Book Reviews

Lunchbox Notes: The Kissing Hand

 

There are many wonderful books about the anxiety that both parents and kids may feel before the first day of school, or when they are separated by other new experiences. One of my all-time favourites is "The Kissing Hand" by Audrey Penn. In "The Kissing Hand", Chester the Raccoon is afraid of starting school, and does not want to go. His mom shares with him a secret to help him through the day. After kissing his palm, she says:

 

"whenever you feel lonely and need a little love from home, just press your hand to your cheek and think, 'Mommy loves you. Mommy loves you.' And that very kiss will jump to your face and fill you with toasty warm thoughts."

 

The beginning of school can be tough on both kids and parents. Reading books about the day and roll playing what will happen are great ways to ease fears and prepare for new experiences. Reminders from home help too. I remember my own fears about starting at a new school, and how my mom would always tuck a special note, cartoon, or picture into my lunchbox to cheer me up and remind me of home. I loved my mom's lunchbox notes, and even when I was in university, she continued to send me little notes, magazine articles, and other interesting tidbits in the mail. It was a tangible reminder of her love.

 

My nephew is 2 years old, and we are close. A few days ago he asked his mom to call me. He was crying because he missed me. Inspired by my mom's lunchbox notes and "The Kissing Hand" book, I made this quick and easy craft to remind him that even when we are apart, I love him. It would be a perfect note to tuck into a lunchbox.  You could even have your child trace his or her own hand, and turn it into a card to send to Grandma or Grandpa on Grandparent's Day.

 

 

Just like in the story, there is a kiss, in this case a Hershey's Kiss, on my hand.  I started by tracing my own hand onto construction paper and cutting it out:

 

 

I then wrote a simple note to him, and placed a heart sticker on the palm (so that there will still be evidence of the kiss even after it has been eaten):

 

 

Next I used a repositionable sticky dot to attach the Hershey's Kiss:

 

 

Finally, since my little guy can't read yet, but he does know sign language, I folded down the fingers on my handprint to form the sign for "I love you".  Teach your toddler or preschooler this sign, and you can send an "I love you" message to them too:

 

 

How did your first day of school go? Does your family have any traditions to make the transition easier?

Posted by momstown Teach on 09/04/2012 - 19:33
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Book Review - Wishes by Jean Little

Our Scholastic Canada sponsored Tales for Tots event usually features a book that is tied directly to our curriculum topic of the month, which for September is "fire trucks". There are many wonderful books about fire trucks, but September is a special month. It's the month of back to school; of first steps, to preschool, to high school, or into a university classroom. It is the month of fresh starts and possibilities; the month where almost every child over the age of two is asked "what do you want to be when you grow up?"

 

 

Our September book of the month, "Wishes" written by beloved Canadian children's author Jean Little and illustrated by Genevieve Cote, captures all of the potential that September and children bring. Written in simple rhyming verse, each page of the book begins begins with the line "If wishes were", and then describes a wonderful thing:

If wishes were skylarks,
The sky would be singing.
If wishes were ball games,
My bat would be swinging.

 

The rhyming format make the book a pleasure both to read and to listen to, and suits the dream-like quality of the words. The illustrations are equally fantasticle. Featuring whimsical images of children and things, the colours used are soft, but the pictures are full of surprising details. What looks like a wave in the sea is really a fish, and somewhere amongst the clouds you can spot one shaped like a bird.

 

I first read this book to an antsy, overstimulated 2 year old. By the end of the first page, she had climbed into my lap and was engrossed in every word and picture. We had to read it three times over in that sitting alone, followed by a fourth turn through the pages to find some of the secrets hidden in the pictures. Whether you read this book to a crowd of dreamers in a preschoolers class, or snuggled up at night with your own little little bundles of possibility, it is sure to delight both you and your audience. It is also the perfect launching pad to have a discussion with your child about his hopes and dreams.

 

Whatever your September brings, I hope it is as magical as this book.

Posted by momstown Teach on 08/31/2012 - 01:27
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Book Review - A Cuddle for Little Duck

Summer has arrived, and with it comes the perfect opportunity to take a trip to the pond.  Pack a picnic, a magnifying glass or binoculars, a net, some crayons, a notebook and a camera, and let your little scientists observe and explore the plants, insects and animals that live there.  From leaf rubbings to animal observations, ponds are full of opportunities for young children to learn, and our momstown moms and kids will be taking full advantage of those opportunities with this month's "On the Pond" theme.

