Wasn't That a Party!

Christopher turned EIGHT earlier this month, but with crazy schedules, we couldn't have a birthday party right away. He graciously agreed to share his day with his niece Gracie, who turned ONE, and we finally got it scheduled for this Saturday.

Another major hurdle turned out to be picking the theme. What fits both an 8-year-old boy and a one-year-old girl? He finally decided he wanted Spiderman, so we made Gracie (who I always call "Bug") his sidekick, Ladybug Girl.

Cupcakes are so much easier than a cake:

without frosting

and with.

I knew the kids wouldn't sit long for a craft, but it's nice to have something available for those who get there first, so we had the makings of superhero masks. 

We also had "Hello My Name Is" name tags, and a superhero name generator, in case you didn't already know your superhero (or supervillain) name. I went with "Mom". I'll let you decide if that's hero or villain.

The kids all love playing outside, so it was struggle to pull them in to eat. The promise of cupcakes and ice cream helped!

Will she make a mess?

Was there really any question?

One friend brought bubbles for Logan and Sheridan, too, and Logan just could NOT wait to use his!

I don't remember what J. was telling me so earnestly, but I remember it was very important.

Presents!

Gracie, of course, taste-tested everything.

This was from a teaching assistant at Christopher's school - I think she's looking forward to summer break, too!

They both had lots of help getting everything open.

SOMEbody kept trying to steal my baby, even though she has four very cute ones of her own. 

Finally back outside! I am SO glad we live where they can just run around in the shade and be kids.

Bubbles and squirt guns, of course, help keep it nice and cool.

This is the first of three outfits Sheridan went through.

Logan kept telling people sweetly, "Come here, I have something for you!" - and then shooting them.

This is probably my favorite picture of the day: Loving mother using her oldest child as a human shield.

I think everyone had a good time. At least one was as exhausted by the end as I was:

Happy Birthday Christopher and Gracie!

Mini-Reviews: New Nonfiction

Okay, so here's the deal. In order to get the children's room recarpeted, my desk has to be moved. In order for my desk to be moved, it has to be cleared off. In order for it to be cleared off, I have to catalog this pile of books. Before I can catalog them, I need to review them.

So, in the interest of turning this dingy aqua-covered floor a pretty dark blue, here are some quick impressions of a few nonfiction series that have come out this year!

     

9781467721202                                            9781467721226

Obvious cover and subject appeal. Inside graphics match the style and 'attitude', for lack of a better term, nicely. Each title starts off narrating an exciting event in that sport, then goes into the history, important names, rules, techniques, etc. Written around a fifth grade reading level, but fast-paced and engaging. Recommend highly, especially for reluctant readers who have the skills, just not the interest. Other titles in the series include Mud Truck Racing, Rally Car Racing, Rock Crawling, and Tractor Pulling.

     

9781467714372                                   9781467714358

Again, obvious cover and subject appeal, but do they also provide useful information?

Written around a 4th grade level, each chapter tells a different story of survival. While the tone definitely leans towards the sensational, there is a clear understanding of what each person did right or wrong, and what helped them to survive. Tips either throughout the book, or sometimes at the end, give good advice (you know, in case you ever meet an enraged hippo).

Other titles in the series include: Surviving Accidents and Crashes, Surviving in Cold Places, Surviving in Wild Waters, and Surviving Natural Disasters.

Thank-you to Lerner for the review copies!

New Junior Readers (with activities)

We have already had several adults in, looking for ways to work on their kids' reading skills over the summer. I always tell them attitude is 99% of it - if kids want to learn to read, they will learn to read, so the best thing adults can do is keep it fun. These simple books (we call them junior readers at our library) can help build confidence in new readers, and the follow-up activities can help extend the fun.

9780061935077

It's Read to a Pet Day at the library! From books to recordings to story-time puppets, there is so much for a little puppy to enjoy—and there are so many friends to see! Then, with the help of the librarian, Biscuit discovers the best activity of them all.

Very basic text, and a simple introduction to the things you may find at your library. After reading, talk with your child about the other things your local library has, and draw pictures of Biscuit discovering those.

9780062071972

Join Little Critter® in his search for the perfect kite to fly in the Critterville Kite Flying Contest. With a little help from his family, he just might bring home a prize.

Little Critter is always easy to relate to, and I don't even have to say that making/flying a kite is the perfect follow-up activity, do I? If you don't have the materials or space for that, maybe a colorful wind sock with a roll of cardboard or a paper towel tube for the base, and streamers or scraps of fabric to flutter from the bottom.

9780062086655

When Meg goes camping for the first time, she doesn't know what to expect. Unprepared for lots of bugs, long walks to the bathroom, and spooky, scary stories, Meg learns that camping is far more than just a slumber party outdoors. . . .

The text of this is a little more difficult, good for a reader just starting to be confident. Again, the follow-up to this one is obvious: camping, whether out in the woods with a tent, or in the living room under a blanket propped on chairs. Just make sure you pack a little better than Meg did!

All 3 available in stores now.

Picture Book Reviews - with Activities!

Continuing our summer suggestions for book and activity pairings:

9780061992643

Mouse has baked a special treat for Little Bird's birthday! But delivering it to his friend isn't easy—not when everyone he meets along the way offers to trade something for a piece of cake. . . .

Pham is well-known as both an author and illustrator, with Big Sister, Little Sister being one of our favorite books. Cake, of course, is also one of our favorite things. Thinking outside of the box, though: that's one of our best things of all, and there is plenty of that in this funny and clever story!

