Children's Book Review: "Stand Tall Molly Lou Melon"

Written by Patty Lovell
Illustrated by David Catrow

Personally, I have always been a fan of positive thinking books. This one is for kids. What greater gift can we give our children than a positive self image? Than the knowledge that they are worthwhile, just because they are themselves? This book enforces just this idea.

Molly Lou Melon is a very special little girl with distinguishing characteristics. However, through the advice of her grandmother, she learns that what makes her different from others, does not make her less. It makes her special. As Molly moves to a new town and school, she puts her grandmothers advice to the test and learns a wonderful lesson.

If you like this book, you will also like I Like Myself!

Kids Crafts: Pumpkin Painting

We all think of Jack-O-Lanterns when we think of Halloween. I don't know about you, but I've always looked forward to carving the pumpkin. But when it comes down to it, the kids are REALLY excited about carving the pumpkin, but at 4 and 6 years old, I haven't yet allowed them to wield the knife. Once the pumpkins are opened, they dig for a few minutes, then get tired of emptying the pumpkin, and getting messy. Then they watch anxiously while I carve the pumpkin and stress out. In the end, they are excited with the results, but haven't actually done much to bring them about.

Last year, we did not carve pumpkins. We painted them instead! Although this posed a mess of its own, it was not the same mess that carving makes. There was no pulp, no seeds, only paint. There was also no knife. And best of all, the kids could do it themselves. The best part, was that our pumpkins did not rot and mold like the traditional jack-o-lanterns I've had in the past. They lasted till after Thanks Giving and we enjoyed them the whole time.

If you'd like to try painting your pumpkin this year, here are a few tips to get you started:

1. Pick a pumpkin that has as few flaws and blemishes as possible. These areas will be the first places to turn soft and rot.
2. Gently clean your pumpkin and wipe it dry.
3. Paint the whole pumpkin with a multi-purpose sealer. This helps the pumpkin last longer.
4. Use your imagination to create your own masterpiece.
5. Seal the pumpkin again once your painting is complete.

Here a re a few ideas to get you started:

1. Draw your design with a permanent marker prior to painting.
2. Draw on a piece of paper and softly transfer the design onto the pumpkin.
3. Download patterns online, or use clip art for patterns.
4. Use stencils to paint your pumpkin. This allows you to paint with out worrying about keeping a straight line.
5. Use masking tape to create patterns.
6. Use foam stamps or sponges to transfer paint patterns onto your pumpkin.
7. Embellish your pumpkin with more than paint. Add other items.

Here are some references to get you started:

1. Easy Pumpkin Painting
2. Pumpkin Painting
3. Pumpkin Painting Book and Kit

So, go ahead and get your pumpkin painted and enjoy it until Halloween and beyond. Remember, your imagination is the only limit to what you can do. Enjoy and Happy Halloween!

Letter to Parents: Keeping Our Kids Healthy

Dear Parents,

As I was sitting in the doctor's office with our youngest child today, I suddenly realized that flu season is upon us. And with the weather changing we will all be more prone to colds. So, I thought I'd take this opportunity to run through a short list of tips for keeping our kids healthy. These tips will work for you and your kids:

1. Wash hands often. Before we eat, after coming in from outside, after using the restroom, after changing a diaper, after petting household animals, after coughing or blowing our noses . . . and the list goes on. Good hand washing is the #1 way to stop the spread of illness!

2. Get plenty of rest. Although we tend to live our lives on the run. Trying to jam as much into a day as possible, it is vital to our health that we get enough sleep. We all know that our cell phones won't work if the batteries are not charged. The same is true for our bodies. Without sufficient rest, we can't expect to function at our best. Nor can we expect our bodies to fight off disease if they are worn out.

3. Drink plenty of water. Staying well hydrated assists your body in cleansing on a cellular level. Our bodies not only filter the substances we consume on a daily basis, but they produce many substances as well. In order to have the body's waste products washed away, there has to be something to wash them away with. You would not stand in the shower with the water turned off and expect to get clean. The same is true for your body.

