Search Results for: Read.Explore.Learn.

Read.Explore.Learn- My Big Boy Bed

June 10, 2011 By Deirdre

Welcome to week two of The Read. Explore. Learn Challenge! This meme was designed to be a place for you to share the learning opportunities, crafts, field trips, and other activities you have done this week that tie-in to children’s books. I look forward to seeing ways you have learned with and explored books.Remember each post counts as an entry in the challenge.

Steps:

Link your activity below.

Please place the Read.Explore.Learn. badge on your post or create a link back to this meme.

<center><a href=”http://www.jdaniel4smom.com/”><img alt=”Shibley Smiles” src=”http://69.195.124.116/~jdanielf/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/ReadExploreLearn.jpg” alt=”jdaniel4smom” width=”150″ height=”150″ /></a></center>

Please try to visit at least three of the other people that have placed links below and leave a comment. I will visit each of you and leave a kind comment.

If you are not linking up an activity and are just visiting, please try to stop by a few of the links below.

My Book Tie-Ins of the Week:

My Big Boy Bed by Eve Bunting is one of the books JDaniel added to our library sack last week. It is the wonderful tale of a little boy who is moved to a big boy bed when he has a new baby brother.

Mom goes out of her way to make the new bed a wonderful home for sleep. She buys special sheets and a new quilt for the bed along with a special book called The Little Fat Book of Fire Trucks for bedtime reading.

There are several benefits to sleeping in a big boy bed covered in this sleepy time tale. One you can jump on your bed. (JDaniel isn’t allowed to jump on his.) Two you can hide under the bed and pretend to be a dog. (JDaniel loves to pretend he is a worm dog. What is a worm dog? He is a dog that has worms as pets.) Three there is more room for toys, books and blankets. (JDaniel has billions of toys in bed now.) Four you can get out of bed whenever you want that is until your parents hear you and make you get back in bed.

JDaniel thought this book was hilarious. I bet your newly transitioned big boy or girl bed sleeper will too.

What did we do? Decorating A Clock

JDaniel has a new found freedom now that he sleeps in a big boy bed. He loves to get up early and check on JDaniel3 and I to see if are awake. It would be wonderful he he woke up at 6:00 or 6:30 in the morning, but most mornings in is earlier than that.

I thought it would be a good idea to give him a time reference that we would place beside his clock in the morning. (Yes, he has a manual clock in his room.)

Before would decorate my clock he had to draw a robot on a plate.

When he finally agreed to work on the clock plate, he would only write my name. I was impressed that part of the scribble looks like an M.

He woke up and started calling for me at 6:15 this morning. I don’t know if the clock reference made a difference or not.

‘

This post is linked to Feed Me Books Friday, Link and Learn, We Play and It’s Play .

Read.Explore.Learn- Panda-Monium

May 13, 2011 By Deirdre

Welcome to Read. Explore. Learn! This meme was designed to be a place for you to share the learning opportunities, crafts, field trips, and other activities you have done this week that tie-in to children’s books. I look forward to seeing the ways you have learned with and explored books.

Steps:

Link your activity below.

Please place the Read.Explore.Learn. badge on your post or create a link back to this meme.

<center><a href=”http://www.jdaniel4smom.com/”><img alt=”Shibley Smiles” src=”http://69.195.124.116/~jdanielf/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/ReadExploreLearn.jpg” alt=”jdaniel4smom” width=”150″ height=”150″ /></a></center>

Please try to visit at least three of the other people that have placed links below and leave a comment. I will visit each of you and leave a kind comment.

If you are not linking up an activity and are just visiting, please try to stop by a few of the links below.

My Book Tie-Ins of the Week:

All of the above as accomplished plus the regular everyday events of our lives. The Beckett, the panda in this book is out to do just one thing. He is trying to find a snack. His tummy in rumbling and he sets out to find some bamboo.

While he marches down the road to search for bamboo, he sings a song about his search. That lures other pandas from what they are doing to follow him. More and more pandas join his search unbeknownst to him. They roll down hills to join him, skip after him, march behind him, leap, and come out of hiding.

When he finds a tree, all the pandas try to join him in it and the branch breaks. Only then Beckett realizes he has been joined by other pandas in groups of two, three, four, and five. Falling pandas creates a panda-monium.

