Silly Eagle Books

valentines books for preschoolers: library booklist

noreply@blogger.com (silly eagle books) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 13:05:00 +0000

image from The Valentine Bears by Eve Bunting, illustrated by Jan Brett

The key to getting holiday books at the library is to request them early! (Took me about 2 years to learn that lesson.)

So, hopefully, I am early enough in sharing this with you today that you can get a jump on a few of these titles.

The Best Valentine in the World by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat (illustrated by Lilian Obligado)
This was my favorite this year, but it looks like it is out of print. So hopefully, your library has a copy. Lilian Obligado is one of my favorite illustrators, so that may be why I loved it so much, but the story itself is a good one, too--sweet and a little bit old-fashioned. It also doesn't hurt that the foxes are named Ferdinand and Florette which makes me want to adopt some baby fox cubs just so I can name them after the characters in the book. Don't worry, Ben will stop me. This is why I married him.

The Valentine Bears by Eve Bunting, illustrated by Jan Brett

I've always loved Bunting and Brett on their own, but combined? They are a superpower. And since learning from Whitney what Jan Brett's shoes look like, I like her books even more than I already did. This is a sweet tale about Mr. and Mrs. Bear who wake up early to celebrate Valentines day together for the first time. (Usually, they are hibernating on Feb. 14.)

Queen of Hearts by Mary Engelbreit

I can relate to Anne Estelle's quest for the most beautiful valentines box ever. I'm also loving the heart garland she has on the front cover. Maybe we'll make that this week.

The Valentine Express by Nancy Elizabeth Wallace
This gives a good preschool-sized dose of the history of Valentines day--not too much, but just enough. Also, it lists some valentine-y cities in the US such as Valentine, Nebraska; Loveland, CO; Lovejoy, GA; Lovelady, TX, etc.

(Side note, one of the kids in the class is named "Vanessa", so that was more than a little bit exciting as we read it together--there are also a Minna, Lindsey, Pip and Tyrone--in case one of those is your name.)

The story part is really sweet. Minna and Pip wonder if grown-ups get Valentines anymore, and decide to make some for their neighbors. They make personalized ones for all the older people on their street and then deliver them via the "Valentine Express"--Pip's wagon. I like how it focuses on showing neighbors love and that kids can do big things all on their own. Good inspiration for kids to see.

If You'll Be My Valentine by Cynthia Rylant
This is a sweet rhyming book about a little boy who finds ways to show all the people in his life just how much he loves them.

Love, Ruby Valentine by Laurie Friedman
This was Juliet's favorite. Little Ruby loves Valentines day so much, she spends weeks preparing for it by making cards and gifts for all the people of Heartland. The night before she falls asleep and sleeps through Valentines Day--when she wakes up she is disappointed and thinks she has to wait until next year, but her pet lovebird tells her to give her gifts today. She does and realizes that every day is a good day to tell someone you love them.

The Ballad of Valentine by Alison Jackson
I always like finding books you can sing--this one is a remake of Oh My Darling Clementine. It's easy to sing and it will make your kids laugh at you. Well, maybe just if you can't sing--which I can't. If you can sing, they will probably stare at you in wonder and amazement. Either way--it's good stuff.

The Very Special Valentine by Maggie Keen
It's hard to find good toddler friendly books at our library, but this one has flaps and Lucia is into flaps right now. Juliet is still into flaps--do they ever get over flaps? I think I am still into them as well. It's full of forest friends which are good since we are in the "we don't read the words just talk and point at pictures and make animal noises whenever possible" phase with Lucia. Juliet loved this book too--we read the words with her. It also has a lot of shiny things in it--which are exceedingly enticing to my two little magpies.

Here are books we loved in years past:

What valentines books do you suggest to me? There's still time for me to make another library run before they are all gone!

personalized vintage-inspired bookplates for kids

noreply@blogger.com (silly eagle books) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 13:31:00 +0000

It has long been on my list of things to do: buy bookplates and install them in my kids' books! The problem is that I have waited so long and have acquired so many books that I will need quite a lot to put inside them all.

So, no, I have not accomplished my goal yet, but I have found a shop that is nudging me closer to it.

Oiseaux on etsy has a beautiful collection of personalized bookplates for kids. I love the delicate fairytale quality of all of them.

And they are not just for girls--there are so many perfectly boyish options.

This one has almost convinced me to name my son Max--should I ever have one.

Check out the rest of the bookplates! You will love them.

