Butterflies -- Books, Crafts & More

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.

Saturday is Earth Day. Do you have any plans? Hazel and I will be visiting a friend in New York, but have been working on our garden plans. We have also been enjoying many different books for Earth Day. We will be sharing more tomorrow, but today I am going to share three books about butterflies! We love butterflies and even raised butterflies a few years ago. The first book to share tonight is The Butterfly Garden by Laura Weston. 

Sharing Saturday 15-15

Make sure you enter the Earth Day Giveaway we are co-hosting!!

Thank  you to everyone who shared last week!! Once again I am blown away by all the great ideas! This week our features consist of Spring/April Features and Other Features. 

Earth Day Resources for 2020

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

It is a strange time and hard to believe Earth Day is next week. With all the stay at home orders around the world we are hearing about amazing things happening to our Earth like the Venice canals being clear (although not necessarily because the water is cleaner see here) and the skies above cities being clearer including in New Delhi, India, people are seeing the rare blue skies. The air in Los Angeles, California is even said to be clear. (Source) As scary as Covid-19 is it seems the Earth is enjoying a break from the craziness our society has been causing. But we know this break will end and we can choose to go back to the craziness or do something to help our Earth and keep our planet going for generations to come. Today I am going to share three books about people, places and ways to do just that. The first two are picture books. We will start with Solar Story: How One Community Lives Alongside the World's Biggest Solar Plant by Allan Drummond.

The Mystic Princesses and the Magic Show -- A perfect chapter book for Earth Day

* Disclosure: The Gymboree links in this post are affiliate links and I may earn a small commission at no cost to you.

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book free of charge to 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.

Can you believe Friday is Earth Day? I feel like spring is just beginning and it is already the end of April. How do you get your children to focus on taking care of the Earth for Earth Day? We have the perfect chapter book for the day and it is also perfect for next week which is National Princess Week. Anyone who has been following Crafty Moms Share knows I tend to look for books about princesses who are less frilly and typical fairy tale princesses but ones that show courage, strength and independence. Well the Mystic Princesses are just that type of princess. Of course what makes them the Mystic Princesses is that they each have a parent who is a god or goddess or Mother Nature. Each princess also has a special magical talent as well. 

These princesses however have joined together to protect Harmonie. She is the daughter of Aphrodite and Ares. Aphrodite sent Harmonie away with her brother Eros when she was a baby for protection from Ares. Harmonie brings peace and calm to everyone around her which goes against Ares desire for war. Now his other children are after her and Eros so they separated and the Mystic Princesses have sworn to protect Harmonie. In the first book, The Mystic Princesses and the Whirlpool, PJ LaRue introduces the princesses and the story. We had the pleasure of reviewing the first book in the series for Multicultural Children's Book Day. Now we are bringing you the second book in the series,   The Mystic Princesses and the Magic Show by PJ LaRue.

Autumn Peltier, Water Warrior -- Book Review & Fun Facts About Water

 

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

Water is essential to life for humans and all living things. Yet the water on Earth is mostly salt water and otherwise undrinkable. Humans have been using the water at record levels as well as polluting the clean water to make it undrinkable. A group of indigenous people are working to protect the water. We shared a book about them a few years ago for Earth Day. Today we are sharing a book about one (well kind of two) of these amazing women. The book is Autumn Peltier, Water Warrior by Carole Lindstrom and illustrated by Bridget George. It is recommended for ages 4 to 9. To go with this book, I am sharing some fun facts about water to show why we all need to be water warriors as well as some ideas for activities to go with the book.

Anna and Her Rainbow Colored Yoga Mats and Sophia's Jungle Adventure Yoga Book Reviews

Make sure you enter the Earth Day Giveaway we are co-hosting!! You have until midnight Tuesday EDT.

 Disclosure: Kid Yoga Stories gave me a copies of these books free of charge to 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.

Have you tried yoga with your children yet? Hazel loves it--though we do not do it often. We have had the pleasure of reviewing three of Giselle Shardlow's books and Hazel loves them all. Thus far we have reviewed The ABC's of Australian Animals, Luke's Beach Day, and Hello Bali! Today we are sharing two more. It was a beautiful day here finally so we tried some yoga outside! The first book is Anna and her Rainbow-Colored Yoga Mats by Giselle Shardlow and illustrated by Paul Wrangles. (Please note that the photos are of Hazel attempting to copy the pose in the books. They are not all correct, but she is on her way to getting them.)

Books for Earth Day

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

Oops!! I planned on reviewing these books last week, but our hotel room had very spotty internet, so I am reviewing them late. Sorry I didn't share them prior to Earth Day yesterday!! However these books are perfect for using with lessons about our planet and even as an introduction for younger kids to our world. The first book is Earth Verse: Haiku from the Ground Up by Sally M. Walker and illustrated by William Grill. 

