Spring Break and Easter Vacation 2016

Alyssa was sick during her Spring Break. She didn't really get to do much. She slept a lot and dealt with her symptoms with a good spirited heart. Thankfully, her Aunt Sammie and Uncle Hans were in Texas to help me cheer her up. Poor thing was suffering from allergy and asthma issues. She also had a slight earache and a small case of pneumonia. She had fevers throughout the entire week. It scared me to death, but finally she recovered shortly after her doctor's visit. She did NOT want me to take a picture of her while being sick. She'll probably be upset that I posted this photo so shhhhhhhhh!!!!! Don't tell.  

My daughter was with her father Easter weekend, but we still celebrated that night when she got home around 6pm. :) We squeezed in as much as we possibly could before she went to bed. We did our Christian Easter traditions before she left.

This is our first year living in this house and boyeeee is it cluttered right now. I had a difficult time finding a place to hide her basket. Every nook and cranny has something stored in it. I eventually found room to hide it in the hallway closet. We played the "Hot and Cold" game while she searched for her basket. She looks like a happy camper!

She's been asking for a Hoover Ball for months now. I couldn't find a purple one, but pink was the next best color for my baby girl. She LOVES this thing! However, I think it should be called the Glider Ball. It doesn't really hoover; it glides across the tile and carpeted floors. She used this ball during her school breaks this week and in the evenings. It definitely got her up and moving more. :)

Indoor Hoover Ball

I usually fill her Easter basket with a new outfit and several Christian-related gifts. This year it was a mixture of secular and Christian items due to last minute planning. I wanted her to have a few gifts that would keep her active during the day. I also wanted quiet time items such as a book, a Bible devotional, Beado crafts, and a movie. I picked out her favorite candy and bought her a new Spring dress. She received two Disney Descendent gifts that brought a huge smile to her face. This girl is a fan of the movie and music. I was going to give her them at Christmas, but I just couldn't wait! It was worth it!   

Basket Goodies

Spring Twirly Dress

We also did two indoor egg hunts this year! The eggs were filled with change and candy (mostly chocolate and jellybeans).

Well, I hope you all had a Happy Easter and Spring Break. Thank you for visiting A Learning Journey! 

Springing into Spring!

Living in New York City and working with kids, I happen to have a real mix of kids who celebrate different holidays.  Since I grew up in a home that celebrates Easter, I happen to have more ideas on how to incorporate Easter themed activities into my sessions with the kids who also celebrate.  As I have lived here longer, I have had to come up with ways to make all my activities work for all kids.  If you read my blog regularly, you know that I love the holidays and how they allow for some creativity and change in my routine during my sessions.  Not only is it good for me to have new things to do, it's really good for the kids I work with.  They are so motivated by a totally new activity and makes them work harder during our sessions. Additionally, they love being able to do things that they can take home and share with their parents, siblings, friends, etc..

Here are a few of the things I will be pulling out this week.  For some kids, the activities will be Easter related and for others, it will be to celebrate the arrival of Spring.

Eggercise Hunt-one of the kids I work with has a thing for plastic eggs.  When he does a great job with something that is especially challenging for him, his mother rewards him with a surprise egg.  When looking in the stores this week, I saw the plastic eggs and was trying to think of a way to use them in my sessions.  After a little while, I decided that I would have a bit of an egg hunt with them at the gym.  I have 12 eggs and in each egg I have an activity hidden inside: 12 fine motor activities and 12 gross motor activities.  I have a feeling that the kids will have so much fun looking for the hidden eggs that they won't even realize that they are working.

Pompom Art-one of the things my kids love the most is when they get to take something home to share with their parents.  I try and do things that can be done quickly in the beginning of a session and hopefully be dried in time for them to take it home with them.  If not dried, I always take a picture of the child with their project and send it to their parents and then they can take it home with them the next time.  This week, I will be letting kids choose between an Easter egg or a spring flower picture that they get to paint with pompoms.  I like to have the kids paint with the pompom attached to a clothespin so they can have more control of what they are doing.  It is also a great way to work on encouraging an appropriate grasp on a writing instrument.  This activity is also great for working on improving eye-hand coordination, visual motor and visual perceptual skills.  I like to use washable paint or ink pads for this activity as the colors tend to pop more and obviously, they clean off of little fingers, clothes and tables easily!

Cupcake Liner Flowers-this is something I have seen done a bunch of times but haven't really tried until now.  Using large muffin or cupcake liners, you can have kids practice cutting and coloring.  I like to give the kids I work with broken crayons to color with as it encourages a more appropriate writing grasp.  You can also find little stickers to decorate the flower with which is a great way to work on improving grasping skills.  If you want to add a challenge, get coffee filters and have your kids color them and then cut out the petals. It means coloring a larger surface and having to practice cutting a little more. Once colored and cut, you can add a stem using a pipe cleaner.

