Sturdy for Common Things

Awakening Wonder With Cabinet of Curiosities

“When I was about six, I started my first cabinet of curiosities. The first thing I put in it was a skunk’s skull I found in our backyard. The skull fit perfectly in my palm. It had sharp little teeth. I was surprised to notice that it looked like my dogs’, with long, jagged canines on the sides… I put the skull in a red cigar box my dad gave me. The box was made of sturdy cardboard with a hinged lid. I was soon collecting all sorts of things I found outdoors, from old coins to corncobs.” – Gordon Grice, Cabinet of Curiosities

The above excerpt is part of author Gordon Grice’s introduction to Cabinet of Curiosities: Collecting and Understanding the Wonders of the Natural World (public library). Although this book is technically classified as an adult book, it would be a wonderful addition to the library of any child, adolescent, or adult that is inquisitive about the natural world. Cabinet of Curiosities provides basic instruction for where to find a cabinet or how to build your own, the Linnaeus classification process, how to preserve found items, and lots of suggestions of natural items to look for. Teeth, feathers, shells, skulls, flora, and fossils– This books is a visual feast of artifacts from the world around us. Readers can find pictures galore, each page adorned with illustrations and photographs.

 

It’s a book you can truly grow into. Young kids can flip through these pages and instantly fall into the wonder and curiosities of the natural world. The intricacies of the book such as taxonomy and DIY instruction and application is sure to entertain older children, teens, and adults. Regardless of age, Cabinet of Curiosities will spark wonder and inspiring learning and appreciation about the world in which we live.

If you have the chance to listen to this Science Friday segment about building a cabinet of curiosities it’s interesting to hear the author of Cabinet of Curiosities discuss building a cabinet of curiosities and also learn about what listeners enjoy collecting (space rocks!).

If you and/or yours have read Cabinet of Curiosities and love it, check out Animalium: Welcome to the Museum by Jenny Broom, illustrated by Katie Scott.

Happy collecting!

Favorite Books About Mail + Writing Letters

You’ve got mail! (Oh, how that expression ages me.) Who doesn’t enjoy receiving a letter from someone special to you in the mail? We sent out a batch of freshly glued, painted, laced, and glittered Valentines earlier this week and it got me thinking about my favorite children’s picture books about mail, mail carriers, and writing letters. Book list time! If you’re planning an upcoming storytime or lesson on letter writing or just so happen to have a kid that is into mail, here are a few kid-approved stories about mail:

 

MAIL + WRITING LETTERS

A Letter to Amy by Ezra Jack Keats (public library | local bookstore)
Bunny Mail: A Max & Ruby Lift-the-Flap Book by Rosemary Wells (public library | local bookstore)
Dear Primo: A Letter to My Cousin by Duncan Tonatiuh (public library | local bookstore)
Day It Rained Hearts by Felicia Bond (public library | local bookstore)

Dear Mr. Blueberry by Simon James (public library | local bookstore)
Dear Juno by Soyung Pak, illustrated by Susan Kathleen Hartung (public library | local bookstore)
Herman’s Letter by Tom Percival (public library | local bookstore)
The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt, illustrated by Oliver Jeffers (public library | local bookstore)

Toot & Puddle by Holly Hobbie (public library | local bookstore)
The Mixed-Up Mail Mystery by Erica Farber, illustrated by Huck Scarry (public library|local bookstore)
The Gardener by Sarah Steward, illustrated by David Small (public library|local bookstore)
Dear Yeti by James Kwan (public library|local bookstore)

 

MAIL CARRIERS

Mr. Postmouse’s Rounds by Marianne Dubuc (public library|local bookstore)
Millie Waits for the Mail by Alexander Steffensmeier (public library|local bookstore)
The Jolly Postman by Allan Ahlberg, illustrated by Janet Ahlberg (public library|local bookstore)
Katie Morag Delivers the Mail by Mairi Hedderwick (public library|local bookstore)

 

FUN WITH MAIL EXTENSION ACTIVITIES
Make a Play Mailbox
We made a cardboard mailbox out of an old box we had laying around the house with duck tape, tissue paper, and paint. Our mailbox isn’t nearly as attractive as this awesome DIY Cardboard Play Mailbox, but the kids love it all the same because it’s their own homemade creation complete with hearts and rainbows. They love making letters to go in the mail box and delivering the letters all around the house.

Write a Letter
Have a child dictate a letter to you and/or write their own. Ask them to help address the envelope, stick on the stamp, and send away in the mailbox. Maybe even send a postcard to a friend or family member on your next trip away from home. The thrill of sending mail is so exciting for young children.

Visit the Post Office
Going to the post office may be a bit of a drag when you’re a grownup, but kids love the post office. Assemble a group of interested kids and plan a group visit to your local post office or go solo. The USPS has a variety of printable resources as well like these lesson plans or information about stamps that have been printed.

