Parenting Tip - A Zinging Book

I have a new favorite children's book series and author: the Mr Putter and Tabby books by Cynthia Rylant.

Have you read them?  One of my piano mothers told me about them and they are so cute!  I love the unexpected plots in these "early reader" books and the choice of words she uses.  Cranky, juicy, droopy, zing.

The illustrations by Arthur Howard are the best!  I love how Mr. Putter is drawn, as well as his house and cat and Mrs. Teaberry.  I always think the illustrator should get just as much or more attention than the author.  The pictures are what makes a book come alive, after all.

I looked on Cynthia Rylant's webpage and was interested to see that she picked up painting as an adult and was told to "just paint like a child."  I've always wanted to paint.  Is there hope for me?  I noticed she hasn't illustrated any of her books, yet....

What I wanted to write about, though, was the fun words Cynthia Rylant used in Mr. Putter and Tabby Pick the Pears.  Whoever says "cranky" or "zing"?   I'm going to use zing three times this week--it's such a fun word.

And cranky--that could apply to children, husbands, backs, and ourselves.  But to me, cranky sounds more softer and gentler that "mean, irritable, crabby or ornery".  Cranky has a little humor to it.  My hair is cranky today.  My emotions are cranky. 

Thanks, Bonnie, for telling me about these fun books.  They put a little "zing" in my life and I love to pass on "zingful" things.

Share with us if you've read these books or if you have a different favorite book your family loves.

Thanks for reading,

Cathy

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Parenting Tip - Egg Cartons and Golf Tees

I read a cute idea somewhere on the internet this summer that I tried with my grandsons and they loved it.  All you need is an empty egg carton, golf tees and a hammer, then this is what you do:

1.  Turn the egg carton upside
2.  Give hammer to child and watch his eyes light up in disbelief
3.  Hand child a golf tee and motion for him to hammer it into one of the upturned egg carton bumps
4.  Enjoy the smiles and happiness as grandson spends 30 minutes happily hammering tees into egg carton, opening carton to retrieve tees, and begin again.

I happened to have a foam egg carton and this made it really easy to hammer the golf tees in.  I think a cardboard egg carton might be more difficult, but once the holes are made, it's easy to re-hammer the tees into the same holes over and over again, which my grandson loves to do.

His little brother can't quite handle the hammering aspect of this activity, but he loves to push the tees into the holes of the upturned egg carton bumbs, then open the carton, take out the tees, and start pushing them in again.

Another thing my 3 year old grandson likes to hammer golf tees into is a square  floral foam--those green things you put in a vase and stick flowers into.  I bought a square one at the Dollar Tree and kept the plastic covering around it so it wouldn't disintegrate and make a mess.  You can hammer and re-hammer tees in it and it even has 4 sides so it should last forever. My grandson likes hammering tees into the floral foam even better than the egg carton.

 

So little money--so much happiness! Isn't life grand?!

Thanks for reading,

Cathy

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