How much good inside a day? Depends on how good you live 'em
How much love inside a friend? Depends on how much you give 'em. - Shel Silverstein

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Children's Audio Books

June is the Audio Book month, and now that it is at an end, I wanted to list a few of the recent audio books that have fascinated the kids - both the two- and five- year old - which is quite a difficult thing to manage.

This is not an exhaustive list or a top five of any kind. Just what we managed to get our hands on and thoroughly enjoyed. Having become their personal chauffeur, running Mom's Taxi Service, these audio books have come in very handy, not just to keep them occupied and quiet during commutes, but, to get them to share a common experience and discover/learn in the process, while being thoroughly entertained.

  1. The Fantastic Mr.Fox by Roald Dahl: We read the book a while back and then realized there is an audio version read by none other than Mr.Dahl himself. When I got my hands on it, I was more excited than the kids, naturally.

    "Mama, want yissen misto faax, peese", when strapping him in is itself music to my ears. And, after several repeat listens, when both Ana and Og go about yelling "dang and blast", "bang, bang... bang, bang, bang" imitating Mr.Dahl's attractive accent, while Ana teases Og calling him, "pot-bellied dwarf", and he goes along with it having no clue what that means, it seems like, overall, it is a hit.

  2. Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans, Puffin Storytime: Madeline needs no introduction. We read the first book a long time ago, then followed up with more Madeline stories. And, when I was looking to get French into the kids' vocabulary, Puffin Storytime's presentation of Madeline seemed like a perfect start.

    This seems quite suited for toddlers who are just beginning to unravel the intricacies of communication/speech - even Oggie picked up a few French words through this, plus some French kids' songs. The presentation is somewhat interactive, pausing appropriately for kids to respond to the narrators. The English and the French intermingling in the presentation is simple and charming.

  3. Jim Copp, Will You Tell me A Story?: Three Uncommonly Clever Tales: This is vintage storytelling, unconventional and irreverent, yet entertaining in a slightly uncomfortable sort of way for my PC-sensitive mind.

    When I read the book to Ana, I went about it in my usual way, and found that it didn't work well. The various fonts and word arrangement really called for something more creative. And when we listened to the audio CD, compiled from original recordings by Jim Copp in the 1950s and '60s, Ana and I were hooked, albeit in a weird sort of way.

    One has to listen to it to understand why it evokes mixed feelings, but leaves us smiling anyway. The various voices, including the kids' singing chorus, was painstakingly recorded by Jim Copp, and the notes on the back of the book explains how he did it. That in itself was inspiring and exhausting to read.

    The tag line is a bit misleading - the stories are clever in the way they were told, but not in the trickster's tales kind of way - just goofy and off-beat. Kate Higgins was Ana's favorite, and then Martha Matilda O'Toole (which I admit is quite cute), but the third one, Ms.Goggins, made me squirm a bit when I let the kids listen to it for the first time. Ana seems fine with it, no adverse emotion as I had expected it might evoke.

  4. Karadi Tales Audio Books: A whole host of titles by this enterprising company, introduced to me via Saffron tree, has become a recent hit with the kids.

    Lizard's Tail, Little Vinayak, The Monkey and the Crocodile, The Blue Jackal... they are all good. At least the ones we've read so far, which are about half a dozen.

    The read-along format and the musical interludes matches Madeline not only in production value but in kid appeal as well. The identifiably Indian music and accent, plus the few Indian words peppered throughout makes this a fun tool for the kids to pick up a few new words here and there, much like they did with Madeline's French words.

  5. arnold lobel owl at home children's book review audio CDArnold Lobel Collection: Having dedicated a post for this, nothing much to add here, except that it is a wonderful CD to engage even a toddler. Ana's and my favorite still remains Owl At home - stories about the sweet yet neurotic owl.

    I suspect Oggie doesn't quite get the whole story, any of the several stories there, but, the bits and pieces he snatches here and there seems to amuse and entertain him.

The trick is to space them out and not wear out their appeal. Once the novelty wears off, the CDs will be discarded from their short attention spans, but, with the many that we managed to borrow from the library and liked - Charlotte's Web, A Bear called Paddington, The Frogs Wore Red Suspenders - and the few that we didn't like - Giraffes Can't Dance, it seems like we have yet some time before we get tired of listening.

Labels: ,

The Big Hungry Bear

The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and The Big Hungry Bear / by Don and Audrey Wood

What's the only thing a little hungry mouse can do with a red ripe strawberry when a big hungry bear is expected any minute? Why, eat it, after sharing, of course!

