Winter Gift Guide: Picture Books

Picture books are my go-to gift. Here are three ideas that follow the Read-Wear-Play magic formula.

18-months+:

 The Three Snow Bears by Jan Brett (a heartwarming Inuit variation of Goldilocks and the Three Bears; recently published in board book form)
Sea World Polar Bear Youth Slippers
Carter's Footed Pajama Blanket Sleeper 24 months- Polar Bear

Newly Literate+:

I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen (New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Book of 2011; 2012 Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor Book)

Krochet Kids The Thomas Jr. (handmade in Uganda)  

Melissa and Doug travel-size Flip-to-Win Memory Game (because in the book, the bear "remembers" and "forgets" the rabbit...)

Tween+ (including grown-up mid-century modern fans and Finlandophiles):

Moomin: The Complete Tove Jansson Comic Strip: Book 1 (the five books in this series contain comics originally published in London Evening News in the mid-1950s)
Moomin Character Earphone Jack Accessory
Marimekko Tuuli Canvas Pencil Pouch by hannasboutique (use it for pencils/pens, snacks, hygiene/grooming kit, etc.)


I should mention, I got the idea for Read-Wear-Play themed gifts from Gabrielle of Design Mom--Santa brings her six children using that formula. I should also mention that I collected these images and links for fun and for your friendly use, and I am not affiliated in any way with any of the products or sellers.

What's your gifting formula? What books are on your wish list, or gift list?

DIY Book Costume: Flower from The Tiny Seed

This girl has loved Eric Carle's The Tiny Seed for over a year. She can "read" it by quoting and paraphrasing the story. I wouldn't have thought this dramatic, vaguely-anthropomorphized life cycle/season story would hold the attention of a toddler--but it does. Over and over again. It reminds me that she (and other children) should continue to get broad exposure to literature. A picture book "above" or "below" their development level may scratch a curiosity itch we didn't even know they had. And generally, I think two-year-olds are underestimated--they are often absorbing more patterns and cues, social-emotionally, scientifically, and otherwise, than we realize.

If you're curious, here's how my mom and I threw together this Tiny Seed-inspired flower costume in half an hour for $10.  (When I say half an hour, I am minusing hours of deliberation and over-thinking, window shopping, and a failed paper-mache project.)

We free-handed some leaves out of printer paper and wrapped them in duct tape. We ran a "stem" down a black shirt and pants.

We cut eight petals from foam paper. (After I cut the first one, I moved it around the ring to make sure it would fit an even amount of petals. Luckily, I picked just the right width for the bottom of the petal.) We popped out the inner ring of a 9-inch cross-stich hoop and hot-glued the petals onto it.

We hot-glued a plastic headband on an angle (30 degrees?), so that the petal ring would go around her face when the headband was on her head. 

 
This is the only time she's kept a headband on for more than five minutes. She hates headbands, but LOVES being a flower. 

Did you celebrate Halloween in a book-inspired costume? I'd love to see pictures!

Halloween: Book Costumes and Other Fun

A friend of mine crafted this typewriter (to attach to a cow costume) out of a Cheerios box! Her six-year-old was definitely the cutest union member of Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type (by Doreen Cronin and Betsy Lewin).

I love seeing little Halloween costumes based on book characters! Last year, Baby A was Gossie. And I can't decide what she'll be this year--Peter Rabbit? Pooh? Clifford/Emily Elizabeth? Or a fluffy monster? Time is running out! What are your costuming plans? Did you prepare weeks ago, or do you wait until the week before (like me)? I have been pinning book character costume ideas, if you still need them.

Our favorite Halloween book this year has been Little Goblins Ten by Pamela Jane, illustrated  by Jane Manning. The lyrics come off charmingly without ever trying to "force" a rhyme. It's a counting book, without feeling predictable. And the illustrations are part-lovely and part-creepy--definitely not too scary, but not cutesy, either.

My husband, 2.3-year-old, and I went to see Hotel Transylvania, and we were surprised at how much we all liked it! Next week, we'll be screening the classic It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.

What are your Halloween traditions? Or are you trying something new this year?

Mathematic Picture Books

Have you heard of Wumbers? Amy Krouse Rosenthal wrote, and Tom Lichtenheld illustrated, a punny book that will stretch your brain!

I've always liked number patterns and words, but when I thought I wasn't "good" at math in 5th grade, I threw myself into the world of words. Now, I don't think in terms of Numbers vs. Words, and I love to see adults and children nurture a love of both.

