This time of year can get a little daunting; Trying to find the perfect Christmas gift for a child, hoping it will not be a duplicate or be the one that gets tossed aside and forgotten. I have been in that position before and it gets a bit discouraging when it happens often.
I have found “Adventures of The Bunny Baron:Captain Barnacle’s Revenge” to be a great gift idea. The Bunny Baron is a fun, short, insightful experience for kids and even adults. It is light-hearted story about kindness, helping others, turing bad dreams into good dreams, and following your own dreams. With all the bad things we hear in the news, a fun, uplifting story is a great way to put a smile on someone’s face. The Bunny Baron can easily be purchased at Amazon.com. It is also available at createspace.com.
Because everyone needs a reason to hide secret notes...
I made a mail kit.
It's our Narnian Lamppost.
Our Portal.
Our place where the real world transforms into the magical one.
See, Pip and Winnie haven't exactly been excited
about writing time.
They moan and whinge when it's time
to pull out notebook and pen.
But now they have a reason to write.
All manner of small letters, notices and lists
have been appearing in the mailbox, begging for a reader.
Secret message makers, word lovers in the making, I hope.
And if we're not so concerned with punctuation just yet,
still Something is being kindled,
and that Something is what we're going for -
getting so lost in play so that the unseen world
shines brighter within us,
and the ordinary world shines brighter on our return...
This is what I want for myself, too.
To take more time to play
with my words, with art, with the kids
without focusing on how much I get done.
I have a choice every day -
wear myself out trying to blast through my goals,
or find the sweet spots and savor.
Relish the revision.
(thank you Gail Carson Levine and
Molly Blaisell for your great advice.)
and
if you need a reason to play with your words,
or an incentive for young heel-dragging-writers,
may I suggest a mail box?
Our kit is compiled of:
A domed box (thrift store find)
Denim.
Felt.
Mod podge.
Ribbon.
A cardboard swing arm fastened with a nut and bolt.
I added a mail sack, felt envelopes and flannel stamps
plus a thick stack of paper
for good measure.
My dad's old mail carrier hat tops the cake.
Any mail today?
Books of Note:
The Dove's Letter by Keith Baker
The Jolly Postman, by Janet and Allan Ahlberg
The Jolly Christmas Postman by Janet and Allan Ahlberg
The Gardener by Sarah Stewart, illustrated by David Small
Toot and Puddle by Holly Hobbie
Letters from Father Christmas - J.R.R. Tolkien
Love, Mouserella by David Ezra Stein
Writing Magic: Creating Stories That Fly - Gail Carson Levine
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society - Mary Ann Shaffer, Annie Barrows
The Enchanted Chocolate Pot - Patricia C. Wrede, Caroline Stevermer
And an experiment.
I've been trying to set up some freebies for my small writer friends, so here is my first attempt to provide a download.
You are welcome to use this art as long as you credit the artist (Hey, that's me - Faith Pray!) and as long as you don't try to pass it off as your own work, or sell it (That would be illegal). If you are going to pin or webshare this, please credit me as the artist, and link back to this original post.
Thank you for the respect.
Who gives heavy, blunt instruments to toddlers for Christmas?
I'm pretty sure this is what inspired "The Lord of the Flies."
My
Making-Merry-on-the-MiniGeoboard Kits are a hit.
And as far as homemade gifts go, how simple is this?
A block of sanded wood.
A bag of screws and nails.
Yarn and rubber bands.
All packaged up and ready to be assembled.
We wrapped a hammer and screwdriver kit for Sugar Snack, too.
He's in Fix-It Heaven,
stomping around the house,
adjusting all the screws.
I keep waiting for the doors to fall off
with the next
ACHOOO!
I don't know how safe a gift of nails
and screws is for the preschool crew.
I've tried to remind them to keep the sharp points
away from mouths, noses and electrical openings,
but you never know.
It helps to have ample adult supervision
when you're dealing with all those hammers.
So, let's just have a proviso here:
For crafty, writing, or artsy tips,
visit me with gleeful abandon.
