Sylvan Dell: Ready, Set… WAIT!

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If you haven’t read any Sylvan Dell books to your kids yet, you are missing a treat.  Each book we’ve looked at is beautifully illustrated, with educational content and lots of extension ideas at the back of the book.  Perfect for homeschooling science or just spending quality time with your kids.
 
Did I mention their eBook option?  Esmé has thoroughly enjoyed paging through their books online with the audio turned on – especially nice when I don’t have time to read to her!

So…  when I found out they are offering Ready, Set…WAIT! for free on their website for the next few days, I thought I’d let you know!  This eBook deals with what coastal animals do before a storm hits, and it’s got the free educational content in the back as well.

Head on over to Sylvan Dell and treat your kids to an educational adventure that ties in perfectly with current events!

Disclaimer:  I do have a Sylvan Dell book we received in exchange for review; coming soon… However, I’m receiving nothing in exchange for this post – just wanted to pass on a great opportunity!

“I Have a Mother Who Prays for Me”

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Some have had kings in their lineage,

Some to whom honor was paid.

Not blest of my ancestors – but,

I have a mother who prays.

I have a mother who prays for me

And pleads with the Lord every day for me.

Oh what a difference it makes for me -

I have a mother who prays.

Some have worldly success

And trust in riches they’ve made -

This is my surest asset,

I have a mother who prays.

My mother’s prayers cannot save me,

Only mine can avail;

But mother introduced me to Someone -

Someone who never could fail.

Oh yes…I have a mother who prays for me

And pleads with the Lord every day for me.

Oh what a difference it makes for me -

I have a mother who prays.

          -Author Unknown

Wordless Wednesday: Summer

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Clinging…

…with my fingernails…

…to these fleeting…

sun-kissed days.

Tiny Talk Tuesday

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What Esmé (4yo) has to say about:

Water Birth:

Esmé and I were working through a study on amphibians.  The lesson kept emphasizing this point:  While alligators etc. are born on land, all amphibians are born in the water. 

Esmé, confused, asked me, “What am I, Mom?  Am I an amphibian?”

I guess I would be confused, too, if my mom had given birth to me in a birthing tub…

Parallel Realities:

We were discussing how Esmé is perfectly unique, specially created by God.  “Gabe is unique, too!” she says of her stuffed horse.

“Actually,” I say, “Gabe was made in a factory.  There are lots of other horses just like him.”

“But really,” she insists.  “The factory is horse heaven!  All the angel horses and Gabe were made there.  They have a horse god there and everything.” 

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Totally unrelated - we have all kinds of cool things in our yard this summer…

Magic Marker Monday

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Esmé is, shall we say, a RE-LUUUC-TANT reader and writer, so much so that I occasionally wonder if I’m a delusional parent as far as her abilities are concerned. 

And then she writes stuff like this under the menu on the fridge – which, by the way, we had just filled in with “healthy foods that she promises to eat this week.”

There aren’t any Fruit Loops boxes in the kitchen for her to copy off of – honest!

And there are her random 3D creations that I absolutely adore stumbling across.  Like this  castle made of styrofoam packing and sharp pencils on our bedroom floor:

Or this pet “water bird” made from kitchen tongs and a wooden spatula, complete with a soup ladle to sip water out of:

So, what kind of mischief magic has your little one been creating lately?  Come share at 5 Minutes for Special Needs!

“It took me four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child.”

~Pablo Picasso

Tis the Season…

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…to pick apples off a tree.

The neighboring neighing horses line up for the rejects.

And we enjoy the fruits of the labor…

(Thanks, Grandpa & Grandma – your pruning paid off!)

Cat?  Wings?  Huh?  I don’t see anything unusual…

On Growing Up…

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4yo Esmé:  I want to work at McDonald’s when I grow up!

Mom:  Oh, okay…  (putting aside neurosurgery plans).

Esmé:  Why are they all wearing red and blue shirts?

Mom:  That’s the work uniform at McDonald’s.

Esmé:  But can they wear pink?

Mom:  No, I don’t think so.

Esmé:  Then I don’t want to work at McDonald’s!  I want to wear pink!

Mom:  Okay… (thank goodness for pink…)

Esmé:  What color do they wear at Taco Bell?

Mom:  I don’t think it’s pink.

Esmé:  But if it is, I could work at Taco Bell!

Sigh…