Which one is your favorite? (I think this mermaid one is mine.) I feel like these would be a good little valentines box treat...

valentines collage for kids

noreply@blogger.com (silly eagle books) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 13:18:00 +0000

Juliet made this for me two years ago when she was 3. I cut out some valentine images from a magazine and let her mod podge them onto the top of a cookie tin. (It makes a great canvas and is easy to hang on a nail!)

I got it out last week and have had it displayed as our Valentine Decor. You could do something similar with stickers, scrapbook embellishments or pink and red ribbons and heart.

If you don't have an old lid, a fabric or paper covered piece of sturdy cardboard would work, an old plate, or even a big rock would be pretty all decorated with valentines sentiments.

This years book list is coming on Friday, but here is a link to last years favorites if you need a few suggestions!

paint chip valentines for kids

noreply@blogger.com (silly eagle books) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 13:04:00 +0000

Last year, I made these paint chip valentines for Juliet's pink mailbox. You can see a picture of them when they were shiny and new here.

The picture above, however, is from this week. I wanted to show you how they held up over the year.

While definitely bent and worn--they are still surprisingly in good shape! And most of the wear and tear comes from Lucia's handling--she REALLY loves these things or she really loves opening and shutting the mailbox--either way, they see a lot of action these days.

I'm kind of over the whole paint chip thing, but I thought they were worth mentioning just because they are so easy, durable, and my kids seem to love them.

I've been storing away some books that I picked up at goodwill over the past few weeks. I plan on wrapping them and putting one in the mailboxes every day before V-Day. (Right now I only have six, so we'll have to come up with something else for the other days--have any good suggestions?)

I've got a Valentines Day Library book list coming up on Friday, but here's a sneak peek:

From The Best Valentine in the World

This is my favorite find this week. Ferdinand worked so hard on his Valentine for Florette! Makes me want to make a giant purple heart for each of my girls.

recycled cereal box valentine box

noreply@blogger.com (silly eagle books) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 13:08:00 +0000

I'm quite fond of valentines boxes. Last year, I found an old mailbox that I spray painted pink and hung in Juliet's room. It is still there and working fine, but I couldn't resist making some more this year. After all, Lucia needed one, so we HAD to. :)

My favorite thing to make them out of is empty cardboard food boxes. I wanted to make mailbox-inspired boxes to hang on the girls' doors, so one morning, Juliet and I got to work.

Raid your recycle box and decide how you want the opening to look. I went with straight across for Lucia's.

Juliet went with a triangle opening--which ended up being easier to decorate.

You can see the top edges were straighter.

We just used scrapbook paper and mod podge to decorate our boxes, but you could use anything: wrapping paper, paint, contact paper (we did that a few years ago and it turned out beautifully--see it here.) ribbon, stickers, etc...the sky is the limit.

She even took the extra step and lined the inside of hers.

After it dried, I hot glued some ribbon to the top and hung it from her door. It is ready and waiting to be filled with Valentines!

Lucia's too! They kind of look like purses to me--maybe they can keep using them after Feb. 14.

Need some ideas for what to put inside your kids' boxes? Here's a list to get you started. Here are some book inspired valentines I made a few years ago.

Need a good box-decorating story?

Queen of Hearts by Mary Engelbreit

She spends so much time making the perfect box that she forgets to make Valentines for her friends! In the end, she takes the box apart and gives the embellishments as valentines.

linking to Made by You Monday and Making Monday Marvelous, and Show and Tell.

five for friday: library book list

noreply@blogger.com (silly eagle books) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 13:18:00 +0000

Here's this week list of books to take to the library with you this weekend!

Big Wolf and Little Wolf by Nadine Brun-Cosme
This book is stunning. And the story is so heart-warming. I love it for Valentines Day (coming up) and for any time of the year when you want to celebrate the friendships in your life.

Willis by James Marshall
Hopefully, you already know and love James Marshall's George and Martha books. This was our first "other" James Marshall experience and we loved it. Another great story about the beauty of friendship.

Goldie and the Three Bears by Diane Stanley

A modern take on the classic tale, Juliet requested this one over and over again. It's about a girl searching for a friend--she finally finds one who is "just right" in baby bear. I love the illustrations in this one, too.

ABC Doctor by Liz Murphy
I discovered this book a week too late for Juliet's 5th doctor birthday party. It would have been perfect. As an ABC book lover, I really enjoyed the illustrations and text.

