Weekend Reading: A Crazy Day at the Critter Café
A lively (and messy) book!
ADDED January 30, 2010
Here's the story in a nutshell: a group of animals travelling by bus stops at a restaurant, the Critter Cafe. Unfortunately for the waiter and the chef, the animals behave like, well, animals. They make a huge mess and cause commplete (and comedic) pandemonium.
Children's books -- as you certainly know -- often feature whimsical and preposterous story lines. Well, A Crazy Day at the Critter Café is fully and satisfyingly preposterous. The prime example: one of the animals is a skateboarding cow with questionable coordination. To say the least, this clumsy bovine contibutes more than her fair share to the mess.
The restaurant's waiter and chef try to re-establish order with predictably poor results. You wouldn't be thrilled if you were one of the restaurant's patrons that day. Viewing the scene from the comfort of your clean couch, however, makes for a much more enjoyable experience.
My kids love the outrageous occurrences in this book.
The rhymes and images are very nice here. But it's the crazy, slapstick story that leads to a lot of fun for readers of all ages.
Grab a copy today, and read to those kids!
News of the Day
You and your kids are the newsmakers
ADDED January 29, 2010
Most activities on our site are meant be activities you and your kids can do together. Today's activity is no different, but for today's activity, you are the star . . . and your day is the big news that your family will be discussing. Remember current events in high school? Well, your day is today's current event!
At dinner tonight, make a special point to . . .
Newsprint Poem
Little bits of fun
ADDED January 28, 2010
Most kids know how to write poems. Sometimes, though, it can be tough to get one started. Today we have a solution for the poet's variety of writer's block: have your kid use their favorite magazines, cut out words, and create a message all their own.
First, gather all the . . .
Long-Take TV
Try one yourself!
ADDED January 27, 2010
Next time your kids want to record themselves with the family video camera, encourage them to shoot a long take. In movie vernacular, a "long take" is slang for recording everything in the scene all at once, in order, and without stopping the camera. When something goes wrong, you just have to keep acting till the shot is done.
I always encourage long takes when my kids want to film themselves. . . .
Rain Catchers — A video of it in action!
Just don't get too wet!
ADDED January 26, 2010
Last week we presented our Rain Catcher's idea -- it's easy fun for your kids when it's raining. And it's vaguely educational, too.
Here's a video of some rain catching in progress . . .
Change of Venue
It might be just what your kids need
ADDED January 26, 2010
Homework has to be done almost every day. Sometimes kids have trouble doing the "same old thing" -- and they can get a bit distracted, feisty, or worse. We think that sometimes a little change can help create a big, positive attitude change.
Flashlight Games
A sure way not to get bored
ADDED January 25, 2010
It has been raining for the last week here is Southern California, and the rain was welcome fun for a day. On the second day, though, you realize that people here don't plan on the rain. At my kids' school, the lunch area is outside, and on a normal day this is fine; the worst they have to deal with is the marine layer. By Friday of this week, after all classes had been inside all week, my wife and I hardly knew the rambunctious ruffians that we were picking up from school.
So we had to put on our thinking caps and do something fun and unusual everyday. The ideas had to be affordable, unique, and possibly educational — but always fun. On Monday, we came up with Flashlight Games. . . .
Weekend Reading: Would You Rather?
Well, would you?
ADDED January 23, 2010
All The Colors In The Whole House
You've got colors -- now it's time to use them!
ADDED January 22, 2010
Rain Catchers
All you need is a cup and some patience!
ADDED January 21, 2010
Your Child, Book Reviewer
Let’s hear your kids’ questions!
ADDED January 20, 2010
We like to read books with our children. Kid's books are often so beautiful and fun -- they're a great pastime for kids of all ages.
In the past, when we finished reading a book, my wife and I would ask the kids some questions about it:
Did you like it?
Was it funny?
What was your favorite part?
Truth be told, the kids were okay with these questions. Sometimes they had thoughtful responses, but more often than not, they were ready to move on to the next activity on the agenda.
So we turned the tables. Now I ask the kids to make up some questions about the book we've just read.
My kids ask, "What was your favorite part of the book?" but they also ask "deeper" questions -- and questions that lead to insight as to their own thinking:. . .
