Tots and Me... Growing Up Together

Tuesday, August 2, 2016

Littles Learning Link Up: August 2, 2016- Crowns for the King of kings

Each month you will find:

A seasonal round-up (toward the beginning of the month)
A guest post featuring crafts, activities, tips, snack ideas or other early childhood topics. (toward the end 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).

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.

What have we been up to?

We started our summer school schedule last week. We are making our way through My Father's World Adventures, focusing on the states and the history in an attempt to be ready to start My Father's World Exploring Countries and Cultures (ECC) by October. We are not doing the MFW science lessons as we are using Apologia Astronomy.

Our memory verse for last week and this week is, "...the Lamb...is Lord of lords and King of kings." Revelation 17:14. We made crowns following the instructions in the teacher manual. I never would have thought of making jewels for a crown by using glue and markers. Here let me explain:

We took white school glue and made dots on wax paper.

After they were dry, we colored them with markers.

Amelia chose to use nail polish, which I thought was ingenious.

Later, I gave the children a strip of yellow construction paper and had them draw points on them, after which they cut them out. I drew the points for Hannah and Harold, but they had no problem cutting them out themselves.

Then we peeled the jewels off of the wax paper and glued them onto the crowns.

When they were dry, I taped the edges together.

This week we started MFW Kindergarten's B:Butterfly unit, even though that unit is not scheduled until later. I just received another review product, a cute book/DVD set called The Story of Chester which is about monarch butterflies. This review is for The Old Schoolhouse Magazine website (as is the 50 States book mentioned above). I have done several reviews that have been slated to post there. Speaking of reviews, let's take a look at the other reviews I have coming up, because there are some products that have been keeping us at least a little bit busy this summer.

Harold has been having a blast using Jolly Literacy's Phonics Book 1.

Speaking of Jolly Literacy, let's take a look at that review schedule:

Our Summer Session is full of review products, in addition to MFW Adventures, we are using CTC Math, Talking Fingers: Talking Shapes, Foreign Languages for Kids By Kids, Jolly Literacy's Phonics and Grammar, and Jolly Literacy's Can Do Cubes, Homeschool Scholastics: WAY Comes Home Kit, Apologia Astronomy, Getting Started With French from Armfield Academic Press, and Christian Homeschool Hub's Download Club. We are also taking turns solving the Statue of Liberty FlipStir puzzle from Enlivenze LCC. These reviews will be posting in August and September.

The reviews for CTCMath and Talking Fingers: Talking Shapes will be posting this week.

A few somethings I would like to share with you:

It is officially summer, so I would like to invite you to check out a few of my summery round ups.

If you are looking for fun ideas to keep your kids busy this summer, you might want to peruse my Summer of Fun Round Up.

Of course, summer is a time to think about the beach, so I also have a round up for ideas for having fun at the beach, or having beach fun at home. It's the Beach Fun Round Up.

Last week I posted my newest round up: Camping Fun, for anyone looking for kid-friendly ideas for camping. It also includes some fun ways to pretend to go camping at home.

And finally, don't miss last month's Guest Post: Early Elementary Lighthouse Unit Study.

I am lining up my guest posts for the new year. 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.

Don't miss my review and giveaway for this whimsical children's book:

A Million Fish...More or Less

Now onto:

Littles Learning Link Up Features

On my last Littles Learning Link Up post, there were 15 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:

Shelly from There's No Place Like Home shared Homeschooling - Not a Part of Life. . . a Way of Life.

Now For This Week's Top Clicked-On Posts:

Erica from Enrichment Studies shared New! John James Audubon Fine Art Pages. (These were the subscriber freebie pages that were for last month on her blog. There is a new freebie this month.)

Melissa from Blessed Simplicity shared Morning and Bedtime Routines Make Back to School Super Easy {Blog Hop}.

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.

An InLinkz Link-up

Littles Learning Link Up: August 2, 2016- Crowns for the King of kings

Each month you will find:

A seasonal round-up (toward the beginning of the month)
A guest post featuring crafts, activities, tips, snack ideas or other early childhood topics. (toward the end 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).

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.

We took white school glue and made dots on wax paper.

After they were dry, we colored them with markers.

Amelia chose to use nail polish, which I thought was ingenious.

Then we peeled the jewels off of the wax paper and glued them onto the crowns.

When they were dry, I taped the edges together.

Speaking of Jolly Literacy, let's take a look at that review schedule:

It is officially summer, so I would like to invite you to check out a few of my summery round ups.

If you are looking for fun ideas to keep your kids busy this summer, you might want to peruse my Summer of Fun Round Up.

Of course, summer is a time to think about the beach, so I also have a round up for ideas for having fun at the beach, or having beach fun at home. It's the Beach Fun Round Up.

Last week I posted my newest round up: Camping Fun, for anyone looking for kid-friendly ideas for camping. It also includes some fun ways to pretend to go camping at home.

And finally, don't miss last month's Guest Post: Early Elementary Lighthouse Unit Study.

Don't miss my review and giveaway for this whimsical children's book:

A Million Fish...More or Less

Now onto:

Littles Learning Link Up Features

On my last Littles Learning Link Up post, there were 15 wonderful posts linked up!

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

This week's Randomly Selected Post is:

Shelly from There's No Place Like Home shared Homeschooling - Not a Part of Life. . . a Way of Life.

Now For This Week's Top Clicked-On Posts:

Erica from Enrichment Studies shared New! John James Audubon Fine Art Pages. (These were the subscriber freebie pages that were for last month on her blog. There is a new freebie this month.)