Blue Moose by Manus Pinkwater
I don't know if your library will have this--we found our copy at goodwill, but it's worth a shot. It's a longer book--we read it in "chapters." I think there are 4 or 5 sections. I think it is intended for kids already reading on their own, but we enjoy a good moose tale, so we picked it up.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend! Please let me know what you are reading in the comments section so I can look for them this week--I always love hearing your suggestions.

Next Friday, I will have some Valentines picks for you.

Goodwill Grand Opening!

noreply@blogger.com (silly eagle books) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 13:43:00 +0000

I mentioned last week that the girls and I were going to a Goodwill Grand Opening. We were hoping to find some books and other assorted treasures.

Instead, what we found was by far one of the most bizarre shopping experiences of my life.

Have any of you ever been to a Goodwill Grand opening?

I realized that something was up when I first pulled into the parking lot. Located in a shopping center with other stores, I quickly saw that parking was going to be a problem. And not a "we have to park a mile away" kind of problem, but rather a "we have to drive around the parking lot for 15 minutes before we get a spot" kind of problem.

We drove around and around. And around some more.

I'm not a very aggressive person. In fact, I'm probably the least aggressive/competitive person I know. But after about 10 minutes of cruising the parking lot, I realized I would have to start stalking people.

You know--waiting for someone to come out of the doors and then slowly following them in my car all the way to their car. I don't think I've ever done this--I've seen other more brazen shoppers do this and always thought it was a little much, but now, here I was, doing the same thing--in the Goodwill parking lot of all places.

I spotted an older woman with a huge bag and started tailing her. I had no idea if her car was in this lane and out of the side of my eye I saw another car slowing down in the opposite lane--waiting to see if she was going to cross over. I gripped the wheel and leaned in. Her spot was MINE.

At that moment, Juliet yells out, "Hey mom! The police are here!!" Which made my heart jump because of course, I was certain that they were after me for attempting to drive down a helpless old lady.

Fortunately, they were not after me, but were just part of the security for the big event.

When we entered the store and passed through a blue and white balloon arch; there were people everywhere. It was impossible to walk a straight line to anywhere due to the shopping cart traffic jam. People were pushing and shoving and there was a tinge of mania in the air. You could tell people were grabbing things just to grab them--so no one else could get them. Worse than Walmart on the Saturday before Christmas. It was insane.

We pushed through--kind of--and eventually made our way to the furniture. Except there were about three carts between us and the furniture, so I couldn't really tell if there was anything good. I saw a giant wicker chair that looked interesting, but I couldn't figure out how I would carry it out through the shopping cart armageddon.

Like lemmings being pushed to the sea, we found ourselves in the basket aisle. Only one other cart joined us so we had a chance to breathe. I found a large round basket that I thought could work for toy storage and Juliet eyed a picnic basket that looked just like Dorothy's from the Wizard of Oz.

We loaded them up and tried to make our way to the far corner of the store--where all the children's books were.

As I tried to move into the traffic, a woman smiled at me and I said, "Wow--I did not expect there to be so many people here today!" And she said, "I heard that people were lined up out here 3 hours before it opened. All the booksellers were here carting off all the good books to resell at their stores."

My heart sunk at this news. We arrived a good two hours after opening, so there was likely to be nothing left on the shelves.

We pressed on anyway, though. I still had hope.

When we finally got to the shelf, the children's section was pretty small. Two older women were searching through the books and after my parking lot police scare (and seeing all the uniformed officers patrolling the inside of the store), I decided to be on my best behavior and not push them out of my way. I stood their for about 3 minutes until they noticed me and invited me in.

As I was looking, I spotted two Usborne Touch and Feel books and immediately snatched them up. (Ha! Take that, you early-rising booksellers! You didn't get these gems!) And then I heard one of the ladies (who seemed to be in her 70s or 80s) say, "Oh, this book! I just don't get this book. Kind of like Where the Wild Things Are. I never got that book."

I was so curious as to what book she was talking about, but I couldn't see it in time before she put it back on the shelf. Any guesses? Even without knowing the title, her comment made me laugh.

She then picked up a Dr. Seuss book and exclaimed, "Oh my! Dr. Seuss books have gotten big!" (It seemed to be a regular sized book) "I remember when they were so small...."

Again, I was so curious to hear more, but at that point, the tide of shopping carts was moving us on and I had think of my children's survival.

