Valarie Budayr's Blog, page 79

Want to Meet a Hero of Nonviolence?

Do you know who influenced and inspired Mahatma Gandhi into using nonviolence when dealing with the fight for India’s freedom from British rule ?

Did you know that Gandhi inspired Martin Luther King Jr. in using non-violence in bringing equal rights for African-Americans?

Can you imagine bringing justice, equality, and peace to the world without using violence?

Today I’m sharing a book which shares such a message. ‘Mahavira: The Hero of Nonviolence’ by Manoj Jain and illustrated by Demi tells the remarkable story of a young prince who renounced his wealth and power to become a wandering monk and leader of the Jain religion.

Mahavira imagined a world where no one gets hurt, a world where no one is teased or bullied, a world where there is no fear or anger.

Today, more than 2,500 years later, over 10 million Jains follow Mahavira’s example.

Mahavira: The Hero of Nonviolence is brought to life in exquisite detail by award-winning illustrator Demi.  I especially love Demi’s details and her use of color and gold. Simply stunning.

Though I had heard of Jainism throughout my travels until I read Mahavira I didn’t know any details about the religion or what they believed in. Mahavira: The Hero of Nonviolence is a perfect beginning book into the world of the Jains. The front section of the book tells the story of Mahavira himself. The story then moves seamlessly and simply into what Jains believe. The word usage and difficulty is appropriate for the age group which is for ages 6 and up. This is a beautiful and captivating book which is a brilliant introduction to one of the worlds oldest religions.

 

Something To Do

What do the Jains believe ?

There is no supreme creator god in Jainism. Instead Jains believe as do the Buddhists and Hindus in a cycle of birth and rebirth. This cycle is influenced by the effects of good and bad deeds and ones attitudes. This is accomplished by following ‘The Jewels’ of Jain belief and ethics.

The Jewels of Belief are:

The first belief is nonviolence or love. It is not to cause harm to any living being. It is to have love and compassion for all living things. Avoiding anger and practicing forgiveness are essential.
The second belief is non-absolutism. One is to tolerate and accept another person’s view, to keep an open mind.
The third belief is non-possessiveness or detachment. It is to separate true needs from false desires. Avoid greediness and be generous and charitable.

Did You Know….

Jainism is one of the world’s oldest religions, with its original roots in India?
Mahavira lived at the same time as the Buddha during the 6th century?
There are 10 million Jains in the world?
There are 125,000 Jains in the United States?
Jains who are inspired by the example of Mahavira, live a life of compassion and forgiveness?
Jains are vegetarian?
Green !!! That’s right, Jains practice a sustainability and are custodians of the earth?

Discussion Questions:

1. Have you come across any of these rules in other religions or cultures you’ve studied ? Which ones ? Where are they located on the planet?

2. Remember or imagine a difficult situation such as bullying, hitting, grabbing a toy, stealing, unkindness, cheating etc. Write a short paragraph or two about a non-violent solution to this problem. Share your solution with others such as classmates, friends, or family.

3. It is important to Jains to avoid violence in the work place. List 3 professions a Jain could choose that would be good for them and their Jain practices. List 3 professions which wouldn’t be good for a Jain to choose and why.

Snakes and Ladders

Did you know the game of Snakes and Ladders originated in India? There are HIndu, Muslim, and Jain versions of the game. The Jains call their version of the game “Gyanbaji” which means “Game of Knowledge’.

Look at the photo of Snakes and Ladders. It is made up of 84 numbered squares. Each square represents a steps and progress in one’s life. The words on each square point out good and bad traits and conduct along with the consequences for them.

The ladders are linked to good behavior and the snakes are linked to bad.

1. Count the snakes and then the ladders. Why do you think there are more snakes than ladders ?

The pavilion at the top of the game represents the heavens. Jains believe all people should aspire or work to go to heaven.

Below is a template for you to make up your own version of Snakes and Ladders.

Using ‘Jain’ rules, think of five actions which would cause a player to ascend a ladder and eight actions that would cause a player to go down a snake.
You can also design a Snakes and Ladders game using study habits, school rules, house rules, chores and rewards, society rules and morales, your own religious values and beliefs.
Or you can simply use the numbers, dice and some markers such as paperclips or coins.

Rules to Snakes and Ladders

Decide which player is going first.
Roll the dice.
Move the counter or marker
If you land on a snake you go down it and if you land on a ladder you go up it.
When you get to the top you’re the winner.

