A Jump Start…
Monday, February 13, 2012
…And Back Behind the Wheel
I’m back! When I realized I the other day that it was
early December last time I posted, I was shocked! And then again, I wasn’t.
Just before the holidays, I shared my desire to release the overwhelmedfeelings that result from trying to do EVERYTHING and instead focus on doing
SOME THINGS to satisfaction. I gave myself permission to not feel guilty about
not sticking to a posting schedule. I successfully let go of the guilt, but I
missed the creative outlet, the feeling of accomplishment every time I posted
something I was proud of, and especially the interaction and inspiration of the
blog community I’ve become a part of. I also discovered that while I didn’t
want to commit to unrewarding activities just because I “should,” the commitment
of a schedule is good for me, blogging or otherwise. I knew I wanted to get
back to my blog, but without a schedule it kept becoming another thing “I’ll do
tomorrow.”
Inspiration by Mail
In a serendipitous session of late night blog-browsing, I
came across Amanda’s idea at The Educator’s Spin on It for an exchange of book
and activity packs. Besides being a fabulous and fun idea, it was just the
thing to put me back on a schedule and get me back in the bloggy-pool. So if
you’ve read this far, thanks for the personal indulgence and now on to the good
stuff:
What We Got
Our package came from Robyn at Pen Pals and PictureBooks. She sent us a copy of Lois Ehlert’s Fish Eyes. It’s an eye-catching
counting book that lends itself to artistic expression as well as a variety of
language and math skills.
The package also included glue, paintbrushes, tubes
of glitter, and construction paper fish. Her note pointed us to a recent post that featured her own experience with Fish Eyes. Like all Ehlert books, the
colors and patterns are vivid, and while they don’t sparkle, glitter seems only
appropriate in an attempt to capture the bright illustrations. The boys went to
town with their glue “paint.” B experimented with patterns and stripes, while T
favored abstract dots. I couldn’t help but decorate one myself… glitter is hard
to resist!
Fish Eyes provides a visually stimulating counting practice, but it
doesn’t stop there. Each fish in the counted group has a cut-out circle for an
eye, through which the color of the next page is visible. Because each number
group is featured on a two-page spread, some of the cut-outs are on each side.
We used counted the holes on each side and then practiced addition facts to
determine the number of the total group (ie. 3 holes on the right plus 4 holes on
the left equals 7 fish eyes). Ehlert also makes use of many vivid verbs to
describe the number groups, offering opportunities for vocabulary development.
The rhyming text calls upon the reader to consider what he might wish for.
(Would he be a fish?) B decided it would be fun to be a fish as long as he knew
he could turn back into a person. We very much enjoyed both the story and the
art, and we are grateful to both Robyn for sending it and Amanda for the
organization and jump-start!
**Don’t know if it was coincidence or careful planning on
Amanda’s part, but our package went to the other half of Pen Pals, Whitney. We
sent her a copy of The Alphabet Tree (the same one B gifted to his kindergartenteacher) along with some letter stamps and bug building supplies. Check out theadorable trees she created!
Appropriate for toddlers, preschoolers, primary grades.
[steering wheel photo credit kenski1970 on flickr]
Read more...
In my mind, one of the most magical parts of summer is the possibilities. New places to see on vacation, time for relationships to grow, witnessing the growth of a garden, not knowing what to expect is part of the excitement. Laura Vaccaro Seeger’s 
uses simplicity and suggestion to challenge readers to consider the possibilities and even to create their own version. There are a total of six words used in the story: two are in the title, and the others are and, then, but, and or. The story (or stories) is based on the premise that a boy playing on the shore loses track of his beach ball and it is enjoyed by two seals. Then, through captivating watercolor illustrations and leading questions, Seeger develops three different storylines. When a third seal comes along, will the first two keep him out of their game, swim away when he arrives, or include him in the fun? While the illustrations will reveal Seeger’s take on each possibility, you’ll enjoy prompting your child to make suppositions about the coming events and their effects before you turn the pages. “What ifs” can become tiresome and grating when you’re the parent who has been responding to them all day, but what-if questions help children develop an understanding of the world around them, determine cause and effect, and build creative muscles as they consider their own version of the results. 
on clearance at Target, found 
Ok, so lifesaver might be a better descriptor for the carseats my kids are riding in, but I really had no idea how cool this would be when I ordered it! I have had my eye on I Play’s Peek a Book Bags for some time now – car toy, church toy, diaper bag toy – many possibilities. Then I as I was checking for new options and price drops, I found the 
. It combines the 
with a board book in a travel friendly fabric case. The bag is made of cloth with a clear vinyl window. Inside, tiny plastic and rubber objects representing all the letters of the alphabet are hidden among tiny white beads. The user (you’ll find this as entertaining as your child) manipulates the beads by squishing and turning the bag while peeking through the window to find the objects. The book features pictures and rhymes highlighting the hidden items and giving children a master list as well as increased motivation to search for them. We had a blast with it on a recent 4 hour car trip. Not only did we search for the objects as directed by the book, but we made up our own games like who could find objects the fastest, finding objects in alphabetical order, finding an object then identifying its beginning sound, and finding an object then challenging a partner. I also purchased the 
; while it does not include a book, it does come tagged with a card giving suggestions for vocabulary building activities like practicing letters, colors, shapes, even prepositions, and pronouns. By having two bags we avoided sharing issues and both are definitely entertaining. Your child can benefit from both the cognitive as well as the physical challenge of finding the objects among the beads. This is an item that will be part of my travel bag from now on – B even asked for one this week during a short ride to the grocery store!
Rather than arguing about B’s choices after he’s already gotten his heart set on taking 5 pairs of shoes, Mr. Potato Head, and a squirt gun, I’ve learned to have a conversation early about what we’ll need when we get there and what kinds of toys we’ll be able to enjoy. It helps him make better choices, and he develops the cognitive skill of prioritizing and sorting. A fun prelude to making smart choices is Shirley Neitzel’s 
We love every one of her 
, from the Editors of Popular Mechanics. As an honest reviewer, I have to admit I have not read all 275 pages. That said, I was sold after reading the jacket, the foreword, the table of contents, and a few random pages. The book contains an array of 159 projects from the pages of Popular Mechanics magazine in the early 1900s. The foreword emphasizes the value of ingenuity and craftsmanship. Methods and materials have not been updated for modern advancements, and some projects are more entertaining to read about than to actually produce, such as the folding-chair sleigh or fighting roosters toy. However, the majority are intriguing and sure to result in some quality father-son time for anyone with some mechanical inclinations. Chapters include: Making Magic, The Science of Fun, The Really Great Outdoors, Fun for Little Ones, Fun for Older Kids, and The Toy Workshop. I know B will be excited to learn the old-time magic tricks, and will definitely want to try out projects like the toy water plane or dry cell toy tractor. 
, by Anne Gutman and Georg Hallensleben depicts six different animal daddies cuddling their young. The text is repetitive, but that’s comforting and developmentally appropriate for toddlers. Each page reads, “Daddy [animal] cuddles his [young].” The illustrations show how the animal families exchange “cuddles” and I’m sure Daddy and T (and even B) will share some laughs as the boys cling to Daddy’s belly like the baboons or nuzzle noses like the tigers. We already enjoy 
and 
from the same series, and this one is sure to become a bedtime favorite too. 
