Thursday, December 23, 2010

Quick and Easy Treat

I got this recipe from my friend and thought it was so perfect for the holidays, I had to share it.
You will need:
mini pretzels
Hershey chocolate kisses
M&M candies
Rolo candies
pecan halves

For the chocolate pretzel candy, place pretzels on a greased cookie sheet or one lined with parchment paper. Place a chocolate kiss in the middle of each pretzel. Bake at 275 degrees for 2 to 3 minutes until the chocolate is soft. Remove from oven and press an M&M down to spread the chocolate into the spaces. Let them rest for a few minutes and then refrigerate until the chocolate is firm again.
For the Pecan caramel candy, place the pretzels onto foil or parchment lined cookie sheets. Place a Rolo candy in the middle. Bake at 250 degrees for 4 minutes (they will keep their shape) and then press the pecan into the softened candy. Cool for a few minutes, then refrigerate for at least 10 minutes until firm again.

It's a perfect recipe if you have children who want to help, since they can easily place the M&Ms or nuts into the softened chocolates. The candies make a nice display or a attractive gift plate for a hostess.




Monday, December 20, 2010

Ways To Ease the Stress of Travelling With the Kids

Here are some great tips to help make your holiday travel safe and healthy.

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Quick Easy Breakfasts For Kids

Want some good ideas for the busy weeks ahead? Here's a link to great ideas.

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Math Topic -Patterning Part 1

Holiday time is a wonderful time to start working with kids on patterning. Since our number system is based on patterns, which can easily be seen if looking at a chart of numbers from 1 to 100, children should be able to first identify patterns in concrete things in their world. If you decorate your house for winter or put up a Christmas tree, making garland is a wonderful activity. Simple patterns would be just two colors or two symbols, such as red, white, red, white, or star, snowflake, star, snowflake. This is called an AB pattern. The idea is to see what the established pattern is and then to be able to answer the question "what comes next?"  Saying the pattern aloud while pointing to each piece often helps. Patterns can become more difficult such as using three items (or an ABC pattern)  such as red, green, white, or AABB such as snowflake, snowflake, star, star. Young children should work with no more than three items, while older children can work with more. There are many combinations that can be used such as ABBA, ABCA,  AABBCC, and so forth. After the child can say the pattern, and add on the pieces continuing the pattern, the last step would be for them to be able to create their own pattern. Children can also use beads, popcorn, or  buttons to string. Working with an adult can reinforce color patterns by arranging a string of colored lights into a color pattern. Don't forget to look at gift wrap since they always have patterns in them. Then, they can use stickers or stamps on plain craft or white drawing sheets to make their own wrapping paper.  Have fun with it. Next month I will continue the topic of patterns in other areas.

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Foods To Fight Your Cold

Follow this link to see which foods will help your fight the cold germs that can ruin your holidays!

Thursday, December 2, 2010

December 2010 Books and Craft Idea

Pooch on the Loose, A Christmas Adventure, written by Steven Kroll, illustrated by Michael Garland, published by Marshall Cavendish, Tarrytown, NY. This adventure takes place in New York City. The children are invited to follow Bart, a cute little terrier, as he escapes his apartment and scampers around to see the Christmas sights. Any child who has visited the city will recognize the famous locations. Anyone who loves dogs will love this book.

A Very Marley Christmas, written by John Grogan, illustrated by Richard Cowdrey, published by Harper Collins, NY. This is another great holiday dog story, continuing in the Marley series. You can imagine how tempting all the holiday decorations are for Marley. While the family waits for snow, they try to keep Marley's excitement contained.

Christmas Craft: Rudolph magnet

Supplies include 2 corks, one brown pipe cleaner, one red pom pom, two wiggle eyes, magnet tape and glue.
Directions: Glue the two corks together, narrow ends together. Let dry completely. Glue eyes in  place and red pom pom as the nose. Let dry completely. Cut the pipe cleaner into four equal lengths. Poke them into the end and bend the tips to look like antlers. Cut a piece of magnet tape and place on the back. Use your magnet to hold recipes to the range hood, photos to the refrigerator or notes to the file cabinet.