Color Code
Are your kids color-coded?
ADDED January 19, 2010
“Simon Says” eat your heart out! This idea is pure “Today Is Fun:” it’s simple, fun, and free. (Well, it pretty much should be free.)
Here’s what you need to do:
Find some objects that clearly represent all the colors of the rainbow. Colored paper, such as construction paper, works the best. Ideally, you can find some scraps of paper that are red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. You could add more colors — black, white, brown and gray — but to start off, keep it simple with fewer colors.
(If you don’t have any colored paper on hand, you could have your kids make some paper for you to use. Take some white scraps of paper, and have the kids color one red, another orange, another yellow, and so on.)
(You could also have the kids write "red" on a card. That would work well and make for a good "second round.")
Next, with your kids’ input, assign some meanings to each color.
Red could be “sing a little song” or “spell out a word.”
Animal Races
All animals win, really, just for trying!
ADDED January 18, 2010
Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day!
Take some time to remember and honor a great American
ADDED January 18, 2010
Today, we'd like to take a moment to reflect on the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. My kids are quite young, but we have talked about the unfairness — and absurdity — of judging people by the color of their skin. Dr. King helped change that, and he righted wrongs while renouncing violence. He was a great man!. . .
Weekend Reading: The Circus Ship
A top reading pick. We love it!
ADDED January 16, 2010
We suggest good books here pretty frequently. But today we would like to announce: Circus Ship by Chris Van Dusen might just be our top pick of all time! It’s certainly our favorite book of 2010. Yes, yes, it’s still early in the new year — I know — but we just love this book!
When my kids and I finished reading Circus Ship for the first time, they demanded that we start over and read it again immediately. All in all, we probably spent an hour with this book during our first reading.
Here’s the story: a ship carrying animals from a circus has a mishap at sea . . . and sinks. The animals swim to a nearby island, whose residents are quite shocked at the sight of the exotic creatures. The humans are also a bit annoyed at the varieties of trouble that the animals get into. . . .
Holiday Card Recycling Services
A crafty clean-up program
ADDED January 15, 2010
Ten Quick Activities You Can Do With A Blanket
Who knew one blanket could be so much fun?
ADDED January 14, 2010
Here is a list of ten creative, fun ways to use a blanket. There are probably hundreds more, but here are ten suggestions to get you started.
1. A blanket could be a boat.
2. A blanket could be a cape (for good guys and bad guys alike.)
3. A blanket could be a space ship.
4. A blanket could be a reading nook. (Or even better, a quiet reading nook.)
5. A blanket could be a sled (if you have wood floors and brave children.). . .
Dad Lib
Way more fun than the original kind of lib!
ADDED January 13, 2010
Dad Lib is silly, educational, and fun -- and can be played anywhere without a pencil and paper. It makes for a special time in which you tell a silly story to your kids. My family usually plays Dad Lib when the kids are in the car and they have started bothering each other -- it can be a lifesaver. Don't worry, Moms, you can play too!
Here is how we play. . . .
That's Fancy
A writing activity
ADDED January 12, 2010
Most adults have all heard of John Hancock and his famously large and flamboyant signature on the Declaration of Independence. It is so striking, in fact, that "John Hancock" has become a synonym for "signature" in the United States. Here it is; impressive, isn't it?
Well, in honor of John Hancock and his famous John Hancock, have your kids . . .
Quarter Battle
A new classic game
ADDED January 11, 2010
I really made this game up the other day. I am sure someone else in this world has thought up something similar, told all their friends about it, and will now accuse me of plagiarism. But as I said,"I really made this up the other day." So I am going to share it here with you (I have a good intellectual property lawyer anyways. Well, he's a friend and some sort of lawyer or another.)
All you need is an even number of quarters and two players. I like quarters because they are big enough to hold easily and big enough to seem valuable.
Here is what you do:
First, one person chooses heads and the other chooses tails. . . .
Weekend Reading: The Kingfisher Book of Nursery Tales
A fun and "safe" spin through some classics!
ADDED January 09, 2010
We all know these stories: Little Red Riding Hood, the Three Little Pigs, Goldilocks and the Three Bears.
