Put water in a bowl, add food coloring
Mix well
Keep Mixing
Play with it
Goopy!
Keep playing!
Then, wash off!
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Dr. Seuss Fun: Making Oobleck!
Put water in a bowl, add food coloring
Mix well
Keep Mixing
Play with it
Goopy!
Keep playing!
Then, wash off!
Friday, February 26, 2010
It's that time Again: Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss! (on March 2)
We are still busily chugging along on Inkspell, and it's going to take us a while (though we are nearly halfway through!). So, I interrupt your regularly scheduled blog to remind you that Dr. Seuss' birthday is coming up on March 2!
Last year, I told you about some of our favorite Dr. Seuss books in honor of his birthday. This year, I thought I'd share some other ideas to celebrate the day.
I know it's not until next Tuesday, but this will give you some heads up to plan.
Last year, I told you about some of our favorite Dr. Seuss books in honor of his birthday. This year, I thought I'd share some other ideas to celebrate the day.
I know it's not until next Tuesday, but this will give you some heads up to plan.
- I found this great site, where you can download your own Seuss Reading Passport. Yes, I've printed a copy for each of my kids (not all the books are on there, but most of the real classics. Maybe I'll add some pages for the rest of them....)
- I'll be making a themed lunch for my daughter on Tuesday. Check it out on my lunch blog when the day comes.
- I think we'll make some Oobleck. Here's a great looking tutorial.
- You better believe we'll be having Green Eggs & Ham for breakfast.
- There are some cool game ideas at Seussville.com, too.
- We have one of the Dr. Seuss board games (Cat in the Hat - I Can Do That!) and I think it'll be obligatory to play a couple rounds.
- Of course, read one of your favorite Seuss books. Or two. Or three. Or, pick up a new one to expand your horizons - and stamp your Seuss Passport!
Monday, February 1, 2010
The Witches
I had never read The Witches, but had once seen the movie (though it was long ago), so all I remembered going into this is that it had to do with witches and mice... since we've been on a Roald Dahl mission, we had to read it.
The Story: The books starts out unceremoniously with the death of the narrator's parents in a car crash. This tragedy puts him in the care of his Norwegian grandmother, who tries to lighten his somber mood by telling him stories of witches. When they have to move back to his home in England, and end up taking a holiday at a fancy hotel, they come face to face with a whole slew of witches, who have a devious plan to turn all the children in England into mice! Unfortunately for the boy, they start with him. However, he finds that he rather likes being a mouse, and maybe by being a mouse, he has a unique advantage in trying to stop the witches...
The Good: The boy's grandmother is wonderfully written. She's compassionate and kind and accepting. The boy's own acceptance (and even happiness) of becoming a mouse makes the whole metamorphosis a little less disturbing. As always, Dahl captures joy and humor in unexpected places.
The Bad: Those witches are scary! Anyone could be a witch, as they are masters of disguise. If your child is the nervous kind, this could upset them. The boy's grandmother smokes a cigar, and while it is always described as "stinking" and "foul," it might take explaining. The way that his parents are killed off and then never spoken of again except in passing is a little disturbing, too. It is typical of Dahl, though.
The Verdict: Very good, and funny, though not my favorite Dahl. It is recommended for ages 7-12 on Amazon, and I'd say that's about right. It was a good read, and Evalina liked it, but as I said... not my favorite. Still, definitely worth the read.
The Story: The books starts out unceremoniously with the death of the narrator's parents in a car crash. This tragedy puts him in the care of his Norwegian grandmother, who tries to lighten his somber mood by telling him stories of witches. When they have to move back to his home in England, and end up taking a holiday at a fancy hotel, they come face to face with a whole slew of witches, who have a devious plan to turn all the children in England into mice! Unfortunately for the boy, they start with him. However, he finds that he rather likes being a mouse, and maybe by being a mouse, he has a unique advantage in trying to stop the witches...
The Good: The boy's grandmother is wonderfully written. She's compassionate and kind and accepting. The boy's own acceptance (and even happiness) of becoming a mouse makes the whole metamorphosis a little less disturbing. As always, Dahl captures joy and humor in unexpected places.
The Bad: Those witches are scary! Anyone could be a witch, as they are masters of disguise. If your child is the nervous kind, this could upset them. The boy's grandmother smokes a cigar, and while it is always described as "stinking" and "foul," it might take explaining. The way that his parents are killed off and then never spoken of again except in passing is a little disturbing, too. It is typical of Dahl, though.
