On boxes, batons and bear hugs: more ways to have fun!

On Boxes, Batons and Bear Hugs: More Ways to Have Fun….

Our first grandchild literally got buried in gifts. We were ridiculous, all of us. We bought clothes, toys, books, games, equipment…..and he played with…..you bet…..the boxes! Children love boxes*, all sizes and shapes, with sides and tops and without. They build mountains and towers and hide in them and use them to hide their treasures. You can make them into trains, planes and automobiles. They can be a stage for a puppet show or a table for a tea party. Never underestimate the power of a box! (and you can’t beat the price, either).

*Be sure to check out Not a Box by Antoinette Portis in the first reading post.

I keep mentioning the dollar/bargain store, but you truly can get great things there, cheap. If you look at the picture of Ian and Ryan, you will see that they are each holding a baton. I bought them thinking the girls would twirl and toss them and amuse themselves while the boys were doing more “manly” things. And I was right, the girls did gravitate to them, but the boys loved them too. They became drum majors, leading the band around the yard and neighborhood. But they also used them as swords, light sabers, things to chase when they rolled down the driveway, and a myriad of other uses I cannot remember. Frankly I was stunned by how popular they were!
Also (not pictured) I found those paddles with the little balls attached by long elastics, and they loved those, too. They were a little trickier to manipulate, and Grampa had to demonstrate several times until they caught on to the wrist movement.

The school in the next town has a nature trail, and evenings and weekends it is a wonderful place for adventures. Ari and Megan are posed here under a tree, next to a teepee erected by the second graders studying early Americans. There is an outdoor classroom with benches and a podium, and we can play school here as well as observe nature closely. Along the way to the trail is a big hill, and all of the kids love to roll down it, over and over again, Megan is going very fast in this picture, and she became quite proficient in the art of rolling in a prescribed direction; most of the others just let fate take them where it will……

One day we took Noah and Molly to visit a flower/gift/interior decoration store where their great aunt works. She wanted them to see the elaborate seasonal decorations, which I will include in a later post. At one point we lost track of them in the store, and found them as you see them in the picture, with headphones on, listening to the music. I didn’t even know that the store carried music, nor that there were headphones for listening just hanging there. Obviously the children had done this before, and they were quite content to listen to several selections before needing to move on to another activity.

Just walking down the street can be fun. In a small seasonal resort town we visit often in both summer and winter, the stores often place “things” outside to attract shoppers. Owen just couldn’t keep his hands off this giant bear, and we spent a very happy quarter of an hour while he and Emma took turns hugging and talking to their new friend. Just noticing store windows when you are walking with kids has opened a whole new world to me. In another life I would have simply scurried down the street, focused on the destination rather than the journey. How energizing it is to now saunter and notice instead of tuck and run! This is yet another gift given unwittingly by our grandchildren. Our responsibility is to use and appreciate it!

Tip #10: Stop and smell the roses, or twirl the baton, or climb in the boxes, or hug the bear. You don’t have to be rich to have a rich existence…..much of it is there just for the taking. Hone your observational skills so you will notice these things and point them out as you spend time with your grandchildren. Soon they will be alert to them as well!

Playground Tips

Since we are constantly looking for things to do with the kids that do not involve spending money, we have become fairly skilled at the art of playing at playgrounds. The schools in our area all have dynamite playgrounds, very safety-oriented, and usually appropriate for a wide span of age levels. When school is not in session, they are the ideal place to go. Our town and neighboring towns have playgrounds as well, and when school is in session, they are our choice.

Here are some suggestions regarding playing at them:

-If you have more than one child with you, you will probably need more than one adult, especially if the children are five or under; it is just too difficult to monitor safety

-Dress the children in bright colors, or with distinctive hats, so that you can quickly scan the area and locate even the older ones on a moment’s notice

-Make sure the children are on equipment they can handle; sometimes the older ones want to go on the baby swings, and often the more adventurous want to climb to the sky! If you have another adult with you, certainly you can assist the child in trying a more challenging apparatus, but not if you need to pay attention to more than one! (my neighbor, Traudi, often helps me; her grandson lives far away, and she sometimes needs a "kid fix", with which I am happy to be of service!)

-Bring water, sippy cups, easy to munch on snacks and wipes with you. You will be able to stay
longer, and the kids will be happier, and you won’t spend money on these things if they are
available!

-Let your other children know where you are going and have them meet you there; we have tons of pictures of the cousins playing together over many years at a variety of local places.