Somehow we made our way to the end of the checkout line. There were 10 carts in front of us--all packed full of stuff.

I knew we would be there for a while and the girls were getting restless, so I pulled out the big guns: the fruit snacks.

Which of course only bought me about 1.5 minutes of time. There were still 10 carts in front of us. We waited and waited and waited some more. At 10 minutes in, I looked at our finds and thought, "Nothing in this cart is that GREAT. I think we should just ditch it and head out the door."

Lucia, who had been screaming intermittently for the past 10 minutes looked relieved, but Juliet looked pained and yelled, "NO! What about my picnic basket?!"

"Do you really need a basket?" I asked her. We can find one another day. "This is going to take way too long and your sister is upset."

"I really need it." she replied solemnly.

So, we stayed.

10 minutes of crying later, and we are still in line. Now there are 7 carts in front of us. A manager walks up to us and asks, "How long have you been waiting?"

"Um...feels like 20 years, but I'm guessing it's only been about 20 minutes." He gave me a weird look and left.

After he walked away, I noticed that Lucia had stopped crying.

She was frantically rubbing her chest with her hand--kind of in a circular motion. Her eyes were fixated on me pleadingly.

I had no idea what she was doing and then it hit me. She was signing the word "please."

We've been trying to teach her this sign for several months--I think she has done it maybe one other time before. Generally, she prefers a loud squawk to let you know she wants something. To her 15 month old way of thinking, "please" is for chumps.

But here she was, stuck in the never-ending Goodwill line and so desperate to leave that she would try ANYTHING--even good manners to just make this ALL GO AWAY.

I don't know how much longer we waited--it's all kind of a blur--but eventually we paid for our stuff and walked out the door.

As I walked past the receipt checker with a wild-eyed Lucia in one arm, a giant basket full of books in another and a 5 year old with a half-crazed/triumphant look on her face and a picnic basket as big as she is on her arm, he took one look at me and said, "Honey, I am not even going to make you empty your baskets. You have a good day now."

And out we walked, through the blue and white balloon arch, past the police men, and a few miles to our parking spot.

Victory.

We had survived the Goodwill Grand Opening.

The basket. In all its glory.

So worth it.

The books we found?

While I don't think I'll go back to a grand opening, I am glad we made it out with our lives and few fun treasures to show for it.

Do you like these sort of shopping experiences or do you prefer a calmer atmosphere?

Romeo and Juliet board book: baby Lit review

noreply@blogger.com (silly eagle books) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 13:52:00 +0000

A few weeks ago, I discovered this beautiful series of Baby Lit board books. I was dying to read them and was so excited when I received a review copy of Romeo and Juliet in the mail.

In case you are wondering, they are every bit as wonderful and beautiful as I hoped they would be.

Always curious about how publishers present such a story to kids--babies even-- but I love this approach. It's not really a story, but a counting primer based on the story.

So kids get to enjoy numbers and pretty pictures and parents get to remember and enjoy the story that they love, but aren't quite ready to share with their kids.

It begins with 1 balcony. (Did you know that we took a trip to Verona a few years ago? Juliet got to stand in Juliet's balcony!)

This page gets me excited for valentines day cards. We're going to break out the red and pink supplies really soon. In fact, these would be great inspiration.

There are a few well-known quotes scattered throughout the book. Really, I could just enjoy this book for hours. It's so pretty.

But it's Juliet's. She finally has her name book.

However, there are NO little girls with the name JANE or ALICE in this house, so that one is going to be MINE.

Don't worry. I'll share. :)

Pinterest at the library

noreply@blogger.com (silly eagle books) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 13:33:00 +0000

Pinterest is not just a fun time-waster for me (although, that is its primary function.) Lately, I've been using it as my personal library assistant.

Although, I sometimes avoid looking for books that other people suggest because I fear the heartbreak of learning that our library does not have the book, mostly, I give it a shot and see.

My luck seems to be about 50/50. Which is not great, but could be worse, I suppose.

While reading blogs and browsing online shops, I often come across books I want to read. Since the advent of Pinterest, I've been pinning them to my "books to read" board.

I love having a visual list of what I'm looking for.

It sure beats my old scribbled lists and is a million times better than relying on my memory.

Do you have a books to read board? What's on your to read list?

martin luther king jr books for kids

noreply@blogger.com (silly eagle books) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 13:51:00 +0000

Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day--I posted about some books for kids last year--you can read my list here.

