A Flyer's Lullaby

This month we learned that a mother kangaroo is a FLYER. A father kangaroo is called a BOOMER. And a baby kangaroo is a JOEY, of course!

Miss Sarah taught us "kangaroo" in Spanish, EL CANGURO. And that MI CANGURO means "my kangaroo." In February she taught us, "I love you." TE AMO. So that became The Flyer's Lullaby, (to the tune of Oh My Darlin' Clementine)...

Mi canguro, mi canguro, mi canguuuro, te amo.
Te amo, mi canguro.
Mi canguro, te amo.

And our I'm a Kangaroo Mum song, to I'm a Little Teapot...

I'm a kangaroo mum, long tail and FLAP.
Here is my joey and here is where he'll NAP.
When he gets really sleepy, he'll crawl inSIDE.
What a great place to nap and RIDE.

What a fun month it's been!

Photo credit

KANGAROOS Have Joeys

"Seals have pups
Pigs have piglets
Deer have fawns
Eagles have eaglets"

With a simple rhyming text and vibrant illustrations, KANGAROOS HAVE JOEYS is the perfect introduction for children to animals and their offspring. Zimbabwean artist Philippa-Alys Browne has created a stunning series of full-page images, each with a border design that reflects one of the cultures to which the animal belongs. For parents and older children, the book also features fact-filled notes on the lifestyle and breeding patterns of each animal.

- KANGAROOS HAVE JOEYS by Philippa-Alys Browne, blurb (just learned this term today from Evelyn the Tosa librarian)

Spring is around the corner and soon nature will be teeming with new life! This month we'll read, sing, and rhyme about ANIMAL BABIES. Can't wait to share some interesting animal baby facts I've learned from this book.

A big thanks to the Milwaukee Zoological Society Education Department for the use of their copy of KANGAROOS HAVE JOEYS this month!

A Good CUDDLE

"Everybody likes a good cuddle...
Monkeys cuddle gently
and turtles cuddle slowly.
Ducks cuddle with their beaks
and elephants cuddle with their trunks."
- THE CUDDLE BOOK by Guido Van Genechten

Join us this month as celebrate the joy of cuddling!

We'll read:

THE CUDDLE BOOK by Guido Van Genechten
CAN YOU CUDDLE LIKE A KOALA? by John Butler
A NAP IN A LAP by Sarah Wilson
KISS KISS! by Margaret Wild
I LOVE YOU BECAUSE YOU'RE YOU by Liza Baker
THE MOST PRECIOUS THING by Gill Lewis
MY BEAUTIFUL CHILD by Lisa Desimini & Matt Mahurin
ONLY YOU by Robin Cruise
HOLD MY HAND: FIVE STORIES OF LOVE & FAMILY by Charlotte Zolotow

Nothing says "come cuddle" like a warm, wonderful book. Hope you can join us in February...

The YEAR OF THE TIGER

Who is the beast?
Who can it be?
I see no beast,
I just see me.
- WHO IS THE BEAST? by Kevin Baker

The lush illustrations, the tiger's ever-changing facial expressions, and the beautiful message of finding similarities in those who seem different...I adore every inch of this book!

What fun we had this month reading it as a way of bringing in the Chinese New Year of the Tiger! We anticipated the rhyming words, we counted paws, and we learned the sign for tiger!

And a great big thank you to my book holders who helped me manage the big book version (available for check-out at the Tosa Library!).

A YEAR Goes Round

"The days go dancing, one by one. When seven pass, a week is done...

The moon comes up, the sun goes down, and month by month a year goes round."

- from Month By Month a Year Goes Round by Carol Diggory Shields

It's hard to believe that we're at the top of another new year together. Looking back at photos such as this one from last January, it is exciting to see how much the little ones have grown!

This month we'll celebrate the passage of time by reading, rhyming, and singing about the days of the week and the months of the year.

BOOKS WE'LL READ:

Month By Month A Year Goes Round by Carol Diggory Shields
In the Town All Year 'Round by Rotraut Susanne Berner
A Year in the Country by Douglas Florian
A Kitten's Year by Nancy Rainies Day
Calendarbears: A Book of Months by Kathleen Hague
Today is Monday by Eric Carle
Turnover Tuesday by Phyllis Root
One Windy Wednesday by Phyllis Root
Every Friday by Dan Yaccarino
Friday My Radio Flyer Flew by Zachary Pullen
Molly's Seasons by Ellen Kandoian

And in honor of the Chinese "Year of the Tiger"...

Who Is the Beast? by Keith Baker (big book version!)

Looking forward to another year of reading, rhyming, and singing with you!

Daddy & Maddie: On a WINTRY NIGHT

"Daddy swirl your arms around, up and down and all around. Make an angel on the ground..."

This was her first time playing in the snow, and just the experience of walking and listening to the crunching sound was excitement in and of itself!

Making the snow angels was her favorite part, but they also constructed a family of 3 snowmen AND accomplished some shovelling! Busy, busy. Thanks for sharing, Mom.

All this daddy/daughter snow fun means one thing for me...time to read ON A WINTRY MORNING; Dori Chaconas makes midwestern winters so much warmer!

SURPRISE Snowman!

Her very first snowman!

On the morning of Megan's 20-month birthday, Daddy surprised her with this fine fellow that they decorated together with Mommy later that day; Dad is Canadian and must be used to creating gifts out of snow. They used prunes, tomatoes, pretzels, licorice...and a party hat, of course. How creative!

If you have any fun snow photos you'd like to share, please email them to me at tuesdaysatten@gmail.com, and I will post them for everyone's enjoyment and inspiration!