Do you have your favorites? Every now and then, I look for new books to share and read with my kids. I'll list our favorites here, and if you have some, please leave a comment, and we can all benefit from each other!
Whatever your family , or you yourself enjoys- no matter the religion or philosophy.....please share!
I think adults get as much from these as kids do. All about the Law Of Attraction and the Art Of Allowing, as described in the Abraham-Hicks teachings. Very gentle, loving ways of expressing changing negative thoughts to positive, listening to emotions, and directing energy towards what you want, instead of what you don't want, to live happier, more open lives. All this cast in great stories/adventures about friends, (The continual development of Sara, and then 2 friends, as they get introduced into the stories- one new friend in each book) tree houses, rivers, and a spirit guide in the form of a talking owl. They are novel-length stories. Great read-aloud for about 5 and up, read-alone for older kids. We take turns reading these aloud to each other. The Stillwater books Zen Shorts Zen Ties
Marvelous, beautiful picture books about Stillwater the panda, with three young friends. The stories tell Zen parables about compassion, and transforming anger and other uncomfortable feelings. Very simple, mind-bending books that illustrate the "eye-for-an-eye" frame of mind, and transforming that into love and compassion instead. (lovingly embracing these books to my chest!) A Pebble For your Pocket- Thich Nhat Hanh
Through stories from his childhood, Zen Buddhist bodhisattva, monk, poet, human rights activist, Thich Nhat Hanh offers children ways of handling anger, finding compassion (for self and others) and living in the present moment. Very still, gentle and comforting, as the teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh are. Beautiful.
What are your favorites? Please share them by leaving a comment, so we can all learn from each other!
It's been a long time since my pal Uncskainch and I have collaborated on a blog-a-long, so this is very exciting!
We, and our children, each made a carton garden with see-through panels to watch seeds sprout and root and grow! Uncskainch started hers first, and then shared her idea with us. Here's our version here:
We used a soymilk carton- cut off the top, and the main bulk of each side. Then, we reinforced the corners with chopsticks, so it would stay upright with all of that water and dirt. We also poked some drainage holes in the bottom, too.
Then we stretched plastic wrap all around the outside to make the viewing window. (secured with duct tape- something we have plenty of around here...) Then added moistened soil. Then we carefully added seeds right next to the plastic. Then we misted the seeds with water daily, and covered the top with plastic wrap to maintain the moisture.
About 5 days later, things started happening......
Hello, Sunflower!
What I
really liked (and hadn't expected) was the neatness of feeling the
seedlings and their roots through the plastic- what a whole new way of
experiencing the germinating of a seed! When the sunflower seeds
looked like they were swelling, we could feel that. (like a pregnant
belly) then we could feel the roots.......
More sunflowers growing........
Here is the carton garden just a few days ago. We planted 4 different types of seeds: (one on each carton side) Velvet Queen sunflowers, Lemon Queen sunflowers, carrots, and Foxglove. In this photo, there are sunflowers in front, carrots to the left, and Foxglove to the right.
Hooray for carton gardening!! Thank you, Uncskainch, for sharing your fun and exciting project with us!
Please go on over to Uncskainch's blog to see her carton garden! And plant-a-long with us, and share your carton garden gardens, if you are inclined!
It's a new photo widget!
Did you happen to see the National Geographic photo of the day widget on the Xanga front page? Here it is! Try it out...
I put it in my sidebar. Looking forward to the great photos every day! The widget has a link to the National Geographic's Photo Of The Day page, where you can view the photo archive, and download enlarged or wallpaper versions of the photos. Enjoy!!
The were carved and treasured jack-o-lanterns last Fall...
They were put out to pasture to decompose in the garden all winter......
And here are their weathered faces.........
Grumpy-looking, aren't they? Vincent Price could never contort his face like these two..... (remember when he advertised for Shrunken Heads in the '70s?)
Boo!!!!!
They are very light and tougher than leather.....
Grumpy Punkie here could be a great Shrunken Head this Halloween.....
Till then, I think we'll keep them in the garden under the tree, and enjoy their transformation....
The kids had a pottery art class last Saturday, where they had the opportunity to throw clay pots on a real, professional pottery wheel! This is one class in a series of art classes for children sponsored by our local Army post's Morale, Welfare, and Recreation department. Hooray for the arts, and this program!
We all had a great time! Each of my kids made 2 pots, and we will go back in a week or so to glaze them after they have been fired.
I took a pottery class several years ago over the summer, and really loved it! I think the interest came from watching Demi Moore in "Ghost" years ago, and from my own experience with a battery-operated pottery wheel for kids that I got for Christmas one year long, long before that. (That toy wheel didn't work very well, thus sparking an interest to use a real "grown up" wheel someday)
Because I took that class, I am eligible to go to the pottery studio any time and throw pots whenever I like, and I can bring the kids to work with me, too!! Woo hoo! Now we just need to get friends to accept the overflowing creations we could potentially make...any takers?
