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Book Club, Girls’ Edition – Valentine’s Day with Jigsaw Jones

July 15, 2014 by Amy

I’m a bit behind in sharing this book club event with you, but we had a great time exploring Jigsaw Jones’ Valentine Mystery together.

After discussing the book, we jumped right in to imitating it. We chose to make ransom note valentines, but we decided to make these to encourage others. We began by talking about abbreviations and language shortcuts, like ‘BFF’ for ‘best friends forever’ or ‘2’ for ‘to, too, two,’ and then they began. Armed with colorful paper, scissors, glue, and lots of magazines, the girls spent over an hour searching for just the right elements for their chosen messages. They really got into this!

Then it was time to celebrate this heart-shaped holiday with some Minute-to-Win-It style games. For the first challenge, the girls tried to stack candy hearts into the highest tower – Heart A-Stack. This turned out to be harder than it looked!

Next came the Heart Toss. Each girl stood back and tried to toss her candy hearts into small cups. My kitchen was soon covered in pastel hearts – and the giggling began.

I couldn’t get a clear shot of this game – nobody could hold still! Each girl licked her heart and stuck it right between her eyes, and then tried to wiggle her face and get the heart into her mouth. One girl managed to do it! Giggles were out in full force for this one – and afterwards, each time someone spied some leftover sugar still attached to a forehead.

This Chinese-style challenge really divided our group. It became very clear who loves to eat with chopsticks as the girls used either pencils or chopsticks to pick up the hearts and transfer them to their plates.

We had to make a simple snack, too, so we went with love bark. We melted some white chocolate, spread it on waxed paper, and stuck in some clean candy hearts.

In the end, we celebrated with some pink-and-purple snacks. The girls made floats with lemon-lime soda and raspberry sherbet and had fun drinking them out of colorful goblets. They munched on cookie bars with white chocolate chips and pink-and-purple sprinkles.

My Big Helper loves the color scheme of this holiday, and she had fun sharing it with her best friends.

What’s your favorite holiday book?

Book Club, Girls’ Edition: “Secret of the Prince’s Tomb”

July 15, 2014 by Amy

We hosted another book club this week, and my Big Helper surprised me by saying that this was one of her very favorites! The girls read The Secret of the Prince’s Tomb, an Imagination Station book about the enslavement of the Hebrews in Egypt. Despite it’s seemingly depressing topic, it’s a really great story, and we had fun working with it.

After summarizing and discussing the book, we made gratitude journals. We made them this way – it’s a very simple but fun project, and the girls seemed to enjoy matching up scrapbook paper patterns to get a pretty notebook.

The main characters in the story, Beth and Patrick, learned that it was important for the Hebrews to remember that God had been faithful to them in the past and would continue to be so. We discussed the Biblical direction to be “thankful always” and to remember and celebrate what God has done for us. Journaling about these blessings and gifts is one way to do that – and then we can also look back during hard times to remember His providence.

The girls and their finished gratitude journals! It was fun to see how excited some of them were to begin writing in their books.

Next the girls sewed dyed ditalini onto gold-painted paper plates cut to resemble the rich, thick necklaces worn by wealthy Egyptians. We speculated that perhaps Tabitha from the story would’ve worn something like this in the beginning.

By the end of the story, Tabitha is a slave and is forced to carry heavy jugs of water on her head to other slaves. We practiced carrying books on our heads to see how easy it was – and decided it’s not.

Then the girls graduated to a simple metal vase containing a few water balloons. They decided that this wasn’t any easier, but that dropping the water balloons was lots more fun than dropping the books! Either way, much practice is required to be proficient in this skill.

How do your kids interact with their books?

Book Club, Girls’ Edition: “The Pizza Mystery”

July 15, 2014 by Amy

This week I want to share with you not about some place that we went, but about something we did – that I happen to think was pretty neat.

My Big Helper started a book club.

We read books in preparation, choosing a book that we felt we could do a lot with. We discussed activities, thought of questions, and sent invitations.

The day finally arrived.

Four of her friends arrived, aprons and favorite pizza toppings in hand, ready to interact with Gertrude Chandler Warner’s The Pizza Mystery. This Boxcar Children book tells the tale of the time when the children move in with elderly friends to help them run their failing pizza shop – and while they’re at it, they solve the mystery of who’s been sabotaging their business.

