Disclosure: I was sent these books to review
free of charge from Storey Publishing.
All opinions in this post are my own. I did not receive
any other compensation for this review. I am including links to each
item for your convenience but do not receive anything if you purchase
them.
In honor of Black Friday I thought I would share some fun books for kids of different ages to create their own fun and play. The first is Teddy Bear Doctor by Deanna F. Cook, and we have already reviewed this amazing book. This is our go to gift for Hazel's friends. We buy a copy of the book with a small stuffed animal and it is perfect! The age recommendation is ages 3-8. Some of the crafts in the book would be difficult for a 3-year-old, but it is perfect for the 5-8 range.
Today is Thanksgiving in the United States. It is a time where family and friends gather and are thankful for the many things we have. It is a time where I also think about the history of the United States and pray that we can treat each other better in the future. Above is a simple paper plate craft that Hazel made at Lakeshore Learning this past weekend. It is meant to be a centerpiece, but ours does not stand up very well. I think maybe a toilet paper roll instead of the rolled up brown paper would be better. However it is really cute and I loved all the things she is thankful for this year! You can download instructions on their website for this craft and all the free crafts for kids.
I have a confession to make. Until recently, I did not understand why the Native American mascots were so offensive. I went to a high school where our mascot was a warrior and being a child of the 80's the song, The Warrior, was very popular at our school. Our cross town rival's mascot was a chieftan. I saw these as a way to honor Native Americans and not to insult or hurt them. This fall I have read several articles on-line (Huffington Post and The Guardian) that made me understand why they are hurtful. For some people these are the only images they have of Native Americans. This had not occurred to me since I have always had a fascination with Native American lifestyles, stories and such. I also understand why many Native Americans consider Thanksgiving the National Day of Mourning (see Huffington Post for more on this). Although Native Americans have always held days to honor and be thankful for the harvest, it is hard to watch the country celebrate and reenact a day that lead to so many of their own people's death and the loss of their land. I have written about the Wampanoag, a bit on Squanto and this year we explored Metacomet (King Philip) and I wrote even more about Squanto over at All Done Monkey. To honor the Wampanoag and to learn more about them as part of our Thanksgiving I thought we would explore one of their harvest holidays. I should also refer you to our post on cranberries since the holiday is Cranberry Day. Our first discovery of this holiday was the book Cranberry Day by Jannette Vanderhoop.