-Avoid going to the playground when there are apt to be large numbers of kids there. First of all, you don’t want to lose or even temporarily misplace a child during “your watch”. Secondly, you have absolutely no control over the behavior of the other children there, and that can be a big problem. Sometimes parents allow older children to be there unattended, and they can be bullies, or simply unaware of how their aggressiveness is disturbing to younger children. If you encounter such a situation, and there is no responsible person in sight to whom you can address your concerns, it is best to just leave. In addition to being annoying, it can also be dangerous. You never know how an older child will decide to retaliate if you speak to him or her, and it is just not worth the risk. Of course, you are the sole judge of how to deal with this, and sometimes a cautionary word or reminder is sufficient.

-Always put sun block and bug spray on the children before you even get in the car, or walk to the playground. Once you are there, you will have a difficult time reigning them in long enough for application. Best to be forearmed!

-When possible, do some of the things with them. Slides will accommodate adult bodies, seesaws are more resilient than they appear, and the kids love it when you swing with them. Surprisingly, they seem more able to learn to pump by watching you than all the verbal instructions offered.

-Invite a neighbor or friend to go with you, even if you don’t feel you need help. Just company can make it a more enjoyable trip. Plus you never know when you will need that extra
pair of hands!

-Keep a first aid kit handy wherever you go. You should have band-aids, ointment, bug bite stick, and tweezers for starters. Be sure you have a charged cell phone too!

-Don’t forget your camera! Shots from the playground make wonderful photo shows and they love to see themselves having fun and being brave and daring.


Over the past 9 years we have spent countless hours with our grandchildren and sometimes their parents at playgrounds in the area, and the kids often ask to go minutes after they arrive for a visit. I think that the school playgrounds are often an untapped resource, and usually have few people at them after school or on weekends. Just don’t be such a hero that you attempt it alone with more than one child, unless they are older. One great moment of panic I suffered this past summer was when I found myself at the town playground with six of them while their parents were watching our nephew’s baseball game, adjacent to the play area (literally 25 feet away). I kept the twins in eyesight, but could not locate the five and seven year olds. I knew the nine year olds could take care of themselves, but I truly started shaking when my eye scan yielded no results. As soon as I did locate them, I grabbed them and hauled them all over to their parents, refusing to go back unless at least one other adult came with me. I took a lot of jibing for my reticence, but I did not like that panicked feeling at all!

Tip #9: Playground are a great place to go, but you need to plan ahead for what you will need, and anticipate some of the challenges you may encounter.

Going to Florida and theme parks

For several weeks prior to our departure, 12/01/07, I frequently asked myself, “What were you thinking? How could traveling to Florida with 4 adults and 5 children be a good idea? What if___________________ (fill in the blank with any number of disastrous possibilities, chief among which were kids getting hurt or lost while on “our watch”!” 18 months earlier we had used one of our timeshare deposits to secure a week for our daughter, husband and (then) 4 children at Orange Lake Country Club in Kissimmee. We stayed there before without children and noted the many amenities for families, and the fact that the villas were independent buildings, so others were not above or below you, thus mitigating the noise factor. Then I had the brilliant idea to check out the “last call” section of our timeshare website, and discovered in 2006 that the inventory was highest in the early part of Dec.. This was the genesis of my questionable decision to accompany them if we could get a place there or nearby. Of course, when the inventory first appeared in mid-October, we were in traveling through Slovenia and Croatia, and thus it fell to our daughter to book it for us. Anyhow, we ended up in a lovely two-bedroom resort, Bryan’s Spanish Cove, across the street from the Sheraton Vistana in Orlando, about 12 miles/15 minutes from Orange Lake. It did not have the pools and spraygrounds and other amenities that Orange Lake did, but the two older children stayed with us four of the nights, and that worked out quite well. I see that I have already sublimated the fact that at midnight of their first night sleeping over, Noah, 9, woke me to say he wasn’t feeling very well. He then threw up all over the kitchen floor in his failed attempt to reach their bathroom, and both of us, barefooted, proceeded to slip and slide in the mess until we could reach sponge and paper towels. As it was coming up Noah turned to me and said, “There goes Grampa’s delicious dinner!” Always be grateful for an appreciative audience when cooking!

