Although our minds have started to turn to fall and the start of another school year, my kids and I aren’t quite ready to give up on summer fun yet! My boys are complete fruit fanatics, so it made total sense for us to squeeze in a little berry picking fun while it’s still warm. And of course, I couldn’t pass up the chance to throw a little reading, learning, and crafting into our berry picking. Read on to see our choices for the perfect berry themed story time!

Standard Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. I may receive a commission from purchases you make through the links in this post (at no additional cost to you), which allows me to continue providing free content on the blog. I often share products I love which were provided to me in exchange for a potential review- any such products are clearly indicated within this post. All opinions expressed are my own. 

What To Read

Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey

Blueberries for Sal is the classic choice for a berry story time. The fun tale of a mix up between two mamas and their respective little ones is always a silly story for my boys. The illustrations are old fashioned and simple, but never lose their appeal.

Jamberry by Bruce Degen

Another perennial favorite for many, Jamberry is a fanciful and imaginative story. The lyrical rhyming narrative appeals to young listeners. The bright, lively illustrations truly draw children into a playful berry hunt.

Stella and the Berry Thief by Jane B Mason, illustrated by Loek Koopmans

Stella and the Berry Thief is a bit of a newer picture book, filled with soft, dreamy sorts of images. Kids will enjoy Stella’s experience finding a way to peacefully coexist with Bernie, a pesky berry stealing bear.

A Taste of Blackberries by Doris Buchanan Smith

Although not a picture book, this was one I couldn’t help adding to the list. I have vivid memories of reading it in third grade and being deeply impacted by the novel. A few soft illustrations are spread throughout the tale of a young boy surviving the death of his best friend. While not a terribly difficult book to read, it might be best as a read-aloud or read-along because of the sensitive topics.

Bringing Books To Life

Go Berry Picking!  

Do I really need to say it?! If you can work it out, the most obvious extension is to go berry picking with your kiddos! We hit a local patch in search of raspberries recently. My boys loved their first outing picking berries. (And bonus, even really picky eaters are more likely to taste foods that they’ve helped grow or pick!)

Berry Color Sorting

If you can’t get out for some real berry picking, it’s easy to pretend! We grabbed some pom poms in shades of pink, red, blue, and purple and filled a big bucket with them. I encouraged my toddler to sort the ‘berries’ by color into smaller bowls. Using different kitchen tools turns ‘berry’ sorting into a fine motor work out as well. Tweezers, tongs, spoons, and more are all perfect for perfecting fine motor skills while brushing up on color discrimination.

Berry Math

#thebigone is getting ready to start second grade in a few weeks, so I love finding simple ways to help him brush up on the knowledge he’ll need. I created a fun hidden picture 100 chart to help him review number recognition 1-100. Kids color each square by number, according to the directions at the top. When the chart is complete, a strawberry is revealed! It’s also a great learning activity for kids who really prefer art, as the math is disguised a bit. Be sure to scroll down to grab your free printable berry page below.

Crayola sent us a gift of some super cool new scented markers to try out- of course we had to pull them out for this activity! Be sure to check them out while you’re doing your back to school shopping this year!
Crayola Silly Scents: Chisel Markers / Fine Markers / Colored Pencils / Twist Crayons

Craft Some Paper Berries

Younger kids will need more assistance with this project than older children, but it’s still a fun, creative activity for all ages.

SUPPLIES:

1. Construction paper. (Green, white, and berry shades- pink, blue, red, purple all work well!)
2. Glue stick.
3. Scissors.
4. Pencil.
5. Circle paper punches.

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cut a square (roughly) out of green construction paper.
2. Fold the green square in half. Use the pencil to sketch out ‘spaces’ to cut out on the berry basket, leaving about an inch in tact along the unfolded edges.
3. Cut out the spaces on the berry basket. Unfold the square.
4. Use the circle punches to create berries in varying shades and sizes.
   1. My kids LOVE using paper punches and look forward to any excuse to punch holes. It’s great for fine motor and hand strength, so I love letting them try them out.
5. Glue the berries down on the white paper.
6. Glue the berry basket on top of the berries.

>>Berry math printable<<

Does your family enjoy berry picking in the warmer weather? What’s your favorite way to use the yummy fruit you’ve collected?

more ideas to check out next…

This post was sponsored by Heluva Good!® Cheese as part of an Influence Central campaign and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.

Wanna know the best part about being a grown up? Since you’re the one who makes the rules, you’re also the one who gets the chance to break them! When I was given the chance to come up with something kid-friendly to make with Heluva Good!® Block Cheeses, I knew immediately that it was the perfect chance to let my boys break a rule. Once in a while, you’ve just gotta cut loose and play with your food, right?!

