Picture Books Perfect for Flag Day, Independence Day & More!

 

Disclosure:  I was sent copies of these books in order to provide honest reviews. All opinions are my own.

June 14th is Flag Day in the United States. It is a day to remember the adoption of the red, white, and blue flag on June 14, 1777 by the Second Continental Congress. I liked to celebrate Flag Day with Hazel by reading books about the flag and doing flag crafts. Today we are going to share two picture books themed around the flag. One relates the flag to our country with colors and words. The book is Blue Sky White Stars by Sarvinder Naberhaus and illustrated by Kadir Nelson. It is recommended for ages 4 to 8.

Board Books to Teach Our Youngest About the USA

 

Disclosure: I was sent copies of these books in order to provide honest reviews. All opinions are my own.

It is hard to believe that the United States is celebrating its 250th birthday this year! With this weekend being Memorial Day weekend and the patriotic decor coming out we thought it was a great time to share some of the many books around for learning about the United States and celebrations. Today we are sharing three board books so the youngest ones can learn a bit about our great nation. Our first book involves a favorite children's book character from Eric Carle, the Very Hungry Caterpillar!! It is a tabbed board book called Across the USA with The Very Hungry Caterpillar by the World of Eric Carle. It is recommended for ages 1 to 3.

Happy Birthday to US! Book Review & Giveaway

 

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in order to provide an honest review. All opinions are my own. I am working with The Children's Book Review and Sherry Ellis to bring you this post.

This year is a special year for the United States. It marks the 250th birthday of our country! The day this post is published is Patriots' Day in Massachusetts. That means this long weekend there will be re-enactments of the battles in Lexington and Concord. And as any Bostonian knows, the Boston Marathon will be run. Yesterday was the official 251st anniversary of the "shot heard around the world." Today we are sharing a fun and patriotic book about a boy whose birthday is July 4th. The book is Happy Birthday to US! by Sherry Ellis and illustrated by Nina Hvozdzeva. Throughout the post there will be links to some fun patriotic crafts and activities and at the end there is a giveaway!!

What Can You Make with a Cardboard Box? -- Cardboard Creations Crafty Sunday

What can you create from a cardboard box or two? This is what we asked our students for the last two weeks in February. Our school stops academics for two weeks and offers mini courses. One mini course is always for the theater department to prepare for the METG drama festival. For the non-theater kids, we change the course offerings each year, and they pick two classes--one for each week. This year I was offering Cardboard Creations with the physics/chemistry/math teacher. The first week is four days because of Presidents' Day and the second week was supposed to be five days, but we had a blizzard so it turned out to be only three days. 

I Love New York City!! New Books to Learn About NYC with Resource Roundup

 

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

New York City is a special place for Hazel and me. At a young age, she wanted to see the Statue of Liberty. I have been lucky enough to take her on several trips to New York. And we are going again this summer for my birthday!! I promised to take her to see a Broadway show. After all her dream is perform on Broadway some day and she has never actually been. As we are planning our weekend away, these two new books arrived and only added to my excitement for our trip! The first is a beautiful book called Unknown New York: An Artist Uncovers the City's Hidden Treasures by Jesse Richards. This is not a children's book but is also a book that could be read with a child to learn more about the city. 

United We Stand Strong -- Remembering 9/11

 

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

Can you believe next month it will be 20 years since 9/11? It was a time when we were all so scared. And it wasn't just the United States but this act of terrorism affected most of the world. The planes destroyed a building that had in it people from all over the world working. People of different races, religions, and ages. Airplanes were not flying after that for quite awhile. And just about everyone who was alive then knows where they were when they heard. Yet something else happened after the attack. We as a country and society came together. We united and supported one another. We showed how strong we are together. Today I'm going to share a book for young kids sharing one of the ways we came together. It shares a story I personally did not know but am glad to have learned about it. The book is 30,000 Stitches: The Inspiring Story of the National 9/11 Flag by Amanda Davis and illustrated by Sally Wern Comport. It is recommended for ages 5-8.

Women in the Civil War

 

When we think about the Civil War there are a few women's names that pop in our minds like Harriet Tubman and perhaps nurses like Clara Barton and Louisa May Alcott. Today I am going to delve into the lives and accomplishments of other women in the Civil War that you may not have heard of. There were many women who worked on the homefront, fundraising, making uniforms, etc., but the women I am sharing about today did even more. The Civil War was a war that made it easier for women to disguise themselves as men and fight. In fact it is estimated that there were more than 400 women who did so. Some were discovered when injured or died and others never were. They were of different races and worked for the North or the South. Each had her own courageous adventure in the war. As with the other Women in Wars posts I will share books for kids to learn more about the women when I can. To begin this post I am going to share books that have multiple women in them. I have personally found Women in the Civil War by Kari A. Cornell and Heroism Begins with Her by Winifred Conkling extremely useful and used both as sources for this post. All of the women featured in this post are featured in these books or in the Famous Women of the Civil War by Peter F. Copeland which is a coloring book.