And that is what he does in this sweet book with huge eye-catching illustrations inviting requiring the reader to participate and propel the narration forward.

The brilliance of it, to me, is that, left to its own devices, the mouse would have happily picked the strawberry and enjoyed it in its own leisure. But, us readers are obligated to play this sort of devil's advocate, egging the little Mouse on, leaving the threat of a (non-existent) Bear hanging, with the ulterior motive of getting a bite of that sweet juicy strawberry for ourselves.

The text is simple even if it has a few words that are possibly not part of a typical toddler vocabulary, but the pictures easily explain the meaning without me having to. The page showing the mouse and the strawberry in disguise never fails to elicit giggles every time we read it.

The mouse is incredibly adorable, and the strawberry seems like a mutant giant next to the tiny mouse who scrambles to keep it from Bear's hungry paws.

The book also talks about sharing. Of course, Bear is never in the pictures, even if he is in the picture. Just the anxiety of losing this ripe juicy meal to a large and strong Bear seems to drive the mouse as he tries to save the strawberry for himself. And, the relief and elation he feels in the end after having eaten it (and sharing half with the reader) is simply precious.

The illustrations are superb and imposing, and at the same time delightful and dreamy. Both my kids cannot turn the pages of this book in a hurry!

Labels: , ,

Monday, June 21, 2010

Kids Craft: Paper Cup Windsock

Kids Craft: Paper Cup Windsock

To kick off the summer holidays, we did a simple windsock craft project. There are several ideas on the web for this.

Items used: Paper cup, scissors, tissue papers, glue, tape, paints, string, embellishments like pom-poms, googly-eyes, feathers, glitter stickers if handy; else just junk mail/magazines for cutting out pictures, eyes with white paper and black marker and any interesting object for decorating the windsock, while keeping it light and flowing is good.

Kids Craft: Paper Cup WindsockThe picture is self-explanatory, I am sure. We glued easel paper to the paper cups and painted this with tempera paints in solid color to form the creature's 'face'. But, decorative Con-tact™ paper might work well if we don't want to paint and decorate a face.

Taping the long tissue paper strips along the edge is a two person job - a bit tough for little hands to manage on their own as I found out. It is easier if we can lay out a long piece of tape on the table, attach one end of the tissue strips leaving room on the tape to glue it on the paper cup.

The fun part is to create the features for the paper cup creature. We went with a generic monster-like face that is more friendly than scary, to keep it simple. But, it can as well be octopus or jelly fish or carp (koinobori).

We had two sizes of paper cups, rinsed and saved, which we used. But, there are several other options:
  • just sturdy cardstock paper rolled into a cone and glued well, with the pointy top cut off a bit, would work as well. With the paper cups, we had to cut out the bottom, of course, for the windsock to work.
  • toilet paper inner cardboard tube (or kitchen paper towel inner tube) would be fine - is cylindrical and handy
  • thick construction paper or card stock cut into circles or rings or strips and glued together can form a colorful top from which to hang strips of tissue or scrap fabric or even yarn
  • to get extra fancy, we can use the toilet paper inner cardboard tube or paper cup as the base and glue on shapes around it - like the classic Japanese carp fish - this is what we want to do next time
  • the same koinobori idea can be done with fabric, of course, or even just brown paper bags; paper or paper bag carp should be fun to paint using oil pastel resist technique which we love, and we can eliminate paper cups or cardboard tube for this and simply hang the paper carp... lots of possibilities...


Labels:

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Happy Father's Day!



One morning last week, Ana told me she had an idea for a project and she wanted to come back from school and do it that afternoon. Sure enough, she remembered and asked me to assemble the materials when we got home: needles with different colored threads, pin cushion, beads, paper, scissors, and pencil. I set them out on the table for her and went about my business.

When she was done, she declared it is the father's day card she made for Appa!



Of course, she is not clued in to keeping things a surprise till the appointed date, so, she proudly showed it to him when he came home that day :)

All that was left was to 'finish' the card - tape it on to a backing paper, add the words, some original art: the oil pastel+water color picture she painted is supposedly a birthday cake machine - it makes cakes for parties.

Then, with her help in gluing the mulberry paper and holding down ribbons and such, we made a small photo album: Just 2 pages, holding about 6 photos - 6 goofy and cute photos of the kids - to adorn D's desk.



A very simple project using: card stock paper for front and back cover, mulberry paper for pretty outer wrapper, glue, organdy ribbons. Accordion fold the mulberry paper for the pages of the album, glue it down. Can sew the spine, we just fastened with organdy ribbon.

