The Children’s Busy Book:365 Creative Learning Games and Activities to Keep Your 6-10 Year Old Busy

Written by Trish Kuffner

The author is not trying to reinvent the wheel; she does want to help you make the most of your child’s free time. Contents of this book are designed to stimulate creativity, social skills, imagination and thinking skills. They can be used after school, during the summer, or on a weekend. The ages six to ten are recommended but not arbitrary as younger children as well as adults might also enjoy them. They are not gender specific; the categories are generalized with much overlapping.

Let’s look at some of the chapter headings: rainy days, indoor Olympics, fun outdoors, my family and me, arts and crafts, and holiday fun. Under these headings the reader will find some traditional games like jump rope and hopscotch, marbles and card games. There are some great recipes in the kids in the kitchen section like oatmeal pancakes and Teriyaki chicken. In the math area there are activities like naming that coin and calendar games. Budding scientists learn how to make rock candy crystals fossils, and invisible ink. For a family project children might want to research a family tree, create a scrapbook or set up a “praise box.”

In the Appendix, Kuffner lists more suggestions for reading, resources for parents, and an index of supplies needed to complete or create the projects. This book leaves nothing to be desired. Everything needed is clearly delineated and indexed. The guide is a valuable resource to be placed on the shelves of parents, camp counselors, librarians and teachers. Just the thing to reach for as soon as an adult hears a child say, “I’m bored.”

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Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know

Written and edited by Hamilton Wright Mabie

This collection of fairy tales consists of many from collections familiar to readers like Grimm, Arabian Knights, Hans Christian Andersen and Charles Perrault. Some are less familiar such as The Light Princess from George MacDonald.

There are no illustrations in the collection. Certainly some of these tales will inspire the reader to visualize many terrifying characters that might defy illustrations. In any case, I would not recommend them to young children because there is a great deal of violence and some morbidity. The language of these tales is not always twenty-first century and many prejudicial attitudes are displayed within. There is no formal table of contents: the reader must go to the chapter headings to find the name of the tale. Readers will be familiar with many of these, The Three Bears, Little Red Riding Hood, Tom Thumb, and Hansel and Gretel. Allow me to preview two of those less well-known.

In One Eye Two Eyes, Three Eyes we meet a woman who has three daughters. The daughter who had two eyes was shunned because she looked too much like ordinary people. She was treated much like Cinderella by her mother and sisters. But one day she meets a woman who gives her a magical phrase to say to her goat every time she is hungry, “Little goat, if you’re able, Pray deck out my table.” So from that day on, Two Eyes never went hungry and her family became very jealous. When they find out her secret, they kill the goat. Two Eyes retrieves the goat’s insides and buries it in front of the house. It produces a tree with leaves of silver and apples of gold that only Two Eyes is able to retrieve. Will there be a happily ever after ending?

The Light Princess tells of a king and queen who are childless for a long time. When a long-awaited daughter is born, the king forgets to invite his sister, Princess Makemnoit, who happens to be a spiteful witch. She appears at the palace without invitation and puts a “light” spell on the princess. This spell deprives the child of all her gravity. The baby floats up and down and has to closely watched. As the child grows, the child develops a love of water and swims in the lake for hours on end. The princess has no sense of balance. The King’s Council of Metaphysians urge her to become knowledgeable of all earthly sciences like history and geology. One day a prince comes along who is determined to woo her. Will he be victorious or will the Aunt’s spell continue to plague her?

The tales are entertaining, if sometimes dark and unsettling. Reading them provides a fascinating base for discussion of similarities, differences and themes in this genre. If you like fairy tales, you will be intrigued by a study of this collection. Be forewarned that these stories are not for the feint-hearted reader. In general I would recommend for children ages ten and above or a reading of selections chosen by adults for younger children.

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I was invited to take part in the Meet The Character Blog Tour by friend and talented fellow author, Kimberly Sentek

Kimberly Sentek has spent her entire life telling stories–so much so that her parents swear she was born talking. A lifelong resident of New Jersey (and a huge fan of Bon Jovi), Kimberly is owned by two cockapoos, Nico and Tugger. Her first book, Oh Brother!: A Nico and Tugger Tale, was inspired by them, and she hopes to continue writing a series of books about her two furry children.