Just checking in and getting to the gate were sufficiently challenging to make me glad we had decided to help. Did you know that if you have a lap child (no ticket, under two), you must provide identification? (birth certificate or other id). Somehow Maribeth missed that detail which the counter person assured us was on their website. Anyhow, because he was obviously an infant (five months at the time), they let us continue. The agent said that if his age had been questionable, they would have been required to purchase a seat, submit the birth certificate, and get a refund after the trip was completed. We’d printed out our boarding passes 24 hours earlier, but it doesn’t matter if you have a lap child. You go in a different line, one that takes much longer than the ordinary line for people already holding boarding passes. In Manchester, NH, it was not a problem, but in Orlando, at 6 a.m. on a Sat. morning, it was a total zoo, and an experience none of us ever wants to repeat. Although we continue to seek the lower fares and direct flights offered by Southwest, this experience has soured us on using this airline in the future.
Once we landed in Orlando we trekked to the car rental area. Fortunately, we were able to process ours quickly at a kiosk, while they ran into a long line and then intensive pressure to purchase all kinds of additional things at theirs. We took the children away from the counter area so that Sean and Maribeth could deal sanely with the rental. Then we had to get from there to the actual cars, which did not require a shuttle but was quite a distance to cover with luggage and kids. Sean got out the GPS he’d brought with him, and off we went to Orange Lake. Chuck and I registered, deposited them at their villa, took their GPS and headed to ours. The next morning we met in the parking lot outside Animal Kingdom. Had we purchased our tickets through AAA we could have had the parking pass which allows you to park close to the gate (but still pay the $11 per day charge) and not need to get on a shuttle, which may seem like a minor thing, but already we were looking for ways to facilitate transporting all of us together anywhere. We did purchase our park tickets ahead of time through Mousesavers.com, realizing a small savings. If you decide to go, you need to start significantly ahead of time to research the best passes for your needs as there are many, many options. We bought 3 day, one park/day passes, and I think it was the best move. If you do the park hopper, you are then going between at least two parks, adding to the stress and using precious time. If you have children under 8, even, the stamina required is immense, and they get tired and cranky. After the first day they decided to rent a double stroller for the twins, age 4, whose little legs struggled to keep pace. However, the rentals are $18/day, so you can see how quickly things add up. We brought water and juice and snack packs, hard candy, and gum with us in our backpacks, along with hats, sun block, sweatshirts and wipes (very important for sticky faces and fingers). You have to go through security as you enter, but no one questioned the contents of our backpacks. Food and drink inside the parks are very expensive: Gramp bought 8 ice cream bars to the tune of $20 the first day, and we were astonished. Hot dogs were $3.99 each! Jack had his own stroller and food and one of us hung out with him while we divided up for the others. Noah and Molly, at ages 9 and 7, wanted very different rides than the Ian and Ryan did at age 4. We did find some things we could do together, such as It’s Tough to be a Bug and Safari and Lion King at Animal Kingdom, and most of the shows in the other parks. No one does 4D like Disney (4D because you get a tactile experience as well…..wind, water, mice crawling over your feet, etc.). Be sure you understand how the Fast Pass works so you do not spend unnecessary time in lines. Not all rides have this option, and you can only use it for one ride at a time, but we never waited more than ten minutes in any line.

Bring cell phones. We had walkie talkies, but so did a lot of other people, and we had a hard time finding a clear channel, so we used the cells most often to regroup. We took breaks, insisted on the children using the bathrooms fairly often, and planned our paths to not be retracing our steps too often. Sometimes characters would suddenly appear, and we would seize the opportunity and recalculate our plans. When you enter the park you are given the day’s schedule of shows and special events, so usually we planned around them. The kids loved the Extreme Stunt Show at MGM, and the incredible night time show there as well, though it got quite cool. We did not go to the Christmas Show at Magic Kingdom because it would have been an extra $40-50; you have to buy a separate ticket which admits you after 4 or 5 p.m. on that day. We met a woman at the resort pool who said she always does it because you still have the run of the park, and it is less expensive than the day time ticket ($60-70 for adults) and you get the special Christmas show too. Hadn’t thought about making the late day entrance the whole day thing, and would try that should we return, as long as the kids were older. The little ones just do not have the staying power to do more than 6-8 hours/day.

One of the best decisions we made was to spend the first full day after we arrived at the Orange Lake Resort. Warm weather helped, and some of the adults went and got groceries while others got the children into suits and lathered up with sun block. We all went to the pools, slides and sprayground (see pictures) and spent a lovely day recovering from travel and resting up for the marathon to come. Since the children had not yet been to the parks, they were not yearning for rides and amusements and were totally content with the water activities. There were plenty of places to sit and eat our picnic lunch, and we saved a lot of money by eating breakfast and dinner at the villa almost every day.

Another thing to consider is the Disney dining experience. Go to http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/dining/pscalc/dispscalc.html to explore the options and make a reservation. Many of the more popular ones sell out very soon after they open in advance, up to 180 days before. Why do this? Mainly because you get some up close and personal time with the characters without waiting in long lines and getting rushed through. It is expensive, but worth it, at least the ones we did. The first time we attended one it was with our other daughter, her husband and two children, and it was Cinderella’s Feast at the Grand Floridian, 1900 Park Faire. You do not get an actual reservation, nor do you have to pay in advance. You get a “priority seating” reservation, which means you are on the list, and when you actually arrive you are then put on the active list to be seated. The first time we waited about 15 minutes; for the breakfast at the same location w/Winnie and Mary Poppins, Alice and the MadHatter and the Fairy Godmother and Tigger, we did not wait at all. The dinner with Cinderella, the Prince, the Fairy Godmother, and two of the mice, was magnificent. Our buffet was outstanding, varied and plentiful, and included carving and pasta stations. Our breakfast there included an omelets/egg station and ice cream buffet! (yes, we all had ice cream at 9 in the morning!). When you drive in they direct you to valet parking at $10/car, but we said no, we wanted to self park. The woman informed us that we would have quite a walk (about 5 minutes), and since you have to go back out and through the Magic Kingdom gate and pay to park there, we were not eager to spend $21 just to park that day.

