Letter to Parents: Focus on Giving - Crafts Your Kids Can Give as Gifts

Of our four children who are walking and talking, our 7 and 10 year olds realize that Christmas is not only about receiving gifts. They realize that the season also centers around the idea of giving. Our two 4-year-olds, however, want everything that they see.

In an attempt to shift the focus from receiving to giving, we tried to make giving fun for them and cost-effective for us. So, we started searching for gift ideas that we could make.

Here are some of the ideas we found and tried:

I. Paperweight:

1. The website we found this idea on suggested using postage stamps to cover a rock. This is a great idea and sounds like it would be very cute. It is also a great idea for younger children. However, we decided to try a few alternatives. You can use anything heavy for your paperweight. An old book you do not want, a discarded box that jewelery was purchased in (filled with sand, dirt, plaster, clay, or anything to make it heavy), an expired can of tuna, whatever you can find that is the right size and weight will work. Then use your imagination and decorate, disguise, and change your item to make a one-of-a-kind gift.

• Here are a few ideas:
• 
  If you are using a box or can, wrap it. You can do this with plain printer paper, construction paper, brown paper, or scrapbook paper.
  -Next Decorate your paper. If you’ve used plain paper, you can draw on it, paint on it, use stickers, or cut out pictures from magazines or family photos.
  -If you used a patterned scrapbook paper, you can jump straight to embellishments. You can add glitter, ribbon, rickrack, tags, layers of graphic shapes in a variety of colored papers, buttons, sculpey or model magic clay, etc.
  -If you’ve only used paper products, you can seal your creation with a gloss sealer, modge podge, or white glue. If you are using embellishments of other materials, sealing should happen prior to adding these.
  -If you are using a rock, but do not wish to decopage it with postage stamps, photos, or images, you could simply paint it. These can be quite beautiful and make wonderful keepsakes.
  -If your child is too small to sign their creation, a hand or fingerprint in paint is a great way to let them mark the peice. You can always take a Sharpie and write in their name and the date created.
  2. Box of Love: We found this idea also, on another website. I have not altered the idea tremendously, but my kids loved it so much, I thought I should share it with you. You take any small box; wood, paper mache, discarded jewelry box, etc. Wrap and decorate it. Then attach the following poem:
  This is a very special gift
  That you can never see.
  The reason it’s so special,
  Is its just for you from me.
  Whenever you are happy,
  Or even feeling blue,
  You only have to hold this gift
  And know I think of you.
  You never can unwrap it,
  Please leave the ribbon tied.
  Just hold the box close to your heart,
  It’s filled with love inside.
  We took some small wooden boxes we’d bought for fun at Michael’s. The kids opened the boxes, said a bunch of "I love you’s." Gave several kisses, and hugged the inside of the box. Then they closed them tight, so all the love would not get out. Then we painted our boxes with Acrylic Paints. They had a blast. Then we tied a ribbon and the poem to each box.. They were so excited!!!
  3. Cookie Cutter Ornaments - Here’s what you do. Mix 2 cups of flour, 1 cup of salt, and 2/3 cup of water together in a bowl with your hands until it is the consistency of stiff pie dough. Add water as needed to reach the right consistency. Set the mixture aside overnight. The next day, roll the dough out and use christmas shaped cookie cutters to cut out shapes in your dough. Insert a paperclip or ornament hook into the dough for your hanger. Then lay these out on wax paper and allow to dry for several days. Once they are dry, you can decorate them. Felt tip pens, markers, water colors, and craft paints all work beautifully. The ornaments can be embellished with glitter, stones, buttons, ribbon, etc. You can also use a smaller cutter and cut a hole in the middle and glue a picture onto your ornament. As with any project, your imagination is the only limit to what you can create and do. (We will have all five kids for Christmas. I will be preparing this ahead of time for the kids to do. Once the project is complete, I’ll post a picture of our ornaments for you.) You can group the ornaments into sets of 6, 10, or 12, wrap them or put them in a decorated paper mache craft box and give them to family and freinds as a personalized gift.
  I hope you’ve enjoyed these ideas, for more you may want to reference

Children's Book Review: The Biggest, Best Snowman

Written by Margery Cuyler
Illustrated by Will Hillenbrand

This charming story is about Little Nell, who lives in a big, big world. Little Nell is told that she is too little, but she and her friends see things differently. By the end of the story, the reader sees that no one is too little, and that with the help of friends anything is possible. This beautifully illustrated book also shows us that if we believe we are capable of more than others do, all we need to do is keep trying and eventually, the rest of the world will see in us what we see.

Kids Craft: Turkey of Thanks

Here is a great craft I heard about from my son. They are doing this at school. This craft teaches the vital lesson of thanksgiving and gratitude.

