There are kids who like to read and there are kids who don't like to read. My older daughter falls into the first category. Actually, obsessive reading is probably a better description for her. She reads while she's at the breakfast table; she reads while she's in the bathroom and she reads while she's walking down the hallway. I've had to limit her reading so that she has time to do other things other than reading!
So, what does my book loving 7 year old daughter like to read? One set of books that has captivated her attention over the last 2 1/2 years are the Rainbow Magic books. These books are about fairies and goblins. There are 2 main characters named Rachel and Kirsty who help the fairies whenever the goblins steal things from the fairies.
It took me over a year and 30 minutes of my daughter's time to figure out how all these Rainbow Magic fairy books work. There are many different series within the Rainbow Magic set of books. Each of these series has 7 books and they all revolve around the characters Rachel and Kirsty interacting with different types of fairies and goblins. The book publisher has done a great job in maximizing the fairy concept. They currently have 9 different series out:
• Rainbow Fairies
• Weather Fairies
• Jewel Fairies
• Pet Fairies
• Fun Day Fairies
• Petal Fairies
• Party Fairies
• Dance Fairies
• Special Edition Fairies
These books seem to be the favorite of most of the 5-8 year old girls in my daughters' school. Even though there are quite a few of them, there never seems to be any titles in the library because they are in such high demand. Many of the kids have started trading the books so that they can get their hands on the different ones. I've also found that they make great Christmas grab bag presents for the kids.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Clean Fun
I recently led a soap making class for 15 second to fifth graders. It was part of a fund raiser for the school. The kids made soaps of different colors, shapes, sizes and scents. They then either wrapped them up with some fancy paper (which was actually just wallpaper samples) or made some origami boxes to put them in.
These soaps can easily be made at home. In fact, it would be a lot simpler to make at home with only 1-2 kids! Here are the whats and how tos of making your own soaps at home.
Ingredients
A block of clear or opaque glycerin soap
Molds of different shapes
Scents*
Soap colors* (Primary colors give you more flexibility in mixing colors)
1 or 2 cup plastic measuring cup
Wooden stir sticks
* The ones with either a dropper or in a squeeze bottle work best
________
First, cut up the glycerin soap into chunks that you can put into the measuring cup. You will be microwaving the chunks into a liquid form. Depending on the size of the molds, you will want to put in fewer chunks for smaller molds and more chunks for larger molds. This is because the soap cools off pretty quickly and starts to solidify within minutes. You will want to set the microwave anywhere between 1-2 minutes depending on the number of chunks in your cup. Be careful when you take it out of the microwave. The soap can get very HOT.
Have you kid put a few drops of colors into the liquid soap. They can get very creative and mix different colors together. But if they mix too many colors together, they'll get the same effect as in mixing paint colors....it starts turning a dull dark shade. The kids should stir the soap with the wooden sticks to make sure the color is mixed in well.
Now have your child put in a couple of drops of the scent. I find that the younger kids liked the fruity smells (e.g., orange, apple, peach, etc). Vanilla was also a big hit with the kids. Stir the soap a little more.
Voila, it's time to pour the soap into the mold. If you have more than 1 child, it helps to label the molds by putting their name on masking tape and just sticking it on the mold. It prevents a lot of "That's mine arguments" later on.
Put the soaps in the refrigerator and it should be ready in about 30 minutes.
Variations
Layering colors
You can create a multi layered effect by only partially filling the mold with soap, refrigerating it, then successively repeating the process with different colors until you have different colors of soap in each layer. A little time intensive but the effect is quite pretty. If you use different layers of opaque and clear glycerin soap, it's even more stunning.
Chunks of soaps in the soap
Another pretty effect is to put different colored chunks of soap into your soap. You need to make the soap in two stages. In the first stage, I made bar soaps with different colors. After they cooled off, I cut them up into smaller little pieces (about 1/4 inch cube). You can also have your child cut them up with if they are old enough to use a knife. With my kids, I first cut the soap up into 1/2 inch chunks and then gave the kids plastic knives to cut up into even smaller pieces. Surprisingly, the cutting part was one of their favorite parts.
After you have the chunks of soap, you can start the soap making process again. This time, you have the kids also put the chunks of soap in after they have added the colors and scent. I find it was easier to put the chunks into the mold and then have the kids pour the liquid soap into it.
These soaps can easily be made at home. In fact, it would be a lot simpler to make at home with only 1-2 kids! Here are the whats and how tos of making your own soaps at home.
Ingredients
A block of clear or opaque glycerin soap
Molds of different shapes
Scents*
Soap colors* (Primary colors give you more flexibility in mixing colors)
1 or 2 cup plastic measuring cup
Wooden stir sticks
* The ones with either a dropper or in a squeeze bottle work best
________
First, cut up the glycerin soap into chunks that you can put into the measuring cup. You will be microwaving the chunks into a liquid form. Depending on the size of the molds, you will want to put in fewer chunks for smaller molds and more chunks for larger molds. This is because the soap cools off pretty quickly and starts to solidify within minutes. You will want to set the microwave anywhere between 1-2 minutes depending on the number of chunks in your cup. Be careful when you take it out of the microwave. The soap can get very HOT.
Have you kid put a few drops of colors into the liquid soap. They can get very creative and mix different colors together. But if they mix too many colors together, they'll get the same effect as in mixing paint colors....it starts turning a dull dark shade. The kids should stir the soap with the wooden sticks to make sure the color is mixed in well.
