Coral reef in a box

Juliet has been working hard on her "coral reef in a box" project and I think she is finished now. Just the classic shoebox diorama, but she had fun cutting out all the pieces to go inside. 

Lucia helped paint the inside blue, so even she got in on the fun. 

I noticed that Insect Lore is on zulily.com today if you are looking for Ladybug Land or the Butterfly pavilion. 

raising ladybugs and a ladybug booklist

Juliet received this Insect Lore Ladybug Land for Christmas and has been patiently waiting to get her larva in the mail. They arrived two weeks ago and we have been enjoying observing them as they go through their life cycle.

They emerged from their pupa stage a few day ago and we released them this morning into our garden.

We've read a few ladybug books including this one that was sent by Tiger Tales as a review copy. Juliet thought it was especially funny.

We tried out hand at ladybug rocks for the garden and did some water color paintings as well. Juliet has been keeping a ladybug observation journal where she writes down a sentence each day of what she is observing in ladybug land. Sometimes she draws pictures to go along with it, but mostly it has just been a sentence or two. 

My favorite thing was when she got down a baby naming book and named all her larva the first day. 

We checked out Are You a Ladybug?  from the library and read our copy of Ed Emberly's Lady Bug, Ladybug Fly away Home. We also love Eric Carle's Very Grouchy Ladybug. There is a ladybug book by Ruth Brown that I am hoping to find a copy of also.

This is not educational, but I have to say that Cloud b Twilight Constellation Night Light, Lady Bug has been a favorite toy around here for years. Juliet got it when she was three and it became a nighttime staple for several years. Then Lucia hijacked it and now MUST have it in her bed every night. It shines stars on the ceiling and it's quite beautiful--I love it as a nightlight. I also saw a ladybug swimsuit at Gymboree the other day and have not been able to stop thinking about it for Lucia. I cannot resist costumes on kids....

Have you ever raised ladybugs? Do you have any favorite lady bug books or crafts to recommend?

embroidered dresses from south america

Whenever Ben travels to Central or South America, he usually brings back a few of these embroidered dresses for the girls. People are always asking me where I get them and I always have to say, "some faraway market in Ecuador or Bolivia or Guatemala." Which is usually followed by a great sigh because that person has no immediate plans to travel to any of those locations.

I got pretty excited today when I saw they were on sale at zulily.com. They are far more expensive than what Ben pays at the little markets, but still a pretty good price for something handmade and beautiful.

We actually have that pink one on the right! I think Lucia has just outgrown it, though, so Ben might be  adding it to his list of things to get on his next trip! :)

So, not your typical book post, but I thought I should share. There are books on zulily also--someday I'll write a post about how I use their booksales as a source for my library book hold list.

Disclosure: I am an affiliate for zuilly--all opinions expressed are entirely my own. 

Tiger tales review books

I recently got a box of review books from Tiger Tales and I wanted to share some of our favorites with you!

I've had this pile sitting next to my computer desk for a week now and the girls have been playing "library" with them all week. Every time I come downstairs, they are either having story time with one of these books (Juliet loves to sit in a chair and read the books to Lucia who must sit on the floor) or "checking" out the books by pretending to scan them and then putting them in their backpacks and walking around the house. 

Farmers' Market Day is probably my favorite. It's just the story of a Saturday morning spent at the farmers market. The little girl is looking for just the right thing to buy. There are so many good choices from kittens to honey, to wind chimes--so many possibilities, but she finally settles on the perfect thing. 

Snack Time for Confetti is probably Juliet's favorite. She loves this sequel to Roly Poly Egg. 

Soo's Boo-Boos If you have a toddler who is obsessed with boo-boos and band-aids, then this is a perfect book. Lucia must have two bandaids on her knees at all times--whether she needs them or not, so she loves this one. 

Red Riding Hood and the Sweet Little Wolf Are you looking for a version of Little Red Riding Hood where the wolf does not eat the girl? This is a sweet retelling of the tale in a more toddler friendly format. No eating of children, and no butchering of wolves. 

Read any good books lately? Leave me a comment and tell me about them!

Disclosure: These books were sent to me for review purposes. All opinions expressed are my own. Amazon links are affiliate links--thanks so much for using them!

educational place mats

Our ocean studies have come to an end (for now), but I wanted to share this Ocean Life Placemat that I found for Lucia. 

Over the years, I've always had a few map placemats for the kids, but this is the first animal one I've picked up. 

Both girls love it and fight over who gets to use it for mealtime. I like how it looks like a page out of a storybook. It just pulls you right in and the kids get lost in looking at all the creatures on the sea floor. 

Do you make use of educational placemats? Any favorites to recommend to me? I've always liked the crocodile creek placemats--like this  Under the Sea Placemat. 

(Disclosure: All amazon links are affiliate links--thanks so much for using them!) 

upcoming babylit books

Well, sorry for being MIA this week. While not blogging, I threw myself into a bit of spring cleaning. My clean house thanks you for your patience. :)

Every so often I like to do a search for babylit to see what new titles may have magically appeared and today I was pleasantly surprised to see that these three are coming this fall!

Right now, Anna Karenina has caught my eye....that cover is stunning!

What do you think? Are any of these ones you've been hoping to see in a BabyLit version? I'm thinking a version of the Odyssey would be perfect.

Have a happy weekend!

books for young naturalists: inspiring biographies for kids

Summer Birds: The Butterflies of Maria Merian

The discovery of this book was the highlight of my week. In the middle ages, the thought of the time was that butterflies (or summer birds) sprang to life from the mud. Because people did not understand them, they considered them evil.

Enter thirteen year old Maria Merian who challenges this idea--despite the fact that she is a girl and the risk of being accused of witchcraft if others found out what she was doing.

She collects larva, watches them throughout their life cycle and makes careful drawings of what she sees. She discovers that they don't spring forth from the mud and she does not believe they are evil or something to be feared.

Looking for more inspiring biographies? Try these:


In the Belly of an Ox: The Unexpected Photographic Adventures of Richard and Cherry Kearton

Life in the Ocean: The Story of Oceanographer Sylvia Earle

Manfish: A Story of Jacques Cousteau