Here’s what you need:

• Empty tissue box
• Construction paper in fall colors
• Markers
• Scissors
• Glue
• Wiggly eyes (optional)

Here’s what you do:

1. Wrap your tissue box with brown construction paper. If it is square, leave the hole at the top, and leave it open. If your box is rectangular, then you’ll want to stand it on it’s end so that it is tall. Again, leave the hole open.
2. Then draw the turkey’s head with face, eyes, beak, and wattle using your markers.
3. Trace your child’s hand prints on several peices of paper in a variety of fall colors. Cut these out and glue them to the back of your box to create the turkey’s tail.
4. Each day, have your child write something that they are thankful for (if they do not write yet, write this for them) and place it inside the box.
5. On Thanksgiving, you will have a great way for your child to share all the things that he or she is grateful for when you allow them to empty the turkey and read what is inside.

This craft reminds our children of the importance of taking a moment to celebrate the many wonderful things in our lives, the many things that we have to be grateful for. This also encourages gratitude to be a part of every day. If we live our lives in a spirit of gratitude, we are likely to receive more to be grateful for. We are also much less likely to take things for granted, even the little things. Happy Holidays!!!

Kids Corner: Thanksgiving Favorites

It's been a while since we did a Kid's Corner. When I mentioned it to my kids, they were anxious, as always, to share their favorites. With Thanksgiving just around the corner, we decided to share our favorite Thanksgiving books and movies.

Thanksgiving Books:

• A Turkey for Thanksgiving
• Too Many Pumpkins
• A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (Peanuts)
• Scarecrow Finds a Friend
• Pioneer Thanksgiving, A: A Story of Harvest Celebrations in 1841
• Franklin's Thanksgiving (Franklin)
• Disney's: Winnie the Pooh's - Thanksgiving
• Turkey's best Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Movies:

• Winnie the Pooh - Seasons of Giving
• Garfield: Holiday Celebrations (Garfield's Halloween Adventure / Garfield's Thanksgiving / A Garfield Christmas)
• Alvin's Thanksgiving Celebration
• Peanuts Holiday Collection (It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown / A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving / A Charlie Brown Christmas) (Deluxe Edition)

We look forward to hearing what your favorites are. Please send a comment and let us know. Have a safe and happy holiday season.

Kids Craft: Thanksgiving Mosaic

Many of the world’s great civilizations used mosaic art to depict important images in special places. During my travels to Italy in college, we visited Venice. The cathedral there had a dome over the alter that beautifully depicted religious scenes and icons in mosaic tile. While we can’t create something of that scale with our kids, we can help them to see the beauty in mosaic art and gain an understanding of the effort that went into these great works.

Here’s what you need:

• Tempera, craft, or poster paint (fall colors)
• Pumpkin seeds or dried beans
• Glue
• Card Stock or poster board
• Small disposable dish and disposable fork

Here’s what we did:

1. We used dried red beans (because we had them in the house). However, any dried bean will work. A variety of beans can be used unpainted, or one type of bean painted for color. We painted ours with craft paint. I squirted some paint into the bottom of a disposable bowl, poured in the beans, and let the kids use a disposable fork to stir and mix the beans into the paint until they were all coated in paint. We did not get a perfect coating on all the beans, but we decided this would make our mosaic more interesting. We spread the painted beans out on a sheet of paper to dry, making sure that no two beans were touching while drying.
2. While our paint was drying, we took a 9 x 12 inch sheet of card stock. (This was actually part of the packaging from one of the kids’ Halloween costumes.) We cut it into fourths. My son and daughter each drew a fall/Thanksgiving picture. My son drew the Mayflower, and my daughter a leaf. I drew them a turkey and a pilgrim hat on the remaining two fourths.
3. Once our beans were dry, we pulled them off the paper where they were drying. Then we squirted glue onto our pictures, in small sections. Carefully placing colored beans onto the glued sections, we proceeded to finish our mosaics.
4. Once all the beans were glued into place, we let our pieces dry.

A Few Quick Tips:

1. If your kids are really young, you may want to use bigger beans like lima beans or butter beans. These will be easier for little fingers and will cover a larger space more quickly.
2. Remember that your drawings will be colored in with small objects and these will restrict the detail possible. Remind your children of this when they are drawing their pictures so that they can use large, generalized shapes as opposed to very detailed line drawings.
3. Begin your mosaic with the most important item. For example, on our pilgrim hat, we began with the top of the hat. I squirted glue onto the top portion that was going to be black and we filled that in. Then we did the gold buckle. Following that the red stripe, then the brim.
4. If your kids are getting tired, or you fear that their patience will not last to completion of the project, you can remind them that they can space their pieces out a little. Again, on our pilgrim hat, the beans are very close on the hat, but spread out some on the background.

