Shadow Puppet Theater

Well friends, the famous Phil did NOT see his shadow this week and although I would typically say hooray to an early spring, that sort of thing is frowned upon when you live in a resort town in the mountains so this year we are chanting, "long live winter!" (This is solely due to peer pressure on my part and I actually cross my fingers while shouting this despicable phrase—because besides being a symbol for good luck, finger crossing is also the internationl action sign which allows one to lie with impunity.)

 Because we say BAH to no shadows (*crosses fingers*) the boys and I assembled a few movable shadow puppets and put on a show or two...or three or four or five.

The puppets we used were designed by Meredith Wolff and downloaded from Martha's website. We thought these particular animals were perfect for the winter season but obviously the possibilities are endless when it comes to shadow puppet construction.

We have a rectangular cut-out in one of our walls that the kids use as a window to their playhouse (which is little nook under the stairs). As it turns out, the window makes for a lovely little puppet show stage as well.

To make a screen for shadow viewing, I cut a long strip of paper from a roll of tracing paper and taped the corners to the window from the backside. Next I hung a shop lamp overhead to backlight the screen. Then it was on with the show.

The kids spent a the better part of our Groundhog's Day participating in this activity which was great since it was way to cold to go outside. A must-do, indoor play activity.  

Okay, I’m off to start prepping supplies for the valentine making we will be doing this weekend (which might involve homemade heart shaped-crayons again). We might even whip up a batch pf last year's conversation hearts or some heart shaped soft-pretzels. I’ll be back next week to share a few projects we have been up to in tribute to this month of love. See you then!

Writers Kit and Topic Generator

One of my nieces has an interest in writing and making her own funny zines so for Christmas last year we decided to gift her a homemade writing/zine making kit. This gift idea gave me the opportunity to browse through my favorite isle in every store; office supplies! After gathering up the essentials, (pencils, erasers, scissors, glue stick etc.) I put together a couple notebooks using sketching paper, scrapbook paper for the covers and embroidery thread for the binding. My favorite part of kit however is the topic generator game I created for her that she can use for brainstorming in those moments of writers block OR just as a story starter in a little creative writing sesh.

The topic generator includes instructions for playing and three flip books labeled 1, 2 and 3. Each book has 24 pages with one idea of something to write about per page. Book 1 has 24 nouns or subjects (a turtle, a toaster, the Easter Bunny, etc). Book 2 has 24 actions to write about (doing somersaults, planning a party, playing chess, etc). Book 3 had 24 places or locations to write about (the moon, a shoe store, a candy factory). In total, the three books provide 72 different topics of things to write about in various categories. That being said, the books can also be used together to make an entire topic sentence. Using the books this way will enable the user to create hundreds of story starters.

Making a silly topic sentence requires three simple steps. 

Step 1: Flip open to any page of book 1 and write down the subject

Step 2: Flip open to any page of book 2 and write down the action next to the subject

Step 3: Flip open to any page of book 3 and write down the location next to the action

That's it! The user now has a topic sentence. The instructions also suggests adding prepositions in order to make a complete or proper sentence. So in the example shown here the sentence would read: The Easter Bunny playing chess inside a candy factory (the word "inside" being the preposition). Obviously the user can throw in a few adjectives here and there to give the sentence a little more pizazz. Maybe the sentence could read: The elderly Easter Bunny played chess with his imaginary pet squirrel in an abandoned candy factory. Make sense? Okay good!

After completing the game I packaged it up into a zip lock bag and added it to the rest of the kit. I wrapped a tag around the case as a giveaway to what was inside. I sort of wanted to keep this gift for my own writing sessions (I'm pretty nerdy about this stuff) but I kept the Christmas spirit and sent it off in the post.

Z is for Zany Zebra Print

We made this Zany Z using:

Chipboard cut from a cereal box for letter base

White construction paper

Black sharpie marker

Glue: stick

Speaking of animal prints, we like to read:

Elmer by David Mckee. Unlike the other Elephants Elmer lives with, his skin is multicolored in a patchwork pattern. Elmer is always making the elephants laugh and they like him but Elmer begins to question if the elephants are actually laughing at him rather than with him. After finding a way to disguise himself to look like everyone else, Elmer discovers that the only way he will be truly happy is when he stays true to himself. A lovely message for the little ones with fun imagery. 

Wow, we did it! Every capital letter in the alphabet! Now I know my ABC's next time won't you sing with me?

