Summer is over. The beaches are less crowded. Do you visit the shoreline off season? The beaches change so much in each season. Today I get to share with you an interesting nonfiction picture book that teaches us about the one sea on Earth that does not have a shoreline! The book is Sea Without a Shore by Barb Rosenstock and illustrated by Katherine Roy.
Do you use maps? Perhaps you use your GPS but it gives us a map to follow. Today I get to share with you a new picture book that shares a bit of the history of maps and how they have been made over time. The book is The Shape of Things: How Mapmakers Picture Our World by Dean Robbins and illustrated by Matt Tavares. It is recommended for ages 4 to 8.
Now for the third week I have been experimenting with paper beads. This week I experimented with using brown paper as in paper bags and brown paper wrap. It began when I was at the Cape house and my sister had covered a counter with brown paper to protect it while contractors were there doing work. I was in charge of removing it. I went to throw it away and realized it might work for beads that I could paint. To start though let me share some finished products from beads I made last week. Here is the bracelet I made from the map beads.
It is Sunday again and time to share some of the crafts I have been doing. I am still focusing on paper beads like last week. This week I made some necklaces and experimented with the shape of beads as well as paper I am using. First I will share the necklaces from the beads I made last week.
Did you know that Paris has many beekeepers who keep bees on roofs and other public and private spaces? Paris seems to have realized the necessity of bees for our planet and having them makes us all better. One place they had hives is the roof of the Notre Dame Cathedral. Today I get to share a book with you that shares the story of the bees and the fire at Notre Dame. The book is The Bees of Notre-Dame by Meghan P. Browne and illustrated by E. B. Goodale. It is recommended for ages 4 to 9. I am also sharing a round-up of bee crafts, fun facts, and more!
Over the years we have loved learning about butterflies and especially monarchs. We grow milkweed to help keep monarchs around. Today I get to share with you a wonderful new picture book about the long journey they take every autumn. The book is Home Is Calling: The Journey of the Monarch Butterfly by Katherine Pryor and illustrated by Ellie Peterson. It is recommended for ages 4 to 7. At the end of my post is a round-up of butterfly crafts and activities including a section on monarchs! It shares more than 50 ideas!
Have you seen the Barbie Movie yet? For my birthday this year, Hazel and I went to a matinee. I also decided to try to make a Barbie cake for myself. It is hard to hear some of the criticism of the movie from people who refuse to see it. For example, Rex Huppke's column in USA Today shares many of the things said about the movie. Now being a liberal and having many liberal friends, I have many friends who have different opinions. But I am going to begin by sharing a bit of my own background.
As the summer begins it is time to find books for summer reading. Today I get to share a fun new middle grades novel that is perfect for summer reading and adventures. It is The Kingdom Over the Sea by Zohra Nabi. It is recommended for ages 8 to 12.
When you are feeling stressed out, what do you do? Do you meditate? Take a deep breath? What do you teach your child(ren) to do? According to the CDC, approximately 5.8 million children between the ages of 3 and 17 were diagnosed with anxiety between 2016 and 2019 and the numbers are going up. (Source) Our world and society is changing so quickly that we are not keeping up with helping our kids deal with it. We need to teach them methods to deal with their stress. Today's book is a perfect start for younger kids. It is Odette's Alphabet by Sandrine Marlier and illustrated by Leonardo Schiavina.
Do you have an animal lover in your house? Or perhaps you are doing a unit on sea turtles? I have a book for you. The book is Yoshi Sea Turtle Genius by Lynne Cox and illustrated by Richard Jones. It is recommended for ages 4 to 8. At the end of my post there is also a turtle craft round-up to go with this book!
How much of your ancestry do you know? Do you use one of the on-line services like Ancestry or Family Search? I always find it so interesting. Well, now there is a new company, Family Legacy Maps, that takes your information and photos and creates a family map for you! My friend, Aaron Carapella of Tribal Nations Maps (see my reviews), and Jon Vanderveer cofounded this new company. Can I tell you how neat it is?
