Facebook Friday

Cannot get this song out of my head.

Facebook Friday

Thanks Michelle….. me too.

Facebook Friday

I enjoyed this one! Thanks Reese.

Facebook Friday: Trolo

Thanks Sydney

* Facebook Friday : If I see it on Facebook and I think it’s worth sharing I will.

Facebook Friday

Thanks Emma.

Facebook Friday

If you care about education you want to see this!

Thanks Johnnie.

Facebook Friday

I’ve decide to make a feature out of Fridays.

If I see it on Facebook and I think it’s worth sharing I will.

This one is from Rory.

Enjoy!

 

REPOST: Lists- things to do with 3 year olds

As promised……. please feel free to fill in any hole. I am sure there are lots

Three things before I start.

1: This is my list of things I do…. not a list to tell you what you should do, and

2: I share it because I was asked to by some (to give them some ideas) and thought it may be helpful to others (for those many non-creative moments we have.)

3: Some days my 3 year old just follows me around chatting while I do countless jobs.

Enjoy….

*play in the yard

*go to the library

*catch the train to nowhere and back again

* find a pond and feed the ducks (if you are allowed)

*good time to teach them to eat lots of different things

*laugh loudly together

*take a video of them and watch it together

*visit Cityfarm at fairfield..... or similar

Great family prices..... and take a picnic lunch

* go for a mummy/daughter/ milkshake

*take a picnic to the park for lunch

*garden together

*make mud pies

*pick fruit, veges or flowers, if you are fortunate enough to have any of these.

*go for a swim

*get in your swimmers and play with water in the yard

*have a bath/shower, at an unusual time of the day, put in lots of things to play with

*read books

Photo by 9 year old "A work at the art gallery"

* go to the art gallery. NSW gallery has a special program for 3-5 year olds

*take books to the park to read

*sing songs

*make up songs

*call the grandparents

*call the Aunts and Uncles and Cousins

*cook muffins or banana bread ( I am sure there are other things that one could bake with a three year old, but I am not a baker.

*Invite a friend over and eat the baking

*do jigsaw puzzles

Have an older sibling or playmate play the game the 3 year old wants to play.

*draw pictures on paper

*draw on the chalk board

*paint with water on the chalk board

*paint on paper….. if you feel like cleaning up

*watch older kids doing things they can’t yet, and talk to them about how they will be able to do that too one day.

* get them to help clean up

*play duplo by building something huge together and CRASH it down

*make up a story with duplo

*wrestle  (they will take a while to learn how to do this, but is great for their self control, using up energy and understanding their strength.)

*cuddle and kissing for extended periods of time.

*make up a puppet story

*read a story using a puppet

*get them to ‘read’ you a story

*leave them alone in a safe place to enjoy their own company…… they may need some convincing of this

*play with buttons sorting, feeling, talking about colours and textures, count the holes

*give the day a theme (see playschool for ideas) and do lots of activities around the theme

*Rest outside

* go to the park

* build from the recycling with sticky tape, or without tape ….just stacking and falling and rebuilding

*play in a cardboard box

*pray with them  for people that are important to them

*play an age appropriate game on the computer here or here I am still exploring this and testing sites with 3 year old. I will keep you posted…… Literally

*dance together

*look for leaves

*paste leaves to a page

*make playdough  Recipe here and here

*play playdough

*make a story up with playdough

*make ‘biscuits’ with playdough and have a tea party or “smoko” for boys. My dad was a tradesman, this is what they call morning (and afternoon) tea.

*paper , pens, pencils, crayons, textas and stamps.

*make wrapping paper from stamps or buttons

Dress -up

*dress-up and dance

*clean walls with a spray cleaner VERY watered down

*build a blanket cubby over the dining table

*take a ball to the park

*ride a trike to the park….and take lunch with you….and some books

Special spots at the power house for 3 year olds

*go to the Powerhouse museum (Membership at very friendly prices especially for families with more than 2 children)

*play Mr Potato Head… or the beetle game

*read them a kids bible, we like this one.

*read to them a giant pile of books, even if they wonder around you and appear not to be listening for

*laugh at them

*laugh at what they laugh at

*talk about how life works throughout the day

*play age appropriate boardgames and Card games. Snap, memory match, Hiss

*watch playschool, or other age appropriate TV. Be careful of shows with mean characters…… 3 year olds are great imitators.

