We just discovered this series of classics geared towards elementary school children: Treasury of Illustrated Classics! They’ve taken the full classic and simplified it, only including the most important details. There are also pictures interlaced into the story, which contribute to comprehension. My children can now share my favorites without having to read the full multi-hundred page books (most of these are less than 200 pages). And I know high school teachers are loving these because kids are now coming to school with knowledge of these required classics, whereas many hadn’t ever read them before.

I can’t find a site anywhere that tells how many total there are; the most I can see is 36. I listed a few of our favorites below, so be sure to check out more of the titles here.

My 8-year-old finished Moby Dick in one day; couldn’t put it down! He wanted to read it because Matilda does. HA!

I just ordered Little Women and Anne of Green Gables for my almost 6-year-old for her birthday. She loves the movies, but the books are a little over head. She won’t be able to read them independently, but I’m hoping we can enjoy them together! (Lauren–Maddie would LOVE these and might be able to read them!)

We also ordered The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Journey to the Center of the Earth (his request) for my son for his birthday later this year.

I’m sure you could find these at your library. I found some at Hobby Lobby for $1.99 (hardback)!! And Amazon sells most of these for cheap (I’m talking, less than $5.00).

I think these would be great for 3rd – 6th graders independently, and for younger children if you’re reading it with them (I’m thinking bedtime book for my older kids).

I love that my kids are learning to love the classics at such a young age! Go check these out!

I had no idea it was National Chocolate Chip Day until I read this post. Oh, my!  My mouth is watering just looking at the pictures. So, visit Like Mother, Like Daughter and see Aimee’s inspirations for today! I’m sure you’ll find a new favorite to try!

And then, go make some chocolate chip cookies!! I know I’m planning on it!

(*picture from her post, as well)

I’m not exactly sure how it was done, but here’s my guess:

1. Paint the INSIDE of the jar. Put a dollop of craft paint in the bottom, tip upside-down and roll around until it’s all covered. Leave upside-down to allow excess paint to escape. Then, tip upright and let dry. Any color will be beautiful.

2. Using craft paint again, place your child’s handprint on the OUTSIDE. Let dry. I really, really like the white handprint in contrast with the color on the jar.

3. Be sure to write your child’s name and the date in permanent marker somewhere on the jar. I love how my daughter wrote her own. Memories for me.

4. Optional: Tie with a big bow and place a fake flower inside.* With the bow, they didn’t even have to wrap it. LOVE!

*Note: You cannot fill the jar with water, as the paint will wash away. I read somewhere that if you put a cup inside with water, you can then put real flowers in. I would love fresh flowers as a centerpiece for spring!

Have your children decorate hot pads for mom to use in the kitchen! They will think of your children every time they cook. Use fabric paint or markers and let your children decorate a light-colored hot pad. Be sure to label it with their name and date.

For our grandmas a couple of years ago, I did a handprint with paint on one side and let my son (then 2) color the other side with markers–all scribbles. They turned out adorable and the grandmas love them! (see above)

We’ve also done this version, which I just think is the cutest!! They’re tulips made with their hands (just paint the 4 fingers, not the thumb; and the top part of the palm). The kids drew on the backs, as well.

As the pictures came in this past fall, and I was able to edit them, the excitement mounted! This was quite the project, and I spent many hours on it. I’m a perfectionist, and I wanted this to be just right. I had to figure out a way to get all 7 pictures to fit in my frame, fairly evenly. I re-sized and printed and cropped many times. But when it all came together, I couldn’t have been happier!

Here’s the final outcome (you can click on the picture to make it bigger):

Our grandma LOVED it!! And honestly, it’s my favorite project to date.

(We actually did this as a Christmas gift. There is a matching Grandpa set, which I will show you for Father’s Day in June.)

We’ve also done this one, which is also cute, and works for the other side of the family, where we don’t have enough grandchildren yet to spell Grandma. Once again, I made it black and white so I didn’t have to worry about matching outfits! Print it and put it in a cute frame. We made this one smaller so it sits on her side table in her living room (there is also a matching Grandpa frame).

You could also use one like this to send an email message to a grandma who lives out-of-state.

Remember the Lego Exhibit I mentioned earlier this month? Well, currently, Hogle Zoo has something similar. They have life-size zoo animals made out of Legos all throughout the park! Turtles, birds, even a polar bear. They were amazing! If you get a chance, be sure to check them out. They’ll be there all summer.

