Cat-Owl 36/365

Image via Wikipedia

Cat-Owl

Round owl eyes-

feather-like fur;

casting shadows on the bedroom floor

as you silently...creep...away.

I was reading Owl Moon to Big Boy last night and when we got to the page where they finally find the owl, he pointed at the illustration and said, "Stella." Stella is our cat pictured above. After he said that, it struck me how children are natural poets often speaking in similes and metaphors. Children see the world is a beautifully innocent way that allows their brains to speak poetry. So today, we took a picture of Stella and then printed it out. I got the book back out and we took the picture and placed them side-by-side. I then asked Big Boy to name all the ways that Stella and the owl were similar. We listed them on paper and then created the above poem together. It was so fun and easy! Try this with your child sometime. Begin making a list or documenting when he or she speaks in similes/ metaphors (something like, "Mommy- the lights on the car are like eyes seeing in the dark.") and then turn their ideas into simple poem- it's a great way to get kids thinking about using writing in everyday life. 

Owl Moon 27/365

Cover of Owl Moon

The children's book, Owl Moon, always comes to mind when there's snow on the ground. If you haven't read it, please check it out, the language is so beautiful! 

I was able to get this shot of the moon with my camera. I was pretty impressed with my digital zoom :)

I was able to get this shot of the moon with my camera. I was pretty impressed with my digital zoom :)

How to Encourage an Artistic and Creative Spirit in your Child...

        Cottonbabies, the creator of the Bumgenius line of clothdiapers has just come out with an incredibly beautiful set of Artist Series clothdiapers by artist Chelsea Perry. To celebrate their launch, the company has generously decided to host a giveaway in which two lucky winners are awarded one of each of the five Artist Series prints. In order to win, Cottonbabies has asked contestants to answer to the following question on their blog, "How do you encourage a creative, artistic spirit in your baby, toddler or young child? "


      Well my answer to that question starts with a book, ISH, by Peter Reynolds. 

"One spring morning,

Ramon had a wonderful feeling.

It was a feeling that even ish words

and ish drawings could not capture.

He decided NOT to capture it.

Instead, he simply savored it..."

OK. Not going to lie here, this "children's book" is just as much for us adults- if not more so, than our children and that's why it is so very important!

Ish, by Peter H. Reynolds is the beautiful story of Ramon- a child that overcomes his insecurities to live "ishfully ever after." There's something so amazing and pure about children- they are naturally confident, risk-takers, but it seems that our society jades them all too early pushing them to focus on what is the "right" way to do something rather than encouraging their age-appropriate approximations and creativity. 

The main character in the story,Ramon, thinks of himself as an artist until his older brother sees one of his paintings and bursts out laughing, "What is that?" From that day on Ramon starts focusing on getting it "right" rather than enjoying his art. Eventually he ends up giving up on drawing altogether until he visits his little sister's room to find that she has turned all of Ramon's trash "wrong" drawings into a crumpled art gallery on her walls. "That was suppose to be a vase of flowers," Ramon says, "but it doesn't look like one." "Well it looks vase-ISH! " she exclaims.

This one, simple children's book has become a parenting and life mantra of sorts for me. I remember reading it to my kindergartners for the first time a few years back and tearing up at the end. One of my students consoled me by saying, "It's ok Mrs. Sayers. You can make a vase-ish flower too!" Aw, the innocence and loveliness of childhood!

I first sat down with my Big Boy when he was two and read him the story. Of course he was too young to fully comprehend its message, but we immediately started talking about "ish-ish" things he could do. 
       You see, as most of my readers know, Big Boy was diagnosed with mild CP when he was nine months old. He is a very bright and creative little guy and has made tremnedous progress, but is still noticeably behind in his motor skills. This year, before starting preschool, we sat down and re-read ISH. My fear was that he would see other children capable of doing more than he could and become discouraged. We talked about the things he loves to do like color, create , and play, and how there was no one best way to do these things. We talked about how he was going to be trying many new things at school and that they would be hard at first. I explained that he might not get something "perfect," or "right," but that he can try his best to make it "ish." 
       The Ish mindset is applied daily in our home to help foster Big Boy and Little Man's creativity. One particular day, we sat down to do some painting with water color. I've never thought of myself as an artist, but with the ish mindset you can let go of your insecurities about making something that is "good" and/or "right" and embrace the beauty of discovery and trial.I'm a big believer in leading by example, and so I feel like it would be hypocritical to expect my children to be creative without fostering that skill in my own life.

