Littles Learning Link Up: April 18, 2017: Craft Highlight - A Story of Three Trees Craft

 Each month you will find:

• A seasonal round-up (toward the beginning of the month)
• Posts where I share what I have been up to with my preschoolers and/or early elementary children (including occasional highlight posts where I share how we used ideas that have been linked up here on Littles Learning Link Up or a part of a past Round Up).

Each week, I will host a link up, where you can share either what you have been up to recently, or old posts that may go with the theme.  Feel free to link up more than one post.

Each week I will continue to feature a couple of posts from those that have been linked up. 

I hope you will continue to share your wonderful posts, and I hope you will find something new to try with your child(ren).

It would be great for everyone to stop by and visit the other linked-up posts as well. Check them out, leave some comments, pin those that interest you. Let's make this a real party and socialize with each other.

Welcome to another Littles Learning Link Up Highlight! I had hoped to have highlight posts once a month, but I haven't been able to fit them in. I do hope to do these a bit more often. We'll see how that goes.

A highlight post isn't the same as a feature. With the highlighted post, we will actually be making the craft(s) or participating in the activity. You will get to see how much we enjoyed it, and I will be mentioning any tweaks that I add. Of course I will be linking back to the original post. 

Littles Learning Link Up April Highlight:

Last week's Littles Learning Link Up Round Up was Focusing on the Cross With 15 Jesus-Centered Books for Resurrection Sunday. Karyn from Teach Beside Me linked up her simple, yet creative craft idea to go along with the book The Legend of the Three Trees. This is actually a book we have two copies of, though the one is titled A Story of Three Trees. Ever since I discovered this book, I have loved the story of how each of the trees has a specific dream in mind for how it will be used, yet each has that dream fulfilled in an unforeseen way. The one tree dreams of becoming a treasure box, yet is made into a manger. The second tree dreams of becoming a boat for a great king, yet gets turned into a fishing boat. And the third tree wants to point up toward heaven, to God, yet it gets cut down and cut into forgotten boards, until one day it gets made into a cross. I bet you can see where this story is going. Yes, the manger was the one that baby Jesus was laid in, the boat was the one that was out in the water during the storm which Jesus calmed, and the cross was the one upon which Jesus was crucified. 

A Story of Three Trees Craft

You will need black construction paper, green construction paper, white construction paper or card stock. A strip of yellow construction paper. 10 craft sticks, scissors, glue, tape, and a pencil.

First I taped the two sheets of black construction paper together as shown. I then turned the paper over so the tape is not seen. Then I read the book while Amelia started making her trees. She just glued the craft sticks on the top portion of the paper.

Then she drew her tree leaves, cut them out, and glued them onto the craft sticks.

Let's take a look at that review schedule:

Last week I posted my review for Color My Conversation from Northern Speech Services. Later this week I will be sharing my review for Readers in Residence from Apologia Educational Ministries. We went from having hardly any review products, to being once again inundated (not complaining, just stating a fact). In the near future you can look forward to the following reviews:
Toward the end of April I will be posting reviews for Drive Thru History: The Gospels and the Daily Bible Jigsaw app from Planet 316. In May I will be sharing about ArtAchieve: Entire Level II, Only Passionate Curiosity's online course called Homeschool Rescue, and Thin Stix from The Pencil Grip, Inc. We will soon be receiving the Christian Heroes book about David Livingstone from YWAM Publishing. We recently learned a little about him in our studies of Africa, so I thought it would be an appropriate book for Tabitha and I to read. That review will be posting at the very beginning of June.

Here are a couple of things I would like to share with you:

Spring is here! Here are some of my past Round Ups with lots of fun crafts and activities that are appropriate for springtime.

Creepy, Crawly, Buggy Round Up

April Showers Brought May Flowers Round Up

Flower and Gardening Fun Literature and Craft Round Up

(featuring Complementary Color Flower Craft)

It's hard to believe, but Mother's Day is next month! My first Littles Learning Link Up Round Up was the Springy Flowers and Mother's Day Round Up. There are some great ideas for crafts and cards for mom.

I am still lining up guest posts. If you would be interested writing a guest post for Littles Learning Link Up one of these months, please leave a comment or contact me via my contact info on my About Me page. I will need to have your email address so I can contact you. I am looking for posts that have to do with young children: crafts, activities, foods/snacks, tips, or other ideas. I am open to suggestions.

Now onto:

Littles Learning Link Up Features

On my last Littles Learning Link Up post, there were 12 wonderful posts linked up! 

I will be picking one randomly selected post to share, plus the top clicked-on posts.  

Please don't forget to stop by other posts that are linked up. See what catches your eye, stop by, pin the post to a relevant board, and perhaps leave a comment to let the author of the blog know you have been by for a visit. I know I appreciate others commenting and letting me know they have read my posts, so I am sure others do too.

This week's Randomly Selected Post is:

Carol from My Bored Toddler shared 50+ ABC Activities for Toddlers.

And here are this week's top clicked on posts:

Lisa from Syncopated Mama shared Preschool Math at Home by Kate Snow.

Lisa from Syncopated Mama also shared Old Tracks, New Tricks by Jessica Petersen.

Sara Elizabeth from A Mama's Story shared Natural Spring Cleaning E-Course {Plus Giveaway}.

Terrie from A Mama's Story shared 6 Ways to Share Jesus With a Child Who Has Autism.

Join the Party!

I would love to have you join in this week! What sort of activities do you do with your young children? Do you have some favorite activities you would like to share? I invite you to link up below. I will be pinning posts on one of my relevant boards, and I would love to feature some of the activities each week from what is linked up.

Please know I may share a picture from your post and link back to it, along with sharing how we used your idea in our school time. By linking up you are giving me permission to use a picture from your post. I will ALWAYS give credit and link back. Additionally, if you choose to try out any of the ideas with your child, please make sure you give credit where credit is due.

Linky will be open through Monday night, to give me time to check out all the posts and get the Features organized. Please take the time to visit some of the other wonderful posts linked up.

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An InLinkz Link-up