Also, there are some crafts like the handprint banner in the photo. You can read about that here.

I also like this peace flower craft.

And Katie's I Have a Dream Cloud mobile. I'd keep that up all year!

Hope you have a wonderful holiday. :)

library book list

noreply@blogger.com (silly eagle books) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 13:42:00 +0000

I found this inside a storybook we read the other night. It's the book dedication by the author. As I read the words, it made me smile.

If you read my blog, you are probably one of those parents who are on a quest to fill their children's childhoods with stories.

I'm going to try to share a list of books every week (on Fridays) that you can use in your library trips the upcoming week.

Although, I love getting book recommendations, I always find it frustrating when I have a long list of books that I'm looking for only to learn that our library only has a few of the titles.

So, rather than give you a big list, I think I'll just share 5 that we are loving that week in the hopes that you will be able to find at least one or two of them in your own library.

Here are our picks for this week:

Umbrella by Taro Yashima

The magic of rainboots and umbrellas captivated Juliet.

Rosie and Buttercup by Chieri Uegaki
Juliet really related to this story of a big sister who decides to give her little sister away. She then rethinks her decision and ends up trading her two most precious possessions to get her back. This is a really sweet story--especially for older siblings.

The Sea Monster by Chris Wormell
This one is scary. But in a good way. A sea monster lives at the bottom of the sea--but he is nice. He ends up saving a little boy who is swept out to sea. Juliet had her fingernails in her mouth through the entire thing. It's wonderful.

A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Phillip C. Stead
I'm late to the party on this one, but we finally checked it out. It's beautiful. And I really want Amos's peacock print blanket. For my own bed.

Posy by Linda Newberry
You know we love a good cat book. This one is gorgeously illustrated.

What should I look for this week?

vintage globe

noreply@blogger.com (silly eagle books) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 13:28:00 +0000

I found this gorgeous globe at goodwill a few weeks ago. Actually, everything pictured was found at goodwill. (Not on the same day.) Love that place.

The colors are so beautiful--I've been hoping to find one like this for awhile.

Hooray for globes.

And Hooray for goodwill. There is a new store opening up today in our area. The girls and I are off to see what treasures we can find!

x-ray craft project for kids

noreply@blogger.com (silly eagle books) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 19:24:00 +0000

We had some clipboards at Juliet's doctor party. Needing something for the patient's "files," we made these DIY x-rays together the day before the party.

I found the idea in this Our Bodies & Art Activities book.

You take some tracing paper, trace some bones (we used some of our anatomy books), and then color in the bones with white crayon.

Next, paint over the entire sheet with black paint.

As we were doing this, it seemed to completely cover the crayon. I got out a sponge and tried to removed as much paint as possible, but it didn't seem to help.

With the timeline pressing down on us, I threw all but two of our papers away. I felt like it was a craft fail and we needed to move on.

(Juliet had traced several that I wish I hadn't tossed. )

Only two seemed to be somewhat visible at that point, so I kept them just to see what would happen, but I wasn't expecting much.

In the meantime, I went to plan B which was to photocopy pictures of bones and skeletons for the patient charts. Of course, this is the moment our printer decided to run out of ink.

The next day, they looked great. I think they just needed time to dry.

So, I would recommend this project if you are patient enough to let the paint dry! :)

The tracing paper gives the finished product a nice "x-ray-ish" feel. It's crinkly and interesting.

We will definitely try it again.

I think this would be fun for a human body unit. Do you know any other bone or doctor related books that would work well with this activity?

vintage metal bookshelves

noreply@blogger.com (silly eagle books) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 13:09:00 +0000

If you follow me on pinterest, you may have noticed me pinning a large number of metal bookshelves last night.

Suddenly, I'm into metal bookshelves and I was on a mad hunt for them last night.

I came across this site called Hudson Goods that has quite a few bookshelves I'd like to put in my house.

Isn't this bookshelf/ladder combo fun?

What do you think about this vintage metal wire bookcase? I kind of want to marry it.

doctor birthday party

noreply@blogger.com (silly eagle books) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 02:30:00 +0000

I've finally organized Juliet's doctor party photos and I thought I'd share them today. When we sent out the invitations, we asked the guests to bring a doll or stuffed animal as a "patient". Several kids brought their own doctor kits as well.

I went with a red, white, and pink color scheme. The main decoration was the cross garland made from red construction paper, red string, and my trusty hot glue gun.

For costumes, we had surgical masks and name tags for everyone.