When Oggie was at the book store with me last week, he helped pick out a book for Appa. All about tartans and clans. I am sure D will enjoy it better than me.

A simple brunch of home-garden steaming radish greens dal and brussel sprouts curry, served with plain hot basmati rice seemed just the thing for the soggy chill day. And, a nice warm cup of chai with Spinach & Napa cabbage Croquettes with fresh garden mint chutney hit the spot for an early afternoon snack. (Of course, D being D, he told the kids that the croquettes were fried turds. Ewwww indeed!)

Since Ana's heart was set on brushing the Alligator's teeth at the Children's Museum, we spent the afternoon there. Oggie loves to run wild at the Children's Museum, and I don't blame him. Poor guy spends way too much time with his Amma who engages him as best as she can, but, nothing compared to the activities that the Children's Museum provides. Since Dads get in free on Father's Day, seemed like a nice thing to do.

Of course, the day isn't complete for me unless I talk to my dad to tell him how wonderful he is. Phone lines being what they are, my heart sank a bit when I couldn't connect to my parents' home the first few tries... I could send email, but it is not the same as a conversation, albeit long distance. But I was glad to have been able to chat, even if briefly, thanks to Ana and Oggie screaming at each other and following me around while I am on the phone telling my dad in as sincere a way as possible how blessed I feel to be raised in a loving home. He dismissed it, saying he didn't do much for us, naturally.

With age comes the realization that all the spreading the wings and flying away to make a nest of one's own is rather over-rated. It feels terrible that the two greatest souls I can think of are far away, alone, and me doing what Nature intended with a heavy heart...

Labels: , ,

Friday, June 18, 2010

School's Out For Summer!


Another school year, lots of ups and downs, and Ana is bracing herself for the transition from regular school hours to no-schedule vacation days.

Unlike last year, she seems a little more aware and adjusted, as expected.

Not sure what we'll do over summer... last year we went to India for the full 3 months. I am staying home this summer to be with the kids - no work, possibly some play...

My childhood summers were very open-ended and lazy... and left to my own devices, I remember getting quite creative and trying my hand at cooking, sewing, arts/crafts. I visited my cousins and spent weeks with them in a different city, away from my own home. Leaves from the resident Ashoka tree got strung together with twine to make a perfectly great tribal skirt; leaves of the mango tree with some cardboard and staplers became the crown; a dupatta became the flowing cape/train fit for royalty. And I played alone most of the time but never felt alone. Just my personality, I guess.

None of the adults in the family fretted about keeping us entertained and occupied all the time. We had plenty of food, plenty of play time, practically zero television time, and we kept ourselves free of boredom somehow. And it was OK to sit out on the porch, sipping buttermilk or lemonade, watching the crows and sparrows, doing nothing... er, nothing visibly productive that is.

I wish the same for Ana.

However, the primary difference from my childhood is that even with nuclear family, there were always visitors dropping by, and extra-wonderful neighbors, I felt safe to play with the kids in my neighborhood, walk down to the neighborhood store to get a Popsicle, stay outdoors from sun-up to sun-down, when I knew I had to be home for the 'vilakketthal' - i.e., lighting of the oil lamps at twilight, a ritual my mom initiated me into, which signified the end of outdoor activities and quiet reflective time at home till dinner and bedtime.

Poor Ana does not get play-dates, no neighborhood kids her age to mingle with, has only little Oggie to bother/play-with, and looks to me for company and outings. Such is the reality we find ourselves in today.

My inner child fights with the responsible adult and gets thwarted when Ana invites me to play with her, citing authority reasons, not to mention monopoly of my attention in the face of Oggie's highly vocal demands, and the fact that age has successfully suffocated the little girl in me.

I don't plan to drill the kids much during the summer with specific structure and educational goals. After all, anything they do/explore can be educational at this age. And, if they don't get to be carefree now, when can they?

But I do hope I get to pack their memories with something worthwhile and sweet. I hope D can find some time to take us hiking/camping that we've always loved and enjoyed. With Mr.Golden Sun taking a vacation as well in our skies, it barely feels like summer, but, I am sure it'll all turn out as it should and we'll take what comes...

Labels: , ,

Thursday, June 10, 2010

How To Find Flower Fairies

How To Find Flower Fairies
Pop-up Novelty book
by Cicely Mary Barker


When Nana gave this huge volume to Ana for her birthday, the five year old just could not believe it. Here was book of her dreams!

