Learning about Sea Turtles

 

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

Yesterday we talked about a book full of fun facts about the ocean. Today let's focus on one of the creatures in the ocean waters--sea turtles. I am going to share a book recommended for ages 4 to 8 as well as some fun facts from the book and a turtle craft round-up! The book is from National Geographic Kids and is Go Wild! Sea Turtles by Jill Esbaum. 

Banana Walnut Blueberry Pancakes & First Class

This morning Hazel wanted to make pancakes for breakfast. I played with our recipe a bit to make it healthier. Since we had some nice ripe bananas we decided to make banana pancakes. I have been reading How to Disease-Proof Your Child by Joel Fuhrman, M.D. I haven't gotten very far, but it is interesting and he really pushes the nuts and seeds as well as fruits and vegetables. In particular he talks about walnuts and flax seeds. I bought some walnuts and gave some to Hazel but she didn't like them, so I put some in the blender and added them to the pancakes.

My banana masher

We mixed together 1/2 cup of flax seed meal, 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour, 2 teaspoons of baking soda,  1 teaspoon of cinnamon, and about 1/2 cup of ground walnuts.

Around this time we sprayed the griddle pan with a butter cooking spray and warmed the pan. Then we beat an egg and added one cup of milk, one tablespoon olive oil and the mashed bananas (2 pretty ripe bananas).  Then we added this mixture to the dry ingredients and mixed it together. Then we stirred in one cup of frozen blueberries. Now it was time to cook.

And finally time to eat. We had them with some maple syrup!

After breakfast we needed to get ready for our first class at the Mass Audubon Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary. Every time we have tried to get into their toddler class it has been full. This last time April's was full but they put us in the May one, so off we went. Hazel loved it!

Looking for frogs at the vernal pool

Today's theme was frogs. The instructor showed the kids two frogs--a leopard frog and a wood frog in the Nature Center. Then we walked to the vernal pool or the frog pond. She had found some tadpoles earlier this morning and left them to show the kids on our way. She also had some salamander eggs to show them. Unfortunately, it was cold and wet out today so the frogs were not out nor were the turtles. We will have to bring Daddy here on a sunny warm day so we can see them. (One of our goals of taking the class here was to get to know this place better so we can go as a family more.) The instructor found a pond cricket and a slug, but Hazel wanted to keep walking and not stop to look. The one rule the instructor had was whenever the kids saw a trail marker post they had to stop and wait for everyone. I stayed up with Hazel since she was often by the post. Apparently the instructor got the slug to stick out its eyes. I don't know how, but I would have loved to see it.

Could a fairy live in this old tree with the other tree winding around it?

While Hazel was getting impatient we decided to look for fairy houses or places fairies could live. We found an interesting fallen tree that had another tree wrapping around it. We decided it would be perfect for a fairy. The rest of the class was looking at a spider web except for the boy who went from one post to the next without looking at anything. Then the instructor showed the kids where the deer had been eating and one of the girls found a deer print. At this point Hazel needed a bathroom so we went ahead to use it.

Walking by the meadow

On our way to the bathroom we walked by a meadow with blue bird boxes. Then after the bathroom we went into the Nature Center to join the class for a craft. She had a frog puzzle out of paper for the kids to do. Each kid got a glue stick and puzzle. Here is Hazel's.

After class, we went out for some jumping in puddles and one of the boys showed Hazel the water bubbler. After some playing with it and experimenting and a little help from me, Hazel figured out how to drink from it.

Don't you love the look of satisfaction on her face! Her shirt is completely wet, but oh, well. Then one of the girls asked if they wanted to play hide and seek and off the kids were. Then they splashed in the puddles and then it was tag. Needless to say it was a fun morning.

This is where I link up...

My Home Filled with Love -- a Love Letter to Parents in a Picture Book with Gift/Card Craft Round-Up

 

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 Tabletop Teaching LLC as part of the Blog Tour. I will receive a small stipend for this review.

Today we are sharing a fun new book that reads as a love letter to parents. It is meant to show kids and parents what a nurturing home looks like, however to me it is a love letter to the girls parents. The book is My Home Filled with Love by Desiree Blanchard and illustrated by Hayley Moore. This post includes a giveaway as well as a round-up of gifts and cards kids can make for their parents!

