /></a><br />4. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Gingerbread Cookies</span><br />No explanation needed. So much fun, and so tasty!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuj2Q7sWC-6unExtYQvuOJu5Ht3JGBrLsicHHccPiIW5zlwP0ycf00Hd2HtOuPmYh-x6DVRIDDWw8XcuXkX56FLhzKR1K0ePTAZt97EN1pnOQoMSD7AXJJtXsxtLU4s6zPlX0MXW4_qI4/s1600-h/cookies.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 254px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuj2Q7sWC-6unExtYQvuOJu5Ht3JGBrLsicHHccPiIW5zlwP0ycf00Hd2HtOuPmYh-x6DVRIDDWw8XcuXkX56FLhzKR1K0ePTAZt97EN1pnOQoMSD7AXJJtXsxtLU4s6zPlX0MXW4_qI4/s320/cookies.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417534430511193714" border="0" /></a><br />5. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Hand Print Rudolph</span><br />So easy and cute. I traced the boys hands on construction paper and cut them out. Then I gave the boys a brown paper triangle, two black paper circles, and one red circle. The boys assembled their Rudolphs with glue.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRwCkrziBALUvyM2AH1QBxWPm0Rf2-dHNVnx1z15ifbgRJD-IwtuH9fT73b3xGXShFIFy3PDrnjU8U9J-MRt1QCB3pFIpFYa9X8EJr3nkCsrRzFlTf4HLjSnrEKSOFu1xx7u6FQ373J9Y/s1600-h/reindeer.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 302px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRwCkrziBALUvyM2AH1QBxWPm0Rf2-dHNVnx1z15ifbgRJD-IwtuH9fT73b3xGXShFIFy3PDrnjU8U9J-MRt1QCB3pFIpFYa9X8EJr3nkCsrRzFlTf4HLjSnrEKSOFu1xx7u6FQ373J9Y/s320/reindeer.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417534122764386066" border="0" /></a>Heidi Oklahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00294993978030713332noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4835625407858606207.post-48673154947996740322009-11-13T18:48:00.000-08:002009-11-13T19:30:01.064-08:00Leaf CharactersFall is just starting to make an appearance here in central TX, but nonetheless we're feeling the spirit of Autumn. We've taken many nature walks in hopes of seeing some colorful leaves. We've been happy to find some reds and yellows, and hopefully as it gets cooler, we'll see some more.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">BOOKS:</span> Lois Elhert's <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Leaf Man</span> really inspired us this year! The creative way in which she lays out the leaves as illustrations is really beautiful. After reading this book, we just had to try to make our own leaf characters. We also enjoyed reading Elhert's <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf</span>. And <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Fall Leaves Fall! </span>by Zoe Hall is also a really nice book for preschoolers about this season and the best part of fallen leaves -- jumping in them!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpQWadzQoFkI0sAsnaAzu9M6LTOpNBicfIogOgypv5d3c57GMcCdaGQeyEvhBtDJz4-7cJUAv41WvI8ge0AXUCYvinIVbBaj7k3y_YDt2GDXfqalDM0TGcapHC7p3NPunyMx6jRVSxTX0/s1600-h/leafmanbook.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 303px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpQWadzQoFkI0sAsnaAzu9M6LTOpNBicfIogOgypv5d3c57GMcCdaGQeyEvhBtDJz4-7cJUAv41WvI8ge0AXUCYvinIVbBaj7k3y_YDt2GDXfqalDM0TGcapHC7p3NPunyMx6jRVSxTX0/s320/leafmanbook.