The Verdict: Very good, and funny, though not my favorite Dahl. It is recommended for ages 7-12 on Amazon, and I'd say that's about right. It was a good read, and Evalina liked it, but as I said... not my favorite. Still, definitely worth the read.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
The Twits
During our (probably brief) break from the Inkheart series, we are reading the Roald Dahl books that Evalina got for Christmas. First up was The Twits, which I have never read. We finished it in one night.
The Story: Mr. Twit and Mrs. Twit were dreadful human beings. They were horrible to each other, and pretty horrible to people around them, too. They were not kind to animals or children. They had four monkeys (because they used to be monkey trainers) which they treated terribly and were made to stand on their heads all the time. Mr. Twit really liked to eat Bird Pie, so he smeared a tree outside their house with super sticky glue, to catch the birds... until the monkeys got together with a visiting bird to turn the Twits world upside-down..
The Good: It's hilarious (what else would you expect from Roald Dahl) and a super quick read. The Twits are painted as truly ghastly, and you don't feel bad for them when they get their due. The illustrations by Quentin Blake match the story wonderfully. Evalina loved it and couldn't (wouldn't) put it down until it was done.
The Bad: The Twits are really awful people. They do really mean things to each other. However, I wouldn't say that's bad, just that you should be aware, you are not going to be reading about nice characters here...
The Verdict: Get it! I was laughing out loud. It's only about 75 pages long, and filled with wonderful illustrations, so it's really quick. It's fun to see what the animals do to get back at the Twits, and it is definitely worth a read. Amazon lists it as appropriate for ages 7-11, and I think a little younger would be fine, too. (Evalina is not quite 7, and I think she would have appreciated this story even a year ago or more..) I just don't think you can go wrong with Roald Dahl.
The Story: Mr. Twit and Mrs. Twit were dreadful human beings. They were horrible to each other, and pretty horrible to people around them, too. They were not kind to animals or children. They had four monkeys (because they used to be monkey trainers) which they treated terribly and were made to stand on their heads all the time. Mr. Twit really liked to eat Bird Pie, so he smeared a tree outside their house with super sticky glue, to catch the birds... until the monkeys got together with a visiting bird to turn the Twits world upside-down..
The Good: It's hilarious (what else would you expect from Roald Dahl) and a super quick read. The Twits are painted as truly ghastly, and you don't feel bad for them when they get their due. The illustrations by Quentin Blake match the story wonderfully. Evalina loved it and couldn't (wouldn't) put it down until it was done.
The Bad: The Twits are really awful people. They do really mean things to each other. However, I wouldn't say that's bad, just that you should be aware, you are not going to be reading about nice characters here...
The Verdict: Get it! I was laughing out loud. It's only about 75 pages long, and filled with wonderful illustrations, so it's really quick. It's fun to see what the animals do to get back at the Twits, and it is definitely worth a read. Amazon lists it as appropriate for ages 7-11, and I think a little younger would be fine, too. (Evalina is not quite 7, and I think she would have appreciated this story even a year ago or more..) I just don't think you can go wrong with Roald Dahl.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Inkheart
I got Inkheart for Evalina last year, and it has sat upon the shelf, looking large and intimidating ever since. It's a whopper of a book, at 535 pages. But that's not all - it has two sequels: Inkspell (656 pages) and Inkdeath (also 656 pages). So, reading it was a commitment of near epic proportions.
Evalina insisted, though, and I'm glad she did. It's taken us a long time (over a month and a half!) to get through Inkheart alone, but it's a really great book, and she has loved it, as have I.
The Story: Meggie (age 12) lives a content life, alone with her father, Mo, and their books. He is a bookbinder, and has instilled in her a love of books that is undeniable. Still, he has never, in her memory, read aloud to her. A mysterious stranger, Dustfinger, appears in the middle of the night, and tells Mo that Capricorn is after The Book. Without explaining anything to Meggie yet, Mo packs up their things and heads out of town, to her great aunt Ellinor's house, which is also filled top to bottom with her precious books. They are there to protect and hide The Book, a book that Meggie has never seen before, but Mo treats like a treasure. Still not understanding what is going on, Meggie is alarmed when agents of this unknown villain, Capricorn, arrive at Ellinor's house and kidnap her father. In an attempt to get him back, they set off for Capricorn's village, with The Book in tow. It is there that Meggie finds out the truth - her father has an amazing ability. When he reads aloud, sometimes characters from the book emerge from the pages, and come into our world. That's where Dustfinger, Capricorn, and his men came from. The only problem is, when someone comes out, someone else goes in. Meggie had always thought that her mother left them when she was a baby, but it turns out that Mo read her into The Book - Inkheart. Try as he might, he was never able to read her back out, and vowed to never read aloud again. That is, until Capricorn forced him to...
