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.