After summarizing the story, the girls got to work on their dough. They took turns measuring out their flour and other ingredients, mixing it all up in my Kitchen-Aid. They rolled out their own dough and created their own flavor profiles with the toppings that they brought, pooling their resources. Some ventured away from their norm, and some stayed with traditional toppings, but all seemed pretty pleased with their creations.

Soon it was time to eat. The girls were big fans of their pizzas. It was fun to see them so impressed with their own handiwork! They ate fruit, carrots, and lemonade alongside their pizza for a simple meal. After waiting as I served drinks and put pizzas on plates, we talked about whether or not they would be willing to serve as a waiter, just like Benny did in the book.

Two of the girls got really excited about the different varieties of pizzas available. After hearing about dessert pizzas, they chose to make this Gimme S’More Pizza. We’ll definitely be making this again. YUM!

After that, the girls looked at menus from a few different pizza shops to get ideas for more creative types of pizza. We talked about breakfast pizzas, dessert pizzas, and fruit pizzas, and then they each created their own.

We had a lot of fun learning about pizza! Can’t wait for the next book club event.

What are your favorite pizza toppings?

Book Club, Girls’ Edition – Pippi Longstocking

July 15, 2014 by Amy

After a short summer break, our book club girls are back at it – and this month, we had a blast! We read “Pippi Longstocking” and found a million things to do with this book.

After summarizing and talking about the story, we moved into the kitchen to make pancakes –not Pippi style. I was hoping to keep the batter in the pan and off the walls, and as always, the girls did a great job.

Each brought her favorite pancake extra, so the girls made their own creations. Most added chocolate chips, sprinkles, and whipped cream. Nobody chose raspberries!

When their creations were complete, they moved to the playroom to watch the movie while they ate. This one is particularly cute with several songs, and being able to see quirky Pippi on the big screen really makes these traits come to life.

We discovered one scene that was in the movie and not the book – and so we decided to re-enact this one. In the movie Pippi buys ice cream for the residents of a local orphanage, and then they get into a huge ice cream fight in the middle of the town square. Since ice cream would be super sticky – and expensive! – we decided to use shaving cream instead. Although still quite messy, the girls had a blast smearing and squirting the stuff everywhere.

My yard smelled great for days.

What about you? Are you Pippalotta fans?

Book Club, Girls’ Edition: The Nutcracker

July 15, 2014 by Amy

This past weekend we took our book club skills on the road for our fanciest book club event so far – by far.

We traveled to Durham to see a performance of Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker.

It was a wonderful evening.

To get us started, we bought our tickets and planned several months’ in advance. Then each family chose a version of The Nutcracker story that would most suit them. Some read long versions, some much shorter, but all the girls knew the basic gist of the story before the evening began.

We met early for dinner at a Texas Roadhouse near the theater. Despite long lines and a crazy rain storm that just wouldn’t let up, the hostesses were able to seat us at tables right next to us, back in a corner where it was (relatively) quiet. The girls all sat at one table and were wild with excitement. They (pretended?) to talk about the storyline and sang Christmas carols alternately.

Then we headed off to The Carolina Theatre for the show. This performance was done by the Triangle Youth Ballet and was a community venture. Because we planned so far ahead, we had seats just a few rows back from the orchestra pit – yes, there was a live orchestra! As this was such big and more expensive venture than we usually take, we had other female siblings and grandmas along for the ride. It was a fun girly outing. 🙂

I never could quite get everyone’s attention at one time. They were all too excited – to be together, to see the show, to sit in velvet-covered seats and listen to the music and watch the people and the wonder of the events onstage.

I was excited to watch them. To see them enthralled with the beauty of the performance and happy with each other’s company was wonderful.

It was definitely a unique – and magical – evening.

Have you seen a performance of The Nutcracker?

Book Club, Girls’ Edition – “A New Home for Lily” by Suzanne Woods Fisher

July 15, 2014 by Amy

It’s that time again – Book Club time! The girls read A New Home for Lily by Suzanne Woods Fisher and Maryann Kinsinger, and the general consensus was fantastic. The girls discussed this book more than they had any other and all agreed that they’re looking forward to the next book in the series.

