Kids Book Club: Magic Tree House #9: Dolphins at Daybreak

Book Review:

Dolphins at Daybreak by Mary Pope Osborn is the 9th book in the Magic Tree House series. In it, Jack and Annie land by the ocean and get in a mini submarine to explore the coral reef. They run into dolphins, an octopus, and sharks! This book was a fun adventure and a great way to learn about the coral reef.

Discussion Questions:

1. How do Jack and Annie become Master Librarians? Would you want to be a Master Librarian?

2. Where did Jack and Annie get taken in the tree house? Have you ever been anywhere like that?

3. What are some of the creatures that live around coral reefs?  

4. When the children read the ship’s log, what did they learn about the sub? Would you have freaked out or stayed calm?

5. Why were they scared to swim in the water? Would you have been scared?

6. Did Jack tell Annie about the dark fin in the water? Why?

7. Why did Jack and Annie turn onto their backs and float? Have you ever had to swim for a long time and had to rest by floating on your back?

8. What helped Jack and Annie get to the coral reef? 

9. What can be found inside the oyster shell? How does a pearl form?

10. What was the answer to the riddle? Did you figure it out?

Questions from: http://www.risetoreading.com/2012/09/18/comprehension-questions-9-dolphins-at-daybreak/

Food Ideas:

Swedish fish, goldfish, gummy sharks

Activity:

We did three activities.

1. An art project: gave each kid blue construction paper and had them glue sand on it to form a beach. Then, using markers and ocean/fish stickers, they made an underwater scene. Afterwards, we taped clear blue paper over it to look like water.

2. Physical activity: played “Sharks and Jack and Annie” (sharks and minnows) in the sprinkler. Two kids were sharks and everyone else was either Jack, Annie, or a Dolphin.

3. Group art: painted an underwater mural of a picture from the book. I drew the picture on butcher paper and the kids all painted it.

Summer Bookclub at the Penguin Bookshop

Here's info about the summer bookclub I am running for kids, ages 9-12. It should be a ton of fun, so if your kid likes reading, check it out! To register, just call the store and put your child's name on the list.

Printable Stoplight Behavior Chart

Check out my newest creation on Etsy!

www.etsy.com/shop/stefhohlcreations

A lot of teachers use a behavior chart similar to this in their classrooms. You just write your child's name on a clothespin and move it up or down according to their behavior. 

Yes, I've used this with my kids. And it didn't take long for them to realize that getting to "Reward!" was a lot better than getting to "Oh No!" Try it out and let me know if it works for you!

Storytime at the Penguin Bookshop

Hey guys, guess what?

The story time I run at the Penguin Bookshop was chosen as one of the best story times in Pittsburgh! Woo-hoo! 

You should all come and support independent book stores! Mondays at 10:30. :)

The Kidsburgh guide to the best story times in Pittsburgh

 

Eric Carle story time - We read books, played games, sang songs, and made our own very hungry caterpillar!

Pittsburgh Moms Blog

I'm happy to announce that I will be a contributor for the upcoming Pittsburgh Moms Blog! This blog will have posts Monday-Friday from moms in the Pittsburgh area. The website launches March 30th, but our Facebook fan page is active now! Like us on Facebook and help us reach our goal of 1,000 likes by launch day. There will also be a lot of giveaways during launch week, so stay tuned!

https://www.facebook.com/pittsburghmomsblog

What I Need to Know. By "I," I mean my kids.

This is a boring blog post. Essential to my philosophy on parenting, yes, but boring, nevertheless (as most essential things are). Consider yourself warned.

By the request of my sister, I have created and am posting my Teach Your Kid This Stuff So They Will Be Competent Happy Adults and Won’t Live With You For the Rest of Their Lives List

Let’s just call it the “What I Need to Know” list for short. Yeah, I know the titles don’t match.

And here’s a disclaimer: it’s not my brainchild. The idea came from one of my favorite parenting books, The Parenting Breakthrough, by Merrilee Boyack. It’s a great read. I highly recommend it.

