At 20 months, my daughter already loves to cook. She has her own apron, and she insists on helping with most of the food preparation around the house. While I prepare a meal, she pulls out her step stool and asks to help. She loves to stir, dump ingredients, or count out ingredients as she adds them to a pan. When it comes to teaching kids to cook, I realize that she may not always be as helpful. (Eating handfuls of cheese does not constitute “helping Mommy to make pizza”). However, I love that she is excited about it!
St. Patrick’s Day Books to Share
St. Patrick’s Day is just around the corner and that means it is time for shamrocks, rainbows, leprechauns and pots of gold. Besides being Irish, I also enjoy the holiday because I love the bright colors of St. Patrick’s Day, especially after the gray and snowy days of January and February. To get you in the spirit, I gathered this list of great St. Patrick’s Day books for kids about leprechauns, luck and lots of mischief!
Learning About Rainbows with Roy G Biv the Leprechaun!
I love the colors and decorations of St. Patrick’s Day. The bright greens and golds and all of the rainbows are so bright and cheery after the dull grays of the winter months. The mischievous leprechauns and all of the colorful decorations for the holiday lend themselves to some great opportunities for learning fun! Check out some of our favorite St. Patrick’s Day activities for kids below!
Helping Kids to Untangle Their Minds with the Tanglelows!
The human brain is a powerful and interesting thing. I took a philosophy of the mind course in college, and the idea of thinking about how and why we “think” blew my mind! (I think…. The whole class made me reconsider what we define as the mind… or thinking….). It’s hard for us to understand how our brain works and why we think the things we think. In an effort to open a dialogue with kids about untangling confusing thoughts and uncluttering their minds, author Greg McGoon created the Tanglelows.
Helping Children Handle Grief: A Book Review
Losing a loved one is a terrible part of life, and it can be difficult for kids to understand. Dealing with grief, and understanding loss, can be hard for adults to handle. For kids, it can be even more confusing. Talking to them about their emotions is an important step in helping children handle grief. Jalisa Rose Smith offers a book which provides talking points and journal prompts to help with these conversations. She lost her father when she was 11 and decided that she wanted to help others handle the pain of loss.
Getting Down with Gerald the Giraffe!
Coming from a very tall family, giraffes have always held a special place in my heart. When the Monthly Crafting Book Club, run by Raising Fairies and Knights, selected Giraffes Can’t Dance by Giles Andreae, we had to rush to the library to check it out! This story presents a great lesson on self-esteem and dancing to the beat of your own drum in a fun and colorful package.
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Using Books to Teach Kids about Food Allergies
Food allergies are a serious condition which can be hard for kids to understand. While they may know that their friend can’t eat certain foods, they may not understand how that affects their daily lives. While kids can try their best to avoid their allergen, they need to be hyper-vigilant. Luckily, there are many books available to teach kids about dealing with food allergies with respect and empathy.
Celebrating Mardi Gras with the Bourbon Street Band!
Since my daughter was born, my parents have started a new tradition where they bring her a book from the places that they visit on their trips. They include a note about their visit and the things they saw there. I love that she will have this collection of special books from all over, and this special connection with her grandparents.
While they were traveling through New Orleans, they picked up Ed Shankman’s book The Bourbon Street Band is Back, about the power of music and the strength of New Orleans. While today’s book isn’t a book about Mardi Gras, it is a book about the city of New Orleans and the beauty of the music and the fun atmosphere found there. Once a year, Mardi Gras brings everyone’s attention to New Orleans. The colors, the food, the music and the beads provide a fun and colorful experience which can be fun to introduce to kids in a family friendly way. There are so many great Mardi Gras activities for kids and families to enjoy together.
Mixing it Up with the Mixed Up Chameleon!
Chameleons are awesome animals. They can blend in with their surroundings and change their appearance to suit their needs. Who doesn’t want to have that ability sometimes? The beauty of chameleons is that no matter how they change on the outside, they are still the same on the inside. This is such a great lesson for kids about being proud of who they truly are!
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Finding Joy in The Book of Joy
Are you having trouble finding joy in your life? There is a difference between feeling happiness and feeling really, truly joyful. That is an important point that the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Tutu want to make clear to those seeking joy. While we can experience happiness while eating a delicious bit of food or watching a TV show we enjoy, it is not the same as true lasting joy in your life.
Over the course of a week in the Dalai Lama’s home in Dharamsala, India, these two spiritual men engaged in deep conversations. These include discussions on the nature of joy, the obstacles to joy, and the positive qualities needed for joy. Their hope was to help people find joy in their lives, even as the world seems to be less joyful. This book is the result of those conversations between these two great spiritual leaders.