4. There are dietary supplements that we can take to help boost our immune systems. The first is Vitamin C. This is a water soluble vitamin and therefore does not build up the body. You can take Vitamin C on an ongoing basis with no adverse affects. Vitamin C is proven to boost the immune system. The second supplement is the herb, Echinacea. While this also boosts your immune system and helps your body fight infection, it can not be taken continually. It is recommended that you begin taking Echinacea at the first sign of a cold and do not continue use beyond four to six weeks at a time. To learn more about the best dietary supplements on the market CLICK HERE.

There are several references available on this subject. A few that I've found are as follows:

The ABC Herbal: A Simplified Guide to Natural Health Care for Children
Strengthen Your Immune System : Boosting the Body's Own Healing Powers in the Fight Against Disease
Boosting Your Immune System

Sincerely,

Eve Lawson

Children's Book Review: "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie"

Written by: Laura Joffe Numeroff
Illustratted by: Felicia Bond

Have you ever thought of feeding a mouse? After reading this adorable story, you may think again. The lovable little mouse comes to life through this humorous story and delightful illustrations. This is a must read for you and your children. Chances are, they'll ask you to read it over, and over, and over again (just as we have). Each time, laughing at the mouse's antics as if for the first time.

You can check this book and others by the author out at the link above, or your local library. If you like this book, you'll also like:

• "If You Take a Mouse to School"
• "If You Take a Mouse to the Movies"
• "If You Give a Pig Pancakes"
• "If You Give a Moose Muffins"

Happy Reading!

Kid's Activity: Baking Cookies

My son was helping me with ideas for our next post. We just got book orders in from school and he's insisting that we write about one of his new books. In honor of the book, we decided to write this post for you . . . and then bake our own cookies.

First, you need a recipe. If you don't have a traditional cook book, there are countless recipes on the Kraft web page. It's my favorite place to find recipe's that are not in my cook book. Just type what you're looking for in the search and off you go.

Next you'll need to make sure you have all the ingredients out and ready. Then get the kids in the kitchen. Help them follow the recipe, add ingredients, stir, and dish out cookies onto the sheet. It makes them feel good to do it themselves. Plus, it's a great chance for you to spend time together. It also gives you an opportunity to practice communicating and following directions. Once the cookies are on t he cookie sheet, it's time for my kids' favorite part - cleaning out the bowl. (You know how they like cookie dough!) Then we set our timer and wait.

Once the cookies are cooled, it's snack time. Enjoy! I know we will.

Kids Corner: Three of our favorite Kids Games

My kids enjoyed listing their favorite foods and can't wait to share some of their favorite games. We'll only list a few so that you can share your favorites too. Here we go:

3 1/2 and 4 year old:

• Hi-Ho Cherry-O (board game)
• Memory (card game)
• Chutes and Ladders (board game)
• Candy Land (board game)
• Curious George Uno (cards)
• Dora Dominoes

6 year old:

• Go Fish (cards)
• Sorry (board game)
• What am I? (This is a game we found on the Internet. I unfortunately do not recall the site, or I would provide it here. But, here is how it works. One person chooses something to be. Then he tells the others I am a "person" (or place, or thing). Then the other players take turns asking questions to figure out what the other player is. My son (6) likes to be animals. His best one was an armadillo. My daughter (4) likes to be flowers, trees, people she loves, and our pets.)

10 year old:

• Monopoly (board game)
• Clue (board game)
• Poker (card game with chips)

Our 4 month old is too little to like games . . . yet. He likes his toys, though. If you and your children would like to find these or other games, they are available at the KBtoys link on the right side of the screen. Please allow your children to post their favorite games as well. Hope to hear from you soon.

Kids Crafts: Pictures of Leaves

Here are the pictures I promised of the leaf rubbings we did. They were darker on paper and in the original scanned format than they appear here.

This was the kids favorite part. However, my six year old also liked drawing the leaf without looking at the paper, only the leaf. He wanted to do this several times.

The first one you see above is one of my six year old's drawings of the leaf in which he did not look at the paper. Both kids were tired by this time and did not want to try to draw the third picture. So I drew part of it, just so you'd have an example. Hope you enjoyed this activity as much as we did.