I-Spy Mail Carriers
Talk about mail carriers and their role as community service workers. When you’re out walking or driving around, look for mail trucks or mail carriers and give them a friendly wave “hello”.

Have fun learning with these Free Printable Mail Carrier Activities

 

 

top image credit: Ezra Jack Keats’s A Letter for Amy

Chinese New Year Good Luck Decorations

It is almost the Lunar New Year, which means we have been busy making good luck decorations for our home to welcome the new year. One of the most popular Lunar New Year decorations is hanging good luck characters, nianhua, as well as spring couplets, chun lian, good wishes for the new year on doors and door frames.

The Lunar New Year starts on the second new moon after the Winter Solstice and is a fifteen day celebration ending with the Lantern Festival (this year’s and next year’s dates). When I was a children’s librarian, I learned a great deal from my storytime patrons about Chinese festivals and the Lunar Calendar, especially during the time of the Lunar New Year (also known as Chinese New Year), the most celebrated and sensational of the holidays. We’ve enjoyed learning about these holidays, stories, and traditions over the years so much that we honor and celebrate them in our home. If you’re interested in more books and crafts, take a look at my past Chinese New Year Storytimes HERE and HERE.

 

Chinese New Year Good Luck Characters

This craft is a modification of an activity found in the book Moonbeams, Dumplings & Dragon Boats: A Treasury of Chinese Holiday Tales, Activities & Recipes. Good luck characters written in the finest calligraphy on red diamonds are hung on doors in preparation for the new year.  Often times special red paper with gold flecks is used. We made these last year and this year, so you will see a bit of a difference between the two.

MATERIALS
red card stock or red construction paper
gold watercolor paint
black tempera paint or acrylic paint
paintbrushes
ruler
pencil
scissors

First, depending on the size of your paper, with a ruler and pencil you’re going to want to measure an 8″ or 9” square and cut off the excess paper. Once you’ve cut out your red diamonds, splatter gold flecks onto your paper by flicking gold water color paint or gold tempera paint. We made gold flecks by coating the tip of a small paint brush with gold watercolor paint and lightly hitting the brush on a pointer finger close to the paper. You can also make small dots and dabs with your paintbrush. Whatever creative process works for your child.

Once the gold paint has dried, it’s time to paint the Chinese characters on. On these types of Lunar New Year decorations, the Chinese characters used symbolize good fortune, spring, good luck, or the the featured animal zodiac character of the new year. Perhaps the most popular character is the Fú and when hung upside down it means good luck is coming.  This is an excellent template for painting the Fú character, and this site has more character examples, or try painting the animal zodiac symbol of the new year.

Can you see the difference between the past couple years we’ve been making these characters? There’s a terrific scene from a Mister Rogers Neighborhood episode (episode 1704) where he visits with a Chinese calligrapher. Mister Rogers does a wonderful job introducing this art to children and watching it is a good foundation for this particular activity. If you’re interested in showing this episode, it can be accessed via Amazon Prime. Another complementary activity to learning about Chinese calligraphy is reading The Dinner That Cooked Itself by J.C. Hsyu, illustrated by Kenard Pak, a beautifully illustrated Chinese fairy tale with notes about Chinese characters at the end of the book.

Spring Couplets

Spring Couplets are special new year poems that carry good wishes for the new year. They have the same amount of characters on each side and are painted on long banners that hang from each side of a doorway. We also make a “Happy New Year” (新年快樂) greeting that goes on the top of the door between the two couplets.

MATERIALS
large piece of red construction paper or red poster board
black tempera paint
paintbrush
scissors
gold metallic markers or paint pen (optional)

Start by cutting your large piece of red paper or poster board into two long strips that are equal length. Once you’ve cut your strips of paper, it’s to time to paint the characters on the banners. Examples of spring couplets can be found here and here or find one online that suits your wishes for the new year.

When the paint has dried, your banners are ready to be hung! Or add further decorations by outlining the characters in gold or drawing pictures or details in gold marker on the banner! Happy New Year!

 

Painted Lanterns for the Lantern Festival

On the 15th day of the Lunar New Year the celebration ends with the Lantern Festival. Celebrate by making hand painted lanterns! We made the lanterns pictured last autumn and they’ve recently been revived from storage as decorations for the Lunar New Year and the Lantern Festival. Here’s how you can to make your own.

