All You Need is LOVE

Every year, the IKEA Foundation donates €1 for every soft toy sold in participating IKEA stores worldwide in November and December. 
The donation goes to Save the Children and UNICEF, and is spent on children’s educational projects.

Bring ME Home for Christmas

For more information: http://pages.ikeafoundation.org/Soft-Toys

The Giving Tree

Once there was a tree ...

and she loved a little boy.
 

And every day the boy would come

and he would gather her leaves

and make them into crowns and play king of the forest.
 

He would climb up her trunk

and swing from her branches

and eat apples.

And they would play hide-and-go-seek. 

And when he was tired,

he would sleep in her shade.

 

And the boy loved the tree ... very much.

And the tree was happy.

But time went by.

And the boy grew older.

And the tree was often alone ...

Fall is a spectacular time in many countries. The fall colours reminds me my favourite season of the year is approaching. Thanksgiving is already here in Canada and counting down in the United States.

It's a season of giving and thanksgiving. And this book, The Giving Tree ties well with the theme and the spectacular view outside the classroom is a perfect setting.

It is a tale of a relationship between a young boy and a tree. The tree always provides the boy with what he wants - leaves to making crown, branches to swing on, apples to eat, shade to rest.
 

As the boy grows older, he requires more and more of the tree. The tree loves the boy very much and gives him anything he asks for.

Apples for the boy to selling for money, branches for him to building house, trunk for him to sailing away.

 

Many years later, the boy, now an old man returned. And the tree sadly said,

 

"I am sorry, Boy," said the tree, "but I have nothing left to give you.  My apples are gone."

"My teeth are too weak for apples," said the boy.

"My branches are gone," said the tree. "You cannot swing on them.”

"I am too old to swing on branches," said the boy.

 

"My trunk is gone," said the tree. "You cannot climb."

"I am too tired to climb," said the boy.

"I am sorry," sighed the tree.

"I wish that I could give you something --- but I have nothing left. I am just an old stump." "I don't need very much now," said the boy.

"just a quiet place to sit and rest. I am very tired."

"Well," said the tree, straightening herself up as much as she could,

"Well, an old stump is good for sitting and resting.

Come, Boy, sit down. Sit down and rest."

And the boy did. 

And the tree was happy.

If you are looking for GIVE ideas, here I've got some for you.
UNICEF USA
UNICEF Hong Kong

Over the last 60 years, UNICEF and its partners have been working tirelessly to improve the welfare of children. WE BELIEVE our work is not completed until there is ZERO MORTALITY from preventable diseases, ZERO UNDERDEVELOPMENT, ZERO ABUSE and ZERO ISOLATION for children around the world.
 

I BELIEVE in ZERO

Amaris Declaring "I Believe in Zero"

Supporting UNICEF to helping more children reach their 5th birthday 

If you believe, too.

Go to UNICEF to take ACTION TODAY.

http://www.ibelieveinzero.org.hk/index_en.html

http://www.unicefusa.org/about/believe-in-zero

   

Mr. Brown Can MOO! Can You?

Oh, the wonderful things
Mr. Brown can do!
He can go like a cow.
He can go MOO MOO
Mr. Brown can do it.
How about you?

He can go like a bee.
Mr. Brown can BUZZ
How about you?
Can you go BUZZ BUZZ

He can go like a cork ...
POP POP POP POP

Amaris loves imitating sounds and I think most of the toddlers do. 
Though Amaris is not a toddler anymore, she still enjoys reading and laughing with Dr. Seuss' book, like this one - Mr. Brown Can MOO! Can You?

MOO moo (like a cow ...)
HOO hoo (like an owl ...)
DIBBLE DIBBLE! DOPP DOPP! (like the rain ...)
COCK-A-DOODLE-DOO (like a rooster)
BLURP BLURP BLURP BLURP (like a horn ...)
SLURP SLURP SLURP (like a big cat drinking)

Oh, all the wonderful sounds Mr. Brown can do! 
The funny sound and rhyme makes reading a very enjoyable journey for infants, toddlers and young children.
And be sure to buy the original full version (check this out)

Mr. Brown is smart,
as smart as they come!
He can do a hippopotamus chewing gum!
GRUM GRUM GRUM GRUM GRUM GRUM GRUM

Happy Reading!

  

I am NOT Sleepy and I WILL NOT go to BED

 

I have this little sister Lola.

She is small and very funny.
Sometimes I have to keep an eye on her.
Sometimes Mum and Dad ask me to try and get her off to bed.
This is a hard job because Lola likes to stay up late ... 

