Did you know that gummy worms were invented in 1981, almost 60 years after the first gummy bear? Hans Riegel, a factory worker in Bonn, Germany (who later went on to start the Haribo company) originally made the bears with black licorice, which isn’t my jam. But that paved the way for worms, inspiring one of my favorite childhood treats: dirt and worms. Maybe that’s why this experiment grabbed my attention when I was browsing “The Curious Kid’s Science Book.” When submerged in different substances overnight, will gummy worms shrink, grow or stay the same? It’s a pretty simple setup (minimal supplies most of you already have at home) with a fun ending. Plus, there will surely be leftover worms for you to gobble up!
Original image by Willis Lam; background added
Continue reading “Shrink or Grow? Gummy Worm Experiment”
Does anyone else start to miss bright colors in January? This is the time of year I find myself thinking about dying my hair, seeking the brightest socks in the drawer and choosing the doughnuts with the most sprinkles. That is one of the reasons I chose this craft to share. The watercolor paints are so bright and cheerful. Perfect for a cold winter day.
Continue reading “Watercolor Winter Hat Craft”
It is almost impossible to avoid the message that products equal happiness. We are inundated with advertisements that promise health, happiness and everything in between, if only we buy what they’re selling. However, in my years of working with children, I have found that the best learning comes from the most unexpected places. You don’t always have to buy fancy new toys for your kids to have a fun time full of learning opportunities. This is where loose parts come into play. Continue reading “My Love of Loose Parts Play”
When you crack open one of Phoebe Wahl‘s intricately illustrated and thoughtfully plotted children’s books, you may very well be opening a treasure chest. But the scintillating trinkets and down-right adorable baubles Wahl offers you are not so precious that they must be held at a remove, kept behind glass or under the belly of a sneering dragon. Instead, Wahl wants you to hold them, feel them, cup and ponder them delicately close to your heart and mind, like you might do with a freshly fallen oak leaf or a young phlox bloom at the first sign of spring or a glimmering pebble that sings out its iridescence from the creek bed. Continue reading “Author-Illustrators We Love: Phoebe Wahl 🍄”
“Weeds gone wild, refusing to be tamed. I hope more people start to rethink why some plants are considered weeds and start to see the beauty in their resilience.” – SJ Okemow
You’re probably thinking “Megan, why are you writing about dandelions in the winter?” Don’t worry this book takes place across all the seasons, so you’ll get a taste of winter. “Dear Dandelion” by SJ Okemow follows the life cycle of the dandelion all year long. According to the author’s note, it was made as a part of the Animating Our Stories Program at Banff Centre of Arts and Creativity. Okemow uses Cree words throughout the book and has translations at the end of the book.
This book goes through the life cycle of a dandelion in such a beautiful way. Most people see dandelions as weeds, but they are often seen as a symbol of resilience and overcoming adversity. Dandelions come back year after year in our yards and sometimes through cracks in the concrete, and a wise woman told me recently they are a reminder to look for beauty in unexpected places. And that’s exactly what this book is about — finding joy in the small things like making a flower crown in the summer or making wishes on a mud pie. So even though it’s cold and dreary, I challenge you to pick up this sunny book about dandelions and look for a bit of joy in the world around you.
People all over the world have constructed traditions over time to create intentional spaces for unity, festivity and collaboration. Many of these traditions take place during specific times of the year, such as Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) and Samhain, which take place around the midpoint of autumn. These holidays, which both memorialize those who have passed on, are inspired by culture and traditions, and also by the weather, as trees begin to lose their leaves and animals retreat into their nature homes. Many of our holidays are connected with Earth’s trip around the sun and the effects it has on our weather. In the case of winter holidays, humans like to celebrate warmth, hearth and home. Because people are inside more often, they spend more time with their family members, which makes winter a wonderful time to celebrate family and friends! Continue reading “Holiday Crafts”
I don’t know about all of you, but 2023 has flown by for me. I have definitely felt the truth behind this wonderful quote from Gretchen Rubin: “The days are long but the years are short.”