At Universal you also pay $11 to park, though a sign offered preferred parking for $16. Obviously we did not opt for that. It irritates me no end that if you have an endless source of money you can buy special treatment. At Disney you can pay for an all day guide who somehow gets you to the front of the line, just because you can pay more. Watching handicapped people and little kids wait in line while perfectly healthy adults forged ahead frosted me. Oh, well. I have no problem with people, old, young or middle-aged, who have special needs of any kind being allowed to go ahead, but I don’t think how much money you have should be the deciding factor (sorry, couldn’t resist the editorializing!). Universal has two parks, the original Universal Studios and the Islands of Adventure. We only went to the original one, and so don’t know what the other has to offer. We were there on the first day of their Christmas parade, which was magnificent. It showcased many of the floats from the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade in NYC. We sat along the curb and thoroughly enjoyed the whole thing.

Despite my initial trepidations, I am so very glad we went both times, and would go again in a heartbeat. We know that we made the whole experience much more pleasant for our children and their spouses. One night we babysat and gave our daughter and son-in-law a chance to go out a bit on their own (the one with two children, not five!). Also, we got to be a part of the whole memorable experience, and have talked about it with them often since our return.. We have pictures (I took the digital card to Walgreens, edited on the machine there, and had them printed there) which I made into an album for them, and they used some of the pictures for the photo journals required by their teachers. Their excitement and enjoyment were contagious, and even our “down” times were fun. Bring a couple of decks of cards because you can always play Go Fish or War or SlapJack to pass the time, and they don’t take up much room.
I will write later on some other vacation options, but this one is one I strongly encourage you to consider. You can rent timeshare or other accommodations even if you don’t own any, and the use of resort amenities gives you such a restful alternative to the parks, and some respite from always eating out.

Tip #8: Preplanning is the key to a successful, enjoyable journey to Florida with your grandchildren.

Making Food Fun

“Where is Shaky Guy?”
“Can we have multi-colored fruit pancakes for breakfast?”
“How about a picnic in the back yard?”

Ok, I thought, who is Shaky Guy? If you look closely at the picture of Emma waiting for the toast, you can see him to her left. He is the container for the cinnamon and sugar to sprinkle on her toast, and he has a name, and a personality, and he makes toast just so much more appealing. (Don’t worry, we have moved the knives in the background to a safer place). A. Cilla offers them “rainbow toast” when they visit, having some connection to a rainbow they saw the first time they were eating toast at her house! They love to pop their bread/bagels in the toaster and wait for them to pop back up. Do they put way too much Shaky Guy on their bread? You bet, but we can always dust some off into the trash, and they just love being self-sufficient, even at two.

The multi-colored fruit pancakes, a staple at the camp generously shared by two of grampa’s brothers, are simply plain pancakes with M&Ms. U. Bob is not particularly fond of discussions about the nutritional content of foods, so he created this misnomer to justify serving them to the kids while they are there, everyday if they want them, though sometimes he varies it to chocolate chips and uses chocolate syrup instead of maple. These are not everyday choices, but things relegated to special occasions, such as vacation at the lake.

Sometimes when we cannot go away, we make a picnic in the back yard, using old comforters. It gives a different ambience to mealtime, costs nothing, and the kids love it. I went to the bargain store and bought those kid paper plates (some are sports, some are animals, etc.) and some funky cups with straws built in, which also enliven things. Of course there are spills, but the comforter goes right in the wash, as do the clothes.

We try to think of creative names for foods, and our daughter, Mandy, is particularly adept at this.

Foods:Cowboy Chicken = BBQ Chicken

Reindeer food = carrots

Daddy noodles = any favorite noodle that they have seen their father eat

Grampa's O's with milk (Honey Nut Cheerios)

Grammy's cheese toast sticks (plain bread, psread thinly w/fake butter or margarine, then covered w/grated orange Kraft cheese in a can, broiled, then sliced into sticks, great when you are sick, along w/chicken noodle soup and ginger ale)

J-E-L-L-O--you have to sing while making it

Ants on a log (celery with peanut butter and raisins)

Any raw veggies (snap peas, green beans, wax beans)= bunny food stolen from the garden

Pick your own blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, apples

English muffin pizzas fun, messy, make your own, pick your own toppings

Frozen Gogurts = dessert, they have no idea it's good for them!