Now have your child put in a couple of drops of the scent. I find that the younger kids liked the fruity smells (e.g., orange, apple, peach, etc). Vanilla was also a big hit with the kids. Stir the soap a little more.
Voila, it's time to pour the soap into the mold. If you have more than 1 child, it helps to label the molds by putting their name on masking tape and just sticking it on the mold. It prevents a lot of "That's mine arguments" later on.
Put the soaps in the refrigerator and it should be ready in about 30 minutes.
Variations
Layering colors
You can create a multi layered effect by only partially filling the mold with soap, refrigerating it, then successively repeating the process with different colors until you have different colors of soap in each layer. A little time intensive but the effect is quite pretty. If you use different layers of opaque and clear glycerin soap, it's even more stunning.
Chunks of soaps in the soap
Another pretty effect is to put different colored chunks of soap into your soap. You need to make the soap in two stages. In the first stage, I made bar soaps with different colors. After they cooled off, I cut them up into smaller little pieces (about 1/4 inch cube). You can also have your child cut them up with if they are old enough to use a knife. With my kids, I first cut the soap up into 1/2 inch chunks and then gave the kids plastic knives to cut up into even smaller pieces. Surprisingly, the cutting part was one of their favorite parts.
After you have the chunks of soap, you can start the soap making process again. This time, you have the kids also put the chunks of soap in after they have added the colors and scent. I find it was easier to put the chunks into the mold and then have the kids pour the liquid soap into it.
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Littlest Pet Shop
We hosted a playdate at our house yesterday with 5 girls between the ages of 4-7. There was only 1 adult - ME! At first, I was a little hesitant at the idea of 5 girls together in 1 room for 2-3 hours - okay, maybe dubious is a better word. I imagined the worst - they would start crying and fighting or they'd be bored. But surprisingly, the opposite happened. The reason..... The Littlest Pet Shop.
I've always know that my daughters love playing with the Littlest Pet Shop. My oldest one started playing with them when she was 4 and the youngest started even earlier at age 3. And the amazing thing is that they still love playing with them - years later. It doesn't matter how many of the littlest pets that they have - they always want more. It is their top requested item on their birthday list and their Christmas list. The older one has this product brochure (which comes with the toys) and would study the entire collection of pets. She would pick out which ones she has and which ones she wants to add to her collection.
So, what is the Littlest Pet Shop? Technically, Littlest Pet Shop is a toy brand that is owned by Hasbro. Their products all revolve around these miniature little animals. There are dogs, cats, owls, birds, frogs, giraffes,snails....etc. The common denominators are that they are all very colorful and have these huge eyes (which seems to be very popular in toys these days). My daughters' personal favorites are the owl and the butterfly. You can buy playsets for these animal such as the Get Better Center, Playful Paws Pet Daycare and Pets Only Clubhouse. Our household has 6 of these playsets and despite my dislike for clutter, I must admit that they are definitely worth their value given how often my girls play with them.
To get back to the story of the playdate, all 5 girls played really really nicely with each other for the entire time. They pulled out all 6 of our play sets and the 30+ animals and they spread them out on the playroom floor. They each took on different roles and started acting out stories with the animals. Occasionally, I would hear a kid crying and think something was wrong but when I checked, it was only one of the kids pretending that the animal was crying and then another animal would comfort her. Sweet but the cries were a little too real for my comfort level!
I've found that I can't go wrong if I am out trying to buy a birthday gift for one of my daughters' friends. There's usually enough playsets and accessories that kids don't have all of them (although we're fast approaching that limit). I also find that they're great motivators for my kids -- I've used them as rewards for my older one if she does "extra credit" homework. A single animal (with an accompanying small accessory) can be purchased for under $5. Not a bad price for encouraging positive behavior!
I've always know that my daughters love playing with the Littlest Pet Shop. My oldest one started playing with them when she was 4 and the youngest started even earlier at age 3. And the amazing thing is that they still love playing with them - years later. It doesn't matter how many of the littlest pets that they have - they always want more. It is their top requested item on their birthday list and their Christmas list. The older one has this product brochure (which comes with the toys) and would study the entire collection of pets. She would pick out which ones she has and which ones she wants to add to her collection.
So, what is the Littlest Pet Shop? Technically, Littlest Pet Shop is a toy brand that is owned by Hasbro. Their products all revolve around these miniature little animals. There are dogs, cats, owls, birds, frogs, giraffes,snails....etc. The common denominators are that they are all very colorful and have these huge eyes (which seems to be very popular in toys these days). My daughters' personal favorites are the owl and the butterfly. You can buy playsets for these animal such as the Get Better Center, Playful Paws Pet Daycare and Pets Only Clubhouse. Our household has 6 of these playsets and despite my dislike for clutter, I must admit that they are definitely worth their value given how often my girls play with them.
To get back to the story of the playdate, all 5 girls played really really nicely with each other for the entire time. They pulled out all 6 of our play sets and the 30+ animals and they spread them out on the playroom floor. They each took on different roles and started acting out stories with the animals. Occasionally, I would hear a kid crying and think something was wrong but when I checked, it was only one of the kids pretending that the animal was crying and then another animal would comfort her. Sweet but the cries were a little too real for my comfort level!
I've found that I can't go wrong if I am out trying to buy a birthday gift for one of my daughters' friends. There's usually enough playsets and accessories that kids don't have all of them (although we're fast approaching that limit). I also find that they're great motivators for my kids -- I've used them as rewards for my older one if she does "extra credit" homework. A single animal (with an accompanying small accessory) can be purchased for under $5. Not a bad price for encouraging positive behavior!
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