The Dot, written by Peter H. Reynolds, was a discovery for me that sparked an instant passion. Thanks to our reading specialist daughter, Laura Pajor, for knowing that I’d totally groove on the idea. And I’ve been saving it to share until before Rosh Hashanah, because there’s a great tie-in with the holiday. In this story, little Vashti was sitting glumly in art class, with a blank sheet of paper in front of her. She was sure that she could not draw. At first, her teacher tried to jolly her along. Then she said something that made all the difference: “Just make a mark and see where it … [Read more...]
Rosie Revere Engineer – #JewishBookFun4Kids – #4
Rosie Revere Engineer, written by Andrea Beauty and illustrated by David Roberts, was totally new to me, until our reading specialist daughter mentioned it. And now, I’m crazy about it. It’s written in comfortable verse (not forced, not over simplified). “This is the story of Rosie Revere, who dreamed of becoming a great engineer.” Little Rosie wants to build amazing things. So during the day, she looks in the trash for bits and pieces she can use in her creations. At night, she makes “gadgets and gizmos,” which she tucks under her bed, so that no one will see … [Read more...]
Harold and the Purple Crayon – #JewishBookFun4Kids #3
Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crocket Johnson holds a special place in my heart, because I used to read it to our daughter. And, I have a confession to make. One night, while I was reading it to Sarah for maybe the 10th time, I had an “aha” moment that stopped me. Cold. I realized what an absolutely amazing story this is. Yet, like many of you (I’m guessing), I was double-tasking in my head. While I was reading words and turning pages, I was also making mental lists of lunches to assemble, forms to fill out, laundry to fold. In the process, I had missed the nuance and the wonder. Never … [Read more...]
Miss Rumphius – #JewishBookFun4Kids #1
Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney has a magical cadence that, just maybe, inspired our daughter to travel widely and to plant flowers – including lupines. The story begins, “The Lupine Lady lives in a small house overlooking the sea. In between the rocks around her house grow blue and purple and rose-colored flowers.” As a little girl, Alice lived by the sea, where she watched sailing ships. In fact, her grandfather had come to America on one of these ships. He was an artist, making figureheads for the prows of ships and painting pictures. Sometimes, Alice helped him paint in the … [Read more...]
5 Fun Kitchen Activities for a Summer Shabbat
About this time of the summer, you start seeing articles about how to help your child hang onto math and reading skills over the hot, lazy months. Spending time in the kitchen is the perfect solution. Here are five fun kitchen activiites, perfect for a summer Shabbat. I’m with Grandma’s Briefs blogger Lisa about all the wonderful reasons to bake with your children or grandkids -- from reading recipes to measuring to learning fractions to sequencing. Of her eight top reasons to encourage kitchen time together, my three favorites are: Encourages creativity Fun for different ages to … [Read more...]