Wednesday, December 1, 2010

November Product Recalls

Follow this link to check to see if you have purchased any children's products which have been recalled.

Worry About Head Lice?

Now that the kids are back in day care or schools, do you worry about them picking up head lice? Follow this link to get some helpful tips about preventing them and what to do if they do bring them home.

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Avoid Decorating Dangers

Follow this link to read about the ways you can avoid decorating dangers this holiday season.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Get Ready To Shop!

Making your shopping list for the kids in your life? Well, check out some safety ideas first. Go here for some helpful advice.

Thursday, November 11, 2010

November 2010 Book and Craft

Book Suggestion For November is "Is There Really a Human Race", written by Jamie Lee Curtis and illustrated by Laura Cornell, published by Joanna Cotler Books, New York
This delightful story asks a lots of questions about growing up. It's about making mistakes and good choices and what makes living worthwile. The journey, with making the world a better place, is what is most important and the lesson that is taught every year at holiday time. This book gives you the opportunity to tell your children what's most important to your family and those yet to come. Happy Thanksgiving!




Apple Turkey-NOTE: THIS PROJECT MUST BE DONE WITH ADULT SUPERVISION

For this craft you will need a large apple, toothpicks or wooden skewers cut into sections, spice drops, dried fruit and whole cloves. Use caution when using the pointed toothpicks and cutting the wooden skewers.

Using toothpicks or pieces of skewers, make three supports so that the apple can lay on it's side without rolling. Place three or 4 spice drops onto several toothpicks or pieces of skewers and poke them into the back of the apple to resemble feathers. There can be as many rows as you wish. In a similar manner, attach a piece of dried fruit (I used a dried plum) where the stem was removed to resemble the head and placed a red drop below to be the waddle. You can also use a large olive, with the pimento hanging out of the whole as the waddle. Name cards could be placed between the rows of feathers if you wish to place them on your Thanksgiving table. Have fun!






Friday, November 5, 2010

Time For a Change

Change your clocks, change the batteries in your smoke detectors!

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

October Safety Recalls

Follow this link for a list of those children's products that have been recalled.

Monday, November 1, 2010

New Warning About Baby Monitor Cords

Follow this link to read how baby monitor cords can be a risk to infants.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Pre-School Fire Safety Contest

Perhaps your child's preschool can win prizes if they participate in this fire safety contest.

http://www.safekids.org/educators/preschool-fire-safety-contest.html

Saturday, October 16, 2010

October Reader's Choice and Craft

For October I am recommending two books written by the same author, Barbara Park.
First, Junie B. Jones Has a Monster Under her Bed. This book is perfect for this spooky time of year. It's main character, Junie B., is a kindergartner, and always getting into some crazy situation which she seems to survive using the most unique strategies.
Second, Junie B. Jones, First Grader, Boo and I Mean It! This book is one in the first grader series.
Both series has many titles and they will make readers, both young and old, giggle with delight!
They are published by Scholastic, New York and can be found in the beginning reader's section of your local book store as well as your public library.



Craft - Fabulous Foam
Look for foam sheets, foam shapes, or foam craft sticks in your local craft shop. They are cheap and fabulous for children to work with. You can easily cut out shapes to make holiday pictures (use can use children's beginning coloring books for patterns), and it works well with most types of glue. Because they are light, they also make wonderful garland decorations, ornaments, or mobiles. They are ideal for adding to cards or scrapbook pages too. Use them for making place cards for your Halloween or Thanksgiving table. Here is a cute fast project I made as a window decoration using foam craft sticks and some construction paper.


Thursday, October 14, 2010

Halloween Safety 2010

Here's a link to a great forum for parents about Halloween Safety. Stop by and join the discussion.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Environmental Hazards For Children

Follow this link to an article on environmental hazards for children published by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Monday, October 4, 2010

Preventing Childhood Injury Webinar

SafeKids USA is hosting a special 60 minute event on Oct. 27th at 7:00pm. It is designed for parents and coaches to help them spot overuse injuries, the signs and symptions of concussion, and proper hydration techniques. Register to watch this online seminar by following this link.

Thursday, September 30, 2010

FDA Warns Parents About Sleep Positioners

They may sound like a good idea, but they aren't. Follow this link to read why.