After our book discussion, it was time to get to work. The girls grabbed aprons and lined up to tie them. It was so cute to see them working together this way!

We loved the chapter where Lily and her brother are supposed to take a pumpkin pie to school to share but have other plans for the pie instead, and so we decided to make our own pies using my family recipes. The girls worked together very well for this project.

During the crust preparation, I rolled and the girls fit it into the pan. At one point I turned around to see all five girls clustered on chairs around two pie pans, piecing together the edges, stabbing the crust diligently with forks, and each crimping the edges in their own style. I tell ya, there was NO WAY an air bubble was going to form under this crust.

As a side note, I think we should stop buying our children fancy toys and just give them a ball of pie crust and a cup of water. It will amuse them for hours. 🙂

Lily also enjoys playing with paper dolls, so while our pies were baking, the girls chose and colored doll dresses. We used a coloring book of paper dolls that I purchased for my classroom years ago, with dolls portraying strong women throughout history. Queen Victoria was an overwhelming favorite. I think the two enormous and ornate dresses had something to do with it.

The pies finished baking just before book club was over, and the girls were eager to sample them. I chilled them by placing them in the sink in an inch of cold water and ice for a few minutes. I’ve never seen anyone so happy to eat a pumpkin pie in April as these girls were. I think Meme’s recipe is a hit. A New Home for Lily definitely was.

What are your kids reading these days?

*Shared at I Can Teach My Child.

Book Club, Girls’ Edition: “Life with Lily” by Suzanne Woods Fisher

July 15, 2014 by Amy

This month the girls read Life with Lily by Suzanne Woods Fisher and Mary Ann Kinsinger. This book was a huge hit! The second in the series comes out in a few weeks, and they’ve already voted to add it to their reading list.

After talking about the book, everyone headed into the kitchen to make Pumpkin Cake like Lily’s mom did – only we didn’t roll ours up. After looking at pictures of pumpkin rolls online, the girls decided that it looked like a cinnamon roll – but they said they didn’t mind eating it in simple, unrolled fashion. We used this recipe. They used our e-reader to read the recipe off the ‘Net and worked together to assemble the bars for baking.

Next we talked about sewing and quilting. The girls have been wanting to learn to sew, so we combined this desire with Lily’s creative efforts to make gifts for her family. While she sewed potholders, we decided to quilt pillows in a semi-homemade fashion.

We began this project by examining my great-grandmother’s Singer sewing machine, purchased in 1933. After moving the treadle and the wheel, tracing the path of the thread from spool to needle, and having seen a similar machine on a Lancaster-County website yesterday, we decided that Lily might use a machine much like this one.

Then we moved back into our Englisch mindset and set about making pillows. Using pillow materials I had prepped in advance, the girls threaded needles and began stitching their way around special shapes on the front of their pillows. As they finished, then, I taught them the basics of how to use my electric sewing machine (namely, put your foot on the pedal, stay away from the needle, and go) and we sewed the outside seam. In about 9 years, we’re going to have some speedy drivers in this town! 😉

By now our cake had baked and chilled, so we took a sewing break and returned to the kitchen to make the icing. The girls (plus brother) took turns measuring the ingredients …

but then few could resist the lure of the icing, and so nearly everyone grabbed a knife and began to spread.

Our Pumpkin Cake – and Life with Lily – was a hit! We’re all looking forward to A New Home for Lily.

You can find more information about Life with Lily at my review here: “Life with Lily” by Suzanne Woods Fisher

Book Club, Girls’ Edition: Flat Stanley’s African Safari Discovery

July 15, 2014 by Amy

Yesterday we went on a a safari.

A safari in the backyard, that is. A group of friends ages 7 through 9 came over, ready to have fun with the book Flat Stanley’s Worldwide Adventures: The Great African Discovery.

We love the Flat Stanley books. They’re great for guiding a study of another country in a fun way, and this book was particularly conducive to fun safari adventures.

After summarizing the story, the girls found our home state and Kenya on the globe. We talked about how long it might take to travel there and what that kind of journey might be like.

Then it was time to meet Stanley. Oblong Stanley, that is. Like in the book, Stanley was preparing to jump out of a helicopter without a parachute – and it was their job to create a way to prevent any cracking. The girls had lots of fun with this. When the construction was complete, they took their project outside and dropped it off the side of the new deck. Although the basket landed pretty hard, Stanley survived.

Next they prepared for the safari themselves. Armed with party favor cameras and their very best safari outfits, they headed to the backyard to “photograph” plastic animals I had hidden earlier. This reminded me of a giant Easter egg hunt, and the kids were just as excited about finding plastic elephants and rubber snakes as they were about candy bars and quarters.

After finding and playing with the animals, we collected them and returned inside. We had a wide variety of animals, and we hid most of them – even the ones not native to Africa, and so this became the group’s next task: to identify which animals are native to Africa, and which ones are not. After much discussion, they correctly sorted each animal and were even able to identify where the not-from-African animals originated.

By this time everyone was hungry, so we stopped for a packed picnic lunch. After that, the girls “excavated” an assortment of candies from the dirt cakes that my Big Helper had made the night before. While not everyone was a pudding fan, we all had fun finding the hidden candy!

Books can be a lot of fun – the imagining, the pretending, yes; but also actually carrying out the activities happening in the book provide great learning experiences.

If you were to see an activity plan like this for a book and then go use it, what kind of book would you prefer?

** Shared at I Can Teach My Child.

Book Club, Girls’ Edition: “Felicity Learns A Lesson”

July 15, 2014 by Amy

My Big Helper’s book club group headed back in time this month with Felicity Learns a Lesson, the second book in the American Girl’s Felicity series. In this book, Felicity begins taking lessons in etiquette and notices the rumblings of the Revolution’s beginnings around her.

We planned to have a Colonial-type tea party, so after borrowing a tea set, my Big Helper got to work dressing the table.

The book opens with Felicity getting in trouble for climbing onto the roof to get apples to make apple butter, so we decided to make our own – though in a bit more modern way. The girls all seemed to have fun with this. We began by washing and chopping the apples, although they had some issues with my apple chopper. 🙂

While the apples cooked down, we sewed a simple seam up the middle of two sheets of paper to make a copybook.

Then we made our own quill pens and watered down some paint to try them out. The girls decided that it’s much easier to write with a pencil!

When they had issues with the “ink” not drying fast enough, we talked about the practice of sprinkling sand over the paper soak up the extra. I didn’t have sand, so we broke out the salt shaker. My kitchen table is now well preserved. 🙂

By this time, the apples were ready to be squished, so we ran them through the food mill. The girls were great about taking turns and helping each other through this process. After that, we put the sauce into a slow cooker to cook down overnight. We’ll share the fruits of their labors tomorrow.

No party would be complete without pictures of fun costumes.

After watching a clip from the Felicity movie to remind them of their tea party etiquette, the girls began.

Since my Big Helper does not actually like tea, she requested lemonade instead. The girls got a kick out of this.

Since we didn’t need to serve sugar cubes or milk, we decided to offer ice cubes and lemon slices. One creative girl decided to dress her up up a bit.

I think this was their favorite part of the afternoon.

What are your kids reading right now??

Book Club, Girls’ Edition: “The Door to Time”

July 15, 2014 by Amy

The girls read a book full of fast-paced adventure this month: The Door to Time, a Ulysses Moore mystery. This is the first in a twelve-book series that involves magic, time travel, secret codes, lots of intrigue, and quite a bit of independence. The main characters are three pre-teens who work together well and acknowledge their strengths and differences, but are also rather deceitful and keep things from their parents. If you talk that through, you have a wonderful adventure story with lots of learning the world over.

Because secret codes are rampant in this story – and one involves a code written in an ancient Phoenician language on a clay tablet – we decided to write our own favorite quotes on clay tablets. We mixed up a batch of clay, shaped it, and etched our sayings into it. Later we painted and antiqued them to complete the ‘aging’ process.

While the clay was drying, the girls stumbled upon a secret code lying on the table. It took some work, but they were able to decode it by working together and then to track down the treasure.

Of course, said treasure needed to be divided, so they did that immediately – and then ate it!

What are your kids reading this month?

To find out more about our book club selections, click here.