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5403793387338583762" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyISTZVB0-tTNrna8CObcEHXhGCX-eLgPnCH7FDR3D1Xrpsg2BCls2IC8jO0gp701FyZOHWuieJj6Br9PZZqFrfq3G7oROk6y4bd4c2sM9tk7XFSI82dsmG8MxDcZKnfcXzsZOpat0bK8/s1600-h/leafbooks2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 173px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyISTZVB0-tTNrna8CObcEHXhGCX-eLgPnCH7FDR3D1Xrpsg2BCls2IC8jO0gp701FyZOHWuieJj6Br9PZZqFrfq3G7oROk6y4bd4c2sM9tk7XFSI82dsmG8MxDcZKnfcXzsZOpat0bK8/s320/leafbooks2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5403793248179509554" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">ACTIVITY:</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">Leaf Characters</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Leaf Man</span> really inspired us to create. We started by making a leaf man, and then we made a cute leaf butterfly. I am sure that we'll be making many more leaf characters before the season ends.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE6Pnhjp-I0IsB4wZSBsasxjW3R4_pP3ismbDw0wGyEGwXPH4hyv-snX-G16fDGxW6a5j7pzAeToZwD0Hr-5P7TRhaR-uRWcOkJISDHRN2tDU0exEbRRDyFbbtG0nUes8_dWjPKWEATMg/s1600-h/leafglue.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE6Pnhjp-I0IsB4wZSBsasxjW3R4_pP3ismbDw0wGyEGwXPH4hyv-snX-G16fDGxW6a5j7pzAeToZwD0Hr-5P7TRhaR-uRWcOkJISDHRN2tDU0exEbRRDyFbbtG0nUes8_dWjPKWEATMg/s320/leafglue.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5403792890045846082" border="0" /></a>Basically, all we did was collect our leaves, and then lay them out in different styles until we were happy with the look of our "man". My son then glued the leaves down on construction paper.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCrzFdGEGB0FNOYRjcKMr8OJ-VyP8b5L_OQYvngfCujeKwwZQ8ApowY_93DnsX2guC7dIzQ5FiGbRcCQP0SkUl58kzzj47gSMk4qJmhDbX_kgvxsqUNgkluoXsRh44TUCnQMi38V6H8fY/s1600-h/leafman.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 257px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCrzFdGEGB0FNOYRjcKMr8OJ-VyP8b5L_OQYvngfCujeKwwZQ8ApowY_93DnsX2guC7dIzQ5FiGbRcCQP0SkUl58kzzj47gSMk4qJmhDbX_kgvxsqUNgkluoXsRh44TUCnQMi38V6H8fY/s320/leafman.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5403792707723173634" border="0" /></a>For the butterfly, my son glued down the leaves as wings, and I cut the body out of construction paper. Simple and cute.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioIH81RM_UF4d1okzskyYskuos1oINRLMkQzIcKfRz96FCVdBo2PHglZKR6smeN7FjLnxB1snnpVYv15pf9vKxDtTMcuF97rqG0QiJl5k7Y8qG6E_hKXPPFPPv4AX3fDMUku-ns8Crgio/s1600-h/leafbutterfly.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 245px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioIH81RM_UF4d1okzskyYskuos1oINRLMkQzIcKfRz96FCVdBo2PHglZKR6smeN7FjLnxB1snnpVYv15pf9vKxDtTMcuF97rqG0QiJl5k7Y8qG6E_hKXPPFPPv4AX3fDMUku-ns8Crgio/s320/leafbutterfly.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5403792508670957634" border="0" /></a>Heidi Oklahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00294993978030713332noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4835625407858606207.post-8654146035079294792009-11-01T18:59:00.001-08:002009-11-01T19:40:37.449-08:00Classic Apple Prints<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtsby9EbRa1WF8s275UxAkaLNB3NsR2S8lDiKPr-O6DQijfrS3UbcLrfINtFC2nhg_r113UXOKVOsB4B6Twqt3VOQgAv7Kp3L67eKAVFSetaRqUdbJvsvEWx0wiEIX5hIJ3r3IGwdtWU8/s1600-h/DSC_0055.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 133px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtsby9EbRa1WF8s275UxAkaLNB3NsR2S8lDiKPr-O6DQijfrS3UbcLrfINtFC2nhg_r113UXOKVOsB4B6Twqt3VOQgAv7Kp3L67eKAVFSetaRqUdbJvsvEWx0wiEIX5hIJ3r3IGwdtWU8/s200/DSC_0055.