"If you are walking by a tree, you may hear a sudden twittering of birds. This could be a warning signal to let the fairies know of your presence. Fairies do not like humans venturing too close to their homes, and their feathered friends know to alert them if we are nearby."

"Can you see any remnants of nutshells or berries on the ground? These are signs that a fairy feast has recently taken place."

With cute tid-bits like these, the book has kept the resident fairyphile absorbed and amazed for many hours, many days.

Just as the title promises, each page tells us how to find flower fairies In the Tree Tops, Forest Floor,  Garden, By the wayside, In the Marsh.

This huge book (approx. 10x12x2 inches), is packed with novelties - flaps, maps, pop-ups, pull-outs, plus huge paper structures that are absolutely magical and soothing. Most pages have the charming cursive writing which added to the appeal.

I must admit I love this book! The little details, the dainty illustrations, the gorgeous pop-ups all add up to a dreamy, enchanting experience.

[image source: photo of personal copy of the book]

Labels: , , , ,

Wednesday, June 09, 2010

Rose Festival Junior Parade 2010

Rose Festival Junior Parade 2010

Unlike last year, when Ana was a bit clueless, this year she couldn't wait for the Rose Festival Junior Parade. She was looking forward to it so much that I was desperately hoping for the weather to co-operate.

It was a stormy day with brief sun breaks. In fact, right when the kids were slated to assemble at the starting point, it poured and poured. Thankfully, the collective appeal must've reached the sky, for, a dry spell prevailed for the duration of the walk.

Ana's school got acknowledged/awarded for having the most bikes and scooters in the parade, or something like that. She walked around beating her little lollipop drum, face painted, wearing the "fairy skirt" I had made for her.

Much like last year, Ana's school supported and encouraged participation in the Rose Festival Junior Parade. The effort and enthusiasm of the fellow parents jolted me out of my inertia, and Ana's excitement helped me get into the spirit of things. I am not sure we'll make this a tradition but, as long as she wants to participate, it is only fair that we help her be in the parade rather than let the parade pass by.

Labels: , , ,

Monday, June 07, 2010

Blue Corn Grinding

Ana's School had a fantastic program last week, just for parents. Children worked hard and were quite thrilled to share their presentation with us. The three classes came up with a production each, in their own unique way.

One of the classes, with slightly older kids, managed to learn about Brainstorming, Storyboard, Characters, Costume-making and related aspects hands-on, which culminated in an original story being acted out for us in full splendor. Their teacher did a fantastic job, and it was clear the kids took pride and ownership in their presentation. It was a simple story set on the beach, with turtle, crab, whale, palm trees...

Another class taught us about The Water Cycle bringing to life the Rivers, Clouds, Sun and other entities, in their charming way. I was awe-struck at the children's enthusiasm and energy, which clearly reflected their teacher's.

Ana's class told us the tradition of Blue Corn Grinding by the Hopi Indian via a beautiful song with dramatic interludes. The farmers plant the blue corn, the sun blazes down, everything is dry; then come the rain showers making the corn plants grow green and tall; and finally the little ears of corn with their tassels waving above are ready to be harvested; the corn is then ground in a traditional mano and matate.

Much like the Ammikkal and Kuzhavi I grew up with, a matate (muh-taa-tay, as best as I can gather) is a large, usually flat, stone on which the corn/grains is placed. A mano is a smaller stone or rock which is rolled over the matate to break down the grains into a powder.

The Blue Corn Grinding Song evokes such wonderful feelings, it is hard to describe. And I admire her teacher for helping the students learn about the tradition, appreciate the song, and play the parts they felt comfortable with, to tell us the story.

The audio clip is not of the best quality. What with joy-filled parents murmuring their awe and restless little siblings calling out their names, the kids on stage probably felt overwhelmed. But here is a short clip anyway:



Ana was one of the 3 corn plants. Her role was to just lay down in prostrate position till swallows bring the rain clouds (played by Ana's spunky little friends), "Swallow tells glad news, bringing dark rain clouds"; then, slowly stand up tall as the plant grows when the song says "Green and tall the corn grows, green and tall the corn stands". Ana was in her own world, waving and dancing, pretending being a corn plant. And, her costume was terribly simple, as the idea was to hint at, rather than create a true likeness of a corn plant.

(Cropped and isolated Blue Corn Plant Ana)

As always, I was very impressed with Ana's teacher. She is a talented musician, a Montessori student taught by her Montessori mom, always enthusiastic about sharing the Montessori materials in her class with us. The Blue Corn Grinding Song is rare and precious and am so thrilled she brought it to us so beautifully that day with her children - especially since it has a special place in her heart as it was taught to her when she was little by her mother.