Being (miraculously) at the end of 2023 means it’s time for us to bring back our handprint calendar once again! These calendars can be wonderful personalized gifts for loved ones. They can also serve as heartfelt mementos. If you decorate a calendar every year, you’ll have a beautiful way of showing your child’s growth through the years. If you can, continue your collection. But remember, it’s never too late to start. Continue reading “Handprint Calendar 2024”
One of my favorite things about late fall and winter is watching the birds outside my window. Last year, I got to know a cardinal couple who were regular diners at my feeder. It felt good to offer them and others food even though birds are highly resourceful creatures. When I gazed at them from my window, a feeling of warmth spread through me that eased the winter chill. Robert Lynd says, “In order to see birds it is necessary to become a part of the silence.” Whether you interpret that as being quiet and still in your body or your mind, watching birds stirs our hearts and activates our imaginations — opening us up to mystery, wonder and hope. Plus, it’s just plain fun! My namesake is the robin, but I’m still learning the names of more than 400 birds that visit Missouri (150 of which regularly nest in our state). I love going old school with a printed field guide, but the Cornell Lab of Ornithology has a free app for smartphone and tablet users called Merlin Bird ID that is quite magical and very kid-friendly (one feature I love is the sound identification that takes an audio sample you record and isolates each call or song of any and all birds in the near vicinity).
Below are the steps to make a fun and simple bird feeder. After you set your creation outside and give it some time, see if you can identify the top 20 birds that visit Missouri backyards in the colder months. The library also has a wonderful Virtual Activity Bundle to help keep young minds active while indoors (recommended for ages 3-6), and here is a staff-created book list with some favorite picture books about our feathered friends.
Continue reading “Upcycled Bird Feeder”
I think there are two types of people in the world. Those that enjoy pumpkin spice, and those that wait for peppermint season. If you are like me, pumpkin spice is nice, especially when it is in pie form. Peppermint is the flavoring I seek out in the winter months. Cookies, cappuccinos, candies, chocolates and more. If you are a peppermint fan, or just a little tired of pumpkin spice, read on for a fun way to create your own peppermint-flavored milk. This recipe is low on the effort scale and would be easy for a little one to assist with.
Continue reading “Peppermint Milk Recipe”
Did you know that Thanksgiving was not an official holiday until 1863? In fact, the so-called “first Thanksgiving” wasn’t even the first Thanksgiving feast; both the English and the native Wampanoag had celebrated similar harvest feasts for centuries. Furthermore, the first Thanksgiving table probably did not feature turkey, and they certainly didn’t serve pumpkin pie!
Amidst the handprint turkeys and paper Pilgrim hats, there’s a kernel of truth to be found. But it can be challenging to find historically accurate, well-researched resources on this beloved holiday. Children deserve to learn the real history of Thanksgiving, not just the feel-good myths we’ve long perpetuated.
Before we get down to the business of debunking, it’s important that we honor the original caretakers of the land we now stand on. According to MU libraries, modern-day Missouri lies on the ancestral lands of the Chickasaw nation, the Otoe-Missouria tribe, the Illini tribe, the Osage nation, the Ioway tribe and the Quapaw tribe. Keeping in mind that the story of Thanksgiving can be a painful one for many Indigenous people, I’d like to point to this excellent article on centering Native voices during your Thanksgiving festivities by Alexis Bunten (Aleut/Yup’ik).
With all that being said, let’s explore some of the best Thanksgiving books in our children’s collection — and bust some myths while we’re at it!
MYTH: Everything we know about the first Thanksgiving comes to us from the original Pilgrims.
We can’t forget the value of Native voices in this story! Despite the violence and disease that ravaged the Wampanoag nation after English settlers arrived on their shores, their stories have lived on. Oral storytelling is a vital part of Wampanoag culture, both past and present. Their folklore can give us a window into the lives and cultural values of those who came before, including the tribe’s account of the first Thanksgiving and the role of historical figures like Tisquantum (better known as “Squanto”).
“Keepunumuk: Weeâchumun’s Thanksgiving Story,” written by Indigenous writing trio Danielle Greendeer (Mashpee Wampanoag), Anthony Perry (Chickasaw) and Alexis Bunten (Aleut/Yup’ik). This lyrical, uniquely illustrated picture book recounts the Wampanoag version of the first Thanksgiving through the eyes of Weeâchumun, one of the “Three Sisters” that appear in Native folklore across North America. Continue reading “Busting Thanksgiving Myths!”
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