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399345584089071138" border="0" /></a>Fall is here! While it doesn't feel like the autumn I grew up with on the East coast where we made applesauce from the apples in our own backyard -- I still have a hankering for warm sweet treats like baked apples or homemade apple pie this time of year.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">BOOKS:</span> <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Ten Apples Up On Top!</span> by <span class="ptBrand"> Dr. Seuss i</span>s a fun one for my toddler and preschooler who enjoy practicing their counting. We also like the simplicity of <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Under the Apple Tree</span> by <span class="ptBrand">Steve Metzger, </span>which describes the activities of young boy's day playing around his apple tree. And <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Apple Pie Tree </span>by Zoe Hall is also a nice read that highlights the seasonal changes of an apple tree.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjvBI145HrcF1QoD7Skk02vr8aYnjAxXB2J-QV2EDnVK9E5SyfItHKRTIskPaYRIomcZ3UFwuU-yJqrEs2RNO5TBCPhVd_tyg1rvbYhba-3UUs7lIQ3bJteLIjOLzhFiynN19FujW8ZL0/s1600-h/applebooks.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 297px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjvBI145HrcF1QoD7Skk02vr8aYnjAxXB2J-QV2EDnVK9E5SyfItHKRTIskPaYRIomcZ3UFwuU-yJqrEs2RNO5TBCPhVd_tyg1rvbYhba-3UUs7lIQ3bJteLIjOLzhFiynN19FujW8ZL0/s320/applebooks.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399345336547116466" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">ACTIVITY:</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">Apple Prints</span><br />This is an easy one, but so much fun. Just take an apple and cut it in half. Dip the flat side of the apple into tempera paint and stamp onto your paper.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiozt45RVGRJchPZrBvYtTVbQRCAYvIBfDXLofNGM05XPjdIywhM4vffikwRHFXVOw2Vc5B2xh1a1jRgDfU0B3r0QdX05F-10HxlpGcpZSphwYb7bCfBqVRy7wRmNG5w7p5KBbFOo9qlEg/s1600-h/applepaint.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 280px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiozt45RVGRJchPZrBvYtTVbQRCAYvIBfDXLofNGM05XPjdIywhM4vffikwRHFXVOw2Vc5B2xh1a1jRgDfU0B3r0QdX05F-10HxlpGcpZSphwYb7bCfBqVRy7wRmNG5w7p5KBbFOo9qlEg/s320/applepaint.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399345086088698770" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhm2K-2G2jhjOGvyZILroe7Y9im3UjcfCmO3Vvhkla3tNMJ8LL2Fl4wTe0kAE2GXuY0WvwY4iYaTnPgoGM0xXME7hkg4ZFJrKjHSrIW6FcTvTZfYL5r78mjkk_QmQmTohVkQzVaTNCDLs/s1600-h/DSC_0053.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhm2K-2G2jhjOGvyZILroe7Y9im3UjcfCmO3Vvhkla3tNMJ8LL2Fl4wTe0kAE2GXuY0WvwY4iYaTnPgoGM0xXME7hkg4ZFJrKjHSrIW6FcTvTZfYL5r78mjkk_QmQmTohVkQzVaTNCDLs/s320/DSC_0053.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399342693130925218" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_MR4-v_vQJucdZDfqZjPxT1cbBBd0sNKd4GHh6Q8tp9ILt92iFtLYHnGizxwqTSSFW4XRygvPE57Pu-FiqIX-Ak9pxTb2aLK2kp7kOdSO0ygR6VOI7WjIF7bAdy_Zd4hvbu13K5mSZ5c/s1600-h/DSC_0054.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_MR4-v_vQJucdZDfqZjPxT1cbBBd0sNKd4GHh6Q8tp9ILt92iFtLYHnGizxwqTSSFW4XRygvPE57Pu-FiqIX-Ak9pxTb2aLK2kp7kOdSO0ygR6VOI7WjIF7bAdy_Zd4hvbu13K5mSZ5c/s320/DSC_0054.