Love, Laughter, and Life

Adventures With a Book Lover


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Welcome, Summer Guest Bloggers!

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Note: Nana Angie here. For a bit of fun, I’m challenging (urging, coercing, guiding) my grands to be guest bloggers. This first time, I typed as we discussed and they told me what to write. Perhaps the older 2 will be able to type their own posts later this summer, which I know will zoom past. I’ll probably alternate blogging families so that I can keep up with what is happening behind the scenes as two of us at a time focus on blogging…(5 kids + 1 puppy = 8).

Hope you enjoy our escapades. Happy first day of summer!

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Hi, I’m Hayden. I’m 10 years old and just finished 4th grade. Next year I’ll be in middle school. I’m so glad it’s summer.

This summer I’m spending lots of time with my Nana. Last week we were learning about birds. And we made a bird nest out of play dough and pine needles. I found a fallen bird nest at our apartment and it was just sitting on the ground. I picked it up and took it to my Nana’s house and we observed it. It was cool and stinky!

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We also went on a walk around the field and looked at birds. We found a hawk. It was cool. It was looking for food. Other bird activities we did were painting bird houses, stamping bird pictures on paper, and reading bird books.

Next we are going to learn about gardens. See you next time!

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Hi, I’m Khloe. I’m almost 8 years old and just finished 2nd grade. Next year I’ll be in 3rd grade. I always swim at the pool at my apartment in the summer. That is going to be fun!

My Nana is teaching me and my brothers French words. I know “Bonjour, Grand-mere, merci, s’il vous plait, and counting to sept (1-7). It was fun learning about French.

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We also learned about birds. My brother picked up a bird nest for us to look at and study. My favorite bird activity was making a bird nest out of play dough. I used sticks, pine needles, play dough, and leaves and rocks for my nest.

I will see you next time!

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My name is William Gage Aucutt. I’m 4. I’m going swimming. I’m going to the apartment. And I go to the RV. Then I go to the park. I liked painting my bird house. I like to paint. And I like to go everywhere. Everywhere.

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Happy Hump Day Haiku Challenge: sunflower forest

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sunflower forest

shadowing minions below,

giant bird fodder

 

sunflower forest by Angie Quantrell

 

This year, another garden experiment. Last season, giant birds (to the minions living below) messily (and carelessly) tossed seeds as they gobbled from sunflower trees. This season, let’s see what grows.

A forest!

 


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Book Report: The Broken Bees’ Nest by Lydia Lukidis

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The Broken Bees’ Nest

Beekeeping, Makers Make It Work

By Lydia Lukidis

Illustrated by Andre Ceolin

Kane Press, Inc., 2019

 

I won a copy of Lydia’s book, The Broken Bees’ Nest, through Kathy Temean and her blog, Writing and Illustrating. Thanks to Lydia for the delightful copy and to Kathy for introducing me to The Broken Bees’ Nest.

What I like about this book:

I love bees, so this picture book is perfect for me. My current dream is to capture a swarm and put a hive out in our pasture. Guess what The Broken Bees’ Nest is about? Capturing a swarm from a broken hive!

This book is about a beekeeper and how she helps two children rescue bees from a broken hive. It’s also about family and being outdoors and engaging in fun play while enjoying nature. I loved learning more about bees-from the story, the sidebars, and the back matter pages.

This book is easy to read, includes vibrant illustrations, and provides lots of bee information in a fun, engaging way. As my granddaughter said the first time we read it, “Again!”

We’ll keep reading The Broken Bees’ Nest! I think this will help her overcome her fear of bees.

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Amazon Blurb:

Arun and Keya find the perfect tree for a tree house. Too bad it comes with a battered bees’ nest! These bees need a new home―right away! Tying into the popular Makers Movement, Makers Make It Work is a series of fun easy-to-read stories that focus on problem-solving and hands-on action. This charming story explores the Makers theme of Beekeeping and includes explanatory sidebars and an insect-related activity for young makers to try themselves!

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Happy Hump Day Haiku Challenge: cotton candy

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cotton candy clouds

effervescence, bees’ delight

pink blossom carpet

 

cotton candy by Angie Quantrell

 

I love spring blossoms and the buzz of happy bees. Welcome, pink!


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Happy Hump Day Haiku Challenge: forest lollipop

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lollipop curl road

dancing, growing, reaching high;

what flavor opens?

 

forest lollipop by Angie Quantrell

 

Don’t these fern swirls look exactly like fuzzy lollipops? Of course, I don’t want to lick treats containing fuzz, but my imagination considers what interesting tastes live in forest lollipops.

Happy Haiku Day!


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Earth Day

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Happy Earth Day, neighbors!

I love this old earth. It’s the only one I’ve got, so I suppose I should help take care of it. Earth Day reminds me to do something, not just talk about it or ignore the problems I see.

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For example:

~Yesterday and today, I planted thyme and basil, both edible yumminess for humans and flowering treats for bees.

