September Books 2014

I Ain't Gonna Paint No More!

by Karen Beaumont

Why we liked this book:  This book was great!  The kids laughed so hard at the end.  It's about a kids who decides he is going to paint everywhere on himself .  It is a great rhyming book!!!  He just can't help it!  He loves to paint!  You can read it like a song too if you want!

Activity:  If you want you could have your kids actually paint all over them, but I decided to trace the kids on a piece of long parchment paper instead.  They drew their clothes and facial features and then began to paint following the reading in the book.  Much cleaner but probably not as fun as actually painting on themselves ;)

Parts

by: Tedd Arnold

Why we liked this book:  I actually was a little hesitant to read this book based on the title.  I wasn't quite sure what it would be talking about.  (That is why it's important to read new books first so you know what you are reading to your children!)  It actually had nothing to do with what I thought it was about and we all got a good laugh from this one!  It does not talk about body parts!!!  It talks about a kid that is falling apart or so he thinks.  It includes topics like losing hair, belly button lint, ear wax, etc.  Not body parts!

Activity:  I had no idea what to do for an activity until my son asked, "Mom, where do boogers come from?"  We found a GREAT website that you can find answers that kids (and lets be honest adults too) can understand.  There are even little quizzes after each article.  Now my kids now why we get boogers!  I also thought these were good topics but you can type in whatever you want in the search bar at this site!

What causes hiccups?

Why do I yawn?

What's a booger?

No More Water in the Tub!

by: Tedd Arnold

Why we liked this book: I think one of the greatest places to use your imagination as a kid is in the bathtub.  My son has pretended to be a deep sea diver, shark, fish, etc while my daughter has pretended to be a mermaid, underwater explorer, etc.  This book shares this little boys wild imagination in the tub as well.  Another great Tedd Arnold book.

Activity: I thought it would be fun for the kids to do an activity where else, but in the tub.  I bought those glow in the dark bracelets you can buy at the dollar store or walmart, turned the lights out in the bathroom and tossed them in the tub.  Each kid got a turn in their own glow in the dark bath tub.  This is something we also do around Halloween.  The kids love it!  They stay in there forever!

Green Wilma

by: Tedd Arnold

Why we liked this book:  We have enjoyed reading a few Tedd Arnold books.  This one plays with your imagination a little bit!  Is Wilma really a frog or a little girl dreaming? My kids are still trying to figure it out!  Lol!

Activity:  What else do you think of when you think about frogs, but slime!!!  We thought it would be fun to make some green slime.

Slime Recipe!!!

If you want it to look more "slimy" I suggest using the clear glue rather than the white.  Also, while you are mixing, if it seems too watery just add more glue and knead in the bowl with your hands.  My kids seriously had a blast with this!  We put the slime in a container when we were done and they have asked to play with it every day for a week!

June Part 2 Books 2014

The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs!

by: Jon Scieszka 

 

 

Why we liked this book:  I remember reading this book in elementary school and thinking it was so funny to hear the big bad wolf's side of things.  I have always believed and still believe there are always two sides to a story and this book does just that!

Activity: We built a house of straw, sticks and bricks.  Luckily we also had a toy pig and a stuffed big bad wolf.  We placed the pig in each house and then turned the fan on full blast to pretend it was the big bad wolf blowing the houses down.  My kids LOVED this part!!!  The house of straw and sticks blew away but our house of bricks didn't even budge!  they thought it was awesome!  If you don't have a fun you could also use a hair dryer! 

House of Straw (we used straws, imagination, and lots of tape!)

House of Sticks (we used giant popsicle sticks, glue and again lots of tape!  we built 4 walls and used 7 sticks verticle and two sticks horizontal on the back.  we glued them at first so it kind of looked like this # symbol but then we used tape to reinforce it.  remember these aren't supposed to be grand crafts that take hours to make, just something to fill your afternoon for an hour or so! make sure to ahve your kids decorate each wall before you tape/glue the 4 walls together to form a box)

House of Bricks (legos and imagination!!!)

 

***Remember these are IDEAS!  You can totally make these projects your own!

Pete's a Pizza

by William Steig

 

 

Why we liked this book:  So at first when we were reading this all of us were like this is kind of strange...but as the book went on we were all laughing.  Cute, cute book!  I love how it showed that even if things don't go according to plan, YOU make your own fun!

Activity:  We made pizza!   Pretty simple too and the kids had a blast not only making it but eating it as well!

 

 

Easy Pizza Dough Recipe

 

I used this sauce recipe that is found on the back of the Jiffy Pizza Mix box. 

Add 1/2 teaspoon oregano

and 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

to an 8 oz. can of tomato sauce.

Mix well. Spread on crust before adding toppings.

The Berenstain Bears Forget Their Manners

by Stan and Jan Berenstain

Why we liked this book:  I liked how this book pointed out bad manners first of all, and how grouchy a household can be with bad manners.  Then it emphasized the importance of good manners and how much more pleasant things can be when we are polite!

