Books: Diary of...

Diary of what?

Diary of a Worm (2003)
Diary of a Spider (2005)
Diary of a Fly (2007)

All by Doreen Cronin and illustrated by Harry Bliss.

This is a fun trio of books that were an old favourite and which have made a recent come back in our home. Although not a challenging read, my son finds something in them that still appeals. perhaps it's the fun and quirky sense of humour.

And if you're trying to encourage or inspire journal writing, these certainly won't harm. However, they do take the traditional route of dairy = daily activities and thoughts. Click on the pics for a closer and clearer picture.

From Diary of a Worm

From Diary of a Spider

From Diary of a Fly

This is linked up with...


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Barefoot Book of Classic Poems and Poem Music

The Barefoot Book of Classic Poems, compiled and illustrated by Jackie Morris, is a very lovely collection. The 74 poems are beautifully illustrated adding to the experience.

After reading "The Highwayman" out loud to my son (we've read this poem before), he promptly demanded we listen to Loreena McKennitt's version-- on her The Book of Secrets Cd. And I do mean demand... he was impatient and wouldn't let me read another poem just yet. [she also does "The Lady of Shallot" on her CD, The Visit.]

This reminded me just how important it is to listen to poetry, not just read it. And there are several poetry CDs out there, especially for children. Some are done to music and some are just read poems. I hope to blog a few in the near future as we have them on hold at the library.

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Product Review: Oh, The Wondrous Places You'll Go--Travel Cards

Spontaneous buying. Ya, not often a brilliant idea. However, once in a while those whims turn out to be fantastic.

And so our household came to have these Dr. Seuss 51 and a half travel cards to "tickle your travel bug." Each card "features stunning photography, unbelievable facts, surprising history, and brain-twisting trivia about a different amazing destination. From famous landmarks to hidden gems, a world of adventure awaits!" The back of the cards show the place location on a globe and then from a more local perspective.

My son loves these cards and pulls them out often. He enjoys reading the cards, answering the questions, and imaging going to these places. I think this may be the beginning of his very own... 51 and 1/2 places to go before he's... not interested in travelling  ;-)

I think these cards are great and spark interest in learning about new places. Did you know that "before Mesa Verde was made a national park in 1906, campers burned all the cliff dwellings' roof timbers for firewood?"  Sad but true.

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101... Before You're 12!

Now I have two more books to recommend, both by Joanne O'Sullivan. We first found these gems at our local library and since bought our own copies. Of course, the library books don't come with the stickers ;-)


The first of the pair is 101 Things You've Gotta Do Before You're 12!



As the title says, the book contains 101 things to do... before you're 12. Each page, or double page layout, vibrantly illustrates and describes the activities. Well, truth be told there really shouldn't be an age limit as most of the book would be fun for an adult to complete too! What kind of 'things' are suggested?

Examples: geocaching, growing your own garden, reading your cereal box, try a new sport, go on a ghost tour, give your room a  make over, see a meteor shower, conquer a fear, sleep under the stars, make edible art, dig for fossils, and way more.

As you can see, some things can be done locally and others may require a trip. Some things are quick, free, and easy, others take time, money, or planning. The book comes with several sheets of stickers which are helpful to keep track of the activities accomplish and even rate them. With 150 stickers, you'd think it were enough, but it could use more; however, it depends on how active you are and how you want to track your progress. For example, there are not enough "mission accomplished" but you could always use a "top 20" or "this rocks" to mark those you've done. Or use "never ever" or "way weird."  

 The second book is, 101 Places You've Gotta See Before You're 12! Can you see the trend?! Lol. This second book is exactly like the first, complete with stickers, but with a different focus: things to see. Examples of suggested things to see: a big cave, a light house, a waterfall, backstage of a theatre, an unusual museum, a street market, your parent's workplace, a subway, an eccentric eatery, a special place to sleep (like Quebec City's Ice Hotel), a place of worship other than your own, a haunted place, a pig pen, a sculpture park, an old folks home, a crazy dream home.... and waaaay more.





Now, you certainly don't need either book to accomplish the tasks or visits, but it sure is nice to have them as a list all in one place and be able to mark off the ones you've done, like a diary! One problem: lack of space to write notes. But it's not impossible. Plus the 101 Places You Gotta See Before You're 12! does have several note pages at the *back* of the book; weird that the 'To Do' book doesn't.

