Old Christmas Reads and New Traditions

Do you revisit any favorite books or poems every winter?

I always read a few short favorites, and then mix in a few other classics.

Each year, (this is the second year of many to come, I hope,) Baby A gets a Christmas book. I still haven't quite decided which one to get her this year, though I'd like to give it to her tomorrow, on Pikku Joulu. My godmother suggested Mauri Kunnas' Santa books. I have Koiramäen Joulukirkko (Doghill's Christmas Church or Christmas Mass), and I'd love more Kunnas gems.

my bookshelf's bottom shelf for Christmas-y books

My holiday reads this year: 

Luke 2, The Holy Bible (Luke)

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost, illustrated by Susan Jeffers

Twas the Night Before Christmas by Clement Clarke Moore (I like this nostalgic Perry Como video reading with 1958 Whitman Publishing edition illustrations by Florence Sarah Winship)

Lucia and the Light by Phyllis Root

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

Pulling out these books adds to the anticipation and quiet busy of the season for me. For extra fun,  we'll be starting our Advent Chain tonight! We used this printable and tweaked it to fit our household.

my advent chain, adorning my refrigerator

Does your reading list look like mine, or is it different? What else are you doing, for the fiftieth or first time, to cheer up this winter?

Family Fun

I've noticed that having a child has changed my idea of fun. Pre-child, my husband and I would have scoffed at the idea of standing outside the library/city building listening to a children's choir sing a long list of Christmas songs, with freezing hands and feet, waiting for the grand moment when the lights strung on eight trees were plugged in. 

 [phone picture evidence]

But Baby A saw a giant dog! And we danced to Jingle Bells! And she liked the lights! And we got free candy canes! (And she did not step in the mysterious vomit next to the park bench, so the evening was a total success.)

Has having kids or grandkids changed your idea of what to do (or not do) on a weekday evening?

Thanksgiving Harvest Storytime

Thanksgiving Day is practically here! 

It is one of my favorite holidays, because you can put as little or as much fuss into it, and either way, you will succeed! I also love the irony of pondering gratitude, then overindulging yourself into a food coma. It works for all ages, too. People in every stage of life enjoy gathering family and friends to eat a thoroughly thought-out meal. 

Baby A has had harvest food on the brain, too, lately, with repeat readings of To Market, To Market. My husband can't suspend his disbelief when it comes to a lady going to a market to purchase large, live animals, keeping them in her house, and then being surprised when they escape their pens. I buy in to it because it is charming, but I interpret it as a book about a woman who buys these animals, and despite the havoc they cause, she doesn't have the heart to cook them--so she makes soup and everybody is happy. I don't think it is actually intended to be plausible, nor vegetarian, necessarily, but in any case, it is fun! Baby A likes to say, "Uh-oh" at the appropriate parts in the book.

Here's a storytime perfect for Thanksgiving foodies:

Read: To Market, To Market, words by Anne Miranda (based on the nursery rhyme), pictures by Janet Stevens

Sing: Ask volunteers to hold various food toys, pictures, or real food in front of the group. Ask them to lift up the food, one by one, while singing to the tune of "Here We Are Together":

We're going to the market, the market, the market

We're going to the market to buy our food

Some [first food] and [second food] and [third food] and [fourth food]

We're going to the market to buy our food

This could be repeated with more foods, or by preparing the food (We're chopping up the carrots...).

Talk about: Thanksgiving foods, table manners

Sing: "Please and Thank You" (Shake maracas instead of or in addition to saying "cha cha cha" and replace some lyrics with lines such as If you'd like some mashed potatoes [cha cha cha] or a slice of pumpkin pie.)

Check out these lovely Thanksgiving book reviews.Would you like to peruse more Turkey Day reads?

And here's a list of Thanksgiving books that don't eat the turkey.

Do you have a kids' table? Check out these activity printables.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Three Storytime Ideas with Where Is The Green Sheep?

After a hundred readings of Where Is The Green Sheep?, I thought of three storytime ideas that incorporate our missing green friend:

1. Counting and Colors

This is simple and fun for infant audiences, or discussion can be added to further engage toddler and pre-school audiences.

Sing: "Baa, Baa Black Sheep" (I alter the words to "Yes, Sir, Yes, M'am, Three bags full" for gender inclusion.)

Read: Where Is the Green Sheep? by Mem Fox and Judy Horacek

Fingerplay: "Ten Little Children" (or as I learned it pre-PC, "Ten Little Indians",) but with sheep: One little, two little, three little sheep [...] Ten little sheep are playing!

Read: One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish Blue Fish by Dr. Seuss

2. Sheep-Shearing

This is a longer lesson-style storytime best for ages* 5 and up.

Read: Where Is The Green Sheep?

