A Model Father's Day With a Little Help From The Berenstain Bears

Holidays like Father's Day and Mother's Day can make mamas and papas a little tense. We want to make sure we properly honor our spouse and help our children do the same, but we're not always sure exactly how to go about it.

As with many of life's sticky situations, the Berenstain Bears books can be genuinely helpful - for both kids and adults.

For example, The Berenstain Bears and the Mama's Day Surprise turned out to be quite instructive this past Mother's Day. This has been a favorite book in our house for a couple years now, even when it's nowhere close to May.

Once Mother's Day drew near this year, the boys found new meaning in the book. Although they are old enough (age 5 and 3) to take an active role in preparing for these kinds of holidays, they still need ideas and direction. This book provided a realistic model for what kids (and dads) might do to make the mother of the house feel special.

So, with the Berenstain Bears as their guide, and their father as their leader, my sweet boys reenacted this story on Mother's Day. It was the best one I've ever had, and it turned out to be a meaningful day for all of us. ♥♥♥

With Father's Day approaching, I thought perhaps our beloved bears could work their magic again with The Berenstain Bears and the Papa's Day Surprise. I think we are well on our way. Big Brother is already working on his poem for his father, as modeled by Brother Bear and Sister Bear. I just hope he doesn't insist on getting him a "bearcalounger"!

If you haven't gotten into the Berenstain Bears books, give them a try. There's a book for just about any sort of problem you can imagine. One of the reasons I love these books is because they're focused on the whole family, not just the children. Mama Bear and Papa Bear usually have some sort of issue they have to work through, too. What a wonderful message to send kids... that we (hopefully) continue to grow and evolve into adulthood.  I also love all the positive messages about minimalism and healthy living, as I discussed in this article I wrote for Healthy Green and Frugal.

To find out what books other families are reading to their children, check out the link-up on Mouse Grows, Mouse Learns.

Trying New Foods With The Seven Silly Eaters

All mother's probably feel like short-order cooks from time to time, especially if they have super-picky sensory kids. Imagine if you had seven picky eaters to please?

The Seven Silly Eaters is a lighthearted, sentimental, and rhythmic picture book about just such a mother. This book has been a favorite at our house for several years. I love the way the family pulls together at the end to make
Mrs. Peters a pink and plump and perfect cake.

The illustrations are just as engaging and soulful as the story. We have another book illustrated by Marla Frazee by a different author that is equally good called New Baby Train.

One of the things I love most about books that mention food is the way they encourage my kids to try things they wouldn't otherwise touch with a ten foot poll. A few days ago, The Seven Silly Eaters inspired us to cook a fried egg and a poached egg. We had a little cooking lesson, and then tried something new!














For more ideas, check out this article I wrote for Healthy Green and Frugal - Use Books to Wet Your Child's Appetite for Healthy Food.

To find out what books other families are reading to their children, check out the link-up on Mouse Grows, Mouse Learns.

Calendar Time

We usually start our school day with calendar time using this bulletin board I pieced together from materials I had when I taught fifth grade.

Here's what our calendar time entails:

• Today is Friday.
• Tomorrow is Saturday.
• The weather is sunny.
• Today is Friday, October 1, 2010. 
• How do you say October in Spanish? Octubre
• The days of the week are....
• The days of the week in Spanish are....
• The season is Fall or Autumn

Calendar time has been good for us for the following reasons:

• A routine for transitioning into our school day.
• Practice with Spanish. I distinctly remember doing these types of recitations in my junior high Spanish class. It has stuck with me all these years.
• Awareness of weather. This carries on throughout the day. We are often going back and making changes to the board as the weather changes.
• Learning about days, weeks, months, and seasons.
• Reading skills.
• A fine-motor workout, since everything is stuck in with push pins.
• Provides an opportunity to discuss upcoming plans, birthdays, and holidays.

We are also learning this little rhyme. I was shocked that my husband had never heard it before he met me. Have you heard this one?

Thirty days has September
April, June and November
All the rest have 31
Except February, which has 28


OTHER RESOURCES FOR CALENDAR TIME

• Starfall. There's a fun calendar feature on this excellent educational website for kids.
• One Lighthouse, One Moon. A lovely children's book about days, months, and seasons. Our favorite part of this book is the little lighthouse cat Nini who appears on each page. This has been a well-loved book at our house. 
• The Little Island. We love this book for many reasons, including the poetic way it describes the changing seasons.  
• Old Bear.  A very simple and sweet story about a bear and the changing seasons. The illustrations are vibrant and beautiful.