Clothesline Theater

What a wonderful Idea! I love the fact that you can spend the time together painting the scenery on and then have fun watching/performing the Act!
A great idea for a fun Family day in the Yard!
Have Fun



This simple theater sets the stage for hours of backyard fun. CRAFT MATERIALS:
2 (6-foot) lengths of polypropylene clothesline
3 old sheets
Paint
Clothespins
Dozen 1 1/4-inch binder clips

Time needed: About 2 to 3 Hours
1. String up two parallel lengths of polypropylene clothesline 6 feet apart. Paint scenery on a background sheet, as we've done -- or pin on scenery cut from or painted on craft paper -- then use clothespins to attach the sheet to the line farthest from the audience.

2. For the curtains, suspend two sheets from the front clothesline using 1 1/4-inch binder clips hung at 1-foot intervals. The clothesline should go through the clips' triangular centers, allowing kids to slide the curtains open and closed for dramatic effect.

via: http://jas.familyfun.go.com/arts-and-crafts?page=CraftDisplay&craftid=11440

The 100 Best Children’s Books

When it comes to great children’s literature, kids have hundreds of books to choose from – everything from the enduring classics to award-winning, modern-day picture books and novels.

Here, listed by category, title, author and illustrator is our list of the best children’s books on the shelves – stories that will excite your kids and remain in their memories for years to come. This list represents the views of parents, children’s literature experts and our own readers.

While not every classic children’s book is listed, these are the books that strike a special chord and stay with us through adulthood.


Books for Babies l Picture Books l Chapter Books l Nonfiction or Poetry

Books for Babies

• Goodnight Moon, by Margaret Wise Brown, illustrated by Clement Hurd

• Have You Seen My Duckling?, by Nancy Tafuri

• Pippo (series), by Helen Oxenbury

• Spot (series), by Eric Hill

• Ten, Nine, Eight, by Molly Bang

• The Very Hungry Caterpillar, by Eric Carle


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Picture Books

• Alfie (series), by Shirley Hughes

• Arthur (series), by Marc Brown

• Babar (series), by Jean De Brunhoff

• Bread and Jam for Frances, by Russell Hoban, illustrated by Lillian Hoban

• A Chair for My Mother, by Vera Williams

• Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, by Bill Martin Jr., illustrated by Lois Ehlert

• Chrysanthemum, by Kevin Henkes

• Doctor DeSoto, by William Steig

• Dog Heaven, by Cynthia Rylant

• Frog and Toad (series), by Arnold Lobel

• Harold and the Purple Crayon, by Crockett Johnson

• Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins, by Eric Kimmel, illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman

• A Hole Is to Dig, by Ruth Krauss, illustrated by Maurice Sendak

• Horton Hears a Who, by Dr. Seuss

• If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, by Laura Numeroff, illustrated by Felicia Bond

• Jumanji, by Chris Van Allsburg

• Lon Po Po, by Ed Young

• Madeline, by Ludwig Bemelmans

• Make Way for Ducklings, by Robert McCloskey

• Martha Speaks, by Susan Meddaugh

• Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel, by Virginia Lee Burton

• Millions of Cats, by Wanda Gag

• Miss Nelson is Missing!, by Harry Allard and James Marshall

• Miss Rumphius, by Barbara Cooney

• The Mitten, by Jan Brett

• Mr. Gumpy’s Outing, by John Burningham

• Olivia, by Ian Falconer

• The Ox-Cart Man, by Donald Hall

• Peter Rabbit (The Tales of), by Beatrix Potter

• The Polar Express, by Chris Van Allsburg

• Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes, by Eleanor Coerr

• The Snowy Day, by Ezra Jack Keats

• The Spider and the Fly, by Mary Howitt, illustrated by Tony DiTerlizzi

• The Story of Ferdinand, by Munro Leaf, illustrated by Robert Lawson

• The Story of Holly and Ivy, by Rumer Godden

• The Velveteen Rabbit, by Margery Williams, illustrated by William Nicholson

• Where the Wild Things Are, by Maurice Sendak

• Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears, by Varda Aardema, illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon

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Chapter Books
• Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll, illustrated by Sir John Tenniel