~I’m trying to convince my pasture mowers to leave the dandelions as is for bee food.

~We avoid spray unless absolutely necessary and spend more time hand weeding.

~I keep planting baby trees from the Arbor Society to create habitat for birds and small animals.

~I always have water out for the cats, but wildlife benefits from the source of hydration.

~I’ve been noticing lots of trash along roads and paths, so it’s time to carry along a trash bag and pick up as I go on walks.

~We pay extra in our valley to allow us to recycle trash items like cans, cardboard, and certain plastics.

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I know there are many ways to help Planet Earth. These are only a few ideas to be good stewards of the beautiful environment God created for us to enjoy and care for. Spend some time outside today and pay special attention to how awesome our Earth is.

How about you? I’d love to hear what you do, especially if you have fresh ideas!


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Book Report: How to Walk an Ant by Cindy Derby

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How to Walk an Ant

Written and illustrated by Cindy Derby

Roaring Brook Press, 2019

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Cindy Derby, Roaring Brook Press, and KidLit411 gifted me with a copy of How to Walk an Ant. Thank you for such a delightful book!

Opening lines:

“My name is Amariyah, and I am an Expert Walker.

No, I don’t mean I walk perfect,

I mean I walk things.”

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Amazon Blurb:

There are nine steps to becoming an ant walker, and Amariyah, the expert ant walker, is here to show you how it’s done.

This irreverent and quirky picture book, How to Walk an Ant, follows a young girl as she goes through the process of walking ants, from polite introductions to tragic leash entanglements.

In the end, this unique book from author-illustrator Cindy Derby shows that as long as you’re doing what you’re best at, you may find a like-minded friend to tag along.

*Zero ants were harmed in the making of this book.
**Oops, 7 ants were harmed in the making of this book.

 

Why I Like This Book:

Quirky and irreverent is correct! I loved reading about Amariyah and her efforts to educate me in the best ways to walk ants (always carry plenty of thread, …). The illustrations perfectly match the story and I had to laugh loud and giggle to myself several times as I read. Seriously, which picture book do you know where FUNERAL plans are a part of the appendix?

The writing is clear and entertaining. Amariyah has a unique voice and I love her personality and adventures. A limited palette for the illustrations allows images to pop into life. Add diagrams and insets, and anyone who reads How to Walk an Ant will quickly reach expert level. This book is a fun read.

Spring is here, the best time to practice walking newly emerged ants. Read How to Walk an Ant and then head outside to practice walking ants.

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KID KANDY:

Ants on a Log

Ingredients: celery, peanut butter (or other nut butter if you can’t eat peanuts), raisins

4 Steps to Eating Ants

1. With an adult, wash and cut celery sticks into 3-4 inch pieces

2. Spread peanut butter in the celery (log) trough.

3. Plop ants (raisins) on the peanut butter.

4. Eat ants on a log. Now you are an expert eater of ants.

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Happy Hump Day Haiku Challenge: worm salad

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spring rain brings party,

water-logged crawlers become

salad of dead worms

 

worm salad by Angie Quantrell

 

I hate walking outside after a rain, afraid of stepping on and squishing the lovely gardeners who struggle to escape overwhelming water in their aerating holes. I never have enough time to rescue all the big ones, tossing them into garden boxes and grassy resorts. Instead, when I return home, after the rain has headed east, I find piles of worm salad.

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Mud: The Perfect Nature Sensory Activity

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First we had February. Snowmageddon and all of that. The season of snow.

Next we had the melt. Flooding, slush, and slippery ice. The season of melt.

Now we have rainy April days and plentiful water. The season of mud.

Does mud bother my grands? Not in the slightest. Nearly all the kids I know love getting dirty, playing in the mud. From what I’ve observed, most of the problem with mud comes from the adults. The ones who have to do laundry, wipe mud trails off of floors, wash boots, and repair muddy landscapes.

Forget all of that worry. It’s time for the season of play!

Enter mud play. A fine mist was falling, water stood in the wagon and various items strewn about from building fairy houses, and mud was plentiful.

They dug, scooped, buried, and transported mud, rocks, and sticks. They gathered water, poured it around, and put a dead worm in the mud in case he wanted to wake up.

They painted small pieces of logs by using a stick as a paintbrush, using the stick to smear mud across the flat surfaces. And then they decorated the wagon and fairy gardens with mud-encrusted artwork.

I love it when I see preschoolers and children (and even adults) use their creativity and imagination. I love it even more when nature and messes are involved!

I’m not sure if the parents agree, but playing in mud is excellent for sensory engagement and exploration of nature.

So…put on some old clothes, just in case, plop on the wellies, and head out for some messy fun.

 


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Happy Hump Day Haiku Challenge: stone heart

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there you are, my heart,

stone captured, frozen mid-beat

how to get you out?

 

stone heart by Angie Quantrell

 

Join the Haiku Challenge. Write and share a Haiku poem about stones or hearts. Thanks!