Love, Laughter, and Life

Adventures With a Book Lover

Category Archives: Kid Stuff


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Stars ~ Picture Book & KID KANDY

Stars

By Angie Quantrell @AngieQuantrell

Stars

By Mary Lyn Ray

Illustrated by Marla Frazee

(Beach Lane Books, 2011)

I love shapes! Stars are one of the first shapes that children learn to identify. Stars and hearts.

This beautiful picture book is about stars.

Stars tells about stars – the shape, the stars in the sky, the stars in your hand, and the way stars can be used to have fun. A star can make you a sheriff, a princess, or a magical fairy with a wand.

But what about other stars? Flower stars that become favorite fruits, frozen stars that give us snow, and paper stars that mark special days are all different kinds of stars that mean something wonderful is going to happen!

Readers will love the creative imagination and ideas about stars they find in Stars.

KID KANDY:

Make Stars

Stars are sort of difficult to make, but once you learn how, they are fun and easy.

Materials: paper, scissors, markers, glitter glue, scrap paper, sticks, tape, ribbon

Here is how you draw a star.

How to draw a 5-pointed star

Or you can cut out 2 triangles, put one upside down on the other, and make a different star!

How to make a 6-pointed star with 2 triangles

Cut out and decorate your star. I always love to add glitter glue to make things sparkle and shine!

What can you do with a star?

– Tape your star to a stick for a wand or decoration.

– Display your star on the fridge.

– Give your star to a friend.

– Make a hat or crown with your star.

– Put your star on the calendar to mark a special day (your birthday?).

– Hang several stars on ribbon to make a wall decoration.

Have a starry day!


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Decorated Metal Tins ~ How to Use Those Empty Altoid and Ice Chip Tins

The top cover of my decorated tin

By Angie Quantrell @AngieQuantrell

I joined a group of ladies to make these pretty prayer boxes last weekend.

I recently attended the Columbia Basin Baptist Association’s Annual Women and Teenage Girls’ Retreat at Camp Touchet, just outside of Dayton, Washington. What a beautiful, if somewhat remote and out of cell coverage zone, location!

Much fun was had Friday night when our craft lady and photographer shared her idea and supplies with us. We made these fun prayer boxes!

Of course, the boxes could be used for anything, but we were at a retreat that featured prayer, so our boxes were prayer themed.

So make use of those empty Altoid or Ice Chip metal tins and create to your hearts’ content.

The top and bottom of my tin

Decorated Metal Tins

Materials:

empty metal tins

spray paint

decorated scrap paper

scissors

pencils

thin-tipped permanent markers

craft glue

washi tape

buttons, ribbon, stickers, gems, glitter glue, and assorted embellishments

1. In advance, spray paint the outside of the tin, including top, bottom, and sides. Let dry.

2. Trace the tin bottom on decorated scrap paper. Cut it out and trim to fit. You can use this as a template for the bottom, top, and inside top of the tin. Glue in place with craft glue.

3. I loved the look of the washi tape, so I edged the top and bottom with washi. It doesn’t stick very well around the corners by itself, so I need to glue down the corners.

4. Add buttons, butterflies, stickers, or any embellishments you want. Make a decorated label for the lid to tell what the tin is for. Glue to top.

5. I also decorated the inside of the lid. You can see the little poem that we included in our lids.

6. I left the bottom empty, but added small pieces of paper for notes and a short pencil (our craft person found them on Amazon – just search for mini mechanical pencils).

The inside poem, note paper, and pencil

Et voila! You are ready to take notes, write down thoughts, pen tiny masterpieces, or scribe prayers.

How are you going to use this craft idea? I think it would be great for a camp project!

 


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Little Red Gliding Hood ~ Picture Book & KID KANDY

Doesn’t that title sound vaguely familiar?

Little Red Gliding Hood

Story by Tara Lazar

Pictures by Troy Cummings

(Random House, 2015)

Little Red’s skates are worn out and ready to fall apart. Without her trusty skates, she won’t be able to visit Grandma every Sunday. But the upcoming skating competition first prize is a pair of brand new gold skates!

Little Red is a great skater, but she doesn’t have a partner. Everyone else is matched up, but who will Little Red find to join her for the competition?

Fairy tale characters and stories abound in this fractured tale. Readers will laugh and enjoy the antics of Little Red and her friends as she finds an unexpected partner. Dare we say the bad guy turns good?