• Anastasia Krupnik, by Lois Lowry

• Anne of Green Gables, by L.M. Montgomery

• Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, by Judy Blume

• Because of Winn-Dixie, by Kate DiCamillo

• The Borrowers (series), by Mary Norton

• Bridge to Terabithia, by Katherine Patterson

• Charlotte’s Web, by E.B. White

• The Devil’s Arithmetic, by Jane Yolen

• Fallen Angels, by Walter Dean Myers

• The Friendship, by Mildred Taylor

• The Giver, by Lois Lowry

• The Great Gilly Hopkins, by Katherine Patterson

• Grimms’ Fairy Tales, by the Brothers Grimm

• Harriet the Spy, by Louise Fitzhugh

• Harry Potter (series), by J.K. Rowling, illustrated by Mary Grandpré

• Hatchet, by Gary Paulson

• Henry and Mudge (series), by Cynthia Rylant, illustrated by Sucie Stevenson

• Holes, by Louis Sachar

• Homer Price (series), by Robert McCloskey

• The Indian in the Cupboard (series), by Lynne Reid Banks

• Island of the Blue Dolphins, by Scott O’Dell

• James and the Giant Peach, by Roald Dahl

• Julie of the Wolves, by Jean Craighead George

• The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (The Chronicles of Narnia series), by C.SLewis

• Little House (series), by Laura Ingalls Wilder

• The Little Prince, by Antoine de Saint-Exupery

• M.C. Higgins the Great, by Virginia Hamilton

• Maniac Magee, by Jerry Spinelli

• Number the Stars, by Lois Lowry

• One-Eyed Cat, by Paula Fox

• Peter Pan, by J.M. Barrie

• The Phantom Tollbooth, by Norton Juster

• Ramona (series), by Beverly Cleary

• Redwall (series), by Brian Jacques

• Sarah, Plain and Tall, by Patricia MacLachlan

• The Secret Garden, by Frances Hodgson Burnett

• Shiloh, by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

• Stone Fox, by John Reynolds Gardiner

• The Story of Dr. Doolittle, by Hugh Lofting

• Stuart Little, by E.B. White

• The Summer of the Swans, by Betsy Byars

• The Thief Lord, by Cornelia Funke

• Tuck Everlasting, by Natalie Babbitt

• Where the Red Fern Grows, by Wilson Rawls

• The Wind in the Willows, by Kenneth Grahame

• Winnie-the-Pooh, by A.A. Milne

• The Witch of Blackbird Pond, by Elizabeth George Speare

• A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeleine L’Engle


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Nonfiction or Poetry

• Diary of Anne Frank, by Anne Frank

• It’s Perfectly Normal, by Robie Harris, illustrated by Michael Emberley

• A Light in the Attic, by Shel Silverstein

• The New Kid on the Block, by Jack Prelutsky

• Talking Like the Rain (anthology), by Dorothy and X.J. Kennedy

• The Way Things Work, by David Macaulay

• You Be Good and I’ll Be Night, by Eve Merriam

via: http://www.parenthood.com/article-topics/the_100_best_childrens_books.html

Teach Problem-Solving

The Summer can be rather challenging for Parents! There you have all of your children together in one House and all you do all day long is medeate between Kids about who had what first and how unfair it is that someone did something that they weren't supposed to.....You can relate.
Here is a nice Article that I think might help you.
I wish you Sanity today!

by Johanna Sorrentino


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Children are impulsive. And to avoid mishaps, parents often resort to simply telling children what to do. Yes, it may be simpler. But it removes the opportunity for a valuable lesson: teaching kids how to make effective choices. Clinical psychologist Erik Fisher says most first graders understand that they have many choices when deciding how to act, but they often rush head-long into the wrong ones. In his book, The Art of Empowered Parenting (Ovation Books, 2007) he encourages parents to slow down a child's thought process, so she can practice problem-solving.

What does he mean by slowing things down? Well for one, teach children to weigh their options before jumping head first into a decision. Here are three things you should teach your child to ask himself before making a choice:


1. Is what I am going to do (or did) a good idea?

2. Could it hurt, harm, or interfere with anyone, anything, or myself?

3. Is there a different or better way to do it?

Note: While stealing Jimmy's lunch box may not be a better alternative to pulling his hair, don't lose hope: your child's ideas will eventually become more reasonable with practice.

If you think these questions are too complex for your first grader, think again. It's important to introduce your child to these questions early on in her development, says Fisher.

One way to help simplify the concept of problem-solving is to give visual and auditory clues to each question, in order to help your child remember, he says. Take the questions above, for example. A band aid would be a good visual cue to help kids represent and remember Question # 2.

Emotional boo-boos are no fun. And you can help your child with some preventative First Aid. The consistent application of these question gives kids the opportunity to slow down long enough to think about their choices. It may be just what your child needs to bring out his emotional intelligence.






via: http://www.education.com/magazine/article/Power_Struggles_First_Grade/

Mommy, I'm bored!

