Easter Books

I would like to recommend two great books for this season
The first is about bunnies. The title is Bunnies on the Go by Rick Walton, illustrated by Paige Miglio, published by Harper Collins. This book is about a bunch of bunnies that are going on vacation. They investigate many different kinds of transportation. It rhymes and is a good follow up to So Many Bunnies by the same author.
The second one is a gorgeous and informative book titled An Egg Is Quiet, by Dianna Aston, illustrated by Sylvia Long, published by Chronicle Books. In this book, a child will see eggs from all different birds, fish and reptiles. Along with telling about eggs, each illustration is labeled with the type of egg, from very common to very rare. The end papers are stunning with a wide variety of interesting eggs to study. I highly recommend this, even for older children who may want to investigate this topic more fully.


Art Project: Hen and Chick card.

For this chick card project you will need: Construction paper for beaks, crayons to draw the eyes, tape, and scissors, and three same size envelopes (all the same color.) One will be the hen's body, the other two will become her wings and two baby chicks. Turn the two envelopes vertically one on each side of the main body. Cut off the tops of each side envelope so that they are all the same size. Save the two pieces you cut off for later. Bring the wing envelopes behind and tape to the body envelope in the back (they will overlap a little). The flaps are now on either side of the body, able to fold forward along the crease. Cut small triangles and tape on the pointed flaps to be the beaks.









Your two excess pieces can now be turned into the baby chicks by holding vertically and adding eyes and beaks. They fit right inside the body envelope. Write your sentiment on each one as shown.








Draw the eyes for the mother hen so that they will be under the wings when closed. Your card is ready to give to someone special!

A Week's Worth of Spring Cards

All these cards are for challenges of color, layout or materials. Each day there is at least one! It's fun to try to create a card for each challenge and it's wonderful to be able to send a handmade card to family and friends made specifically for them!

A House Mouse Challenge

This card is card is for a House Mouse challenge here. The stamp is called Winter Warmth. I used SU watercolor pencils and the aquapainter to color the image. The sentiment is from Stamping Bella.

Happy St. Patricks's Day

Here are some good children's books for St.Patricks Day.

The Leprechaun's Gold by Pamela Edwards, illustrated by Henry Cole, published by Scholastic, New York. This is a fun story with a surprise ending.

St. Patricks Day in the Morning by Eve Bunting, illustrations by Jan Brett, published by Scholastic, New York. This is a story about a little boy who wants to march in the parade!

Clever Tom and the Leprechaun by Linda Shute published by Scholastic, New York. This is a story that kids just love because of the trick the leprechaun plays on Tom. The last two pages of the book tells you the origins of the folklore about leprechauns.

Project to get the Creative Juices Flowing:

I did this for the children in my classroom for many years and it was always a special day that we all loved. Have your child think up a way to construct a trap for a leprechaun. Since you want to try to catch one to get their gold, the trap must be very creative!! Depending on their age, they can draw out a sketch first, write how they will make it, and then use items they find around the house ( a good way to promote recycling) to make their trap. It can be as simple as a cup, stick and string, or very elaborate. Deciding of the lure is very thought provoking. It should be complete and all set up in the best trapping spot by bedtime on March 16th Perhaps, on March 17th, when they wake up and go to see if they have been successful, they might find a leprechaun or a treat and a sprung trap. Some leprechauns even leave notes for the children. Regardless, of the differences in every household, the children just love it!

National Wildlife Week is here!

There is a great website for parents and kids hosted by National Wildlife Federation that has wonderful activities to experience the wonders of nature. Its got loads of ideas and links, and you can even sign up for a nature newsletter!. To visit, click here!

Six new challenge cards.

This card was for a sketch challenge using a specific layout.


This card was for a technique challenge using paper piercing as I did in the corners.



This card was for a color challenge using blue and green.








This card was for the Cupcake Craft Challenge for Spring




This card was for an inspiration challenge using household furnishings from a specific website. I chose to use a rug as my model.




This card was for a time challenge. I had to make a card in less than 30 minutes from start to finish!

Start Singing

Here are two fun books that are based on familiar children's songs.

Whoosh Around the Mulberry Bush by Jan Ormerod and Lindsey Gardiner, published by Barrons Educationsl Series, New York. This book has wonderful illustrations of kids and animals going all around the world to do such things as swoop, soar, and flit around the mulberry bush. The best part is that it comes with a CD of the music, which is especially helpful if you are not a singer!

Ten in the Bed by Jane Cabrera published by Scholastic, New York. Here's another fun book to sing, especially the "move over, move over" part that repeats. All the characters are the kinds of stuffed animals that children might sleep with. This book is very appealing to younger kids.

Two other books that I am recommending for little ones are:

Cat's Colors by Jane Cabrera published by Scholastic. In this book, a little orange striped kitten teaches colors in a fun way.

The Bag I'm Taking To Grandma's by Shirley Neitzel and Nancy Winslow Parker, published by Scolastic New York. This book uses pictograms to help kids read along with the adult. It is a story that most little kids can identify with as a small child tries packing everything they possibly can for an overnight at Grandms's house.

A Fast Art Project:

This is a very easy way to make fun rings. Have the kids draw any shape flower, about one and a half inches to two inches, on cardstock or construction paper. Cut it out. I was able to use a flower punch. You can decorate it however you want. Glitter is especially fun. Cut a pipe cleaner in half. Using only one piece, poke both ends through the top of the middle of the flower. (If you want to add a bead or other decoration to the pipe cleaner before pushing it through, thats fun too.) Twist the bottoms together to fit around the child's finger leaving enought room to make it comfortable. Make sure an adult helps with this part so that it doesn't fit too tightly. You can wrap tape around the pipe cleaner so that the sharp points are covered. The rings can become decoder rings for space exploration, magic rings for elves and fairies, or bling for rock stars!

Safekids Worldwide Issued February Safety Recalls List

For the February recalls please click here.

Some New Cards!

Looking toward Spring

Getting ready for St. Patrick's Day