Ticklish Orangutans {E's First Diorama}

If you had told me that I'd be dealing with large projects and grading rubrics as early as first grade, I wouldn't have believed you. But here we are with the THIRD major project of the year.

Farm Animal Crafts

A's preschool class has been doing a unit on farm animals, and she has brought home some darling crafts. This little piggy was made with two different sized paper plates and few construction paper cut-outs. I think the pipe cleaner tale is genius.

Animalia & Alliteration Illustrations

We love Animalia. I ran across it on our shelf today and pulled it out for the first time in ages.

Purebred Pups

Like our new pooches? They're cute, they're cuddly, and I guarantee they won't pee on the carpet. I found this craft on TLC's website and printed off the directions for E and I to tackle together. Pom poms do not like to be glued, particularly to pipe cleaners, so this was a bit of a frustrating activity for my 5 year old perfectionist. Still, we managed to create two adorable doggies - Princess the Poodle and Dinky the Dachshund - which, while too fragile to be played with, look awfully cute on our bookshelf.

(I would recommend if you decide to make the poodle, to make the legs a little longer than the directions suggestion, and bend them at the end to form the feet. Then just glue the ankle puff on top of the bend. This has got to be more successful than trying to glue three tiny fuzzy pieces together.)


The Perfect Puppy for Me by Jane O'Connor

I like books that squeeze a lot of non-fiction into a fictional story. The Perfect Puppy for Me teaches your children about several different breeds of dogs (including poodles and dachshunds): their unique temperaments, needs, and talents. It also incorporates general doggy knowledge, such as how to read a dog's mood based on the position of its tail, the scientific name for dogs, and what foods you should never feed a dog.

The underlying story is that of a boy whose parents have promised him a dog. In an attempt to find the right dog for him, he tells about all the different dogs he knows, what breed they are, and what they're like. This is an excellent book for kindergarteners and up to learn all about dog breeds in an informal and practical way. I love that the book is able to be so thorough without being dry or boring. It has one major flaw, however, and that is leaving out my dog's breed!

A face like that deserves a mention in any dog book! (He's a havanese, which really was the perfect dog for me.)


I'm linking up to:
- stART @ A  Mommy's Adventure

Bling Out that Bike Helmet!

Bike safety never looked this good!

I'll admit it, I hate spending money on licensed character merchandise. Not that I have anything against Winnie the Pooh or Disney Princesses, but I don't want them on every t-shirt, tennis shoe, and rollerblade. So when I picked out a bike helmet for A, I chose a plain pink one... and then added some touches of my own!

With a paint brush and some mod podge, I attached a few scrapbook paper cut-outs to personalize the helmet. Now she's sporting a caterpillar on the side, an initial in the front, and some uber-cute ladybugs on the other side!

And just one more pic... because SHE'S uber-cute!

Duck on a Bike by David Shannon

You're probably familiar with David Shannon but have you seen this one? Duck borrows a bike and rides around the farm. Each of the animals who see Duck say something appropriate (like "moo") but think something disparaging (like "A duck on a bike? That's the silliest thing I've ever seen!"). After Duck makes a spectacle of himself across the entire farm, a crowd of kids arrives... all on bicycles. The next image is of the animals looking at a bike with a gleam in their eyes (it's the page that sold me on the book). Of course, they all hop on and take a ride around the farm. "Great idea, Duck!"

I love the illustrations in this book! They're funny. They're cute. They make the story. Just looking at the expressions on the animals' faces will make you chuckle. I only have one complaint - where is that duck's helmet?!

I'm linking up with:
- Get Your Craft On @ Today's Creative Blog

Like Sheep to the Slaughter

Isn't he adorable? The inspiration came from these sheep on Southern Living. My co-worker Mike saw it and tore out the page, knowing it was something my girls would love. Wasn't that thoughtful? His wife has trained him well! :)

The magazine used melted white candy coating to attach the mini marshmallows to a Milano body. I didn't have any candy coating so I planned on using melted white chocolate chips, but I didn't have any of those either. In the end I coated the Milano with marshmallow fluff and covered it with the marshmallows. I attached the Milano face, marshmallow eyes and ears, and mini chocolate chip pupils with the fluff as well. The hooves were mini pb cups from Trader Joes.