The Good: The story is really engaging, and I love Cornelia Funke's writing style. She seems to write spunky girls well. My own spunky girl appreciated that. The love of books that is evident in the story is nice to see, and the relationship Meggie has with her father is wonderful. Though the book was long, it never seemed to drag. All of the characters, good and evil, are well flushed out and believable.
The Bad: Wow, is it ever long. And then, facing the two longer sequels, I am more daunted than Evalina I think. The evil characters are really dark, and there is some violence that is unsettling, and some definite scary parts. Also, there is the thing with fire. Dustfinger is a fire-eater and jester, who mainly deals with fire. I had to spend quite a lot of time talking to Evalina about how she is never ever ever ever to play with fire like he does. She nodded and smiled at me about it, but I am not about to leave her near any open flames any time soon. That part made me nervous.
The Verdict: It's recommended for grades 5-9, and I think if you are not reading with your child, that holds true. For reading together, although it takes a long time to get through, Evalina was able to follow and enjoy the story. It's a really great story, and though they are long, I'm looking forward to reading the sequels. I've heard that the movie took a lot of liberties, though, and while it is decent, it's not at all like the book. That's a shame, but I can understand. It is hard to make a faithful movie based on a book that is over 500 pages long. Overall, though, super good and really really worth reading... although it might be something that you want to let your child read by themselves. Reading it aloud certainly was a commitment... and now I'm in for the sequels! I've convinced her that we should read a couple shorter books before hopping into them, though, and I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next, but I'm glad for a break.
Evalina insisted, though, and I'm glad she did. It's taken us a long time (over a month and a half!) to get through Inkheart alone, but it's a really great book, and she has loved it, as have I.
The Story: Meggie (age 12) lives a content life, alone with her father, Mo, and their books. He is a bookbinder, and has instilled in her a love of books that is undeniable. Still, he has never, in her memory, read aloud to her. A mysterious stranger, Dustfinger, appears in the middle of the night, and tells Mo that Capricorn is after The Book. Without explaining anything to Meggie yet, Mo packs up their things and heads out of town, to her great aunt Ellinor's house, which is also filled top to bottom with her precious books. They are there to protect and hide The Book, a book that Meggie has never seen before, but Mo treats like a treasure. Still not understanding what is going on, Meggie is alarmed when agents of this unknown villain, Capricorn, arrive at Ellinor's house and kidnap her father. In an attempt to get him back, they set off for Capricorn's village, with The Book in tow. It is there that Meggie finds out the truth - her father has an amazing ability. When he reads aloud, sometimes characters from the book emerge from the pages, and come into our world. That's where Dustfinger, Capricorn, and his men came from. The only problem is, when someone comes out, someone else goes in. Meggie had always thought that her mother left them when she was a baby, but it turns out that Mo read her into The Book - Inkheart. Try as he might, he was never able to read her back out, and vowed to never read aloud again. That is, until Capricorn forced him to...
The Good: The story is really engaging, and I love Cornelia Funke's writing style. She seems to write spunky girls well. My own spunky girl appreciated that. The love of books that is evident in the story is nice to see, and the relationship Meggie has with her father is wonderful. Though the book was long, it never seemed to drag. All of the characters, good and evil, are well flushed out and believable.
The Bad: Wow, is it ever long. And then, facing the two longer sequels, I am more daunted than Evalina I think. The evil characters are really dark, and there is some violence that is unsettling, and some definite scary parts. Also, there is the thing with fire. Dustfinger is a fire-eater and jester, who mainly deals with fire. I had to spend quite a lot of time talking to Evalina about how she is never ever ever ever to play with fire like he does. She nodded and smiled at me about it, but I am not about to leave her near any open flames any time soon. That part made me nervous.
The Verdict: It's recommended for grades 5-9, and I think if you are not reading with your child, that holds true. For reading together, although it takes a long time to get through, Evalina was able to follow and enjoy the story. It's a really great story, and though they are long, I'm looking forward to reading the sequels. I've heard that the movie took a lot of liberties, though, and while it is decent, it's not at all like the book. That's a shame, but I can understand. It is hard to make a faithful movie based on a book that is over 500 pages long. Overall, though, super good and really really worth reading... although it might be something that you want to let your child read by themselves. Reading it aloud certainly was a commitment... and now I'm in for the sequels! I've convinced her that we should read a couple shorter books before hopping into them, though, and I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next, but I'm glad for a break.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Danny the Champion of the World
Still on our Roald Dahl kick, I picked up Danny the Champion of the World. I'd never even heard of it, but thought it couldn't hurt to give it a try!