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399342962050145922" border="0" /></a>Heidi Oklahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00294993978030713332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4835625407858606207.post-64396339421035249992009-09-18T18:21:00.000-07:002009-09-18T18:57:27.254-07:00Jamtastic Bears<span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">BOOK:</span> <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Jamberry</span> was a favorite of my older son and is now a favorite of my toddler. Bruce Degen's popular title is a super read aloud -- full of enthusiastic, playful rhyming. The illustrations featuring a young boy and his comical, jovial bear friend (with all the delicious berries) are delightful. We read this so often, and we could never get tired of it.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmXS8XFkTAmCyczZM2WAUTgI8aLzhntHcsT11AMVM49roN5jIfUYyGetS1m3_Lktq2nqkn3KwLx3fHsMpWIruJjhyphenhyphensc5PQmvcZt3AC-YOkZ5WLEgjbbHFYEBXS3LSJEWskLVcsOHg7Z2w/s1600-h/bear_book.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 292px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmXS8XFkTAmCyczZM2WAUTgI8aLzhntHcsT11AMVM49roN5jIfUYyGetS1m3_Lktq2nqkn3KwLx3fHsMpWIruJjhyphenhyphensc5PQmvcZt3AC-YOkZ5WLEgjbbHFYEBXS3LSJEWskLVcsOHg7Z2w/s320/bear_book.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382987381484384290" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">ACTIVITY:</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">Berry Bear Painting</span><br />I thought it would be fun (although messy) to try painting with berries. For the boys, it proved to be an exciting change of pace from using paints. I first cut out a bear shape from white paper. I then laid down newspaper and put out a thawed bowl of frozen berries. I gave the kids the option of using their fingers to smoosh berries onto their paper or to use Q-tips as their paint brushes. They tried both ways, but they both prefered painting with the Q-tip "brushes" instead of dirtying their hands (all the better to keep things cleaner). Once the berry paint was dry, I glued their bears to construction paper. This was definitely an example of having more fun with the process than worrying about the look of the end product, but the kids had a great time.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipTVZSWgcbcFM1zeN-9JXoDadw7YxfcIVkTv2EH3gY0-h0Si0t_ZEYxKjgWLsoHt4rE3rQA__-6ko6kgYyjKTPTD2i9W6Wg0oon5OvI1FyHCKCCfZ7OhBPxq4IfVgCUv4G4rt3IXXNkFI/s1600-h/bearcutout.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 242px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipTVZSWgcbcFM1zeN-9JXoDadw7YxfcIVkTv2EH3gY0-h0Si0t_ZEYxKjgWLsoHt4rE3rQA__-6ko6kgYyjKTPTD2i9W6Wg0oon5OvI1FyHCKCCfZ7OhBPxq4IfVgCUv4G4rt3IXXNkFI/s320/bearcutout.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382986697254219170" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLWfuVXJs18ROwkJgTqAjURbSk4WDmaEyQekRO2eKiP6Aa61ZNxO3IE6_sh1twcZvYCRjO_IWTAfhzah3b3xm0yGlnpiTCqSsL2QXneHtenAe3UPq3xtAxAkeVaEc6Ra32tq6ClaJ1NSA/s1600-h/bear_paintE.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 175px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLWfuVXJs18ROwkJgTqAjURbSk4WDmaEyQekRO2eKiP6Aa61ZNxO3IE6_sh1twcZvYCRjO_IWTAfhzah3b3xm0yGlnpiTCqSsL2QXneHtenAe3UPq3xtAxAkeVaEc6Ra32tq6ClaJ1NSA/s320/bear_paintE.