Urban Picture Books: Little Tree

Buying a Christmas Tree in the city is a much different experience than in the country. We don't head out to the farm with a saw, or even to a large lot. Instead, there are small vendors dotting the sidewalk. For the past few Christmases, we could literally walk across the street for our tree (although we like the vendor at the farmer's market)!

I was delighted to discover Chris Raschka's Little Tree. Based on a poem by e.e. cummings, Raschka's book follows the journey of a Christmas tree from forest to sidewalk to apartment. Along the way, the little tree rides a train, a taxi and an elevator, all the way followed by a very special guardian(you'll have to read it to find out!). Raschka is a master of melodic storytelling and this book is no exception. I have long been a fan of Raschka's art and his illustrations deserve a long look. The geometric design charmingly is reminiscent of stained glass and reflects the patchwork experience of forest and city alike.

It looks like this book is out of print, but you may be able to find a copy in the library or a used copy on line. It is definitely worth checking out.

Retroactive

Happy Birthday to me.

Is it normal to feel 17 even though you are 37 and have 2 kids?

State of the Trains (Transportation Tuesday)

Obsessed with trains? Can't get enough of the states?
Allow me to introduce The Train of States
Complete with trains! states! facts! dates! and birds (looks like we'll be doing some bird-themed activities soon).

Unplugged Project: Thanks

The theme of this week's Unplugged Project is Thanks. While I didn't plan the following activities to actually be an unplugged project, when were were engaged in them, we gave thanks that we have enough to eat and more than enough stuff with which to play and learn. I look forward to making these an annual tradition with Kiddo (and New Kid).
At the farmer's market this Saturday, City Harvest was asking shoppers to "Buy a Bag." They give you a bag and you fill it with produce so that a family can have fresh food this Thanksgiving. Kiddo found that lifting the full bag was quite challenging: fall produce is heavy! City Harvest "rescues" edible food that would otherwise be discarded from restaurants and markets in order to help feed the city's hungry population.

I found out about Operation Christmas Child from Julie's blog and lo and behold there was a drop off location in our neighborhood! At first I wasn't sure that Kiddo would really get what we were doing, but then he started telling the store clerks we were buying the stuff for other kids who "don't have moms and dads." That was a variation of how I told him they were for kids who "have moms and dads who can't buy them presents." Kiddo was obsessed with the gum I decided to buy for the box. He kept telling me that "the kid will love the gum." It must have been confusing for him because in the past I have spewed vitriol about the evils of gum. Personally, I find gum one of the more obnoxious habits. Once I was sitting across from this woman on the subway who did not close her mouth once while chewing. I wanted to scream, "Close your mouth! You sound and look like a cow! Euw! Euw! Euw!" It was probably a good thing I kept my mouth shut. I hope I haven't offended anyone.

Weekend Bonus Post of Random Tidbits

In case you care, here are some tidbits I have been thinking about and haven't blogged for various reasons.

1. I am planning on decorating my Christmas tree entirely with compostable or recyclable decorations. More on that in a later post.

2. I know a lot of homeschoolers read this blog and I love to read homeschool blogs, but in fact, Kiddo started school this year. His first leaf on his thankful tree was "school!" The second was "the school bus!" Why am I not a homeschooling mom? I am a firm believer in my own sanity. Although you could certainly call all moms homeschooling moms.

3. I am loving the blog eensies. Lots of easy-to-implement educational tidbits.

4. I am really into pies right now. I think I should give up sugar.

5. I rarely buy books. Not only am I cheap frugal but I have no space to keep them. (I have been known to renew library books continually for a year!) However, I recently ordered Crafting Fun: 101 Things to Make and Do with Kids from the local independent bookstore. Look for more posts on this in the future. And yes, I checked, but the library doesn't have it.

6. I love that we took the TV out of the living room and put it in the "spare" (though how you can have a spare room when you only have 3 is complex) room. Now no one wants to watch it.

7. I've been unhappy with my blog's look for a while. I know I could figure out how to fix it but I am not HTML-savvy enough to be able to do it quickly and I really don't want to move all my posts to a new platform. No time! No time!

8. In a completely random tidbit: Jon Stewart's research team is awesome.

Marking it Up

Kiddo's markers have been running a bit dry lately. Usually I would let them run all the way out before getting new ones, but on the way home I passed the oh-so-tempting neighborhood art store and stopped in to get a new box because I knew it would buy me at least a half an hour of peace and quiet.

I was right about the peace and quiet but after buying them I started thinking about markers and their environmental impact. So much plastic just to end up in the landfill or the ocean. Ugh. And I don't even want to think about all the chemicals which spew out during the manufacturing process.

Is there a good alternative, or do we just switch over to crayons (which you can recycle, btw, or find soy and beeswax varieties) and colored pencils? A quick google search found this regarding reusing markers (so at least they will last longer before going to the landfill), but it is a less than satisfying solution. I'm sure there are good eco-friendly (a loose term, to be sure) art supplies out there. Any recommendations?

Sneak a Peek

Originally this blog was about ways to get my kid to give me a short break. With New Kid I am once again finding myself in the position of "how can I get my kid to let me go to the bathroom?" It's not easy, people! I can usually steal a moment or two if I give him the Slide and Peek! book. He loves to move the slide and, of course, the studied look on his face is so adorable I almost forget I have to pee.

Peter and the Wolf for the PreK Set

We had a great trip into Manhattan on Sunday to see In The Wing's production of Peter and the Wolf (with Brian Blessed!) at the New Victory Theater. The New Victory is now 3 for 3 (see here and here). The first act of this terrific production was a new prequel to the story in which Peter and and his classmates visit the woods and Peter meets the animals for the first time. While I liked this innovation, Kiddo's reaction to the original 1936 music and story in second act only served to confirmed why Prokofiev's piece is such an appealing classic.

Before the show started we had a snack in one of the new pedestrian zones in Times Square. I love that people can now sit in the middle of it all. Afterward we had sandwiches at our favorite après-theatre sandwich place and watched the ice skaters in Bryant Park. New York is Awesome.

But back to Peter. Kiddo was no stranger to Peter and the Wolf, but to prepare for the show we not only listed to the music, but we read a fun Peter and the Wolf Pop-up Book as well as Chris Raschka's fantastic book Peter and the Wolf. The text of this book perfectly conveys the rhythm and musicality of each character as well as placing the action of the story on a stage. I recommend reading this book after you have introduced the music to your kids to get the most out of it.

I'm curious, have you seen this production? Have you seen other stage versions of Peter and the Wolf? I am hoping we can make Peter and his friends a regular holiday season tradition.

Kiddo playing the take home memory match game provided by the theater:

My Little Alarm Clock

The time is 6:15 am.

"Mom! Mom! I have a booger on my finger! I have a booger on my finger!"

Unfortunately, my snooze button has been broken for nearly 5 years.

Skip Counting

I like manipulatives that I can either compost or repurpose. Pennies, of course, fit the bill. I cut little squares for skip counting by 5s and Kiddo counted out the pennies. Being the number-lover that he is, this was great fun for him. He also did variations, such as taking away the 5s and counting by tens. He wanted me to ask him math questions (I know, he's weird), so I asked things like "If you had two groups of 10 and added 1 more group of 10, how many would you have?" etc. This went on for quite a while... but he also just liked playing with the pennies by himself, too.

Required Reading:
Leaping Lizards (MathStart 1)
How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin?