*Note: this post contains Amazon Affiliate links. Any purchases made via the links provided go to support our literacy efforts.

     We have found that often it’s easier to choose an author and take a trip through their characters, books and/or series. Educators call this an author study and if you Google the author’s name and “author study” you will get a plethora of activities to engage your child in from Scholastic to teachers to individual blogs. With this in mind, we have chosen to browse through the books of Mo Willems.  

     You may not recognize the name Mo Willems, but if you have kids, you’ve most likely heard of Elephant and Piggie and their adventures as well as Knuffle Bunny and Pigeon, who you shouldn’t let drive the bus. Willems’ books are fun, offer lessons and lend themselves well to discussions and extended activities. 

     If you don’t have any of Willems’s books, many are available to be heard as a read aloud on YouTube. Book activities can be found on Pigeon Presents as well as information and ideas for parents on the books, the characters and how best to utilize the activities. You can also have your child join Willems on his Lunch Doodles for more fun and creative activities.

     Introduce your child to Willems’s characters through:

• An Elephant and Piggie puppet made using a lunch bag. Have your child come up with their own Elephant and Piggie adventure and present it to you and your family or to friends. If they are old enough, have them write down the adventure and if not just have them use their puppets to act out the adventure. This will help build imagination, creativity and dialogue. (The templates can be found on Pigeon Presents.)
  

     In addition to Mo Willems’s books, author/illustrators have teamed up with Willems to offer the ELEPHANT & PIGGIE LIKE READING! early-reader series, where Elephant & Piggie introduce kids to the books they like to read. These books feature original stories and all new characters along with Elephant & Piggie story bumpers from Willems. Though recommended for grades 1-3, my four-year-old daughter enjoys these books, especially The Cookie Fiasco.

Happy reading and crafting!

-Kate @ BTBL

*Note: this post contains Amazon Affiliate links. Any purchases made via the links provided go to support our literacy efforts.

     As we work to grow our business, we look for inspiration and ideas to lead us. Quotes such as Alexander Graham Bell’s “when one door closes, another opens” and the saying “when opportunity knocks on your door, always be willing to take a chance, because you never know how perfect something could turn out to be” keep us moving forward, always open to new ideas and looking at the opportunities that are presented to us.

     Recently, this got us to thinking, especially with another year of school having begun. Just what do children do with ideas and opportunities and do they recognize them as such? Many successful people say that they received their inspiration, ideas or passion in childhood and still many others lost theirs along the way. So how do we help children to find their passion and recognize the opportunities and not give up? Inspiration from a book! We love the What You Do Matters series of books from Kobi Yamada:

     Telling a child not to give up and to take a chance may not take hold but reading about someone else having the same qualms, just might resonate and that epiphany that struck, if nurtured, could in fact be BIG. We think these books are also wonderful because they can inspire all of us, both young and old to be true to ourselves and overcome obstacles in order to follow our passions.

     So, bring inspiration into your child’s life through a book. Perhaps even get a journal where they can either write down their thoughts or draw an idea. Just remember to empower both boys AND girls to help them see the possibilities that life has to offer.

     Read what others have to say about Kobi Yamada's series in this article from Brightly:
Kobi Yamada on Embracing Our Ideas and the Chances That Come Our Way.

The Inspiration Collection (Paint Me a Picture, Build me a Home, Play Me Some Music)

Read, create and be inspired!

-Kate @ BTBL

     Any time we hit the road we always keep our eyes open for bookstores to wander through and child-friendly activities and events to partake of. Our recent family road trip to northern Michigan offered plenty of fun in the sun by the big lake and led to the discovery of a new and used bookstore, as well as a hands on children’s museum that fueled my three-year-old daughter’s imagination and made us wish we didn’t live three hours away!

     Sandcastles Children’s Museum in Ludington, Michigan is a bit of a misnomer. I was expecting a museum and, I suppose it is, but not in the typical way one would expect. Sandcastles is a place for children to create, discover and explore. It allows curious children to experience the landmarks of Ludington in a hands-on environment through interactive exhibits.