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382986623371736018" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioJUfZULDAwJFsboJoLZV43sHoU-RBNaTsZjH4E3zBMOmJWq5Ya1cynp7VGb4BDjyE9SOJ6KT0ePQiw1pr5eVQjOAguN5tVrr7ShD4fkmI2inJOCQMvT1-oRT21VIXnTdbv2IdAS-8lLE/s1600-h/bear_paintO.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 174px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioJUfZULDAwJFsboJoLZV43sHoU-RBNaTsZjH4E3zBMOmJWq5Ya1cynp7VGb4BDjyE9SOJ6KT0ePQiw1pr5eVQjOAguN5tVrr7ShD4fkmI2inJOCQMvT1-oRT21VIXnTdbv2IdAS-8lLE/s320/bear_paintO.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382986539038915826" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB70CzBTUkuqd0SsL0KfKoAy0ffgnWXTVkj9g0PRASsO_S_LARyr8ZXtpdrm9dhl795jpf1i9UitZZZ8_fIEBG738eXbPgjEjdw2BKkH2mLGAHEkBhPsFbYL6SF76uQuqFmjduJv3J3Zg/s1600-h/bearE.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 256px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB70CzBTUkuqd0SsL0KfKoAy0ffgnWXTVkj9g0PRASsO_S_LARyr8ZXtpdrm9dhl795jpf1i9UitZZZ8_fIEBG738eXbPgjEjdw2BKkH2mLGAHEkBhPsFbYL6SF76uQuqFmjduJv3J3Zg/s320/bearE.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382986422432106658" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo5btcWWfe8j9dmWu95t6UaZJMVLflDr3y6TpeH0qAgBsbF37aEGMr1-QwDBVtZVPBjJJX6_FFaAJaT7nTlw6Y5nPjbMLAMV2Ud1iOEmvthZ_k51dUY0DvaNk69TvXQroLOroA9Dg6bEc/s1600-h/bearO.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 245px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo5btcWWfe8j9dmWu95t6UaZJMVLflDr3y6TpeH0qAgBsbF37aEGMr1-QwDBVtZVPBjJJX6_FFaAJaT7nTlw6Y5nPjbMLAMV2Ud1iOEmvthZ_k51dUY0DvaNk69TvXQroLOroA9Dg6bEc/s320/bearO.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382986331142099458" border="0" /></a>Heidi Oklahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00294993978030713332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4835625407858606207.post-44889438168417452232009-09-12T13:11:00.000-07:002009-09-12T13:27:59.194-07:00Lovely Lions<span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">BOOK:</span> For some reason the kids were frightened of the bear hunt story that we checked out of the library a few months ago, but they LOVE this story based on the original. This book, <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">We're Going on a Lion Hunt</span> by Margery Cuyler, features a classroom of kids who use their imagination to go on a lion hunt directed by their teacher. Both my boys ask to read this again and again and to act it out!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDX75L5f-19NiwintHgYJbaRORvL9GJZRP0735H3K7cjVtVgSZY8YqbsE51snbM2NB0sWPxN94XRLkMAkMkJKIiy19RhK34ajuauBkrdkPjaV4zli6HiRI_95JZX3IuX_-u9nhwrfnWiY/s1600-h/lion_book.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 261px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDX75L5f-19NiwintHgYJbaRORvL9GJZRP0735H3K7cjVtVgSZY8YqbsE51snbM2NB0sWPxN94XRLkMAkMkJKIiy19RhK34ajuauBkrdkPjaV4zli6HiRI_95JZX3IuX_-u9nhwrfnWiY/s320/lion_book.