For our third day we read the book: Calliou makes a snowman. Pinky loved since she loves Caillou already.

Synopsis:

With the help and guidance of his friend Sarah, Caillou experiences the joy of playing in the snow and learning to make his first snowman.

Our activity were: Making a cotton ball and pinecone snowmen and foil snowflakes.

Painting the pinecones.

Make a hole in the cotton ball with your finger and fill it with glue. Then put the mini pinecone inside.

The pinecone is the hat! And the cotton ball is the face. Glue two more cotton balls for the body, medium and large part. Tip: to get the medium size cotton ball, you need to unfold one cotton ball and enrolled around another one. For the largest part of the body, repeat the above step twice.

A tip from Pinky: be careful to don’t glue the cotton to your fingers!!

Use pipe cleaners for the hands and scarf', googly eyes; and jewels to decorate. You can use buttons, confetti or maybe felt pieces for the final decorations. I draw the mouth with a sharpie.

Pinky and mommy made 3 snowmen!!

Here are our paper foil snowflakes. I asked Pinky what did she think this was….she got very curious about it…but she told me that didn’t know….

After I unfolded….she got very excited to see a snowflake….Mommy is in love with that smile!!!!

We had such a fun day….Both LOVE snowmen!!!!

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Our second book is: When will it snow? by Kathryn White, Alison Edgson

Synopsis:

'Winter is coming', Mother Bear said. 'We must snuggle down to sleep in our den'. Little Bear doesn't want to sleep! He wants to know what snow is like. His friends try to show him by making mud-balls and angels in the sand. But Little Bear knows that while he's asleep his friends will have fun in the soft, white snow. Will they forget all about him?

Pinky loved it because is about a little bear just like her beloved Teddy bear.

Here’s our activity for this book:

She is LOVING her Christmas books advent countdown!

Activity: cotton swab snowflakes plus painting snow around little bear.

Our final product!!

And a bonus for you: A cute ballerina!

Have fun!!!!

Our first book is: The biggest Christmas tree ever by Steven Kroll.

Synopsis:

It's the day after Thanksgiving, and Clayton and Desmond feel the chill in the air. The cool weather makes them think of Christmas . . . and Christmas makes them think of Christmas trees! Who'll find the biggest one?

Our book activity was making our big Christmas tree art with lots of gifts under. Last year we did this one: Handprint Christmas tree.

Don’t you like that smile?

Our Big Handprint Christmas tree ever!!!

Have fun!!!

 

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Since I put away our Christmas books advent basket on November 30, and I knew Pinky will be desperate to unwrap the “gifts”, I added an extra book that I really love. It is: The Little Tree Who Didn't Want to be Green by Ruth Hobson Kruge, Caroline DiCicco Bohus (Illustrator).

Synopsis:

It is the story of an ever green tree whom was unhappy of been always green when other trees and flower change colors during the seasons. So he decided to talk directly to God and ask him to change his color. So, God explain him how he made the color green (mixing primary colors which we have been doing activities about that) and the important of loving and seen yourself through God’s eyes.

Craft: we painted a green tree mixing color blue and yellow just as God did in the story.

Isn’t this fun???

Have fun!!!

Here’s our Advent calendar: Christmas’ Books!!! This idea is all around the web and Pinterest, for sure; and the thing is that I LOVE IT!

Pinky is crazy about books (ok, DNA is strong…..both mommy and daddy LOVE books) and I now she will get more than happy to find a new one each day and, the best part, unwrap it.

So, here’s our list, just some books we have already and other we got at the library, which has a HUGE selections of great books and for FREE (the great part is that we can borrow them for 3 weeks, so I added them to the list before their due date). I plan to have a little craft or activity for each book…OK, I will TRY my best!!