GORP=make your own we use raisins peanuts choc chips or M&Ms sunflower kernels

Fruit kabobs (these are very fun and funny)

Tip # 7: Use your imagination to create fun and appealing names for ordinary foods to make them more appealing to the kids.

On books and reading: #1

One of our most favorite pastimes with the children is reading. We love to snuggle into one of the recliners or the sofa and read aloud. Not only is the choice of reading material extremely important, but the investment on the part of the reader is critical. You must be absurdly dramatic, using voices and gestures, modulating tones, changing volume, and mastering the art of dramatic pause and repetition. Practice makes perfect, and you must remain keenly attuned to your audience throughout the performance to grab and hold their attention. Ad lib, growl, crunch, hiss, bark, giggle…..whatever it takes….and then have them imitate you, only urge them to do it better!

A common initial mistake is choosing books that are not suitable for the age level. Your first grandchild may be extremely bright –perhaps even advanced—but trying to read War and Peace at age 3 is not going to go over well! Start early with simple picture books. Books that have 4-6 big pictures of familiar objects and people, drawn with bold colors and big print work well. Say the word to the child, for example, “car”. Point to the car on the page. Ask the child to point to the car. Go on to other objects: apple, bicycle, carrot, dog, fire engine, house, etc., using inflection to convey interest and cheer when the child correctly points to the object. Soon the child will start trying to say the word to you, and point to the object. Children also love all kinds of rhyming books, even nonsense ones, such as Hop on Pop and Fox in Socks (my personal nemesis). Early books of simple poetry capture both ear and eye. If you choose books that are too advanced for them, even an Oscar caliber rendition will not sustain their attention.

Make use of your local library. Even if the children don’t live in the same town as you, you can still take them to your library. It is a great place for trying out books, getting a feel for ones they might like well enough to own. You also can look them up on websites such as amazon.com and search beginning reader books using a popular search engine such as google, but your best bet is to talk with other grandparents and find out their personal favorites and age recommendations.

Here is the beginning of a list which I hope you readers will aid and abet by commenting on the post or emailing recommendations to me at karen.weinhold@comcast.net. These are mine, my daughter’s and my friend Linda’s. There will be many more suggestions in future posts, and if you are looking for something in particular, just ask.

Good Night Moon by Margaret Wise Brown and Clement Hurd

Amazon.comPerhaps the perfect children's bedtime book, Goodnight Moon is a short poem of goodnight wishes from a young rabbit preparing for--or attempting to postpone--his own slumber. He says goodnight to every object in sight and within earshot, including the "quiet old lady whispering hush." Clement Hurd's illustrations are simple and effective, alternating between small ink drawings and wide, brightly colored views of the little rabbit's room.
Finding all of the items mentioned throughout the book within the pictures is a good bedtime activity--a reappearing little mouse is particularly pesky. By the end of the little rabbit's goodnight poem, the story has quieted to a whisper, and the drawings have darkened with nightfall. As you turn the last page, you can expect a sleepy smile and at least a yawn or two. (Picture book)


Hop on Pop by Dr. Seuss Ages 3-7

Amazon.comFirst published in 1963, Hop on Pop remains a perennial favorite when it comes to teaching kids to read. Here, as in most of his extensive body of work, Dr. Seuss creates uncomplicated, monosyllabic rhymes to foster learning and inspire children to read. But what was radical about this little book at the time of publication (and what makes it still compelling today) is Seuss's departure from the traditionally dull pictures and sentences used in reading primers. In contrast, the illustrations here are wild and wonderful, and the accompanying language, while simple, is delightfully silly. For example, the rhyme "THREE TREE / Three fish in a tree / Fish in a tree? / How can that be?" is brought to life with a trio of plump, self-satisfied fish perched atop globular branches as two stymied hybrid dog-rabbit-humanoids look on in consternation. Hop on Pop does much more than teach children the basics of word construction, it also introduces them to the incomparable pleasure of reading a book. (Ages Baby to Preschooler)

Are You My Mother? by P. D. Eastman Ages 3-7

Amazon.comThis is the classic from which many of our staff first learned to read, starting us on a path of unremitting bibliophilia. Are You My Mother? follows a confused baby bird who's been denied the experience of imprinting as he asks cows, planes, and steam shovels the Big Question. In the end he is happily reunited with his maternal parent in a glorious moment of recognition. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle Ages 3-7