Delightful text and imaginative illustrations come together to make one great picture book. Both adults and children will love Little Red Gliding Hood.

KID KANDY:

Make Up Your Own Silly Fairy Tale

1. Choose a favorite fairy tale. Think of the characters and the problems they encounter in the story.

2. Now, choose one thing to change. You can:

– change a name

– change the problem

– change the setting (where the story takes place)

– add new characters

– mix two fairy tales together

3. Make up your own fairy tale.

4. Tell your new silly fairy tale to a friend or a sibling. Did they laugh?

Storytelling is fun, isn’t it?


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Ask for Help, And It Will Be Given

Great flyers from WMU and my friends in the Preschool Resources Department

By Angie Quantrell @AngieQuantrell

Ask (for help) and it will be given.

This weekend I will be presenting two breakout sessions about writing at a retreat. I’m very excited to attend and enjoy the retreat, as the past couple of years my schedule has not allowed me to go.

Besides sharing with women, I was invited to bring my books. Isn’t that nice? Of course I’d love to bring my books.

The problem was that I didn’t have any up-to-date flyers or informational handouts.

What does Angie do? She contacts the professionals (and her good friends) at Woman’s Missionary Union.

I asked and boy, did I receive.

We back-and-forthed messages for quite a few days. And because there was a tiny break in their schedule of deadlines, my friends were able to put together several lovely pieces for me to use.

The flyers and posters look so lovely and colorful, I just had to share . . . though it is odd and a bit disconcerting to see so many me-faces staring back!

Thank you, Clay, Teri, Robin, and Joye! You ROCK! You also made me look good. We can never underestimate the value in that now, can we?


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Fun with Friends – A Look Back in Time

LOOK! We both had more hair! Ah, the good old days. . .

A recipe for fun: Take a good measure of great friends, a scoop of laughter, a cup of silliness, 5 T. of craziness, a dash of daring, and add to this a mud pit and questionably upright 3 (or 4)-wheelers, and you have a guaranteed over-the-top serving of fantastic fun!

let the games begin!

Let the games begin!

I almost fell off!

I almost fell off!

It begins when they are so young...

It begins when they are so young…

We’re only missing Carmel, but someone had to stay dry and clean! And take photos.

What fun things do you enjoy doing with your friends?


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How to Share with a Bear ~ Picture Book & KID KANDY

Meet clever, resourceful, and kind Thomas

By Angie Quantrell @AngieQuantrell

How to Share with a Bear

By Eric Pinder

Pictures by Stephanie Graegin

(Farrar Straus Giroux, 2015)

How to Share with a Bear is an adorable book!

One day, Thomas made a cozy cave with cushions, pillows, and blankets. It was so warm and comfy! Thomas ran to get the flashlight so he could see to read in his cave and when he got back, someone with bright shiny eyes was in his cave.

It was a bear!

Throughout the rest of the story, Thomas strategized to lure the bear out of the cave and get himself back in the cave before the bear returned.

Thomas was very inventive in his bear-removal-plans and used his bear background information to plan tricky attempts to reclaim his cave.

At last, Thomas succeeded. The bear began to cry, as there was no room for both of them in the cave.

Thomas, ever kind and resourceful, enlarged the cave and invited the bear in to read – together.

How to Share with a Bear is delightful! I love the two characters and how Thomas solves his problem. A surprise ending will thrill young readers.

KID KANDY:

Make a Cave

1. Read How to Share with a Bear.

2. Follow the directions at the end of the book to make your own cave (pillows, blankets, cushions).

3. Gather your favorite books and a flashlight.

4. Be kind like Thomas and invite a bear (or your brother, sister, or friend) to join you in the cave.

Sharing is so much fun!


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Top Ten Reasons Picture Books ROCK…

I am thrilled to count myself among the ranks of children’s picture book writers. I believe, whole-heartedly, in the power of picture books. Of course, there are thousands of reasons to love pictur…

Source: Top Ten Reasons Picture Books ROCK…

Picture books DO rock! Thanks, Michelle!


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My Two Blankets ~ Picture Book & KID KANDY

A perfect book to foster empathy for those new to our country

by Angie Quantrell Quantrell Quips

My Two Blankets

By Irena Kobald

Illustrated by Freya Blackwood

(Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2014)

She used to be called Cartwheel. And then there was a war.