Here's a list of counting and other math books! And another extensive list of math-related picture books organized by subject!

And here's a list with descriptions of how to use picture books to teach math!

Happy weekend!

Utah's Pioneer Day: Festival and Books

Today was Pioneer Day, the Utah state holiday.

Baby A and I hooked up the bike trailer and met some friends at a pioneer monument park turned festival. 

Baby A and I sat in a 1917 fire truck. The owner lent me his antique firefighter cap! Classic cars and fire trucks don't have much to do with Utah's history in particular, but Utah sneaks classic cars in to any summer festival. 

Utah's festivals aren't complete without some farm animals, either. The calf brayed (it hadn't mastered the moo) so loudly it frightened the young children.

The most relevant photo to Utah's history is of Baby A in a teepee. 

Not pictured: 12 craft stations, food stands, live bands on stage, pioneer museum, and a mass of face-painted children ushered through lines by their parents and grandparents. Oh, and posters with fun facts, like that Utah's state fish is the Bonneville Cutthroat Trout.

And here are a couple of fun books that celebrate Utah:

Dinosaur Mountain: Digging Into the Jurassic Age by Deborah Kogan Ray digs into the history of the "Bone Wars", and the monumental discovery of an enthusiastic paleontologist, Earl Douglass, in Utah's rocky northeast.

Good Night Our World series by Adam Gamble, illustrated by Anne Rosen is a great introduction to the highlights of the states. 

I think I'll get it as a keepsake for Baby A--she's been to all the places featured in the book!

Does your state or region have a holiday?

Book-Themed Gift Combinations

Turning 3 is a rite-of-passage, don't you think? Suddenly, a 3-year-old is mature enough for a million toys with parts that their 2-year-old self apparently couldn't handle safely. A three-year-old is ready for their very own cubby at their very own pre-school! A three-year-old picks out their own big-kid underwear. Their world is blown wide open with possibilities! (I'm not being sarcastic; I am just simultaneously amused and terrified for the much-too-soon day when my daughter will somewhat officially make the leap from toddler to kid.)

What should you give in celebration of this auspicious birthday? I suggest the Magic 3 Combo: something to READ, something to WEAR, and something to PLAY with.  

I'm not suggesting that one person ought to give three things--themed gifts like this would be perfect from a group, from all the aunts and uncles, for example. But if you're picking just one, go with something to read, because books are sadly under-represented at kid's birthday parties.

The Magic 3 Combo works for anyone at any age at any occasion, but here are 3 examples for a 3-year-old (with an estimated total price):

1. Eight Silly Monkeys illustrated by Steve Haskamp; Foamies Monkey Stickers; Barrel of Monkeys

2. Miss Spider's New Car by David Kirk; Pluie Pluie Kids Green Bug Rain Boots (sizes Toddler 5- Kid 2); Hot Wheels Dirt Track Race Toy Car 5 Pack
(The boots are the bulk of this price estimate, on sale for $37.99 as I type. I'm bugging out, they're so cute.)

3. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom written by Bill Martin, Jr. and John Archambault, illustrated by Lois Ehlert; pipe-cleaner-and-bead backpack name label* (you can make it with the child in 5 minutes!); Melissa & Doug Alphabet Art puzzle

*beads, pipe cleaners and lanyard hook shown are from Hobby Lobby



What do you think?

This post was not sponsored (although, I wish that it had been) and contains only my personal opinions without guarantees.

P.S. If you want to play with me on Pinterest, that would be cool.

Summer Solstice Books + Activity Ideas

Summer Solstice feels magical, don't you think? As a child, I spent nearly every other summer in Finland, and on Juhannus [Midsummer's Eve] the sun really never set. At midnight, everything looks dusky, but not dark. Everyone stays up all night, celebrating with friends and family by visiting their summer cabin, grilling at a fire pit, going between the sauna and a swim in a river, drinking, dancing to a live band, and watching a huge bonfire float on the river. (Everyone does some of those things, at least!)

In Utah, we haven't done much to acknowledge Midsummer's Day, but this year, I'd like to do something fun. Do you celebrate the longest day of the year?

I checked out a couple of non-fiction picture books from the library for celebration inspiration.

The Summer Solstice by Ellen Jackson, illustrated by Jan Davey Ellis.

The Longest Day: Celebrating the Summer Solstice by Wendy Pfeffer, illustrated by Linda Bleck.