Amazon.comWith its lovely, humorous illustrations and wonderful narrative about a hungry caterpillar growing up to be a beautiful butterfly, Eric Carle's story touches anyone who still has some growing to do. Along with reassuring repetition--"He was still hungry ..."--the book includes some wonderful interactive moments: what youngster can resist sticking a finger through that hole in the page as his ravenous friend makes his way through various delicacies? --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Guess How Much I Love You? by Sam Bratney and Anita Jeram

From Publishers WeeklyFresh as a fiddlehead fern in spring, this beguiling bedtime tale features a pip of a young rabbit and his indulgent parent. Searching for words to tell his dad how much he loves him (and to put off bedtime just an eentsy bit longer), Little Nutbrown Hare comes up with one example after another ("I love you as high as I can hop!"), only to have Big Nutbrown Hare continually up the ante. Finally, on the edge of sleep, he comes up with a showstopper: "I love you right up to the moon." (Dad does top this declaration too, but only after his little bunny falls asleep.) Effused with tenderness, McBratney's wise, endearing and droll story is enriched by the near-monochromatic backdrop of Jeram's pen-and-wash artwork, rendered earthy tones of moss, soft brown and gray for a visually quieting effect just right for that last soothing tale before sleep. Ages 3-up. Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition

Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton Ages 3-6

From School Library JournalKindergarten-Grade 3 - Author/illustrator Virginia Lee Burton's classic tale comes to life in this jubilant orchestral rendition. Composer and conductor Stephen Simon makes use of strings, brass, winds, and percussion in the telling of the tale, but no other instrument is used as effectively as the Irish bagpipes that present Mike's theme. Narrated by Yadu, this production faithfully follows the story of Mike Mulligan and his steam shovel, Mary Ann, as they prove their worth in the face of new technology. The 18-minute story appears twice on the CD - at the beginning and then again following segments that provide background information on the story, the author, and the composer's various musical techniques. There's also a vocal performance by opera singer James Shaffran of Mike Mulligan's theme song, a jazzy, infectious tune that will have kids singing along. Burton's story still strikes a chord despite its 1939 copyright, and Simon's joyful orchestration is sure to win new fans. - Kathleen Kelly MacMillan, Maryland School for the Deaf, Columbia Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.



Bats at the Beach by Brian Lies Ages 4-8

From School Library JournalPreSchool-Grade 3–This is the quintessential book about going to the beach complete with overflowing picnic baskets, kite flying, singing around the campfire, and scratchy sand in places where no sand should be. Kids will certainly identify with the exuberant and familiar fun, but what will get them howling is the fact that the characters are bats that are visiting the beach in the moonlight. The rhyming text is grounded in reality with many inventive twists to keep the imagination rolling. There is moon-tan lotion, salted 'skeeters, and bat kites. Where the book truly soars is in the dark yet luminescent art where bat wings glow in the light of the full moon and the sky is a steely blue. The faces on the bats are furry and friendly. These creatures use cocktail umbrellas for beach umbrellas; they hold wing-boat races in red-and-white checked food containers; and when it's time for a late-night snack, they enter the ice-cream shack where a lit light bulb attracts a multitude of succulent bugs. Readers may not be tempted to try marshmallows with bug legs and gossamer wings but that won't keep them from reveling in this grand adventure.–Martha Topol, Traverse Area District Library, Traverse City, MI Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

How I became a Pirate by Melinda Long Ages 4-8

From School Library JournalPreSchool-Grade 3-Long has selected an irresistible combination for this age group-pirates and soccer. Jeremy Jacob is building a sand castle when a pirate ship lands nearby. His parents are preoccupied with other chores, so he takes off for an adventure on the high seas to help the men bury their treasure chest. He learns that buccaneers don't bother with manners or bedtimes, which is just fine with him, but it also means no bedtime stories or being tucked in. He tries to teach the pirates to play soccer, at least until the ball gets swallowed by a shark. When a storm hits, forcing the crew to return to shore, Jeremy solves the dilemma of where to bury the treasure-in his own backyard. He even makes it home in time for soccer practice. Paired with Shannon's energetic acrylics of a colorful crew of pop-eyed, snaggly toothed pirates seen from a variety of zany viewpoints (including upside down) and a small boy who is clearly having the time of his life, this rollicking adventure is sure to be a favorite with the storytime crowd.Laurie Edwards, West Shore School District, Camp Hill, PACopyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Not a Box by Melinda Long Ages 4-7