A Little Celebration

On the day of Mahavira’s death, Jains celebrate the festival of Diwali eating tasty sweets and singing religious songs. They also visit family and friends and exchange gifts. For a further look at the celebration of Diwali, have a look here.

Don’t forget to grab your FREE copy of my Read Your World Multicultural Booklists and Activities for Kids.

The post Want to Meet a Hero of Nonviolence? appeared first on Jump Into A Book.

We have it First! The Latest from Philip Pullman & ‘His Dark Materials’ Trilogy

We are huge fans of Philip Pullman in this house. ‘His Dark Materials’ Trilogy has graced our shelves,hearts, ears and eyes for years. They are one of our “go to books” when were looking for a comfy old friend and Lyra is a dear old friend.

Fans of the ‘His Dark Materials’ trilogy can return to Lyra’s Oxford this January, as Audible.com offers members an exclusive new short story written by Philip Pullman and performed by award-winning British actor Bill Nighy, best known for his performance as Billy Mack in Love Actually and his portrayal of Davy Jones in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End.

The Collectors is an original short story by one of the most well-loved and admired British novelists of recent times. It will be available today January 12th on Audible.

Set in the Senior Common Room of Oxford on a dark winter’s night, The Collectors follows the conversation of a pair of new characters, Horley and Grinstead, as they discuss two new works of art that Horley has added to his collection. Little do they know that these pieces are connected in mysterious and improbable ways, and that both of them are about to be caught in the crossfire of a story that has travelled through time and between worlds.

The Collectors marks the first time that Pullman has returned to the universe he created for the beloved His Dark Materials trilogy since the publication of Once Upon A Time in the North in 2008. Written exclusively for Audible as a standalone story, it introduces new listeners to the His Dark Materials books, while revealing a little something extra to fans of Lyra and her world.

Audible has happily given us a little sneak peak/sneak listen to The Collectors and I’m happy to share it with you here.

**Some of these links are affiliate links

Don’t forget to grab my FREE Gift to YOU! Available for only a short time. Grab your copy HERE.

The post We have it First! The Latest from Philip Pullman & ‘His Dark Materials’ Trilogy appeared first on Jump Into A Book.

My Free Gift To YOU-Read Your World Multicultural Books Activities for Kids Guide

As a reading and play advocate, I am always looking for fun and innovative ways to shine the spotlight on new children’s literacy and inspire families to pull books off of shelves and stories off of pages.

So early last year, I decided to create a fun guidebook to do just THAT.

To create this Multicultural Books & Activities for Kids, I reached out to some of the brightest bloggers and asked them to pick a book that is meaningful to them, review it and create a fun activity to go along with it. The following is a line-up consisting of not only passionate reading advocates, but some of the most creative writers and bloggers I know.

The result?  This guidebook is packed full of 17 great book ideas for kids and offers up not only suggestions to keep young minds reading, but matching activities and extensions inspired by the books. This guide is designed to keep families engaged in the wonder and magic that can be found within the pages of a book and offer suggestions for diversity in children’s literature. The good news is that I am giving this e-book away for FREE! Yes, you heard me; FREE.

Jump Into a Book’s

Read Your World
Multicultural Books & Activities for Kids

By Valarie Budayr

Some of the books used in the reviews and activities are:

Stand Tall, but Read All Around!

{by Shannon Medisky}
Read Around the World Summer Reading Series

{Guest post from Multicultural Kid Blogs}
Kid Writing and Biographies: Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson

{Guest Post from The Unconventional Librarian Pam Margolis}
Down Under Calling by Margot Finke Book Review and Penpal Activity

{A Multicultural Children’s Book blog post from Jump Into a Book}
Anna Hibiscus by Atinuke

{Guest Post by Sprout’s Bookshelf}
Read a Book; Travel the World & Make a Wish

{Guest Post from Gladys Elizabeth Barbieri}
Fiesta Fiasco by Ann Whitford Paul

{Guest Post by Frances from Discovering the World Through Her Son’s Eyes}
If you were Me and Lived in…by Carole P. Roman
{Guest Post from Squishable Baby}
Discovering The Cree Culture in America-Wild Berries by Julia Flett Review & Activity!

{Guest Post from Felicia at Stanley and Katrina}
TOMB OF SHADOWS (7 Wonders Book III)

{Guest Post from This Kid Reviews Books}
Cooking with Books: Lucky Birthday Noodles

{Guest Post from Jodie @ Growing Book by Book}
A Peek into Thailand

{Guest Post from Stephanie Kammeraad of Mama-Lady Books}
A Chair for My Mother Book Review & Activity
{Guest Post from Vicki Arnold}
The Magic Poof Review and Activity

{Guest Post by Stephen Hodges}
Grandfather Tang’s Story: Storytelling with Tangrams

{Bookjump by Valarie Budayr}

 

 And so much more! Ready for a FREE GIFT that will give your family hours of reading fun and activity? I thought so

This e-book will only be available for a short time so grab your copy HERE.

