Pack a Poem

So, it's April, have you been celebrating? I'll confess. I. completely. forgot!!! Until now. So I just pulled out some of my fave poetry anthologies and put a few out on the kitchen table and another on the bean's pillow. Tonight should be fun- it's taco night, grandma and grandpa are coming over and we're all gonna read some poems!

And then tomorrow morning when I'm packing lunch, guess what I'll be wrapping around the bean's string cheese?

A Simple Way to Encourage More Reading

Back in the day (has it really been 4 years!!!), one of the things I most prided my classroom on was the library. Picture a very well-curated, neatly organized, beautifully displayed, inviting little collection of books. Lots and lots of careful consideration went into it's location, the furniture and the set up- it was the epicenter of the classroom after all! And whenever something changed in there, it was big news.

{Read This} Top 10 Children's Poetry Collections

Did you know that April is National Poetry Month? Time for you to gear up, so we'll all be ready to join in on the celebrating. I'll be sharing some specific how-to ideas throughout the month, but for now let's make sure you have some good resources to pull from.

{guest post} Sure Shot

New Year's resolutions don't work. For me. It's all about the timing. I've shared my thoughts on how October through January is just an insane stream of presents in our family. It's also just. too. damn. hectic!!! Holidays, birthdays, parties to plan, dinner's to host, cupcakes to frost, valentine's to make- yeah, the madness actually continues through February folks! I love it all, but I just don't get a second to breathe. So, there's nooo time to stick with any sort of new year's resolution (well that's the story I'm sticking with for now). My solution? Drumroll please... birthday resolutions (mine was yesterday). I have a long, ambitious mental list that I really need to pair down a bit if I want to be successful. But I'm ready to go public with a few.

{re-post} Nonfiction Roundup

This post was originally published in 2009, but I have a feeling lots of you never saw it and might enjoy the booklist. I was recently reminded of it when a friend was explaining to me that she was having a hard time finding good, age-appropriate non fiction picture books for her very curious 4 year old. Hope this helps!


Here's a tip: exposing kiddos to quality nonfiction nurtures their curiosity and provides them with a wonderful opportunity to explore their questions independently. Win-win! "What does nocturnal mean?" Grab a book and look for the answer! These days there are sooo many excellent nonfiction titles out there, but here are a few I recommend in particular:

Bats by Gail Gibbons (trust me, Gibbons is the big cheese of children's non-fiction)
Tools by Ann Morris (Morris uses wonderful photo illustrations in her books)
From Seed to Plant by Alan Fowler (check out some of the other books in the Rookie Read-About Science Series)
How Do Apples Grow? by Betsy Maestro
Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert
Are You a Snail? by Judy Allen (all eight titles in the Backyard Books series present a unique look at common backyard creatures)
Diary of a Worm by Doreen Cronin
I Want to Be an Astronaut by Byron Barton
Building a House by Byron Barton
What Is a Life Cycle? by Bobbie Kalman

What non-fiction titles is your kiddo loving? Please add to the list in the comments below!

A Plea for Slow Crafting

I love, love, love celebrating Valentine's Day with children. A whole day to revel in love and friendship- could anything be better? As I prepared for the big day this year, I was truly amazed by all the creativity I found throughout the blogoshere. Each idea I came across was better than the last. In the end, I decided we'd make some thumbprint valentines. I procured all the necessaries in advance. Card stock, check. Stamp pad, check. Glitter glue, check. Heart shaped sequins, check. Sorting out all the red and pink markers, check! I set out all the materials, rolled up my sleeves and demonstrated how to make the perfect thumbprint heart. Okay, time for the bean to give it a go. "Wait, nooo..."

{sharing} Homemade Art Supplies

photos: 1. Flickr member FrankenberrysKiss licensed for use under Creative Commons 2. Heather Hackett/Lilac Silhouette 3. Sarah Rae Trover/Ohdeedoh 4. Tiffany Teske

You guys know I'm a HUGE fan of making your own playdough and have shared many variations with you over the years. Most recently, my princess dough brought all the excitement back to playdough in our house. I've also shared other homemade art recipes with you, like my goop and finger paint. But I'm always looking for new recipes for fun, so you can imagine how psyched I was to find this fabulous round-up of homemade art supplies over at the lovely Ohdeedoh.

{sharing} How to Select a Good Picture Book

photo: Ohdeedoh

There's something I've been meaning to get off my chest. My name is Rebecca, and I am a children's literature snob. For reals. Even my daughter is starting to pick up on it.

It hit her hard on a recent trip to Barnes & Noble when my sweet little angel handed me a thick stack of Toy Story & Disney Princess spin-offs. I just. couldn't. do it. I put them down, looked her in the eye and told her ,"mommy doesn't like to read these kinds of books." Is that horrible?

{sharing} Sled Roundup

Seems like my 10 Things To Do The Next Time It Snows post hit home for lots of you out there. And guess what? More snow is headed in our direction- eek! Therefore, I thought I'd share this wonderful sled roundup that I found on a new Martha Stewart blog I just discovered, Living in The Family Room.

Game On: Early Childhood Board Game Roundup

photo: One Hungry Mama

Whose been stuck inside more than they care to admit lately? Show of hands. Thought so. It's been bruuuuutal here in the BK! Some days the time from school pick-up to dinner feels like an eternity, even with all the tricks I have up my sleeve. What's a mama/papa to do? Keep reading their eensies of course and get your hands on some board games!

Recently, my BMF (OneHungryMama) and I have discovered the amazing power of the board game. Whip one out and suddenly you've kept everyone happy, occupied and maybe even a little bit better off than before, if you pick your games carefully. Check out my recommendations below and toss a few in your amazon cart ASAP. You wont be sorry!