Eric Carle Birthday Party

Several months ago, while looking online for party ideas for my son's first birthday, I came across this cake at Coco Cake Cupcakes and our party theme was born! We love books! Parker loves books! Why not have an Eric Carle birthday party?

Coffee Filter Butterfly

This is such a fun project and can end up being so beautiful too!!! Here is a list of what you will need:

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Finger Print Caterpillars

Here is another art project, this time for Eric Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar. I love Eric Carle, I love this book, and I love this art project! The above picture shows the caterpillars being made on book marks, which is a wonderful idea. It can be done in many variations though, from just doing them on paper to using fabric paint and putting them on a t-shirt. Use your imagination!

Before you start you will need:

• Green ink/finger paints/fabric paint
• Red ink/finger paints/fabric paint
• A marker (whatever color you want is fine)
• Paper (Or a bookmark, or a t-shirt, or a plack...whatever you choose.)
• Wipes (For quick cleaning of little fingers

I think that the project is pretty self explanatory just by looking at the above picture, but I will give a short description here.

First, dip your child's thumb in the red paint and have them make a thumb print on the surface you have chosen. Wipe their hand off with the wipe. Next, dip your child's finger in the green paint and use that to make the caterpillars body. You can make it as long and as wavy as you want. This is your caterpillar so be creative! Again, wipe of your child's hand with the wipe.

Let the caterpillar dry.

Once the caterpillar is dry use your marker(s) to draw the caterpillars legs, eyes, and antennas.

I hope that you and yours enjoy this project as much as I do!

Happy reading!

Eric Carle's ABC

Eric Carle's ABC is currently one of my son's favorite books, if not the favorite. We read it several times a day, and at each sitting we read it several times. He got it for his birthday from Mommy and Daddy, and I am so glad that we picked it up!

 Just like many other ABCs books, each page had a big letter and the picture of something that begins with that letter. ("A" is for "ants", "B" is for "bird", etc, etc.) Unlike other ABCs books though, this one has Eric Carle's usual flair for color and eye catching art!

It is also unique in the way the pages flip up instead of just turning. For example, when you open up the first page you see the entire alphabet on the left side and on the right page you see the previously mentioned "A" with it's cheery trio of ants...but then, instead of flipping the page to see the "B", you flip the "A" page up to reveal both the "B" and "C" pages! You then flip that page back town and turn the page like you would in any other book to arrive at the "D" and "E" pages on which the "E" flips up to reveal "F" and "G"! It contunies this way throughout the book, adding a unique interest not found in many other books. My son loves flipping the pages for me as I read!

 I also like how Mr. Carle uses some animals that you might not find in any other alphabet book. (Do you know what a Narwhal  is? How about a Quetzal? Have you fed your Xolo today?) I think it is a good way for children to learn about animals they might never come into contact with otherwise. Honestly, my only complaint is that the use the slang "rhino" instead of the full "rhinoceros"...which really isn't a complaint, but more of a pet peeve of mine.

I don't know if it is because we have sang his ABCs to him since he was a baby, or because we sign them as we sing, (He has started to try to follow along, which is just adorable!) but his ABCs have always been one of my son's favorite things! Now, because of that, he has fallen in love with this book! Luckily, I love it too, so we share it together over and over again! I hope that is is one you will enjoy sharing with your own family!

If, like me, you enjoy bringing art into your every day and tying it into other things you might be watching or reading, or if you happen to be a teacher looking for an art project to go along with your daily book, try doing Eric Carle Tissue Letters with your child(ren).

Also, if you enjoy my blog, please invite your friends and family to join! I love sharing the books in my son's library, and I would love to share our experiences with as many people as possible!

Happy Reading!

Eric Carle Tissue Letters

Here is a fun craft idea to accompany the book Eric Carle's ABC. My son is still a little young for it, but I loved doing projects like this when I was teaching, and I look forward to doing things like this with him in a few years. (Right now, he would just try to eat the tissue paper.)

Before you start you will need:

• Cut/Torn tissue paper of many colors. (As many or few as you want, but the more colors the more colorful the art project.)
• Drawing/Construction paper (the ticker the better) cut into the shape of your favorite letters. (Possibly the letters in your child's name.)
• Glue
• Paint brush
• Water

Mix equal parts of glue and water to make a diluted glue solution. You can put this in a bowl or on a paper plate. (Paper plates are sometimes easier and less likely to get knocked over.) Have your child paint the glue solution onto the letter, covering it completely. (If they don't cover it completely it's not a big deal. This is art. It is interpretive.) Then, take the torn/cut pieces of tissue paper and place them on their letter. They can use as many colors as they want. The tissue paper can overlap. The point of this is to make as colorful and interesting a letter as possible. 

Now, once your child is done adding tissue paper, paint another coating of the glue solution over the tissue paper. (Some of the tissue paper might come off, and that's OK. Just stick it right back on!) Let it dry.

Once the letters are dry, hang them on the fridge, on the walls or on the windows! (Which will create a pretty stained glass effect unless the paper is very thick!) You have made Eric Carle Tissue Letters!!! They are a great learning tool to go along with Eric Carle's ABC book! As you work on your letters you can talk about the sounds each letter makes.

Happy Crafting!

Mini-Hiatus

As I am sure some of you have notices, I have been on a small hiatus. This will probably last until sometime next week. Yesterday was my son's birthday, and I've spent the last week very busy with preparations and planning. His party is on Saturday, and hopefully after that I will have some more time.

I expect to be back next Wednesday with another book from the Nook for your enjoyment. Until then, keep reading, and keep your suggestions coming for books you would like to see in our Book Nook.

Thank you for reading!