If you would like resources for additional craft ideas here are a few books that might spark your interest:

1. All New Crafts for Thanksgiving (All-New Holiday Crafts for Kids)
2. Crafts For Thanksgiving-Trd/Pb
3. 175 Easy-To-Do Thanksgiving Crafts (Creative Uses for Recyclables)
   

As always, there are limitless variations possible. You can do this project again and again. Change theme, do a Christmas one. Change materials, try pebbles, beads, buttons, tiles. You’re only limiting factor is your imagination. So use your imagination, and have fun!

Kids Craft: Hand and Foot Print Turkey

Here’s another one from my childhood. This adorable turkey uses your childrens’ hand and foot prints. It can be used as a decoration and then saved from year to year as a keepsake. Best of all, no two will be exactly alike, so each of your kids can make their own unique Thanksgiving turkey.

• First, take a sheet of brown construction paper and trace your child’s feet. You can do this with, or with out shoes, but you will have a more rounded turkey if you leave the shoes on.
• Cut out the feet. Glue the heals, one on top of the other, allowing the toes to be spread apart slightly. This will give your turkey a fuller body.
• Trace your child’s hands. Cut out several in a variety of fall colors.
• Glue the hands to the back of the feet, these will become your turkey’s tail.
• Now cut out and glue a beak, wattle, eyes, and feet onto your turkey.

Additional options:

• When tracing and cutting, use the reverse side, the one you have not written on, as the front of your turkey.
• The eyes can be drawn, made with construction paper, or wiggly eyes can be used for fun.
• If your turkey is flat (no wiggley eyes), you can glue the entire thing to an 11 x 17 sheet of paper and laminate it to make a place mat. Or you can just laminate the turkey to save from year to year.

Enjoy this craft, and have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Kid’s Activity: Cornucopia Confusion

Here is a great Thanksgiving game for family gatherings. It is a variation of Musical Chairs. Here’s how you play:

1. Create a circle of chairs using one less chair then there are players.
2. One player will be the leader.
3. All players, except the leader will take a seat.
4. The leader will then name each player using typical Thanksgiving dishes to name the players. For example: turkey, mashed potatoes, green beans, pumpkin pie, stuffing, corn, etc. The leader may name more than one person a particular name.
5. Once each player is named, the leader will call out two dishes. For example: pumpkin pie and corn. The players assigned these names must switch places as quickly as possible.
6. The leader continues to call out combinations of dishes in succession until he or she decides to call, "The cornucopia has tipped over." At this time, all players hop of and find a new seat, including the leader. The player left with out a seat becomes the new leader. And so, the game continues.

Our family is large enough to play this game at home, but we also enjoy it with a group on Thanksgiving with other family members are there. We hope you enjoy this activity with your family.

As will most of our activities and crafts, this activity too can be altered to fit other occasions. We've used it at parties, calling it Birthday Boogy. In this instance, we named the players party related items like: candles, cake, presents, pinata. The first leader was the birthday child. This is only one example as you can rename it for any gathering.

Hope you enjoy the game. Happy Thanksgiving!

Children’s Book Review: The Turkey Ball

Written by David Steinberg
Illustrated by Liz Conrad

This festive book is an easy fast read. Through its excellent use of rhythm and rhym, it gets the reader actively involved in the spirit of the book. It is as much fun to read as to hear. The author makes great use of onomatopoeic words, then translates them for the reader. The illustrations throughout the book are bright, colorful, and imaginative. You’re kids will love this book. It is a fun Thanksgiving read.

Kids Craft: Thanksgiving Hand-print Wreath

Are you and your family thinking of Thanksgiving yet? It is right around the corner. (Only three weeks away.) Here is a great craft idea for Thanksgiving that will get the whole family involved. And, as usual, there are a variety of things you can do with this, by just using your imagination . . . and a few simple tips. This idea, while aimed at Thanksgiving, could be done for a variety of holidays with only slight variations.

Here is what you’ll need:

• Colored paper (scrapbook or construction), craft foam, or felt (all in autumn colors)
• Poster board, cardboard, or foam core board.
• Scissors and/or exacto knife
• Glue
• Embellishments - These can be buttons, berries, pom poms, pipe cleaners, ribbons . . . You name it, you can use it.

Here’s what you’ll want to do:

1. Cut out the shape for your wreath. You can make your wreath a circle, oval, or even a square. The choice is yours. You’ll do this with the Poster board, card board, or foam core.
   