New Multicultural Books Perfect for Women's History Month

 

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

March is such a funny month. In New England it can be a long month without much to do. The weather is sometimes amazing and often awful. It can be snow or rain and it really depends. Spring begins in March which is always my favorite but it is early spring so it isn't the beautiful part of spring yet. And of course there is Pi Day! One of my favorite holidays!! Mathematicians don't get too many holidays. The other thing that excites me about March is that it is Women's History Month. It is a month for us to discover and learn about the amazing women throughout history that we probably haven't heard of. Most of our history was recorded by men (and around here it was white men) so it is very biased and often doesn't cover the amazing things women have done to support society. I have big plans for this month but to begin I thought I would share two new books that are perfect for Women's History Month. The first is a picture book that shares a favorite story of Dovey Johnson Roundtree liked to tell. Last month I shared a middle grade level book about Dovey but today's book is a perfect way to introduce younger kids to this amazing woman. The book is We Wait for the Sun by Dovey Johnson Roundtree and Katie McCabe and illustrated by Raissa Figueroa.

Learning about the United States with the New National Geographic Kids United States Atlases

 

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

Schools are starting back up and so are homeschools. This has been a crazy year for schools. Most of my friends' children are still doing remote learning. Hazel is back in the physical school and the school is doing a great job keeping them social distant as much as possible. Hazel has told me she sometimes forgets she is even wearing her mask. I have not gotten to that point but I don't wear one for the entire day. Today I thought I would look at some educational books and lessons. I have the latest editions of the National Geographic Kids United States Atlases and I want to share them with you, give you some ways of using them and also have a round-up of map activities and lessons. Are you ready? First we will look at the Beginner's United States Atlas. 

Biographies of Black People for Grades 3-5 -- Multicultural Children's Book Day Review

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

It is January and that means Multicultural Children's Book Day is coming. This year it is scheduled for January 31, 2020, and I will be cohosting it so be sure to tune in then to see all the amazing books shared. Today I get to share three books from Capstone Editions. This collection of books share a look into the lives of three black Americans that you may or may not have heard of but are perfect books for the upcoming Black History Month. They are all recommended for grades 3 to 5. We will start with Ona Judge Outwits the Washingtons: An Enslaved Woman Fights for Freedom by Gwendolyn Hooks and illustrated by Simone Agoussoye. 

Where are you from? A Diversity Discussion & Activities

I have to admit I have been disgusted reading much of my Facebook feed lately. I have friends on both sides of the political view and to be quite honest I can't stand posts from either side. I identify myself as a liberal but I also can see some of the conservative side--after all I'm married to a conservative. Awhile ago the discussion turned to President Trump's comment about the four female senators going back to where they came from. As a woman most of the president's comments bother me. As a Christian woman, they really bother me. But truth be told, the man bothered me long before he became our president. That said he is our president so I pray for him and our country and wish him well. But when he says things that insult other leaders of our country I do think he needs to be called out. But this is getting away from where I want this post to go. After that comment a friend from middle and high school posted on her Facebook page her own feelings about being asked "Where are you from?" She is a woman of color. She expressed how hurtful that question can be. After brewing over it all and seeing more than I wanted about politics on both sides in my newsfeed I started thinking about the question.

Crafty Weekends--a craft link party

We are still celebrating Independence Day (the fireworks were rained out until tonight), so I am going straight to sharing the features from last week. It was a small party, so there are only a few!! Thank you to everyone who shared with us at our last party.  Just a reminder that we do not feature any of the food/recipe posts and ask you not to share them here. There were some great ideas shared. Below are a few of the features from our last party, but be sure to go back and check out the many great crafts shared! Please remember Creative Kids Culture Blog Hop is a place to share all your diverse and cultural posts there.  I can't wait to see what your latest creations are!!

Features

1) From The Real Thing with the Coake Family: Cute 4th of July Decorations

2) From The Scrap Shoppe: DIY Flag Planter

3) From 3 Boys & a Dog: Coconut & Key Lime Homemade Soap

4) From The Style Safari: Oversize Bow Dress

Thank you to everyone who shared the last week!! I hope you will share again!! If you are featured here, please feel free to grab a featured button to display proudly on your blog. I would love the help spreading the word about Crafty Weekends!!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Fourth of July Crafty Weekends Link Party

We are getting ready to watch the fireworks for Independence Day at my parents tonight. I spent the day playing mini golf with Hazel and my nephew and then the three of us headed to the John F. Kennedy Museum in Hyannis to check it out (it is the centennial celebration there). I am in full vacation mode and did not do crafts this week, so I thought I would share a few of my favorite patriotic crafts from the past.

Maps, Culture, Cities & Towns -- Children's Book Reviews & Giveaway!!