Back to the list. What you do is write down everything your kid needs to know by they time they leave home and then break it up into appropriate age categories. In my family, we pull these out about once a year, usually in the summer, and my kids love crossing off the stuff they know how to do. Here’s a pic of our old lists:

However, if you don’t have time to write your own lists, never fear. Here is my snazzy new list, available for purchase on my Etsy shop, StefHohlCreations. After printing, just laminate onto a manila folder for durability, and write your child’s name on the tab. Voila:

Or, just staple it together and call it good. As seen here:

Remember, nothing is set in stone on these lists. Every child develops differently and the age lists are just recommendations. Often my kids will cross off things on various ages all at once. It just provides a nice general outline and reminder of what your child needs to learn by the time they leave home. And honestly, by the time you get to your 5th kid, sometimes you forget to teach him stuff. Like his ABCs. So this helps. And the TV also helps. At least with ABCs. Okay, bye.

Chore Charts 30% off

Hi folks,

This chore chart board game is now available as an 8x10, so you can print it at home. Just print out one board game per child and have them color in one spot each day they do their chores. They can earn rewards when they reach the animals. Here's to no more complaining about doing chores! Ha...yeah right...;)

For one week I am offering a 30% off discount on all my charts.

Buy them at StefHohlCreations. Just enter coupon code SAVE30. Expires 2/29/16.

Our version of Let It Go

It's winter, so why not make a movie in the freezing cold?

Kids Book Club: Magic Tree House #8 Midnight on the Moon

After starting my Mother/Daughter Book Club, my boys were, of course, jealous. They saw we had treats, and they wanted in. So I decided to start a book club that was geared more toward my boys, though we also invited girls to participate. I ran all of these book clubs myself, charged a dollar or two for supplies, and parents were welcome to drop their kids off if they were old enough or stay if their kids were on the younger side. I found this a great way to get my boys interested in reading and I think the kids all had a lot of fun!

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Book Review:

Midnight on the Moon is the 8th book in Mary Pope Osborn’s The Magic Tree House books. This time, the magic tree house lands in a space center, so Jack and Annie don spacesuits and walk on the moon! They meet a mysterious moon man and ride in a moon buggy. I love The Magic Tree House books, and this one is fabulous for learning about the moon.

Discussion Questions:

1.     Where did Jack and Annie go in the tree house? Would you like to go to the moon?

2.     How did Jack feel as he walked around in his suit? What do you think it would feel like to wear a spacesuit?

3.     What was the blue and white ball that glowed far away? How would it feel to see Earth from the moon?

4.     Jack always wants to read his book first and Annie wants to go experience things. Are you more like Jack or Annie?

5.     How did Jack communicate with the moon man? Have you ever had to communicate with someone who didn’t speak the same language as you?

6.     What did Jack draw on the star map? What did the constellation look like? Do you know how to recognize any constellations?

7.     What was the fourth special thing? What were the other three things? How were they related?

8.     Who was Peanut? Were you surprised or did guess that?

9.      If you could go in the magic tree house, where would you want to go?

Food Ideas:

We had sugar cookies with star and moon sprinkles on them, and red, white and blue rocket popsicles.

Activity:

We did three activities. 1. An art project: gave each kid a piece of black posterboard and had them glue a Styrofoam disc onto it as the moon. Then they poked craters in the moon with the back of a paintbrush. Last, they painted or drew stars on the black paper to make a night sky. 2. Physical Activity: each child took a turn putting on large snow boots and a helmet and jumping on the trampoline to see what it was like walking on the moon. 3. Group art: painted a cardboard spaceship. It was awesome.

In honor of Star Wars...

May the force be with you.

Mother/Daughter Book Club: The Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwillow Place

Book Review:

The Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwillow Place, by Julie Berry, is a fun murder mystery set in Victorian England. Seven girls attend a finishing school and in one night, their headmistress and her brother die suddenly and mysteriously. The clever group of girls decides to cover up their deaths to enjoy the freedom of living on their own. My daughter doesn’t like books that involve death (which we seem to read a lot of!), so she was a little weary as we started this book. But the book is lighthearted and fun, so she ended up loving it.

Discussion Questions:

Instead of discussing the book this time, we had the special treat of a question and answer session with the author! I took a workshop from Julie Berry in June, and she agreed to Facetime with the girls during our book group. It was such a cool experience. The girls asked her all sorts of questions about why she included certain things in the book, about the writing and revision process, how she did her research for the book, etc. Julie was wonderful and so great with the girls. It was awesome.