For more info and to see pictures, go here. (All pictures on this post are from their site. For the first time in my life, I forgot my camera. It was a sad day…)

]]> http://dressesandmesses.wordpress.com/2013/05/02/local-fun-lego-exhibit-at-hogle-zoo/feed/ 0 ad65shorty http://dressesandmesses.wordpress.com/2013/04/30/may-day-service-2/ http://dressesandmesses.wordpress.com/2013/04/30/may-day-service-2/#comments Tue, 30 Apr 2013 13:00:43 +0000 ad65shorty http://dressesandmesses.wordpress.com/?p=6610 ]]> Tomorrow is May Day! Here is a tradition we love:

The history of May Day began many years ago. I won’t go into all of that, but if you’re interested, you can find it online. Here’s a great link: http://www.theholidayspot.com/mayday/index.htm  For the sake of today, May Day is simply a way to celebrate summer, friendship, and new beginnings.

May Day is always celebrated with lots of flowers–the May Pole, May Day baskets, garlands, wreaths, etc. One May Day tradition is making a May Day basket to let your friends know you’re thinking of them. We don’t do a full basket because it can be a bit pricey, but a couple of flowers tied with a ribbon are a bit more up our alley (carnations are cheap). I also like to leave a little note that says something like, “Thinking of you. Happy May Day!” Leave your flowers on your friend’s doorstep, ring the bell, run, and hide! What a great way to brighten someone’s day!!

I got into this simple tradition from a dear teacher friend years ago. She would send home one flower with each student. Their homework that night was to find someone who needed some brightening, and to leave the flower anonymously on their doorstep. The next day they would report what they did. I loved it and incorporated the idea into my own classroom each year.

My own kids really enjoy this simple activity. Sometimes we do it anonymously; sometimes not. I think it’s good for my kids to see the reactions of the people we deliver flowers to. What a great way to teach your children about service!

picture of my son delivering a flower in the past

This is a great activity to teach and help your children remember the function of each plant part!! My students could go home and teach their parents this, even in in preschool. Amazing!

Have your children draw some dirt with a crayon first. Make sure they draw it near the bottom of their paper. Plants need dirt to grow.

Glue yarn on for roots in the dirt section. Just as the yarn soaks up water, roots reach out in the dirt, searching for, and soaking up water to feed the plant. (you could have them glue the stem on first, if it’ll help with placing)

Glue a straw on for the stem. The stem sucks the water up from the roots to feed the rest of the plant, just like when you suck through a straw.

Glue a paper baking cup at the top of the stem for the flower. Your children can decorate this with crayons or cut it to look like petals. In the middle of the baking cup, glue some seeds. The flower makes the seeds.

Glue on a leaf (you can use a real leaf or paper). Have your children draw a sun in the sky. The leaf uses the sun to also feed the plant.

We also discuss what else a plant needs, such as air and water, and then draw those things in, too.

With this activity, your children should be able to tell all the basic plant parts and their functions, as well as what a plant needs to grow. With older children, you could have them write or glue labels on with the plant parts. With my preschoolers, they just glued a slip on the back with all this info (to help their parents prompt them, if needed).

I love Pride and Prejudice. Les Miserables, too! What about Moby Dick? Or Oliver Twist? Don’t you want to share these classics with your young children?! Well, now you can!

I just discovered this new series called My Cozy Classics. They’re board books with colorful, needle-felted illustrations and one word on each page, which when read through, tell the whole story. I love the simple pre-reading skills it incorporates, but I also love that I can then expand on the pictures and tell the story in my own words, thus sharing my passion for each story.

Oh, my! Be still my heart. I can’t wait to get my hands on these!

Go to their official website here. Or I found them on Amazon here.

They also have War and Peace, Jane Eyre, and Oliver Twist. (Some titles are not available yet, but you can pre-order.)

Today is Earth Day! Watch The Lorax…

or even better, read the book!

Afterwards, discuss how one person can make a difference in the world. Then, brainstorm with your children one way they can help the earth today. Even small things can have a huge impact! It can be as simple as picking up litter, planting a garden, or recycling (or here are some upcycling ideas).

There’s a park near our house. It connects to a huge grove of trees (a small forest, if you will). We’re going to spread wildflower seeds right along the trail today with the hopes that wildflowers will grow and beautify the park even more.

What do you think you might do?

Need some ideas? Go here for ideas from the past.