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380676747115200114" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji4VB3mdAoNUe0PCCavHqDzmFgDCnG2EFSSuoo6L6TfBqmn2nZSen26QaRmyL9S2EUSfE-JtQUHE3y-nlx2uayCUBI0RJRb4jT-6UUrBDHwEwX3MHcm0qHl4n0atnpH3jNEp9QF8Wl8vk/s1600-h/lion_face1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 165px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji4VB3mdAoNUe0PCCavHqDzmFgDCnG2EFSSuoo6L6TfBqmn2nZSen26QaRmyL9S2EUSfE-JtQUHE3y-nlx2uayCUBI0RJRb4jT-6UUrBDHwEwX3MHcm0qHl4n0atnpH3jNEp9QF8Wl8vk/s200/lion_face1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380676868159718498" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">ACTIVITY:</span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;"> </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Paper Plate Lion Faces</span><br />First I did a little prep work before bringing in the boys. I cut strips of orange and brown construction paper for the manes, brown paper ears, and black strips for whiskers. Then I drew very simple eyes, nose, and mouth on each plate.<br /><br />The boys then got involved with the glue. They took their time gluing the strips of paper as they wished and finished up their lion faces. I invited them to color anything they wanted on the faces or decorate them in any other way, but they were pretty tired of the glue process and were happy with the outcome as it was. This was not the most creative activity, but they really did like the way that the faces looked at the end.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaSNwqhK31N9jWmv2SE7neRxsrrh9xqvYfnthiSdcAzTV6IsiO_s-ErBFzTiaW5YXCzbysRp_jYDhv5155dGPq9v9RKHvsC16AiaYwsr2u0xfE5TCfuzceAeldMCsjIWJSvX1g1cJaABk/s1600-h/lionsupplies.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 261px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaSNwqhK31N9jWmv2SE7neRxsrrh9xqvYfnthiSdcAzTV6IsiO_s-ErBFzTiaW5YXCzbysRp_jYDhv5155dGPq9v9RKHvsC16AiaYwsr2u0xfE5TCfuzceAeldMCsjIWJSvX1g1cJaABk/s320/lionsupplies.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380676628517081762" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXBDb3rMhNEkjihY4CDK3vOgopSJR5HyxTNsyco5CyXNWbnCFz3-xaao8ji8KfcMZR3FAuhFtVgKK76XUEd_r2ua38zCjkAP1EZ5DGDRAv6nnXdgiAQRg23RoldTyHXbG30-W8EYtzxR0/s1600-h/lionfaces.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 171px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXBDb3rMhNEkjihY4CDK3vOgopSJR5HyxTNsyco5CyXNWbnCFz3-xaao8ji8KfcMZR3FAuhFtVgKK76XUEd_r2ua38zCjkAP1EZ5DGDRAv6nnXdgiAQRg23RoldTyHXbG30-W8EYtzxR0/s320/lionfaces.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380676485180698850" border="0" /></a>Heidi Oklahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00294993978030713332noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4835625407858606207.post-2543267091818660382009-08-31T12:31:00.000-07:002009-08-31T18:22:19.423-07:00Something FishyInspired by the never-ending summer we're having in Texas, I thought we'd try a fish theme. We're enjoying splishing and splashing in the pools like little fish to beat the heat around here.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">BOOKS:</span> We love Lucy Cousin's <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Hooray for Fish!</span>. The illustrations are so bright and cheery, and both my boys want to stop and talk about each fish as we read. We also enjoy Marcus Pfister's <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Rainbow Fish</span> (and any other titles in his series). And we have a fun counting book, featuring really cool die cuts of fish called <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Fish, Swish! Splash, Dash!</span> by Suse MacDonald.