Follow-up activity: go on a treasure walk with the kids and see what you can find to bring home, then challenge everyone to come up with at least three ways each found object can be used.
Available in stores May 27.

9780062279057

Hip, hop, skiddly-widdly-wop!

Clark the Shark loves learning, but sometimes the lessons are bewildering—especially sharing. Clark shares his funky shark dance with the class, but Mrs. Inkydink tells him he's interrupting. Clark shares his reef hockey skills, but his teammates would rather Clark share the puck.

With a little help from his friends, Clark the Shark discovers how breaking and taking is different from sharing and caring, and that we should all dare to share!

Clark the Shark is still enjoying school, but still a bit confused about manners. At our house we occasionally need to remind people that "sharing" doesn't mean the other person has to give you whatever they have that you want. Anyone else? If so, this may be another useful tale to...share. A bit cheesy, still, but like we said about the first title, right up the intended audience's alley.

Follow-up activity: bake a cake or other goodies to share! These days you can't bring home-made foods to most schools, but how about a neighbor? A friend who is having a rough week? A local service organization of some sort? I'm sure you can think of someone!
Available in stores now.

Picture Book Reviews

As summer gets started, I thought a few books with follow-up activities might be in order. With perfect timing, HarperCollins sent a box of cute picture books for us to try out.

9780062203205

Charlie the shark and Olivia Octopus were the best friends the ocean had ever seen.

All Charlie wanted was a hug. Olivia desperately wished for a kiss.

This is the story of how they both found what they were looking for.

While kids will no doubt figure out the solution to their dilemma pretty quickly, they will still enjoy all the things Charlie and Olivia try along the way - and the unexpected (by them) results. Illustrator Kevin Cornell also illustrated Mustache! and Count the Monkeys, which are hits everywhere. The obvious follow-up activity: lots of hugs and kisses for the reader! You could also take a trip to the ocean, if you lived less than 200 miles from it, or try any of the activities Charlie and Olivia come up with (create a recipe, put on a show, etc.) Available on shelves June 3.

9780062252067

I was drawn to the illustrations immediately, and without even going past the cover thought about fun art projects involving paper scraps and glue!

Boom! Rumble, rumble.

Did you hear that?

The five carpenter ants who star in this book did.

One ant is convinced there's an aardvark outside their stump, ready to eat them up!

Three ants aren't so sure.

One ant decides to drill a peephole and investigate.

Wrrrr . . .

Thunk!

Uh-oh!

A peep-hole book! Every kid loves those. Add in a paranoid ant and the feeling that you are smarter than the characters in a book, and this one is sure to be another hit with the littles. If you like doing voices, it can be a fun read-aloud as well!

For a simple follow-up activity: Take several pieces of 8x10 cardboard or tag board, and cut small peep-holes in different spots. Let the kids tear out pages of magazines with interesting pictures, and present them to each other with the cardboard on top. Let everyone in the family guess what the picture is based on what they see in the hole, then see who was closest to being correct (or who had the craziest answers!) Already in stores.

9780062247759

Well. Apparently Garton has a blog. Or, rather, Otter has a blog. And it is freakin' HYSTERICAL! How have I not known about this?! Think Betty Bunny meets Curious George. Otter does not appear to post very often, but I am hoping that will change with the publication of her very first (and hopefully not last) book. You can, in the meantime, enjoy activities such as dressing Otter up, which I know my kids will enjoy, and which I may or may not have played with myself for a bit. Purely for reviewing purposes, of course.

Follow-up activity: Teddy gets blamed for an awful lot of things. Do your kids have a favorite toy who would make a good scapegoat? write or video tape their explanation of how that toy was actually responsible for any recent household mishaps. (Maybe I will finally find out exactly how the bedroom window got broken!)

More to come soon! Thanks to HarperCollins for these clear winners!

Library Recarpeting Part 2, or, We're Following the Retail Model of Shelving

In other words, as soon as you figure out where it is, we're going to move it.

The adult books were all been shifted and smooshed, and we began moving as many of the children's books as possible to that side.

"We" being home schoolers, relatives, and many many staff members.

Of course, kids' books tend to be taller than adult books, and I was not about to adjust that many shelves. We decided to make a temporary display of tall books:

One of my very tall should-be-a-model mommies laughed and checked a bunch out!

The children's room got emptier...

...and emptier...

and the multipurpose room, where we were putting the shelving, got more...

...and more full.

In the meantime, we still needed that room for a volunteer training,

and an Explora program.

Oh, and at that exact moment in time? They finally came to finish the new lighting. 

Because, when ELSE would they do that?

At the end, though: success!

All the books not already boxed up were moved to the adult side, so they will stay accessible!

The shelving we couldn't fit into the meeting room, went to the adult side as well, where it is housing the plants,

and any books that get checked in from collections that have been boxed up.

With the shelving moved, the wear in the carpet became even more apparent.

That's not just dirt - the carpets were steam cleaned fairly recently.

The computer desks were 'fun' to move,

but they got the carpet removal started.

Yes, that's right, no padding was under that, just cement.

It's fun to see the odds and ends that have accumulated under and behind things:

I'll assume the used Q-tips were used to clean keyboards.

This young man is in his twenties now. Wonder if he has noticed his card was missing?

Items for the prize box?

Next puzzle: the Children's desk, which is 12' x 8', cemented together out of various pieces parts of furniture over the year, and in a wobbly u-shape. I think a match and lighter fluid would move it along quite nicely, but nobody ever wants to listen to my suggestions.