Here is a long List of things that are sure to keep your Child busy for a while!
Happy Picking,
Nadine




Fun activities for your toddler

by Jenny Wanderscheid


Toddlers love to draw, paint and experiment. ChildFun's Jenny Wanderscheid offers these fun activities for your toddler, using materials you probably already have at home. Now, you'll have something to give them whenever they cry, "Mommy, I'm bored!"

Tracing your child
Have the child lie on his back on the paper. Trace around the child. Then each child colors in his face, clothes etc. Don't forget freckles, jewelry, etc. Then cut it out for them.

Contact paper
Go for walk with children. Let them pick leaves, daisies, etc. Bring them back and arrange their treasures on contact paper. Then cover with second contact-paper, smooth out air bubbles. Trim contact paper into a shape like circle, etc. Hang their treasure project in window so sun can shine through it.

Science experiment
Do balloon -- static electricity. Inflate a small-medium balloon. Rub balloon on child's hair for about 10-15 seconds. Then place balloon on wall(it will stick because of static electricity). Rub balloon again in hair & lift up slowly so that hair will stand on end. The little children just kept on laughing & having fun with this.

Finger painting
Finger painting is the "classical" art activity for toddlers-and a very good place to start. They enjoy it as much for the feel as for the cause and effect designs they make.

Shaving cream
Many toddlers will not like to get their hands messy with paint, but they will almost invariable love to finger paint with shaving cream. A soft, billowy, good smelling mound of shaving cream is almost irresistible. It has the advantage of being easy to clean up, and leaving everything, including the artists, cleaner and sweeter smelling than before.

Make sure to rinse their hands afterwards to avoid skin irritation. Let children paint right on the table top. You could also give children "cafeteria trays" or cookie sheets to paint on to minimize a mess. For variety you could add a few drops of food coloring to the shaving cream to create pretty pastels.

Heated shaving cream
It's a wonderful treat, and very soothing, to fingerpaint with heated shaving cream. To heat the shaving cream you can use one of the small electric appliances designed for that purpose. If you cannot locate on of these, simply place the can in hot water for a few minutes. It works!

Window painting
Toddlers love to fingerpaint on a low window. When the paint dries they can use their fingers or a cotton tipped swab to scribble designs through the paint. Mix detergent or powdered window cleaner with the paint so it will wash off easily.

Do a group fingerpainting
Tape a long piece of shelf paper to a table top and let several children paint at once. They'll enjoy the social aspect.

Scribble d飯r
Tape a large sheet of butcher paper to a table top and make that known as your scribble table. It can stay on the table several days, even a week or two. Put different things on the table for toddlers to scribble with freely. When the paper gets all filled up, simply remove it and replace it with a clean sheet. This could become a permanent fixture in your room.

A scribble easel
Tape a large piece of paper to an easel. Tie a piece of yarn about 2 feet long around a fat crayon with a notch in it so the yarn doesn't slip off. Tie the other end to the top of the easel. This is now a "scribble place" where a it so the yarn doesn't slip off. Tie the other end to the top of the easel. This is now a "scribble place" where a child may make a mark whenever she pleases, without waiting for an adult to set out the materials. You could attach several different colors of crayons.

Paint with roll-on deodorant bottles
By pressing your thumb hard against the plastic collar and prying underneath with something metal you can pop the ball and collar off roll-on deodorant bottles. Wash out the inside and fill it with liquid tempera paint. Snap the ball and collar back on. You've just made a "giant ball point pen" that's a very effective scribbling tool for toddlers. Bright swatches of paint appear on the paper with minimal mess.

Straw painting
Put spoonfuls of paint on paper and have toddlers blow the paint with straws. This will be appropriate only for children who have mastered blowing rather than sucking.

Paint boxes
Paint boxes with small paint brushes. The boxes can be turned into boats, buses, houses, mailboxes, spaceships, etc, depending on the theme you are using.

Chalk
You can use colored chalk, large pieces of sidewalk chalk Draw on a chalkboard, sidewalk, cement wall, wet paper, dry construction paper. Draw roads and lakes to use for playing with cars, trucks, and boats. You can leave your chalk drawings for the rain to wash off, or let the children use squirt guns or squirt/spray bottles to wash off the artwork.