 

Our Scholastic Canada book choice of the month, "A Cuddle for Little Duck", perfectly captures how magical a place the pond can be for a toddler or young child.  The sweet, brightly coloured illustrations by Caroline Pedler are full of things to spot, including flowers, frogs, bullrushes, butterflies, and ladybugs, and several times we have reached for this book just to look through the pictures and find the different creatures on every page.

 

 

As lovely as the illustrations are though, the text is even more charming.  Written in rhyming verse, "A Cuddle for Little Duck" tells the story of a day in the life of a Little Duck and its mom.  Like many toddlers, Little Duck wakes up ready for a day of adventure, and delights in playing in the water, chasing butterflies in the meadow, snuggling with mom for afternoon stories and a rest, and frolicking with friends in the afternoon.  The day and the story ends as:

 

"I cuddle up on Mommy's back, / I love you, Mom!" I say, / Then fall asleep to dream about / Another lovely day".

 

The pond is a popular place for my own family, and over the past few months we have had the pleasure of watching as a group of ducklings hatched, learned to swim, and are now learning to fly on the small pond near our home. The sturdy, extra large board book format of the book has made it perfect for bringing along with us to enjoy as we spend time at the water's edge, and reading it at night brings back happy memories of the day.  It is a wonderful book to cuddle up and enjoy with your own little flock.

 

After reading the book several times, one rainy afternoon we settled down to make a duck and pond craft of our own.  First, we created our pond by using sponges to paint a piece of white paper blue:

 

 

While we were waiting for the background to dry, we cut a variety of different sized semi-circles, circles, and triangles out of yellow construction paper.  This is a great opporutnity to sneak in some summer learning and work on shape recognition, and scissors skills with your preschooler.  We glued the largest semi circles onto the paper to form the ducks' bodies, and chose circles for their heads.  Triangles with black pen marks were glued on to make the ducks' tails, and smaller semi circles glued on the ducks' bodies at an angle to represent their wings.  We finished our ducks off with triangle beaks cut from orange construction paper, and black circles for eyes:

 

 

After you have created your pond scene, you can work on math skills by counting the ducks, and continue to practice identifying the shapes in the picture.  What books have been inspiring you and your family this summer?

Posted by momstown Teach on 07/31/2012 - 00:02
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Books Review - Pond Animal themed books for preschoolers

momstown's On the Pond theme is brought to life by these endearing stories for toddlers and preschoolers. We've got some great crafts to accompany these fun books - like tissue paper turtles, Q is for Quack alphabet activities, and paper bag frog puppets!

 

Just a Day at the Pond by Mercer Meyer    

just a day at the pondLittle Critter visits Grandma and Grandpa’s house, and they spend a day at the pond. They have fun fishing, catching frogs, and learning to swim!

 

 

 

In the Small, Small Pond by Denise Fleming   

in the small small pondGreat illustrations and rhyming text make this a good read for the younger set. The reader follows ducks, frogs, insects, turtles, and more animals through the pond and ends with the pond frozen over for winter, but the animals are tucked in tight.

 


Turtle Splash! Countdown at the Pond by Cathryn Falwell   

turtle splash!A countdown book from 10 to 1, with turtles that start on a log and then fall off one by one. Children will enjoy counting the turtles and seeing all the other animals that visit them at the pond.

 


Down by the Cool of the Pool by Tony Mitton  

down by the cool of the poolThis is a great book – lots of fun that all ages will enjoy. The amazing illustrations of Frog and all of his friends will entertain, as the rhyming, simple text tells the story of Frog dancing by the cool of the pool. He is joined by all of his animal friends, one by one, and they dance all day long.

Posted by Teacher Mom on 07/23/2012 - 09:25
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Clifford at the Circus - Book Review and Craft

The circus is coming. Send in...the Big Red Dog?  As a matter of fact, yes! This month, our partners at Scholastic Canada have sent us a wonderful book to go along with our circus theme: "Clifford at the Circus" by Norman Bridwell. 

 

Since the original book in the series was published over 40 years ago, Clifford and his human Emily Elizabeth have been favourites of children and parents everywhere.  Each Clifford book tells an engaging story about the adventures of the gigantic dog as he participates in typical childhood activities. Woven into each story is a message about important life skills such as the value of friendship.

 

 

Capitalizing on these lessons, Scholastic has recently reissued many of the Clifford books as part of a special "Be Big" series. While the content of the stories in the "Big Big" series has not changed, Scholastic has placed a badge on the cover on each book that identifies the character lessons that the book emphasizes. 