I set up a mini-hospital in the play room, complete with waiting room, ambulance, pharmacy, and exam tables. This is the waiting room.

This is where I had the doctor books. I got this idea from my friend Amanda. She always has great book areas at her kids' birthday parties.

We had some large boxes left over from Christmas that we transformed into an ambulance. White contact paper and red duct tape are miracle workers. We had the flashing red light left over from last year's police birthday party.

A white sheet taped to the wall with packing tape and another red duct tape cross made a fun backdrop.

Barbie emergency. (Found the pink kid's scrubs at Target.)

The pharmacy had all the supplies the doctors and nurses needed to tend to their patients.

The cotton swabs were a big hit.

The night before the party, Juliet asked me what kind of games we were going to play. After spending the entire day building an entire infirmary, I had nothing. I asked her what kind of games she was thinking about and she said, "You know, like pin the cross on the nurses hat or something."

To which I replied, "Go ask your dad to make that."

And he did. Daddy and white contact paper saves the day again.

The kids had a lot of fun with this game, so I'm glad she thought of it. I guess 5 is the age when kids start wanting games at their parties. I had no idea.

For party favors, Juliet passed out these first aid kids and candy canes. I was going for a red an white candy striper theme, but a few are green. I don't think the kids noticed. :)

We had a lot of fun with this theme. I don't know where she comes up with this stuff, but I'm glad she has such a big imagination. I can't believe she's already five.

Kids grow up fast, don't they?

Linking to making monday marvelous, made by you monday, making the world cuter,

blog design: blog milk

noreply@blogger.com (silly eagle books) — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 16:03:00 +0000

You may have noticed a new look on my blog this week. Ana from Blog Milk has been hard at work giving it a new look.

She had designed the previous header and button last January and I was completely happy with it, but due to a server error, my header was lost.

She helped my technically-challenged self out and now Silly Eagle Books is looking better than ever. I'm so happy with how it looks and I love working with Ana.

She has a beautiful aesthetic and style and is very easy to work with.

If you are looking for a new template, she is running a sale right now. Check out Blog Milk for more details.

Even if you are not looking to revamp your blog, her blog is a fun place to visit and she often shares music downloads and free printables.

I have to say, my blog's looks have come a long way since 2009 when I made my first blog button. Although, still proud of my achievement, I am so very glad that I don't have to rely on my own skills anymore and instead get to have this beautiful new one.

Thank you again, Ana!

Peter pan pop up book

noreply@blogger.com (silly eagle books) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 13:51:00 +0000

Do you like pop up books? If so, this is one you will want to get your hands on. It's amazing! Peter Pan: A Classic Collectible Pop-Up

My friend Amanda gave it to the girls for Christmas. Juliet fell in love with it and asked me to read it to her immediately.

The entire story is included and there are tiny little "books" on each page that also have mini-pop-ups inside them. The story really comes alive with this book!

After Juliet's birthday party, I told her we could sit and read part of the story together.

We ended up reading the whole thing in one sitting.

Just couldn't help myself.

Did you get any new favorite books for Christmas?

story cubes

noreply@blogger.com (silly eagle books) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 13:54:00 +0000

I'm a really terrible story teller. (Which is why I go to the library and check out so many books to read to my kids!)

But despite the beautiful tales I read to them (with plenty of emotion and accents and energy), they still ask for me to tell them stories. Like ones I make up all on my own.

I'm telling you, these stories are no good. Yet, still, they ask on.

When I saw these Story Cubes in the store a few months ago, I thought they would be a perfect stocking stuffer. And I thought they might make me a better story teller.

They didn't.

My stories are still awful.

But here's why I love these cubes. Instead of me telling the stories, Juliet wants to tell them now.

I'm off the hook!

She loves lining up the cubes and then telling me a story.

Over and over again.

I just close my eyes and listen to her little tales of magnets that attract rainbows and arrows that fly around the world searching for bumblebees.

It's wonderful.

I love the cubes because they have a lot of different interesting images. And they pack up neatly in their box. And my daughter is nuts about them.

You could make your own or do the old story stone craft (something that's been on my to-do list for awhile!)

My friend Amanda has a set of Tell Me A Story cards that she enjoys with her kids. I've seen them and they look really fun.