My Two Blankets is the story of a girl who moved to a new country where everything was new, different, and confusing. She loved her old blanket of the sounds and words she grew up with. It was warm and made her feel safe.

In her new country, the girl had nothing. Then she met a friend at a park. The girl befriended her and slowly gave her new words to learn and new experiences. As the girl learned to speak a new language, she realized she was creating a new blanket of sounds and words. By the end of the story, she was comfortable with both blankets.

My Two Blankets is a wonderful picture book. Readers who are new to this country or readers who want to learn how it feels to live in a completely different home with a strange language will find this book insightful and refreshing.

KID KANDY:

Do a Cartwheel and Listen to a New Language

1. The girl in this story was called Cartwheel by her auntie because she loved to do cartwheels. Do you have a nickname?

Go out on the grass or playground and do cartwheels. If you don’t know how, ask a friend to teach you.

2. To see how the girl felt when she first moved to a new country, listen to a different language. You could:

– listen to a radio station

– check out a book in a different language from the library (look for books that have listening CDs)

– watch a television show featuring actors speaking a different language

– ask an adult to help you find an online video of someone speaking or singing a different language

How did you feel when you couldn’t understand the words?

What would you do if you had to move to a place where no one spoke your language?

Can you think of a friend at school or in your neighborhood that speaks a language different from yours? Maybe he or she needs a friend!


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One Word from Sophia ~ Picture Book & KID KANDY

Clever and engaging tale of a loquacious young lady

One Word from Sophia

By Jim Averbeck

Illustrations by Yasmeen Ismail

(Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2015)

 

All Sophia wants for her birthday is a pet giraffe.

But she faces four critics to her dream come true. As Sophia tries to convince family members to side with her for a pet giraffe, each tells her she is using too many words. You could say that Sophia is loquacious, much to her detriment in this case.

With each failure (and the discovery of a new word that means too many words), Sophia edits down her responses until her final plea.

One Word from Sophia is a wonderful picture book. The text challenges readers with excellent vocabulary and an engaging story. The illustrations are unique and fabulous.

One Word from Sophia will help readers learn the importance of one very special word.

KID KANDY:

What Do You Want for Your Birthday?

1. Think hard. What is your one true desire of the gift you want to receive for your birthday?

2. Now think of 5 excellent reasons you could use to convince a parent or grandparent to get that present and give it to you.

3. Practice telling your family what you would like and why.

Did you use your manners? Were you successful?

It might not be your birthday yet, but Happy Birthday! Way to use your very own words.


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Four Feet, Two Sandals ~ Picture Book & KID KANDY

Four Feet Two Sandals is the perfect book to read when learning about new families moving to our country

Four Feet, Two Sandals

By Karen Lynn Williams & Khadra Mohammed

Illustrated by Dough Chayka

(Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2007)

Lina and Feroza met at a refugee camp after traveling to escape war torn countries.

One day, while gathering clothing from a relief truck, two girls secure one sandal from the same pair. Eventually the girls decide to take turns wearing both sandals and they become good friends.

Everyone at the camp is waiting for a new home. Life goes on as they wait. Finally, the day came when Lina’s family reads their names on the list of those who get to travel to America.

What to do with the sandals? The friends figure it out in time to say good-bye.

Four Feet, Two Sandals is a story about current events. This picture book tackles a difficult subject in a realisic yet simple way. Almost everyone has heard about refugees, wars, and relief work. Read this book to help children discuss the challenges and transitions that some families face.

KID KANDY:

Donate Outgrown Clothing

Many families in America, both newly arrived and those who have lived here for a long time, need help. You can help by giving clothes to agencies that help families.

1. Ask mom or dad to help you go through your clothes. Put everything that doesn’t fit anymore in a box or bag. Shoes, coats, pants, shorts, shirts, dresses, and other items are all needed.

2. Help mom or dad find a nearby organization that collects clothes for families in need.

3. If you can, go with your parent to deliver the clothes. If you can’t go, I’m sure they will tell you how the clothes will help other boys and girls.

Way to go! You just helped families that need our help.

I always have a bag or box ready to go. As I find clothes I can’t wear anymore, I place them in the bag. When the bag is full, I donate it to a place that helps others.

I’d love to hear where you gave your outgrown clothes!