Show: a picture of a sheep being sheared, an antique wool weaver, or a brush used on real sheep

Sing with Actions: Pretend to shear a sheep while singing to the tune of "Shake Our Sillies Out".

ex: We're gonna wash our woolly sheep (repeat three times while using both hands to scrub the imaginary sheep) and shear the woolly sheep. (next verse) We're gonna shave it back and forth (repeat three times while dramatically moving arm back and forth as if shearing a sheep) and shear the woolly sheep. Additional verses could say gather up the wool, thank our woolly sheep, comb the wool out fine, etc. 

Read: The Story of Heidi retold by Susanna Davidson, pictures by Alan Marks

Sing: "Baa, Baa Black Sheep"

3. Finding a Lost Object

This can be adjusted to engage any age.

Fingerplay: "Where is Thumbkin?"

Read: Where Is The Green Sheep?

Sing with Actions: "Where Has My Little Dog Gone?"

Read: Peek-a-Moo, text by Marie Torres Cimarusti, pictures by Stephanie Petersen

*Ages may vary; I use age as a blanket marker indicating average overall development at that age.

Are you the black sheep in your family? Or does your family have all kinds of sheep? When holiday time rolls around, family roles tend to come out more dramatically, don't you think? 

One more week to Thanksgiving! Next week, I'll have a Thanksgiving-themed storytime to share.

"A Smile Means Friendship to Everyone"

As the last challenge for The Happy Day Project, I shopped at Samaritan's Purse Gift Catalog. I chose Gift #3: Teach a Child to Read and Write. Isn't that a priceless gift to offer? I feel a little more connected to my neighbor, even if my neighbor is far away, is of a different faith, dresses or eats differently, or learns to read and write in a different language. It reminded me that it's a small world, after all. 

Pondering that led me to a picture book (what else?) celebrating our small, happy, broken, growing world. Joey Chou's illustrations in It's a Small World are bright and bursting with color and warmth. The depictions of people around the world are predictably stereotypical, but not offensive, in my opinion. (See the castle on the cover? It is published by Disney.) The text follows the sweet lyrics and music by brothers Richard M. and Robert B. Sherman.

11:11 11.11.11

One quick note, just for fun!

 

At 11:11 AM on 11.11.11, Baby A and I were in line with friends, hoping (hopes later dashed) to win a gift card at the opening of Utah's (first!) H&M. This documentation was inspired by Dear Lizzy's Photo Challenge #2. By the time 11:11 PM rolled around, I was sleeping, because I know how to party on a Friday night.

Speaking of 11 and partying, check out this neat counting book!

12 Ways to Get 11, by Eve Merriam, illustrated by Bernie Karlin. I suppose it is still fun for 11.12.11.

Where were you on 11.11.11 at 11:11?

Warriors and Water

(4th of July 2010)

How was your Veteran's Day? I can't say we did anything other than remember for a moment those we know who served and are serving, but I suppose that is the point--to remember. For Day 6 of The Happy Day Project, I donated a few dollars to Wounded Warrior Project. It isn't much, but I felt like I was whispering, I remember you to those who sacrifice so much for others.

Yesterday was Day 5, but I spent the day offline (weird, I know) and so I completed  that today, too. I donated a few dollars to Charity: Water through Jessica's Christmas Campaign. Private donors fund operating costs, so that every penny donated by you and me buys cement for pipes, pays drillers, teaches hygiene, and more, to provide clean water in developing countries.

What are you reading this weekend? 

I'll be catching up in my Google Reader, perusing magazine gift guides for ideas of gifts to make, and letting Baby A pick book after book to read in my lap. That girl reads voraciously, and I love it!

Reading in the NICU or PICU

I am most excited about Day 4 of The Happy Day Project!

I haven't decided yet what book to give to which friend, but I'm hoping to squeeze in a perusal at the bookstore this evening.

Had you heard of The Joyful Life Library? I am so glad I learned about it! We sent Sandra Boynton's A to Z to Rady's Children Hospital in San Diego (selected because of our recent vacation). A to Z is one of the chosen on Baby A's read every day several times a day list, so I hope another child and parent enjoy it, too. 

As a mother and a lover of children's books, the story and cause hit me at my core. Spending just one day in level 1 (least intensive) NICU with Baby A gave me a tiny glimpse of parents who spend so much of their tiny baby's life in worry and wait. I don't pretend to know their feelings, but I hope to lighten their load even a little. And here's an interesting short article about how reading may help with bonding and coping during hospital stays.

P.S. Isn't today's printable just the cutest?

P.P.S. This project is blissing me out with gratitude! Two more weeks until Thanksgiving! Can you believe it?

Formula and Pecan Pie

Sophie Blackall illustration in Pecan Pie Baby by Jaqueline Woodson

I fed a newborn for one month on Day 3 of The Happy Day Project, thanks to Compassion's Christmas Catalog.
I didn't hesitate to support this non-profit, because I've heard so much before about Compassion International from Tsh at Simple Mom. I think I'll send my five-year-old niece something handmade for Christmas, and ask her if she'd like to pick something out for a child in need, like a playground or school supplies!
 