Thanks to Joanne O'Sullivan stopping by and leaving a comment below, I can add a bit more information to this post!

Guess what?! She adds to her lists through her blog The Wanderlists. So go check it out too for even more cool ideas!







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Virtual Field Trips!

Virtual field trips are one of those cool modern conveniences that the internet makes feasible. Many museums take advantage of this concept; we've certainly found a few treasures out there.

At Tramline Virtual Field Trips, "A field trip {is} created with TourMaker {and it} guides you through a sequence of Web pages on any given topic. For each page, there is simultaneous commentary in an accompanying frame. You move forward and back through the Field Trip using the tour Control Panel and you can leave the Tour to explore links and return to it whenever you want."

You don 't need the software to view the field trips, but if you want to create your own you do. As these navigate web pages, I did find a few dead links, but overall I think it's a cool idea and my son liked them. Some trips have interactive parts, audio, video, cool web resources, etc. It's certainly worth checking out and they have a range of different subjects covered: leonardo Da Vinci, endangered spieces, volcanoes, dinosaurs, aquifers, wonders of the world, etc

Each virtual trip has a designated grade range and contains learner outcomes, if that info rocks your boat ;-)

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Fun With Amazing Paper Toys and Models

From The Toy Maker

Way back when, we used to have fun exchanging flat travellers (aka flat Stanley)-- check out this old post for details. We used to make our own flatties and even got into paper dolls. One thing led to another and we discovered all kinds of paper doll and paper toy sites! Really, there seems to be an endless supply of free paper dolls... all you have to do is Google "free paper dolls" and you'll be flooded with websites or click over to just the images! From Berenstain Bears to old vintage sets, some cost but many are free.

Well, I'm not going to list all those sites. What I am proposing to share are just a couple I had left over in my bookmarks.

Download a Dragon is a good start for those mythologically oriented. Here you can print out castles, dragons, mermaids, unicorns, and more. The creators of this website also did Download a Dinosaur. The items here vary in quality, but are sure to entertain!

From Paper Toys

And more fun can be found at general paper toy websites (just search "paper toys").

The Toy Maker has some really lovely paper toys to make. They have everything from cards, boxes, baskets, and bags to origami, paper toys, and ephemera. Categories include animal and bug friends, fairies and magic, math and learning toys, toys that move, gifts and boxes, and fun and whimsy! Great for children and adults alike.

And then there is Paper Toys with all kinds of detailed vehicles to make, masks, dinosaurs, houses (Bill Gate's), buildings (Empire State Building/ Shakespear's Globe Theatre), historical places (Mt Rushmore/ Great Wall of China), and way more... well, just follow the link to see the list.

From RavensBlight

Step it up a notch with a more spookier set of very detailed, rich coloured paper toys at RavensBlight Toy Shop. These haunted paper treasures are sure to delight those of us with a different sense of humour ;-) What's there? Coffin gift boxes (awesome for Halloween parties!), cemeteries, haunted houses, all kinds of skeletons and monsters, magic tricks, cards, dice, board games, life sized human skeleton, werewolf mask, colouring pages, a balancing bat, pinhole camera, skull, more masks, helmets, a marionette, and so much more. And several of the haunted houses come with background stories!!! This is a real must check out ;-) Um, can you tell I like Halloween!   

From RavensBlight

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Idea: Chocolates!

Bulk Chocolate Melts

Any time is perfect for chocolate making, but holiday season is very ideal too: gift making!

I remember making coloured chocolates in Kindergarten, in fact I have a photo of it somewhere. Although I didn't look terribly pleased in the photo, I have fond memories of 'painting' the chocolate molds!

Used a Spoon To Mix the Colour and to Pour

We aren't painting with a brush as that detail is more than my son is interested in. In fact, I think the quicker the better in this case. Um, yeah, it means the chocolates are ready sooner! It's all about the eating :)

I purchased this pretzel chocolate mold from Michaels, but my son is not so keen on the mixing of chocolate and pretzels. Pretzels should be separate, duh  ;-)
The chocolate melts (a white and a dark chocolate) I bought in bulk at the grocery store as Michael's price is ridiculous, but I did buy the candy colouring from that craft store.

