Dear Tracy,

I am so blessed by you! These plans are beautiful. I have all the books. You've inspired me, and encouraged me, and made me smile. No small task these days. Thank you so very much.

The Feast of Eric Carle

At the end of this week of feasting in the middle of Lent, I found myself this morning utterly charmed by the Google logo. At my friend Donna's site, I learned it was a special occasion, the 40th anniversary of the publication of The Very Hungry Caterpillar. I did a little mental inventory of craft supplies. I did some googling. Mary Beth did some googling. We had a little conference. And the day began to wiggle along most delightedly. I needed this day. I needed the charm of delight-directed children. I needed the relative ease of pulling off some fun learning. I needed Stephen's bemusement as I frosted a caterpillar cake. "I think," said he, "it must be the Feast of Eric Carle."

Indeed.

Mary Beth took pictures to capture the day, of course. So, she's going to take this post from here.

I took more pictures and I'm going to do this just like the St. Patrick's Day Post. Enjoy!

I printed these out at DLTK, here! Then I made the numbers to correlate to the day--not to the number of items.

 

 

 

 

Science Today: The life cycle of the butterfly. Nicky and Katie both did this. It was printed out from here and they put them in the right places and then made their own.

 

 

Pattern Block Mat Printed out here! Katie, Kari, and Nick all did this one.

Thumbprint Caterpillars! From Ed Emberley's book

Egg Carton Caterpillars after we had omelets for lunch. Even Paddy was inspired to do this one!

 

 

 

Then, from our very old book (which is now out of print) we made our own Eric Carle collages.

 

 

 

I made all of the things that the caterpillar ate.

Mom topped the day off with going to the store and collecting ingredients for this.

 

Isn't he very cute?!

 

 

This was a very fun day, even if we planned as we went.

Next time, we're going to do this project.

Signs of Spring~Very Hungry Caterpillar Day!

Eric Carle heralds spring at Google.Made us smile this spring morning.

ETA: It's Very Hungry Caterpillar Day! Now, I get it:-) HT: Donna
 

What We're Reading Today

Repost from last year.

A little over a year ago, my mother attended a book signing by author A. B. Curtis. She bought a book for my children and mailed it to them. I have to admit I was skeptical of a children's book about the tragedy of September 11, 2001. How do you capture the horror in rhyming verse and whimsical pictures? You don't. Instead, Ms. Curtis tells the story of St. Paul's church, an historical church that stands fewer than 100 yards from where the towers stood. The chapel became a refuge and launching point for the rescuers who were on the scene. Every time I read the book tears well in my eyes at the thought of the fireman who hung their shoes on the chapel fence before they went into the towers:

Oh what gallant men did we lose

Who never came back to get their shoes!

The book is a gentle re-telling. Our children are surrounded every day by references to the horror that forever changed our world. They will ask what "9/11" means and they surely deserve to be answered. But, they should not see that footage and they should not be bombarded with remembrances more appropriate for grief-stricken, terrorized adults. Childhood is all too brief. Very soon, they will be old enough to learn the details of the day. For now, this book tells them a story of hope amidst the charred ruins. A story we all need to hear.

You can read the entire book and see the pictures here.

And one more thing: my husband flies today and my children are more than a little unnerved by that fact. Your prayers are appreciated.

Hunting for Hurricanes?

I've noticed lots of searches for "Hurricane Reading" lately and it's no wonder! I dug this post up for our own use this morning, though we are certainly far enough west to merely enjoy a little rain and not much more. Happy hunkering!    

O God, Master of this passing world, hear the humble voices of your children. The Sea of Galilee obeyed your order and returned to its former quietude; you are still the Master of land and sea. We live in the shadow of a danger over which we have no control. The Gulf, like a provoked and angry giant, can awake from its seeming lethargy, overstep its conventional boundaries, invade our land and spread chaos and disaster. During this hurricane season, we turn to You, O loving Father. Spare us from past tragedies whose memories are still so vivid and whose wounds seem to refuse to heal with the passing of time. O Virgin, Star of the Sea, Our Beloved Mother, we ask you to plead with your Son in our behalf, so that spared from the calamities common to this area and animated with a true spirit of gratitude, we will walk in the footsteps of your Divine Son to reach the heavenly Jerusalem where a storm-less eternity awaits us. Amen.  HT: Cay's Cajun Cottage

ETA: I take that back. We are far enough west or east or something to get absolutely pelted. It's pouring and blowing and oh! I do love a good storm! Not a hurricane, just a good storm.