Collage
Put a piece of sticky contact paper on a table with the sticky side up and tape down all the sides. Model putting on collage items such as feathers, leaves, shapes/objects cut from paper, and any small you can place sheets of construction paper on it and cut it into sections for pictures to take home. If the objects are all flat, the sections can be used for place mats.

Fingerpaint with food
Depending on the developmental level of the child, I have successfully fingerpainted with chocolate pudding, applesauce, and stained baby food fruits with little ones that still put everything into their mouths. You can also seal fingerpaint into a Ziplock bag and tape the seal. Even very small children enjoy mixing colors together safely this way. For children old enough not to mouth the paint, I use a washable fingerpaint as a base and let each child chose two colors of paint to paint and mix together. Just before we end the activity, we do a handprint on another sheet of clean white paper.

For these older toddlers, you can fingerpaint on a mirror with shaving cream or whipping cream that is in a spray can. This is a good activity for fine motor skills-let the children try to squirt out the cream.

Gluing
Glue sticks, paper or cardboard, things to glue (noodles, feathers, pieces of torn paper, Kleenex ?, tissue paper, leaves, flower petals).

Caution: Gluing is often a difficult activity for toddlers since they maybe more interested in exploring the feeling of the glue than sticking objects on paper. Before you begin, consider what your limits will be in the ways the children will be allowed to use the glue.

Select paper to be use as the background. Select materials to use as picture. The number of items used at one time will probably depend on the age/interest level of the child. Most children will do better with one or two items at a time.

Have children put one or two spots of glue on paper. You may need to demonstrate how to use the glue if this is a new activity. Put things to be glued on top of the spots of glue and push down. Just do as much as each child is interested in. The process is more important than the product.

via: http://geoparent.com/family/fun/imbored.htm

Dehydration, Heat Exhaustion, Heat Stroke

With the Summer heat cranking up and everyone planning more and more Outside activities here is some Information that every Parent should have!
Have a safe Summer!


How to Keep An Eye on Your Child for These Heat-Related Illnesses
Children have more body surface area per pound of weight than adults. This makes children more prone to heat illness. Early warning signs include dehydration.

Symptoms of Dehydration


Thirst
Fatigue
Irritability
Dry mouth
Feeling hot

If your child complains of thirst, feels hot or become irritable in the heat, the child may have early dehydration. Make sure the child drinks plenty of cool fluids. Keep the child out of the sun and in a cool, comfortable place.

If theses symptoms are ignored, more serious heat illnesses can occur, like heat exhaustion and heat stroke, putting your child at great risk.

What Is Heat Exhaustion?
Heat exhaustion requires immediate attention. Symptoms include dizziness, nausea, vomiting, headaches, weakness, profuse sweating, excessive thirst, muscle aches and cramps, agitation or irritability, and sometimes unconsciousness. In some cases, heat exhaustion can lead to heat stroke which requires emergency medical treatment.

What Do I Do If My Child Has Heat Exhaustion?
Bring the child to a cool place and have the child drink plenty of fluids. The child should not be allowed to play again that day.
If the child is becoming unconscious or confused, has a seizure, difficulty breathing, vomiting or diarrhea, seek medical attention immediately.

What Is Heat Stroke?
Heat stroke is a medical emergency. Symptoms of heat stroke include a high body temperature (104°F-105°F or higher); nausea and vomiting; seizures; disorientation or delirium; hot, dry skin or profuse sweating; unconsciousness; coma; shortness of breath; decreased urination; or blood in urine or stool.
Heat stroke can occur suddenly, without any symptoms of heat exhaustion.

What Do I Do If My Child Has Heat Stroke?
Get the child to the emergency room immediately. Cool the body while awaiting the ambulance by removing clothing and placing ice bags on the neck, in the armpits, and the groin areas. Fan the child and spray with cool water. If child is awake and able to swallow, give fluids.

via: http://onetoughjob.org/summer.aspx

Bubble Pictures

This is a great craft idea for the summer. We tack up some pieces of construction paper on a fence at the children's face height. Then we mix a little bit of food coloring in some bubble solution. We usually mix up a couple of bottles in different colors. Then we have the kids blow bubbles onto the paper. They have a ball doing this, but make sure they are wearing old clothes or swimsuits so they won't get food coloring on good clothes -- it could stain.


via: http://www.freekidcrafts.com/summer.html

Ice Cream in a Bag

Here is a wonderful Idea for an afternoon with the Kids!
Enjoy the fruit of your Labor!