Fingerprint Art-nothing says spring to me more than flowers, chicks and bunnies.  Many of the kids I work with don't have the skills to draw these things so I have to find ways to simplify it for them.  I've always been a fan of Ed Emberley....as a matter of fact, I wrote about one of his newer books Gumdrops, a few weeks ago. Using fingerprints and drawing a few simple lines, kids can have more success with drawing.  If you celebrate Easter, you can make bunnies and chicks all over a piece of paper and make a card saying "Hoppy Easter".  If you don't celebrate, you can have the kids make a spring themed card using all the same animals.  One of the nice things about this particular craft is that it can be finished quickly so it can be taken home that same day.  For my older kids, I have them fill out the card so they can practice writing at the same time.

With  many of the kids I work with on vacation this week, parents are looking for things to do with their kids to keep them busy.  All of the activities I have suggested are easy to complete at home with a bunch of friends or with siblings.  If you happen to be near a Target this week, you should check out their bargain bins....you would be surprised by you can find for a steal.  I picked up a few really cute spring stamps that will be a big hit with the kids this week.

Do you have any fun crafts or activities that you do with your kids?  Ones that don't require a lot of supplies or take too much time to complete?  I would love to hear from you if you have anything I should add to my sessions this week.  I am always a click away and love hearing from each of you!

Happy Spring!

BookLook Blogger Review: Parable Treasury by Liz Curtis Higgs

The most recent book we reviewed as part of the BookLook Blogger Review Team was titled, The Parable Treasury written by Liz Curtis Higgs. The book was published by Tommy Nelson. 

About the Author
Liz Curtis Higgs is the award-winning speaker who wrote twenty-eight books, including Bad Girls of the Bible and Thorn in My Heart. Her parable series for children has been awarded the ECPA Gold Medallion for Excellence.

Book Description (Taken from the Website)

With more than 1.1 million units sold in the Parable Series, Liz Curtis Higgs has given parents and kids alike beloved parables they can read throughout the year. This adorable compilation, Parable Treasury, allows families to get all their favorite stories in one value-packed book. For nearly twenty years, Liz Curtis Higgs has made the holidays a little brighter throughout the year with her bestselling Parable Series. In a lovely hardcover format, the Gold Medallion–winning books from the Parable Series will include:

• The Pumpkin Patch Parable, which focuses on the harvest season and shows that we can let God’s love shine through us.
• The Pine Tree Parable, a heartwarming tale of the farmer and his family, who nurture tiny seedlings into fragrant Christmas trees.
• The Parable of the Lily, which helps children understand the power of grace and forgiveness and the true meaning of Easter.
• The Sunflower Parable, which helps children discover the value of planting seeds, not only in the ground but also in the hearts of those around us.

My Thoughts and Review

The Parable Treasury written by Liz Curtis Higgs is a children's book which compiles four fantastic full-length stories into one collection using a parable format. It is suitable for children between the ages of 4-8. The hardcover padded book contains 117-pages. Each story sets during a particular season or holiday. The high-quality beautiful illustrations are vibrantly colorful. These adorable illustrations will easily appeal to children and adults alike.

The "Table of Contents" at the beginning of the treasury lists the title of and page number for each story. A "Letter to Parents" follows. Each story begins with a page dedicated to the title of the story being told. The author chose an easy to read format which utilizes a larger print throughout the stories and an italicized font for referenced Scriptures noted at the bottom of each page in oval shaped boxes.

Liz Curtis Higgs integrated and weaved related Biblical Scripture into the story which clarified meaning and added to the story plot helping children make deeper connections to the story. The spiritual, thoughtful messages will guide children to discover valuable moral lessons and virtues based on God's Word. The author prayed over and carefully selected each verse. I love that she shared the stories with her family first and then made them available to the world.

We immediately started reading the Pine Tree Parable which quickly became a family favorite in our home. It teaches children to give and serve others which glorifies God. This was the first time we read this story and it had such huge impact on my daughter. She decided that she wanted to give something special to someone in need. We also discussed each story and its important messages as we read it aloud. The heartfelt stories captured her attention so much so that she insisted on reading the entire treasury in one sitting. The stories are not too long or too short.

My daughter and I enjoyed reading every single parable in this treasury. The book contains truthful messages based on Scripture with eye-catching illustrations you are sure to love. We will definitely read the Pine Tree Parable every Christmas to remind ourselves the importance of giving selflessly. I can't wait to reread The Parable of the Lily during the Easter season.

The Parable Treasury would make a great Easter Basket gift for any child! I highly recommend the Parable Treasury to all families with children between the ages of 4-8. It may become a classic bedtime book in your home and you can enjoy the Christian stories year after year. 