365 Days of Play -- Review of a Book Full of Screen Free Activities for 6-12 Year-Olds

 

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

It has been a long couple of weeks. Our school stops regular classes for two weeks starting with Presidents Day and the high school holds mini courses. Some of my colleagues and I are teaching a science of cooking and baking class. I have to say as fun as it is, it is tiring to teach cooking to fourteen high school students. I have come home most nights and falling asleep between 8:30 and 9:00. It has been crazy and I'm preparing for this coming week. Before I get to sleep early tonight, I want to share a fun new book with you that is perfect for every family of 6 to 12-year-olds. It is 365 Days of Play by Megan Hewes Butler and illustrated by Emily Balsley. 

Our Tuesday: Cooking, Nature and Play

This morning Hazel announced she wanted pancakes for breakfast. In other words, she wanted to cook. So we made some. We had some very ripe bananas that I wanted to do something with so I gave three of them to Hazel to mash. Then I gave her an egg to beat. We mixed with the egg, the bananas, a pureed carrot, 1 cup of skim milk, and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Next we mixed the dry ingredients in a separate bowl: 1 cup whole wheat flour, 1/3 cup ground almond meal, 1/3 cup chopped walnuts, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1/2 cup oatmeal. Then we poured the liquid mixture into the dry mixture and threw in a cup of blueberries. Mixed it well and then cooked the pancakes.

Hazel even helped scoop a couple into the pan, though she is very afraid of the hot stove. She really enjoys cooking with me.

Then we headed to Drumlin Farm for our last class this spring. Today we focused on all the senses for the end. This included popping popcorn since all five senses are used: hear it pop, smell it, touch it, see it and taste it. The kids enjoyed eating it. Then the class visitor was brought out. It was an opossum! The opossum is the only marsupial in North America and fifty years ago you would not find them this far north, but they have migrated with their food.

Our instructor, Alex, told us all about opossums. They only have babies inside of them for two weeks and then they are born the size of a bean. The babies then go into a pouch on the mother's stomach and live there until they are big enough. Their nipples are located inside the pouch (this is also true of kangaroos).

They also cannot hang by their tail. Their tails are not that strong. They do use them for balance and help, but they climb and hang by their claws. You can see in the picture below how big their claws are.

This opossum was in some sort of a fight and has a flattened and injured nose, which is why she lives at the Mass Audubon. They also had an opossum skin to pass around for the kids (and moms) to feel how soft they were. We also think she could smell the popcorn we popped. She kept trying to climb the plexiglass and sniff.

Instead of a craft today we got to go on the hay ride. Hazel enjoys this even if she won't smile for a picture. She also wanted to wear her binoculars we made earlier in the class. She came out with them on and said she was wearing them so she could see things better today. After this we took a walk to the top of the drumlin. We had never been there before and had a good time. On our way back we saw the model long house they made during the summer camp last year. The kids loved it.

It reminded me of the fort we want to make for Hazel. Of course this is much bigger than what we are planning. For those who do not know, the long house was the housing of the Iroquois and many of the tribes in New England. (One tribe in Massachusetts is the Wampanoag.) It would be covered with bark or wood and 20-30 people would live in it. They have a really neat complete long house at Plimouth Plantation.

Then we walked by a pond to look for crayfish. We did not see any, but saw a bouncing bug and a neat silver maple growing in the pond.

The kids had fun sitting by the water. They found bugs and just liked watching the water.

Then it was time to say goodbye. A few of us exchanged contact information so we can try to get together this summer. It was really a nice group of kids and moms. We will miss our weekly trips to Drumlin Farm, but will go back again.

After lunch we ran a few errands and then got one of our high school babysitters to play with Hazel so I could have a break and I am using it to write this, but at least this is relaxing.

Today's Adventures

So it was a typical Monday for Hazel and I. We ran errands (grocery shopping and the library). Hazel loves going to the library. She likes to see the children's librarian and play with the toys there. I however wanted to check out some kids' craft books I found on line last night. I of course found many more than the two I had written down. I'm still going through them, but here is what I found:

My Very First Nature Craft Book illustrated by Anna Curti and published by Little Simon--I flipped through this one already. The crafts are simple, but age appropriate for Hazel, so we may try some in the next few days or whenever the rain stops for us to go out and get the supplies.