Below you will see Big Boy paining his "Bus-ISH" art and the finished product. Please excuse the facial expression- we'll just say he's being 3 :) And below his art is a little something that I call "Flower-ISH." By no means perfect or right, but I sure had a blast painting it with my son :) I think all of us adults could use a good dose of ish in our lives!
Using the Ish mantra helps me to dare to develop my own creativity, therefore, encouraging my children to also embrace an artistic and creative spirit in their lives! 

DISCLOSURE: This post was written specifically for the contest posted by Cottonbabies on their blog. I wrote it in the hopes of winning their new Artist Series Diapers! 

Wordy Wednesday- Play by Ann Morris

          Have you heard about the author, Ann Morris? If not, please check her out! I used her books all the time in my kindergarten classroom because she has several awesome simple nonfiction single concept books. I also love her books because they contain multicultural photographs.
         One such "single concept" book is Play. In this story, each page has one simple sentence about how children play around the world. For beginning readers it's awesome because the sentences are really simple yet not generic or silly (like I find so many easy readers to be). Big Boy loves looking at the photographs of the different children in this book and commenting on what they are doing. The pages are great vocabulary builders for preschoolers. In addition, there is a section at the back of the book that identifies the country in which each photo was taken and includes a brief explanation of the activity portrayed. 
       If you are looking for some quality and simple nonfiction for your child, Ann Morris is a great place to start! ENJOY :)

Wordy Wednesday- ISH by Peter H. Reynolds

"One spring morning,

Ramon had a wonderful feeling.

It was a feeling that even ish words

and ish drawings could not capture.

He decided NOT to capture it.

Instead, he simply savored it..."

OK. Not going to lie here, this "children's book" is just as much for us adults- if not more so, than our children and that's why it is so very important!

Ish, by Peter H. Reynolds is the beautiful story of Ramon- a child that overcomes his insecurities to live "ishfully ever after." There's something so amazing and pure about children- they are naturally confident and risk-takers, but it seems that our society jades them all to early pushing them to focus on what is the "right" way to do something rather than encouraging their age-appropriate approximations.

Ramon thought of himself as an artist until his older brother saw one of his paintings and burst out laughing, "What is that?" From that day on Ramon started focusing on getting it "right" rather than enjoying his art. Eventually he ends up giving up on drawing altogether until he visits his little sister's room to find that she has turned all of Ramon's trash "wrong" drawings into a crumpled art gallery on her walls. "That was suppose to be a vase of flowers," Ramon said, "but it doesn't look like one." "Well it looks vase-ISH! " she exclaimed.

So it's true that your preschooler may not "get it" the first time you read it, but you sure will! I remember reading it to my kindergartners for the first time a few years back and tearing up at the end. One of my students consoled me by saying, "It's ok Mrs. Sayers. You can make a vase-ish flower too!" Aw, the innocence and loveliness of childhood!

Why not sit down with your little loved one and do some ish work? Big Boy and I sat down today to do some painting with water color. I've never thought of myself as an artist, but with the ish mindset you can let go of your insecurities about making something that is "good" and/or "right" and embrace the beauty of discovery and trial.

At the top of this post you will see Big Boy paining his "Bus-ISH" art and the finished product. Please excuse the facial expression- we'll just say he's being 3 :) And below his art is a little something that I call "Flower-ISH." By no means perfect or right, but I sure had a blast paining it with my son :) I think all of us adults could use a good dose of ish in our lives!

Wordy Wednesday- NOT A BOX

For those of you that don't know, I have a background in early childhood education and taught kindergarten for five years. Because of this, I have a passion for children's literature. In an attempt to share my adoration with the world, I will be hosting "Wordy Wednesday" in which I share a beloved book and ideas on how you can use that book with your child. The first book that I want to share with you is Not a Box by Antoinette Portis.

In this book, the author appeals to, "Children everywhere siting in cardboard boxes." The main (and only character), a rabbit, shares with the readers all of the different possibilities that his imagination can come up with for his cardboard box.

Big Boy absolutely LOVES this book! The first time I read it to him he giggled at all of the illustrations and couldn't wait to get a box of his own. Here are some ideas on how to use this book with your preschooler:

1.) As you read the book with your child, ask him or her to point out the different ideas that rabbit comes up with.

2.) Once your child gets a feel for the rhythm of the book, let him or her help "read" the repeating line, "It's not a box!"

3. ) Give your child a box and watch his imagination flourish :)

PS- If you love this book as much as we do, you are also going to want to check out

Not a Stick :)