(More on Project ABC)

Y is for Yellow and Yo-Yo

We made this Yo-Yo-ing Y using:

Chipboard cut from a cereal box for letter base

Yellow origami paper

Vintage yo-yo

Glue: stick, hot glue to adhere yo-yo

A Yo-Yo book we like:

OK, this one is not a Yo-Yo book at all but it does feature another classic toy; the wind-up! It's Alexander and the Wind-Up Mouse written and illustrated by Leo Lionni. I can't think of a Lionni book we haven't liked but this one might be my favorite by him. The collage-ish art work is perfect for this little story about a mouse who is envious of the life of another mouse in the house who happens to be a wind-up toy. After all, the toy is welcome in the home unlike Alexander. Alexander eventually learns the grass is not always greener as he discovers the toy mouse has been discarded in the trash. Lucky for Alexander (and for the wind-up toy mouse) a magical lizard grants Alexander's selfless wish of bringing the toy to life. The mice become best friends obviously. A very sweet and charming tale every child should hear.

(More on Project ABC)

X is for X-Shaped X-Ray

We made this X-y X using:

Chipboard cut from a cereal box for letter base

Black construction paper

White construction paper for bones
White vellum paper to mute the black background

Glue: stick

A bone-y book we like:

Bone Soup by Cambria Evans is a Halloweenish take on the classic Stone Soup tale. If your kids are not yet familiar with the original version of the story, this book still makes for a fun and slightly gruesome read as the villagers cast into the pot (or cauldron) spider eggs and toenail clippings (in place of carrots and onions). If your kids have experienced the classic tale however, they will probably enjoy this book even more because they will feel like they are in on the joke. We liked the illustrations in this one as well.

By the way, speaking of ghoulish re-dos, have you read Goodnight Goon; a Petrifying Parody? Obviously it's a take on the much-loved Goodnight Moon. My kids found this spookier version to be quite the hoot and begged for it again and again.

(More about Project ABC)

W is for Wiggly Worm

We made this Wormy W using:

Chipboard cut from a cereal box for letter base

Brown scrapbook paper

Gummy worms

Glue: stick and hot glue to adhere worms

A Worm book we like:

Yucky Worms by Vivian French and Jessica Ahlberg (illustrator) is a fun book about discovering scientific facts about worms as the reader is taken on a gardening journey with a little boy and his grandmother. Although the little boy is grossed out by worms in the beginning of the book, he soon learns to appreciate the slimy creatures as he becomes more knowledgeable about the role of a worm and just how dependent we are on those little creepy-crawlies.

(More on Project ABC)

V is for Valentine

We made this Valentine-y V using:

Chipboard cut from a cereal box for letter base

Red scrapbook paper

Doily and scissors

Origami paper

Letter stamps and ink pad

Glue: stick and white Elmer’s

Valentine-y books we like:
Odd Velvet by Mary Whitcomb and illustrated by Tara Calahan King, tells a story of a little girl who certainly has a different way of doing things in comparison to her classmates in school. She doesn't wear the coolest, newest clothes and instead wears side braids with large round glasses. The kids in school think she is rather odd and start to wonder where she came from. Fortunately the children have the opportunity to discover Velvet's skills in art and they begin to appreciate her differences. I love this book so much as it teaches to appreciate the differences in others and in yourself—a perfect valentine message if you ask me. Super cute illustrations too.

Another book I really like to read to the kids about appreciating/respecting/loving their self is called, I Like Me by Nancy Carlson. This pig in this story doesn't let her failures get her down and instead works on learning from her mistakes. She loves her body from her curly tail to round tummy to tiny feet. She controls her feelings by doing things that bring her happiness. A great message for any child (or adult).

Also, have you read the book, I Like You by Sandol Stoddard Warburg, illustrated by Jacquline Chwast? I received it from the hubs long, long ago. I highly recommend it as an any-time valentine gift for your loved one or BFF as it talks about the simple pleasures of enjoying your relationship with one another. One of my favorite lines from the book is, "I like you because if I am mad at you then you are mad at me too, it's awful when the other person isn't—phooey. They are so nice and hoo-hoo and you could just about punch them in the nose." OR "I like you because if I think I am going to throw up then you are really sorry, you don't just pretend you are busy looking at the birdies and all that." It's a book for all ages, really and a must read slash gifting.

(More about Project ABC)