Once Upon a Time in the Kitchen by Carol Odell--this looks like a great book especially for older kids or for a literature party or cooking/literature class. Also would be good for homeschooling. It gives a recipe with part of a classic story (including Little Women, The Jungle Book, Winnie the Pooh and many more).

The Little Hands Big Fun Craft Book by Judy Press--haven't had a chance to really look at it, but it was on my list to get--love the Little Hands Fingerplays & Action Songs by Emily Stetson and Vicky Congdon.

Kids Create! by Laurie Carlson

Nature's Art Box by Laura C. Martin

Crafts for Kids Backyard Book by Greta Speechley--thought this might give me ideas for our Fourth of July BBQ--activities to do with the kids is always a good thing.

Look What You Can Make With Newspapers, Magazines, And Greeting Cards edited by Kathy Ross--figured it never hurts to have more ideas to recycle things.

Look What You Can Make With Paper Plates edited by Margie Hayes Richmond--I keep finding different wreaths to make so I stocked up on paper plates, now I have some more ideas.

Virtual Book Club for Kids: Tomie dePaola

Sharing Saturday is still open if you would like to share your child-oriented crafts and activities or be inspired by the amazing ones already shared!

Today I thank God for a week with very few plans so hopefully I can get the rest I need!

Today is the kick off of November's Virtual Book Club for Kids Blog Hop. As you may know I have joined a wonderful group of bloggers to do this book club. Each month we feature an author and each of us picks a book to blog about and do some craft or activity with it. Then we invite you to join us by choosing a book by the author of the month and sharing in our blog hop. I join the following wonderful blogs to bring this to you each month.

Toddler Approved - Rainy Day Mum - Adventures in Reading with Kids -
 3 Dinosaurs - Royal Baloo -  The Educators' Spin On It -  
Inspiration Laboratories - Pleasantest Thing - Edventures with Kids - 
Two Big Two Little - Playing With Words 365 - Kitchen Counter Chronicles - Outlaw Mom -  Mommy and Me Book Club -  No Twiddle Twaddle - 
The Good Long Road - Ready. Set. Read 2 Me - Reading Confetti - 
Mama Smiles - Juggling with Kids- Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas -  
Creekside Learning - Creative Family Fun - The Usual Mayhem - 
Teach Preschool - PlayDrMom - CraftoArt - Here Come the Girls -  
Being a Conscious Parent - Smiling like Sunshine - Crayon Freckles -  
Train Up a Child - Smile Play Learn

This month's author is Tomie dePaolo. Now he has many books to choose from that appeal to different ages. This week we will talk about two of his books.

Angels, Angels Everywhere is a sweet little book for younger children. It goes through each page with different angels and they are labeled things like "Kitchen Angel" or "Play Angel". You can guess from the pictures what their role is as well.

Pascual and the Kitchen Angels is a book telling the life of Pascual, the patron saint of the kitchen. Pascual goes to a monastery to join the monks, but when the monks see all the food he brings from his family they ask him to cook. Not wanting to be sent away he goes to the kitchen and begins to pray since poor Pascual does not know how to cook or for that matter boil water. The angels come and cook while Pascual prays and prepare a wonderful feast. The monks are so impressed with his cooking they make Pascual their cook.


Since both of these books involve angels, we are sharing both of them today. For Pascual and the Kitchen Angels, we made wooden spoon kitchen angels.

I bought some wooden spoons at the Dollar Tree. We put a googly eye on each and then used felt for hair, dress and wings and a pipe cleaner for the halos. This craft can also work for Angels, Angels Everywhere since it also mentions kitchen angels.

We also made some lollipop angels. We are still working on using up our Halloween candy!

For these we used tissue paper, coffee filter dresses, cupcake liners (for wings) and pipe cleaner halos.

Then we made some paper plate angels. I think these are pretty self explanatory.