2. The three materials suggested were chosen for your so that you would have a material choice that would work with the type of project you were wanting to do. If you are wanting a quick fun project, that you will not be keeping from year to year, then use card board or poster board. Both of these are disposable and either inexpensive or free. If you would like something a little nicer, use the foam core board. This can be found with poster board and matte board material at your local craft store. If you can not find it, a sales associate should be able to help you. This is basically two pieces of poster board sandwiched around a 1/8 inch layer of foam. It is very durable and can be cut with an exacto knife.
3. Next, trace the hands of each member of your family. And cut out the shapes. If you are doing a large wreath with a small family, then you will need more than one pair of each person’s hands. Cut multiples if needed. For this, you will use either colored paper, craft foam, or felt in autumn colors.
4. If you are wanting to do this fast, easy, and with out much expense, you will use construction paper. If you want a nicer quality, with out huge cost, and may not keep this from year to year, then you may want scrap book paper. If you will keep this for several years, then you will likely want to use craft foam or felt.
5. If you do not want to pay for craft foam or felt, but want a nicer finished product, then you can use a technique called Paper Toile. To do this, take your hand prints cut from scrapbook paper and lay them front side down, onto your computer’s mouse pad. Then take a rounded surface similar to the tip of a sharpie lid and trace around the handprint. You will do this about an 1/8 to a 1/16 of an inch form the edge of the paper. Begin softly, and practice on a scrap page, till you get the right pressure. If you are patient, you will be able to create a rounded effect on the edges of your handprints. This will give them a little extra depth and add a nice finished detail to your wreath.
6. Once all of your handprints are cut out, lay them out on your wreath so that your wreath shape is covered. Now you can glue this down.
7. It’s time to embellish! It’s also time to use your imagination. You can change the whole mood of your wreath based on how you embellish it. Buttons placed in small clusters of 1 to 3 around your wreath would have cute, hand-crafted feel. If you used pipe cleaners (maybe swirled into a circle) and pom poms you are creating a much more lighthearted and whimsical feel. Or you could use berries and bows. This would create a sophisticated affect. The choice is yours.

And, as always, you are only limited by what you can imagine. Lay out your options, if you don’t like the look, don’t glue them down, change them to something else. Most important of all, have fun!

Kids Activity: Thanksgiving Turkey Hunt

Thanksgiving in America traditionally involves a turkey. Each year, we take our kids on their own personal Turkey Hunt. They LOVE it. And we have a blast too.

First, we cut construction paper into fourths. (You can use index cards if this is easier and readily available. You can also use regular printer paper or loose leaf paper. Whatever you have on hand will work.) Then we give each child three or four pieces of paper, and take a few pieces for ourselves. We then make a turkey on each. Some years we’ve gotten carried away with our crafting and made 3-D turkeys instead.

Here are some ideas for your turkeys:

1. Trace your child’s hand and let them color it in, drawing a beak and feet.
2. Trace their hand on a sheet of construction paper, cut it out and glue it to your sheet.
3. Let them use paint and a hand print to make their turkey.
4. Let them draw or color the turkey.
5. Use craft items like craft foam, feathers, wiggly eyes, and pom poms, and felt to build a small turkey on the page, or independent of the page.
6. If you want, you can print small clip art turkeys and let your kids color them.
7. You can use fancy lettering to decorate the word Turkey if you don’t want to draw or make one.
8. Or, if you’re feeling really silly, you can use pictures of your kids and call them your “little turkeys”.
9. As always, your imagination is the limit to what you can do.

Once our turkeys are complete we need cages to keep them in once we’ve caught them. We’ve used brown paper sacks, shoe boxes, tissue boxes, and even ziplock bags for this purpose in the past. Pretty much anything will work. If you are using something disposable, you can decorate it or draw bars on it like a cage.

When our turkeys and cages are complete, we choose our first Guide for our Turkey Hunt. Our Guide hides all of the turkeys in the forest, one room of the house. Once they are all hidden, the Turkey Hunt begins. Our hunters, the other children or players, begin to search for the turkeys. As they are found, our hunters bring their catch to their Guide. The Guide will keep the captured turkeys pinned up according to the hunter who has caught them.

Once all the turkeys have been found, we count how many each hunter caught. The hunter who has caught the most turkeys becomes the Guide for our next hunt. And the game begins again. The kids love it. They have fun making a mess and making their turkeys, then they play with them over and over again until Thanksgiving has come and gone.