Spirit of the Cheetah

 

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

Did you know the first Earth Day was celebrated in 1970? Earth Day is 51 years old this year. It was started to make people aware of the devastation to Earth that pollution, technology and more were causing. One great worry was the deforestation and extinction of wildlife. (Source) With that concern I am sharing today's picture book as an Earth Day resource. The book shares a tale that is set in Somali and shares a bit about the endangered cheetahs. The book is Spirit of the Cheetah: A Somali Tale by Karen Lynn Williams and Khadra Mohammed and illustrated by Julia Cairns. 

Sharing Saturday 16-17

Reminder: This link party is for child-oriented crafts and activities and parenting/teaching posts!! 

Happy Earth Day!! I had planned a post on some fun books about animals for Earth Day, but instead spent the day outside with Hazel since it is the last day of her spring vacation. 

 It is time for Sharing Saturday!! This is a link party to share all of your child-oriented crafts,crafts made for kids, activities and lessons as well as your parenting and/or teaching posts. On Sunday night we also host Crafty Weekends for all your crafts (done by any age), patterns, and craft product reviews! It is the perfect place to share your creative side!! And the Creative Kids Cultural Blog Hop lasts all month for anything cultural or diversity posts.

Thank you to everyone who shared with us last week! I always love seeing what everyone has been up to and your creative ideas!! Our features are just a sampling of them so if you haven't checked them all out, you should! This week our features are Reading Features and Everything Else.

No World Too Big -- Perfect Book for Earth Day & Women's History Month and so much more!

 

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

March is Women's History Month. April is National Poetry Month, and Earth Day is in April. Today I am sharing a book that works for all three of these special things plus shows kids other kids from around the world fighting global climate change. The book is No World Too Big edited by Lindsay H. Metcalf, Keila V. Dawson, and Jeanette Bradley and illustrated by Jeanette Bradley. It is being released this week! It is recommended for ages 5 to 9. 

Holidays this Week Around the World

Just a quick note: In New England, we are preparing for Hurricane Sandy. They are predicting widespread power outages (and at our house probably cable/internet outages), so I do not know how often I will post this week, but am planning a few now, but if you do not hear from me that is why.

Also Sharing Saturday is still open for all your child-oriented crafts and activities!! Please come share!

Last week, I gave you a history of Halloween. This week I'm going to share some research on how Halloween is celebrated around the world as well as the other holidays this week: All Saints Day, All Souls Day, Day of the Dead, etc.

Source

In the United States, Halloween has become a very commercialized holiday. It amazes me each year as stores open for only a month or so called Halloween Scream or something like that. We have at least three open in our town alone. Houses are more decorated for Halloween than some are for Christmas. I find it truly amazing. Perhaps because I don't really like Halloween, but it seems like an awful lot for a day meant to be to scare the evil spirits. Many people seem to want to invite them in now instead of scare them away. I just don't get it.

Some countries still keep some of the religious beliefs in their celebrations and some use it to remember their dead love ones.

In Austria people leave bread, water and a light on at bedtime during the week of Seleenwoche (Oct. 30 to Nov. 8) to welcome the dead souls back. (Source)

In Germany some people still hide their knives on Halloween to keep them away from the evil spirits. (Source)

In Belgium people light candles to remember dead loved ones. (Source)

In Czechoslovakia chairs are place around a fire: one for each living family member and one for each family member's spirit. (Source)

In China the end of the Chinese New Year celebration with the Teng Chieh festival. Animal shaped lanterns are hung in the streets and on houses to scare away evil spirits and light the way for traveling spirits. Family members also honor their dead family members by leaving food and water by their pictures. (Source) (This is obviously not celebrated on October 31st.)

In China there is also a national holiday, Qinming (Tomb Sweeping Day), on April 5 (in non-leap years) where people clean the graves of their family members, ancestors and loved ones and leave food, drinks, and gifts for them. (Source)

In Japan in the summer the Obon festival honors spirits of ancestors. Red lanterns are hung everywhere and each night a fire is lite to guide the spirits back to their place of birth. (Source)

In Mexico El Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebrations start the evening of October 31st and last through November 2nd. It is a day to honor the dead and it is believed the dead return to the earth on those days.  (Source)

Source

I'll be honest, El Dia de Los Muertos kind of freaked me out, but recently I read a book about Mexico and the explanation of this celebration made me really understand it better. The skeletons and what not, I do not like, but I do like the idea of honoring the dead loved ones and feeling a connection to them during the celebration each year.