Beckett bounces down a hill and away from the panda-monium and ends up in a thicket of bamboo all alone.

Where did the other pandas go? He never knew.

What did we do?

I made a list of movement words from the book for JDaniel to act out himself and with his animals.

Disclaimer: I was sent this book to review by Tiger Tales Books.

Read.Explore.Learn- Bunnies

April 29, 2011 By Deirdre

Steps:

Link your activity below.

Please place the Read.Explore.Learn. badge on your post or create a link back to this meme.

<center><a href=”http://www.jdaniel4smom.com/”><img alt=”Shibley Smiles” src=”http://69.195.124.116/~jdanielf/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/ReadExploreLearn.jpg” alt=”jdaniel4smom” width=”150″ height=”150″ /></a></center>

Please try to visit at least three of the other people that have placed links below and leave a comment. I will visit each of you and leave a kind comment.

If you are not linking up an activity and are just visiting, please try to stop by a few of the links below.

My Book Tie-Ins of the Week:

Suki The Very Loud Bunny by Carmela and Steven D’Amico is a tale about a rabbit that lives outside the box. Suki is loud and full of adventure. She wakes up early each morning and greets the world around her with ear-splitting cries of “Good Morning”. She wants to look beyond her home to visit the wide world. When she does, she gets lost and has to use her loud voice to call for her mother.

Suki learns lessons as she explores the world that changes her life, but not her personality.

Little Bunny in Little Bunny’s Sleepless Night finds he wants to explore the world beyond his own too. He is lonely sleeping in his house all by himself. Little Bunny decides sleeping at a friend’s house would be better. He tries owl’s house. Owl stays awake reading at night. He tries skunk’s house. Skunk forgets he is there and sprays him when he gets scared at night. Each of his friend’s houses isn’t right for him. Finally, he realizes that home is where he needs to be after all.

What did we do?

Building Structures and Roads with Cardboard

JDaniel asked me to cut cardboard rectangles out from some cardboard for a project. He hadn’t decided on the project, but he wanted to do one.

I showed him how to build a lean-to with the rectangles and he had fun building one for his bunny.

We later used the rectangles to create a cardboard road for his bunny to practice doing the Bunny Hop down on his way home.

We had a great time with the cardboard. It will be fun to take it out later and see what JDaniel will create with it.

What bunny books have you read to your children?

This post is linked to Feed Me Books Friday, Link and Learn, We Play and It’s Play Time.

Muffin Tin Monday- Alternative to an Easter Basket

April 18, 2011 By Deirdre

JDaniel loves sweets. He would love to wake up to an Easter basket filled with sugary treats next Sunday. He would probably do a happy dance around the kitchen.

Instead of filling his basket with sugar I am going to try an alternative idea. The plan is to give them this bunny shaped deviled egg tray of eggs with healthy snacks. (Least you protest he must have something sweet. He will also be getting a small chocolate bunny from my mom along with a Curious George DVD, and a small plastic bunny game.)

I found a bunch of health organic snacks at Whole Foods to fill his eggs with. I found Honey and Chocolate Grahams from Annie’s Home Grown, Annie’s Organic Bunny Fruit Snacks, and Barabara’s Oatmeal Snackables in animal shapes, and an organic fruit strip (not pictured in the tray).

The bunny shaped products and the oatmeal cookies are so cute and delicious. My husband and I tested them out.

I know there are some of you reading this that are wondering why I didn’t choose to put all these wonderful items into an Easter basket. Well, JDaniel’s Easter basket is shaped like a plush basketball and it plays music. He got it from my mom last year and he really freaks out if the music accidently starts playing. He will love have this basket alternative.

Oh! Please think about joining the that The Activity Mom and I was hosting this week. Here is the box JDaniel and I put together for an activity we are doing for this Friday’s Read.Explore.Learn post.

What will you be putting into your children’s Easter baskets? This post is linked to Muffin Tin Monday.

Read.Explore.Learn- One Rainy Day

April 8, 2011 By Deirdre

Steps:

Link your book-related activity below. Please make sure your post has a book in it.

Please place the Read.Explore.Learn. badge on your post or create a link back to this meme.