Here are some discussion questions:

1.     Which girl did you like the best? Who did you like the least? Which character are you most similar to?

2.     What do you think it would be like to go to a finishing school?

3.     Would you have agreed with Kitty and thought it was a good idea to cover up the two deaths?

4.     What was your favorite part of the book? Your least favorite part?

5.     Did you figure out who the murderer was? If not, who did you think it was?

6.     What did you think about the names for the girls? Did you like that they all had a label?

7.     Did you figure out who Julius was?

8.     Did you like the ending?

9.     Would you like to live on your own, without adults?

Food Ideas:

We had a strawberry social of course! We drank pink lemonade, and enjoyed a giant bowl of strawberries with fruit dip, biscuits, and a bowl of chocolates.

Activity:

The girls learned to cross-stitch a strawberry. I found small cross-stitch hoops at the craft store for 75 cents, so each girl could take it home to finish it. (They only completed about two rows of the strawberry that night.) Only two of the girls had ever tried cross-stitching before, so it was a new experience for most of them, and they all enjoyed it. 

It's hard not to love these crazies.

Don't you love taking family photos? The crying about having to take showers, the fighting over what clothes to wear, the yelling at kids to hold still and smile, the melting M&Ms in your pocket which you are saving for the last few desperate moments. Taking family photos is such a great family bonding experience. 

Thanks to Emily Stewart for probably taking 1 trillion photos of us to come up with these gems. 

Come to Storytime at Penguin Bookshop!

Hey everyone, guess what? I got a job at Penguin Bookshop in Sewickley. I will be leading Storytime on Mondays at 10am, starting on November 9th. If you live in the area, come check it out! Here's the schedule:

And here's a link to the store's website:

http://www.penguinbookshop.com/storytime

We are so despicable...

Happy Halloween!

Mother/Daughter Book Club: Savvy

Book Review:

Savvy, by Ingrid Law, is about Mibs, a girl that will discover her savvy, or her magical power, on her 13th birthday. When Mibs’s dad suffers an accident the night before her birthday that lands him in the hospital, Mibs is sure her savvy will save him. Frustrated she is left behind when her mother and brother go visit her father, Mibs goes on a crazy adventure with her two brothers and two friends to try to get to her father in time. This was a fun book that put a twist on the usual superpower book. I liked the family themes and the idea of learning not to listen to the negative voices in our heads. My daughter liked it because of the special powers.

Discussion Questions:

1. Mibs wishes, at least temporarily, that her savvy could “give [her] the muscle to turn nasty girls into slimy green frogs or to glue their mouths shut tight with a nod of [her] head” (p. 17). Why do the girls in Mibs’s class make fun of her? What would you do in her place?

2. The Beaumonts have to keep their savvies a secret from everyone. Would that be difficult for you? Do you think everyone has a secret? Who would you trust with your big secrets?

3. Describe Mibs’s relationship with her parents and siblings. How is it complicated by their savvies? What are the positive and negative aspects of having siblings with extraordinary powers?

4. Grandpa says to Mibs, “Your savvy’s in your blood. It’s an inheritance, like your brown eyes or your grandma’s long toes or her talent for dancing to polka music” (p. 121). Are people born with special talents or do they have to work at developing their unique abilities? Are there any talents you wish you had?

5. Explain how Mibs ends up on a Bible delivery bus with Bobbi, Will, Fish, and Samson. Where do they hope to arrive? How do things go awry? Which scene in their wild adventure is your favorite?

6. Slowly, Mibs discovers the way her savvy works. How does she figure it out? How is it different from the savvy that she originally hoped for? In the last year, what have you, like Mibs, discovered about yourself?

7. How does Lill Kiteley end up on the bus? What would you say is her special know-how? How does she use that know-how during her time on the bus and how does it affect the passengers?

8. How does Mibs’s relationship with Will and Bobbi change over the course of the adventure? Who do you think changes the most in the story?

9. Fish and Rocket have a terrible time scumbling their savvies. How does this cause a ruckus for the Beaumont clan and others who know them? Are there any parts of your own personality that you have a difficult time controlling? Is it better to tone down parts of yourself so that you fit in or is it more important to be yourself completely?

10. Momma warns Mibs that, “You can’t get rid of part of what makes you you and be happy” (p. 186). What makes you you? How do you let that special part shine through?

11. When Mibs thinks about Will’s obvious feelings for her she realizes that it “[makes her] feel too young and too old at the same time.” (p. 223) Do you feel like kids today are forced to grow up too fast? How might different aspects of modern life (the media, school, friends, etc.) affect the ways in which kids mature?