Disclosure: I was sent these books to review free of charge in exchange for an honest review. All opinions in this post are my own. I did not receive any other compensation for this review.

 Today I am sharing some books that have various lessons around the theme of maps, culture, cities and towns. These books range for which ages they are good. We will start with Mapping My Day by Julie Dillemuth and illustrated by Laura Wood. This book is being released next week and I have an opportunity for one of you to win a copy of it!! See below.

Perfect Gift Wrapping Ideas -- a Crafty Weekends Review & Link Party

Have you entered my current giveaway for a custom canvas print? There are only one more day to enter!!

Disclosure: Tuttle Publishing gave me a copy of this book free of charge for this review. All opinions in my review are my own and I did not receive any other compensation. As in all my reviews I am providing links for your ease, but receive no compensation.

How do you wrap gifts? Do you just throw them in a gift bag? I'll admit I often do at least for gifts for kids. However I always love playing with gift wrapping. At work we charge at least $6 plus the supplies for gift wrapping. I'm always amazed when people pay it. I will admit the gifts always look beautiful when they are done. They are usually done in a seam line wrapping style. And today's book that I am sharing gives a tutorial in this kind of wrapping!

Craft Factory: Friendship Bracelets -- Crafty Weekends Review & Link Party

Disclosure: Parragon Books sent me a copy of this book free of charge. All opinions in my review are my own and I did not receive any other compensation. As always I am providing links to the book for your convenience.

Before I begin today's post, I would like to take a minute to remind all of us in the United States that this is Memorial Weekend and we need to remember all the people who have sacrificed for our freedom and safety. Please say a prayer for the armed forces as well as their families and a very special pray for the families of soldiers not returning home. 

Today I get to share this month's Parragon Book of the Month for their Book Buddies. It is not really a book, but a craft kit. It is their Craft Factory: Friendship Bracelets. It was released this past February. It comes with metallic threads, as well as some black thread, an instruction book, star beads and a needle. 

Valentine Crafts & More -- Crafty Weekends Link Party

Last week's Crafty Weekends Party was huge and there were so many great ideas I was a bit overwhelmed with putting together all the features!! Put that together with a busy week (and Hazel first snow day of the school year and the second is tomorrow) I didn't get much adult crafting done. We did however make some fun Valentine's Day crafts. The crafts I am sharing today involve two kits from the Paper Source which I purchased for us, so this is not really a review per say. I will provide you links when possible. I do not receive any compensation if you click them or purchase from them. They are solely for your convenience.  The first kit is the Ombre Heart kit which is actually in the clearance section and no longer available on-line. I made the teacher Valentine (the large one) and added on some of the words of 1 Corinthians 14.

My Rag Doll -- Crafty Weekends Review & Link Party

Disclosure: Search Press gave me a copy of these books free of charge for this review. All opinions in my review are my own and I did not receive any other compensation. As in all my reviews I am providing links for your ease, but receive no compensation.

Today I get to share with you a fun book for making rag dolls and all of her accessories. My Rag Doll by Corinne Crasbercu has eleven versions of a rag doll. 

Christian Halloween Party

Disclosure: I was sent these items to review free of charge from Oriental Trading. All opinions in this post are my own. I did not receive any other compensation for this review. I am including links to the products for your convenience but do not receive anything if you buy from them.

 Now I have not been shy about my feelings about Halloween. I really hate the gore and how far people take it. Hazel is easily frightened and I can no longer take her into some stores because of the Halloween products. I have tried and regret it due to the bad dreams she has. When I was offered to do a post using Halloween products from Oriental Trading, I hesitated, but then remembered all their great Sunday School supplies. Hazel and I planned a Christian Halloween Party. Many of the parents at her school do not celebrate the holiday or take their kids to a church event on Halloween. Needless to say many feel like I do about the holiday. We started by sending out an Evite. We asked the guests to dress as their favorite Biblical character. Hazel wanted to be Queen Esther. I let her pick out the color of the Nativity Child Costume she wanted and she picked the Pink Nativity Child Costume. We made a handknit belt to wear with it and added beads to the ends. (Hazel ended up being the only one to wear a costume, but she did not care. She was really excited to be Queen Esther.)

Captain No Beard Series Review & Treasure Pouch Craft

Disclosure: I was sent the set of books with some hats, crafts and play doubloons and will receive a small compensation for writing this honest review. All opinions are my own. As always I am providing links for your convenience. I do not receive compensation if you purchase through them.

Today I have the pleasure of sharing a series of books with you. I will admit when I first was approached about these books, I was not completely sure they were our cup of tea, but I decided to try them anyway because I figured they might be one your child's things. After all Hazel is really not into pirates except Jake and the Neverland Pirates. However I was very pleasantly surprised by these books. Hazel and I LOVE them!! We were sent all nine Captain No Beard books by Carole P. Roman.