artist trading cards

A few years ago, I read an article about artist trading cards.  They are mini works of art.  On the back, you can write your name and the date.  The cards are a way to show and trade your art.  This is an activity I do some with my nieces and nephews.  If you want to make your own cards, or get started on it with your children, all you need is two and a half inch by three and a half inch pieces of cardstock and some markers, crayons or colored pencils.  I cut my own, but you can also buy pre-cut cards at art stores.  This could be an unending summer project for your kids, or a fun activity to sit down and do as a family from time to time.

Water from my Heart

Water from my Heart by Charles Martin is the book I read this week instead of sewing, sleeping, and gardening.  Charlie Finn is living an easy life in Bimini when everything changes.  He is catapulted into a situation where he wants to help his good friend's son, but it isn't easy.  Along the way, Charlie ends up in Nicaragua where things from his past show up in the lives of people he has begun to care for.  This story of love and redemption is worth reading if you can put up with a somewhat lengthy introduction.  There are plenty of themes in this book worth discussing with a friend or a group.  Like many of his other books, it would likely make a good movie as well.

spring

There are all kinds of things to celebrate about spring in Minnesota.

Buttercups in wet places...

 rhubarb from Dad's house,

tulips blooming,










 the butterflies have returned,

and fresh asparagus from my brother.

Vivofit 2

Several weeks ago I got a Vivofit 2 through a wellness program at school.  Since I walk to and from school most days, I was curious about what kind of numbers I would get on it.  The days I do walk to and from school, I get about 12,000 steps in a day.  Right now I am at over that already, and there is still more walking on the agenda.  Do you have an step tracker?  What is your average?  

There Was an Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe

There Was an Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe by Jane Cabrera is a new take on the old nursery rhyme.  The Old Woman has 10 children and 5 pets.  The story tells about her feeding them, getting them places, mending clothes, fixing furniture, and loving them.  I enjoyed the pictures and the new take of the adept and frugal Old Woman. It is simple enough to keep a preschooler's interest, but interesting enough to share with older children as well.

Plants Feed Me

Plants Feed Me by Lizzy Rockwell is a book to share with preschoolers or young elementary children.  Rockwell writes and shows the different parts of plants that people eat.  Like Lois Ehlert, she labels each plant that is shown in the pictures so the reader can know exactly what it is.  This book is for beginning readers, and it is just right for a unit on vegetables or gardens.