Disney/Pixar Animation Studios Artist Showcase Series

I have always been a huge fan of book jackets. I love lifting them up and sometimes finding a whole different picture underneath the original cover, as if the illustrator could not decide which one he liked more, so he put both representations of what he wanted to convey on that first thing you see (the cover) and those of us smart enough to peak underneath can find a true treasure. Disney/Pixar has started producing Artist Showcase Books – “A series of original picture books that put the spotlight on the incredible artists of Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar Animation Studios” and so far, the two books I have seen from this series are incredible. The illustrations and characters will welcome you into their worlds and you will constantly want to return.

 

In Bug Zoo by Andy Harkness, a young boy named Ben who loves bugs is motivated by a trip to the city zoo to create his own bug zoo. When no one comes to see his exhibit he contemplates why that could be as well as the emotions of the bugs in their new residences. Ben learns that all living things have their proper place in this world and that there is a use for every empty jar one may find. Any child who LOVES bugs will love the illustrations in this book and any child who HATES bugs will also love this book. The end papers of the book are filled with facts about the bugs depicted in the story along with instructions on the best ways to catch some of them. The bright colors, attention to detail and Ben's high spirits will truly make young children want to play outside and discover the insects living among them. (And don’t forget to look inside the jacket cover for another amazing image!) This book will be available for purchase on February 16, 2016.

Cloud Country by Noah Klocek is one of those picture books you aren’t sure of it’s intended audience, but once you read it you feel you must share it with everyone you know. Is it for children looking to find their place in the world or is it for adults as a lesson on how to teach each child based on their personal abilities? I believe that to be the magic of this book - there is truly something for every reader. The child will relate to Gale, a little cloud who loves to gaze at the Earth from above when she should be studying for her final on how to create perfect cloud formations. When she masters creating clouds that are a little out of the ordinary for her world, the Head Guardian realizes she has a talent to create “Land Shapes” and instead of ostracizing her for not creating a “Cumulus Cloud”, he honors her the position of “Daydream Cloud” - to create the shapes we think we see when we look up at clouds in the sky, a message all parents and teachers can be reminded of: that even if your child does something a little different than expected, it does not make it any less extraordinary and should be celebrated (within reason). The illustrations in this book truly transform you into the stratosphere and will truly make you feel like you are right there at the cloud school final with Gale. I encourage you to take a look at this very cool behind the scenes video with Noah Klocek about how he created this masterpiece: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQrUBrzOKfI (And don’t forget to check under the book jacket!!) 

All About Apps

My parents gave each of my children an iPad for their second birthdays and told me to constantly have appropriate educational apps on it. I once wrote a post about my feelings towards my son’s iPad here. I often see on my news feed that parents are looking for apps for their children to keep them entertained on plane rides or at doctor visits, so today I will share with you some of my favorite apps that I have discovered.  (To help navigate the post, names that are bolded are the developer and the names in italics are the titles of the program.) I also apologize in advance that I do not remember which of these I paid for and which are free but I promise you each one I spent money on has been worth every penny and that since I only have an iPad, I only know for sure these are iPad compatible. 

At two years old, my children were still mastering the basics – letter recognition, number recognition, colors, shapes and songs. Every Fisher Price app I ever downloaded I absolutely loved.

Shapes and Colors – a brightly colored piano and floating shapes help master these skills with catchy tunes.

Storybook (1, 2, 3) – animates popular nursery rhymes and gives you the option to read along or sing along and play as you go!

Market – three adorable games for the youngest food lover. One is a grocery checkout, one is shopping for foods in the market and one is helping “Baker Bob” bake some treats for his bakery (and you can choose cupcakes, apple pie or chocolate chip cookies).

For letters and numbers, I highly recommend the Endless Learning package. You can also get each app separately, Endless Reader (which focuses on sight words), Endless ABC (which goes above and beyond beginner alphabet), Endless 1,2,3 (which teaches numbers 1-100) and Endless Wordplay which focuses on basic spelling and rhyming words. What I love about Reader and ABC is that it helps a child spell a word and use it properly in a sentence (with an adorable graphic to help a child understand the vocabulary).  I also have Little Writer by Alligator Apps that helps a child learn to trace upper and lower case letters in addition to numbers, shapes and simple words. I found that this helped my son learn to write his name and also gave him an opportunity to practice letter writing on fogged up windows.