*watch Colin ( who requires no last name)

*musical Instruments playing

*musical instrument making

* playing trains

*sweep paths

*sweep floor

*sing songs

Call a friend and ask them to come and play

*help them to share with their playmates

*help them to say sorry to their playmates

*help them to be generous with their toys

*talk about imaginary places and people with them…. go with their stories

Make sure she get lots of rest

*take a ferry somewhere, and back again

*cut up paper and magazines just for the fun of cutting

*go for a walk and see how often they can see the letter that starts their name

*teach them how to obey simple instructions

*catch the bus

Where words and pictures meet: Lauren Child

Image from Lauren Childs book 'Who's afraid of the big bad book?' source: bswigshoppe

Author/Illustrator: Lauren Child

Genre: childrens picture books

Artists medium: collage, pen, photo montage

Age Appropriateness: 4 and up.

Introduction: Of course, I had seen Lauren Child’s artwork used to animate the Charlie and Lola series of books but one Christmas I came across “Who’s afraid of the bog bad book?”. After looking through it quickly I saw that it was perfect for our no. 2 who at the time was about 6. It’s a fantastic read aloud and talk about the pictures….. as your read the font becomes part of the illustration and experience. Turing the book this way and that it makes for a very fun experience.

Other work: Beware of the storybook wolves, many of the Charlie and Lola series, The Clarice Bean series, The Princess and the Pea, The Pesky Rat,I want a Pet, My Dream Bed, Hubert Horatio Barten Bobten -Trent…

                

Review:

For all the surface brio of illustrations that are crammed full of everything from photographs to fabric scraps, in person, Child remains as tentative as her books are bold, as hesitant of her success as her characters, with their crimped mouths and vast, wary eyes, appear to be of their exuberant environments.

Video Interviews: An extended  interview about how she became a writer illustrator.

Her website: Milkmonitor…. a very fun and arty website.

Other things they do: Lauren works with UNESCO to help children in need.

Her work can be purchased through the Illustration Cupboard.

This one I find super exciting…. Lauren’s illustrative style has been commissioned  by Liberty of London for fabric. Beautiful and playful.

You can find out about the design process here.

Image of Lauren Child fabric for Liberty from Design Wotcha

Image taken from the Design Wotcha of Lauren Child fabrics for Liberty.

Where words and pictures meet: Anthony Browne

Illustration from Hansel and Gretel by Anthony Browne. Image from The apple and the egg.

Author/Illustrator: Anthony Browne

Genre: childrens picture books

Artists medium: Pencil and very controlled watercolour.

Age Appropriateness: a bit book dependent…. baby to older primary…… through to adults.

Introduction: Although Anthony Browne is best known for his books featuring gorillas, my first real exposure was very recently while in the library with 5 year old ….researching for this series of posts. I came across and read ‘In the forest’. I love how the pictures are predominantly  black and white with the subject being in colour. I also loved the way the story required other book knowledge.

This book lead us on the path of revisiting fairy tales (which we hadn’t read a lot of recently). The experience reminded me of Tim’s english literature lecturer who said (20 years ago) …. much of the imagery in literature is lost because students don’t have a good grounding in biblical literature….I wondered how much children miss out on when not exposed to the ‘old fairy tales’. Interestingly enough….at least to me … academics are starting to acknowledge that reading the ‘old fairy tales’ and experiencing books from moments in history when thinking was different to ours, aids in encouraging the imagination. Nic blogs about it  this idea here.

Other work: Voices in the park, My Dad, My Mum, Zoo, Willy and  Hugh, Little Beauty, Gorilla, Willy the Wimp, the tunnel, Silly Billy, Piggybook, Changes, Willy the dreamer, Look what I’ve got, Hansel and Gretel, Bear Hunt, Willy the Champ, The Shape Game, Willy the Wizard, Through the magic mirror, Willy’s pictures, Bears Magic Pencil, Me and You, The night Shimmy, My Brother, Things I like, King Kong, I Like Books, The Tunnel, Willy’s pictures. (Over 40 books if you include translations)

       

…again too many books to show the covers of all of them

Review:

 Anthony Browne is an internationally acclaimed author and illustrator of children’s books, with nearly 40 titles to his name. He creates strongly narrative watercolours that blend near-photographic realism with fantastical, surreal touches and ingenious visual puns. His skilful use of colour, pattern and background detail subtly conveys an exquisite empathy for his lonely and sensitive child protagonists (both human and ape). Gorillas feature in many of Anthony’s books. He says, ‘I am fascinated by them and the contrast they represent – their huge strength and gentleness. They’re thought of as being very fierce creatures and they’re not.’

Children’s laureate website.

Interviews: You can read CBBS’ author spotlight…including questions from kids here.

Video:

• Anthony Browne  talking about adults and picture books and other things…..
• Talking about why picture books are important.
• Speaks about his favourite picture books.
• Introduces The Shape Game

Activities from books: Play the Shape game.

Art: book illustration plates available as artworks from the Illustration Cupboard.