For safe parenting tips,
go to
someone else.
Happy New Year, my friends!
May it be gloriously rich in the simple joys
and surprisingly glad in all the rest.
Books:
Tools by Taro Miura
Officer Buckle and Gloria by Peggy Rathmann (Safety tips AND cuteness)
We made ornaments this week...for the birds.
Because they ate all our cherries this year?
Because they pecked holes in the eaves
and made attic nests?
Heh.
But then we went birding.
A day's adventure into the wet, into the wind,
unconnected
from my technical world,
no busy busy, no run arounds, no errand hopping,
just listening.
Squinting into far off brambles.
Surprisingly, I connected. With the herons in the tree.
With the brown-headed eagle, the sparrows, the finches.
Like the time we stumbled on a barn owl and we lingered there, watching,
till the sky turned shadowy.
Or the day we pulled over the car to observe scores of starlings bathe in muddy puddles.
Maybe it's just the act of stopping
in the midst of a life that whirls
-watching birds go about their day,
breathing in a piney forest,
feeling rain pelt and pummel -
Maybe that's what slows me down.
wakes me up.
brings me peace.
And peace is what we all need this time of year.
So we made gifts for the birds.
I never thought I'd buy lard.
Or thistle seeds, for that matter.
Who needs more thistles? Birds, I guess.
So we squished together birdseed "cookies,"
threaded cheerios onto pipe cleaners
and bent them into hearts.
Where did Birdy's cheerios go?
The big kids strung popcorn, nuts and apples into garlands.
I cut up felt and old jeans and t-shirts into bird-ish shapes
for ornaments and pins.
It was a good project for little sewists.
And then we gathered our bounty
and strung it up
in the climbing tree.
"I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old, familiar carols play,
- and wild and sweet
- The words repeat
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
- Had rolled along
- The unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
Till ringing, singing on its way,
The world revolved from night to day,
- A voice, a chime,
- A chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
And in despair I bowed my head;
"There is no peace on earth," I said;
- "For hate is strong,
- And mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!"
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
"God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
- The Wrong shall fail,
- The Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men."
- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Peace to you, my friends...
peace that lifts,
peace with wings.
And some beauteous books to warm your winter!
The Birds of Bethlehem - Tomie dePaola
Night Tree - Eve Bunting, Ted Rand
The Candle in the Forest - compiled by Joe L. Wheeler
Uncle Vova's Tree - Patricia Polacco
The Trees of the Dancing Goats - Patricia Polacco
The Birds' Christmas Carol - Kate Douglas Wiggin
The Mitten - Barbara McClintock
The Mitten - Jan Brett
The Money We'll Save - Brock Cole
Owl Babies - Martin Waddell, Patrick Benson
Owl Moon - Jane Yolen, John Schoenherr
No Two Alike - Keith Baker
Birthdays for one small Two
and two big Sevens
all in one whippy whirlwind of a week.
Whew!
With such a mouthful of birthdays,
we partied nice and mellow...
except for... the big girl cakes...
Uh.
A few words to the wise:
Betty Crocker
invented cake mix for a reason.
The reason?
She had twins plus two toddlers
and could not juggle kids and kitchen.
My attempt turned out two overly dense
six-layer rainbow pink berry chocolate cakes
with floppy, sloppy frosting...
sound yummy?
hmmmm.
I have learned from my mistakes.
From now on, I will stick to wordy, artsy things
and leave baking to the Big Whisks
and their foodie blogs.
Goodbye, high rise glorious
skittle skat roarious.
It's cupcakes from now on.
Five days later, Birdy's birthday began
with a houseful of pink balloons.
Heaven!
What else does a newly two need?