I've been blessed to feed my baby (breastmilk, formula, and now strawberries and oatmeal) every day of her life, and my mom-heart breaks to think that babies go hungry. I think Baby A would like to help babies--she tries to peek in every car seat carrier and stroller to see a baby, and many of her frequently read books feature babies.


We recently checked out Pecan Pie Baby by Jaqueline Woodson, illustrated by Sophie Blackall. I liked the idea of it--a reluctant big sister-to-be tires of hearing about the new baby coming, but her mama helps her feel loved. It centers on a hard but real part of growing a family, without unrealistic expectations, and with warmth. The text wasn't my favorite, but I would like to read other Jaqueline Woodson books anyway, because I have a hunch I'll end up a fan. 
The illustrations have the charm I expected from Sophie Blackall. She never over-complicates, but plants back story details in all of her pictures. Don't you think?


Now I'm craving pecan pie. We'll wait on the baby sibling, though.


What are your favorite books about babies? Any second (or third or sixth or grand) babies coming your way? And are you going to pick something out at compassion--a goat, perhaps?

Read It Again, Again, Again, Again

I stifle a moan with a sigh every time Baby A says "mama mama mama". She's not asking for me. She calls me Äiti. 

"Mama mama mama" means "Read Llama, Lllama Red Pajama for the fifteen thousandth time, please." I even tucked it behind some other books on the shelf, but that wouldn't fool my toddler. She's determined to learn by repetition, and what can I do but cheerfully oblige? (95% of the time.)  

Llama, Llama, Red Pajama (by Anna Dewdney) says llama llama mama llama lamalalalmaaaa too many times for me to muster a recommendation at this time, but this phase reminded of when I read the girl I nannied Where Is the Green Sheep? four hundred thousand times. Then, I hid it on a shelf too high for that 15-month sweetheart to see--until her mom found out. The book came down and I read it three hundred thousand more times. 

But now, four years later, I can say that I was quite happy to find the green sheep with Baby A today. I am somewhat sure that only Mem Fox and Judy Horacek could make a book that continues to endear on the seven hundred thousand and first reading.

And FYI: Day 2 of The Happy Day Project was easy-peasy: write a hand-written note to a friend, just 'cause. I wrote one to my little friend (the girl I nannied) to remind her that I never really tired of finding the green sheep with her. The note was sent off with a pile of postcards from my family trip to California... yep, better late than never! 

Are you spreading the happy?

Do you have any books memorized by repetition?

P.S. How cute is this Green Sheep cake?

Mums and Christmas

For Day 1 of The Happy Day Project, I decided to Shop for Sharlie. I have handmade Christmas gifts on the brain, so I decided to get the Mum Flower tutorial from The Pleated Poppy. Won't that make a sweet stocking stuffer?

I'll be visiting the shop again, for sure!

What do you think about Christmas starting in October? I started my lists and activity planning weeks ago, hoping that if I prepare now I can glide through December, sipping cocoa while admiring lit trees and mulling over the Bible. Or, do you think I will just be starting the bustle early and miss out on the last leaves to crunch under my boots?

I can't decide, so I'll just go back to thinking about mums. 

Remember Chrysanthemum? Of course you do, Kevin Henkes' books are enduring.

There are Lilys everywhere (Henkes also wrote Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse), but I still only know one Chrysanthemum. I'm glad she came around to her name! Do you ever find fictional characters appealing or relatable enough that you imagine their past or their future? Chrysanthemum went by Chrys in middle school (in my imagination), but don't worry, she's still proud of her whole name.

Are you having a scattered, but happy day like I am? Tell me your thoughts on early, early Christmas prep, flowers, and unusual names! Or, you can choose a focus, but I can't promise that I will!

The Happy Day Project: Why Not?

This week, I'll be jumping out of the ordinary and into The Happy Day Project.

I might tweak the daily tasks to fit with children's literature. I decided to join in the project because I know someone who is close to Sharlie, of Sharlie's Angels for Monday's suggested charity donation, and because Thursday's tasks is to give a book to a friend. It should be fun! Would you like to jump in?

Gosling Sighting and Thanksgiving Countdown

Celebrity news! 

I saw Gossie, the small, yellow gosling who likes to wear bright red boots! She trotted, cute as ever, in those boots on Halloween at her local library's activity stations--she and her friends met King Bear in a secret passage, fed wild animals a loofah snack, and had free reign of the puppet show theater.

Gossie handmade costume inspiration

I feel a little (a lot) behind sometimes (all the time), but somehow we have fun anyway. Did you realize there are only three weeks until the nationally scheduled day of lounging and over-eating!? I'd better get to the library to see if there are any Thanksgiving books left. I think I might skip the history and focus on the gratitude angle this year--what do you think? Any recommendations?
And I'm curious: do you have a polished silver or a plasticware kind of Thanksgiving table?