Fisher-Price Recalls More than 10 Million Products

Follow this link to find out exactly which products pose a danger to your children.

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Have a Car Seat in Your car?

This Saturday, September 25th is “National Seat Check Saturday” when certified child passenger safety technicians will provide child safety seat inspections for free! Here's a link to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administraiton to find a child safety seat inspection station near you.

Monday, September 20, 2010

Child Passenger Safety Week

Follow this link to find out about events in your area.

Friday, September 17, 2010

Award Received

I am so proud to announce that my blog has received an award for being one of the best grandparent sites for 2010. I was chosen by Grand Magazine, an online magazine for grandparents. There are many interesting articles, news items and tips. You can see the current issue here.

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Creating a Postive Youth Sports Experience

Follow this link to an article in the American Academy of Pediatrics newsletter

Saturday, September 11, 2010

September 2010 Book Recommendations

I was just enjoying the wonderful fresh apples available from my local Farmer's Market, and I thought that for September, I would use them as my reading and activity theme. I have two terrific books to recommend.

First, The Crooked Apple Tree, written by Eric Houghton and illustrated by Caroline Gold, published by Barefoot Books, New York. In this delightful story, two children use their imaginations to play under a crooked old apple tree. Although they don't think much of the old tree, they appreciate it more after looking at the photographs their Dad had taken of it throughout the year.

Second, The Apple Pie Tree, written by Zoe Hall illustrated by Shari Halpern, published by Blue Sky Press, New York. There are two children in this story who adore their apple tree and spend the year in anticipation of it's wonderful gift-apples! They watch it throughout the seasons and get to pick the apples and make themselves a delicious pie. The last page of the book explains the importance of bees to pollination, and gives instructions on how to make the perfect apple pie.


Activity: For a change of pace, I decided this month instead of a craft, I would offer two child friendly, simple apple recipes. Cooking with children is a rewarding experience. Besides giving them good skills for later life, it offers parents the opportunity to introduce new language, as well as the skills of measuring, fractions, reading, telling time, sequencing, and nutrition.

This activity must be done with an adult.

Apple Cream Pie
4 cups of peeled and diced apples
1 cup of sugar
1 cup of half and half
2 tablespoons of flour

Combine all the ingredients. Pout into unbaked pie shell. Bake 45 minutes to 1 hour or until brown at 350 degrees.


Apple Crisp
1/3 cup of butter softened
1 cup of brown sugar
3/4 cup of flour
4 cups of sliced tart apples

Mix butter, sugar and flour. Place apples in a 8x8 inch pan. Sprinkle butter topping over the apples. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Pour two glasses of cold milk and enjoy!

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Product Recalls For August 2010

Follow this link for the children's products that have been recalled.

New Ratings For Booster Seats

Follow this link to the Insurance Institute of America and read the newest ratings and information.

Safe Kids USA's Video on Safety in School Zones

Follow this link to watch this important video.

Sunday, September 5, 2010

September Math Everyday

In response to requests for ideas that supplement and enhance mathematical learning for young children, I am offering my first topic of sorting and classifying. To many, this may not appear to have much mathematical significance, but rest assured it does. It is important that children begin to think about how objects, people and places have attributes in common. An attribute is defined as a quality or characteristic belonging to a person or thing or a distinctive feature. Children can be given a collection of everyday objects and asking to sort them any way they want.

Examples of beginning rules for sorting are:
1.color
2.shape
3.size-big small, thick, thin, long, short
4.appearance-shiny, dull, decorated, plain
5.material- wood, metal, plastic, glass
6.use-play, work, school

You can use objects in you home for this activity, such as laundry, food, toys, books, writing/drawing instruments, office supplies and many others.

Two easy activities to practice:

1. Point out the various places where sorting is very apparent, such as supermarkets, where similar foods are grouped. See if you child can name the rule for sorting in each aisle, for example, produce, dairy, candy, meat, soda. Other good places to use this activity is department and hardware stores, pharmacies, and libraries. Discuss with your child how your shopping would change if items were not sorted. Additionally, menus are another easy way to show how sorting is used everyday. Children can use circulars to cut out pictures and glue them into sorted groups. Help your child label each list or group correctly. Point out how items are arrranged in their closet and dresser, in your pantry or kitchen.
Extensions: a.You name several items, see if your child can label your group of
items.
b.Name several items that belong to a group and one that doesn't.
See if you child can pick out the one that doesn't belong.