Each book explains the science of Summer Solstice, and the history and celebration of it around the world. The Summer Solstice is longer, with more challenging vocabulary, best for ages 7 and up. The Longest Day has 3-6 sentences per page, and seems best for ages 4 and up. Each book has several activity ideas in the back, all fun, educational, and inexpensive. 

In case you can't get the books in time for Midsummer's (Friday and Saturday!), I found some similar activities around the web:

flower crown wreath
sidewalk sundial
hot rock art

summer solstice snake image (fascinating link!)

trees image

Book-Themed Birthday Parties

I gathered up a lot of ideas for Baby A's 2nd birthday party on Pinterest, and finally decided to go with the theme of her favorite book in the weeks leading up to her birthday: The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle.

 

 

 Do you have any book-themed birthday party links to share?

Ladybug On the Move: Extension Activities

Today I’m participating in the Ultimate Blog Swap. You’ll find me posting over at Bringing the Sunshine about an art project you can play with inspired by Good Dog, Carl, and I’m excited to welcome Kris from Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers to wise owl baby:

There’s nothing quite like enjoying a good book with a child. That enjoyment can be made even more special with extension activities that help the story come to life for him or her.

One of my kids’ all-time favorite books (and mine, too!) is Ladybug on the Move, by Richard Fowler. We discovered this gem during our local library’s story time when my oldest (now almost 17) was a preschooler.

Part of the fun of this visually-appealing book is the die-cut ladybug that is included. She comes out of her little clear pocket on the front cover so that she can take the journey in and through – literally – the pages of the book with the reader.

Ladybugs – and insects, in general – are such a high-interest topic with kids that it’s easy to come up with lots of fun related activities to move the story off the pages of the book. First, explore facts about real-life ladybugs with your child using a book such as Are You a Ladybug, by Judy Allen and Tudor Humphries (the whole Backyard Books series is incredibly well-done).

Enjoy some fun and tasty ladybug snacks together, such as:

·         Ladybug cupcakes

·         Ladybugs on a stick

·         Apple ladybug snacks

Enjoy making ladybug-themed crafts:

·         Variety of ladybug craft ideas

·         Adorable ladybug rock (be sure to scroll down to look at the ladybug salad idea)

·         Ladybug paper plate puppet

·         Ladybug (or insect) sensory box (this links includes lots of other great ladybug-themed ideas)

You can even order live ladybugs to observe for a little while or catch your own and observe them in a ladybug habitat.

Have you done any fun ladybug crafts or enjoyed any unique ladybug snacks lately? Do you have any great resources for more ladybug extension activities?

Visit Life Your Way to see all of the Ultimate Blog Swap participants!

Earth Day Art Map and Arbor Day Book

How will you be celebrating Earth Day on April 22nd, and Arbor Day on April 27th?

Since I'm moving on Earth Day, I decided to celebrate a little early. I collaged this map, and wrote a couple of my favorite author's sentiments about Earth onto it.

Here's a simple how-to:

1)  Tear scrap paper into a variety of strips. 

2) Brush a thin, even layer of mod podge onto the cardboard rectangle, in sections, and quickly form continents and oceans with blank strips.

While I did that, Baby A 'painted" (brushed water onto her own scrap paper).

3) Write the quote(s) on the map.

I wrote my quotes across like a banner, but it would also be fun to write the words onto strips and paste them on for a patched look. I wish I had written them larger, in a more interesting color.

4) Gloss the entire map with the mod podge. 

 
The quotes I used:
"All things of the universe are miracles, each as profound as any."
-Walt Whitman

"Earth laughs in flowers."
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

For Arbor Day, I recommend reading Grandpa Green by Lane Smith. Grandpa Green artistically carves out his life legacy. This might be my favorite Lane Smith book, though as a child I pouted and cried in the car until my parents went back into the book fair and purchased The Stinky Cheese Man for me. (I still feel guilty; it was totally uncharacteristic for me to whine like that, and for my parents to give in like that.) I won't throw a fit for Grandpa Green, but I will add it to my pretty-pretty-please-it's-almost-my-birthday list.

Don't you think that planting, saving, or appreciating a tree is one of the best ways we can build a legacy for our future generations?

P.S. more springtime and Earth Day books

P.P.S. Does your library read for the Earth?

Easter Basket Books

If you're playing Easter Bunny this year, stock your baskets with some sweetness that can be enjoyed over and over again.