 

Post by Multicultural Children's Book Day.

The post My Free Gift To YOU-Read Your World Multicultural Books Activities for Kids Guide appeared first on Jump Into A Book.

The “Best of ” Jump Into a Book’s Booklists (& More) for 2014!

Happy 2015!

Doing “best of” lists seems to be all the rage these days so I thought, “Why should JIAB be any different?” We created some amazing bookjumps and book reviews on this site in 2014, had some awesome guest posts and shared a plethora of exciting news as well. Here are some of the highlight.

Top Blog Post and Booklists:

I’ve always thought the best way to teach my kids to be kind is to be kind myself. While that’s a really good start, I can’t be with them all day long and life is filled with opportunities to be both kind and unkind. This got me thinking, what books are out there that teach kindness?

Here’s a look at what I found.

The Kindness Booklist for Kids

To honor and celebrating the first ever cross country mail delivery and a bit of American itself, I created a booklist that takes a look at the Pony Express.

 

Stargazing & Astronomy Booklist for the whole family.

Love and respect the rainforest? We do too. Here is our Rainforest Booklist roundup in honor of World Rainforest Week (Oct 12th – Oct 18th)

We had a ton of fun with some “snow fun” as well in December. Here’s a recap of JIAB’s Snow Festival:

 It’s been a SNOW FESTIVAL all this week! With all the white stuff on the ground and the kids off of school, might as well celebrate, right?
This week kicked off my super-fun-book-filled Snow Festival here at JIAB. In case you missed it, here’s a recap:

Snow Festival Day 1:
The Blizzard by John Rocco


Snow Festival Day 2:
Snow by Uri Shulevitz
This playful depiction of a snowy day and the transformation of a city is perfectly captured in simple, poetic text and lively watercolor and pen-and-ink illustrations.

Plus: Homemade Snow Cream


Snow Festival Day 3:

Story of the Snow Children
Who couldn’t love Poppy in her little red hat going to a winter’s feast?

Plus: Make a Message Crown

 


Snow Festival Day 4:

The Story of Snow (and some Affirmation Snowflakes!)

The Story of Snow by Mark Cassino celebrates the magic of snow through science, math, language arts, music, and visual art activities.

Plus: Paper Snowflakes and Snow Storm in a Jar.

Snow Festival Day-5 Snowflake Bentley and Creating your own Snowflake Exhibit!

Snow Festival Day 6--A Snow Booklist.

Amazing Guests

During the summer months we had some A-List blogger stop by during our Discover Your World Summer Reading Extravaganza. Here are a few of our favorites:

A Chair for My Mother Book Review & Activity {Guest Post from Vicki Arnold}

A Peek into Thailand {Guest Post from Stephanie Kammeraad of Mama-Lady Books}

Discovering The Cree Culture in America-Wild Berries by Julia Flett Review & Activity! (Guest Post from Felicia at Stanley and Katrina)

Cooking with Books: Lucky Birthday Noodles {Guest Post by Jodie from Growing Book by Book}

Read A Book, Travel The World & Make A Wish {Guest Post from Gladys Elizabeth Barbieri}

Kid Writing and Biographies: Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson {Guest Post from The Unconventional Librarian}

Events and News

As everyone may know, I am one of the co-founders of Multicultural Children’s Book Day and our second (upcoming event) has gotten larger and more vibrant than we could have every dreamed! Even though our second event hasn’t occurred yet (1/27/15), our victories in regard to this important initiative still remain some of the top highlights of 2014 for me:

NEWS! Multicultural Children’s Book has is getting BIGGER and gaining momentum more and and more every day! With 9 CoHosts, 17 super Sponsors, over 125 bloggers, and countless authors and publishers donating multicultural children’s books, this wonderful event promises to be bigger and better than ever. Our ultimate goal is to shine the spotlight on multicultural children’s books and offer up resources for parents, caregivers, teachers and librarians to continue to help kids “see themselves” in the pages of a book.You can view our Author Blogroll Sponsor Page HERE, our Virtual Book Drive (through First Book) page HERE and please watch for (and re-tweet!) our event hashtag #ReadYourWorld.)