Then after Hazel went to bed, I made her an angel mobile. In Angels, Angels Everywhere we talk about the Bedtime Angel who tucks the children into bed and we always add that she stays and keeps them safe so they are not alone. I thought it would be fun to have a mobile of angels with one representing the Bedtime Angel. I put three angels on it to represent the Bedtime Angel, the Wake Up Angel, and the Guarding Angel. My plan is to hang it above Hazel's bed so she will see the angels looking over her each night.

These angels are made with a pipe cleaner, wooden bead, scraps of yarn and felt for clothes. I used the pipe cleaner halo and a I cut a silver poinsettia I got at the Dollar Tree for wings. Then I strung them and hung them on a circle of floral wire. My balance is  not perfect yet, but I will work on it.

For even more angel crafts you can check out all the ones we did last year for the angel swap we participated in. 

Every time we read Angels, Angels Everywhere Hazel tells me she really likes it! What Tomie dePaola books have you been reading lately? I hope you will join us in our blog hop! Next week we will be sharing another Tomie dePaola book and craft/activity. I hope you will join us again!

My Life in the Fish Tank -- Book Review and Teen Mental Health Resource Round-Up

 

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

Do you know that 50% of mental illness start by age 14 and 75% by age 24? (Source) How about approximately 1 in 5 adults in the United States suffer from mental health issues?  That's about 43.8 million people and nearly 40% of them do not seek any treatment or help. (Source) And then add in the pandemic and how things have gotten worse for people's mental health. There is a lot going on here. There is a stigma around mental health issues. People don't like to talk about it and many don't want to get treatment for it in fear of being shamed. It is something we need to talk about and we need to educate the next generation about it and what resources there are to help with treatment so we do not continue this stigma. Let's face just about everyone would take medicine for diabetes or cancer, but many people are ashamed to take antidepressants or antianxiety medicines or even seek therapy. Today's novel is about one middle school girl and her family's experience with a bipolar disorder in the family. The book is My Life in the Fish Tank by Barbara Dee. It is being released next week! (We have also had the pleasure of reviewing another of Barbara Dee's books which we categorized as a must read for all middle schools.)

Get ready to start exploring!

The Pinterest Scavenger Hunt has officially begun!

This contest is sponsored by Multicultural Kid Blogs to celebrate the official launch of our website.

The Scavenger Hunt will run from July 15 to July 28. Participants have until July 31 to submit their entries, and the drawing will take place on August 1.

You could win one of four fabulous prize packages!

Details about the Scavenger Hunt can be found below.

Today's Clue 

Travel the world to stretch the week.

 Now take a look around on this site and try to find the post that fits the clue. Once you think you've found it, pin it to the Pinterest Board you've created just for this contest.

Be sure to pop over to The Art of Home Education for the other clue for today. A full schedule and rules of the game can be found below. Don't forget to enter the Rafflecopter at the bottom for more chances to win!

How to Play:

Create a Pinterest board specifically for the contest and name the board "Multicultural Kid Blogs Pinterest Scavenger Hunt." Each day a new clue (or two!) will be revealed. Follow the clue to the blog of the day and pin the post described in the clue. (Any image from the post is fine). In the Rafflecopter below, enter the link to the Pinterest board you created for this contest. The Rafflecopter will also have lots of other ways to earn extra entries. The only required entry is the link to your Pinterest board. Please note: You can enter the Rafflecopter at any point during the contest. Obviously your board won't be complete until the end of the contest, but you can enter the link in the Rafflecopter before then. If your name is drawn at the end of the contest, we will check your board at that time. The final clue will be given July 28. Participants will have until midnight Pacific time on July 31 to finalize their boards. The drawing will take place on August 1. Winners must have pinned all of the correct posts to their board. Winners will be notified via email and must respond within 48 hours or another name will be drawn. Good luck, explorers!

Our Fabulous Prizes

GRAND PRIZE PACKAGE (Total Value $128.74)

Language Learning Box Set (3 DVDs) from Little Pim ($49.95): The Little Pim Box Set Volume I is a great way to introduce young learners to over 180 words and phrases in the language of your choice related to daily routines, food, and playtime! Winner can choose the language of the prize from among those available from Little Pim. (US Shipping Only. If the grand prize winner is located outside the US, the Language Learning Box Set will become part of the 1st prize package).