For the one in perpetual motion:

 

Peepsqueak! by Leslie Ann Clark

For the detail-oriented and/or the artist:

The Easter Egg by Jan Brett. You can also make a mural with the illustrations.

For anyone past the phase of ripping pop-up books:

Peter Rabbit Easter Egg Hunt. It's a gorgeous interactive pop-up adventure based on Beatrix Potter's original illustrations.

For everyone remembering the true new life of Easter:

If the Savior Stood Beside Me by Greg Olsen. This is a compilation of Olsen's  paintings, mostly of Jesus with children, with text inspired by (but not really quoting) the song by Sally DeFord. I'd like to make it a tradition to put a book in Baby A's Easter basket each year, and this year I chose this book. I prefer portrayals of Jesus to be realistic (as opposed to cartoonish) and I especially like to see portrayals of Jesus with children of diverse physical attributes and cultural backgrounds, because an overwhelming majority of portrayals that I've seen showcase only white, sandy-haired children. Any suggestions?

What are your Easter basket favorites? Have you been reading any Easter books this week?

P.S. A tip: Baby A is still playing with the plastic eggs my mom gave her last year. Opening and closing the eggs is great for fine motor skill development. Sometimes, when we're going somewhere she needs to stay seated, we put a tiny surprise in a plastic egg and pull it out when she gets antsy. 

Springtime Traditions

Happy Spring! I thought it was fitting to kick off the official start of spring by hanging out some hope in the magic of nature--I made my second annual tree wish. I use only ribbons and things around my house, and write my wish on a scrap of paper. I try to make it appealing to birds, in the hopes that they'll steal the ribbon for their nests, which I'm sure would be extra good luck. This year, I hung it two-and-a-half-stories high in the tree by leaning over my stair well.

(Can you spot my escaped, barefoot toddler?)

My mom reminded me that this year is the centennial celebration of Washington D.C.'s cherry blossoms. I grew up near D.C., and both the cherry blossoms and dogwood blossoms bloomed divinely for weeks.

I'd love to add these books to my collection as a reminder of my fourteen years in Virginia.

Remarkable Trees of Virginia illustrated by Robert Llewellyn and written by Nancy R. Hugo

Eliza's Cherry Trees: Japan's Gift to America written by Andrea Zimmerman, illustrated by Ju Hong Chin

Don't you think a book collection can tell a version of a person's life? And isn't springtime a perfect time to both reminisce and look forward with hope?
 

P.S. Tell me if you make your own tree wish--I'd love to see!

P.P.S. my springtime book picks

Pre-Literacy: Phonological Awareness

 
Phonological Awareness--meaning, an understanding of how sounds are organized and used in language--is fostered both overtly and subtly in education.

Overtly, speech pathologists (and other educators) use speech cues to help students recognize sound/speech patterns. I am fascinated by the patterns, and if you are, too, you can study these speech cue cards. 

Subtly, there are a world of silly songs and poems and stories that foster phonological awareness. Do you remember singing, "I like to ate, ate, ate, aples and baynaynays [...] eat, eat, eat, eeples and beneenees..." ("Silly Song" by Raffi)? It turns out that silliness had a secret mission.

What books help teach phonological awareness?

There are so many fantastic rhyming books! Baby A is far from making rhymes or recognizing sound cluster patterns, but she currently has an obsession with "Pop a Pop", otherwise known as Hop on Pop by Dr. Seuss.

My sister is an avid reader and all-around intelligent person, so I trust her (and millions of others') childhood favorite wordsmith Shel Silverstein. And it's no secret I'm a huge Sandra Boynton fan.

But not all of Silverstein's or Boynton's or other excellent author's books rhyme, and many good books that don't rhyme are great for practicing phonological awareness. Read books that are charming, and curiosity will lead to learning.

Once a child knows how to read, it is still useful and fun to practice phonological awareness, and its cousin, spelling. I like the letter rocks pictured up top, and I've seen some with clusters like "ing".

Here's the rest of the Pre-Literacy series:

Vocabulary
Print Motivation

Print Awareness

Letter Recognition

Narrative Skills

(To clarify, pre-literacy skills develop at different paces, and not necessarily in a particular sequence, for each person.)


P.S. letter rock games
P.P.S. St. Patrick's Day book + party ideas

Have a lucky weekend!