He ended up looking so cute! I took a few snapshots, got the baby up from her nap, and then went to get the sheep to surprise the girls...

Now I know why they suggested candy coating. Don't worry, we quickly put him out of his misery!

May you and your family be blessed this Easter weekend!

Because we're tired of bunnies...

I'm starting to feel a little Easter-ed out, so we took a break today from the bunnies to do a simple little froggy craft to go along with this simple little froggy book:

One Frog Too Many by Mercer & Marianna Mayer


This wordless book is chock full of gorgeous ink drawings. With a stroke of the pen, the Mayers convey a full range of emotions through their lovable characters: boy, dog, frog, turtle, and new frog. The story unfolds as Boy receives a new frog as a gift. Old frog is not happy about the new addition and does everything he can to oust new frog. When old frog goes too far, he learns the ugly side of jealousy.

We've owned this book for over a year, but this was the first time I pulled it out and asked E to "read" it to me. She did such a great job; I wish I had taped it. This is a wonderful activity for early literacy, even for kids like E who are already reading.

Just look how the illustrations clearly show jealousy, guilt, remorse, anger and grief. I know my kids can relate to frog's naughtiness!

To go along with the book, we created this Little Rock Frog from E's precious pebble collection. I was inspired by this page on Martha Stewart. She has examples of frogs, turtles, and even a dachshund, so you can create the entire cast of characters if you'd like.

All we did to create this little guy was glue together three pebbles using super glue and a hot glue gun (it's what I had). E painted him green and then add spots with a paint pen. I put on the finishing touches. In no time he was all dry and ready to play outside!

And just so A wouldn't feel left out when she woke up from naptime, I painted this little lady bug...

I'm linking up to:
stART @ A Mommy's Adventure
Feed Me Books Friday @ The Adventure of Motherhood 

No Need for a Doggy Bag

We finish up our week of puppy madness with a tempting feast for your litter! Whether you are doing a puppy birthday party or just want to fix a special lunch for your kids, this is a simple and fun lunch.

We used paper plates for easy cleanup, but I served out of dog food bowls. Check the Dollar Store for cheap bowls. 25 cents got me a bone-shaped cookie cutter which I used on PB&J sandwiches.

I also served - what else? - hot dogs! After the mommies (my best friends - aren't they beautiful?) got our kids set up with the finger food, we were able to sit down and eat up!

The centerpiece was a basket full of dollar store puppies. Simple, cute, and perfect for party favors.

Dog by Matthew Van Fleet

It doesn't get much cuter than this! A book full of adorable doggies, pull-out tabs, textured spots... what more could you ask for? Well, maybe an actual story, but the list of opposites is fun and instructive. The interactivity in the book is perfect for kids of all ages: clever enough for older kids to enjoy and sturdy enough to keep babies from destroying. I laughed out loud in the store when I got to the tab that lifts the doggy's leg (yes, so he can pee) - so apparently it's fun for adults as well... or I'm easily amused.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Get Your Paws Off My Cake!

We're reading doggy-themed books this week and reminiscing over E's 3rd birthday party. In our family, the cake is always the most anticipated part of the party... other than the presents, that is. Our little puppies drooled with anticipation over these delicious puppy paw-print cupcakes!

I used a boxed chocolate cake mix to make up a batch of cupcakes. I'm not a fan of canned frosting, so I found a great recipe for cream cheese frosting. (Unfortunately, I didn't think of saving that recipe, so I have no clue which of the 698,000 recipes out there I used. I'm sure they're all delicious; I mean, cream cheese and sugar? Got to be good.)

To assemble the cupcakes, I spooned the frosting into a ziplock bag and snipped off the corner to pipe the frosting onto the cupcake in a swirl pattern. One thin mint (stock up now - they freeze!) and four Jr. Mints placed on top created the paw print.