How do you find inspiration for your stories? Any tips or secrets to share with me?

baby lit board books

noreply@blogger.com (silly eagle books) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 13:02:00 +0000

Romeo and Juliet: A BabyLit Board Book

Baby Lit, where have you been all my life? I JUST discovered these this week. How has their existence escaped me?!

For the past 5 years, I have been searching for a suitable kid-friendly telling of this story (for obvious reasons) and have not found anything worthwhile. (As in it wasn't age-appropriate--I have no problem with the books otherwise for older kids.)

The closest we got to it was the movie Gnomeo and Juliet, which fun as it was, was still not what I was looking for.

I haven't read this yet, so maybe it won't measure up, but the beautiful cover has my hopes up high. And it's a board book, so it has to be good, right?

But wait, there is more.

I hope you are sitting down for this. There is also a Pride and Prejudice baby lit board book.

Okay, I just fainted, but I'm sitting up again.

And soon to be released....

Jane Eyre

I know. Stop it. Stop it, you say, but I can't.

Oh be still my beating heart, an Alice in Wonderland Colors Primer?

Why didn't I ask Santa for these?! I don't know that I can wait till next year.

Have any of you seen these? What do you think? Should I make haste and order them immediately?

the birthday book (golden shape book): party inspiration

noreply@blogger.com (silly eagle books) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 13:48:00 +0000

Juliet turned 5 recently. A few weeks before her birthday, I found this vintage birthday book at our local goodwill. I was hoping I could convince her to let me use it as an inspiration for her party.

Hang balloons from the ceiling, simple party hats for the kids...(if I could find red velvet dining chairs like that, I would be oh so excited!)

And this cake--it even has the right amount of candles! I thought she would go for it since it is pink and has strawberries and roses on top....but she stuck to her guns and requested pink cupcakes instead. (She also maintained her request for a "doctor party", so I had to let this dream go.)

I'm still on the hunt for a cake stand like this one, though. Maybe Lucia will go for this for her second birthday.

Do you have any birthday party plans in your future? What themes are your kids requesting this year?

Doctor party garland and doctor books for preschoolers

noreply@blogger.com (silly eagle books) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 15:56:00 +0000

Happy New Year! We started the year off with Juliet's 5th birthday which was doctor-themed at her request.

I was a bit intimidated by the theme because I could not find any good inspiration on the internet, but luckily, it turned out really well.

We went with a red, white, and PINK theme (pink is a given no matter what the theme) and used a lot of old boxes from Christmas presents to create a mini hopsital/pharmacy/waiting room area for the kids to pretend play.

I have a ton of pictures, but haven't downloaded or organized them yet. But they will be up here soon.

For the waiting room, I gathered up some fun doctor and human anatomy books for the kids to enjoy, so I thought I'd kick off the year by sharing those with you today.

Storybooks:

Doctor Rabbit by Jan Wahl This is my favorite vintage doctor book. The illustrations are amazing.

Dr. Duck by H.M Ehrlich This is a fun one we got from the library.

Biscuit Visits the Doctor by Alyssa Satin Capucilli Do you like Biscuit? I think he barks too much, but kids seem to love him.

Froggy Goes to the Doctor by Jonathan London

This was my favorite library find. I've never read a Froggy book, but one of my friends told me that she loved a few others in this series. Froggy is really funny and he'll make your kids giggle. This is also the only book I actually saw any kids sit down a read at the party....

Doctor Dan, the Bandage Man
This is from my Golden Book collection--it's very vintage, so if you are into that, you'd probably like this one.

Anatomy Books:

Baby's Book of the Body This one is nice a baby friendly. Lots of pictures of babies and basic body parts.

Human Body Explorer This one is actually for elementary aged kids, but Juliet is fascinated by body systems, so she wants to see what is inside her brain and all that kind of stuff. If your kid is not ready for internal body images, you might want to wait on this one.

Going To The Doctor
This is just a basic "going to the doctor" book. It would be good for a kid with a lot of anxiety about doctor visits.

Visual Dictionary of the Human Body
Another one that is not for preschoolers either, but if you have a curious child who asks you what the inside of a cell looks like, then this will help a mama out. All I could remember was mitochondria. This has all the rest of that stuff you learned in 7th grade Life Science.

Our Bodies &; Art Activities
An art book for the human body? Sign me up! :) I was really excited about this one--most of the crafts were too much for a party scenario, but we did do one a few days before the party together. It's good if you homeschool and need some science-y/art activities to do with your kids.