 

"Clifford at the Circus" focuses on working together.  In the story, Clifford and Emily Elizabeth are excited to hear that the circus has come to their town. When they arrive, however, they learn that everything is going wrong, and the circus owner may have to cancel the show.  Emily Elizabeth and Clifford offer their assistance, and soon Clifford is "helping out" as an animal trainer, a clown, a tightrope walker and more.  Although Clifford's idea of help is not exactly conventional, he and Emily Elizabeth manage to save the show in their own unique way. 

 

The book is a wonderful introduction to the different entertainers that may be part of a circus performance, and is a great jumping off point for all sorts of circus themed extension activities, from crafts to imaginative play and gross motor skill building games.  Through the book, kids can see how a person can use his or her unique skills and abilities to help others, even when our uniqueness means that the way we are able to help may be different than what is "normal".

 

I read the book with a group of children ranging in age from two years old to five years old, and it was enjoyed by everyone in the audience.  The younger kids were engaged by the funny, whimsical illustrations, and the older kids appreciated the elements of silliness and surprise.  I can see this book easily becoming part of our rotation of regular reads.

 

After storytime, we created our own scenes of Clifford walking the tightrope. Clifford is attached to a popsicle stick, and slit is cut in the paper underneath the ribbon "tightrope" so that kids can move Clifford along the rope:

 

 

To make your own Clifford on the Tightrope craft, you will need:

  • construction paper in a variety of colours
  • ribbon
  • a print out of Clifford (available from the Scholastic website)
  • foam alphabet stickers (optional)
  • scissors
  • glue
  • a small exacto knife (optional, but helpful)
  • a popsicle stick
  • crayons, markers, or pencil crayons
  • tape (optional)

 

1. Print off and colour an image of Clifford:

 

 

2. Use scissors to trim the extra paper around Clifford, leaving just his image.  Glue or cut the image onto a popsicle stick:

 

 

3. Cut two long, thin rectangles out of construction paper, and glue on to either side of your background paper.  These will form the poles for your tightrope.  Cut and glue a square on top of either pole.  These squares will be the platforms that Clifford walks between:

 

 

4. Poke a hole towards the edge of each platform.  These will be the holes through which you insert your "tightrope" ribbon.  Use a ruler and an exacto knife to cut a horizontal slit in the paper between the two poles.

 

 

5. Thread ribbon through each of the holes, and either knot or tape on the back of the paper to secure.

 

 

6. Insert the popsicle stick up through the slit. The popsicle stick should be on the back of the paper, and Clifford should be on the front. Use the popsicle stick to move Clifford along the popsicle stick.

 

 

7.  If you would like, add foam letters to spell "circus".

Posted by momstown Teach on 06/26/2012 - 01:21
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Circus Themed Books for Preschoolers

The circus is coming to momstown this July - and we've got tons of great Circus-themed books for our toddlers and preschoolers to enjoy.

 

If I Ran the Circus by Dr. Seuss   

dr seuss if I ran the circusA classic Dr. Seuss story about a young Morris McGurk who wants to build the Circus McGurkus. This is a fantastic book written in the traditional rhyme and nonsense style Seuss is famous for. It’s fairly long, so you’ll need an attentive (i.e. preschool aged) audience!

 

 

At the Circus by Sheryl McFarlane   

at the circus“What’s that Sound?” series circus-themed board book. Describes all the circus elements by sound – trumpeting elephants thunder, thump... drum roll, gasp and sighs for the acrobats, etc. Short and sweet, covers all the exciting circus activities!

 


The Circus Alphabet by Linda Bronson   

circus family alphabetGreat book to link letter recognition with a circus theme! Each page has an illustration facing the letter and simple text. A is for Audience, C is for Clown, J is for Juggler, etc. The illustrations are fantastic – not only are they circus-themed, but they are created from clay and other materials, and each object is formed the shape of the letter (i.e. a clay clown curved into the shape of a C). Kids can ‘find’ the letter in the illustration as you read through.

 


Spot goes to the Circus by Eric Hill   

spot goes to the circusA traditional Spot lift the flap book, where Spot visits the circus and sees all kinds of circus friends, like a clown, an elephant, a lion, and some monkeys on a trapeze as he tries to retrieve his ball!

 

 


Circus Family Dog by Andrew Clements   

circus family dogGrumps is the circus family dog, who performs day after day at the Big Top. One day a new dog comes into the circus family, and he can perform more difficult tricks than Grumps. But Grumps shows his family that he can still perform, and the family makes sure he gets his share of smiles and cheers!

 

 

Have fun celebrating circus with your kids this summer!

Posted by admin on 06/19/2012 - 11:07
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