Catch a Falling Star

Stars by Mary Lyn Ray and Marla Frazee is my favorite book of the past few weeks. We've been learning all about outer space, but this book brings the stars to Earth. According to the book, stars are how you know night is coming. You can't catch a star, not really, but you can make a star and keep it in your pocket. You can pin a star to your shirt and become a sheriff or tape it to a stick and become a fairy. Stars are for wishes and friends. You can find them almost anywhere, like on a tree or in a field.

My favorite illustration is bright yellow with a boy blowing a dandelion. "Blow a ball of dandelion and you blow a thousand stars into the sky."

Star Sun Catcher

Bobo made a beautiful turquoise sun catcher of the night sky. He mixed school glue with blue food coloring in a margarine lid. Then, he sprinkled star confetti from another project and glitter onto the sky. I tied a piece of yarn and placed it at the top to make a loop. We waited and waited for it to dry. Last, we popped it out of the lid. Now, it's hanging in our window and catching the sun's rays.

WMCIR: Aliens and Robots

We've been talking about aliens the past couple of weeks for our Outer Space theme. I knew this book would be perfect the moment I saw it. Bobo loves robots. This is a retelling of the Three Little Pigs. It includes some space vocabulary and vehicles. I had to sneak it into the pile of books to take back to the library.

This is a fun, rhyming, retelling of the Boy Who Cried Wolf. The aliens are very funny. It is great to share one on one, but would be difficult to read to a group. The illustrations are large and vibrant. I find reading graphic novels to be a challenge to read aloud, but this had just the right combination of dialogue and text.

Boy + Robot is my favorite of the week. The boy and robot meet and play, until the robot's power switch gets turned off. The boy thinks it's sick, so he tries to make it feel better. When the boy goes to sleep, the robot's turns back on. It thinks the boy is sick, and tries to make him feel better. While the boy tries applesauce and reading stories, the robot tries oil and reading instruction manuals. I love this book!

Tot Trays: Transportation

Crayola Glow Explosion Glow Magic city scene with lots of vehicles.

Build a car sticker set.

Street sign play dough.

Well-loved Melissa & Doug train sound puzzle.

Balloon race cars.

Thomas the train set.

Book Review: How to Babysit a Grandpa by Jean Reagan

I had lots of good books to review today like Kali's Song by Jeanette Winter, What We Wear: Dressing Up Around the World by Maya Ajmera and I'll Save You Bobo! by Eileen & Marc Rosenthal. However, I chose to share How to Babysit a Grandpa, because I saw my Bobo in it.

"Babysitting a grandpa is fun-- if you know how. When your grandpa rings the doorbell, what should you do? HIDE!" Through the window of the first illustration accompanying the above lines, you see a little bottom peaking out from behind the chair. Each page has tips, like how to stay quiet while hiding:

1. Pretend you're a shark waiting for lunch
2. Act like a pirate spy
3. Be as still as a lion statue 

The pirate spy is very Bobo. The grandson also dresses up in several costumes (very, very Bobo).

I have several favorites from this book. In the Snacks for a Grandpa section, olives served on fingertips. In the How to Entertain a Grandpa section, show off your muscles. In the How to Say Goodbye to a Grandpa section, give him a hug and a kiss, a hug and a kiss, a hug and a kiss then ask, "When can I babysit you again?"

The text made this book for me. The illustrations are bright and remind me of David Shannon with a bit more polish. The expressions on the grandpa and grandson's faces are just right. I've added this one to my Grandpas book list.

Fancy Nancy Tea Party

Nancy is a vivacious young girl who loves all things FANCY. What is fancier than a tea party? Dress up in your most extraordinary ensemble for a posh afternoon tea.

One of the most popular series of picture books at my library is Fancy Nancy by Jane O'Connor. I knew I wanted to have a tea party for all my fancy little girls and what better way to encourage literacy than incorporating the littlest diva of all?

We advertised this event through our newsletter with the first lines of this post. It filled up within two weeks of publication. I decided to limit this event to 20 girls. I knew I'd be working by myself and also wanted to be able to make everything very fancy.