For those of you looking for beginner apps in Hebrew, I have found success with Hebrew Tots which includes the aleph bet, numbers, colors and basic opposites and Sarah and David Interactive Alphabet Story which focuses on the Hebrew alphabet in a cute storybook fashion.

For little ones interested in sorting, matching, building towers and basic problem solving, Tiny Hands Towers, Sorting and What’s My Pair are a must for your iPad. Children will feel proud of themselves for solving each level and they get a round of applause with each completed puzzle! (And if puzzles are your child’s favorite thing, you must get them Puzzingo “the greatest puzzle on earth”!)

Nosy Crow is an amazing app developer and there is nothing of theirs that I haven’t been satisfied with. From interactive fairy tales (I have Cinderella, Jack and Beanstalk, Red Riding Hood and Goldilocks) to teaching about animal lifecycles (I have Frog and Penguin) to basic building (architecture related) apps (Bizzy Farm and Bizzy Builds), my children can stick with one of these for a half hour easily. There are problems to solve, structures to build and animals that need to be fed.

If tools and engineering are up your child’s alley, you may want to consider Tiny Bop’s Simple Machines that focuses on the use of levers, pulleys, angles and other physics related tools I never understood the mechanics of until I played this with my son. I also want to suggest the Sago Mini Toolbox, where one learns how to use tools (saws, hammers, scissors, wrenches etc.) and then build cool things like scooters and bird feeders with the tools you now know how to use.

There are some apps I have that I believe are a little sophisticated for my son (he is four and a half) but since they were the only ones that fit the bill of interest, he has them (and much to my surprise he can play them correctly and even get to level 65!). Seven Academy has two amazing apps called Crazy Gears and Busy Shapes that focus on connecting gears or shapes correctly to advance to the next level (each game has the same premise). They start off easy and get extremely complex so make sure your child doesn’t get anxious if he reaches a level he can’t complete (and unfortunately if you are my son who asks me for help at level 67 and I don’t have a clue – I just reset it to level 1). He also has amazing learning apps by Urban Pockets that teach about the mechanics of a car (My Car), the different systems in the body (My Body) and weather patterns (My Weather). He also has a great app called Tic Toc Time which teaches how to tell time and use a compass. As you can see, we are ready for kindergarten!

The last app I want to mention is Small Street. It is almost a children’s version of Sim City, where you are required to build a successful town, hire workers, collect rent and make money. I downloaded it by accident but for an older child who understands the basic concept can get addicted to this game really quickly (I would say perfect for 7-10 year olds).

I hope some of you find this useful and feel free to share any amazing apps you have found along this journey of new ways to entertain young ones in the twenty first century!

Star Wars Mania

The night my son asked me to tell him a bedtime story about Star Wars I realized my children might watch too much television. When I asked him what he knew about Star Wars he said “Like the show Star Wars Rebels with Chopper”. He has never seen the show, but he has seen many commercials for Star Wars Rebels on Disney Junior and countless commercials for all the new toys related to the new movie. So I made up a story using the names of the Star Wars characters I know and I thought that was the end of it. It wasn’t and my son started asking me a million questions about the force. A few months ago I got a World of Reading Star Wars book called Use the Force! and decided my son should read it with me, though I think a four year old is a little young for good vs evil and all the violence that comes with Star Wars. My son is SO into this book he can practically read it himself.

  

Fortunately, the new Star Wars movie has some great companion books. I was even more fortunate to get my hands on 5 Minute Star Wars Stories which touches upon all seven movies and now I no longer need to make up my own stories about Han Solo. My son is definitely not watching any Star Wars movies or television shows anytime soon and I am okay with him telling me every picture of Kylo Ren is Darth Vader because that is the power of a book, it keeps his imagination running wild and the vivid imagery of violence at bay. If you have any young children interested in the Star Wars franchise, these books were made for your home library!

Happy Chanukah!

