“My Leaf Book” by Monica Wellington and Making Leaf Rubbings

Weekly Trip to the Library One of the most visible indicators of autumn are falling leaves. In “My Leaf Book” a little girl gathers leaves. She uses the leaves to create prints and rubbings and adds them to her own leaf book. “My Leaf Book” is a delightful way to encourage children to identify leaves. […]

“The Keeping Quilt” by Patrica Polacco and Paper Quilt Activity

Weekly Trip to the Library In The Keeping Quilt Anna is a young girl and all she has from Russia is her dress and shawl which is called her Baboushka. When Anna’s dress gets too small, Anna’s mother invites all the ladies from the neighbourhood to help make a quilt. The story follows this quilt […]

Homemade Kazoos

Creative Wednesdays A kazoo is a very simple musical instrument, made up of a hollow pipe with a hole in it. They may be simple, but these little noisemakers are a great way to explore sound with kids. In this activity have the kids investigate how kazoos work by building their own. Thin plastic, waxed […]

“Leap Back Home to Me” by Lauren Thompson and Craft

Weekly Trip to the Library I love making arts and crafts that correspond to a children’s book that I read to my Nanny Kids. This week we read a cute book with frogs as the main characters and made some paper plate frogs. In Leap Back Home to Me a little frog’s first leap out […]

The Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle

Weekly Trip to the Library It’s difficult for children to learn to share. Children are seldom capable of true empathy under the age of six. Prior to that time they share because we condition them to do so. Don’t expect a child less than two or 2½ to easily accept sharing. I typically read children’s […]

Making Goop!

Creative Wednesday While it is still warm outside is the best time to make messy projects like this with the kids because they can play with the goop outside. Whether you call it goo, slime, or ooze the kids with love making and playing with it and you will love that it’s non toxic — […]

“Roller Coaster: by Marla Frazee

Weekly Trip to the Library I always love doing a craft project that corresponds with the book after reading it to the children. This week we read Roller Coaster and made a paper roller coaster. Marla Frazee has illustrated many acclaimed picture books, some of which she also wrote, such as Roller Coaster. In this story […]

Mondrian Sidewalk Chalk Art

Creative Wednesdays Known for his Modernism abstract paintings, Piet Mondrian used the simplest combination of straight lines and right angles, creating geometric shapes of bold primary colors. After showing the kids paintings by Mondrian and reading “Coppernickel Goes Mondrian” go outside to make similar art using sidewalk chalk. Of course on a rainy day you […]

Germs vs. Soap by Didi Dragon

Weekly Trip to the Library Despite telling children to wash their hands over and over again since the pandemic started I’m still having trouble getting one of the kids I babysit to wash his hands every time he enters the home. I have to hover over him because he often turns on the water and […]

Kindness Snippet Jar by Diane Alber

Weekly Trip to the Library Undoubtedly one of the most important things to teach kids is kindness. We must show them how to be friendly and to be kind towards others, to use good manners, and not to be mean or bully or cyber bully others. Learning to be kind as children will ultimately make […]