Price
Amazon  $11.22
Faith Gateway Store $14.99

Note: All prices are subject to change without notice.
*You can purchase the treasury book but you also have the option of purchasing each book separately in stores.

Disclaimer
I received a complimentary, free copy of this book from the publisher as part of the BookLook Blogger Review Gold Team Program in exchange for an honest review on my blog. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this information in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising." 

Eggcellent Crafting!

Easter is less than a week away.  I love Easter.  I'm not sure if it is knowing that Spring really has to be close if Easter is happening or if it's the candy or if it is the decorating of eggs that makes this one of my favorite holidays.  Actually, is is the candy...I've been hoarding Cadbury Mini Eggs since Valentine's Day was over.  But I really do love the other things about Easter too.  And I love having a reason to do some fun crafts and activities with the kids I work with.  Holiday weeks tend to mean that I have a week of very focused and organized activities set up.  Since many of the kids I work with don't celebrate Easter, I have backup activities that focus on Spring instead.  Here are a few of the things I will be doing with the kids I work with this week.

Fingerprint Bunnies and Chickens-I am a TOTAL sucker for any activity that involves fingerprints and Spring and Easter lend to this idea quite well.   When I think of spring, I think of bunnies, baby birds, chicks and other animals.  While the image I have shared shows these on eggs, this can be a spring related activity for those kids who don't celebrate Easter.  Fingerprint art is a quick and simple activity for kids of all ages.  It can be easily adapted to increase or decrease the expectations for whatever child is doing it.  For example, for your younger kids, you can have them do the very basic putting their fingers in the ink and pressing it on the paper and the grownups can add the details to the thumbprints.  As they kids get older, you can increase the expectations by asking them to add the details to the pictures.  For even older kids working on handwriting, you can have them make Happy Easter or Happy Spring cards for family and friends.  The best part about this project is that the supplies are minimal and that it takes a short amount of time to finish so the kids can take their picture or cards home with them right away.

Jelly Bean Sorting Game-as I have already mentioned, one of the things I love most about Easter is the candy.  I know that is what makes it a favorite holiday for a lot of the kids in my life.  So, why not make it into a fun learning opportunity?  This jelly bean sorting game is easy and can be easily adapted for kids of all ages.  Minimal supplies needed:  a bag of colorful jelly beans, plastic eggs, an empty egg carton and a pair of child friendly chopsticks (my favorite are the Zoo Sticks by Hog Wild).
For younger kids, place how ever many colored eggs into the carton that you want them to sort.  Put a bowl full of the same colored jelly beans in front of them and have them sort the jelly beans into the proper color.  Encourage them to use a pincer grip to pick up the jelly beans.  For older kids, add more colors and instead of using their hands to put the jelly beans in, have them use the chopsticks. By adding the chopsticks, you are working on increasing grasp strength and in-hand manipulation skills.  If you want to add an element to work on improving bilateral coordination, you can have them pull the plastic egg out of the carton with one hand and have them pick out all the like colored jelly beans with their other hand.  For an increased challenge, you can have the kids open up the eggs and hide a number inside and the kids have to put that number of jelly beans into the eggs.

Tissue Paper (scrap paper) Easter Egg/Tulip-again, another activity that can be easily turned into a spring project instead of an Easter one.  You can either have the outline of an egg or a tulip on a piece of thick white paper.  Have lots of small pieces of tissue paper in pastel colors available for the kids to choose from.  Depending on the skill set of a child, you can have them take the square pieces of tissue paper and place them the picture or have them scrunch them up into little balls (great for working on increasing grasp strength and manipulation skills) before placing them on the paper.  To work on improving grasping skills, you have have the kids use a paintbrush to put the glue on the paper (just a tip that you don't want them to paint the whole picture in but do small portions at a time in order to prevent the glue from drying).  For older kids, you can draw patterns on the eggs and have them use different colored tissue paper for each section.  This is a great activity for not only working on fine motor skills, but can work on color recognition, improving eye-hand coordination, biilateral coordination and focus and attentional skills.  One adaptation you can make to this activity is to use fun scraps of paper and have the kids tear them into pieces and then glue them onto the egg or flower template.

I have already tested these egg-celent activities out at work with the kids and they are all a big hit.  They are all simple, require few materials and can be finished during one therapy session which is a huge thing with the kids I work with.  They LOVE to be able to take their work home and show it off to their people.  

Do you have any great Easter or spring activities you love to do with the kids?  I'd love to hear from any of you with activities that you have found success with and that the kids have really loved?  Please share any ideas that you may have...I'm always a click away and love hearing from you all.