Corduroy Goes to the Doctor

This was a baby-friendly title that I threw in for Lucia and the other under 2 guests. However, they were more interested in dumping out the jar of cotton swabs.

This isn't the first time we've gone on a hunt for human body books, I shared our favorites in this list last year: best human body books for preschoolers.

Hopefully, that gives you something to work with on your first library trip of the new year. Do you have any favorites to share with me? Leave a comment and let me know!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

noreply@blogger.com (silly eagle books) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 14:44:00 +0000

Joy to the World

I'm signing off for the rest of the year! I hope you have a wonderful end of the year and holiday season.

If you need something to keep you busy while I'm gone, check out these lovely ladies. I just love their blogs.

Melissa
Holly
Lauren
Amy
Georgia
Kristina
Ivelisse

See you next year!

walnut baby jesus ornament

noreply@blogger.com (silly eagle books) — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 13:30:00 +0000

Several years ago, before Juliet was born, I went to a christmas ornament exchange party. One of my coworkers made one of these walnut shell baby Jesus ornaments. I remember thinking it was the cutest thing I had ever seen.

Last Christmas, I tried to track the ornament down (one of my friends got it). She looked through her boxes, but never found it. I was hoping she would email me a photo of it so I could recreate it.

I couldn't remember anything more than the shell part.

I did a search on the internet, but came up with nothing!

Fast forward to this year and I have seen these ornaments pop up on several different blogs. So, following this tutorial, Juliet and I made one together--finally.

I also dug up this vintage book that was Ben's as a child. The illustrations are really beautiful. It's from a series called Arch Books. Baby Born in a Stable .

So, that's it. I'm done with Christmas crafts for you.

Get ready for Valentines day. ;)

toddler-friendly christmas tree

noreply@blogger.com (silly eagle books) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 13:22:00 +0000

Lucia is at that age where she gets into everything and she doesn't understand that things can hurt her. (She's 14 months old).

I debated getting a Christmas tree because I wasn't sure I wanted to deal with the constant safety hazard issues.

To test the waters, we put up a tiny artificial tree (one we had from Juliet's toddler years) and hung up some soft baby friendly ornaments. We added a few wooden snowflakes and then strung some of Juliet's dress up necklaces and some jingle bells on it.

Basically, we just put up a bunch of stuff that we she is allowed to touch and play with.

She, of course, handled all of it and had fun taking stuff off and putting it back on.

Eventually, the novelty wore off and she pretty much ignores it now.

We got the real tree a few days later and only hung up baby-safe ornaments. Nothing glass or with tiny parts.

She loves the tree, but hasn't touched it. Not sure if it was the pre-tree experience or not, but I'm happy that it hasn't been a stressor this month.

My pile of Christmas board books has been keeping her occupied as well. If you missed that post, here's a link to the books!

coffee filter snowflake wall art

noreply@blogger.com (silly eagle books) — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 13:38:00 +0000

Our playroom is undergoing some rearranging--in part to make room for the Christmas tree, but also because we felt like changing things up (furniture placement-wise).

We moved a bookshelf from this wall to another spot (pretty much where I am standing to take this picture) which left us with a giant blank wall.

Since I'm not wanting to hang anything until the tree is gone, we decided to hang up some temporary art.

It turned out so pretty, I might be leaving it there for good.

We tried out the coffee filter snowflake technique (lots of people have blogged about this, but I saw it first on The Artful Parent here.)

It's true. Coffee filters are so much easier to cut into flakes than paper.

And then you can color them with paint brush pens.

Juliet had fun sticking them on the wall with some double sided tape. She was careful step up on the storage boxes to hang them up high--away from her little sister's reach.

Curious, Lucia toddled over to see what he big sister was up to. So, I gave her a coffee filter with tape on it just to see what she would do.

She took it straight to the wall and stuck it on.

So. Precious.

It's staying there forever.

Or however long it takes until she pulls it off. :)

We found a really great book about snowflakes at a book fair last month and have been learning lots of fun things about them. The Secret Life of a Snowflake: An Up-Close Look at the Art and Science of Snowflakes by Kenneth Libbrecht (snowflake expert)

One thing we learned is that despite their beauty, our coffee filter snowflakes are not scientifically correct replicas.....

Inside the book, Libbrecht shares the way to cut a 6 sided snowflake out of paper--which is how they appear in nature.

I tried it once. And failed.

But don't worry. I'm going to try again. For the sake of science.

Do you have any favorite snowflake books or crafts to share with me?