Children's Book Review: "Don't Talk to Strangers"

Written by Christine Mehlhaff
Illustrated by Kathi Ember

In light of my last post's emphasis on safety, I thought this would be an appropriate book to review this week. This book does a fantastic job of explaining who a stranger is. It also gives children helpful safety instructions and rules to follow. Through the use of repetition, Emma Lion learns about using the phone, answering the door, getting into cars with other adults, taking candy from strangers, and much more. Her brother Matthew very patiently explains each instance to her and the importance of each. My 4-year-old really got a lot out of this book, not to mention that she enjoyed the characters and the pictures.

Letter to Parents: Safety Tips for Trick-or-Treating on Halloween

Personally, with our world as it is today, Trick-or-Treating has become a nerve-racking ordeal for me. I know, better than most people, that things happen. It doesn’t matter how much we tell ourselves, "That’ll never happen to us." It can . . . the possibility always exists. So, let’s do everything in our power to prevent accidents and bad experiences. Let’s do everything in our power to have a safe and fun Halloween.

Here are some common sense tips that will help all of us to be safe on Halloween:

1. Always keep your kids close by or at least within eyesight. Don’t let them go off Trick-or-Treating without an adult, regardless of how safe you may feel your neighborhood is. (I am speaking of possible threats to your kids’ safety in the shape of kidnaping, but there are other possibilities too. Let’s say, you let your 8 year old son go off Trick-or-Treating with a group of friends, when they’ve gotten enough candy to satisfy them, they return to one of their yards to play. They climb into a tree, or even just onto a porch, and someone falls. Your child could sprain an ankle or break an arm. How much longer would it take to get them the care needed if there was no adult around?)
2. When Trick-or-Treating, be sure that each individual is carrying some thing that lights up, or is reflective. Many costumes and treat bags have lights now. There are also light up Halloween necklaces and other generic light up reflectors you can use. Or you can have them carry a flashlight. This way drivers can easily spot them in the dark.
3. No matter how tempting, don’t eat your candy until it has been inspected. You, as the parent can decide how you want this done. You may be content with a quick visual inspection at home. Or you may want to take the candy to the local hospital or police station for x-ray. The facilities in your community can tell you where these services are offered on Halloween.
4. Get your Trick-or-Treating done within the hours alotted by authorities in your community. If there are other activities offered in your community, take part in those, as they are likely to be a safer alternative. (For example, in one of the towns we lived in, there is a Baptist Church that has activities on Halloween as an alternative to families. They offer games for all ages, prizes, candy, and sell refreshments. Our kids had a blast. Where we are living now, one of the families from the school is putting on a Halloween Party including Hay Rides, Trick-or-Treating, Games, and more.)

Again, these are all common sense reminders. However, I felt they were worth repeating. As I said, I know all too well that life happens, whether you’re prepared for it or not. But it is better to be prepared, and to be in the frame of mind to prevent the preventable. Whatever you do this Halloween, be safe and have fun.

Happy Halloween!!!

Sincerely,
Eve Lawson

Kids Crafts: Li'l Leaf

This charming little leaf is made using your child's hand and foot prints. I remember this from grade school. In one of our classes, we had these hanging from the ceiling, one for each child. He can be hung from the ceiling or on a wall. Here's how we made him, along with a few variations.

1. First I went out and found a leaf in the yard. I copied it, larger, onto a piece of construction paper. I chose orange, yellow, red, and brown for this project since it is fall. I did not like the whole leaf, so I chose the best half and folded the page and cut along the line I liked the most. The side of the construction paper that I'd drawn on became my back side. I then drew a face for the leaf.
2. Next, I got my 4 year old daughter to let me trace her hands and feet. Then I cut these out for her. I let my 6 year old cut his own.
3. Using strips of yellow construction paper, folded like an fan, I made legs and arms. The legs, arms, hands and feet are affixed to the leaf using tape. However, you can also glue them, or staple them.
4. The finished product can be hung from the ceiling or on a wall.

Additional options to mix it up:

• You can use ribbon to make the arms and legs, instead of construction paper.
• You can use the cardboard that comes off the back of a used note pad for your leaf to make it more sturdy.
• Our leaf, pictured above, is slightly wilted. My son spilled a drink. Since part of the leaf was wet, I took a paper towel and wet it with more of the same drink. I then dabbed this over the leaf to cover our accident. You can do this with tea or coffee to stain you leaf and add texture.
• You can allow your children to draw on the leaf, hands, and feet. Even if they just draw stripes, patterns, or shapes. This would add visual interest and personalize your leaf more.
• Little girls can add jewelry or other accessories to their leaves. These can be draw, real, or created with craft items.
• Boys can add caps, collars, jackets, balls in the hands, shoes on the feet, etc.
• You can embellish your leaf with things around the house, paint it, etc.
• The list could go on, and on.