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ0gIBV1xGefSo_JUrb_cTWwBYgoohONolS5O2KZKGEsoq2j3z4zhT_l9X1fcPEydLFm6ITO1fxS-BPgHWnvB394uiIDdgEw3CveYZVHKLFYWzvjUC8ZxQ5nmt-6VpnY4cJfKMaZZZUKY/s1600-h/fishbook1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 313px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ0gIBV1xGefSo_JUrb_cTWwBYgoohONolS5O2KZKGEsoq2j3z4zhT_l9X1fcPEydLFm6ITO1fxS-BPgHWnvB394uiIDdgEw3CveYZVHKLFYWzvjUC8ZxQ5nmt-6VpnY4cJfKMaZZZUKY/s320/fishbook1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376214317380504338" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIDwhexiNYDFHXd-j8QbYHENIZdc3kF28xd6M7FCBYNjlSnKhIzroW_wtJKuNl24nyDl2SiZHMPCUWDHut8QfJ2quZLg9ywYsE9eoyVH__NOIq4wdXECcY3QKt5AmFgml9n623Be_AMtY/s1600-h/fishbooks2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 174px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIDwhexiNYDFHXd-j8QbYHENIZdc3kF28xd6M7FCBYNjlSnKhIzroW_wtJKuNl24nyDl2SiZHMPCUWDHut8QfJ2quZLg9ywYsE9eoyVH__NOIq4wdXECcY3QKt5AmFgml9n623Be_AMtY/s320/fishbooks2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376213474592573394" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">ACTIVITY: </span>Paper Plate Fish</span><br />My 20-month-old just LOVES art projects. I have been trying to keep things really simple so he can master the projects and enjoy them. For the fish, I started with two paper plates. I used the first plate just to cut out two fins and a tail. On the second plate, I cut a mouth and drew on an eye with black marker. I then glued the fins and tail onto the second plate and let them fully dry before involving the boys. Once dry, the guys painted away. My three-year-old used rolled up bubble wrap as a paint stamp to create the illusion of gills. My younger son just did his own thing, but wanted to paint lots of fish. We had a whole school by the time they were done.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbh-ST-d4eNN7zUK9aYn5BhN_tTK5Qp7YGaExlnIHc8RiuwD19KfVAlvJMBpDyko2bohricGnhsLGuBj9tv5Hz-amiEMGcA1fZBJ8mJmLSAFP_YGBQ1XSveTsCvyALhx4peB9V1HBSMaw/s1600-h/paintingfish.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 228px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbh-ST-d4eNN7zUK9aYn5BhN_tTK5Qp7YGaExlnIHc8RiuwD19KfVAlvJMBpDyko2bohricGnhsLGuBj9tv5Hz-amiEMGcA1fZBJ8mJmLSAFP_YGBQ1XSveTsCvyALhx4peB9V1HBSMaw/s320/paintingfish.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376213870901998898" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeYuz50LMjKd1bIx066bk0EV5JKtitNrL9DBBIF_MyPoVqizRiDhTm44qzaNYIyMYgnGAhxF_B3cah-WywytDD6_oNMHNu0RQjlQvYLfaVKFQLfDC8QnlZnEc8M27yCaoHyCZbANXncig/s1600-h/fish1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 350px; height: 307px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeYuz50LMjKd1bIx066bk0EV5JKtitNrL9DBBIF_MyPoVqizRiDhTm44qzaNYIyMYgnGAhxF_B3cah-WywytDD6_oNMHNu0RQjlQvYLfaVKFQLfDC8QnlZnEc8M27yCaoHyCZbANXncig/s400/fish1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376213158966571378" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2_tt9QenWHJt7xDweXAWUjfuiHkwITBrQVXTDJKuM9_a1A5CvDUpQOdITPM7_tortQlHsJpvrn7AdPSaHSjAM7Eg7AO9GOZqKDMd5ForgaGfboIoHlEeCno3mHAJ4r3T3irsCXKy7bxg/s1600-h/fish2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 350px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2_tt9QenWHJt7xDweXAWUjfuiHkwITBrQVXTDJKuM9_a1A5CvDUpQOdITPM7_tortQlHsJpvrn7AdPSaHSjAM7Eg7AO9GOZqKDMd5ForgaGfboIoHlEeCno3mHAJ4r3T3irsCXKy7bxg/s400/fish2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376213037327734354" border="0" /></a>Heidi Oklahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00294993978030713332noreply@blogger.com0