Review of The Easterville Miracle by Melody Carlson

I was sent the book titled, The Easterville Miracle, to review as part of the book review program through Broadman and Holman Publishing Group. I don't know about you, but I am always on the lookout for great holiday gift books. I search for Bible-centered books with age appropriate content. This book fits the bill. The Easterville Miracle is a 32-page children's hardcover book written by Melody Carlson that should definitely be considered as an Easter gift option. Another popular and well-loved Easter book written by this author is Benjamin's Box: The Story of the Resurrections Eggs.

Book Description (Taken from the Website)
When surrounded by brightly colored eggs, fuzzy chicks, and chocolate bunnies, it's easy to forget what Easter is truly about. It's no surprise that the villagers in Easterville have completely lost sight of the reason behind their celebrations. But when a curious boy visits a wise old man, they join forces to create a visual reminder that will show the townsfolk of Easterville the true meaning of Easter. Just as a little boy named Sam and an old man named Henry remind the town of Easterville, the best-selling author Melody Carlson reminds us as well that the true meaning of Easter is not Easter bonnets, baskets, colored eggs, candy, or decorations. It is the glorious story of a cross on a hill and an empty tomb, and the wonderful news of forgiveness that the Easter story brings us.

About the Author
Melody Carlson has written over 100 books covering a wide range of topics including those of serious nature to more light hearted topics. Click on the link above to learn more about the author and her books.

Price
Broadman and Holman Publishers $12.99
Christianbook $9.99
Amazon $11.15

Note: Prices are subject to change.

My Thoughts
I enjoy reading books to my daughter that emphasize the true meaning of Easter rather than simply focusing on Easter eggs and bunnies. I was ecstatic when I found out this book could be added to my collection of Easter books, because it does focus on the real reason for celebrating Easter.

The brightly colored cover invites the reader to open the book to Susan Reagan's sweet illustrations. The illustrations added meaning to the text. The illustrator made use of the space with full page illustrations. You could feel the confusion Sam felt through his words and the illustrations helped you see it on his face. The rhyming text of the story immediately captured the attention of my six-year-old daughter keeping her completely engaged in the story's plot. I often paused momentarily to give my daughter time to figure out the upcoming rhyming words.

The setting of the story occurs in a quaint town called Easterville, but unfortunately the townsfolk are having a difficult time remembering how and why the town was given that particular name. The Easter celebration became a huge event every year. The children dressed up for the occasion, colorful eggs were displayed, fluffy stuffed bunnies sat in storefront windows, delicious shaped chocolates stood in rows, and beautiful baskets adorned with bows were exhibited in the town stores. The townspeople believed they were in fact celebrating Easter the right way. For some reason, the holiday became more and more hectic over the years. Sam decided to seek help. He wanted to find an answer to the question he'd asked everyone he knew, "What is the point of Easter? The cause for all we do." He truly believed that there must be a reason for the things they did to mark the Easter season. An older woman tells him "Back when I was a little girl, it wasn't quite this way. It seems that something has been lost about this holiday." The woman suggests that Sam visit an older man named Henry who lives at the top of the hill. He feels reassured and makes the trip up the hill hoping to find answers.

Sam helps Henry create a plan to share the truth with the townspeople which in turn helps awaken their hearts and minds enabling them to see the truth once again. "And look at how it glistens just like diamonds in the sun!" I loved the descriptive language utilized which helps the reader visualize the image on the page.

I am not going to spoil the end by telling you what happens. You'll have to read the book to find out what the crowd of whispering townsfolk are talking about. What was Sam and Henry's plan?

Sam's strong desire to figure out the reason they celebrate Easter lead to the truth which left the townspeople eager to hear an unforgettable story year after year. I can relate to Sam's feelings, because many people in our society have truly forgotten why we actually celebrate Easter even though there's nothing wrong with bunnies and eggs. Commercialism has distracted us from focusing on Jesus. We don't eliminate the Easter egg hunts or Easter baskets from our traditions, but we do emphasize the "real" reason in many ways. We should celebrate Jesus, His sacrifice for us, and the forgiveness of our sins. Your children will learn about God's love, grace, and forgiveness. They will find out the purpose of Easter. My favorite part of the story is when Henry tells the story to Sam on page 20.

The book ends with a scripture reference to John 3:16 (NIV) stating "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." This familiar and appropriate verse was the perfect way to end the story, because it helps readers focus on the true meaning of Easter which was Jesus's resurrection and His sacrifice for our sins.

I recommend this book for children ages 4-8. It would make a great Easter basket gift or can be used as a read aloud. The book emphasizes the Christian perspective and reasons for celebrating Easter. I believe Christian readers will appreciate the message of the story. Sunday school and private school teachers will be pleased with this book. Home and private school educators can easily tie in religious Easter crafts to this story. The Easterville Miracle will help you shift the attention to the true meaning of Easter.

Disclaimer
I received a complimentary, free copy of this book from the publisher as part of the B and H Publishing Group Book Review Program in exchange for an honest, unbiased review on my blog. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this information in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."