2011 September | No Time For Flash Cards

Archive for September 2011

Skeletons, Vampires and Pumpkins! Halloween Books.

September 30, 2011

In our last post we featured two books that I think are very scary but these books today are not , they a fun Halloween books to get excited ( like they need to get more excited!) about Halloween.

There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Bat! by Lucille Colandro was a huge hit! It’s a reworking of the classic song ” There was an old lady who swallowed a fly” only this one swallows a whole bunch of Halloween creatures, like a goblin, ghost and of course a bat. She continues to swallow bigger and bigger things much to my son’s amazement! He was giggling through the whole book and the end when the old lay belches he laughed hysterically. It was predictable but I have to admit was a really fun , silly read.

Skeleton Hiccups by Margery Cuyler is a silly book about a skelleton who can not get rid of the hiccups. He tries all the old tricks , which probably won’t be old to your kids… I spent a lot of time explaining them to my son while we read . The story is simple and parents will find it predictable but kids find it silly and fun, and that is what matters.

Where Is Baby’s Pumpkin?by Karen Katz. This lift and flap book is the newest addition to our Karen Katz collection. My son adores these books. I read this in the check out line 3 times and he was asking for more before I could get my groceries in the fridge. I like this book because it’s a cute and gentle introduction to Halloween and all the creatures that go along with it. Also there are fun textures to many of the illustrations which help keep little hands busy! This book has been passed down to my daughter who likes it just as much as her brother who I thought would be too old for this book but somehow whenever his sister climbs into my lap with it he demands to lift every seconf flap!

Mouse’s Halloween Party by Jeanne Modesitt is a really sweet book, and I am glad I grabbed it at the library yesterday. Mouse is planning a big Halloween party but when he gets to his friend Pig’s house his plans go awry. This is a great book for kids like my son who get very very upset when something unexpected happens. We spent a long time talking about every stage of this story and felt great when it was done. I may have to buy this book, or at least renew it a few times! The text isn’t short but the story is interesting enough to keep your child interested. I love the discussion that this book prompted and would encourage anyone to read this book!

Vunce Upon a Time by J. otto Siebold and Siobhan Vivian is a cute story about a vegetarian vampire who has a weakness for candy. After he runs out of candy he decides to try trick or treating, although he is apprehensive because he’s afaid of humans. My son loved the story, laughing at the vampire being afraid of humans, throwing a tantrum when his parents said he couldn’t go trick or treating and wanting to dress up as a clove of garlic . He ends up going ( with parental blessing) and ends up getting so much more than candy.

Posted in Books About Halloween |

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Not Too Gross – Eye Ball Painting

September 28, 2011

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No I am not suggesting your kids paint their eyeballs, but rather paint WITH eyeballs ( or balls that look like eyeballs). This is a simple and fast activity that is perfect for the goulish , gross out season upon us without being too icky for more squeamish kids. Be mindful of doing this with kids who are still putting things in their mouths, opt for bigger balls for them, if it can fit in their mouth get a new ball that can’t.

Gather your materials. You will need some liquid paint in your kiddo’s favorite colors ( this is also a great color mixing activity if you want to throw a lesson in to it), some eyeball bouncy balls ( found in Halloween section of 3 big box stores I have been to), paper and a box or container.

Pop the paper in.
Pour in the paint

Add the eye balls – we added a bunch at a time!
Paint! Roll the eyeballs around in the box and watch them paint.
We added more paper after the first one and rolled off the excess paint, I like this painting better!

Let dry and hang up where your kids can show it off!

Two Scary Books

Twelve Terrible Things by Marty Kelley is horrifying to me, yet my son loves this book. He must have slipped it in our library bag because I have no recollection of choosing this book, and I didn’t pre read it when we got home. By then it was too late, my son was hooked on the dark humor this book delivers. The book offers up 12 terrible things, like a scary clown, a goldfish on it’s way down the toilet and monsters under the bed . The illustrations are all from the reader’s view point so the scary things are looking right at you! I am easily scared , I can’t watch horror film trailers without getting nightmares. I screamed twice reading this , my son just wanted “more more!” . I really don’t recommend this book for young kids although some older ones who like scary things will love it.

The Book That Eats People by John Perry makes me laugh hysterically , so hard it was hard at times to read the words but it’s really really gruesome. This is not a book for kids that are squeamish, prone to imaginative naightmares or anxiety about death. That said if your child can handle a little funny horror, they will love this book. The story follows this human eating book as it wreaks havoc and gobbles people up! I beg parents to pre read this because it may be hilarious to me and my macabre little man but it may seriously frighten your child.

Posted in 5 minute sparklers, Age 3-5 years, Age 5 and older, Eye Spy, Halloween, Human Body, Sense of Sight |

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En Plein Air – Painting Outside Like Monet

September 27, 2011

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Getting both kids outside with paint is no easy task, so I came up with a way to do it that was easy to grab and go when inspiration stikes. Of course after I got it outside my son decided he wanted to play soccer instead. Luckily friends stopped by to pick apples and one was more than excited to paint ! I was more than happy to oblige and my son was happy to help his friend’s mom pick apples instead. Remember never force kids to do art , the goal is to enrich and appriciate and forcing won’t achieve either.