Chanukah is just around the corner! To get everyone into the spirit of the festival of light, here are some songs, books, crafts and recipes!

Maoz Tzur

Maoz tzur y'shuati l'cha naeh l'shabeach
Tikon beit t'filati v'sham todah n'zabeach.
L'eit tachin matbeach mitzar hamnabeach
Az egmor b'shir mizmor chanukat hamizbeach.

Eight Little Candles

(To the tune of “10 Little Indians”)

One little, two little, three little candles,

Four little, five little, six little candles

Seven little, eight little pretty candles,

Burning, oh so bright!

How Many Candles?

How many candles,

How many candles,

How many candles do we light.

On our chanukiah,

On our chanukiah

The first Hanukkah night?

One, one, one, one, one, one

One candle burning,

One candle burning

The first Hanukkah night.

(Continue with 2-8)

The Dreidel Song

I have a little dreidel,
I made it out of clay,
And when it’s dry and ready,
Oh dreidel, I shall play!

Oh, dreidel, dreidel, dreidel,
I made you out of clay,
And when it’s dry and ready,
Oh Dreidel I shall play!

Sevivon Sov Sov Sov

Sevivon Sov Sov Sov
Chanukah Hu Chag Tov
Chanukah Hu Chag Tov
Sevivon Sov Sov Sov

Chag Simcha hu la'am
Nes Gadol Haya Sham
Nes Gadol Haya Sham
Chag Simcha hu la'am

Al Hanisim

Al hanissim, v'al hapurkan, v'al hag'vurot v'al hat'tshuot v'al hamilchamot sh'asita lavoteinu bayamim hahem baz'man hazeh.

  

Some Chanukah Books you may enjoy:

The Night Before Chanukah – Natasha Wing

Biscuits Hannukah – Alyssa Capucilli

Hannukah – Priddy Books

I Know An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Dreidel – Caryn Yacowitz

How Do Dinosaurs Say Happy Chanukah? – Jane Yolen

The Story of Hanukkah – David A. Adler

 

Some links to Chanukah activities and crafts:

http://www.dltk-kids.com/world/jewish/hanukah.htm

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/hanukkah/

http://www.artistshelpingchildren.org/kidscraftsactivitiesblog/2012/11/ideas-for-making-a-lego-hanukkah-menorah/ (Instructions for making a LEGO Menorah!)

  

And let’s wrap up this post with links to some great Chanukah recipes!

http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/454611/jewish/Chanukah-Recipes.htm

http://www.marthastewart.com/318045/edible-chocolate-marshmallow-dreidels

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/hanukkah-sugar-cookies-50093.aspx

Chag Sameach Everyone!

Disney/Pixar's The Good Dinosaur

What if the asteroid that was supposed to destroy the dinosaurs missed? It would lead to an interesting friendship between a little boy named Spot and a dinosaur named Arlo. This is the premise for Disney/Pixar’s newest film, The Good Dinosaur. If your child can’t get enough of Spot and Arlo, here are some books to keep the dinosaurs alive in your home.

A Berry for Arlo – Jerrod Maruyama

Spot finds a branch of berries and wants to share it with his friend Arlo. His only problem is that he needs to GET to Arlo and there are many obstacles in the way (and many of them like berries too!). In this die-cut board book you will meet all kinds of dinosaurs and children will love joining Spot on his adventure to get a treat to his friend. With bright pictures that resemble the movie, children will want to read this over and over again. (Ideal for preschoolers ages 3-5.)

A Friend in the Wild – Brandi Dougherty

Spot and Arlo live in the wild and share their tips for survival in this adorable story about true friendship. The advice is actually relevant, like having sturdy shelter and knowing your plants (leaves of three – let them be). The message of working together, having fun and sticking together is helpful in guiding any friendship both domestically and in the wild. The pictures compliment the text beautifully and the facial expressions on Spot and Arlo really bring life to every page. You will love this manual for life! (Ideal for children ages 6-8.)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

    

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. Some of the best family memories were made at my grandparent’s house on Thanksgiving, while playing pool or watching the Cowboys play football on one of the oldest televisions in history with my cousins. I am extremely sentimental and try to instill a love of family time in my children which is why I make a big deal out of every holiday. We do crafts and bake and if my kids let me I teach them random songs I remember from my childhood.