2. For older children, the Venn diagram can be used. This diagram using overlapping circles, shows how items are related. In the example below, I have chosen to use items in a child's room. I have two groups, "items in my room", and "items that are blue" as my labels. There are items listed inside each circle. The higher level thinking skills come from deciding which items belong where two circle overlap. These items must fit both rules. Your older child can draw these circles or you can use yarn or string to make them so they can be reused each time. At first, you can give the ideas to your child and let them create the diagram. Later on they will be able to do it using their own rules and items.

Extensions: a. Items can become more similar so that careful thought must be used.
Jar lids, stamps, and buttons would be a great example.
b. A third circle might be added so that three attributes must be
considered.





Hope you enjoy using these ideas with your children and find ways to extend and expand them. Remember to teach math everyday.

Monday, August 30, 2010

Stop the Spread of Germs

Want some ideas for keeping germs from spreading to your child in day care or school? Read these tips here.

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Back To School and Stay Healthy

Here is a link to the newest ideas for keeping kids healthy as they go back to school.

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Great New Pool Safety Game For Kids

Play a pool safety game with your children here

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

New Tool For Parents

Find out about a new tool for your smart phone or computer to help you remember your child's vaccination and immunization schedule. Read all about it here.

Monday, August 16, 2010

Fun Sandwiches For Kids

Need some good ideas for lunches? Try these.

Back To School Safety

It's back to school time. Do you know what special things to do to keep your kids safe at this busy time? Read more here.

Monday, August 9, 2010

Booster-Seat Laws Prevent Injury

USA Today has a great article on booster-seat laws and how they prevent childhood injury and death. There are guidelines listed and links to other related articles. Check it out!

Know Any Kids Going Off to College?

Remind them to make sure their dorm and/or apartment has enough working smoke alarms, carbon monoxide alarms, and fire extinguishers!

Pool Alarms

Safe Kids USA has put out a short video on pool alarms that is very helpful. If you own a pool or allow your children to visit a friend's pool, you should watch this.

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

N.I.A.M.

Do you know that August is National Immunization Awareness Month? To separate fact from fiction concerning immunizations follow this link. It will give you the guidelines for infants to elderly.

Math Is Coming

Some of my readers have asked that I share some fun math activities that can be done at home to support school curriculum, similar to my reading suggestions. I will be preparing these over the next few weeks and start presenting my suggestions in September. Please leave a comment if you have suggestions.

Monday, August 2, 2010

Wow, it's August already. Follow this link to the CPSC website to review all the safety recalls for July. Keep updated so you can keep your kids safe!

Safety Fencing Saves Lives

Watch this short video to see if your pool fencing is REALLY safe.

Friday, July 30, 2010

The Importance of Kindergarten

If you have a child entering kindergarten soon, this article will be of interest to you.

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Safe Kids USA

Find a coalition in your state. Find out what's going on near you. Sign up for the newsletter. Be educated about safety for children. Prevent injuries and have fun with your children. Follow this link.

Friday, July 16, 2010

Healthy Snacks

Looking for some healthy snacks or meals for the little ones? Follow this link to HealthyChildren.org to get some great ideas.

Monday, July 12, 2010

Keeping Children Safe Around Open Waters

Follow this link to read some important safety tips for times when you and your children are enjoying open water.

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Choking Prevention for Families With Special Needs Kids

Follow this link to watch a short clip on this important topic.

Friday, July 2, 2010

Fireworks Are NOT For Kids

Follow this link to read about the dangers of fireworks. Have a fun and SAFE holiday weekend.

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

I Found a New Website!

This is a great site for parents and caregivers of children. Visit here and read some great information, get answers to your questions, and become more educated about the things that matter most.