Labels: , , ,

Wednesday, June 02, 2010

The Story of Chopsticks, Noodles, Kites, Paper

story of chopsticks by Ying Chang Compestine book review Saffron treeThe Story of Chopsticks,
The Story of Noodles,
The Story of Kites,
The Story of Paper

by Ying Chang Compestine
illustrated by YongSheng Xuan

Ages 4-8

Chopsticks and Noodles, we easily associate with China. Kite? Maybe. Paper? Possibly, not readily. But, these four items did indeed originate in China and the author proceeds to tell us about it through an imaginative yet believable tale involving three young rambunctious boys of the Kang family.

Our introduction to the Kang boys starts with The Story of Chopsticks.

A long time ago, in a small village in China, lived the Kang family - Mama, Papa, and the three boys Pan, Ting and Kùai. In those days, people ate with their hands, no cutlery.

Poor Kùai never got to eat much as by the time the food was cool enough for him to handle, his older brothers have wolfed down a major share leaving him with scraps. Kùai had to find a quick and easy way to get the hot delicious food first or remain hungry.

The story goes that Kùai picked two small kindling sticks by the stove, used them as mini spears to jab into hot chicken legs and steaming sweet potatoes, and proceeded to eat them with relish not worrying about burning his fingers, while his family was still washing up for the meal.

Of course, this left my daughter wondering how the food didn't burn his mouth, but, this is a fanciful tale, so not everything has to fit our sense of reality.

It doesn't end there... this imaginative tale goes on to relate how the village wise man, Mr. Lee, got word of this new "Kùai zi" (KHWY-zzuh in Mandarin Chinese) or "quick sticks", declared it a useful invention, and proceeded to establish simple rules for using them properly. He then sent a report to the emperor, who, fortunately, liked eating with it. Before long, everybody in all parts of China wanted to use these "Kùai zi", and with traders substituting "chop" for "quick", we now have Chopsticks.

The story unfolds rather plainly. I found it rather wordy but my five-year-old enjoyed every bit of it.

What attracted me first was the illustrations: they have a stark, stained-glass-style feel, with bright colors and dark lines, making it hard to believe that it was all cut-paper collage work.

Author's Note at the back gives a brief history of Chopsticks and the proper way to use them, plus a recipe for Sweet Eight Treasures Rice Pudding, which I hope to try soon.

In The Story of Noodles, we meet the Kang boys again. This time, while helping their mom make rice dumplings for the annual cooking contest, they accidentally cut the dough into long strips. Rather than being horrified, the resourceful boys tell their mom that they've invented a new dish and proceed to show her how to roll these strips (aka Noodles) around the chopsticks and eat them.

Author's note mentions that Noodles originated in China and is considered an invention of the common people; from there Marco Polo introduced it to Italy; and from there it spread to the whole Western World.

Slurping noises are allowed when eating the noodles, the louder the noise, the more delicious the meal supposedly is. This fact amused my daughter who has been learning to eat as quietly as possible. Plus, there is also a recipe for Long-Life Noodles, at the back, which I have tried and must say is delicious.

story of paper by Ying Chang Compestine book review Saffron treeThe other two books in this series, The Story of Kites and The Story of Paper are along similar lines, with some brief history/facts/useful information at the back.

In The Story of Kites, the Kang boys try to find a way to scare the birds away from the rice fields without exerting themselves too much by making these elaborate and colorful kites. Among the few books we have read that speculate on the origin of kites, the story in this book seems lively and fun to read.

Since we've tried "making" paper at home, my daughter related very well to The Story of Paper: "Oh, so that's how the first paper was made!" she exclaimed after we read the book.

As usual, the Kang boys are credited with the invention of paper in the book: while not quite a serendipitous accident like the Noodles, their motivation to make something that their teacher could write on, and the resourcefulness to adapt available tools and techniques to produce results, make it an interesting tale.

While the facts are probably distorted in this presentation, the idea that each of these items that we take for granted today didn't exist until someone invented it, and the fact that they all originated in China, plus a plausible suggestion of how it might have come about seems to have impressed upon the five-year-old. And I like the simple way in which the books have managed to achieve this. All in all, a delightful, entertaining, and fairly instructive set of books with beautiful illustrations.

[cross posted at Saffron Tree]

Labels: , ,

Newer›  ‹Older