Needles the Forgotten Christmas Tree

 

Disclosure: I was sent a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I am working with The Children's Book Review and Foreword Publicity and will receive a small stipend for this post. 

What kind of Christmas tree do you have? Is it real or fake? How big is it? Christmas trees are something I have been discussing this year with my sisters since we spend the holidays at our house on Cape Cod and none of us actually live there. My sister decided to get and decorate a tree there again this year since she plans to spend New Year's there as well. To learn more about the history of Christmas trees be sure to check out this post and to learn about our tree traditions read here. Today I am going to share a wonderful picture book about the small Christmas tree that feels forgotten. The book is Needles, the Forgotten Christmas Tree by Richard Wagner and illustrated by Sydni Kruger. This book is being released in March of 2023 so it will be for next Christmas! I am including a round-up of Christmas tree crafts and there is a giveaway at the end!

Holiday Craft Fun with Jingle Stamps

 

Disclosure: I was sent a set of these stamps in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Now I know it is only October, but if you are going to make holiday cards, gifts, or wrapping paper, now is the time to begin! So today I am sharing a fun holiday stamp set with some different ideas for the fall, holidays, and beyond for you and/or your kids to make. The stamp set is called Jingle Stamps, and it includes 22 stamps and a duo ink pad of red and green ink.

Dinosaur Atlas -- Review and Craft & Activity Round-Up

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This past week National Geographic Kids released a new all-encompassing book about dinosaurs. It is the final book in our Back to School with National Geographic Kids series. I am guessing that for the final week of September schools across America have opened now. The book is National Geographic Kids Dinosaur Atlas. It is recommended for kids ages 7 to 10. 

Can't Get Enough Space Stuff Review with Craft & Activity Round-Up

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This week for our Back to School with National Geographic Kids we are sharing a fun new book about space. To go with our book review, we are sharing a round-up of crafts, activities, lessons and more all about space for different ages. Our book is Can't Get Enough Space Stuff by Stephanie Drimmer and Julie Beer. It is recommended for ages 7 to 10.

Weaving Big on a Little Loom Review

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Weaving has always fascinated me. Think about it--so many of our fabrics are created by weaving! Perhaps it is the sewer and quilter in me and my love of fabrics that makes me so intrigued. I always wonder about the patterns in woven works. Now with that said the only looms we have are ones for kids. Therefore, I was interested in Weaving Big on a Little Loom by Fiona Daly. 

Macrame Made Easy Review

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Sorry it has been so long since my last post! I have been getting ready for the start of school. I will be officially working full time starting Monday! Hazel and I headed to school to set up my classroom and I have had other responsibilities to get ready for the year plus things going on at home. Hazel has switched around her rooms and is redecorating to more of a teen vibe. I have been trying to organize the house. Next I will need to find a housecleaner to come since I won't have time to do it. Enough of my quick update on my life. Today I am going to share with you a fun macrame book. It is Macrame Made Easy: Stylish Patterns and Projects for Beginners by Harumi Kageyama. 

Before Music: Where Instruments Come From with Musical Instrument Craft Round-Up

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Music is such an important part of life. We hear music everywhere. Listen to the wind blowing or the birds singing. It is musical. Today I am sharing a book that takes a look at music from across time and around the world. It shares where musical instruments come from and I'm sharing a round-up of diy musical instruments for kids. The book is Before Music: Where Instruments Come From by Annette Bay Pimentel and illustrated by Madison Safer. It is recommended for ages 8 to 12.

Let's Make Letters!

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I am always fascinated by people who can create beautiful handwriting. I have learned calligraphy and can write neatly but it takes so long!! Today I am sharing a book that helps learn how to do creative lettering. It is Let's Make Letters! by Kelcey Gray. 

Flower Print Cards -- Fun & Easy Nature Craft

 

Today I am going to share a fun and easy nature craft. Last year or two I saw a post about hammering pansy flowers and getting a print on fabric. I have no idea whose post I saw. I believe it was on Facebook, but that is about all I can remember. It is a craft you can do with kids, but it involves hammering so watch little fingers! I wanted to try the craft on paper since if I used fabric, I would want to be able to wash it and assumed the print would wash out. I pulled out some blank foldover cards and picked some pansies. I pulled out the hammer and worked in my husband's workroom. My first try did not go as planned. I just put the flowers on the card and began hammering.

Exploring Pi with a Fractal & Pi Activity Round-Up

 

I really wanted to do something with pi for artwork in my classroom plus would love a good pi activity. I struggled with this one. I have seen the pi skyline like this one over at What Do We Do All Day? It is fun but not quite what I am looking for. There are different pi artworks if you google "pi art" but most is based on the digits of pi. To be honest I do not believe in having kids memorize the digits of pi, so much of the artwork is not my thing. As I was searching for ideas, I came across this YouTube video that intrigued me. I decided to make the "fractal" that has an area of pi! It is a spin from the Sierpinski Carpet, Menger Sponge, and the Wallis Sieve. Now fractals are supposed to be infinite, but I cannot draw them this way. I am working on taking this fractal to the third level. If you were able to go on infinitely the area of this picture would be pi. 

Origami for Geometry Class with Marbled Patterns Origami Paper

  

Disclosure: I was sent a pack of this origami paper in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

As I mentioned I am returning to the high school math classroom in the fall! One of my goals is to bring more hands-on activities as well as projects to the class. One of the classes I am pretty sure I will be teaching is geometry. I am so excited to be back in the geometry classroom. I am hoping to use origami in the classroom and definitely want to have an origami project in the geometry class. This year's teacher did this, so I am working off her idea and adding my own spin. Today I am going to share two origami tutorials all using a beautiful pack of Origami Paper 500 Sheets Marbled Patterns 6-inch paper. This particular pack of paper is being released in July 2022, but there is a similar pack of 200 sheets already available. 