As always, the goal is to spend time with your kids, have fun, and be creative. There are no rules to creativity, and the only limit is your imagination. :)

Letter to Parents: Photo Books . . . Great Christmas Gift Idea

Dear Parents,

As the holidays draw near, I've been thinking about gifts for my family. I'd like to give my parents something personal that they will treasure. But they have everything that they want and need. So, I found a gift that they can't give themselves. And the more I learn about this idea, the more excited I get about it as a gift and something I can use personally to preserve our family memories.

Most of us have graduated from the traditional 35 mm cameras to digital. If you are like me, you have literally hundreds or thousands of digital pictures stored on your computer's hard drive and backed up on CD's and DVD's. The bad part, is that I print very few of these. It takes so long to print them, and usually, I'll be in the middle of a large print job and the ink will start to run out. The pictures are no good, and I have to start all over again. Not to mention the cost of ink. So, only a few pictures get printed.

And when I want to look back at pictures, or find the ones I want to print and frame, they are not readily available. It's a pain to dig through discs, guess at which one I need, and then search through the pictures. There has to be a better way to do these things.

Shutterfly.com offers unlimited online storage of digital photos. This would alleviate my disc and hard-drive space. They also sell prints of photographs. This will save me the printing time, ink, and storage discs (which I'm told have to be backed up periodically because they don't last forever).

My next concern is that I've wanted to make scrapbooks for my family photos since my 6 year old was born. But, between the time, money for supplies, and the mess involved, I've only finished a few pages. I've been researching a company called Picaboo. This is what I've been SO excited about!!!

Picaboo was founded in 2005 by Howard Field and Kevin McCurdy. They were aware of the massive amount of digital photos that are taken and never printed. They felt that that photo books would be the next wave in photo finishing. And, at prices like $9.99, they are cost effective too. I never considered Photo Books as an option before, because I thought they'd be too cost prohibitive. But, by the time you buy photo paper, ink, a scrapbook, scrapbook paper, and embellishments, it is possible to spend far more than $9.99.

The Picaboo system offers their software for a free download. You build your photo book using this software, then submit your order. Their software includes the following:

• Their books are completely customizable.
• They offer 240 page layouts, then you drop-and-drag your photos into the page.
• They offer dozens of pre-loaded backgrounds with the additional option that you drop-and-drag a background of your own.
• The ability to add journaling with a diverse selection of fonts.
• Story flow tool allows you to group pictures to be placed on a page together based on the theme of the book. Once the book is built, photos are completely editable.
• The software contains photo tools for cropping, enhancing, and correcting your photos.
• There is the option for custom covers.
• Free to share your photo book online.

I am so excited about this tool. I've downloaded the software and can't wait to use it. My parents better be prepared, because all my children's' grandparents will be getting personalized Photo Books for Christmas this year.

Then, it will be my turn. I can see all the books I need to make already in my mind, and I can't wait to see them in person. This feels much more doable than traditional scrap booking, and much less overwhelming.

I'm so excited! If you'd like more information, check out the links below:

• Create a Photo Book. Starting at Just $9.99. Try it
• Shutterfly ¿ Give unique, custom Photo Gifts for all occasions.

Hope you enjoy this as much as I am.

Sincerely,

Eve Lawson

Children's Book Reviews: "I'm a Little Teapot"

Written and Illustrated by:
Iza Trapani

This charming book begins with the traditional song, "I'm a Little Teapot". Then the author continues the rhyming song from the teapot's point of view. In this captivating conversation the teapot shares her dreams. She takes you to the many places she wants to visit and shares with you all the things she dreams of doing and being. You go with her to Mexico, space, the jungle, and more. This imaginative story can be read or sung to your children. They'll love it, mine do. We've read again and again.

If you enjoy this book, Iza Trapani has written and illustrated several others:

• The Itsy Bitsy Spider
• Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star
• Row, Row, Row Your Boat
• Shoo Fly
• Baa Baa Black Sheep
• Oh Where, Oh Where Has My Little Dog Gone?
• Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush
• Much Is That Doggie in the Window?
• Froggie Went A-Courtin

Kids Activities: Football - Pass the Pig Skin!!!

It’s fall, and the weather is beautiful outside . . . at least where we live. So, it is a great time to spend some time outdoors with your kids. This weekend, my husband took our 6 year old son outside to throw the football. Excited, which you may have figured out is just part of my son’s personality, was an understatement. Our little boy was ecstatic about the idea of having his dad to himself outside, for some one-on-one time.