Activity:  Talk to your kids about some bad manners that may be going on in your family.  Make sure you generalize this and not point anyone out specifically.  Then talk about how you can have good manners.  Have your kids try it all day and praise them when they are showing good manners.  When a bad manner slips out make sure you tell them and ask them how they can turn it around.  After a day, try it for a week and at the end of the week reward them with a treat or some other prize!  This helps to show them how much more rewarding good manners can be!  My kids had a blast with this and would point out, "Mom!  Was that good manners?!"  or "Mom, that was good manners wasn't it?!"  Try it out!  A polite home is a happy home!

The Berenstain Bears Count Their Blessings

by: Stan and Jan Berenstain

 

Why we liked this book:  It was a good book to help my kids understand what it means to be grateful for what they have. 

Activity:  To help make sure they understood what blessings are I had them come up with as many things they were grateful for that they could.  It was hard for them to write out sentences for first I had them draw pictures of things they were grateful for.  When they were done I had them come show me and we wrote down what they were grateful for and I made them tell me why.  Then I talked to them about several other things we should be grateful for and why.  It was a really good lesson!

We did this when my daughter was 3 so you really can do this with young kids!!!

I'm sorry but while I was adding some new labels to my posts everything got out of order and I'm having a hard time fixing it!  If you are looking to see June's books just scroll down a little ways.  Also with it being summer I will try to add a few more books at least twice a month.  Enjoy your reading and most imporantly enjoy your kiddos :)

Joseph had a Little Overcoat

by: Simms Taback

Why we liked this book:  I had never read this book before and I thought it was SO CUTE.  It teaches kids how you can always make something from something old or even something from nothing at all!

Activity:  We did overcoat puzzles.  I made my own template and had the kids pick out a pattern of scrapbook paper to make it fun.  However, I did find this template that you could use!

Overcoat Puzzle

At the end of the book there is also a little song.  My kids wanted to know how it went and I found this video on youtube.  Watch out though because this song gets stuck in your head!!!

I Had a Little Overcoat

Ira Sleeps Over

by Bernard Waber

Why we liked this book:  Ok, so I was hesitant to put this book up here because this it is about a girl sleeping over at a neighbor boys house.  I didn't want people getting offended...but guess what.  This book was written in the 70's and it really does have a good message.  Ira is hesitant to take her teddy bear that she ALWAYS sleeps with to her friends house for a sleepover because she is worried about being made fun of.  It taught my kids that it is important to just be who you are and not to worry so much what other people think of you.  My kids really liked it :)

Activity:  My son wanted to make teddy bears with this activity.  I remember making mosaic type teddy bears in Kindergarten and thought this would be fun for the kids.  All you need is some colorful paper or scrapbook paper.  Let the kids rip it in to tiny pieces and then glue them on your bear.  Googly eyes are fun to add as well.  Easy!

All you do is print out the bear on a piece of paper.  Let your kids glue all their papers on BEFORE you cut it out.  That way you make sure you maintain the shape of a bear with all their crazy gluing :)  (It is helpful to print the bear on both sides of the paper so you know where to cut when they are all done.  Just make sure the ends match up so you don't cut out the feet where the head is supposed to be!)

 Teddy Bear Template

Where the Wild Things Are

by: Maurice Sendak

Why we liked this book: A fun book with a great imagination.  This book is a classic.  I remember reading it when I was a kid.

Activity: We made monster puppets.  This activity is a little bit more time consuming but not hard at all to do.  It is also an activity that you can keep for a while!

I didn't do any sewing with these.  Just used my best friend the glue gun!

You can find instructions on how to make these puppets at this website:

Monster Puppets Pattern

June 2014

My Father's Dragon

by: Ruth Stiles Gannett

 

 

Why we liked this book:  This was another chapter book we read together and has been one of my favorite with the kids so far!  The story is full of adventure and fun characters but the book isn't too long that it takes forever to read.  There are more books in the series that I hope to check out!

 Activity:  We made dragons out of cardstock, streamers, pom poms, markers and googly eyes.  You could also make it out of a toilet paper tube instead of the cardstock.  If you use cardstock: place the paper so it is portrait style.  Then cut in half horizontally.  Then you roll up the paper to make it about the size of a toilet paper tube, maybe a little smaller, and tape it shut.  Then you glue or tape 4-5 streamers around the hole.  This is the fire for the dragon.  At the top you glue two pom-poms and then two googly eyes on top of the pom-poms.  Then you can add whatever other decorations you want to your dragon, we added feathers.  Also be sure to add some nostrils for the nose!  We just did that with markers.  When you are all done the kids can put their mouths up to the hole and blow fire like a dragon!