Now let's talk about the holidays that follow Halloween. The Catholic Church named November 1st All Saints Day as a way to counter the whole evil spirit side of Halloween. It is a day to honor all the saints past, present, and future of the world. Through out the year there are days to celebrate individual saints, but this day is to celebrate all of them.

The Catholic Church also named November 2nd, All Souls Day. It is a day to honor all your dead loved ones. This can be done by visiting their graves and decorating them with flowers and wreaths; lighting candles at a church or home in their memory or attending a special mass.

In Portugal people have feasts of wine and chestnuts at the cemetery, and in Mexico people have picnic lunches on the graves of their relatives. (Source: We Celebrate Hallowe'en by Bobbie Kalman, Crabtree Publishing Company, 1985)

Guy Fawkes (Source)

Finally the last holiday to discuss is Guy Fawkes Day. This is a holiday in England which commemorates the day Guy Fawkes was killed. He tried to blow up the parliament and was found guilty for doing it, and sentenced to death. The first Guy Fawkes Day was celebrated shortly after his death. This is celebrated by the lighting of bonfires and fireworks and burning effigies. It is really a celebration of beating the Catholic Church in England. And it was celebrated by the Pilgrims when they arrived to the New World, but as the new country developed the celebrations ended. (Source)

So how do you celebrate Halloween? Do you celebrate any of these other holidays? I'd love to hear about it!

Orbit

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

Today I am sharing my final review for Multicultural Children's Book Day 2024. It is hard to believe the day is almost here!! Today we are sharing a young adult sci-fi novel that will have you questioning morals and ethics. The book is Orbit by Leigh Hellman. 

Paper Wildflowers -- Crafty Sundays

 

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

Today I am going to share one of the craft books I am saying is Earth Day related. Now paper crafts in general aren't usually Earth Day crafts unless they are recycled crafts. However today's crafts are making paper wildflowers. My hope is when people see how beautiful the paper wildflowers are they will plant more wildflowers or at least let them grow when they pop up. Many of these wildflowers will attract pollinators to your yard. Plus if they are natural for your area they will help all the wildlife. So now I share A Beginner's Guide to Paper Wildflowers by Emiko Yamamoto. 

At the Sea -- New Picture Book with Flaps to Teach All About the Ocean

 

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

Spring is here. That means summer is almost here and that means the beach! With Earth Day last week, we need to talk about the ocean. Today I am sharing a beautiful, oversized picture book about a trip to the sea that even goes into the Earth Day topics! The book is At the Sea by Emma Giuliani. It has a reading age of 8 to 12.

Sharing Saturday 13-16

What a week this has been. Between the Boston Marathon bombing and school vacation week our week has been anything but normal. We live in the Greater Boston area so the bombing was a bit too close for comfort. However, I did have time to visit the amazing posts from last week's Sharing Saturday. If you have not checked them out yet, you should. I was pinning and being inspired by many of them!! There were great recipes, crafts, science experiments, lessons, activities, playdate ideas and so much more! It was hard to choose features or should I say limit the number of features I chose. Speaking of features, make sure you check out my co-host's features at Having Fun at Chelle's House! We always have different ones. Now onto my features. This week I get to present the Most Clicked!! Our most clicked last week came from Gift of Curiosity with Super Sparkly Sensory Bags. I know Hazel would love to make one of these. I think the next rainy day we will!

Next are a few of the great ideas to help children learn about and celebrate Earth Day. (There were many more so go check them all out!)

1) From My Nearest and Dearest: 6 Earth Day Activities for Little Ones (Some great ideas for even the youngest ones!)
2) From Toddling in the Fast Lane: Recycled Tea Set (Love this idea and it is perfect for play and uses recycled items!)
3) From We Made That: Tin Can Planters (So pretty, simple and Earth friendly!)
4) From Learning and Growing the Piwi Way: Save the Monarchs (I had just been reading about the decline in the butterfly numbers and was thinking about adding some more butterfly friendly plants--love getting the little ones involved!)
5) From Discovering the World Through My Son's Eyes: Making Your Own Cool Art Paper (Something I hope to try when Hazel is a bit older!)

Plus I had to mention a few of my other favorites. Just because I loved them and found them inspiring and fun!

A Few of My Favorites

1) From Science Sparks: Challenge and Discover: Bridge Building (A new monthly feature of an idea to explore and try something with and then link up. As a former geometry teacher, I know we looked at bridge structure in my classes and even had a similar challenge of building bridges from toothpicks. Oh, and there is still time to explore and link up!!)
2) From Buggy and Buddy: Science for Kids: Exploring Sound with a Hanger and String (This sounds so neat--I want to try it and I guess I'll let Hazel try too!)
3) From Rubberboots and Elf Shoes: Mr. Klimt Trees -- Kindergarten Style (I love these and they are so pretty!)

