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.