Hispanic Hertiage Month--Some Legends of Puerto Rico

Hispanic Heritage Month is every September 15th to October 15th. Last year we really focused on Mexico for Hispanic Heritage Month. We also have done two Mexican Cinderella tales in our Fairy Tales in Different Culture series (as well as a Hispanic American version). This year we are going to expand out a bit. You will be seeing some Hispanic Heritage posts in our Fairy Tales in Different Cultures series (including this week) as well as our Flamingo Friday posts. Today I am going to share with you two wonderful picture books that tell two legends from Puerto Rico. Before I begin with the books, I need to send out a huge thank you to Daria over at Daria Music for sending these great books to me. If you have not checked out Daria's site, you should. She has amazing CD's as well as a great monthly page with several giveaways each month. This month she is giving away a basket full of castanets and a set of fair trade zamponas.

Sharing Saturday 13-36

Thank you to everyone who shared their amazing ideas last week and thank you to all of you who visited to see what was shared and of course to those who left comments on others. I know I found much inspiration from last week's Sharing Saturday. If you have not had a chance to visit them, you should since there are wonderful ideas.

We had a tie for most clicked. Based on the two which were most clicked, I would guess people are getting ready for fall.

From Mums Make Lists: 10 Fun Ideas to Pimp Up Your Pumpkins

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From East Coast Mommy: Simple Fall Checklist {Free Printable}

And here are a few of my favorites.

1) From Cutesy Crafts: Kiddie Crafts - Pony Bead Pumpkins (Ok, I'm getting into fall as well.)

2) From Wesens-Art: Free eBook Sometimes (Ok, in honor of National Sewing Month I had to share this one with a free pattern!)

3) From Life with Moore Babies: Bottle "Glass" Sculptures (I love this idea to replicate the beautiful glass sculptures.)

4) From Buggy and Buddy: Finding Symmetry in Nature (This is a great activity to go with some of the math in nature books I shared about last month.)

5) From Craftulate: Tractor Track Prints (What a great idea and big money saver!!)

6) From Green Owl Art: The "With Me All Day" Pendant (I wish I had seen this before Hazel's first day!)

Thank you to everyone who shared last week!! I hope you will join us and share again!! If you are featured here , please feel free to grab a featured button to display proudly on your blog. 

From Your Hostess:
This week we shared Nourie Hadig, an Armenian Snow White, The Little Squeegy Bug for Virtual Book Club for Kids, Hazel's new skirt for the first day of school, a prayer and memory of September 11th, Homemade ukulele and banjo, and some paper plate flamingos.

 

Now for This Week's Party  
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Flamingo Friday--Paper Plate Flamingos

So this week I thought we would finally share the craft I have had in my head for quite awhile. I thought I had seen something like it on-line, but when I went to look for the link, I could not find it. We decided since we focused on baby flamingos last week to make a mommy flamingo and a baby flamingo. I cut a regular sized paper plate in half as well as a small (cake) sized one in half. I gave Hazel the small half to start gluing on feathers. We used white since baby flamingos are white or grey. I cut out necks and heads from construction paper and we taped them onto the plate (glue did not stick well on the glossy side) and we folded a pipe cleaner in half to be the legs.

Since I was busy cutting heads and taping on legs and heads, Hazel added feathers to my baby as well. We talked about how flamingos have yellow eyes, so she drew two on her baby. I tried to explain we would only see one on that side of the head.

For the mommy flamingos, we used the larger plates. We used two pipe cleaners for the legs since their legs are longer than the babies. I cut the heads out of white construction paper since their beaks are white and black and Hazel used her dot markers to make the head and necks pink (and the eyes yellow) on both heads. She glued the pink feathers to hers and I used a feather boa for mine. We originally had trouble finding just pink feathers so we thought the feather boa would work. I added a few extras of the feathers for the tail.

Now I think we will use these as decorations at her birthday party.

Hazel's

So how do you like our simple flamingo craft? Did I mention Hazel was home sick today when we did this and it really did not take too long and she loves them?

Happy Flamingo Friday!! (With the weather we have had here, it feels like flamingo weather and not our typical September weather.)

Homemade String Instruments

Today I am going to share our homemade string instruments. Now as I posted earlier this month, Hazel loves playing her ukulele, so when she saw we could make one in Nifty Thrifty Music Crafts by Felicia Lowenstein Niven, she wanted to make one right away. Our problem was we did not have an empty cereal box. However when I did my kitchen cupboard clean out I had several cracker boxes, so we used one of those. We also used a paper towel roll, paint, tape, stickers and rubber bands.

I cut a hole in the cracker box and Hazel painted both the box and the tube. Then we taped the tube onto the box. We used duct tape that matched the color we painted. She also decorated it with stickers. The book suggested painting designs, but that is above my four-year-old's ability. Then we added four rubber bands. It was set to play.

She prefers her real one though for the sound is a bit better.

Then last Saturday the free craft at Lakeshore Learning Store was to make a paper plate and bowl guitar or that is what the company called it. We called it a banjo as did several of the employees at our local store. 

This was an easy craft. You need a paper bowl, a paper plate the same size as the bowl, a tongue depressor, rubber bands, glue and markers, stickers, etc. for decorations. The kids glued the plate onto the bowl with the tongue depressor glued in between the two.

Then the decorated the plate and tongue depressor. Next the person running the craft put the rubber bands on. And that is all there is to this one.

So we hope you enjoy making some simple string instruments!

Remembering and Praying

Note: All images today came from Patriot Icon.

So last night I was tired and did not feel like sitting at the computer, so I did not get my post ready. This morning I was trying to get Hazel to school with a bit of crying, but not too much. Then I ran to the gym to get my work-out in. While at the gym, I was watching the television (from the treadmill) and realized the date. Good Morning America was on and they were doing a moment of silence in remembrance. My mind went to twelve years ago as tears began to form in my eyes. It is a day I will never forget. I think it was the saddest and scariest day of my life. I then realized that the reason I did not want to post last night was because I needed to post my memories and a prayer today.

Twelve years ago my life was very different. I was teaching at Wellesley High School. Wellesley is a couple of towns away from Boston--literally there is one town between it and the start of the city. I had a prep period when the planes hit. I went to make copies for a class and one of the teachers I didn't really know mentioned something about it to me and it didn't sink in. I thought he was telling me a joke. Then the kids came to my room and they had been watching it on television in history class so I got the whole story. It was a sad and somber day. Then when no planes were suppose to be in the air over the United States, we hear planes flying overhead. Wellesley is in the airpath for the air force to get to Boston for the investigation. Hearing them sent chills and fears through us all. Then the stories came out of people who didn't go to their office in New York that day. (Yes, there are people who commute from Boston to New York often.) And the saddest one of the brothers who knew their father was on a flight to LA but not sure which one. Their mother called after the first plane to say he was not on that one. Then the flight he was on was lost, she came to school to get the boys so they could be together and when she walked into the office they announced the flight number of the second plane--his flight. Being so close to people involved really makes it even more sad and real for me. Although I was not personally involved and did not lose a loved one, I felt and still feel the pain and sadness. I knew the world for me changed that day.

In memory of that day, I would like to offer a prayer. I hope you will pray with me.

Dear God, please watch over the survivors of the tragedy that occurred twelve years ago as well as the loved ones of those we lost. May we always remember those we lost and how we worked together to help others survive and get through this horrible time. Please help us find a way to live in peace with one another and to end this violence that is still happening throughout the world. Please help us to learn to be compassionate and understanding to those who are different and let us find a way for us all to feel your love and peace. Amen.