Wordless Wednesday

Photo submitted by Shanna of Sweet Slings

Body Talk

My preschooler learnt all about body parts last week. Today she brought home her first assignment. She can't pronounce the word, but is very proud. We are required to make a person out of items already at home - so since she is on first name basis with the refrigerator we thought we'd raid it and see if we could make a food person. Beatrice proudly presents ... Ludwig (her dad). I tried to explain to her that *ahem* Ludwig might be a girl - but she told me I was being silly.

Clearly you can do use all sorts of things to create your own food person; hard boiled eggs, cottage cheese, carrots, nuts, raisins. 

We stuck to things Beatrice enjoys eating - and even as I post this, Ludwig is no more.

Happy Women's Day!

Today is International Women's Day - so happy, happy to all of you fabulous women reading the team blog! Today is also the day the winner of the awesome International Women's Day giveaway will be announced ... are you ready???


We had 254 entries - wow!! Random.org chose lucky #40 as our winner - so congratulations to sezzlebumflowertopgirl! We will be in touch shortly! 

Funny Friday: Toilet Paper

A mother was taking a shower when her young son came into the bathroom and wrapped himself in toilet paper. 

Although he made a mess, he looked adorable, so she ran for her camera and took a few shots. They came out so well that she had copies made and included one with each of their Christmas cards. 

Days later, a relative called about the picture; laughing hysterically, and suggesting that she take a closer look.

Puzzled, the mother stared at the photo and was shocked to discover that in addition to her son, she had captured her reflection in the mirror ... wearing nothing but a camera!

Ready or Reluctant Readers?

Dr. Seuss would have turned 106 on March 2nd. If you have a young child, this comes as no surprise as most schools celebrate March 2 as Seuss Day. Read Across America has also dubbed the day as National Read Across America Day, an initiative on reading created by the National Education Association. What a great opportunity to scoop up those children who haven't yet embraced reading for entertainment by whisking them away on a trip inside the whimsical world of Whos and Sneetches.

"The years from birth through age 5 are a critical time for children's development and learning. At home and in early childhood educational settings, young children learn important skills that can provide them with the cornerstones needed for development of later academic skills. Research confirms that patterns of learning in preschool are closely linked to later achievement: children who develop more skills in the preschool years perform better in primary grades." - National Institute For Literacy

We all know that literacy starts at home. If we are going to prepare our little ones for success, we need to surround them with reading from day one. Take every opportunity you can to sit down with your child and read, even if it's just to look at the pictures. Be a good example: children who see their parents reading for pleasure are more likely to read too.

Are you having trouble choosing just the right books for your child? Look no further than your local library. The librarians in the children's section are trained to help you select age-appropriate books. Are you working on specific concepts, such as the alphabet or shapes? Your library is going to have a vast selection of the books suitable for your child's stage of development. Can't make it to the library? Check out this link for great lists and resources on selecting great books. http://www.rif.org/parents/goodbooks/default.mspx

What do you do if you have a reluctant reader or a kid who flatly refuses to read anything? I know your pain. My husband and I are avid readers yet one of our children has convinced himself that reading is simply not fun. Don't give up! In the case of my 9 year old, we are suggesting all genres of books hoping that something sticks. We've found that he enjoys manga books that we buy at our local comic book shop. Just be sure to ask someone familiar with manga about the content of these books so you're sure the books are age appropriate. We've also found that renting books on CD and Playaway devices are popular with him and we're hoping that the message that reading is fun is starting to seep in.

We also have an informal book club most evenings before bedtime. I pop a bowl of popcorn and sit down with my two oldest (7 year old girl and 9 year old boy) and read a book that I feel would be interesting to both of them. Right now we're reading The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick. The book is 544 pages long, which sounds exhausting. Instead, it's been a whirlwind of adventure and mystery with many beautiful pencil illustrations throughout the book, making it engaging  for the kids to read and watch the story unfold. We read for anywhere between 30 to 60 minutes, with each child taking a page or two every chapter or two and reading it aloud to all of us. My kids are engaged, reminding me quickly when I've forgotten my place from the night before. This is not only a great literacy exercise, but a great relationship builder with your older children. 

Some great sources for inspiration:

Scholastic has a great resource for book lists here: http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/search/?isParent=Y&N=2078&Nty=1&isBrowse=Y&_N=2078&No=15

Amazon has a list of the top selling picture books of 2009. Check it out for some inspiration.


Happy Reading!

Wordless Wednesday

 

Submitted by Erica of Nifty Necessities

Jelly Bean Love

Although Easter has neither come nor gone yet, I am already dreading the moment when jellybeans have to be peeled from parquet, carpet, and tile. Also, I have to admit, the squelch they make as they are being trampled underfoot is ... well ... not my favourite sound.

So this year I'm preparing myself psychologically for the sight of leftover jellbeans running amok in my house - and being proactive.

"But whatever can you do with jellybeans?" I hear you ask.

Apparently quite a lot.

*nods*

You can ...

Have your little ones sort them by colour (guaranteed to keep them occupied for a while). Older ones (if so inclined) can then take that information and make a bar graph.

Put them in a pretty glass container, ask guests to guess the number of beans as they walk through your door, and then force .. um ... reward them with the jar as they leave.

 Have a jelly bean hunt!

Assign a point value to the different colours and then hide the beans. Rarer colours should have more value, and all beans should be placed next to an item of like colour. Cheapo I spy .. but a pretty effective one at parties.

(my house is currently too messy to support photo-taking of that kind)

Guess-and-Gobble 
Place a jelly bean on top of a napkin and cover it with a cup. Have the child guess the colour, and reward said child with the bean. Plenty of variations on this, so let your imagination run wild.

Make Jelly Bean Fudge

I'll pass on experimenting, but here's the recipe (from Ms. Billings)

• 2 cups white chocolate chips
• 1 (16 ounce) container vanilla frosting
• 2 cups jelly beans

Line a 9-inch square pan with foil and grease lightly.

Melt the chips according to the package directions or in a heavy saucepan over very low heat, stirring constantly until the chocolate is melted and smooth. 

Add the frosting and stir until the mixture is smooth.

Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.

Add the jelly beans and stir well to incorporate evenly. 

Spread the fudge mixture into the prepared pan and cool to room temperature. 

Cover tightly and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. 

Remove the foil /fudge from the pan and place on a cutting surface. 

Carefully remove the foil and cut the fudge into small pieces.

Make (or simply admire) jelly bean art.

I picked President Reagan because he, reputedly, always had a bowl of jelly beans on his desk when he was in office - but there is some gorgeous jelly bean art out there.

Play Bean Run! 
This will work for older kids (and inebriated adults) - and here's how it goes.

Two teams.

Bowls full of jelly beans at one end of the room (or garden) and empty bowls at the other end.

Everyone gets handed a plastic spoon.

The objective is to get as many beans transferred within a set period of time.

Inebriated adults seem to favour playing with their hands behind their back and the spoon in their mouth ... but we won't go there.

And finally ...

Celebrate National Jelly Bean Day  - by putting all of your leftover jellybeans into small bags and handing them out to all the people who didn't know it was NJD!

Mark your calendars: April 22nd!