Sumi-e -- Japanese Ink Painting

 

Disclosure: I was sent copies of these books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. 

Before Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month ends, I wanted to explore sumi-e, Japanese ink painting. I was sent three books that share the about this beautiful art and provides tutorials to create your own. Now a while ago I shared my adventure with Chinese brush painting. The idea I had when I bought the supplies was for Hazel and I to do it together. Since sumi-e is similar I thought she would enjoy expanding her skills. She did some Chinese brush painting in art class last year. However in reality she never had time or desire to do it with me, so after waiting quite awhile for her to join me, I did it on my own. When researching books to learn Chinese brush painting I discovered sumi-e. This is the Japanese form of brush painting. I am going to share three books that teach sumi-e from three different masters. Each is a bit different. I have not tried any of the techniques as my life has gotten busy. (If you didn't read about my big news, you can here.) Let's begin with the newest book, A Beginner's Guide to Sumi-e: Learn Japanese Ink Painting from a Modern Master by Shozo Koike. This book was released in October 2021!

Mathematical Art: DIY Fibonacci Spiral and My Big News

 

I have BIG NEWS!! My life is changing. After leaving teaching high school math sixteen years ago to get married and focus on family, I am going back to the classroom full time in the fall. Then on top of that news I have been helping out four days a week in the school's directed learning center since someone left at the end of April. My life has been a bit different, and you can tell by the number of posts I have been doing. This will mean some changes to Crafty Moms Share, but I am not sure the extent yet. I will change my focus to more math-based posts but am hoping to still review some books, especially math focused ones and young adult ones so I can connect with my students. I will also be doing more origami, so be ready for review of origami products. 

Alycat and the Cattywampus Wednesday -- Review & Giveaway

 

Disclosure: I was sent a digital copy of this book for this review. I am working with The Children's Book Review and Alysson Foti Bourque and will receive a small stipend for this review. All opinions are my own.

Have you ever had one of those days where everything seems to be all mixed up? Today I am sharing a new picture book with a young cat that experiences one of those days and bonus the book has cattywampus in the title! Great vocabulary word for you and for kids! The book is Alycat and the Cattywampus Wednesday by Alysson Foti Bourque and illustrated by Chiara Civati. There is also a giveaway and cat craft round-up to go with the book!

Dash & Zoom: Little Miss Sneakypants --Review & Giveaway

 

Disclosure: I was sent a digital copy of this book in exchange for this review. I am working with The Children's Book Review and Susan R. Stoltz and will receive a small stipend for this review. All opinions are my own.

Today I am participating in The Children's Book Review's Virtual Book Tour of a sweet new picture book perfect for young children. The book is Dash and Zoom: Little Miss Sneakypants by Susan R. Stoltz and illustrated by Melssia Bailey. I am also sharing a round-up of dog crafts for younger children at the end. Plus there is a giveaway!

All About Vietnam -- Book Review & More!

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

May is Asian American and Pacific Island Heritage Month. All month long I will try to share books, crafts, and activities to help celebrate this fun heritage. Today I get to share the newest book from one of my favorite series about Asian countries. It is All About Vietnam: Projects & Activities for Kids: Learn About Vietnamese Culture with Stories, Songs, Crafts & Games by Tran Thi Minh Phuoc and illustrated by Nguyen Thi Hop and Nguyen Dong. It is a middle grades reading level but can be shared with younger kids if you do the reading!

Meow Is Not a Cat -- Book Review & Giveaway

 

Disclosure: I was sent a digital copy of this book for this review. I am working with The Children's Book Review and Kelly Tills and will receive a small stipend for this honest review. All opinions are my own.

As a former teacher and someone who has volunteered and worked at my daughter's school, I know there is always that child that thinks outside the box and sees the world in a different way. The child does not want to do anything wrong and probably does not even think he or she is doing something wrong but drives the teacher crazy. Today's book is for all those kids out there and for the adults in their lives! The book is Meow Is Not a Cat by Kelly Tills and illustrated by Max Saladrigas. It is recommended for ages 4+. 

Animal Books & Crafts for Earth Day

 

Disclosure: I was sent copies of these books (digital for stories and physical for crafts) in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Happy Earth Day! I am one who believes every day is Earth Day but today is the day the world celebrates this amazing planet and the nature that fills it. To celebrate today I am sharing three new children's books about animals with perfect messages for Earth Day and craft round-ups to go with them as well as two craft books with animal themes. We will start with the first two books. They are from the Surviving Wild series by Remy Lai. The series are graphic novels for ages 6 to 9. The first is Surviving the Wild: Rainbow the Koala. 

The Wild Garden -- New Picture Book Perfect for Earth Day Everyday!

 

Disclosure: I was sent a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Earth Day is this week! I wanted to share a book with you that screams Earth Day to me. Sadly, the book is not being released until May in the US, but it is the perfect book to talk about some of the Earth Day issues. The book is The Wild Garden by Cynthia Cliff. It is recommended for ages 5 to 9. I am also sharing a round-up of gardening crafts, activities, and recipes for kids.

Unicorns & Other Mythical Creatures

 

Disclosure: I was sent copies of these books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Unicorns, dragons, and other mythical beasts have been the center of attention for many people. I know most girls go through some unicorn phase and some never grow out of it. Today I am going to share with you a picture book based on the unicorn tapestries and a fun fact book about mythical beasts. I am also sharing a unicorn craft round-up to go with these fun books! We will start with The Lady and the Unicorn by Béatrice Fontanel and Vanessa Hié. It is recommended for ages 8 to 12.