Who doesn't love a cute animal book? Little kids usually love animals and today I am sharing a round-up of new picture books focused on animals. And with the state of the world right now I think we all need some cuteness and fun to distract us. The books feature cute puppies, baby animals and dinosaurs and all three books are from National Geographic Kids, so they are full of photos and more. We will start with So Cute! Puppies by Crispin Boyer. It is recommended for ages 3 to 5.
The weather here in New England is not perfect for getting outside and certainly not for hiking without snowshoes. However, I like to think about warmer weather and weather where the ground isn't covered with snow and ice. I know it is coming! So today I am going to share a new book that shares 50 hikes around New England that are good to do with kids. The book is 50 Hikes with Kids: New England by Wendy Gorton.
Do you kids know anything about the Greek myths? Have you ever thought it important to study them and why? There are several fun ways to learn about them without actually reading the myths these days. There are books like the series from Rick Riordan, The Treasury of Glorious Goddesses, and even fun versions like Thundercluck. Today I am going to introduce you to another series with a fun take on the myths. This series comes from National Geographic Kids and is the Zeus the Mighty series. Today I get to share the third book from the series, Zeus the Mighty: The Trials of Hairy-Clees by Crispin Boyer. It is suggested for ages 8 to 12.
This year there will be shortages for gifts, especially toys. They are saying to shop early and not wait to see if things go on sale. I decided to provide my gift recommendations and my favorites of 2021 for you earlier than usual. I went through what I have shared with you and some of what I will share with you to give these recommendations. I may make additions in the future since I don't have everything I will review this year yet. I am dividing it up by ages for actual gift recommendations! Many of the recommendations are for books. If you follow the rule of four for gifting this should be helpful! I hope you find this list helpful!
How do you use a world atlas? Do you use it when you are teaching/learning geography? Are there other ways to use it? Today I am sharing with you the 6th Edition of National Geographic Kids World Atlas. And I am going to share ideas of different ways to use it in different types of lessons. They are not all social studies either! The World Atlas is recommended for ages 10 and older.
I love making quilts. However I do it rather slowly most of the time. I have had four quilt books that I haven't shared with you sitting in my review folder and to be honest I haven't been motivated to start any of the quilts. I picked out quilts to make in each one but didn't have a bed or person to make them for and just didn't have the time to do them without the motivation of a reason. I also have had a lot of family things going on and am hoping to start making a classic double wedding ring for my own bed. So with all of that I thought I would do a quilt book round-up with fun facts about quilting first.
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| Tristan Quilt by Unknown 1395, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons |
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| AIDS Memorial Quilt Photo by National Institutes of Health, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons |
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| Gee's Bend Quilting Bee photo by Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons |
Do you have a good sense of direction or are you one of those people who always gets lost? I tend to have a pretty good sense of direction. When I do get lost I can usually call my husband and he will pull out a map and find where I am and how to get where I want to be or use my GPS. Steve loves maps. When we were first married he would drive me crazy. I would print out directions when we were going somewhere but instead of reading me the directions he would try to tell me the directions from the map. Unfortunately he is not as quick as needed in the map reading when I'm driving. Because of Steve's love of maps, Hazel became interested in maps at a young age. Of course there are places that are not mapped out like the forest. What happens when you get lost there? Today's book is a book to give the reader skills to not get lost or at least know how to find one's way and what tools one might need when exploring. The book is How to Go Anywhere (and Not Get Lost) by Hans Aschim and illustrated by Andres Lozano.
Have you ever wondered where the clouds go after they float by? Today's book, Where the World Ends: A Zip, Trik, and Flip Adventure by Davide Cali and illustrated by Maria Dek, begins with three animal friends wondering just this. The three friends decide to go on an adventure to find the end of the world.
This has been a crazy week. It is hard to believe what is going on in our country. I know I have not been myself since Wednesday. Watching the people storm the capitol was just awful. I felt like our country was truly divided and falling apart. I took a few days off from blogging because I just needed to care for me and my family and come back from all the emotions from the day. I have spent a lot of time praying and reflecting on my own life and what I want for our country as well as some crafts and puzzles. How are you doing?