(Questions from: http://www.walden.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Savvy-Discussion-Guide-Updated-4-09.pdf)

Food Ideas:

We had chocolate pie and sugar cream pie. Delicious!

Activity:

The girls applied fake tattoos. My friend found some fancy glittery ones, which the girls loved.

 

Happyland

I created Happyland 6 years ago as a way to motivate my then 4 and 5-year-olds to do their chores without whining - hence the name Happyland. They loved the board game style and it worked quite well. I am happy to now have a digital version of the game to share with all of you. 

You can buy it here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/StefHohlCreations

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Using 3-year-olds as models was quite hilarious.

Trick or Chore!

Check out my new chore chart! Make chores in October a little more festive. When your kids are done with their chores for the day, they can color in one circle. When they get to the pumpkin, ghost, hat, and candy corn, they get a prize. Simple as that.

Print it out, hang it on your fridge, and you're good to go.

You can buy it here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/StefHohlCreations

Mother/Daughter Book Club: The Mysterious Benedict Society

Book Review:

The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart is a long book! My daughter was turned off by the length of the book, and it took us about 6 weeks to read, but we finished it! It revolves around four gifted children that pass a series of difficult tests and are chosen to figure out a mystery that will save the world from destruction. I won’t say more and spoil the mystery, but the book is full of interesting characters and fun plot twists. Despite their initial groans about the length, many of the girls from book group went on to read the sequels.

Discussion Questions:

1. In order to be selected, children had to pass several tests. Which test did you like the best? How well do you think you’d do on it?

2. Four children passed, Reynie, Sticky, Constance and Kate. Each had unique talents to offer the team. Which child would you like to be and why?

3. Why did Reynie thank Mr. Benedict for selecting him for a dangerous job? Would you have thanked him?

4. Did you notice anything interesting about some of the place or character names?

5. Everyone in the book was an orphan and had no family. Yet, this book was all about family. How can that be? What do you think makes a family?

6. What were the rules at the LIVE Institute? What was the purpose of them?

7. Reynie noticed that the Messengers were motivated by being a part of something. Was this true for the Mysterious Benedict Society? What motivated Mr. Curtain?

8. How did each child’s strength get used to solve the mystery? Why did they need each other?

9. A lot of people talk about “doing the right thing.” Reynie struggled with this alot. Have there been times when you’ve been tempted one way or another? How does it feel?

10. How did you like the ending? How would you have improved it?

(Questions from: https://multcolib.org/mysterious-benedict-society)

Food Ideas:

We had ice cream sundaes. Yum!

Activity:

The girls learned Morse code and sent messages to each other with flashlights. This was a lot harder than we thought it would be! My friend also printed out a bunch of puzzles and brain teasers for the girls to figure out.

Chore Chart in Real Life...

I wanted to take a picture to show my chore chart in use in real life. Well, here it is people. My 2.5 yr old does not do chores yet, but he insisted on being in the picture. He also wanted to be the only person in the picture. He also refused to put on a shirt. That pretty much sums up my life.

My kids have made pretty good progress this summer, and being the competitive little souls they are, they love to count up their number of trains to see who has the longest train. They have earned earned 4 of the bigger prizes as well, so that has been fun. We have gone out to ice cream, gone bowling, etc. It's so hard to motivate kids to do what they need to do, especially without screaming, and this chart has actually helped! I still have to scream occasionally, but not as much. ;) So here's to making all our homes a little bit more peaceful...

All Aboard the Chore Train!

You may remember a previous post a couple months ago of a hand drawn chore chart I made for my kids for the summer. After many requests for a downloadable version, it is finally here!

I have opened an Etsy Shop, called Stef Hohl Creations, and am really excited about it. I have many chore charts that I have used in the past with my kids, which I am also hoping to create downloadable versions of. So stay tuned for more charts in the next few months!

You can buy this one here: StefHohlCreations

Design Credit: Ryann McKinney

Here's how it works:

-Write down your kids' chores.

-Write down rewards.

-Kids can color in one train for each chore they do.

-They earn a small reward each time they get to a city. (the dots)

-Keep track of the total number of trains for all your kids combined around the edge so     they can earn family rewards

PS - The child who has the longest unbroken train at the end can receive a bonus prize.

Note: Right now the only size available to download is 16x20. Email me if you would like it in 11x14 or 20x30. Also, if you buy the chart, I would love to hear your thoughts and would really appreciate a review on Etsy!