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

July Fourth Book and Craft

Suggested Reading:
Kids Learn America by Patricia Gordon and Reed C. Snow, published by Williamson Publishing Co, Vermont. The authors of this wonderful book says it brings geography to life with people, places and history and it surely does that. It's a terrific way for kids to learn about this wonderful country we call home. Trivia buffs will adore it too!







Patriotic Headband


Supplies you need for this project:
blue and white construction paper-1 sheet each
red crayon or marker
pipe cleaners in red, white or blue
star stickers, or star punch
glitter (optional)
tape or glue
scissors



Cut a two inch by twelve inch piece of blue construction paper. Add stars across the strip using stickers or stars punched out of white paper using a large paper punch available at craft stores.









Cut a piece of white construction paper in half lengthwise. Measure and mark the paper about every inch, three quarters of the way through, from the long side.










Cut strips three quarters of the way through the white paper from the long edge, making strips.
Color alternating strips red.
Attach the two pieces together to form one long piece.






Cut several pipe cleaners in half.
Attach the stars to the pipe cleaners.
You can decorate the stars with glitter if you would like. Make sure it is completely dry before going to the next step.
Attach the stars and stems to the inside of the headband at regular intervals







Have a grown up measure the band to fit each child's head comfortably, and secure with tape.
Let your little ones wear their patriotic headbands proudly!

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Some June Cards

The Gift of Spring






Father's Day Card






Pretty In Purple






Through Stormy Seas

Friday, June 18, 2010

Fire Sprinklers

Watch this video. It is very funny but reminds us of the importance of having sprinklers in your homes.

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Another Child's Plush Toy Recalled

Follow this link to read the details about this Curious George toy.

Thursday, June 10, 2010

IKEA Recalls Blinds

Follow this link to read about the types of blinds being recalled by IKEA.

Thursday, June 3, 2010

June Recommended Reading and Craft

Milo and the Mysterious Island written and illustrated by Marcus Pfister, published by North-South Books, New York. This book is a wonderful way to engage children in a discussion about making wise choices. After the setting and characters are introduced, the book spits into two stories, one with a happy ending and the other with a sad ending. Children can learn about consequences in an exciting and interesting way, while enjoying beautiful watercolor illustrations.

A Frog in the Bog, written by Karma Wilson and illustrated by Joan Rankin, published by Margaret K. McElderry Books, New York. This wonderful read aloud book incorporates, counting, rhyming, and the cutest watercolor illustrations. It's just a joy to read with a youngster.

Swim the Silver Sea, Joshie Otter, written by Nancy White Carlstrom and illustrated by Ken Kuroi, published by Philomel Books, New York. This story of a parents love is set in the Aleutian Islands. It tells of an adventure that Joshie takes that leaves him lost at sea.Thejourney home is so wonderful, it can easily become a enchanting bedtime favorite. The pencil illustrations are a treat for young and old.




Easy Cardboard Bulletin Board Craft Project for Father's Day.


1. Cut a piece of heavy cardboard the size you want to bulletin board to be.
2. Cover one side with wrapping paper, or plain paper that your child can decorate with drawings or stamping.
3. An adult should cut slits at random points along all four sides.
4.Let the children stretch colorful rubber bands between opposite slits at random.
5. It can be used on a desk, or you can attach yarn or twine through punched holes at each corner for hanging.










Slip photos, calendars or business cards under the rubber bands for a secure hold.

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

May 2010 Product Safety Recalls

Follow this link to do a review of all the cildren's products that have been recalled.

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Do Your Children Have Access To Button Batteries?

Follow this link to read a very informative yet disturbing article in the NY Times about the dangers of children swallowing the small round button style batteries they remove from common household items. Becoming an educated caregiver is the best prevention.

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Basketball-Shaped Chair and Ottoman Recalled

These were sold at Home Goods and have been recalled due to excessive lead in the paint. Follow this link to read all the fact.

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Target Recalls Storage Trunks!

There is a risk of strangulation with these trunks. Follow this link to read all the facts.

Monday, May 17, 2010

Inportant Safety Info For Parents

What Parents and Caregivers Need to Know About Hyperthermia or Heat Stroke
Follow this link for further details.
Safe Kids Buckle Up, Never Leave You Child Alone: Leaving a child in a vehicle for a "quick" errand - even for a minute - could be a deadly mistake. Make it a point to never leave your child alone in a car, even for one minute.

