Today is Thanksgiving in the United States. It is a time where family and friends gather and are thankful for the many things we have. It is a time where I also think about the history of the United States and pray that we can treat each other better in the future. Above is a simple paper plate craft that Hazel made at Lakeshore Learning this past weekend. It is meant to be a centerpiece, but ours does not stand up very well. I think maybe a toilet paper roll instead of the rolled up brown paper would be better. However it is really cute and I loved all the things she is thankful for this year! You can download instructions on their website for this craft and all the free crafts for kids.
I have a confession to make. Until recently, I did not understand why the Native American mascots were so offensive. I went to a high school where our mascot was a warrior and being a child of the 80's the song, The Warrior, was very popular at our school. Our cross town rival's mascot was a chieftan. I saw these as a way to honor Native Americans and not to insult or hurt them. This fall I have read several articles on-line (Huffington Post and The Guardian) that made me understand why they are hurtful. For some people these are the only images they have of Native Americans. This had not occurred to me since I have always had a fascination with Native American lifestyles, stories and such. I also understand why many Native Americans consider Thanksgiving the National Day of Mourning (see Huffington Post for more on this). Although Native Americans have always held days to honor and be thankful for the harvest, it is hard to watch the country celebrate and reenact a day that lead to so many of their own people's death and the loss of their land. I have written about the Wampanoag, a bit on Squanto and this year we explored Metacomet (King Philip) and I wrote even more about Squanto over at All Done Monkey. To honor the Wampanoag and to learn more about them as part of our Thanksgiving I thought we would explore one of their harvest holidays. I should also refer you to our post on cranberries since the holiday is Cranberry Day. Our first discovery of this holiday was the book Cranberry Day by Jannette Vanderhoop.
Disclosure:Novel Publicity sent me a copy of this book free of charge in return for an honest review. All opinions in my review are
my own and I did not receive any other compensation. As always I am
providing links to the book for your
convenience.
A few weeks ago I shared a review of Legacy by Ellery A. Kane which is the first book in this amazing series. In the second book of the Legacy Series, Prophecy by Ellery A. Kane, time has moved on and the government has disbanded the Guardian Force and reopened San Francisco. They have even reopened Standford University (the only college allowed open).
Prophecy gives more of the background of details that lead up to the evacuation of San Francisco and the start up of the Guardian Force. It also tells us what life is like for Lex and Quin and their friends and family after the need to fight the Guardian Force is over. Quin's father has been released from prison. However he is then arrested for the murder of his new wife. With his past murder behind him, it is hard for Lex to be positive of his innocence. This brings a wedge between Lex and Quin. Will their relationship last? Then their nemesis, Augustus Porter is back and doing his conning and double crossing again. This time however he is out for blood--Lex's. The characters are well developed and there are new ones as well as many of the old ones from Legacy. Like the first book, I was not able to put this book down. In fact I had trouble falling asleep some nights after reading before bed because my mind was whirling with what was happening in the story. It is an intense and action filled story. There are surprises around every page and it even ends with a bit of a cliffhanger. Personally I cannot wait to read the third and final book in the series, but alas I have to wait until it is available. This series is a fun-filled adventure for any young adult or adult reader. I highly recommend it!!
Disclosure:Kregel Publications sent me a copy of this book free of charge for this review. All opinions in my review
are
my own and I did not receive any other compensation. As in all my
reviews I am providing links for your ease, but receive no compensation.
It is hard to believe Thanksgiving is this week. Christmas is just around the corner. Today we get to share a book that is being added to our must read every year list for Christmas. These are books that bring the Christmas story and season alive. The Little Christmas Tree by Andrea Skevington and illustrated by Lorna Hussey is a definite must read. When we read it again last night Hazel commented on how she LOVES this story.
Disclosure:Daria Music
gave me a copy of this book free of charge. All opinions in my review
are
my own and I did not receive any other compensation. As in all my
reviews I am providing links for your ease, but receive no compensation.