From School Library JournalPreSchool-Grade 1—In bold, unornamented line drawings of a rabbit and a box, the author-illustrator offers a paean to the time-honored imaginative play of young children who can turn a cardboard box into whatever their creativity can conjure. Through a series of paired questions and answers, the rabbit is queried about why he is sitting in, standing on, spraying, or wearing a box. Each time, he insists, "It's not a box!" and the opposite page reveals the many things a small child's pretending can make of one: a race car, a mountain, a burning building, a robot. One important caveat: the younger end of the intended audience is both literal and concrete in their approach to this material. The box itself, drawn as a one-dimensional rectangle, will be perceived by preschoolers to be flat and not readily understood as three-dimensional. Furthermore, those children are likely to interpret the "box's" transformation to be "magic," while five- and six-year-olds are able to make the cognitive conversion from flat rectangle to three-dimensional box and to understand that the transformation has been made by the rabbit's own imagination. Both audiences will enjoy the participatory aspect of identifying each of the rabbit's new inventions. Knowledgeable adults will bring along a large box to aid in understanding and to encourage even more ideas and play.—Kate McClelland, Perrot Memorial Library, Old Greenwich, CT

The Kiss that Missed by David Melling Ages 4-7

From School Library JournalPreSchool-Grade 2-A busy king hurriedly blows his son a goodnight kiss from the hallway, but it misses its target. Being a royal smooch with enchanting powers, it flies off on an adventure through a dark forest full of wild animals and is hotly pursued by a not-so-gallant young knight, who eventually finds himself face to face with an enormous dragon. However, the magical quality of the kiss tames even the wildest of creatures and when the shivering boy fears his demise, he is kissed rather than fried to a crisp. The knight catches the kiss and brings it safely home. Readers will find both the text and the playful, color, cartoon illustrations amusing. Melling captures great expressions in his caricatures of the bewildered prince, the terrified knight and horse, and the gleeful royal family when the kiss is returned. The tale is refreshingly original and relevant, showing a busy family full of love.Be Astengo, Alachua County Library, Gainesville, FLCopyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Fancy Nancy by Jane O’Connor and Robin Preiss Glasser Ages 4-8

From School Library JournalPreSchool-K–Young Nancy, like her literary predecessors Eloise and Olivia, is a glamour queen dropped into a boring world–Nobody in my family is fancy at all. They never even ask for sprinkles. She determines to rescue her relatives from their humdrum existence by giving them lessons and accessorizing their mundane wardrobes. A situation that is charming when observed by adults in real life doesnt translate into a successful picture book. Children pretending to be fabulous creatures is appealing when it is innocent and unforced. This book, despite Glassers wonderfully energetic artwork, is ultimately a story told by adults for adults.–Kathleen Whalin, York Public Library, ME Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Olivia by Ian Falconer Ages 4-8

From Publishers WeeklyCome one, come all for this extraordinary debut for both Falconer and his unforgettable porcine heroine. The author/artist begins this day-in-the-life tale with a kind of behind-the-scenes peek at Olivia. Articles from her wardrobe are strewn across the endpapers-red tights, red sunglasses, a red T-shirt and red tank top-until the title page reveals her selection: a red sailor dress with black-and-white striped tights. "This is Olivia./ She is good at lots of things," the narrator begins, like an emcee introducing the star of the show. The genius of the volume is its economy: the brief text brilliantly plays off the artwork, rendered only in shades of red and black with an occasional background setting; a deceptively simple design unifies each spread. For one such spread, demonstrating "She is very good at wearing people out," Falconer shows Olivia engaged in a variety of activities in 13 black-and-white vignettes, using red sparingly-for a hammer handle, a yo-yo, a ball, a mixing bowl spatula and a jump rope-as she progresses from energetic to spent. Against a completely white background, these vignettes seem to bob on invisible undulating waves, with the intermittent splashes of red creating a sense of movement and urgency-until Olivia's collapse at the lower right-hand corner of the spread beneath a single line of text ("She even wears herself out"). The few full scenes amplify the deadpan humor: a beach setting allows for the full impact of Olivia's spectacular sandcastle model of the Empire State Building; a full-bleed black-and-white image of a tutu- and tiara-clad Olivia bowing to unseen fans answers the narrator's question "What could she be thinking?" as she stares at her favorite painting, featuring Degas's ballerinas, in a museum. Whether in full scenes or vignettes, Falconer keeps the focus on his inimitable protagonist. He clearly understands his audience: a standout spread shows Olivia getting dressed in her red-only wardrobe ("She has to try on everything") in 17 separate fashion poses. Falconer's choice to suggest Olivia with a minimum of details and a masterful black line allows readers to really identify with her-no doubt, they will. There's a little bit of Olivia in everyone. Ages 3-7. (Oct.) Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.


I have many more to offer, but these are a few to get you started. We keep the books in milk crates on the floor in a corner where they are out of the way but easily accessible to the children. Truthfully, I can hardly wait until Jack, almost 8 months, is ready to hunker down and start reading. Presently he is eating a fuzzy book about a duck; I guess I could say he is really getting his teeth into it!

