Tag Archive for 'books'

It’s Very Hungry Caterpillar Day!

Published on March 20, 2012 in Uncategorized. 4 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , .

In honor of the 43rd anniversary of the publication of The Very Hungry Caterpillar, we thought we’d repost one of our favorite posts on the subject. I adore children’s books, and this is one of my very favorites.

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Every time I sit down to read The Very Hungry Caterpillar with my children, I can’t help but think that the author, Eric Carle, is a genius. At every stage of my little ones’ development, there is something in it for them.

It started with the beautiful and striking illustrations and the sound of Mommy’s voice when they were infants…

Then it became tactile, as my little girls began to follow the caterpillar through his food adventure with their little fingers…

Now my 1 year old is learning to speak, so we focus on the objects – “sun”, “apple”, and “orange” for example.

And then we’ll begin to follow the path of my now 3 year old. With each day of the week, the very hungry caterpillar eats a growing number of fruits…an excellent tool for early counting skills.

And if she’s anything like her sister, which her growing love of books is a sure indication, she’ll have this book memorized by the age of 2. We have a pocket version of this book that went EVERYWHERE with us, and she and I both knew the entire story by heart. How we loved to hear her little voice reciting its words. I can still hear it in my head now, “One Sunday morning, the warm sun came up and POP! out of the egg came a tiny and very hungry caterpillar”. And my favorite part as she recited the array of junk food the caterpillar consumed on Saturday in her adapted vocabulary – “one piece of chlocate (chocolate) cake…one slice of solomami (salami)…one shaushage (sausage)…”.

Of course, at the end of this day of indulgence, the poor little caterpillar has quite a tummy-ache, which is subsequently cured by eating through one “nice green leaf”. The perfect opportunity to teach my little one about eating healthy!

Now my 3 year old and I are learning the days of the week.

Mommy: “On Monday, the caterpillar ate through one apple, but he was STILL hungry. What is the next day?”
Little J: “Tuesday!”

And I’m sure it won’t end there…One darling idea I came across recently focuses on fine motor skills. Using a green ribbon, your child can imitate the caterpillar as he or she threads the ribbon through the holes the caterpillar has left behind with each bite.

And then there is the science behind it all – the life stages of a caterpillar who begins his life as an egg and ultimately becomes a beautiful butterfly! One mom who reviewed the book on Amazon ordered caterpillars online and followed the stages of their development with her little one along with the book until they released them as butterflies in the spring…The learning opportunities with this book are endless!

I love collecting children’s books, and this is absolutely a must-have for your child’s collection.

One piece of advice? I recommend getting it as a sturdy board book or purchase more than one. We have three of them, and each shows just how much it has been “loved” by my little ones.

What is your favorite children’s classic?

- Jasmine


New Year’s Resolution: Book Reading Every Day

Published on December 27, 2010 in Food, Health & Safety and Holidays. 4 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , .

My hubby knows me well. Too well, actually. Because he made my day on Christmas when he gave me every book I had asked for, as well as one that he thought I would enjoy. So, I have decided to make one of my New Year’s Resolutions to read every day. I know, quite an aggressive goal having two kids, a husband, a job, and a blog. But a girl can dream big, right?

I thought I would share these books with you since we will be commenting on the research in these books over the next few months. Most of these books are about our food supply. Frankly, the more I read and research about what our children are eating, the more concerned I’m becoming about their future – as well as our existence as a species. Sounds severe, I know, but so do the never-ending lists of foreign substances that we’re exposing our children and ourselves to every day. There are a growing number of people out there who believe that we are undergoing the process of natural selection, since many of the effects of today’s food will affect our children’s reproductive capabilities, and thus the true effects of what we’re eating won’t be fully realized until 1-3 generations from now. Or, maybe you have already witnessed the effects. Do you know anyone who has had to undergo IVF (In Vitro Fertilization), artificial insemination (IUI) or other costly and painful fertility treatment alternatives?

1. The Unhealthy Truth: One Mother’s Shocking Investigation into the Dangers of America’s Food Supply– and What Every Family Can Do to Protect Itselfby Robyn O’Brien

I have read most of this book and written about Robyn’s findings in previous articles such as Is Our Food Making Us Sick? The “Unhealthy Truth About the US Food Industry, and The True Cost of a Gallon of Milk, but had not owned my own copy until now. Thanks to my former colleague Jennifer for allowing me to borrow hers so long!