<center><a href=”http://www.jdaniel4smom.com/”><img alt=”Shibley Smiles” src=”http://69.195.124.116/~jdanielf/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/ReadExploreLearn.jpg” alt=”jdaniel4smom” width=”150″ height=”150″ /></a></center>

Please try to visit at least three of the other people that have placed links below and leave a comment. I will visit each of you and leave a kind comment and Stumble your post.

If you are not linking up an activity and are just visiting, please try to stop by a few of the links below.
I would love a comment too.

My Book Tie-Ins of the Week:

One Rainy Day.

Little Duck has a wonderful time with his red boots and orange umbrella playing in the silver shimmering raindrops. He encounters a green frog, blue puddles, pink worms, black bugs, brown mud, white boats, and yellow flowers while out enjoying the rain. Thank goodness his mom has a purple towel waiting for him at home.He is probably really wet.

What did we do?

Color Matching One
We took a leftover lick and stick color stripes from a Sunday school lesson I taught a few months ago and cut them into small squares that would fit on the bottom of little rubber ducks.

ABCs of Exploring Books with Reading Activities : I-Q

JDaniel helped me lick the squares and place them on the ducks. Two ducks each received the same color. Then we tried to find the ducks with the matching color.

Color Matching Two
I took out an old egg carton and put different colors at the bottom of each egg cup. JDaniel then tried to match the color on each duck’s bottom to the color in each egg cup.

How Has The Blog Changed In A Year?

March 3, 2011 By Deirdre

This time last year JDaniel4’ Mom was in a totally different place than it is this year. Just has JDaniel has grown and learned new things since he turned two this time last year the blog has done that too.

When I started the blog, I really hadn’t spent time exploring other blogs and setting measurable goals for its success. I just started blogging to build community with other people. I wrote to a weekly theme because as a teacher I had taught to one. Posts were about great deals I found of the web, lessons I was learning as a mom, finger plays, craft, recipes, and anything else that came into my mind. This time last year the blog was nine months old and I was still in blogging niche limbo.

I did finally find a couple of memes to join. I visited everyone that linked to each of them. Visiting people’s blog would draw traffic I had read so I visited. Most of JDaniel’s naptime was spent visiting.

After awhile I sought a group that I could interact with and grow as a writer by being a part of it. Thank goodness I came across posts linked to Jenny Matlock’s Alphabe-Thursday, The Writer’s Workshop and a few other writing workshop type memes. I joined them and it has really changed what I post about each week. It has encouraged me as a writer. I have learned by reading others wonderful posts.

It has also allowed me more time to write. Knowing the Matlockians and other great blogging friends will stop by has me less panicked about whether people will stop to read what I have written.

I am not a big time blogger with tons of comments and amazing stats. Thank goodness! It would take me forever to respond to all those comments.

I do have the best set of commenters in blogdom! Many have been with me since the beginning cheering me on. You really are the best!

I couldn’t end this post without mentioning the wonderful societies that I have discovered in the past year. The blog has grown due to lessons the bloggers in the have taught me. I hesitate to list them for fear that one of you may comment that they haven’t really done that for me. You can view them on the left hand side of the blog.

I will mention the Mom Loop Community on BlogFrog. When I was asked to be a co-community leader at Mom Loop last spring, it totally changed the way I viewed my blog. I really try and think about Mom Loop when I make decisions about the blog. Being a positive and contributing member of the leadership team is really important to me. I really don’t want people scratch their heads and wonder how I ended up getting to work with the rest of the amazing bloggers that are on the team.

There is no question in my mind why each of the other leaders was selected to be a part of team. Have I told you why I was asked to be a part of it? It is because of you. My main asset is the ability to meet and stay blogging friends with amazing people. Actually I said that wrong. It is your ability to stay friends with a blogger who is still growing and evolving. The community support you share with me on my blog and I try to give on yours is my best blogging attribute.

JDaniel4’s Mom is still evolving. There are fewer giveaways and reviews. I don’t post deals any more. I have moved all crafts and most learning activities to Read.Explore.Learn. the reading meme I started last fall. Great Post of the Week appeared on Saturdays for seven months and has disappeared. It may return.