Usually, when I say, "Lola, Mum says it is time for bed,"
"No! I am NOT sleepy and I WILL NOT go to bed."
I say, "But all the birds have gone to sleep."
She says, "But I am not a bird, Charlie."

Amaris has started her first grade in September. 
Her school has a very good reading program that encourages every child to read and enjoy reading as a lifelong companion. 

Every morning, the children either bring their favorite book from home or pick one from the classroom reading corner to enjoy morning reading before school starts.

Children enjoy going to the learning center located on the 3rd floor with a comprehensive collection of children's books, close to 20,000.

Yesterday, Amaris brought home with two books, one was The Lion King and the another one was I am NOT sleepy and I WILL NOT go to bed, again from the Charlie and Lola's series. 
The title echoes Amaris' mind and soul.

In my last blog, I will NEVER NOT EVER eat a Tomato, big brother Charlie faces an epic struggle with her little sister, Lola in a dinnertime battle. 
In this equally spirit, Charlie takes the hardest job to try to get Lola to bed. 
This is a hard job because Lola likes to stay up coloring, scribbling, sticking, wriggling, bouncing and most of all chattering!


Read it with your toddlers to laugh out loud or children like Amaris enjoys reading it by herself as an echo of mind.

I Will Never NOT EVER Eat a Tomato

 

 

I have this little sister Lola.

She is small and very funny.

Sometimes, I have to keep an eye on her ...

Sometimes, Mom and Dad ask me to give Lola her dinner.
This is difficult because she is a very fussy eater.

Lola won't eat carrot of course.

She says, "carrots are for rabbits."

I say, "What about peas?"

Lola says, "Peas are too small and too green."

Lola is a fussy eater. 
A very fussy eater who will never ever eat carrots, peas, cauliflowers ... just like my six years old at home, I can name them ALL.

The only difference here is Lola has a very creative brother, Charlie who is playing this imagination game with her in this dinnertime battle.

Charlie turns carrots into orange twiglets from Jupiter, mashed potatoes into cloud fluff from the pointiest peak of Mount Fuji, tomatoes into moonsquirters AND green peas into green drops from Greenland. 

These two endearing siblings with boundless imagination turns the dinnertime battle into a Fantasyland.

And I ABSOLUTELY will never NOT EVER eat a TOMATO ...

The CAT in the HAT

The sun did not shine.

It was too wet to play.

So we sat in the house

All that cold, cold, wet day. 

I sat there with Sally.

We sat there, we two.

And I said, "How I wish

We had something to do!" 

So all we could do was to 

Sit! Sit! Sit! Sit!

And we did not like it.

Not one little bit.

  

 

The Cat in the Hat is a children's book classic by Dr. Seuss in 1957.

It is the first book featuring this tall, anthropomorphic, mischievous cat, wearing a tall, red and white-striped hat and a red bow tie.

This story is about Sally and her brother are bored in the house one day, on a cold, cold and wet day.

They are sitting by the window, looking out the house with nothing to play.  

Then something went BUMP and made them JUMP! 

There it comes the Cat in the Hat stepping in on the mat and bringing all the FUN!

Dr. Seuss makes reading a joyful journey for every child. Don't let your children miss it!

“Look at ME!
Look at ME!
Look at me NOW!
It is FUN to have FUN
But you have to know HOW.”

Happy Reading EVERYONE!

Are We Missing a PLANT Here

We've got BEES
We've got POLLEN
Are we missing a PLANT here

An one-month old Asagao (Japanese morning glories) grown from seed, inspired by the beautiful flowers in Takayama, Japan this summer.

Any ideas on planting is welcome

BEE our 1500TH?

Eat Your Peas

It was dinnertime again and Daisy knew just what her mom was going to say, before she even said it.

"Eat your peas," said Mom.

Daisy looked down at the little green balls that were ganging up on her plate.

"I don't like peas," said Daisy.

Mom sighed one of her usual sighs.

"If you eat your peas, you can have dessert," said Mom.

"I don't like peas," said Daisy. 

What will it take to make Daisy eat peas?

Mom promised dessert, a later bedtime, no bath, and then, in increasing desperation, a baby elephant, a chocolate factory and much, much more.

This dinnertime battle of wills is sure to amuse children and parents like myself. It shows the power of vegetables to turn a meal into an epic struggle. A funny outcome and determined little Daisy make this book super fun and entertaining to read.

The author, Kes Gray has been called one of the top ten children's authors in the UK by THE INDEPENDENT. 

Eat Your Peas is the first book among the Daisy series, has won the coveted overall prize at the 2001 Children's Book Awards.

Eat Your Peas is available to order online via Book Depository. 

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