 

Books to Read for Chinese New Year

Here’s a short list of favorite books about the the Chinese New Year kids will enjoy reading during this festive time of year:

Moonbeams, Dumplings & Dragon Boats: A Treasury of Chinese Holiday Tales, Activities & Recipes by Nina Simonds, Leslie Swartz, illustrated by Meilo So
Bringing In the New Year by Grace Lin
Dragon Dance: A Chinese New Year Lift-the-Flap Book (Lift-the-Flap, Puffin) by Joan Holub
Dragon Dancing by Pierr Morgan, illustrated by Carole Lexa Schaefer
Long-Long’s New Year: A Story About the Chinese Spring Festival by Catherine Gower, illustrated by He Zhihong
Hiss! Pop! Boom!: Celebrating Chinese New Year by Tricia Morissey, illustrated by Kong Lee
Lion Dancer: Ernie Wan’s Chinese New Year (Reading Rainbow Books) by Kate Waters
Great Race by Dawn Casey, illustrated by Anne Wilson
A New Year’s Reunion by Yu Li-Quiong
Chinese and English Nursery Rhymes: Share and Sing in Two Languages [Audio CD Included] by Faye-Lynn Wu, illustrated by Kieren Dutcher
Holidays Around the World: Celebrate Chinese New Year: With Fireworks, Dragons, and Lanterns by Carolyn Otto

 

 

 

Wild Things in January

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This January was one of highs and lows– A moody month of balmy sunshine and bitter cold. I don’t mind the cold, but the the warm sun-rays were refreshing especially after being cooped up in the house with sickness. The girls, Will, and I were up in bed for some reason or another throughout the month. When we were able to get outside, hikes were muddy which is always squishy good fun for the kids. A stiff chill would pull the ground taught and then it would melt and give away again leaving the earth soft and elastic. Our stepping ground went back and forth like a rubber-band all month. Kansas Day closed out January and you could have sworn the blue skies and wind and birds and beasts knew because the winter bleached prairie looked outstandingly golden.  Below are captions from our nature outings and explorations in January:

1. A good day
2. January shadows
3. birds of a feather
4. determined gatherer
5. nest construction in-progress
6. Jack Frost’s paintbrush
7. “Keepers of the Universe”
8. Waxing and Waning
9. Kansas bestiary
10. Tow-colored strands

 

Yesterdays as amateur naturalists.

Happy Kansas Day: Kids Booklist + Activities

 

Happy Kansas Day!

Kansas became a state on January 29, 1861 and each year its birthday is celebrated throughout the state. Many museums, libraries, and historic sites offer programs and events on this holiday, but there are also simple ways to observe the day with kids regardless of where you are.  Here are a few fun ideas for celebrating Kansas Day:

 

Read a book about wildlife in Kansas

Check out a book about Kansas from your library or local bookstore! These books for younger readers featuring the flora and fauna of Kansas prairies are a few favorites to read on Kansas Day:
Out on the Prairie by Donna M. Batemen, illustrated by Susan Swan
Prairie Chicken Little by Jackie Mims Hopkins, illustrated by Henry Cole
A Tallgrass Prairie Alphabet by Claudia McGehee
Plant a Pocket of Prairie by Phyllis Root, illustrated by Betsy Bowen

Another idea is to read a book from the Kansas State Library’s Kansas Notable Books list, which includes children’s books by Kansas authors or books that take place in the state of Kansas.

 

Make a Kansas Flag

The Kansas flag has many symbols that represent the history of the state. With whatever materials you have on hand, make your very own Kansas flag to show your Kansas pride. The art project above made by my kiddo was created using tempera paint and watercolor paper, but another option is to use this free template of the Kansas flag symbols and color and paste them to a piece of blue paper.

 

Sing “Home on the Range”

“Home on the Range” is the state song of Kansas, but before it became a song it was origanlly a poem written by Kansan Dr. Brewster Higley. The official state song lyrics and a bit about the history of this song can be found here.

 

Listen to a Western Meadowlark 

The Western Meadowlark is the state bird of Kansas and it’s a cheerful, distinct song that is heard throughout the state. Listen to the clip. Perhaps you’ve heard this song before? If you listen while on a walk, perhaps you’ll be able to spot one! To learn about what food attracts this type of bird to your home, listen to more songs clips, view pictures, and learn more about the Western Meadowlark visit The Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

 

Enjoy free activities from the Kansas Historical Society

Print out and make one of the many free activities available on the Kansas Historical Society’ website. There is also a free book, Today is Kansas Day!, that can be printed out or read online and a bunch of as well informational Read Kansas! lessons like this one about the symbols of Kansas. Plus, um… How hilarious is this coloring sheet of the famous John Brown portrait, “Tragic Prelude”?

 

Bake a birthday cake!

One of the main agricultural crops of Kansas agriculture is wheat, which is why Kansas is often called “The Wheat State”. While making the cake, you can share with our child that wheat is ground into the flour and used to bake breads and make cake with. Get fancy and bake something like this or make a simple banana bread. Whatever the flavor, make it a celebration and add a candle or two on top, sing “Happy Birthday” to Kansas, and blow out the candles.

 

Congratulations Kansas, another trip around the sun!

 

image source for celebrating meadowlark