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Some Cards for the Month of May

Single Stem












Crazy For Red












Fragrant Lilacs












Inviting Beach












Purple Floral












Pretty In Blue

Friday, May 7, 2010

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Mother's Day Craft Project

Butterfly Mobile

Supplies: For this project you will need one or two small branches from a tree, some white or colored tissue paper, scissors, markers or highlighters, pipe cleaners, scrap yarn, thread.

1. Using yarn,wrap the branches together at the thickest part.







1 Hold several pieces of tissue paper together, the size depends on the age of the child and how well they can manipulate the pieces. Cut out several ovals, cutting through all layers of paper. Cut a second set of ovals slightly smaller than the first.

2. Decorate the pieces with markers or highlighters (for lighter shades) using scrap paper underneath to avoid bleeding, concentrating mostly on the edges.

3. Layer one smaller oval on top of one larger oval, mixing up the colors for brighter butterflies.

4. Pinch the ovals in the middle and wrap a small piece of pipe cleaner around, twisting to hold tight. Adjust the wings to be even and fluffy. Bend the tops of the pipe cleaners to form the antennae. Continue making as many butterflies as your want.

5. Cut various lengths of thread. Attach the butterflies to different spots on the branches. Hang on a porch or near a window. Let Mom watch the little beauties flutter in the breeze! Enjoy!


Saturday, May 1, 2010

Tylenol Recall

Children's Tylenol and Other Drugs Recalled

The McNeil Consumer Healthcare unit of Johnson & Johnson has
voluntarily begun a recall of certain children's
over-the-counter liquid medicines because of manufacturing
deficiencies, the Food and Drug Administration said Saturday.

The deficiencies may affect the potency, purity or quality of
the products, the agency said in a statement.

Consumers should stop using certain lots of infants' and
children's Tylenol, Motrin, Zyrtec and Benadryl products
because some of them may contain too much of the active
ingredient, McNeil said in a statement late Friday.

Read More:

Friday, April 23, 2010

Hear Katie's Story

Tune in to Good Morning America this Monday to Hear Katie’s Story
Posted by Amy Pisani at 3:00pm
In honor of National Infant Immunization Week, Good Morning America will be featuring the story of Callie Van Tornhout. Katie and her husband Craig tried for five years to have a child, but lost their miracle baby Callie after only five weeks after she was infected with pertussis. Please tune in on Monday to hear Katie and Craig share their story and to learn how this can be prevented through cocooning, immunizing those who come in contact with newborns against pertussis during the time period prior to the start of their vaccination series. To read Katie’s story in her own words, click here

Sunday, April 18, 2010

April Cards-Part One

Vintage







Treasures From the Sea






Sleepytime







Wild, Wild West

Monday, April 5, 2010

Install Window Guards to Prevent Injury or Death

Follow this link to watch a video on installing window guards to prevent children from falling out and being injured.

Sunday, April 4, 2010

March 2010 Product Recalls

Follow this link for the list of March 2010 Recalls.

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Cards for the End of March

Friends and Family






Zen






What diet?






Fresh Strawberries






Hurry Up Spring!

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

SlingRider Baby Slings Recalled.

Follow this link to see more information about this recall.

Monday, March 22, 2010

Highchairs Recalled

Follow this link to read about the latest highchair recall.

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Spring Books and Craft

My book picks for April are:

An Egg is Quiet by Dianna Aston, illustrated by Sylvia Long, published by Chronicle books LLC, California. This educational story shows children all the different sizes and colors of 60 different eggs from all types of animals. The illustrations are just beautiful and the information encourages children to explore the wonders of the animal kingdom even further.

Bunnies on the Go- Getting from place to Place by Rick Walton, illustrated by Paige Miglio, published by Harper Collins, New York. This fun story tells children about all the different modes of transportation there are. It's a light hearted to look at getting from here to there.





Craft: Jelly Bean Bunny Tower
For this craft you will need a bathroom tissue cardboard tube (If you want to use them for place cards, you will need one for each guest), construction paper, tape, toothpicks and assorted jelly beans.