And…I had a baby! OK. not really. But it kind of felt like it when I “birthed” my newest book with the super creative (and always funny) Marilyn Scott-Waters. Audrey’s Press’ (my publishing house) newest book is A Year in the Secret Garden and I couldn’t be more proud of not only how beautiful it turned out, but how wonderfully book buyers have responded to this book that is inspired by the classic children’s take The Secret Garden.


MCCBD Co-Founder Mia Wenjen from PragmaticMom and myself are super excited to announce that, on February 14th 2015, we will be a co-host for International Book Giving Day! As we get closer to the event I’ll fill in the details.


I know I’ve missed of bunch of things and this list could go on FOREVER. 2014 was an amazing year for me and my team at Jump Into a Book and as always, I want to say “THANK YOU” from the bottom of my heart for your support and readership.

Here’s to an even more exciting 2015!

The post The “Best of ” Jump Into a Book’s Booklists (& More) for 2014! appeared first on Jump Into A Book.

Weekend Links: Snow Festival Recap & Exciting MCCBD News

 It’s been a SNOW FESTIVAL all this week! With all the white stuff on the ground and the kids off of school, might as well celebrate, right?
This week kicked off my super-fun-book-filled Snow Festival here at JIAB. In case you missed it, here’s a recap:

Snow Festival Day 1:
The Blizzard by John Rocco
 Blizzard is a true life account of the Blizzard of 1978 and what followed for author John Rocco.

Plus: Homemade Hot Chocolate and How to Make Snow Shoes Out of Tennis Rackets



Snow Festival Day 2:
Snow by Uri Shulevitz
This playful depiction of a snowy day and the transformation of a city is perfectly captured in simple, poetic text and lively watercolor and pen-and-ink illustrations.

Plus: Homemade Snow Cream



Snow Festival Day 3:

Story of the Snow Children
Who couldn’t love Poppy in her little red hat going to a winter’s feast?

Plus: Make a Message Crown

 

Snow Festival Day 4:

The Story of Snow (and some Affirmation Snowflakes!)

The Story of Snow by Mark Cassino celebrates the magic of snow through science, math, language arts, music, and visual art activities.

Plus: Paper Snowflakes and Snow Storm in a Jar

Snow Festival Day-5 Snowflake Bentley and Creating your own Snowflake Exhibit!

 

Snow Festival Day 6--A Snow Booklist.

NEWS! Multicultural Children’s Book has is getting BIGGER and gaining momentum more and and more every day! With 9 CoHosts, 15 super Sponsors, over 125 bloggers, and countless authors and publishers donating multicultural children’s books, this wonderful event promises to be bigger and better than ever. Our ultimate goal is to shine the spotlight on multicultural children’s books and offer up resources for parents, caregivers, teachers and librarians to continue to help kids “see themselves” in the pages of a book.You can view our Author Blogroll Sponsor Page HERE, our Virtual Book Drive (through First Book) page HERE and please watch for (and re-tweet!) our event hashtag #ReadYourWorld.)



Oh! And MCCBD also has a brand new Twitter page and a Facebook Page. I’d love it if everyone would follow us on both!

Multicultural Children’s Book Day Paper.li- Paper.li’s are like online newspapers that curate news and articles from all over the www on the topic of your choice. Our new MCCBD Paper.li focuses on multiculturism and diversity in children’s literature. You can take a peek and even subscribe HERE.



Happy New Year everyone!

The post Weekend Links: Snow Festival Recap & Exciting MCCBD News appeared first on Jump Into A Book.

Snow Festival Day 6: A Snow Booklist

It’s been a great few days of Snow Festival fun here on Jump into a Book.  To finish I thought I’d share a few of our all time favorite books about snow. Hope you’ve enjoyed yourselves and have had a romping good snow filled time.

1. Blizzard by John Rocco

2. Snow by Uri Shulevitz

3. Story of the Snow Children

4. The Story of Snow by Mark Cassino

5. Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin

6. The Secret Life of a Snowflake: An up-close look at the Art and Science of Snowflakes.

7. The Jacket I wear in the Snow by Shirley Neitzel

8. White Snow, Bright Snow by Alvin Tresselt

9. The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats

10. Snow by Cynthia Rylant

11. The Snowman by Raymond Briggs

12. The Big Snow by Berta Hader

What books would you add to this list?

DON’T FORGET! This is the LAST DAY of the Audrey Press Holiday Book Sale! (ends 12/31/14)

 

A Year in the Secret Garden (inspired by the classic children’s book Secret Garden) is on a wonderful sale until December 31st. Books always make an excellent gift for anyone in your life and it’s not too late to get your copy of A Year in the Secret Garden book for the special holiday price of $15.00 (ends December 31st) if you use the secret code word secret garden at checkout.