I decided that if I was going to let the kids get a little silly with their snacks, I would find a small to add a little educational benefit as well. I picked up Iggy Peck, Architect for #thebigone sometime last year, or the year before. Andrea Beaty’s tale of a budding architect that is fond of unconventional building materials has been a family favorite ever since. David Robert fills the book with quirky, engaging illustrations of masterpieces made with things like fruit, pancakes, and (oh my goodness!) dirty nappies! I knew that it was the perfect inspiration for a STEM-inspired snack time. (Science, technology, engineering, math- all the rage lately!)

Full disclosure, my kids and I don’t actually need any extra incentives to happily eat cheese. Seriously, when I help write the grocery list, my husband often laughs at how much cheese he is expected to buy each week! We hit our local Wal-Mart to pick up a variety of delicious flavors of Heluva Good cheeses as well as a few other snack-time supplies. If you’re in New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Ohio, Rhode Island, Virginia, Florida, Maryland, or Washington DC, chances are good there’s a supermarket near you stocking Heluva Good! Cheeses. Read on to see exactly how our snack time came together…

SUPPLIES

• Heluva Good! Block Cheeses in whatever flavors your prefer. (We chose Muenster, Sharp Cheddar, Colby Jack, and Extra Sharp White Cheddar.)
• Pretzel sticks- cheese and crackers is timeless but pairing cheese with pretzels is a fresh twist.
• Fresh produce, such as grapes, blueberries, and cherry tomatoes. It’s fun to see what cheese pair better with something sweet, like berries, and which are better suited to something more savory, like the tomatoes.
• Knives for cutting the blocks of cheese. (I used a sharp knife, the kids used butter knives with supervision)/
• Plates/cutting boards.
• IMAGINATION!

HOW WE DID IT

• #thebigone and I were joined by my nephews for this story inspired snack. (And yup, in case you’re wondering, they boys are all wearing their jammies! #bedhairdontcare) They hadn’t heard the story before so we started with a quick read through of the silly tale.
• I cut the blocks of Heluva Good cheese into halves and gave each boy one half to cut independently. This gave each boy (nearly 7, nearly 6, and just turned 3) a little time to work on fine motor and cooking skills. They were given the freedom to cut whatever shapes or sizes they wanted, but I encouraged them to start thinking about what would work well when building.
• In the meantime, I cut the remaining halves of each block of cheese into assorted shapes. I made some rectangles, some triangles, and cubes in a few sizes.
• We washed the produce, and divided some of the pretzel sticks into cups for each young architect.
• Next, I set the boys free and let them start building. I offered tips and an extra hand when they needed it, but gave them some space to experiment a bit with what would or would not work.
  
  
  • For the youngest, it was a great fine motor/hand-eye coordination activity, regardless of whether he actually built a structure.
  • In addition to those skills, the older boys also worked on their problem solving and perseverance. Through trial and error, they determined how hard they could push a pretzel before it snapped, and how deep into the cheese they had to stick the pretzels so the structure would not collapse.

You can see from the photos that the kids had a great time. Emulating the architectural style of Iggy Peck kept them engaged for quite a while. As a bonus, they had a healthy snack time. They loved trying the varieties of cheese flavors available, and we loved seeing them fill up on a protein and calcium rich snack.

If You Build It, They Will Snack

If your little architects are anxious to get a chance to play with their food too, be sure to check for Heluva Good! cheese savings on Ibotta. Don’t wait too long though- there’s no expiration date, but only a limited amount of offers available, so be sure to take advantage of it while you can!

Have you ever created a special snack inspired by a favorite children’s book? I’d love to hear about it in the comments below!

And don’t forget! connect with Heluva Good to find their products near you, and other great ideas to keep snacking fun…

Heluva Good! Site
Wal-Mart Ibotta Offer (Quantities Limited!)

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As we approach the final weeks of summer, it’s time to start thinking about the return to the school year. I’m excited to share a fun parent-child project I came up with to accompany a classic back-to-school themed picture book. How many of you like to pull out The Kissing Hand when early autumn rolls around?

This post is NOT sponsored.

BACK TO SCHOOL WITH EXTRA LOVE + THE KISSING HAND

Reading The Kissing Hand

The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn is a story loved by children and parents alike. (Especially those sentimental moms sending their kindergartners off for the first time!) It’s the sweet tale of Chester Raccoon, who is nervously preparing for his first day of school. Chester is unsure about leaving his mama, Mrs. Raccoon. He finds comfort in the kiss she ‘tucks’ into his hand. The gentle reassurance that his mother’s love will travel with him to school (and beyond), and Mrs. Raccoon’s kind reminders of the fun he will have at school, give Chester Raccoon the confidence to begin his school year.

(And spoiler alert for the sentimental mamas like me, Chester Raccoon shares HIS kissing hand with his mama. Sometimes even parents need a little reminder that their children’s love for them follows wherever they go as well!)