To kick off Thanksgiving arts and crafts I got this really cute Activity Book with some great ideas for center pieces, place cards, food labels and stickers. A lot of similar activities are also online and here a few links to some of my favorite Thanksgiving crafts to create with your little (and big) ones.

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/thanksgiving/

http://happythanksgivingdaywishes.com/thanksgiving-arts-and-crafts.html

http://www.freekidscrafts.com/holidays/thanksgiving-crafts/ (I am all about the printable turkey hat!)

http://www.first-school.ws/THEME/h_thanksgiving.

  

If you are interested in a few holiday themed books:

I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Pie – Alison Jackson

10 Fat Turkeys – Tony Johnston

My First Thanksgiving – Tomie dePaola

Balloons Over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy’s Parade – Melissa Sweet

Pete the Cat: The First Thanksgiving – Kimberly and James Dean

Molly’s Pilgrim – Barbara Cohen (did anyone NOT have to read this in elementary school?)

Ready for a Thanksgiving sing-a-long?  

The Turkey Ran Away

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_F8XSsd5OM

(If you know the school/children in this video PLEASE tell me so I can credit them for this amazing performance!)

The turkey ran away,
Upon Thanksgiving day.
He said "They will make a roast of me!
If I should stay."

The pumpkin rolled away,
Upon Thanksgiving day.
She said "They will make a pie of me!
If I should stay."

The cranberry rolled away,
Upon Thanksgiving day.
He said "They will make a sauce of me!
If I should stay."

Ten Little Turkeys – The Learning Station

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_F8XSsd5OM

Ten Little Turkeys sat in their pen,

“Hide, turkeys, hide!” Said the little red hen!

One little turkey flew far away,

The other nine decided to stay.

(counts down and all the lyrics are in the video)

Have a very Happy Thanksgiving!!

Soup's On!

  

When the clocks change every year I am always that person that assumes it is 9:45 when it is really only 5:15 pm. Since it gets dark earlier I also assume it is now cold outside so daylight savings ending also kicks off soup season (and boots season) in our home.

Every fall at the library I hosted a story time with a Soup theme. I loved hearing from the children their favorite and most hated types of soups and since it was always an ethnically diverse crowd I was always learning varied ingredients cultures stick into those giant pots. While I never rushed home to recreate the soup recipes I heard about, I did often Google image those delicacies (which is basically the same thing).

Since I have a pot of chicken soup on the stove right now, I thought I would share with you some of my favorite Soup books, a song and a craft so you can host your own Soup themed story time in your home. A Soup theme also motivates children to create their own recipes, grocery lists and get cooking in the kitchen (with a parent’s permission and supervision). I highly recommend you try this with your young one. After all, the families that cook, eat and read together stay together!

Books:

Stone Soup – Marcia Brown (Or any other version)

Alvie Eats Soup – Ross Collins

Growing Vegetable Soup – Lois Ehlert

Chicken Soup with Rice – Maurice Sendak

Pretend Soup – Mollie Katzen

   

The Soup Song:

(Tune of London Bridge)

Put some _____ (name ingredient) in the pot, stir it up nice and hot! Get it ready for dinner, ready for dinner.

(OR: Put some _____ (ingredient) in the pot, stir it up, nice and hot! Get it ready for Shabbat, for Shabbat.)

Soup Craft –

I used to print these out and have the children pick what they wanted to add to their own pot of soup. There would also always be plain paper for them to draw anything they did not see on the template but wanted to add to their soup pot.

http://www.dltk-teach.com/t.asp?t=http://www.dltk-teach.com/fables/stonesoup/bfelt1.gif

http://www.dltk-teach.com/t.asp?t=http://www.dltk-teach.com/fables/stonesoup/bfelt2.gif

http://www.dltk-teach.com/t.asp?t=http://www.dltk-teach.com/fables/stonesoup/bfelt3.gif

http://www.dltk-teach.com/t.asp?t=http://www.dltk-teach.com/fables/stonesoup/bfelt4.gif

Bon Appetit!