This guide uses over two hundred full color illustrations and photos to bring the magical story to life, with fascinating historical information, monthly gardening activities, easy-to-make recipes, and step-by-step crafts, designed to enchant readers of all ages. There’s also a link to a free download website for all of the wonderful paper toys that Marilyn Scott-Waters has created. Each month your family will unlock the mysteries of a Secret Garden character, as well as have fun together creating the original crafts and activities based on the book. This book also includes month-by-month activities as well INCLUDING fun book-related fun for the colder months of the year!

Get your copy here.

**some of these links are affiliate links

The post Snow Festival Day 6: A Snow Booklist appeared first on Jump Into A Book.

Snow Festival Day 5: Snowflake Bentley

There once was a boy who loved snow more than anything else in the whole wide world. Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin, celebrates Wilson Bentley’s lifelong love and passion of snow and the snowflake specifically.

Wilson Bentley had been fascinated by snow for as long as he could remember. Snow in Vermont is as common as dirt.

Supporting their son’s enthusiasm for snow, they saved up money and bought him a camera and microscope. To this day, the thousands of photos that Wilson Bentley took are still used in snow and crystals research studies.

Along with telling the biography of Wilson Bentley, author Jacqueline Briggs Martin has nice “how he did it” information boxes in the sidebars.

I have to mention the woodcut illustrations of Mary Azarian. I have long been a fan of her art. The wood-cuttings in Snowflake Bentley bring depth to the text and an invitation to the reader to come and know a little bit more about Wilson Bentley. Her art in Snowflake Bentley was awarded the Caldecott medal and right so. This book has sat as a favorite on the “snow book” shelf since it first came out in 1998. It’s a classic and greatly loved here. Grab your copy of Snowflake Bentley HERE.

**some of these links are affiliate links.

Something To Do

Are you ready to dive into the world of Snowflake Bentley? Let’s start with a visit to Wilson Bentley himself.

How To Take A Photo of a Snowflake

Wilson Bentley wrote about his process and shared his “how-to” in this article.

Creating our Own Snowflake Exhibit

Inspired by Wilson Bentley’s snowflake photos and slides, we decided to create our own snowflake exhibit on our windows. This is a fun arts and craft activity that gives the same feeling as Bentley’s snow slides.

What you’ll need:

Waxed Paper
Puffy Paint in a variety of colors
Photos of Wilson Bentley’s snowflake photos found on his website listed above.

Tear off a piece of waxed paper as large as your individual window pane. Choosing one color of paint , draw a snowflake design to your liking.

Taking another paint color, create another snowflake on the waxed paper. Keep doing this until your piece of waxed paper is filled with beautiful colored snowflakes.

Let it dry thoroughly.

When dry, take the entire sheet of waxed paper. Turning the snowflake painted side to the glass, just gently press it onto the glass. It will stick there and give a nice frosty, snowflake glow.

 

 

Snow Crystals is a very comprehensive website with all kinds of information on snowflakes for all ages. It includes a snowflake primer, collections of photographs, in-depth scientific information and answers to questions such as “Is it really true no two snowflakes are alike?”

Here’s a really great short video on Wilson Bentley. I find it really well done and engaging.

DON’T FORGET! There’s only a few days left of the Audrey Press Holiday Book Sale! (ends 12/31/14)

 

A Year in the Secret Garden (inspired by the classic children’s book Secret Garden) is on a wonderful sale until December 31st. Books always make an excellent gift for anyone in your life and it’s not too late to get your copy of A Year in the Secret Garden book for the special holiday price of $15.00 (ends December 31st) if you use the secret code word Secret garden at checkout.

This guide uses over two hundred full color illustrations and photos to bring the magical story to life, with fascinating historical information, monthly gardening activities, easy-to-make recipes, and step-by-step crafts, designed to enchant readers of all ages. There’s also a link to a free download website for all of the wonderful paper toys that Marilyn Scott-Waters has created. Each month your family will unlock the mysteries of a Secret Garden character, as well as have fun together creating the original crafts and activities based on the book. This book also includes month-by-month activities as well INCLUDING fun book-related fun for the colder months of the year!

Get your copy here.

**some of these links are affiliate links

The post Snow Festival Day 5: Snowflake Bentley appeared first on Jump Into A Book.

Snow Festival Day 4: The Story of Snow (and some Affirmation Snowflakes!)