Thank you to everyone who shared last week!! If you were one of the ones picked as a feature here, please feel free to grab a featured button to display proudly on your blog.

My Week in Review: This week I did not post as much as usual. I shared some butterfly crafts, our Virtual Book Club for Kids post of Duck on a Bike, our vacation week outdoor post on a class at Drumlin Farm and gardening and an Alaskan Cinderella story.

 

Now for This Week's Party 
 
A Few Simple Guidelines:
1)  Please follow Crafty Moms Share and Having Fun at Chelle's House via GFC (or one of the other ways that work for you).  

2)  Link any kid-friendly, child-centered post. Please no etsy shops or giveaways, etc.  Remember to link to your actual post. 

3) Post the newly updated button on your sidebar or somewhere on your blog to help spread the word.

Button Code:

<a href="http://craftymomsshare.blogspot.com/search/label/Sharing%20Saturday" target="_blank"><img alt="NewSharingSaturdayresized_zps6f405a2b" border="0" src="http://i1101.photobucket.com/albums/g424/cpericola/NewSharingSaturdayresized_zps6f405a2b.jpg" /></a>

4) I would love it if you would follow me on Facebook, Google+ and Pinterest as well as Having Fun at Chelle's House at Facebook and Pinterest

Disclaimer: By sharing here, you are giving Crafty Moms Share and Having Fun at Chelle's House permission to use your photos for features and to pin your craft at Pinterest. 

Nature Anatomy Book Review to Celebrate the Earth

Disclosure: I was sent this book 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.

Here is a perfect book for Earth Day although I'm a little late. This amazing book was one of the prizes in our Earth Day Giveaway. When I saw it I thought it looked like a book Hazel would love. I was right. Not only does Hazel love it, Steve and I love it and my father was looking very interested in it (and he really doesn't do books). The book is Nature Anatomy by Julia Rothman with help from John Niekrasz.

You Don't Have to Be Everything -- review of new poetry book for young adult girls about growing up

 

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

April is a month full of things I care about. We just had Easter weekend. April 2nd is World Autism Day. Earth Day is fast approaching, and it is National Poetry Month. I shared the first book last week that is a great one to share on Earth Day and will be sharing more this month. Today I want to focus on a new poetry book. It is You Don't Have to Be Everything edited by Diana Whitney. It was released March 30th. 

My First Science Book Series Review & Giveaway

 

Disclosure: I am working with The Children's Book Review & Dover Publications by participating in this virtual book tour. I was sent copies of these four books in exchange for an honest review and a small stipend. All opinions are my own.

It is hard to believe it is June. Summer is basically here. For many this school year was a mess. I know many parents are worried about how much their kids learned with all the remote learning the past two years. Every summer kids lose some of what they have learned. This summer it will be more important to keep our kids reading and learning. I am going to be sharing books that will give you extra resources to keep the kids learning all summer long in fun ways starting today. Today I am sharing part of Dover Publication's My First Science Book Series and at the end there will be a giveaway!! 

Books with Scientific Facts about Space & the Moon for Younger Kids

 

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

A favorite topic in our house is space. Steve loves talking about space with Hazel and from a young age she was learning about the stars, planets and moon. Today I am sharing two new books about space and the moon. One is a picture book, and the other is a board book. The picture book is Thank You, Moon: Celebrating Nature's Nightlight by Melissa Stewart and illustrated by Jessica Lanan. It is recommended for ages 3 to 7. The board book is Tell Me About Space by Lisa Varchol Perron and illustrated by Jennifer Falkner. It is recommended for P+. We will start with Thank You, Moon. 

Minnie Mouse Ears and Dress for Doll (and Girl) Crafty Weekends Projects and Link Party

Oops!! With the spotty internet on our vacation I missed writing my review for Earth Day!! Be sure to check out tomorrow's post for some great Earth books!!

Disclosure: Target links in this post will give me a small percentage of your purchase at no cost to you. 

After the crazy March we had weather wise and for Steve work wise, I really needed to get away to somewhere warm. Steve on the other hand just wanted to stay home and rest. We decided Hazel and I would go down to Florida (we have a time share there) and he would stay home. Since we were going to be in Florida we decided we would spend a day at Magic Kingdom and a day at Universal Studios. I found this fabric in my stash. It has beautiful flowers and Minnie Mouse heads on it. I showed it to Hazel and suggested I make a dress for her to wear to Magic Kingdom. I used Butterick Pattern 3860 to make her a dress. Since Hazel wanted to bring two of her dolls with us I thought I would make her doll a matching dress. I checked out the patterns I have downloaded and found one that used the slip pattern from Molly's Pretty Clothes. I didn't put on a ruffle and lengthened the pattern for the dress. I also wanted her doll to have Minnie Mouse ears.