Ruth E. Harper and Nancy M. Leak provide heart warming illustrations throughout the book. Young readers will love being immersed in the Raccoon family’s forest home, filled with plants and a variety of animals. Adults will love the touching interactions between Chester Raccoon and Mrs. Raccoon- the bond between the pair shines through in the images.

CRAFTING WITH THE KISSING HAND

This is a simple project for parents and kids to create together. It will be particularly meaningful to those families who may be sending a little one off to preschool or kindergarten for the first time. Each pair creates a tangible ‘kissing hand’, small enough to tuck into pockets or lunch boxes. These ‘kissing hands’ provide a reminder of the love you share even when you’re apart. (And trust me, this can mean so much to kiddos. Pulling out a special project you worked on together in the middle of lunch on the first day can be just the boost they need to make it through to the afternoon bell!). Read on to see how it’s made.

Supplies:

• Clear plastic shrink sheets.
  • 1 sheet for each person. (1/adult, 1/child).
• Permanent markers or colored pencils.
• Transparent tape.
• Kissing Hand printable- see below.
• Red or pink acrylic paint.
• Aluminum foil.
• Baking sheet.
• Conventional oven or toaster oven.
• Optional:
  • Hole punch.
  • String/yarn/keychain.

Directions:

1. First, preheat oven according to directions on plastic shrink sheets.
2. Print the Kissing Hand template found below.
3. Next, tape the template in place on the back of your plastic shrink sheet. This way you can easily trace the shape of the hand.
   1. Refer to the specific instructions on your plastic shrink sheet packaging. Some shrink sheets have a ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ side for drawing on, while others do not.
      
4. Using permanent markers and/or colored pencils, decorate your kissing hands.
   1. Mom or Dad can be working on theirs while the kids are also hard at work.
   2. We chose to create a fairly heavy outline, so the sign language message would remain clear.
        
5. Using a light layer of the acrylic craft paint, create a heart in the center of your kissing hand by joining two thumb prints. Allow the paint to dry completely. Remove the taped on template.
   
   
   
6. Adults (or supervised older kiddos) can cut out each kissing hand. Leave a little bit of ‘blank space’ around the edges.
   1. If you choose to cut closely around the fingers, they may twist and warp a bit in when baking. Check the dotted line on the printable template for an idea of the best way to cut to minimize warping.
   2. Optional- if you’d like to create a pendant or keychain instead of just a small trinket, use a hole punch to add a hole.
      
      
7. Bake your kissing hands on a foil lined sheet according to your package’s specific directions.
   
   1. Make sure to ooh and ahh over the magic that happens in this step. (Seriously, I’m in my 30s and it STILL gets me every time!)
   2. Resist the urge to pull them out TOO early, Be sure to give them plenty of time to cool!
      
8. On the first day of school, kiss the custom hearts on your special, home-made kissing hands before tucking them into backpacks, lunchboxes, or pencil cases. Encourage your kids to do the same with the hands they made for you. Be sure to slip them into your purse, briefcase, or pocket. Remind each other that your love goes with the other, and of course… HAVE A GREAT FIRST DAY BACK AT SCHOOL!
   
   

>>> Grab your Kissing Hand Template right HERE! <<<

Does your family have any special traditions to celebrate the return of the school year? I’d love to hear about them in the comments below!

We are in the final few weeks of the school year over here, and the countdown to summer fun is ON! Since we’ve decided to enroll #thebigone in fewer weeks of camp this summer, I wanted to get an idea for just how he hoped to spend his long free days. The beautiful book we received from I See Me! provided the perfect inspiration for us to create a summer bucket list. Read on to find out just what we loved about this unique book. Then grab a few free printables to help create your own summer bucket list.

(Clearly, from these photos you can tell- the area where we live is still waiting for summer to officially make an appearance!)

Standard Disclosure: Although I recieved a free copy of this book to facilitate my review, as always- all opinions are my own.

I See Me Books

I’ll admit, I was a little hesitant about checking out the products from I See Me!. My parents had given #thebigone a personalized book from a local vendor in the past. Although he liked the novelty of it, because his name was only inserted into the text, he couldn’t really see himself in the book. With I See Me!, your child will truly find themselves in whatever book you choose. In addition to including your child’s name, some books like We Go Together Like… allow you to personalize the gender, skin tone, and hair color of the main characters. Although we didn’t choose one, there are even options to include your child’s face in the illustrations! How cool is My U.S.A. Road Trip?! (And just in time for summer vacations!)

I chose I Wish You More, from Amy Krouse Rosenthal & Tom Lichentheld for #thebigone. I’d heard about the book often, but had never actually read it… Even the biggest kid lit nerds can’t read everything out there! The book is a sweet love letter to a child, told in the form of a series of wishes for a fulfilling like. The tale became even more poignant after I learned of Krouse Rosenthal’s recent death following a fight with cancer. It was definitely the right choice for me to share with my kiddo.