The Story of Snow by Mark Cassino celebrates the magic of snow through science, math, language arts, music, and visual art activities.  The Story of Snow uses a brilliant balance of incorporating photographs of crystals, pen & ink drawings, text for 3 different reading levels, and uncovering the mystery of snow. It serves equally as both a fascinating non-fiction journey and an inspiring nature art book. For those who love snow, The Story of Snow opens the door of awe and wonder of the magnificent wet stuff and takes us on a personal journey.

Something To Do

Paper Snowflakes

When I think of snowflakes, I think of being a small child and cutting my very own out of paper. As a family we’ve spent countless hours doing the very same thing.

A Resource of snowflake patterns:

For small children who are learning how to use scissors or have just learned how to use scissors go to the snowflake creator here.

Here are eight simple snowflake patterns for ages 7 and up.

Here are 5 snowflake patterns good for ages 8 and up.

Here are 10 complex snowflake patterns for ages 9 and up.

Affirmation Snowflakes:: Letters from the Sky

 

The Story of Snow ends with a quote from Japanese scientist Ukichiro Nakaya: “A snow crystal is a letter from the sky.”

Scientifically this is a true statement. Each snowflake will tell you what the temperature was when it was formed. How much moisture is there, and how it grew as it froze etc. All of the these great details are in The Story of Snow.

The ides of messages or letters from the sky got us thinking,wouldn’t it be great if we could catch snowflakes and save them for later ?

If we could, what would our messengers from the sky tell us?

Cut a few snowflakes from the instructions and templates above. Open up each snowflake and write a little message on it. I’ve given you some ideas below. Next fold them back up and put them in a jar. Each day pull out a snowflake and read it’s special message. You can also do this in reverse. Each day cut a snowflake and write a message then put it in the jar to pull it out again one day.

Affirmation Ideas:

I am awesome
I am very intelligent.
Learning is fun and exciting.
I have many gifts and talents.
I am unique and special.
My family, friends, and teachers love me for who I am.

Telling Time With Snow

12 x 12 white or  off white scrap book paper or a paper plate.
Pencil and Ruler
Puffy Paint


If using the scrap book paper, trace a dinner sized plate onto the paper.
Starting with the number 12 and then moving onto 1, draw the numbers like a clock in the circle.
To make a 6 sided snowflake we need to draw 6 guide lines. Draw one line from 12 to 6, another from 10 to 4, and the last line from 8 to 2.
Using puffy paint in the color of your choice.  Draw over the guide lines. Cover the ends of the lines in the center by making a little circle of puffy paint. Make a triangle at the top of each one and then some snowflake like designs working towards just under the triangle.
Let dry.
Hang on the wall, bulletin board, or fridge. Now we can honestly say it’s snow time.

Catch Your Own Snow Crystals

“Once a snow crystal lands, it starts to wither away. Snow crystals can’t keep growing after they fall from the clouds and soon breaks down. This means if you want to see a snow crystal, you need to catch it in the air,….”

You will Need:

A piece of dark cardboard of foam board. It should be about 8 x 10 inches. Make sure the cardboard is stiff enough to stay flat when held by one edge.
A magnifying glass so you can see the snow crystals better.

During the Snow Crystal Catching

Put the cardboard or foam outside for at least ten minutes before catching snow. The board needs to be cold or else the snow will melt the second it hits the board. Make sure the board stays cold and dry.
Gripping the board by one edge, hold the board out flat and watch as snow lands on it. If it’s snowing hard stand under a porch or patio so less snow falls on the board.
Look at the smaller pieces of snow that land on the board. This is where you’ll find individual snow crystals. Use your magnifying glass to look at them closely.
Once you’ve looked at them, shake off the board and try again.

Snow Storm in a Jar

What happens when you get a lot of snowflakes? A snow storm. Doing all of these snowflake activities had a wishing for a very large snow storm. Since one isn’t in the neighborhood, we decided to make one in the kitchen instead.

What you’ll need: 

A tall or fat glass jar or something similar
Baby oil
White paint
Water
Iridescent glitter
Alka Seltzer

Fill the jar 3/4 of the way with baby oil. In a bowl mix together very warm water and white paint to make white water. In a bowl place enough warm water that will almost fill the top of the jar. Add white paint to the warm water and stir well.  Once mixed pour the white water into the jar. Sprinkle in the glitter. Then wait for the glitter and water to settle at the bottom of the jar.