A frilly dress-up,
a home-sewn crown
fuzzy old chenille in a soft new quilt,
giggles
and some really easy cupcakes from a stress-free mama
and a
Yummy Cake Books:
The High Rise Glorious Skittle Skat Roarious
High Pie Angel Food Cake - Nancy Willard, Richard Jesse Watson
The Woman Who Flummoxed the Fairies - Heather Forest, Susan Gaber
Round is a Mooncake - Roseanne Thong, Grace Lin
Clever Jack Takes the Cake - Candace Fleming, G. Brian Karas
Mud is Cake - Pam Munoz Ryan
Thunder Cake - Patricia Polacco
Moon Cake - Frank Asch
Babycakes - Karma Wilson, Sam Williams
The Fairy Tale Cake - Mark Sperring, Jonathan Langley
What are your favorite yummy books?
Home of the Glimmer Glen Elves
and
Aunt Linda
Take a peek at Whimsmoore's winter offerings.
Each seasonal chapter is full of elf and human
activities, poems, recipes, and suggested books
for families with young children.
Delightfully illustrated, too.
There are many pages of fun, games, gifts, and
wise Elfin sayings
Click on any of the links along the top of each page
and discover another Elfish delight
This delight is
Can you guess the names of the elves above?
The answer is waiting for you in
==============
Rhyming
"Horatio Humble Beats the Big D" - dyslexia
"Ruthie and the Hippo's Fat Behind"
(both with parent-teacher guides)
"Rattlesnake Jam"
(written for boys)
===============
Personalized Adventures Motivate Children to Return to School
Henderson, NV – July 23, 2008: Referenced on YAHOO TECH as one of the best online services for parents, GIFTVENTURE continues to revolutionize gift giving.
GIFTVENTURE has released two back-to-school adventures designed to generate excitement around the new school year. A Gifventure is a personalized adventure that leads to a gift you hide. The back-to-school adventure includes a story about fantasy characters requiring the child’s help in returning to their school in a mythical city. Parents can personalize the story with the child’s teacher’s name, school name, and favorite subject. Recommended gifts to hide include school supplies, such as notebooks, backpacks, lunchboxes, and pens. When the gift is discovered in its predetermined location, it is no longer just a present; it is a well-deserved prize at the end of a very satisfying and educational journey
ABOUT GIFTVENTURE
A Gifventure is a personalized adventure that leads to a gift you hide. To create a GIFTVENTURE, the gift giver goes to giftventure.com. Simple questions are answered including the child’s name and interests. During registration, the giver enters a location where a gift they have purchased will be hidden. The answers are incorporated into a series of letters, making the adventure highly personalized. Ordering takes less than 5 minutes.
When a GIFTVENTURE order is placed, the recipient receives a series of letters via U.S. Postal Service from a mythical character selected during registration. Characters can be dragons, pirates, princess fairies, or seasonal favorites such as the Easter Bunny or Santa Claus. The letters arrive over a one-week period and introduce a puzzle that, once solved, leads to the location of a hidden gift. Solving the GIFTVENTURE teaches patience, organization, problem-solving and stimulates the imagination of the child who receives the gift. Children ages 4-12.
**GIFTVENTURE retails for $19.95 plus shipping and handling. For more information (including letters from kids and parent testimonials), visit www.giftventure.com .
back to school,
gifts for children,
gifts for kids,
giftventure
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Ooh, fun! Here's another letter writing related book for you http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1906250952/ref=mp_s_a_1?qid=1358348741&sr=8-1&pi=SL75
xo
Sorry about the non functioning link. That would be Letters to anyone and everyone by Toon Tellergan (sp?)
Ah, Toon Tellegen.
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Oh, how fun. I love notes. All kinds. My kids, when younger, would write rejection slips to each other when they were angry ... it made me laugh every single time.
You are so fun! I can just imagine the happy squeals and busy writing times that accompany the letter writing! And I love THE JOLLY POSTMAN! It's great how you do a roundup of books with a particular theme. Really cool, and helpful to parents, teachers, and writers.
As for finding the sweet spots and savoring, I think you have that down, Faith. Always good to remind ourselves, though. I just read a neat book by a local author, and he captures the joys of fatherhood in such a lovely way. It's CLOSER TO HOME by Dylan Tomine.
Absolutely wonderful post! I remember fondly receiving mail from my summer camp buddies through the years. Letters are always lovely surprises!