1.Cover the tube with construction paper in a color of your choice.

2. Draw a bunny face on white paper, color and cut it out and tape it to the top of one end of the tube.

3. Use toothpicks to hold each jelly bean and poke it through the tube going all the way around.

4. Add a name tag to each bunny tower if you are using them for place cards.

Monday, March 15, 2010

More Cards for March

Lovely Lizard






Celtic Cross






Scatter Joy






Alligator Purse






Quilted Card






Pretty Petals

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Product Recalls for February 2010

Follow this link for all the product recalls for February 2010 and check to see if you or any other family members or friends have products that are dangerous to children.

Easy St. Patrick's Day craft

Shamrock Leprechaun


For this project you will need, green construction paper or card stock, scissors, tape, ribbon, string or a pipe cleaner, and crayons or markers.


To make a large shamrock, use three hearts, points together to make a template.
Use this as a template to trace and cut one large shamrock out of green paper






Trace around the template to make one large shamrock.
Draw a face on the shamrock
Cut two long and two short strips of green paper for the arms and legs.
Accordion fold each paper strip and attach one end of each to the back of the shamrock. Out of any color paper, cut two hands and two feet.
Attach the hands and feet shapes to the folded strips.
Use the pipe cleaner or some ribbon as a hanger.
You can embellish with gold glitter if you wish.
Here's your finished craft.


Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Cards for the End of February

Lil' Bee Charm






Bird of Paradise






Popped Up Flowers






Pretty In Aqua






Longing For Spring






Handy Man Card

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Book Suggestions for March

Well, March is here and for this month I am using the theme of fabric and clothing for my reading recommendations.

The Fabric of Fairy Tales retold by Tanya Robyn Batt with illustrations by Rachel Griffin, published by Barefoot Books, NY. This is a beautiful book that retells seven different fairy tales from around the world, all on the subject of fabric. It's a unique perspective and a fun book for all ages.

The Memory Coat by Elvira Woodruff, illustrated by Michael Dooling, published by Scholastic, NY. For any child with an interest in history, this book is a winner. It traces the life of a young girl from Russia who comes to the US through Ellis Island and how a special coat gives her courage. The theme of bravery and love is powerful.

Weaving The Rainbow by George Ella Lyon and illustrated by Stephanie Anderson, published by Atheneum Books, NY. This is another gorgeous book that tells about weaving and raising sheep. How do you make a rainbow? Read this and see.

Coat of Many Colors by Dolly Parton, illustrated by Judith Sutton, published by Harper Collins, NY. Dolly Parton sang this as a song and says it is one of her favorites. In this book, she tells a story about growing up poor, a special coat, and a Mama's love.

The Spider Weaver by Margaret Musgrove and Julia Carins, published by Blue Sky Press, NY. This book tells the legend from Ghana, about Kente cloth, and how it was first made by a magical spider.

The Quiltmaker's Gift by Jeff Brumbeau, illustrated by Gail de Marcken, published by Scholastic Press, NY. Here, the author introduces children to the wonderful world of quilt designs. I used this book to introduce my Math unit on geometry. It's a great story and children can have fun using squares, rectangles and triangles to make beautiful patterns. There is even a link on the last page for follow up activities.

One Little Lamb by Elaine Greenstein, published by Viking Press, NY. This darling little book is perfect for the budding knitter, since it beautifully shows how mittens go from sheep to finished product.

A New Coat for Anna by Harriet Ziefert, Illustrated by Anita Lobel, published by Scholastic, NY. This book is based on a true story, where in war time, a little girl needs of new coat. Her mother, having no money, trades a gold watch to a farmer for some wool, a lamp for the yarn to be spun, a necklace for the weaving, and a teapot to the tailor and finally after a year's worth of waiting, has a beautiful red coat. A big party is held and all the craft persons are invited to celebrate. Anna remembered to thank the sheep too. It's a touching story of a mother's love and a little girl's patience.

Hope you enjoy these selections. Later in the month, I will be sharing some St. Patrick's Day craft ideas.

Monday, February 15, 2010

February 2010 Cards part one

Spring







Paper Piecing






You're The Best






Purple Wreath






Fashion






Retail Therapy