Once the water is settled it is time to make a snow storm! This is our favorite part !!! Take an Alka Seltzer tablet and break it into pieces. Have the kids drop the pieces into the jar and watch what happens

 

DON’T FORGET! There’s only a few days left of the Audrey Press Holiday Book Sale! (ends 12/31/14)

 

A Year in the Secret Garden (inspired by the classic children’s book Secret Garden) is on a wonderful sale until December 31st. Books always make an excellent gift for anyone in your life and it’s not too late to get your copy of A Year in the Secret Garden book for the special holiday price of $15.00 (ends December 31st) if you use the secret code word secret garden at checkout.

This guide uses over two hundred full color illustrations and photos to bring the magical story to life, with fascinating historical information, monthly gardening activities, easy-to-make recipes, and step-by-step crafts, designed to enchant readers of all ages. There’s also a link to a free download website for all of the wonderful paper toys that Marilyn Scott-Waters has created. Each month your family will unlock the mysteries of a Secret Garden character, as well as have fun together creating the original crafts and activities based on the book. This book also includes month-by-month activities as well INCLUDING fun book-related fun for the colder months of the year!

Get your copy here.

**some of these links are affiliate links

The post Snow Festival Day 4: The Story of Snow (and some Affirmation Snowflakes!) appeared first on Jump Into A Book.

Snow Festival Day 3: Story of the Snow Children

I can’t think of a better way to continue our Snow Festival week than with The Story of the Snow Children by Sibylle von Olfers. Who couldn’t love Poppy in her little red hat going to a winter’s feast? I was trying to remember the first time I heard this story and I can’t remember. It seems like its been a constant throughout my life.

As Poppy is gazing out of the window she notices the soft gently blowing snowflakes have little faces and are actually snow children. As they dance and swirl in the garden they soon take Poppy away to the snow kingdom of the Snow Queen. There, Poppy is welcomed to the grand festival by the Queen and her princess. Amidst the sparkling snow kingdom is dancing, feasting, and exciting games. At the end of all this play, Poppy sleepily returns home to recount her tales of the snow children to her listening mother.

To grab your copy of this book, go HERE.

To set the stage for the wonderful and exciting snow festival we need to be dressed appropriately. There is nothing better than a message crown to make one feel like wintry royalty.

Something To Do: A Message Crown

Materials:

An assortment of 81/2 x 10 paper

An assortment of 12 x 12 paper

White card stock or blank index cards

Scissors

Picking shears

Small fasteners

Glue dots or glue

Tape

Heart Pattern

Large Circle pattern

Small circle pattern

Large triangle pattern

Small triangle pattern

To make a message crown you will need the following:

1 woven heart

2 large circles

2 small circles

2 large triangles

2 small triangles

2 -12 inch paper strips, 2 inches wide

How to make the woven heart

Fold a 81/2 x 11 ½ sheet of paper in half

Place the bottom of the heart pattern on the fold

Trace pattern twice onto the paper, each one placed on the fold.

Cut the two center lines on each heart piece.

Weaving Your Heart

Weaving a heart is a little different than weaving. We aren’t going under and over but in and through. The left hand side of the heart I’ve marked ABC. The right hand side of the heart I’ve marked 123. Let’s try this step by step. Look at the photos for help.

Step 1: Place C (left side piece) inside 1 (right hand piece).

Step 2: Place 2 (right hand piece) inside C (left hand piece).

Step 3: Place C (left hand piece) inside 1 (right hand piece).

Step 4: Place 1 (right hand piece) inside B (left hand piece).

Step 5: Place B(left hand piece) inside 2 (right hand piece).

Step 6: Place 1 (right hand piece) inside B ( left hand piece).

Step 7: Place C (left side piece) inside 1 (right hand piece).

Step 8: Place 2 (right hand piece) inside C (left hand piece).

Step 9: Place C (left hand piece) inside 1 (right hand piece).

 

 

 

To Make the Message Crown you will Need the Following:

Two large circles

Two small circles

Two large triangles

Two small triangles

Make the Crown band

Take 2 12 x 12 inch pieces of paper. Place them wrong sides together.

Tape an inch on both the bottom left and right hand sides. This will hold your crown sides together.

Measure 2 inches from the bottom, fold, and cut along folded line. This is your crown band.

Crown Assembling

Take a folded heart and turn it over. On the reverse side, place a couple of glue dots down towards the bottom of the heart. Taking your crown band with the taped sides lying horizontally, place the heart in the center of the crown band.

Take one large circle and one small circle. Place small circle on top of the large circle and fasten with a small fastener. Make two of theses. Once together turn both pieces over and place a couple of glue dots on the circle and then place one circle to the right of the heart, and the other to the left of the heart.