Gather your materials. For this I used a clip board, liquid paint in many colors, a water color set and paper.

You might notice that there is no water in the materials. That is because You can pop the dried water colors out, and gently place liquid paint in, so you don’t have to run back inside for more water.
Pop the water colors out.

Pour in liquid paint.

Place back in case.

Clip the lid of the water color case under the clip board to keep it in place and find a perfect spot to paint, he chose a great spot under an apple tree.

Paint what you see.
He painted beautiful apples and leaves.

It did take a little convincing that it was ok to mix the colors, if you have a child who is really reluctant , pack along multiple brushes, which is much easier than packing and refilling water when you are far from a faucet.

Book

Katie Meets The Impressionists by James Mayhew is a art fairytale! Katie goes to the museum with her grandmother and before she knows it she is in the paintings and the world of the painters and their families. Katie goes from painting to painting gathering flowers for her grandma and exploring a world on the other side of the canvas. What I enjoy about this book is that it brings the paintings to life for readers and it shares the back story in a way that children can connect to and imagine the possibilities when they go to museums! Of all these books this one held my son’s attention the least. I like to think it’s because he’s not a fan of impressionism, but I think it was simply a little long for his not quite 3 year old attention span. Maybe if Renoir had painted garbage trucks… seriously though this is a fabulous book and worth a read!

Posted in Age 2-3 years, Age 3-5 years, Age 5 and older, Crafts, Fine Art, Open Ended Art, Outside activities |

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How Does Target Give Back?

September 27, 2011

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This is not my average post but this wasn’t my regular opportunity. Last week I had the chance to chat ( interview seems a little formal) with Target’s President of Community Relations Laysha Ward. I normally turn things like this down even though they are nominally sposored ( I will be recieving a gift card for my participation) but I wanted to be a part of this for 2 reasons.

1. Last year I partnered with Target to give away an Ipad and children’s books to a lucky reader and was really impressed with their commitment to education and reading.

2. When I ask my facebook community about their favorite stores, if they could have a unlimited gift card to any place, where they shop the most etc… Target always comes out as the most common answer. So I thought you might like to see the interview too.

So check it out !

Posted in Crafts |

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Design Your Own Jack-O-Lantern

September 26, 2011

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I have a slight obsession with dry erase these days. It makes sense though, dry erase projects allow children independence and a less frustrating experience if they are unhappy with what the’ve written or drawn. For our house this is a godsend. My son is a reluctant drawer and writer. He will look at me and say ” I’ll just do abstract!” and part of that is because he is also a perfectionist and it’s frustrating when things aren’t as neat as he wants them to be. The dry erase helps him explore in abstract or not.

Gather your materials. You will need some orange and green card stock, a hard piece of cardboard or canvas , scissors and some clear contact paper.

Start by drawing a basic pumpkin shape on your orange paper.
Cut it and a green stem out and place on your canvas. cardboard.
Cover with clear contact paper.
Create! I made the faces to show readers all the possibilities for teaching about emotion with this craft .
My son just created , ths tricky thing about dry erase is his creations were gone before I could get pictures!

Halloween Books

Pumpkin Eye by Denise Fleming is a wonderful Halloween book for kids who are old enough to feel like Halloween is a spooky night, but still too young for anything graphically frightening. The text is short but rhymes beautifully and grabs your child’s attention almost as effectivly as the illustrations do. The story is all about Halloween night and the sights and sounds on one street as the night goes on. Both my kids have been grabbing for this book off our shelf when I ask which book they want to read . If it can be a favorite for an almost 5 year old boy and a 15 month old girl I say it will probably be a hit at your house too.

Big Pumpkin by Erica Silverman is a staple in most preschool classrooms. It’s a cute story about a witch who is desperate for pumpkin pie but her giant pumpkin is too big for her to pick up! Luckily she enlists the help of a ghost, vampire, mummy and bat and with a little teamwork they save the night! The rhyming text is almost like a song and kids love it! It’s possibly my son’s favorite Halloween book and I love that it’s the smallest creature who uses it’s brain not brawn to solve the problem.

Patty’s Pumpkin Patch by Teri Sloat is a great alphabet book and story in one. Readers follow a pumpkin patch from planting the seeds until after Halloween when they gather the seeds for the next planting. I really like how this book combines an alphabet book with both upper and lowercase letters corresponding to some animal or insect in the story . I also like the easy rhythm of the rhyming text and the engaging and detailed illustrations . All in all I think this is a great fall book!

Posted in Age 3-5 years, Age 5 and older, Dry Erase, Emotions, Halloween, Jack-o-lanterns, Pumpkin |

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