Oooey Gooey

And it was so simple...
just melt, in the microwave or double broiler
and pour!
---colour the melted white chocolate before pouring, if you feel like it!
Let them set in the fridge for 5-10 minutes (quicker, but not necessary)
The chocolates fall out of the molds very easily, so it's important not to flip over the mold too high or the chocolates will fall out and shatter... but you can always remelt and pour!

In the Mold

No Pretzles at the Bottom!

No Colours Added

Reuse Craft: Gift Tags and Cards

Tag Template

What to do with all those holiday greeting cards?! Of course, many of us display them during the season and some of us keep them forever, but I think the majority of people trash or recycle them.

Here's an idea:
Collect old cards (keep yours for the next holiday season) and cut them all up!

Lovely Tags By My Son

If there is no writing behind the front picture, you can make gift tags. I made a quick template for my son to use, but he wisely knew better and created his own fantastical tag shapes  :)

If there is writing on the back of the picture, or you prefer cards, cut up the old cards to make new ones. You can buy pre-folded blank cards with envelopes at crafts stores or simply use card stock (like I do) to make the cards and buy note card sized envelopes for them. Rearrange the cut up pieces to make a pleasing card and give it away... after writing something nice in it!

My Son's Notecards

Idea: Play dough!

This Is a Bunny or the Sears Tower

I have this fun recipe of Kool-aid play dough. It smells awesome, so good, but it's not edible. Well, it isn't toxic, but it won't taste good! It keeps for months in an air tight container and is fun to play with. I'll include the recipe, but feel free to google play dough recipes! There are so many all differing in colour, texture, and consistency. And some are even edible!

I tried this recipe with a non-white flour because I was out. And I must say it is best to stick with the white flour! It smelled funny and required adjustment in the amount of flour added. Still, in the end, it was play dough and fun!

My son began with the typical boy themes: airplane, dump truck, and a dead louse. When I took another peak at his creations a new turn of events: Fallingwater, Empire States building, Sears Tower, and the Guggenheim! Ah, he is his father's son... my son, the son of an architect! Go figure!

And now, for the recipe...

I Believe this is Fallingwater

Kool-Aid Play Dough

2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup salt
2 packages of unsweetened Kool-aid (best to be the same flavour for best scent and colouration)
3 tablespoons of oil
2 cups of boiling water

We Can't Remember What This One Is?

Mix all the ingredients together and knead into a ball. Store in an air tight container.
If it gets a bit dry, add a little bit of cold water and knead it into the dough. Should last three months!



Have fun being creative!

Mixology: Bath Salts

Who doesn't love bath salts? Oddly enough my son will often choose bath salts over bubble bath. Furthermore, he just loves mixing up his own bath salts. Is it the colour mixing he loves? I'm not sure because he also really enjoyed bagging up his multi-coloured creations for a bake and craft sale he participated in (which is today). In each bag, he layered the different colours of bath salts and topped it with a sea shell.

There's not much to this idea! It's just too simple.

*Buy Epsom salts and food colouring.
*Poor salts into a bowl and add drops of colour.
*Blend with a spoon (we found a bit of grinding action with the back of the spoon very helpful).
*Put the coloured salts into an air tight container.
*Use on yourself or give as a gift.

That said, other things can round out and make for even better bath salts.

Consider adding sea salt, baking soda (softens the skin), or other salts. Kick it up a notch with powdered citric acid! Citric acid, which I found out the hard way has a shelf life, gives the salts a bubbling fizz and is the key ingredient in bath bombs.

Don't want to use food colouring? Try a liquid soap colouring, micas, or test out natural alternatives. Just keep in mind that the adding of liquids to baths salts needs to be kept to a minimum, lol. Well, at least until it hits the bath water!

Ready For Market!

Ah, and then there is the wonderful world of scents. You can purchase fragrance oils or essential oils to create an aromatic bath salt. Not all of the available scents are good for skin contact, so be mindful when choosing. Oh, and it is advisable to mix such oils with the salts in a glass or metal bowl as plastics will absorb the scent too readily. You can use a plastic bowl, but it will no longer be food safe. Lol, but if you don't believe plastics are food safe anyways.... the point it moot ;-)



That reminds me, I *do* have a Dutch Chocolate fragrance oil that my son would probably flip over. I'll pull it out for the next round of mixology!

Geography: Postcrossing!

Almost everyone has heard about penpals or has had one, this is fairly common place. And even postcard trading is familiar to most. However, have you heard of post crossing?