Connect with her at:
www.kimberlysentek.com
@kimberlysentek on Twitter
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kimberly-Sentek-Author-Page/365737483515252?ref=hl

Buy the book at:
http://www.amazon.com/Oh-Brother-Nico-Tugger-Tale/dp/1466942878/ref=sr_1_1_bnp_1_pap?ie=UTF8&qid=1370221425&sr=8-1&keywords=kimberly+sentek

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/oh-brother-kimberly-sentek/1113130704?ean=9781466942875

iTunes interactive app of the book: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/oh-brother!/id639108492?ls=1&mt=8

AND NOW TO MEET MY CHARACTER…………

The fourth book in this series Little Miss HISTORY Travels to FORD’S THEATER is COMING SOON!

What is the name of your character? Is he/she fictional or a historic person?

Little Miss HISTORY is the name of my character. She is a wannabe park ranger wearing camping clothes and hiking shoes that are three sizes too big. Little Miss is an optimist who views the world with rose-colored glasses guiding her readers on adventures to historic events and places that make learning about history a fun experience for readers of all ages. The character is a real one based on a younger version of myself.

What should we know about him/her?

Little Miss HISTORY is always up to a challenge. She might be skydiving, scuba diving, or repelling. She will do whatever it takes to reveal little known facts in a humorous, pictorial and fun to read format. Adults who come along on her adventures will be amazed at the knowledge they will be discovering along with their children. Teachers will find the series easily accommodates common core curriculum standards.

What messes up his / her life? 

Miss HISTORY reveals all the challenges, problems, risks and dangers that the real historical characters encountered in the planning, construction, and events that occurred in the monuments and places that she visits.

What is the personal goal of the character?

Her goal is to make learning about historic events and places a fun experience. Miss HISTORY’s motto is “If you don’t know your history, you don’t know what you’re talking about.” She wants her readers to understand that by learning about the past, you can better shape the events of the future. Of course she would also like children and caretakers to be encouraged to visit these sites in person to explore and learn on their own.

Is there a working title for this novel, and can we read more about it?

All the books in this nonfiction picture book series begin with Little Miss HISTORY Travels to….So far she has journeyed to MOUNT RUSHMORE, THE STATUE OF LIBERTY AND SEQUOIA NATIONAL PARK. Next destination will be FORD’S THEATER, which is currently in production.

When can we expect the next book to be published?

Little Miss HISTORY Travels to FORD’S THEATER will be released around the end of this year.

To learn more about the author please visit my author page at: http://www.amazon.com/Barbara-Ann-Mojica/e/B00B9DOVKC/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0

AWARDS: MOUNT RUSHMORE AND STATUE of LIBERTY books have been awarded B.R.A.G. MEDALLIONS.

SEQUOIA National Park book WON HONORABLE MENTION  FOR THE CHILDREN’S LITERATURE AWARD FOR INDEPENDENTLY PUBLISHED LITERATURE. CLIPPA 2014 AWARDS

SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES:

Author website: http://www.littlemisshistory.com

Author blog: https://bamauthor.wordpress.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Littlemisshistorycom?ref=hl

Twitter. https://twitter.com/bamauthor

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6851359.Barbara_Ann_Mojica

Linked in: http://www.linkedin.com/home?trk=hb_tab_home_top

Pinterest http://pinterest.com/bamauthor/

Google + https://plus.google.com/u/0/112118587425339968389

BUYING LINKS:

AMAZON SALES LINK;

http://www.amazon.com/Barbara-Ann-Mojica/e/B00B9DOVKC/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1359994773&sr=1-2-ent

BARNES AND NOBLE

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/Barbara-Ann-Mojica?store=book&keyword=Barbara+Ann+Mojica

The books may also be purchased from Createspace or my website http://www.littlemisshistory.com

Thanks so much for stopping by the MEET THE CHARACTER BLOG today!  Bye for now….

Great Kids in History

Written by Michael Williams

Great Kids in History is a collection of twenty two short stories on the contributions of kids to history. Some of these names will be familiar to adults and many children. For example, there are stories about Thomas Edison, Andrew Jackson and Robert Fulton. But then you probably have never heard of Grace Bedell or Philo Farnsworth. This compilation is a nonfiction book that is not intended to be comprehensive or scholarly. It is written in simple language appropriate for independent reading in middle grades. The information presented is not exhaustive; it may give children a sense of pride in the achievements made by these young people in many fields such as politics, sports, inventions, science, the military and technology. I think that any boy or girl will find at least a few of these stories inspiring. Teachers will be able to select one or more as a springboard for discussion and research on many topics. My guess is that any adult who shares this book with a child will learn a thing or two as well!

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