Molly's Adventures in Missions - Terrific Tuesday Picture Book & KID KANDY

Molly's Adventures in Missions
Written by Joye Smith
(Woman's Missionary Union, 2009)

Molly's Adventures in Missions is a wonderful book that tells the story of Molly as she goes on her first missions trip. Molly learns about passports, trip preparation, and many of the things mission teams do when they go on missions trips in America and overseas. Molly is super excited to help others.

Molly's Adventures in Missions is the perfect book to read when you want to prepare your child to go on a missions trip. It can also be read to help your child understand what volunteer missionaries do on trips. I love how Joye Smith described the different ways we can help others - by going on trips ourselves or by supplying prayer, resources, and finances for others to go.

A missions lifestyle is embraced by Molly in this book. Just reading it makes me want to pack up and go!


KID KANDY:

Help a Missions Team

1. Find out who in your church is going on a missions trip.

2. Volunteer to help prepare for the trip. With your family, you can: gather supplies needed during the trip, collect items that will be given to help others (health items, baby things, etc.), give money to help pay for expenses, or help put together kits and materials.

3. Pray for the team member(s). Get specific prayer needs and post them at home. Let your child help you pray.

4. Get ready to hear all about the trip when they get back!


Maybe you and your family can go on a missions trip! You might have to wait for a few years, but that's ok. You can adopt a ministry in your city and do your own missions trips until everyone is old enough to go.

Or check out Familyfest, a missions experience geared towards families and children. Go to www.wmu.com/ and look under ministries to find out more.

And when you go, be sure to take Molly with you! She loves missions trips.

Molly traveled to France with us.

The Golden Egg Book - Easter Picture & KID KANDY

The Golden Egg Book
Written by Margaret Wise Brown
Illustrated by Leonard Weisgard
(Scholastic Inc., 1947)

I love the imagination that is used by readers when they read The Golden Egg Book.

In The Golden Egg Book (though I have no idea why it is called The Golden Egg Book when there is, in fact, no golden egg at all in the story), a small bunny discovers a beautiful and interesting egg. He immediately starts trying to figure out what is inside the egg. He tries everything he can think of and eventually falls asleep, exhausted from his efforts.

While the bunny is asleep, the egg hatches. A yellow duckling jumps out. The duckling does the same things the bunny did to try and wake up the bunny (not knowing it was a bunny at all).

The old fashioned illustrations together with the adorable story make The Golden Egg Book one of my holiday favorites.


KID KANDY:

Make Mystery Eggs

~ Purchase plastic eggs (now is the perfect time!)

~ Put different items in each egg

~ Let your child use his or her imagination to guess what could be inside the egg

~ Take turns filling the eggs and guessing

~ Change the game by filling 2 eggs with the same thing and let your child try to match the ones that sound the same

~ Go crazy and brainstorm things that could be inside eggs


Angie Quantrell loves mystery eggs. Her most favorite are real boiled eggs and chocolate eggs. Happy Easter!

Chickens Aren't the Only Ones - Picture Book & KID KANDY

Chickens Aren't the Only Ones
By Ruth Heller
(Grosset & Dunlap, 1981)

Chickens Aren't the Only Ones is the perfect book for spring. I love to use it at Easter as well, since Heller talks about Easter eggs in a section of the book.

Chickens Aren't the Only Ones is a wonderfully illustrated book about who comes from eggs. All sorts of animals, land, water, and sky travelers, grace the pages of loose rhyme. Heller has captured the imagination of readers who think eggs are only allowed to be oval-shaped. Which is not true!

This book, full of nature and scientific info (but shared in a fun way) is a great book for those nature lovers and inquisitive minds that you know. Learn a little, love a little. Read Chickens Aren't the Only Ones.

KID KANDY:

Spring is Egg Time!

~ Go for a walk at a local pond. Look for nests with eggs or ducklings or goslings swimming along behind mom and dad. Discuss the egg connection.

~ Get out the magnifying glasses. Search your yard (under leaves and rocks) for eggs of any type or size. Guess who will come out when the eggs hatch. Check out an insect identification book to help ID the eggs.

~ Continue the conversation in the car or on walks. Let your child list animals and put them into groups of eggs - yes or no? The discussion of egg laying creatures (oviparous animals) will naturally lead into talking about mammals who do not lay eggs. (Heller shows the two exceptions of mammals that lay eggs.)

~ Dig out the toy animals your child has at the bottom of the toy box. Sort by group - eggs or not.


Science and nature are amazing. Spring is the perfect time to notice new life. Get out there and get going!

Angie Quantrell loves to identify different eggs. She is very happy when she finds the foamy egg masses of praying mantis' and the tiny yellow eggs of ladybugs in her garden.

I See Something Red - Picture Book + KID KANDY Activity

I See Something Red, A Book About Color
Illustrated by Elissa Scott
(Hallmark Children's Editions)


Throwback Thursday Alert: This book was once loved and adored by my children (well into their 20's) and numerous preschoolers and kindergartners I've taught over the years.

I See Something Red, A Book About Color is a simple board book. The brightly colored illustrations and easy to recognize drawings attract young readers.