The Story: Danny lives alone with his dad in a caravan behind the gas station an auto repair shop his father owns. His mother died when he was a baby. Danny's father takes him under his wing and teaches him everything he knows about auto repair, and eventually about his other love - pheasant poaching. Together, they plan the biggest poaching expedition ever, and have some wonderful bonding moments along the way.
The Good: The relationship between Danny and his dad is amazing. It's real and touching. Though they are poaching, they are poaching from a really vile man. Danny is a likable character. He isn't as insanely over-the-top as other Dahl children, like Matilda, but instead, he seems like a real boy. It's kind of nice.
The Bad: Well, they are poaching. This prompted discussions with Evalina about how poaching is stealing, and stealing is never ok, and she seemed to understand that. There was one moment when one of Danny's teachers was really mean to him for no real reason (he caned Danny's palm) and Evalina declared that she was near tears because she was so sad and mad at the same time - and coined the term "smad" to describe her feelings. It is always upsetting when a teacher is cruel. I don't know if that's particularly bad, but it is something to be aware of. Danny (at I think 9 years old) drives a car to rescue his father in the middle of the night, when he hasn't returned from a poaching expedition. It turns out that his father fell in a pit and broke his ankle, and Danny has to help him out and drive back home again. This also prompted a discussion with Evalina about how she isn't allowed to drive until she is at least 15. Evalina also announced "Maybe I can be a poacher when I'm older!" and I had to shoot down that idea, once and for all....
The Verdict: It's a pretty good book, but more dense than other Dahls. It's over 200 pages long, and they are not quick pages, like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The story is also written in first person, from Danny's point of view, and that is different from the narrative style of the other Dahls we've read so far. Amazon recommends this book for ages 9-12, and I'd say that's fair. While Evalina does understand what's going on in the book, it might be one that she would get significantly more out of in a couple of years. I really love how close Danny and his father are, but it sure would be nice if they were bonding over something a little less illegal.
The Story: Danny lives alone with his dad in a caravan behind the gas station an auto repair shop his father owns. His mother died when he was a baby. Danny's father takes him under his wing and teaches him everything he knows about auto repair, and eventually about his other love - pheasant poaching. Together, they plan the biggest poaching expedition ever, and have some wonderful bonding moments along the way.
The Good: The relationship between Danny and his dad is amazing. It's real and touching. Though they are poaching, they are poaching from a really vile man. Danny is a likable character. He isn't as insanely over-the-top as other Dahl children, like Matilda, but instead, he seems like a real boy. It's kind of nice.
The Bad: Well, they are poaching. This prompted discussions with Evalina about how poaching is stealing, and stealing is never ok, and she seemed to understand that. There was one moment when one of Danny's teachers was really mean to him for no real reason (he caned Danny's palm) and Evalina declared that she was near tears because she was so sad and mad at the same time - and coined the term "smad" to describe her feelings. It is always upsetting when a teacher is cruel. I don't know if that's particularly bad, but it is something to be aware of. Danny (at I think 9 years old) drives a car to rescue his father in the middle of the night, when he hasn't returned from a poaching expedition. It turns out that his father fell in a pit and broke his ankle, and Danny has to help him out and drive back home again. This also prompted a discussion with Evalina about how she isn't allowed to drive until she is at least 15. Evalina also announced "Maybe I can be a poacher when I'm older!" and I had to shoot down that idea, once and for all....
The Verdict: It's a pretty good book, but more dense than other Dahls. It's over 200 pages long, and they are not quick pages, like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The story is also written in first person, from Danny's point of view, and that is different from the narrative style of the other Dahls we've read so far. Amazon recommends this book for ages 9-12, and I'd say that's fair. While Evalina does understand what's going on in the book, it might be one that she would get significantly more out of in a couple of years. I really love how close Danny and his father are, but it sure would be nice if they were bonding over something a little less illegal.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Christmas Wish List: 1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up
I saw this book and think it is something every parent should have - 1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up. I wonder how many I could cross off the list?
It's new, so I don't know what books are listed in it, but it would be a great idea for a Christmas present for a new parent, don't you think?
It's new, so I don't know what books are listed in it, but it would be a great idea for a Christmas present for a new parent, don't you think?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