St. Patrick's Day Party: Atypical Books and Activities

My friends and I are planning a St. Patrick's Day party for our 1-2-year-olds this weekend. My elementary school self loved doing the leprechaun treasure hunts leading to a pot of gold coin chocolates every year, and I was sure that one day I would find the end of a rainbow. I haven't yet. But for the next generation's younger crowd, I'm thinking balloons in rainbow colors and Baby A's favorite treasure: fruit snacks.

This musical board book would be a fun way to kick off a rainbow-treasure-friendship party. The Forgetful Little Leprechaun gets help from friends to find his pot of gold, which (spoiler alert!) he left at the end of the rainbow, of course. His friendships are his true treasure in the end. (I am geeking myself out.) The text is fun and the music is actually nice; it plays the tune "Irish Eyes Are Smiling".

Or, if you want something outside of the pot-of-gold, play up the (probably untrue) but fun legend of St. Patrick banishing snakes from Ireland.

I haven't read The Last Snake In Ireland, but it looks intriguing. For a party theme, you could hide a tiny rubber snake in one of many cupcakes decorated green like the hills of Ireland, and whoever gets it is "it" in a game of Sardines, or first up in an obstacle course. Goodie bags or treats could include sour gummy worms masquerading as snakes, homemade bread sticks shaped like snakes, or celery cut and shaped to look like a squiggling snake.


For a fun and easy game in the traditional rainbow route: Crafting Chicks Find the Colors of the Rainbow Treasure Hunt {free printables}

Got any Irish-luck plans up your sleeves? Do you know of any fun books about Ireland or St. Patty? Or snakes?

Pre-Literacy: Narrative Skills

 

Okay, that video has been around for years. But I don't think there is a more adorable and appropriate way to introduce the pre-literacy skill of narration. When a child understands that stories have structure (usually: beginning, conflict, end), and has the short-term memory to explain elements of a story (characters, setting) or to retell a story they've heard or experienced, they have narrative skills. Speech-Language Pathologist Rachel Betzen explained kindergarten-readiness/pre-literacy skills at preliteracy.com, and I stole these narrative-related skills from her checklist:

•  be able to talk about about his or her everyday experiences
•   understand two-step verbal directions
•   understand and remember simple stories
•   understand 2-3 steps involved in sequences of events or stories
•   be able to answer simple questions about stories and routine experiences

(end quote) 
Encourage narrative skills by:

• ask about her or his everyday experiences
• give two-step verbal directions, and help her or him follow through (ex: Choose a book and bring it to me; Pick up your fork and put it on the table)
•  ask for help telling a story she or he is familiar with; ask her or him to "read" a favorite picture book to you; perform fingerplays that tell a story, (such as "Itsy Bitsy Spider"); invite her or him to retell a story (ex: tell Grandma about when you saw the dolphins)
• ask questions about a story: What happened at the beginning of the story?; And then what happened?; Why did he feel sad/frustrated/excited?; Did that [solve the problem]?; What happened at the end?
• ask simple questions about stories and routine experiences: Where does [the main character] of this book live?; What do you do first every day when you wake up? 

Do you already read, talk, and play like this? What books do your pre-literate tots "read" to you? 

Baby A is currently all about the "Oops!" Hassu kalkkuna! [Silly turkey!] in Boynton's Blue Hat, Green Hat. And look, there's an app for it.

Pre-Literacy: Letter Recognition

Letter Recognition: Recognizing the Letters of the Alphabet. You probably put that together on your own. Once you're in the thick of practicing letter recognition, you'll correlate objects and letters and say stuff like, "A is for apple. And Anna. And Alexandra." Just me?

A kindergarten teacher recently told me that almost all of her students wrote their names at the beginning of the school year--in CAPS only. She guessed it was because their parents taught them the capital letters, and then taught them to write their name with those letters. 52 symbols is a lot for a four-year-old to master, and no parent wants their child to be the only one not writing, do they? The pressure to write and read at earlier and earlier ages is intensifying, which I fear is imposing pressure on toddlers rather than facilitating growth in their natural desire to learn. 

Teach and practice letters as early and as often as you and your tot like, but make sure it's for fun! I looked no further than Pinterest to find my favorite letter-practicing ideas (but I'm linking to original sources):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Fishing for Knowledge" (letters written on juice lids fishing game instructions)

magnet letter matching tutorial

Tag Toys motor letters
These are gorgeous but too pricey for me--any DIY ideas? (I am imagining a small peg with buttons attached to each end through chipboard carved with an Exacto knife...)

P.S. ABC books and other alphabet gift ideas
Easy DIY dry-erase magnet board (cookie sheet)