So easy and so yummy, our guests couldn't wait to dive in!

E picked off the minty portions of the cupcake, but the other kids (and the moms!) gobbled them up! You know what else we gobbled up (how's that for a transition?)...

You're A Good Dog, Carl by Alexandra Day

Have you seen the Good Dog, Carl books? These classics follow Carl, the Rottweiler every mother wishes she had. Carl looks after baby Madeline, getting her in and pulling her out of mischief in every adventure. I can only imagine what sort of danger A would get into with Miles as her nanny, but Carl is a dream babysitter. He keeps Madeline from danger while giving her the time of her life.

Alexandra Day tells her stories primarily through her gorgeous illustrations with very little narration. This allows even very young children to "read" and enjoy these books. They're a favorite of my little dog lovers!

Must Love Dogs

My girls love, LOVE, l-o-v-e dogs. When E was 2 she'd cry bloody murder if an ant crawled on her, but would run squealing toward a strange doberman. Our own dog Miles is a beloved, if beleaguered member of the family.

It's no surprise that when E turned 3 she wanted a Puppy Party. This week I'll be showing you how we celebrated her birthday puppy-style, as well as canine-themed books your own pups will love!

We greeted our guests with a stop at the groomers. Here they received their puppy ears and collars. The ears were easy and cheap! I bought a pack of neutral-colored kids headbands and glued felt floppy "ears" to them. A brown eyeliner supplied the whiskers and nose.

Once they were decked out, we sat them down at a table with pony beads, string, and little tags labeled with their initials.

Even the two-year-old was able to thread the beads with a little assistance.

Once the transformation was complete, they were sent to the dog house!

Isn't she the cutest puppy ever? Almost as cute as this little guy...

McDuff Books by Rosemary Wells

I grew up with a collie named McDuff, which may be one reason I am completely in love with these books. They are sweet, simple stories of the antics of one lovable terrier and his family. Geared towards preschoolers, these books are short enough to hold the attention of toddlers but so charming even school-aged children will enjoy them. In few words she captures moments that ring true for all dog-lovers. Anyone with a pup will appreciate how Susan Jeffers collaborates to bring McDuff to life with perfect canine expressions and positions.

If you get a chance, check out one of the McDuff books. Each of them is more delightful than the last!

Almost as delightful as my own dear children! ;)

Giveaway!!! What's New at the Zoo?

Our zoo hosted a special event this weekend, including a visit from illustrator Joan Waites. Having illustrated more than 40 books, Joan was in town from D.C. signing copies of her latest publication What's New at the Zoo?. She kindly agreed to donate one for my very first giveaway!

What's New at the Zoo: An Animal Adding Adventure moves through a zoo, visiting the different exhibits and counting the animals. At each exhibit a short rhyme asks your child to add the animals and includes the equation. The addition begins simply (2+1=?) but becomes increasingly difficult (12+8=?), providing a challenge for even young math whizzes.

After our morning at the zoo, Little Page and I read the book together. She enjoyed counting the animals and solving the equations (with a little help from me), but we both really enjoyed the illustrations. There are examples on Joan's website, if you'd like to check them out. Full of color and details, but not overly bright or garish - I wish our zoo looked this good! The kangaroos look ready to leap off the page; the elephants seem to be having the time of their lives splashing in the water; she even managed to make sleeping bats look cute. Each picture is framed with a colorful and appropriate border (zebra print, snakeskin, bamboo), and hidden within the illustrations floats a single red balloon. These extra details lend mileage to this book, providing children reasons to flip through it long after they've mastered the simple math.

Giveaway Details

You can win a copy of this book! Here's how:

• Post a comment letting us know your favorite animal-themed children's book.
• For an additional entry, blog about this giveaway and then email me the link to your blog.
• Sorry, I love my international readers, but I can only afford to ship the book within the continental United States.
• Please enter by Sunday, September 20th. The winner will be picked randomly and announced on Monday.