Take one large triangle and one small triangle. Place a small triangle on top of the large triangle. Hold them together with a small fastener. Make two of these. Turn the triangles over and place a couple of glue dots on each triangle. Place the triangles to the left of the circles.

Adjusting your crown

Place the crown on the head holding it center on the forehead. In the back of the head, grab the crown band, gathering up the excess. Fold it over and tape it to fit.

Messages

The heart on the center of the crown is actually a little basket. It’s a perfect place for friends to leave messages for each other. To make your messages take the card stock and cut it into 8 rectangles. You can also use index cards as well. Cut those into quarters. Use your pinking shears to go around the edges. Write a heartfelt message. During the snow festival go around delivering your messages to your friends.

DON’T FORGET! There’s only a few days left of the Audrey Press Holiday Book Sale! (ends 12/31/14)

 

A Year in the Secret Garden (inspired by the classic children’s book Secret Garden) is on a wonderful sale until December 31st. Books always make an excellent gift for anyone in your life and it’s not too late to get your copy of A Year in the Secret Garden book for the special holiday price of $15.00 (ends December 31st) if you use the secret code word secret garden at checkout.

This guide uses over two hundred full color illustrations and photos to bring the magical story to life, with fascinating historical information, monthly gardening activities, easy-to-make recipes, and step-by-step crafts, designed to enchant readers of all ages. There’s also a link to a free download website for all of the wonderful paper toys that Marilyn Scott-Waters has created. Each month your family will unlock the mysteries of a Secret Garden character, as well as have fun together creating the original crafts and activities based on the book. This book also includes month-by-month activities as well INCLUDING fun book-related fun for the colder months of the year!

Get your copy here.

**some of these links are affiliate links

The post Snow Festival Day 3: Story of the Snow Children appeared first on Jump Into A Book.

Snow Festival Day 2: Snow by Uri Shulevitz

Snow by Uri Shulevitz has stood the test of time in our house. In winter it is never far from reach and is always the very first book to come off the shelf during the very first snow storm of the season.

“It’s snowing, said boy with dog.

“It’s only a snowflake,” said grandfather with beard.

No one thinks one or two snowflakes will amount to anything. Not the man with the hat or the lady with the umbrella. Not even the television or the radio forecasters. But one boy and his dog have faith that the snow will amount to something spectacular, and when flakes start to swirl down on the city, they are also the only ones who know how to truly enjoy it. This playful depiction of a snowy day and the transformation of a city is perfectly captured in simple, poetic text and lively watercolor and pen-and-ink illustrations.

The story is a perfect balance between words and illustrations. It isn’t cluttered with too many words. It allows both the reader and the read -to, to use their own imagination, and to wonder what is really happening or what is really going to happen. Each time we pick up this classic read, we can always spy something new which could be happening.

Something To Do: Homemade Snow Cream!

When one is hoping for a giant snowstorm and then one appears, the next thing one should be thinking is, SNOWCREAM. Did you know you can make ice cream out of snow?  If by chance today  you are in a place where it is snowing you can make yourself a little bowl of magic right now. For the rest of us, we will just have something to look forward to.

8 cups of snow
1/2 cup of milk
1/2 cup of evaporated milk
1/2 cup of sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla

Mix milk, vanilla, and sugar until dissolved. Add snow, stir until consistency is thick and creamy. Serve immediately. Might I suggest that it tastes great with chocolate chips or little goodies (small candy) too.

What kind of snow fun can you create?

DON’T FORGET! There’s only a few days left of the Audrey Press Holiday Book Sale! (ends 12/31/14)

 

A Year in the Secret Garden (inspired by the classic children’s book Secret Garden) is on a wonderful sale until December 31st. Books always make an excellent gift for anyone in your life and it’s not too late to get your copy of A Year in the Secret Garden book for the special holiday price of $15.00 (ends December 31st) if you use the secret code word secret garden at checkout.

This guide uses over two hundred full color illustrations and photos to bring the magical story to life, with fascinating historical information, monthly gardening activities, easy-to-make recipes, and step-by-step crafts, designed to enchant readers of all ages. There’s also a link to a free download website for all of the wonderful paper toys that Marilyn Scott-Waters has created. Each month your family will unlock the mysteries of a Secret Garden character, as well as have fun together creating the original crafts and activities based on the book. This book also includes month-by-month activities as well INCLUDING fun book-related fun for the colder months of the year!

Get your copy here.

**some of these links are affiliate links

The post Snow Festival Day 2: Snow by Uri Shulevitz appeared first on Jump Into A Book.