Tip #6: Begin reading to your grandchildren as soon as they are able to sit up and attend for even a short time, usually around 7-10 months.

On equipment needs:

You can go crazy buying “things” you think you or they need, so my suggestion is that you think carefully about what you truly need, ask other grandparents what they have found to be most necessary/helpful, and remember that whatever you buy/build/borrow, you have to store!

My sister-in-law gave us a little canvas rocker with her son’s name embroidered onto the back. A friend stopped by and saw it on the porch and asked, “Who had another child while I wasn’t paying attention?” When you have 9 grandchildren in 10 years, I suppose it could happen…..
Anyhow, they all love to sit in this chair, even though the name doesn’t belong to any of them, and even though the older ones can no longer physically fit into it. Someone else gave us a little wooden rocker, and usually it is a first come, first served basis if they are gathering to watch t.v. Of course, there have been arguments, and we take turns, draw straws, or just simply distract. Our recliners can hold two small bodies each, and we keep soft fleece blankets or throws handy for curling up on the sofas.

One particularly useful purchase is either a booster seat, or a portable high chair that actually sits on the floor. It has a tray, and a base seat, but no legs. When the child is older, the tray can be removed and the seat placed on a regular chair. Places like K-Mart and Wal-Mart have these reasonably priced, or you can try yard sales. Be sure to clean thoroughly if you are buying previously owned goods.

As you can see in the pictures above, a small table and chairs set holds the smaller high chair graduates, and a wading pool is lots of fun for those unable to go in the larger pool unattended. No matter how many seats you have, someone will always want what someone else has, so you will need to develop strategies for resolving these conflicts. When more than one family is present, it can get sticky, trying to arbitrate who had it first, who has it next, who wrested it away from whom and how an injury occurred. You are not the sole judge and jury, even in your own domain (especially if the real parents are present!), so don’t expect that your word or method will be taken as law. If you can anticipate difficulties and produce a system for sharing, that might help.

Unless you are going to have children with you regularly, you may not need to purchase a stroller. We have our own children bring it with them whenever we have them overnight, or even for a whole day if we plan to walk to playgrounds or the library. We keep one of the old "umbrollers" in the garage for emergencies, and somewhere along the way we acquired a single seater which has sufficed on the rare occasions when we have had only one child.

Children like to know boundaries. Then they also like to expand them, or see how flexible they are. Some parenting philosophies today espouse not using the word “no”. Some believe it is damaging to psyches, or self-esteem, or maybe it's growth patterns. Be sure if you say it, to keep your volume down and your tone modulated, otherwise you will be in trouble for “yelling”. I often err here, so do as I say, not as I am wont to do!

Aside from the bikes, other riding “things” and helmets mentioned in an earlier blog, things we have found helpful to have are a port-a-crib (or regular one, if you have the room), at least one large storage bin for toys, a place for craft/art supplies, a high chair, some type of “bouncy” seat in which to place an infant who has become somewhat mobile and needs containment if he/she is to be left alone even for a moment, tub toys (to be addressed in a future posting), a sprinkler and/or wading pool, and folding gate or some barrier to block dangerous stairs or even single steps down. We keep a few diapers of every size, a small tube of cream, a small package of wipes, several “sippy” cups, a spare pacifier (binky, plug) or two (best to see what kind is being used as they have proliferated like floss, and infants used to one type could reject your replacement, resulting in an inconsolable, sobbing baby). We have Arrowroot cookies, small containers of applesauce and juice boxes. A future posting will deal more specifically with other foods and other food strategies.

For outside, in addition to bubbles, we have a red wagon for touring the neighborhood or weary toddlers on Halloween night, sidewalk chalk for drawing on the driveways and hopscotch, batons for marching parades, jump ropes, balls for all kinds of games (soccer, catch, etc.), badminton rackets and birdies for just battin’ around, and some large, durable trucks for play in the grass. Paddles with elasticized balls and yo yos can be challenging. Almost all of these things can be purchased inexpensively at bargain stores or yard sales. We buy the bubble mix in huge containers, or you can go online and find a recipe for one to make at home.

The kids love to play with empty boxes, pots and pans and stainless steel bowls, tablecloths over card tables or dining room or kitchen table, two chairs pushed together to make a space ship or boat, and dozens of other things you have around the house. You may have to show them once or twice how to build a fort or adapt a piece of furniture so it becomes a castle or dungeon or impenetrable fortress, but they will quickly catch on. Be sure to have your camera armed and poised, because these moments provide some of the best shots you will ever get.

Tip #5: Even keeping equipment to a minimum requires creative forethought as to both selection, storage and self-control The one thing that seriously constrains what I acquire is knowing that I then have to find a place for it. I learned this the hard way, so let me have learned it for you!