 

Strega Nona

by: Tomie dePaola

 

 

Why we liked this book:  I really loved the pictures in this book!  They were something different from the usual picture books we read.  The story is really fun and interesting too!

 Activity:  We did macaroni art to go with the "magic pasta" theme.  We had already done a spaghetti dinner so I thought it would be fun to do something new.  The kids had a lot of fun with this project!  All we did was I had the kids draw their picture on a piece of paper first with a pencil (make sure they draw it BIG).  Then they put glue on top of the pencil and glue the pasta all around.  I bought a colorful bag of pasta that had different shapes in it but you can use whatever!

Muncha! Muncha! Muncha!

by Candace Fleming

 

 

Why we liked this book:  The kids thought it was fun to see the different ways this man tried to keep the crazy rabbits out of his garden.  They thought it was funny he had to go to such extremes!  I thought this would be a good book to read since we have planted a garden this year!

 Activity:  Since we do have a garden, I had the kids paint different rocks and label them with all the plants we are growing in our garden.  Then we went out and placed all the rocks in our garden by the corresponding plants.  Now when something comes up they know what it is by the rocks they have made!  If you don't have room to plant a garden you can do some plants in small pots or containers like peas, tomatoes, peppers or even just some flowers!

 

 

Nate the Great

by: Marjorie Weinman Sharmat

 

 

Why we liked this book: This is a fun beginning chapter book for kids.  The mysteries are fun and simple and had my kids guessing the whole time we were reading.  My son who is entering first grade this fall especially loved it!  There is a whole series of these and I am sure we will feautre another "Nate the Great" book.

 Activity: From reading this first Nate the Great book we found out that Nate the Great LOVES pancakes.  So...my kids wanted to have a pancake dinner for our activity.  Simple enough right?  There are also activity ideas in the back of this book!

 

Here is a pancake recipe we used but you can do whatever you want!  Strawberries and chocolate chips are always nice to add!

Miss Nelson is Missing!

by Harry Allard and James Marshall

 

 

Why we liked this book:  This book is about an unruly class that drives their nice teacher, Miss Nelson,to drastic measures.  She disappears one day and in her place comes Miss Viola Swamp.  The kids are so frightened of her and realize how good they had it with Miss Nelson.  They set out to search for her, and one day she finally returns to her class.  They are so happy to see her!  (Truth is, Miss Viola Swamp was Miss Nelson in disguise all along!)

 Activity:  I thought it would be fun for the kids to disguise themselves and change their names.  So they dressed up added some face paint and my daughter became Miss Vampire Bat and my son became Mr. Doom.  We had so much fun and had some good laughs!  Make sure you take a before and after picture!

May 2014 Books

Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten

by: Joseph Slate

Why we liked this book: My daughter liked all the fun rhymes and names for all the animal "children" getting ready for kindergarten.  Fun way to practice the alphabet!

Activity:  I had my kids pick 3 activities to do that reminded them of kindergarten and then we had a kindergarten day at home.  My daughter picked finger painting, my son of course picked recess and then they both thought a snack would be a good idea.  So, that's what we did!

Have you ever tried making your own finger paints?  It is really easy and the kids had fun choosing their own colors!  Plus I used some containers with lids to save the extra paint for another rainy day.  Here is the site where I found the recipe.

Finger Paint Recipe

Harold and the Purple Crayon

by Crockett Johnson

Why we liked this book:  A simple book about a little boys imagination and love for drawing.

Activity: I have come to learn that my kids love to make up their own stories.  So...we decided to write our own stories using a....you guess it...purple crayon!  I folded a regular piece of paper in to fourths and then cut out the squares.  I made enough squares for each kid to have 8 pages.  Then they drew pictures with a purple crayon and made up a story of whatever they wanted.  My daughters was about a princess playing soccer and my sons was about a ninja finding a treasure.

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie

by: Laura Joffe Numeroff

Why we liked this book:  The kids thought this book was funny and the mouse reminded them of themselves!  Lol, they said it, not me!

Activity: Bake some cookies and pour yourself a glass of milk!  Here is our favorite cookie recipe but feel free to use your own!

Yummy Cookie Recipe!

Harry the Dirty Dog

by: Gene Zion

Why we liked this book:  A fun, cute book about a dog that does not want a bath.  He decides to run away and get dirty instead.  When he comes back home his family no longer recognizes him!

Activity:  I thought this would be a fun book to teach the kids about opposites.  Clean vs dirty.  Black vs white. Etc.  So, we did an opposite scavenger hunt.  The kids had to each go grab three objects and then we talked about all the opposites that could be found in that object.  For example: My son brought a harmonica.  He played a LOW note vs HIGH note.  LOUD vs SOFT.  My daughter brought a glow worm.  We talked about how you use it at NIGHT vs DAY in the DARK vs NIGHT.  They thought it was really fun to talk about opposites and came up with a lot of them on their own.