2. Organic Manifesto: How Organic Farming Can Heal Our Planet, Feed the World, and Keep Us Safe by Maria Rodale

I started reading this book over the weekend and WoW! Maria is the third generation in her family to research the effects of chemical farming on our environment and our bodies and her conclusion is simple “If you do just one thing – make one conscious choice – that can change the world, go organic. Buy organic food. Stop using chemicals and start supporting organic farmers. No other single choice you can make to improve the health of your family and the planet will have greater positive repercussions for our future.”

3. The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan

Although I haven’t started reading this book yet, I have heard a lot of positive reviews. This book is on the NY Times list of “Books of the Year” and is all about our eating habits – whether we eat organic, fast-food or grow our own. I can’t wait to dive in.

4. The Girl Who Played with Fire (Vintage) by Stieg Larsson

I didn’t ask for this one – my hubby picked it out for me. It was a #1 NY Times Bestseller. I look forward to curling up with a towel at the beach this summer and basking in this read.

Have you read any of these books? Any takers on reading the books listed above? What are your New Year’s resolutions?

Jasmine and I hope you had a wonderful holiday – we are looking forward to hearing from you and continuing to grow the PureBebe community in the coming year!

-Heather

Related Articles:
The True Cost of a Gallon of Milk
Are You What You Eat?
Is Our Food Making Us Sick? The “Unhealthy Truth” About the U.S. Food Industry
‘Secret FDA Memos’ Reveal Concerns About GMO Foods
Creating a Healthy Relationship with Food: Interview with Dr. Lisa Hill
Lead Found in Several Brands of Baby and Children’s Food

‘Tis the Season for Giving: Teaching Your Toddler to Give

Published on December 23, 2010 in Activity and Holidays. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , .

As my 2 year old is getting into the Christmas spirit, the season offers an opportunity for me to teach her an important lesson about charity. While she is thinking of what she would like to receive for Christmas, which at her age is quite simple – she asked Santa for a lollipop – I also want to get her thinking about what she can give to others. She is still a little young to truly understand that other children may not have much, but she’s not too young to start giving.

I was pleased this year to see that my daughter’s daycare was coordinating a Toys for Tots drive, which gave me the perfect opportunity to start talking to her about giving toys to other children who may not have toys for Christmas. While I don’t think she fully realized what she was doing for another child, she was very excited to participate and so a seed was planted.

I wish I’d had more time before we left on our holiday trip, because I would have liked to do more this year but our giving doesn’t have to stop at Christmas. When we return home, we’ll plan to draw from the list of ideas below. These ideas offer children a chance to be involved in charity in a way that is tangible enough to them to start instilling the idea of giving of themselves:

Donate to an organization your child can relate to

  • Around the holidays, Toys for Tots runs a national campaign to gather new, unwrapped toys to give to children at Christmas. Generally, you can find other organizations locally that also collect toys, food, or clothing for children and families in need. Involve your child in the shopping and delivery of the items.
  • If your child loves animals, contact your local Humane Society and see how you can help. Perhaps you can donate a bag of food.

Give locally - Giving locally offers your child a chance to see the recipient of their donations and make giving a little more real for them.

  • Contact the pediatrics department at your local hospital or check with local public schools/pre-schools or shelters to see if they could use your gently-used books and/or toys.
  • Bake bread or cookies to take to a local shelter or a nursing home.
  • Build a food basket to deliver to a family in need, whether it is a neighbor with a sick family member who could use one less thing to worry about or perhaps someone struggling financially to make ends meet. You can deliver the meal in person or anonymously. I have memories of my family delivering meals on occasion, with an envelope of cash, to families we knew were in need – leaving it on their doorstep anonymously.

Participate in fundraisers

  • Participate in a family run/walk event that benefits charity. Take the time in advance to talk to your child about why you are participating and who will benefit because of your participation.

Clean up around the house

  • Clean out your child’s closet together and identify gently worn clothes that no longer fit. Go through your child’s toys together and identify toys that they would be willing to donate. Donate them to your local thrift store or other organization taking collections.

What ways have you involved your children in charitable giving? We’d love to hear your ideas!

-Jasmine

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