Over its three floors children are able to...

• dig for buried treasure in the sand
• sit inside a real airplane
• climb aboard the S.S. Badger car ferry
• put on a dress up show
• practice computer coding
• make their own puppet
• serve up pizza or ice cream at the Hungry Howies and House of Flavors ice cream shop
• purchase groceries or work as a cashier
• stop by the bank
• post letters and check their P.O. box
• give a baby or an animal a check up at the respective medical centers
• make enormous bubbles
• work on the farm and more!

The creative, imaginative fun simply goes on and on and on.

     Each area offers real life props for children to use that enhances the fun and learning. Additionally, sprinkled throughout the exhibits are informative articles and posters that explain the origins of the exhibits themselves, offer a bit of the history of Ludington and explain different topics related to the theme of the exhibit (such as information on keeping our pets safe and healthy in the Vet Center). As you move through the exhibits you will also find books relating to the different themes that you and your child can read together. It’s the perfect blending of imaginative play and reading aloud!

     Another gem we discovered in Ludington is The Windowsill, a downtown bookstore that offers both new and used books in a well-organized, friendly atmosphere. I found several titles for myself and quite a few children’s books, some of which I have been hoping to find in my used sale travels and was able to snag at a great price!

     The children's area offered titles for every age, from infant through teens. We especially appreciated the fact that the books were organized in such as a way as to be easily accessible to children. Nothing was up put on the top shelves, except special books for display, thus kids are able to browse at their leisure while parents look for books too. Stores like this one are our favorite because you just never know what you might find!

     What fun places have you discovered while on the road with your family? Tell us in the comments!

     As you may or may not be aware, we here at BTBL believe in taking advantage of those spontaneous moments of play and learning that can pop up throughout the day. For instance…as we were sitting down to lunch at my daughter’s little picnic table this afternoon, my munchkin jumped up and headed into the study chanting, “Mouse, Mouse, Mouse!” For whatever reason she had suddenly decided she wanted to read If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff. Okay. This mum can roll with that. Instead of forcing her to sit back down and eat her lunch as would probably be most parents’ first response, I extricated myself from the tiny table to help her get the beloved story down from the shelf. She knows exactly where her favorites are located as we have all of our picture books alphabetized, so they always go home to the same spot each time. Yes, we, or rather I am very OCD about my bookshelves.
     Anywho…I got the book down for her and she brought it over to her picnic table and we sat back down to munch and read. Our luncheon storytime was going smoothly, eating and reading melding together beautifully, until we got to the part where Mouse wanted to draw a picture and got out some crayons. Once again, my girl was up and running, but chanting “crayons, crayons, crayons,” this time. She went straight over to the bench where the coloring supplies are stored and got out the baggie of crayons. Being a team player, I got a piece of white computer paper for her and we sat back down at the picnic table. Now we had a luncheon of coloring and reading happening, albeit there wasn’t too much eating going on anymore. My budding artist began working on her own masterpiece, while pointing out the colors of crayons that Mouse had and finding the corresponding color in her own bag.

     Watching her become so inspired by the story we were reading was extremely exciting as a parent. She was interested in what we were reading, totally focused, and fully engaged in the experience. The best part of it all…? It was driven by her. She wanted to read. She wanted to color like Mouse. And I let her, rather than putting a halt to the whole moment by insisting that it was lunch time. Through this one experience we shared a story (granted we didn’t finish it, but that isn’t really always important), discussed the illustrations and what the characters were doing, we reviewed colors, drew different shapes and the alphabet all while working on fine motor skills, and we bonded with each other, making new memories we will cherish (well, I will at least, ha).
     The point of all this babbling…????? Sometimes you just gotta go with it, regardless of what the plan was at the time. Sometimes you need to let those spontaneous moments of play and learning just happen, whenever they happen. Children are naturally curious and creative and they will put those natural abilities to good use when you, as the parent, allow them the time and resources to do so.
 
Happy playing and reading!

PS: We LOVE Laura Numeroff's If You Give A... series around here, particularly the stories of Mouse. Check them out if you haven't already!