By: The contributors of Kaboose.com, plus additional recipe testing and photography by Christina Stanley-Salerno

Difficulty: Very Easy

Average User Rating:
4.2/5

Parental supervision is recommended



Milk can become ice cream in five minutes! This homemade ice cream-in-a-bag creamy treat is a summertime delight for kids and adults alike.

Visit our main summer crafts page for more quick and easy warm-weather projects that will delight children.


What you'll need:
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup milk or half & half
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
6 tablespoons rock salt
1 pint-size plastic food storage bag (e.g., Ziploc)
1 gallon-size plastic food storage bag
Ice cubes
How to make it:
Fill the large bag half full of ice, and add the rock salt. Seal the bag.
Put milk, vanilla, and sugar into the small bag, and seal it.
Place the small bag inside the large one, and seal it again carefully.
Shake until the mixture is ice cream, which takes about 5 minutes.
Wipe off the top of the small bag, then open it carefully. Enjoy!
Tips:
A 1/2 cup milk will make about 1 scoop of ice cream, so double the recipe if you want more. But don't increase the proportions more that that -- a large amount might be too big for kids to pick-up because the ice itself is heavy.



Here's an improvised version from another parent:

These are the ice cream ingredients . . .

1/4 teaspoon imitation vanilla butter and nut flavor
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup 1% milk


These are the other supplies . . .

Plastic sandwich bag (e.g., Ziploc)
12 water softener pellets
1 tray of ice (My ice cube tray makes small cubes, so it produces only about half a tray.)
Large plastic bag



Put the ice-cream ingredients in the small bag, and then put the bag, salt, and ice in the big bag. Hold the bag shut and stir it around on the floor for about 5 minutes. Although the salt pellets hardly dissolved, I got ice cream. It was not as smooth as ice cream, probably because of the low-fat milk. Instead, it was a little like sherbet. I think if I had more ice in the bag, I could have shaken it better. I'd recommend wearing gloves. It is incredible that it is ready in 5 minutes (not counting assembling the ingredients.)


Next, I changed the recipe, using a tablespoon of cocoa, a tablespoon of sugar, and a cup of milk. I really wanted to use carob, but I didn't have any. It was a tad too chocolatey, but good! My daughter has milk allergies, so I suggested she try this with fruit juice. She used straight pineapple juice and got a terrific fruit sorbet


via:http://crafts.kaboose.com/ice-cream-in-a-bag.html

Have some fun...don't stay dry!

Here is a great Idea for a Party Game. All Kids, no matter their Age, LOVE Water Balloons!
Have a blast!


What You'll Need:
Several Small Water Balloons
A Large, Outdoor Playing Area

Preparation:

Fill up several balloons with water. You will need one balloon for every two players, but it won't hurt to have a few extras on hand. Store them in a large bucket in case they pop before the party.




At The Party:

Divide the children into pairs. Have the members of each pair stand across from each other, forming 2 lines with 2’ to 3’ in between them. Give a water balloon to each player in one of the two rows.

When you say, “Go!” the players on each team must begin tossing their water balloon back and forth to each other. Each time a player successfully catches a balloon, he or she must take a step backwards. The space between the two rows will grow with each toss, making it harder for the players to catch the balloons. When a player misses a toss and a team’s balloon breaks, that team is eliminated from the competition. The last team with an unbroken water balloon is declared the winner.

via: http://www.birthdayinabox.com/party-ideas/guidesdetails.asp-aseq-523-bgs-3-dept_id-

Box Fort or Habitat

Here is a great indoor activities! In our area there have been many Wildfires and we have been restricted to our House due to smoke. This is a wonderful Activity to pass the day, and I actually remember doing this as a Kid ;)
Have a great time exploring your Child's Imagination!


Required: Large boxes, tape, marker and scissors

Find some large boxes to play in. You can either use those leftover large present boxes or acquire a few large boxes from a nearby store. Have the kids figure out how they want their fort to look with passageways to the other boxes. What type of windows? Windows that open up, open down or open out. Have someone that is knowledgeable with scissors cut out openings, use caution when doing so. Use duct tape or shipping tape to keep the boxes together. Kids can decorate their fort with markers and other ways. Discuss with kids different types of forts that were built in America, Canada and other countries. Have them do some research on the Internet as to these types of forts. For younger children have them think about different types of habitats that animals use for protection. Whenever your children try a new activity or game, this is your greatest opportunity to tie it into a learning experience. Games can always be a learning process for kids and adults; you’ll learn many things in the process. - R. Scheel, Fun-Attic Inc.


via: http://www.funattic.com/game_family.htm