Alice in Wonderland Party

Turn any BOOK into a party

Youngsters in Wonderland

"Alice" is never out of date, so an afternoon in "Wonderland" is delightful kind of party.

• Send out invitations in looking-glass writing (backwards)
• Cover a cardboard barrel with grass cloth and place in doorway (fill the space above with crepe paper streamers) Children crawl through the "RABBIT HOLE"
• Make cardboard cutouts to resemble characters of the book such as the Queen.
• Cover furniture with sheets.
• Add Christmas tree lights to add an eerie glow
• For games: take a cue from the book.  Re- read the story if you need to

• Try checkerboard hopscotch where a person who wins loses.
• Make  padded croquet mallets made of wire hangers and used like pickup sticks

Decorate your table like the Mad Hatters tea party, with paper pinafores for the girls and Mad Hatter cardboard hats for the boys.

Watch for more party ideas on Thursdays.

Bear Tales...Rainy Day

Rainy Day
agnes louise dean

Down in the passage closet, upon the top most shelf,
Are special toys for rainy days I cannot reach myself.

They won't come down for cloudy skies, nor yet for scatter drops,
There has to be an all day pour - the kind that never stops.

The eavespouts cough and gurgle, the flooded gutter roar,
The rain pelts down the windowpanes, while I lie on the floor.

And paint in jolly painting books, and mess with pots and paste.
I cut out scrapbook boys and girls from advertising waste.

That Mother saves in careful piles for such a day as this.
If it were sunny all the time, what loads of fun I'd miss!

There are some special dishes for a rainy evening's tea
A china set that Mother had when she was young like me

And every rainy suppertime three candles small I light
To take the place of sunset skies upon a rainy day.

Kids Cooking Time!

. With the weather being cold and wet, can you think of a better way to spend the afternoon, 

then to have a "cook day".

• Warm oven, apron, tools and lots of FUN!!
• Go to the library 
• Let the kids pick out a fun children cookbook
• Gather the ingredients and cook away.
  

Today that's what my grand kids wanted to do...
Make Cookies with Grandma.

A LA PEANUT BUTTER SOUP!

Gather:

• 1 cup milk
• 1 can, or 1 1/2 cups of chicken soup
• 3 tablespoons chunky peanut butter
• 1/2 teaspoon of onion flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and paprika

What you need to do:

Put some water in the bottom half of a double broiler, and put all your ingredients in the top half. Put the double broiler over medium heat. Stir the soup until the peanut butter melts and everything is blended together. The peanut chunks will float on top. When the soup comes to a boil, turn the heat very low and simmer it for 10 minutes.

FYI:  Peanut soup has been around since the 1700's in America. It is believed to come from Africa.

Start a child's book club

Relieve Boredom

 A  kid's book club can relieve boredom two ways. First if offers a fun weekly or monthly activity to look forward to and second, it is a great incentive to read stories that jump start their imaginations. 

To make this easier team up with a friend. 

• Send out invitations that include the title of the first book
• Include a weekly (monthly) meet time
• Before each club meeting, have all the kids read the same book.
• During the meeting they can share thoughts on the book as well as have some snacks.

To get things started, the host child might want to make a list of five (or so) discussion questions. 

What is your favorite part?  Who was the best character? or if the readers are younger, you can read aloud while they listen or draw along to the story. 

Or you can pick a loose theme for the books; such as all wintertime stories, or books from a favorite series.

Have the children share what book they read and their thoughts on the story.

 

A BOOK is a present you can open again and again

Books Fall Open

    You Fall In

Pick up a book and:

Discover places you never expected and see things that you've never seen..

or travel to fabulous faraway worlds and wonderful spots in between!

There is nothing more relaxing than finding a soft spot, grabbing your hot cocoa and a good book, then immerse yourself into a whole new world!

Enjoy Today!!

Chanille Bracelets

GiRls just WaNt to have FuN!!

Chenille sticks are fun to use. You can make flowers, animals, people, and lots of other fun things.
Today we are going to make really easy bracelets. 

For one bracelet you will need 1 ea of 2 different colored chenille sticks (pipe cleaners)

• Twist the two pipe cleaners together
• Swirl the ends in opposite directions
• Loop around your arm or leg and hook together
  

TIP: fold over the tips to protect yourself from the sharp points.
Now wasn't that fun and easy. Watch for more ideas on how to use chenille sticks to make fun projects.

ASL word of the day...Candle

Candle n.  A stick of wax with a wick for burning: light a candle.

same sign used for flame, glow.

• represents the flame on a candle: With the extended right index finger touching the heel of the left 5 hand, palm facing right, wiggle the left fingers.

A Christmas candle is a lovely thing:

It makes no noise at all

But softly gives itself away;

While quite unselfish, it grows small

              -eva k. logue