Warming Hearts and Hands with The Mitten Tree

Winter has arrived where we live. It’s time to bundle up before we go outside and play in the beautiful and fluffy snow. Today’s book gave us a chance to have some fun with the mittens we will have to wear for the next few months!

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The Mitten Tree by Candace Christiansen tells the touching story of Sarah, a little old woman who watches the young children play at the bus stop, but goes unnoticed by them. After a snow fall, she notices that one of the boys doesn’t play with the other kids. When she sees that he doesn’t have any mittens, she decides to knit him a pair. She leaves them on the spruce tree, thus beginning a fun game with the children. Each day they look on the mitten tree for pairs of mittens. This is a sweet story which children and adults can enjoy, while also giving readers a great message about the act of giving, without needing recognition for it.

Red Ripe Strawberry Fun with the Little Mouse!

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red-ripe-strawberry-fun-with-the-little-mouse

The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and The Big Hungry Bear by Dan and Audrey Wood is a beautifully illustrated story of a little mouse who finds a delicious strawberry. The narrator tells the mouse that there is a hungry bear that loves freshly picked strawberries, so the mouse decides to try and hide the fruit from the bear. This results in some entertaining ideas by the mouse which will surely have kids laughing. In the end, the mouse and the narrator share the strawberry. This is a sweet story that can be used in many fun ways!

Resolve to Change Your Outlook with These Books on Happiness!

As the new year begins, we start making resolutions and setting goals. These goals are meant to make us happier. But what if you are lost on how to find true happiness? These books explore what it means to find joy and how to live your happiest life – whether you lose those 5 pounds or not.

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Cloud Gazing Fun with The Cloud Book!

Teach kids about clouds with these fun cloud crafts and activities and Tomie dePaola's 'The Cloud Book'! #kidsbooks #kidcrafts #clouds #cloudbooks #cloudcrafts #cloudgazing #cloudactivities #cloudgames I have always loved looking at the clouds. I find them so interesting when the weather is changing and you can see a front coming in, or a snowstorm building. My daughter has recently started noticing the sun, the clouds, airplanes and the moon. (She has been quite upset that the moon has been “hiding” for the last month behind the clouds). Her interest in the sky inspired me to pull out another Tomie dePaola favorite!

Adding Beauty to the World with Miss Rumphius

adding-beauty-to-the-world-with-miss-rumphiusAs we start the new year and leave the old behind, it is a great opportunity to make changes in our own lives and in our communities. After the holidays, it’s especially important to remind kids of their role in helping others and making the world a more beautiful place!

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Start the Year with Life Changing Books!

The new year gives us an opportunity to reflect on the year that has just ended and imagine the changes we would like to make in the coming year. When it comes to this yearly goal setting, many times we make bland resolutions. Lose 5 pounds. Get up earlier. Keep up with the house work. Without a real plan, many of these are forgotten by February, if not earlier. So, instead of making generic resolutions, why not sit down with a warm cup of tea/coffee/cocoa and set some actionable goals for the year. To offer you some inspiration for changing your perspective or changing your life, I asked other bloggers which books changed their lives for the better. Below I have compiled a list of the top 9 choices of life changing books which got multiple votes. These will be on my reading list this year!

Celebrate the New Year with The Night Before New Year’s!

The year is coming to an end and a new one is around the corner! There are so many great ways to include kids in the New Years celebrations, and many great books to teach them about the holiday. Whether they are staying up to count down with you, or counting down to noon instead, there are many ways to get them involved in the holiday!

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Sweet Treats and Gingerbread Stories!

What better way is there to bring a child’s favorite book to life than to create some delicious story inspired snacks together? The story of the Gingerbread Man is a classic tale that has been retold and adapted many different ways over the years. Below is a list of some of the varied Gingerbread stories, as well as delicious ginger cookie recipes! I hope you have fun creating some delicious snacks with your family, while enjoying some of these delightful takes on the classic tale!

Celebrating Christmas Around the World

Christmas is celebrated in many different countries around the world. Whether you say Merry Christmas or Feliz Navidad or Fröhliche Weihnachten, the spirit of the holiday is the same. There are many great books available to introduce children to Christmas celebrations all over the world. Why not take a trip around the globe together and learn some new customs? While learning how people celebrate Christmas around the world, you may discover something you want to make into a family tradition of your own.

Legend of the Poinsettia

I love seeing poinsettias all around during the Christmas season. There are so many pretty varieties, and they bring such a pop of color to the home. But do you know the significance behind them? Today we had some fun learning about the legend of the poinsettia, and creating some fun Christmas crafts and snacks to pair with it!

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