If you don’t have a football, but would like one, here are some of your options:

• Wilson Ultimate Composite NFL Junior Football
• Wilson NCAA Supreme Junior Sewn Rubber Football
• TDJ Composite Junior Game Ball Football

My husband, who has coached children’s football in years past, first drew the football field in the dirt and explained the basics of the game to our son. Then, they went out to a clear spot in the yard to throw the ball. He showed our son techniques for holding the ball, throwing it, and catching it. Here are some of the tricks and tips he shared:

Throwing the Football:

• Hold the ball in your throwing hand. Place your fingers on the laces, then slide your hand toward the back of the ball so that only the 4th and 5th fingers touch the laces. Your throwing hand should hug the ball, but still allow a little light to pass between the football and the palm of the hand. If your child is too small, there may be no room for light to pass. This is okay.
• The ball should be balanced in the hand and pulled back next to the ear. If your child is unable to balance the ball with just his or her throwing hand, then the other hand may be used on the side of the ball to balance it until release of the ball.
• Prior to throwing the ball, position the feet shoulder width apart, with the opposite foot from the throwing arm forward. When the ball is thrown, the arm should travel forward across the body and to the opposite hip. Follow through with your arm, even after releasing the ball, to the hip.

Catching the Football:

• The biggest key to catching the ball is to stay loose. If you stiffen up, then the ball will bounce right out of your hands.
• If you are catching a ball below the belly button, hold the hands open, side by side, with little fingers together.
• If you are catching a ball above the belly button, hold the hands open with thumbs together.
• Once the ball is in hand, pull it into the body.

Get out there and have fun playing some back yard football. If you enjoyed this activity, here are a few references that may help you to build on this activity:

• Kids' Book of Soccer: Skills, Strategies, and the Rules of the Game
• Coaching Youth Football (Betterway Coaching Kids Series)
• JERRY RICE (Sports Illustrated for Kids)

Kids Corner: Kids Costumes

Halloween is just around the corner. And we have our costumes already. Here's our Halloween Roll Call:

• Bunny
• Indiana Jones
• Tinkerbell Princess
• Snow White
• Puss in Boots (from Shrek)

This year we ordered our costumes from the Costume SuperCenter, through the link on the right side of the screen. My 3-year-old nephew is dressing up as a Pirate. He got his costume through KB Toys, also on the right side of the screen. We were both able to take advantage of great prices and did not have to fight the crowds or the kids at the costume stores.

Please share with us what your kids will be dressing up as for Halloween. We look forward to hearing from you.

Kids Crafts: Halloween Ghost (Great for School Parties)

Here is a simple idea that your kids can get involved in. As parents, we are usually asked to provide candy for school Halloween parties for our kids. Rather than just buying a bag of candy, it is really easy to make your child's contribution extra special.

All you need are the following:
1. A bag of Dum-Dums (lollipops with a round top)
2. A box of Kleenex
3. Either pipe cleaners, Halloween ribbon, raffia, or craft string (This is where you have the chance to be really creative.)

What you'll do is drape each lollipop with a Kleenex, tie the Kleenex on with the material of your choice, and draw eyes and a mouth.



I did this one using a simple white craft string. However, a thin Halloween ribbon would have been great! And this could have been embellished with beads strung onto the ends of the ribbon. The possibilities are endless. And, like always, you can make this as simple or as elaborate as you like.

I hope you and your children enjoy this project. If you are looking for additional craft ideas, Little Kids Halloween Crafts has some great ideas for childrens crafts for this month. Have a Happy Halloween!!!

Letter to Parents: Learning at Home

Dear Parents,

My sister has been a stay-at-home mom since the birth of her son three years ago. He is a great little boy, and so smart! She and her husband put him into Head Start, a preschool program, this year. Prior to this, he had never been away from her. Since starting school, he has cried in the mornings, been sick a lot, and developed some new behavioral issues. These are all points of concern for my sister, who could not be a better mom.

Today, my sister took her son to the doctor because of complaints of an upset stomach accompanied by sporadic low grade temperatures. The doctor did not find anything conclusive but felt that it may be viral due to her description of his symptoms. However, as they talked, she mentioned his crying about school. The doctor's response was simple, "At three years old, he is not ready for school. Society has us pushing kids into school too early. He does not need to be there until he is five, when he will be in kindergarten." The doctor further informs her that his symptoms, my be separation anxiety and stress related, not viral at all.

She is now seriously considering keeping him home again. However, she is worried about his academic development. She does not want him to fall behind. So, she is looking into a preschool curriculum for children staying at home. ABC Fun & 1-2-3, by Shirley Erwee looks like a great starting place. If she likes it, when our youngest is a little older, we may try this also. The program incorporates visual, tactile, physical, and auditory learning activities. I've checked out the website and it's sample curriculum page for the Letter J. It looks really interesting and very easy to follow. And at only $22.00, it is not a huge investment. I'll let you know what she thinks in a few months.