While checking out some other blogs, I came across Make Geography Come Alive with Wall Maps! by OMSH. I love maps. My son loves maps. So I read it with interest as she explained how her family used the new maps they bought. If you check it out, you'll see how they've put the maps onto cork boards in order to use pins and string to connect photos with places. I'd love to do this, but I need to find some cork boards first  ;-)

As November was Geography Month, OMSH solicited readers to post comments of how they explore the subject of geography with their children. It was within these comment posts that the mystery of Postcrossing was revealed to me.

Postcrossing, the postcard crossing project: "send a postcard and receive a postcard back from a random person somewhere in the world!"

Really, it's that simple. And free to sign up.
A well organised website, postcrossing.com, details all the FAQ.

But it's just trading postcards, right?
Wrong.

Postcards From Russia

Although you can login to the forum, separate from the official sight, and participate in all kinds of trading and tagging (themed trades whereby you tag the person who posted before you and then wait to be tagged), the official site is not about trading at all.

The official Postcrossing.com site is not a typical trading site. Here's how it works...

1)  You sign up for free, set your preferences, and create a profile to whatever extent you wish. Part of this set up is providing the site with your mailing address, but it is not displayed publicly.

2) You "request" an address and postcard ID! The site will give you an address, an ID for that postcard, and the profile information of the person you are sending the card to. You can read the profile and get a sense of the kinds of postcards the person likes. You may choose to send a postcard that they would prefer, but you may send whatever you have. However! The whole point here is to make sure you write the postcard ID on it. I always write the ID in two different place to be sure it doesn't get obscured or misread. The recipient will register receiving the card using this ID. Only once your postcard has been received can you start expecting a postcard in return!

Add caption

3) Receive a postcard. Once the website has confirmed that your postcard has been received and registered, your profile name and address goes to the top of the list! But your address is still not publicly displayed; this "list" is not something everybody can see. Now, someone will "request" an address and it will be yours. This means you are not receiving a postcard from the person you originally sent a card to. You are going to receive a random card from some random person who will be given your mailing address when they request an address. I love this randomness!

4) Register the postcard received. Admire your new postcard sent by some stranger miles away, read any messages written, enjoy the foreign stamps, then hop online, log in, and register the postcard as received. Write a thank you, short or long. And you're done!

5) Repeat! Request another address, write on the postcard, include the ID, and send. It gets addictive actually, before you know it, you're broke ;-)  In the beginning, you are restricted to five address requests; you can have up to five postcards travelling at any given time. The more you send and prove your participation (your postcards do get received and registered), the more you are permitted to have travelling.

Our Geography Wall!

From Russia

See, the beauty of this whole project, beyond the obvious objectives, is that you are ultimately in control over how much and when. There is no obligation or commitment! I love that! I'm a terrible correspondent; I'll always come through in the end, but that end might be a year later. If I have time and the postcard/stamps, I can send a card and then eventually receive one back (theoretically, barring postal mishaps). Furthermore, I do not have to respond to any of the postcards I receive as I've already sent out my postcard! The only thing I'm obligated to do is to register receiving the postcard with the ID on the card. I do however write a comment of thanks to the sender (done as part of the registering of the postcard).

Some other aspects to this game...

This Was From Lithuania

Often people scan the postcards. They collect them in reality and virtually. I haven't bothered to do this yet and may never take the time to do it. However, I still have scanned postcards on my "postcard wall!" Some are the scanned postcards that were sent to me-- if someone scans their card and sends it by mail, when I register it with the ID, it virtually becomes mine too. Also, several people have scanned the postcards we've sent them as I can now see them on my postcard wall under "sent" postcards, lol.

Our Latest Addition Is From Luxemburg

Map Another function is the global map that will document all that you successfully send and receive with little flags indicating the locations with lines from your city to theirs. The global map is interactive and you can zoom in and out of it. The little flags are click-able and will reveal such details as location and the profile link to that sender/recipient.

Stats A stats page exhibits your activity in graph form, pie chart, and a table. How much you've sent and received, to or from which countries, and how long the postcard travelled are a few of the items displayed here.

Forum There is a forum you can sign up for too and it is somewhat separate from the official website. In here you can organise and participate in all kinds of discussions and other forms of trade, even trading items other than postcards.

What a fun way to learn about other cultures and geography!