Mother’s Day
We had so much fun making this necklace, I really thought my son would lace a few shapes and proclaim he was done but he did every single one ! I helped him get the hang of lacing but in true 2 year old fashion he wanted no help after a few times. This can and should be made into a patterning lesson for children ready for that challenge.Fine motor skills , shape recognition and hand eye coordination all get a great workout while your little one makes something for someone special.
- Gather your materials. You will need some foam sheets, scissors, a hole punch, and a large shoe lace. Shoe laces have a nice hard tip which makes lacing possible. Smaller shoe laces will work but the beads will pool at the bottom so don’t forget to tie a knot.
- Cut out different shapes from the foam. I asked my son which shapes he wanted and cut a handful of each.
- Time to punch holes.
I did this but let my son explore with the hole punch and try before moving on to the next step. He was trying so hard I never got a still shot.
- Start lacing! With this over sized lace you don’t need a know at the end, but skinny laces will.
- Celebrate when they get a shape on, ask what shape and color it is.
- Tie a bow
- Wear it proudly moms!
“Hair for Mama” by Kelly A. Tinkham is beautiful. The story is about a little boy who is desperate to find some hair for his mama who has lost hers to chemotherapy. Marcus wants mama to be in the family photo but she doesn’t want to be the way she looks. His mission comes to a climax when he shaves off all his own hair hoping to give it to his mama. When the barber sweeps it up with the other hair on the floor Marcus is heart broken and goes home in tears. I was sobbing reading this, I knew it was a story about a mom having cancer but the way the author wrote it , it was magical. The complex emotions this little boy felt for his mom and she for him, jumped off the page and you can’t help but cry. I wasn’t sad ,I was touched by the love and desire to fix his mom and make everything better, and his parents tenderness to his feelings. I can’t recommend this book more highly. I should note that this is not a book for toddlers, I would probably wait until a child is 4-5 before reading them this gem.
“My Mama Says There Aren’t Any Zombies, Ghosts, Vampires, Creatures, Demons, Monsters, Fiends, Goblins or Things.” by Judith Viorst is a lovely , touching but not saccharine book about how moms makes mistakes too. The litter boy narrating the book, continues to insist that there are monsters and such despite his mom saying there isn’t. He used the fact that he often catches his mom making little mistakes to prove that she must be wrong when she says those horrible creatures don’t exist. In the end though mama keeps him safe and is right after all.
” Piglet and Mama” by Margaret Wild is the only book in this list I would suggest for the under 3 crowd. My son loved it. Piglet is searching for his mom and even though all the other animal mommies offer for him to join them and their babies he wants his mom! The illustrations by Stephen Michael King capture the warmth between a mama and her baby beautifully . My son has the “Mama” scream perfected and quite enjoyed seeing the little piglet do the same thing for her mama. We had a nice chat after reading this about separation, something we have been struggling with for a while. Before nap today I reminded my son that just like piglet his mama will come get him when he wakes up. Even if separation anxiety isn’t something you are dealing with at your house this is a sweet book.
Let’s face it most ( not all) of us doing crafts with our kids are moms so if you want something handmade you may have to do it with your child and still act surprised when they stuff it into a bag and hand it over on Mother’s Day. There is nothing wrong with that but this craft makes it so you can help them make something without ruining the surprise!
- Gather your materials. You will need some craft paper ( mailing sections of stores carry it for cheap, or you can use the opposite side of extra wrapping paper), a dish for paint, paint and a fun fly swatter. You may also need some rocks to hold down the paper if it’s windy.
- Cut a large piece of paper.
- Pour the paint into a dish – we are using the lid to my brownie pan.
- Dip your swatter in
- SWAT ! It can splatter so wear yucky clothes in case.
- Add a new color
- SWAT ! Don’t forget your helmet.
- Let dry.
- Wrap your gift, a gift for your mom or another mom you know and love!
These books are mommy books that I have reviewed in the past for other themes, more mama books are on the way later this week!
I hope you have a wonderful weekend and if you need a gift in a pinch , I am reposting our easy peasy craft as well as some great Mom and Grandma book suggestions!
Foam Fridge Frames!
Since most of my readers are moms I decided to gear today more for Grandmas, later in the week I will do a book review of just books that since becoming a mom make me cry ( what’s the deal with that?!) , be sure not to miss it!
- Gather your materials. You will need 3-4 foam sheets, some glue , scissors, a magnet/magnetic tape and a picture of your dear child and either yourself or your spouse if you are giving it to your mom or mother in law.
- Trace the outside of the picture , onto one of the foam sheets. Try not to press too hard or it might be noticeable in the finished product.
- Fold the foam sheet with the tracing on it in half and cut slightly inside the line to create a frame.
- Keeping the sheet folded you can cut on the other side of the line in a squiggly pattern to make a cool scroll effect.
- Cut shapes out of one or two of the other foam sheet, the sky is the limit , one tip though if you want intricate shapes use very fine tipped scissors, regular ones just don’t cut it precisely.
- Glue your shapes on your frame piece. Make sure your tracing is on the backside.
- Glue your picture onto an uncut foam sheet.
- Glue around your picture and place the frame with shapes over it.
- Let dry, then on the back glue your magnetic tape , or magnet pieces. I just used one of the free magnets I got from my local library, cut it in 3 and glued them on.
- Send this to your mom or mother in law!
* You will probably notice my son is missing from these pictures. I chose to do this activity as a naptime one, because at 17 months he still puts foamy things in his mouth and this activity just begged for that. This should really be done only with children who unlike my son, are past the everything goes in to the mouth stage.
Like I said above, today I am focusing on our reader’s moms, but in a few days I will have a post dedicated to books about moms !
“Just Grandma and Me” by Mercer Mayer is a fun counter part to the previous book, in this book a grandma and her grandson hit the beach and enjoy an afternoon together. There is something so sweet and touching about this book and the special bonds between grandparents and their grandchildren. The last page is adorable with Little Critter being carried into his house asleep on his grandma’s shoulder.