If any of you have any experience with this program or another one like it, we would both be interested in your insight.

Sincerely,
Eve Lawson

Kids Activity: Picnic at the Park

I know this idea sounds cliche. And for some of you, it sounds like a lot of trouble. (This is how I usually feel . . . until I get there. Then I have a blast with the kids!) But, despite what you think when you first read this title, you're kids will LOVE this activity. You can be as extravagant about it as you like, or as simple.

This weekend, while visiting family out of town, we took the kids to Pinnacle Mountain State Park just outside of Little Rock, AR. Since we were spending the weekend at a hotel, we picked up lunch on our way to the park, ate there, and then let the kids play. Of course, we helped too. We helped with monkey bars, jungle gyms, and swings. And, we made several trips to the restroom. But, the kids had a great time.

This activity is extremely inexpensive, since you have to eat anyway. It can occupy as much of your day as you choose. It can be a simple or extravagant as you like. And, best of all, it gives the kids a chance to run off some steam! So, if you have some time to kill and want to spend some quality time with your kids, then here are some suggestions, ideas, and options for a picnic at the park.

1. If you're one of those parents who likes to go all out, or if this is a special occasion, make your child and invitation to the picnic in the park. If you are extremely crafty, this will be easy, and fun. If you are not, this can be simple and still be very special. Take a piece of computer paper and fold it in half or in fourths. This will be your card. Then write your message and draw a very simple picture. If you're not confident of your drawing skills, then keep the drawing simple. If you're technologically inclined, you can use your computer to a make this invitation using a card-making program. If you do not have one, here are three to check out: Printmaster - Platinum Version 18, Hallmark Card Studio 2005 Deluxe, Printmaster Greeting Cards. The prices vary to fit any budget.
2. You can make or buy lunch to bring. If you choose to make it. Let your kids help you pick the menu and prepare it. This, of course, should not be a free-for-all. Choices and responsibilities should be limited according to what you deam appropriate. If making lunch is not an option, or is too much trouble for you, then you can always buy lunch. Your kids will enjoy this just as much and it saves you time and trouble. Whichever way you choose to go, make sure you have plenty of napkins and drinks. Once they start playing, they get thirsty.
3. If you've already eaten lunch, or just want to avoid going out during the hottest part of the day, you can substitute dessert for lunch. Your kids will really enjoy the snack in the park. And, again, this can be prepared at home or purchased on the way.
4. If you're going to eat at the park make sure you bring an outdoor blanket. This is just another little touch that your kids will love. It makes the experience special. You don't need a fancy water-resistant blanket, although these are great for outdoors. Any blanket that your willing to take outdoors will be great. This way you're not trying to eat while sitting on the itchy grass. My kids hate sitting in the grass. They also hate the bugs that always tend to show up when you're eating outside. (When they're busy playing, they don't seem to notice them as much.) The blanket gives them a backdrop that helps in spotting unwanted picnic guests. If there are tables at the park, you can always choose this option instead of the blanket.
5. If there is a large open grassy area at the park, you may want to bring a ball to toss. Or an RC car or plane. These are two great ways to spend time with the kids doing things together.
6. You can have the kids play a game of chase, or tag. Go ahead, play with them. They'll love it. They won't think you're silly. And guess what, no one else will either. You're never too old to play games, especially with your kids. If there are enough of you, you can have the kids play hide and seek while you watch them. This way you can keep track of all the hiding children so as not to loose one.
7. If you're going out during the sunny part of the day, don't forget your sunscreen. And if there may be biting insects, grab the insect repellent on your way out the door.
8. If you want to have a picnic at the park with your kids and either don't have a park, or don't want to go, you can do this in your back yard and have a great time too. Use your imagination and have fun.
9. Last, but not least, don't forget the camera. You never know what they'll do, and you wouldn't want to miss out on a photo op.

Kids Corner: Favorite Halloween Movies

It's October, and Halloween is right around the corner. I'm sure your kids are just as excited as mine. This month the television stations will be playing lots of Halloween movies, we've already begun watching them. Which ones are your kids favorites? Write us a comment and let us know.

Our kids like:
Halloweentown/ Halloweentown II - Kalabar's Revenge
Halloweentown High
Return to Halloweentown (Ultimate Secret Edition)
Twitches - Betwitched Edition
Twitches Too
It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
Hocus Pocus
The Haunted Mansion (Widescreen Edition)
Dora the Explorer - Dora's Halloween
Spookley the Square Pumpkin
Monster House [UMD for PSP]

Hope you have a Happy Halloween!