Melissa from Blessed Simplicity shared Morning and Bedtime Routines Make Back to School Super Easy {Blog Hop}.

Join the Party!

An InLinkz Link-up

Monday, August 1, 2016

Tuesday's Giveaway Link Up- August 2, 2016

Welcome to Tuesday's Giveaway Link Up with your hosts Karen @ Tots and Me, Emily @ Emily Reviews, Shelly @ The Attic Girl, and Rena @ An Ordinary Housewife.

So glad you could join us as we share our giveaways on Tuesday's Giveaway Link Ups.

This link up will be posted Monday at 7 PM est. and run all week long! Make sure you stop in as often as you can to list your latest giveaways.

Here is how to use the Giveaway Link Up

1. Post your reviews and/or giveaways, as many as you have, be sure to add the end date (family friendly please)

2. Help spread the word about the giveaway link up by grabbing our button, Tweeting or posting on Facebook. (Not mandatory- but it helps get more exposure to your giveaways as well!)

3. Take a moment to enter any giveaway that strikes an interest to you!

If you would like to follow the hostesses, we will gladly follow you back! Simply leave us a message to do so.

Featured Giveaways

A Million Fish...More or Less (Children's Book) US only Ends 8/20

Thank you for linking up with Karen @ Tots and Me, Emily @ Emily Reviews, Shelly @ The Attic Girl, and Rena @ An Ordinary Housewife.

An InLinkz Link-up

A Million Fish...More or Less by Patricia McKissack {A Review and Giveaway}

We had the opportunity to review the critically-acclaimed picture book A Million Fish...More or Less by the award winning author Patricia McKissack. This book was originally published in 1992, but was recently released with a newly-designed cover. The cover and the interior illustrations were created by the original illustrator Dena Schutzer.

About the book:

Hugh Thomas lives in the Bayou Clapateaux, a mighty peculiar place. His Papa-Daddy and Elder Abbajon tell the tale of what happened to them back in 1903. They tell about how they caught a wild turkey that weighed over 500 pounds...more or less, along with other unbelievable details. Hugh really isn't sure if they are just joshing him, or if they are telling the truth.

Then, Hugh is left alone on the bayou to fish to his heart's delight. Soon he catches 3 fish, and then ... a million more! Of course he can't wait to share his tale, so he heads toward home. Unfortunately, before he can arrive at home to share his wonderful accomplishment, he meets up with Atoo the grand-pere of all the alligators, Mosley and his army of raccoons, a flock of thieving crows, and a sneaky little cat named Chantilly, who all take a part in cutting down the size of his catch to "just enough for dinner."

Is it all exaggeration and a tall tale, or is there really something strange and mysterious about the Bayou Clapateaux? That is the question the reader is left with at the end of this fantastic tale, as he tells Papa-Daddy and Elder Abbajon all about his adventure.

What did we think of it?:

I had never heard of this book before I was asked if I wanted to review it, but I am so glad I have heard of it now. It is such a fun tale accompanied by illustrations in vivid colors.

You sort of realize that Hugh has to be exaggerating right away, when it says he caught a million fish, as that is a term that is used in exaggerations. However, how many fish did he really catch? Did he really lose a bunch of his fish to those he came across along the way? We know it can't be real, as the animals don't really talk. However, there is still the chance that he caught more than the 3 fish he has remaining by the time he returns home. This is sure a book that gets you thinking.

The one thing parents may be concerned about is that children may think it is okay to be untruthful because the tale tales in the story are made to be fun. Of course, if the child(ren) really believe that these events happened to Hugh Thomas, then there wouldn't be that to worry about. Personally, I didn't have a problem with it, but I did want to make you aware of it.

It is a fun book that is sure to catch the attention of your kiddos. The book is recommended for children 3-7 years of age. All of my children did enjoy it, and they are 4, 6, 7 1/2 and 9, putting them just about in the recommended range, except for Tabitha who is over by a couple of years.

Tabitha: I think it was funny how one million fish and more fish kept getting stolen because of birds and other animals. And then he told the story about his catch just like Papa-Daddy and Elder Abbajon.

Amelia: I liked it.

Harold: I liked it.

About the author and illustrator:

Patricia McKissack is the author of numerous books for young readers, including The Dark Thirty: Southern Tales of the Supernatural, a Newbery Honor Book and Coretta Scott King Ward winner, and Mirandy and Brother Wind, a Caldecott Honor Book illustrated by Jerry Pinkney. Her picture book Never Forgotten, illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon, was a Coretta Scott King Honor Book and an ALA Notable Book and received five starred reviews. She lives in St. Louis.

Dena Schutzer is a renowned painter and illustration educator, and is the illustrator of many other picture books, including Polka and Dot, which she also wrote. She lives in New York.

Published by the Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers imprint of Random House Children’s Books, the book retails at $17.99.

Giveaway Time!

Great news! I have been given the opportunity to offer a giveaway for one person to win their own copy of A Million Fish...More or Less!

All you need to do is enter in the Rafflecopter form below.

There are only 2 simple mandatory entries, with the remainder of the entries being optional.

Remember, you do not have to do the extra entries, but they will increase your odds of winning.

This giveaway is open to US residents 18 and over.

The giveaway runs August 1st through August 20th.

Thanks for stopping by, and good luck!

By entering the giveaway, you understand and agree that your contact information will be shared with the sponsor.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I received a hardcover copy of A Million Fish...More or Less in exchange for my honest review. No further compensation was given. This did not in any way influence my review. I only recommend products I use personally and feel will be a good products for my readers.