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