Even though #thebigone is a (mostly) independent reader now, he still loved finding his name seamlessly included in the illustrations. Seeing his name on the cover and in the dedication was thrilling, and made him feel important. I See Me! definitely picked a winner offering this particular book to their customers. My oldest loved all the fun activities the kids in the book were participating in, which prompted us to start discussing all of our ideas for a fun summer.

Writing Your summer Bucket List

 I’ve put together 2 free printables to help your family write your own summer bucket lists. (See below to grab yours!) One is a pre-made list of fun ideas, inspired mainly by the activities depicted in I Wish You More. After reading through the book and the pre-made list, #thebigone was ready to come up with some ideas of his own. He used the blank bucket list form to record his plans. (Bonus, he got some ‘hidden’ writing and spelling practice with this activity!) Younger kids can dictate ideas to have parents write them out. Then we cut the ideas apart and filled our bucket. As soon as school is out for the summer, we’ll be ready to tackle our plans.

Check Out I see Me!

Personalized books make a great gift for any kiddo, so be sure to check out everything I See Me has to offer. In addition to beautiful produced books, they also offer great gift ideas as well, including placemats, ornaments, lunchboxes, and more. Ordering is simple- just answer a few questions, and your goodies will be on their way. And they have a surprisingly extensive selection of books to choose from, so finding the perfect choice for your little bookworm won’t be a problem.

Connect with I See Me!
Website / Facebook / Pinterest / Instagram / Twitter / Google+ / YouTube

So, what’s on YOUR family’s summer bucket list? I’d love to hear about your ideas in the comments!

Free Summer Bucket List Printables

My kids are crazy about watermelon! They seriously can’t get enough of this summer time staple, and I can’t say I blame them. It was only natural that I create some fun learning opportunities inspired by Greg Pizzoli’s bright The Watermelon Seed. Read on for a few fun ideas to share with your  kids that benefit math, creative thinking, and fine motor skills.

This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through a link in this post, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.

READING THE WATERMELON SEED

This quick fun tale from Greg Pizzoli shares the story of a watermelon loving crocodile. Kids will love the vivid, simple illustrations. The images effectively relay the emotions of the main character- his love for the sweet fruit, his panic when he suspects he has swallowed a seed, and the intense worry that follows. The Watermelon Seed has been one of #thebigone’s favorites for quite a while. He convinced me to pick it up after reading it with his dad and telling me all about it.

Sewing with The Watermelon Seed

Inspired by the super cute chick Rachel at I Heart Crafty Things created this spring (for Red Ted Art), my kids and I put together an adorable watermelon sewing project.

• Sturdy green paper plates.
• Scissors.
• Pencil.
• Hole punch.
• Red or pink yarn.
• Black pony beads.
• Tape.

1. Using a pencil, sketch out a rough circle on the back of the plate. You’ll want to leave around an inch or so of green ‘rind’ to sew later.
2. Using scissors carefully, cut out the circle. Be sure to cut from the center, leaving the outer edge of the plate in tact.
3. Use the hole punch to punch holes around the edge of the circle you just cut out.
4. Cut a few yards of yarn. Tape one end to the back of the paper plate. Randomly sew your plate, filling the center of the watermelon with overlapping yarn.
   1. If your yarn becomes frayed, you can wrap the end with tape, or use a large plastic yarn needle.
5. While sewing, stop at some points to add black pony beads to the yarn. It wouldn’t stay true to The Watermelon Seed without seeds, right?!
6. When the plate is sewn to your satisfaction, tape the second end of the yarn to the back of the plate.
7. Be sure to admire your summery fruit craft! They’re perfect for decorating during the warm months, and would be perfect for a summer barbecue.

Counting with The Watermelon Seed

I used some of the leftover green plates from the sewing project to create a fun math matching activity. I paired the larger green plates with some smaller pink paper plates. Using a permanent marker, I added watermelon seeds to the small plates, and numbers to the larger ones. Encourage kids to match the numbers correctly by counting the seeds. When stacked, the plate pairs look like adorable watermelons!

I created these free printables to encourage 1:1 counting up to 20. (Scroll down to grab your copies!) Print them out, and cut out each piece of watermelon. Using dried black beans or black pony beads, encourage your child to add the correct number of seeds to each piece of watermelon.

Fine Motor with The Watermelon Seed

#thelittleone loved this activity and spent a long afternoon playing with it. I set out a watermelon ice cube tray, some plastic spoons, and a bowl of dried black beans. (Pony beads would also work well). He loved transferring ‘watermelon seeds’ from the bowl to the tray, experimenting with different approaches. Going forward, we’ll introduce a greater variety of tools so he can experiment more.

Does your family have any favorite books about summer foods? Tell me about them in the comments!

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