• Bonus: The Little Tree Who Didn't Want to be Green by Ruth Hobson Kruge, Caroline DiCicco Bohus (Illustrator). Craft: Paint a green tree

1. The biggest Christmas tree ever- Craft: Handprint Christmas tree.
2. When will it snow?- Craft: paper snowflakes
3. Caillou makes a snowman- craft: footprint snowman
4. A letter to Santa- craft: write a letter to Santa
5. The hat- craft: make a felt Christmas hat
6. Christmas cricket- craft: make an angel
7. Suzy goose and the Christmas star- craft: make a star
8. Olive the other reindeer- craft: footprint sleigh + reindeers + Olive
9. The snow tree- craft: paper cone + cotton balls tree
10. A Christmas story- craft: make a donkey
11. Clifford’s first snow day- craft: paint with shaving cream
12. The poky little puppy’s first Christmas- craft: bake cookies
13. The 12 days of Christmas- craft: dove
14. Bears stays up for Christmas- craft: string popcorn
15. Santasaurus- craft: Pinky will decide
16. Mickey and Minnie’s gift of the magi- craft: Christmas card
17. Santa duck and his merry helpers- craft: make an elf
18. The little engine that could and the snowy blowy Christmas- craft: Pinky
19. The nutcracker- activity: Ballet recital- play with Barbies + nutcrackers
20. The snowy day- craft: paint a Winter tree with lots of snow
21. The story of Christmas- craft: make a nativity
22. The bears’ Christmas- craft: winter activities coloring book (I made this)
23. Rudolph the red nosed reindeer- craft: Rudolph
24. The night before Christmas- craft: bake cookies
25. The first Christmas- craft: Baby Jesus

That’s our looooooonnnngggg list. I hope we can get almost more than a 50% done. We love to read and making crafts so I think we can make it.

I will try to post everyday about our book and activity.

Have fun!!!!

Disclaimer:

I won’t get any commission for the links; they are just to have a look at our books. The one that doesn’t have a link is because I found them at the Dollar Tree Store last year and others are old copies from the library.

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Teaching kids about emotions is one of the most important tools we can offer as parents, and one of the hardest. Emotions are needed to grow up as mature human beings, which will help to build a better community and world.

But, how can we teach them what are they feeling at a certain situation? How can we select the perfect words to explain it? Are they really coping with us?

I think the best way is by role modeling and using child-like games, activities, songs, books and imagination.

With Pinky, we tried to name her emotions at the moment she’s having them. For example, if she is trying to cut a paper with scissors and is getting “frustrated” we tell her: Is Pinky getting “frustrated”? I know is kind of “frustrating” learning how to use the scissors but you can keep trying! Later on we talk again about the experience she just had.

Other times when we are reading books, we look at the pictures and I ask her how she thinks the character is feeling. As the kid gets older you can add questions as why do she thinks the character is feeling like that, how would she react? Usually she points to aspects of the picture like an smile, tears, red cheeks, etc. or she retell things that we read in the story.  

We also have games/activities:

• Sorting different emotion pictures. You can print them out searching on Google pictures, clipart (I got the circle faces at Chilcare.com. The other ones, sorry but I can’t remember where I got them), or even better, make an album with your own kid’s emotion photos since he/she was a baby. Then, you can talk about how he/she grown up but his/her emotions still the same.

• Mommy/baby pretending game with her dollies (this game is also great for imagination and a way to check is she is getting the information when she tells me that the baby is crying because got a bobo and she kisses her to make her feel better).
• Our emotional carrot: it’s an activity I had on my mind for a quiet time already. I got a carrot inflatable toy at the dollar store (It was at Easter time) and draw different types of eyes and mouths to represent the emotions on a cereal box. Added velcro on the carrot and the cardboard. For younger kids you can add small emotions pictures for reference. You can make up stories and have her to put together the emotional face, have her to discover by herself or just as a tool for those tantrums moments when you will need to explain visually how are they feeling.

  

• Use your camera as a learning tool: have a fun time with your kid making up emotions and having a picture taken. I wrote a post about this activity here.  

Emotions are important, don’t try to suppress them. It’s the worst way of dealing with them. This can make kids feel that expressing emotions is prohibited, which will lead to stress and emotional breakdown. You can read more here.

Take care and Happy Thanksgiving!!!

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