Colin is different from Lee and the other peas. But that doesn’t stop friendship! Morag Hood’s sweet and simple book “Carrot & Pea: An Unlikely Friendship” shows how strength can be found in differences. The straightforward text and clean illustrations will appeal to young readers, and parents can appreciate the message of celebrating friends who don’t look like us.

If you and your little one are feeling inspired by these vegetables, take your creativity a step further with some vegetable stamping! In addition to fruits and veggies, you’ll need some paper and paint. I suggest something like this washable tempera paint. The fun part is choosing which vegetables to use! Different ones will make different shapes. Carrots make nice circles, while celery stalks create lovely half-moons. An apple cut in half will look remarkably like an apple, while a whole celery heart will look like a rose. Encourage your child to experiment with you, and discover all the artwork you can make from some paint and veggies.

1. Cut the fruit or vegetable so it is easy to hold for little hands.
2. Pour some paint on paper plates.
3. Paint the cut side of the fruit or veggie, either by dipping it in the paint or applying it with a brush.
4. Press the painted veggie onto a white piece of paper, and admire!

If you’re feeling really adventurous, swap out the paper for a plain t-shirt or scarf and use fabric paint instead. Ta-da, wearable art!

Once you have read at least five Missouri Building Block Picture Book Award Nominees, help your child vote for their favorite. Voting is open to children in kindergarten and younger and goes through December. The winner will be announced in February.

Mr. Brown is ready to leave his house. So, he dons his purple hat with the pink flower. But as he opens the door and starts to step outside, he stops abruptly. Oh no, it’s raining! Fortunately, Mr. Brown has just the hat for that. However, as he starts to leave the house again—this time wearing his rain hat—it’s snowing!

In “A Good Day for a Hat” by T. Nat Fuller, Mr. Brown struggles to find the perfect hat on a day when the weather, and sometimes even the scene outside his door (anything from a rodeo to a sailing ship), keeps changing. Hats fly off and on in rapid succession, until Mr. Brown makes an important decision that saves the day.

Full of delightful characters, repetitive phrases and bright colors, this charming 2018 Missouri Building Block nominee is sure to be a hit with your little ones. (Look closely for a certain “someone” on every page who provides a magical element to this story!)

When you finish the book, enjoy these additional fun activities.

Make Paper Plate Crowns

Make a simple crown for kids to decorate and wear. All you need is a pencil, a paper plate, scissors and decorations.

Step 1: With a pencil, divide the plate up into 8 sections as if you were cutting a pie.
Step 2: Start in the center and cut along the “pie” section lines, leaving the outside rim of the plate intact.
Step 3: Separate the “pie sections” and push them up to form the crown tips.
Step 4: Decorate the crown with a variety of crayons, markers, stickers, etc.!

Check out this video on making paper plate crowns. Find more paper plate hat ideas at the blog, Alpha Mom.

Continue reading “2018 Missouri Building Block Nominee: A Good Day for a Hat”

“I’m Bored!” Two words that every child is destined to say at some point or another. In the Missouri Building Block nominee “Barnacle is Bored” by Jonathan Fenske, Barnacle says these same fateful words as he waits for adventure to happen. Then a colorful fish swims by. Barnacle bets the fish doesn’t have a boring life. With a surprising ending, it turns out exciting isn’t always better! This picture book is a playful answer to any child’s declaration of boredom.

Extend the fun at home of the with the simple science experiment below.

Salt water sink or float

Use this experiment to show how salt water makes it easier for objects to float. Fill two small see-through tubs halfway with water and add ½ cup of salt to one of the tubs. Stir until the salt dissolves. Gather everyday objects that you don’t mind getting wet. Spend a little time predicting whether each object will sink or float before you toss them in. What happens? Some of your items that sink in the plain water will float in the salt water because adding the salt to the water made it more dense.

Once you have read at least five Missouri Building Block Picture Book Award nominees, help your child vote for their favorite. Voting is open to children in kindergarten and younger and goes through December. The winner will be announced in February.