COOL BOOK ABOUT ART

I just LOVE this book! It was a Christmas gift from one of my children and it is a gem.


A page a day...or whenever you pick it up and read it..gives you information of styles, artists, places, techniques, media and more. It even has exercises to do throughout the book and has questions to ponder.


And reading one page is easy. It's a start, a way to expand your world and learn something new, or as a spark of inspiration to delve deeper on your own at what interests you.


I think it would also be a great read aloud with a child, a stepping stone to explore all facets of art. And children will take what they will from it and make connections on their own over time.

You can read more about it here.


happy day! happy art!

BAAAAA

Mary had a little lamb,

 its fleece was white as snow . . . 

 Children love most anything to do with animals, but I think lambs and sheep hold a special place in their hearts, precious and gentle beings that they are.
 Look for a farm, festival or event  near you that features Sheep and Sheep shearing this spring 

  Children love to watch the shearing and know that it doesn't hurt the sheep, rather it's "getting a haircut" and being rid of the heavy coat for the warmer months ahead. Many places offer activities for children, or do your own at home with wool from the sheep. What farmer would pass up giving a child a chance to know about the journey of wool into clothing and items of warmth and craft.

Children love to wash the wool themselves, even the very young are quite capable.


                                                   Dipping . . . 

 and swishing

 

                                                                  and squeezing 

                                                         The water gets very dirty  . . . 

but so worth it in the end. . .

as the clean white wool dries in the sun 

  Four books that we LOVE and are read to the children, especially each year at sheep shearing time, are :

Children can also learn to card the wool, spin it, and use it in natural crafts.  Carding is a calming activity for children.  Stay tuned for more activities .

happy day!

BOOK ADVENTURES

Spring is a time for new beginnings for US as well as the earth , and for me it means to try something NEW, perhaps step out of my comfort zone and take a risk.

"EXPAND OUR WORLD" has been my mantra for awhile now and is often discussed with my own unschooled children.
You don't have to love a topic to know and learn about it. It's all about taking in knowledge here and there to find out what you do LOVE. The term, glorious generalist, comes to mind.

I love to READ, and can never have enough books, but sometimes reading takes a back burner as I partake in the filled to the brim life I lead.

 I have to *make time* for things that are important to me, for new adventures to expand my world. When I make time to do what I want to do, I feel more in Harmony. And when I am in harmony, my children are in harmony.

So . . . I am taking part in TWO Book Challenges.


Carl from Stainless Steel Droppings has announced his 4th annual

Once Upon a Time  Challenge   March 21 - June 20

Carl says " What reader hasn’t recognized that “curious thrill” at one time or another? It is the opiate that we so often chase whenever we pick up the next book, that readiness to experience something, to connect on a level deeper than mere ink on the page. That chance for something “remote and strange and beautiful” is what repeatedly draws me back to fantasy, folklore, fairy tale, and mythology. Tales of this ken are built upon foundations of storytelling that date back to our most ancient ancestors. There is just “something” about this kind of story."

There are a  few options and I have chosen
Quest the Third

Read 4 books, one from each genre

~Fantasy

~Folklore

~Fairy Tale

~Mythology

and a June reading or theatrical viewing of Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream

These genres are not ones I would normally choose. Therefore I AM expanding my world.

The second challenge is from Trish of Trish's Reading Nook

4th annual Non-Fiction Five Challenge
 May 1 - Sept 30, 2010

~ Read 5 non-fiction books during the months of May - September, 2010
~ Read at least one non-fiction book that is different from your other choices


Check out both challenges
maybe YOU can expand your world too!
 
 
"From every book invisible threads reach out to other books; and as the mind comes to use and control those threads the whole panorama of the world's life, past and present, becomes constantly more varied and interesting, while at the same time the mind's own powers of reflection and judgment are exercised and strengthened."
                      ~Helen E. Haines

BOOK LOVE

I fell in love with a children's book today at a toy shop I frequent and just had to share.

 COOKIES Bite -Size Life Lessons 

written by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Illustrated by Jane Dyer.

 

It is so very precious. The illustrations are so gentle and sweet. The story gives names to the behaviors and emotions children see on a regular basis but cannot fully understand yet, and all though a *cookie*. Even very young children can relate .

This is one of my favorite pages!

"OPTIMISTIC means, This is great - I still have half my cookie left."

It wasn't long before I had TWO books in my bag, for two precious little girls that I know.