3 Month Subscription from Little Passports ($41.85): Little Passports is a unique subscription based service that can take your family on an adventure to learn about culture and history from all 50 states and across the world. With this educational, monthly package, kids will become excited about geography, history, and culture by following the world travels of characters Sam and Sofia on their magic scooter! Winner chooses between World and USA editions.

Luke's Beach Day storybook from Kids Yoga Stories ($15.95): Yoga-inspired story set on an Australian beach

The Skin You Live In book from Squishable Baby ($16): A book that celebrates the beauty in all of us.

One copy of Be Bilingual: Practical Ideas for Multilingual Families (eBook) from Be Bilingual ($4.99): A well-researched yet highly readable book on raising bilingual children.

1st PRIZE PACKAGE (Total Value: $104.88) US shipping only

Two books from Lee & Low ($29.90):

Rainbow Stew by Cathryn Falwell: Released in May 2013, Rainbow Stew follows three African American children and their grandfather as they pick fresh vegetables in his garden to cook up a lunch on a rainy afternoon.

How Far Do You Love Me? by Lulu Delacre: From the Swiss Alps Mountain Range to the Great Barrier Reef, How Far Do You Love Me? takes readers across the seven continents in a new take on the "I love you" game.

Educational toy from Plushkies ($24.99): Plushkies are educational toys in the shape of countries to awaken a curiosity in kids about the world, travel, & culture.

Spanish language bundle from Spanish Playground ($20): traditional wooden toys and digital downloads. Wooden chicken paddle toy and wooden top (una pirinola) to play "toma todo." Digital downloads of Spanish language story-coloring book Los pollitos and animal activity cards.

One copy of the Bamboo Dance and one passport ($14.99) from Hartlyn Kids: An illustrated children's book about the day in the life of a child in the Philippines. The book contains a mock passport sticker. Also included is an accompanying mock passport.

Caxixi Woven Rattle From Africa from World Music with Daria ($10): Awesome fair trade woven rattle from Ghana

One copy of Be Bilingual: Practical Ideas for Multilingual Families (eBook) from Be Bilingual ($4.99) See details above

2nd PRIZE PACKAGE (Total Value: $36.99)

Fire and Gold digital download from Nightingale Creations ($10): A CD on the theme of tests and difficulties

2 sets of postcards and a notepad from Paper Papel Papier ($22): eco & multilingual-friendly paper goods

One copy of Be Bilingual: Practical Ideas for Multilingual Families (eBook) from Be Bilingual ($4.99) See details above

3rd PRIZE PACKAGE (Total Value: $29.95)

One copy of Ramadan Cookbook and Meal Plan (eBooks) from MarocMama ($18): Two ebooks featuring traditional (and some less traditional!) Ramadan recipes and meal ideas

One copy of Coconut Oil For Your Skin (eBook) from Hybrid Rasta Mama ($11.95): an eBook filled with nourishing and simple recipes for skin care and hair care products featuring coconut oil as the main ingredient.

 

Scavenger Hunt Schedule

(Visit the Scavenger Hunt main page for a full list of clues as they are revealed).

July 15

All Done Monkey

Crystal's Tiny Treasures

July 16

The Squishable Baby

SpanglishBaby

July 17

Be Bilingual

July 18

the piri-piri lexicon

MommyMaestra

July 19

Creative World of Varya

Expat Life With a Double Buggy

July 20

Sprout's Bookshelf

Mouse Grows, Mouse Learns

July 21

Open Wide the World

MotherTongues

July 22

MarocMama

Head of the Heard

July 23

For the Love of Spanish

July 24

InCultureParent

Moms Gone Global

July 25

Crafty Moms Share

The Art of Home Education

July 26

The European Mama

Spanish Playground

July 27

Vibrant Wanderings

A Hotchpotch Hijabi in Italy

July 28

Kids Yoga Stories

Adventure Bee

Final day to enter the contest is July 31, 2013, at midnight PDT. Drawing will take place on August 1, 2013.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Holiday Gift Suggestions--Books for Kids to Create Their Own Play

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.