There are several exciting things coming up. I will be sharing the blog with several amazing guest posters who have agreed to be part of a series starting next week called Pausing Life for a Moment. Each hosts an amazing blog. I am so excited that they will be sharing their thoughts with you. Another virtual event for April is in the planning stages for Earth Day. I hope you will join the Tissue Box Challenge.

I am not sure where the next year will take the blog. I do hope you will stay with me and see where it goes.

Is there anything you miss from last year?

This post is the answer to the Writing Workshop prompt- What were you blogging about last year at this time? What has changed?

Read.Explore.Learn- The Kiss That Missed

February 11, 2011 By Deirdre

Steps:

Link your activity below.

Please place the Read.Explore.Learn. the badge on your post or create a link back to this meme.

Please try to visit at least three of the other people that have placed links below and leave a comment. I will visit each of you and leave a kind comment and Stumble your post.

If you are not linking up an activity and are just visiting, please try to stop by a few of the links below.

My Book Tie-Ins of the Week:

A very busy king/father tosses a quick kiss good night to his son as he heads to the bath to clean off the grime of the day. The kiss he throws misses his son and heads out across the kingdom. A brave knight is sent to retrieve the kiss and bring it back to the palace. The kiss flies around the kingdom settling bear, wolves, and dragons down for the night as it travels. When it is finally caught and brought home, the king reads all who were touched by the kiss a good night story.

What did we do with the book?
Created Cards to Send to Exchange Partners

We are participating in the Fantastic Five’s Valentine’s Day Card Exchange. I had JDaniel decorate puzzle cards I found at Hobby Lobby. Yes, I took the easy way out having him put these together. I thought the children receiving them would like them better than one covered with our artwork.

Letter Recognition

I attached a magnet to the end of an old fishing pole my sister Michelle gave to JDaniel. He had fun fishing for the letters of the alphabet on hearts with paperclips attached to them.

Read.Explore.Learn- Playing in the Snow

January 14, 2011 By Deirdre

Steps:

Link your activity below.

Please place the Read.Explore.Learn. the badge on your post or create a link back to this meme.

Please try to visit at least three of the other people that have placed links below and leave a comment. I will visit each of you and leave a kind comment and Stumble your post.

If you are not linking up an activity and are just visiting, please try to stop by a few of the links below.

My Book Tie-Ins of the Week:

Snow by Cynthia Rylant describes snow this way it comes softly in the night like a quiet friend” or falls so “heavy [it buries] cars up to their noses. The story describes all types of snow and shares a grandmother and her granddaughter enjoying the snow by sledding, making snow angels, and more.

I love the illustrations by Lauren Stringer that are filled with joy and paint beautiful images that fit perfectly with Cynthia Rylant’s words.

Snow Sensory Box

JDaniel used his chopsticks to give snowballs a haircut.

He went on to shovel the snow.

Outdoor Cleaning

JDaniel and the next-door neighbor Nathan dusted off all the lawn furniture and railings on the deck.

Snowflake Quesadilla

After all the time outside, I made snowflake quesadilla for us to share. It was so easy to cut out a tortilla and warm it on the stove along with the second one in a frying pan with olive oil. Once both tortillas were browned I placed turkey and cheese between the tortillas.

I am also linking this to Feed Me Books Friday.

Read.Explore.Learn- Thanksgiving

November 26, 2010 By Deirdre

Steps:

Link your activity below.

Please place the Read.Explore.Learn. the badge on your post or create a link back to this meme.

Please try to visit at least three of the other people that have placed links below and leave a comment. I will visit each of you and leave a kind comment.

If you are not linking up an activity and are just visiting, please try to stop by a few of the links below.

My Book Tie-Ins of the Week:

I love What is Thanksgiving! by Michelle Medlock Adams. It explains to children that Thanksgiving is not about parades, football, and food. It is about being thankful and giving thanks. I love parades and food. I will watch football games. Giving thanks and being thankful is really how I hope I spent the day.

JDaniel and I made a turkey puppet with a head that could wag side to side and up and down. As I read him What is Thanksgiving!, I had him nod the turkey’s head yes for what Thanksgiving was about and no for things it is not about.

We made Turkey bowling pins for fun. I found a pattern for making napkin rings and modified it to create the bands around these old bottles. The feathers are tracings of JDaniel’s hands.