If you’d like to introduce these stories (and more like them) to your kids, this is a great book: The Kingfisher Book of Nursery Tales, by Vivian French.
(I really did want to familiarize my children with these tales, because these stories are indisputably part of our popular culture. Who doesn’t know the story of Little Red Riding Hood? I want my kids to be acquainted with all these famous stories, too.)
This book has a lot going for it:
• First, some traditional fairy tales can be a bit violent, morbid, and gory. Not here, thankfully. For instance, in the traditional telling of Little Red Riding Hood, the big bad wolf eats the poor innocent grandmother! Little Red Riding Hood’s dad hacks up the wolf. Yikes! Not exactly the entertainment I’m seeking out for my three-year-old. However, in Vivian French’s re-telling, the grandmother — appropriately nervous by the wolf’s arrival at her house — hides in a cabinet. And (not to spoil any endings here) the story concludes not with the wolf’s gruesome demise, but with his retreat to the woods. Much better than gore and brutality. Thank you, Vivian French!. . .
Two Random Words
Two random words are all you guys need for some big fun!
ADDED January 08, 2010
This creative game works well anywhere -- and it’s especially good for the car.
All you and your kids need for this activity is . . . two random words.
One person -- you, for instance -- comes up with two random words. The words can really be anything: sidewalk sandwich, iguana pink, jelly thrower.. . .
365 Thank You Letters
A big project to start the year
ADDED January 07, 2010
The beginning of the year is a great time to start a new project.
In my house, we're trying something this new year -- and maybe you'd like to do it, too. We're trying to send out 365 letters to people this year, thanking them for their contributions to this world.
Who will we find to thank? The janitors at our local library. Children's authors whose books we've particularly enjoyed. . . .
Family Tradition (or Project) Starter
Why not begin the new year with something big for your family?
ADDED January 06, 2010
The beginning of the year is the perfect time to start something new. So why not use the start of this year to start a new family tradition? Or at least a good project?
A family project (or tradition) could be fun for you and your kids . . . and it can help your kids learn or accomplish something.
Here are some ideas to consider:
1. Learn a capital city each day. If your kids are old enough, you guys could all learn each world (and state) capital city
I had a friend who had done this with his family when he was younger. This friend and I met a man from the African country of Ghana.. . .
New Year’s Resolutions for Young Kids
Kids can benefit from resolutions, too. Here’s how to help your children with a little self improvement.
ADDED January 05, 2010
We think New Year’s resolutions are good things. Resolutions are attempts at improvement -- and we support both attempting and improving.
We think even young children can benefit from making resolutions. Why?
Well, two reasons:
First, it’s not bad to teach kids early on that good things come via effort. It’s good to show children how people achieve great things: by identifying what they want in life and then working diligently towards that goal.
Second, a resolution is a promise. But they are a special kind of promise: resolutions are promises that you make to yourself. We want to teach our kids to be “good to their word,” and to keep their promises. That includes promises they make to themselves.
Here are eight suggestions to help your kids with New Year’s resolutions:
(We believe that the most important suggestions below are #1 and #8!)
1. Do not make resolutions for your kids!
Would you like it if your parents made resolutions for you? Would you be inspired to keep those resolutions?. . .
New Year's Resolution: Start the Day With A Smile
Have your kids make you a 'Wake-Up Smile Picture'
ADDED January 04, 2010
Here's a question for you: How do you start your day? Is it with a smile?
Or — if you're like me — maybe you don't emerge from sleep each day with a smile. Maybe you wake up and realize the alarm has been blaring for ten minutes. Maybe the kids wake you up with one of their arguments. Maybe you wake up and wish you could go right back to bed. . .
Weekend Reading: Cat Up A Tree
A lovely and entertaining book by John and Ann Hassett
ADDED January 02, 2010
Cat Up A Tree has a very simple story: cute and charming Nana Quimby looks out her window and sees a cat up a tree. She calls the fire department to help get it down, but is told, "Sorry, we do not catch cats up a tree anymore."
As if that wasn't problem enough, the next time Nana Quimby glances out her window, she sees five cats up the tree!
She calls the police department but is given the same response. Sorry, the police, too, do not catch cats up a tree.
"Call back," the police department says, "If the cats rob a bank." . . .