The words are simple and pictures are labeled. Colors of the rainbow are in order of appearance (in a rainbow). White is included on the last page, a freebie of sorts.

For all of the fun I've had and repeated readings I've participated in, I See Something Red is a bit of a classic in my home and classrooms.

And it goes to show, book publishers can come from anywhere!


KID KANDY:

Color Matching Blocks

Dig out a tub of colored wooden blocks after reading I See Something Red, A Book About Color.

Reread the book. Let your child pull out blocks that match the colors on each page.

Did you make a rainbow?


Angie Quantrell loves rainbows! Learning about rainbows and colors is a perfect theme for spring.


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Counta Block - Wacky Wednesday Picture Book & KID KANDY

Counta Block
Written by Christopher Franceschelli
Art by Peskimo
(Abrams Appleseed, 2014)

Today's Wacky Wednesday pick is Counta Block. Not that this awesome counting and thinking book is wacky, but the size and heft is pretty unusual and amazing.

Counta Block, shaped like a block, is solid and will last for many readings by the younger crowd. It's a counting book from 1-10.
Counta Block then goes on counting with the 10's (10, 20, etc.). The final number, 100, is a fold out page with a 100-piece puzzle illustration.

I love this counting book! Not just for the board book quality and number cut-outs, but the thinking component. Each number begins with a certain item, and then the counting page is what those things become . . . ten pails of sand become . . . ten sand castles! Readers are encouraged to figure out what the initial objects transform into on the next page.

Love this concept book! Other than it potentially being used as a weapon (being thrown at a sibling), every family with young preschoolers would benefit from reading Counta Block.


KID KANDY:

Do Your Own Counta Block Project

1. Make it easy. To begin, do only numbers 1-5.

2. Choose 5 simple things from the home. For example:

~ 5 pieces of paper become . . . 5 paper hats

~ 2 eggs become . . . 2 Easter eggs (or boiled or fried)

~ 1 bulb becomes . . . 1 flower

3. Have fun counting and thinking about numbers!

(P.S. Take digital photos of each number set, print out pictures, and glue them to cardstock to make your own family number book.)

Terrific Tuesday - Molly Meets the Missionaries - Picture Book & KID KANDY

Molly Meets the Missionaries
By Rhonda Robbins-Reeves
(Woman's Missionary Union, 2010)

Meet Molly and Mikey, friends who travel the world meeting missionaries.

Written in rhyme, Molly and Mikey (an MK - missionary kid) explore and learn about some of the things missionaries and their families do around the world to tell about God. Bible thoughts are listed on each page and relate to the service being provided by missionaries or learned about by Mikey and Molly.

Flat Molly and Flat Mikey, paper doll figures at the end of the book, can be cut out (or copied and then cut out), laminated, and taken on trips. Be sure and take pictures of both of them when you stop to sightsee! Think of Flat Stanley and his adventures, except Flat Molly and Flat Mikey travel to tell and learn about Jesus.

Preschoolers and children will enjoy international travel and fun times with friends when they read Molly Meets the Missionaries.

KID KANDY:

Make a Clay Toy

Molly and Mikey learn about MK's in Malawi who make their own toys. Let's make a toy with clay!

1. Get some modeling clay. Choose a color and start warming it up by rolling and smashing it in your hands. It might take awhile, so keep on working hard.

2. Decide what type of toy you want to make - doll, ball, car, building, animal - or anything else you think would be fun.

3. Mold your clay into the shape. Don't worry if your toy is not exactly right. Just have fun making it.

4. Play with your toy! The neat thing about clay is you can always add to or adjust what you've made. Tools make clay fun - a fork, butter knife, or spoon can help you mold clay and make designs on it.

(If you want a toy that does not change shape anymore, use play dough and let it dry for several days.)

Today is Monday - Picture Book & KID KANDY - Books You Can Sing

Today is Monday
Pictures by Eric Carle
(Scholastic Inc., 1993)

Today IS Monday! What better book to read than Today is Monday by Eric Carle.

Join animals as they eat something different each day of the week. The animals are so good at remembering what they ate the day before, they repeat each day and meal for every new day. By the end of the week, the animals (readers) are working their way backwards from the current day of the week, listing both days and foods.

And, surprise, it's not really animals who are eating! Readers will find out who is eating the meals at the end of Today is Monday.

Yet another surprise is the musical sheet showing the melody for the song that goes with Today is Monday.

Children will enjoy singing the days of the week backwards and seeing all of the animals gobble their food. Don't forget to check out the page at the beginning where Eric Carle gives mealtime greetings in different languages!

KID KANDY:

Make Your Own Mealtime a Song

~ Make your own version of Today is Monday with your child.

~ For one week, write down the main dish you eat and the day of the week. Let your child do the writing or draw a little picture of the foods. (Example: Monday - pizza, Tuesday - tacos)

~ Once you have meals for Monday through Sunday, sing the song! If you are not a musician, make up any silly tune. Kids won't care. Just have fun.


Angie Quantrell loves to make up silly songs. Today she was singing "Whining doesn't work at Nana's house, Nana's house, Nana's house. Whining doesn't work at Nana's house. She loves her kids." to the tune of "Here We Go 'Round the Mulberry Bush." The grands got the message and had fun.