The Invitation

I sent invitations to each girl a couple of weeks ago. I wrote their names in the bottom banner and dotted each "i" with glitter. I threw in some confetti for fun, sorry moms! "You're invited to high tea, which starts at 3. Remember to dress fancy, just like Nancy!"

Party Favors

Decorating for the tea party was a breeze. I just ordered everything in pink. I knew the centerpieces would be these fabulous pens sent in a Pinkalicious media kit. The Dollar Store had the pots, which I covered with a stylish ribbon and added a button embellishment. I filled the pots with beads.

I wanted to use real teacups and teapots, but that just wasn't feasible on my budget. So, I took an idea (or five) from Fancy Nancy Tea Parties with a little help. Kristi, my fabulous volunteer, decorated plastic cups with sequins. I used doilies to add a little pizzazz as the plates were on the buffet table.

Each table also had personalized place settings decorated with sequence. Having assigned seating worked well for this event. I hadn't done it before, but it was great to mix it up. I definitely had more parent participation this way.

Each table also had a copy of the Itinerary (that's a fancy word for schedule). I greeted everyone at the door and showed them to their tables. Then, we learned fabulous French words like Etiquette (French for polite manners) and even sang a song.

Tulle Photo Op with Tissue Paper Flowers

When I came in that morning, I found a wonderful surprise from my co-worker, Robin. She left tons of tulle for me to use to decorate. I knew the tables would get messy with food and crafts, so I couldn't use it there. But, I thought they would make a great spot to end our Paparazzi Parade. I had the girls all line up at the other end of the room and take turns coming down the runway, while the moms lined up by the tulle to snap photos.

Then, we had refreshments (that's a fancy word for snacks).

I didn't get a good picture of the table, so I'll have to describe it. I had teapot centerpieces with tissue paper flowers coming out of them. I used heart shaped baskets with pink, glitter paper confetti for the plasticware. The super pink lemonade was served in our glass punch bowl. I used Nancy's recipe and added a splash of cranberry juice to make it fuchsia. I served fresh fruit and veggies.

Glorious games. I always plan much more than we could ever accomplish, because you just never know what to expect. I changed this game to simplify it. I wanted to have a relay race, but I didn't want anyone to get hurt. So, we had two teams with eight beaded necklaces each. The girls had to help each other put on the amount of necklaces for her age (5-year-olds wore 5) before racing to the other side of the room. Then, they had to help the next girl with the necklaces. They also couldn't run very fast because the necklaces would bounce everywhere. Everyone got a mini star wand as a prize.

Our chapeau contest (French for hat) used a paper bowl and plate with accessories. Everyone was so creative and had fun designing a hat, which they wore home of course.

Planning the Fancy Nancy tea party was so much fun. I seldom get to do anything so girly, as I'm currently outnumbered by boys. I spent about a month preparing for the event and spent less than $100 for 40 guests.  I can envision this becoming an annual event!

My favorite moment. Spontaneous dance party.

Farewell (that's fancy for bye-bye)!

365 Days: A New Park

"I've never been here before in my life." A trip to visit a good friend in her new town turned into a wonderful adventure when we visited the local park. Preschoolers and toddlers climbed all over a giant rock in the middle of the park. I thought it would be plastic, but it was real. The little boy with Bobo said, "I think it's made out of aluminum foil. That's hard, right?"

Bobo has been exploring texture through his feet lately. At T-ball, he likes to take off his shoes and feel the infield dirt. This park had lots of different textures like mulch, grass, rocks and sand. He was surprised the inside of the jungle gym was cool.

The best attraction of the new park, according to Bobo, was the large barrel house. He couldn't really move it by himself, so I walked in it with him. I got so dizzy, and he just couldn't stop laughing! We've driven by this park so many times on the way to visit Aunt T, and I can't believe it's taken so long to explore it.

What hidden gems have you found lately with your little ones?

Linking up with Science Sundays!

365 Days: New Bike

"Honk, honk!" What's Bobo's favorite part of his new bike? Yep, the horn. Oh, and his blue helmet.