Open Very Carefully: A Book with Bite by Nicola O'Byrne and Nick Bromley

This charming book is not one to read when you want to settle your child down before bedtime. But it's exactly the book you need when you want to spark a little one's imagination and explore the magic of books. The story starts out as most stories do, "Once upon a time..." but it takes less than twenty words before an intruder shakes things up.

The intruder is a crocodile, and he's made his way into the story of "The Ugly Duckling," which, of course, throws everything into a frenzy. Your child will help intimidate the crocodile and take a very active role in cajoling the intruder into leaving the story.

I highly recommend using this book in your co-op shifts. Have it on hand for when children get grumpy or need to be refocused. Once you've read it aloud a time or two, kids will enjoy picking it up and "reading" their own versions of it, especially when they get to the end where they can stick their little fingers right through the crocodile's escape hole.

This is Nick Bromley's debut children's book, and we're sure to see great things from him in the future. If you'd like to see more of Nicola O'Byrne's imaginative illustrations, visit her website and blog. You can find some of her picture book recommendations (also great ideas for your babysitting co-op shifts) at this post, which lists her personal favorites.

Happy reading!

Peanut Butter Balls

When my kids get home from school and they have that exhausted look in their eyes, it's important to get peanut butter in their mouths as quickly as possible.

Enter peanut butter balls.

When blood sugar is low, the world is a dark and hostile place. But with a couple of peanut butter balls in the stomach, suddenly the sun bursts forth from behind the clouds, and amazingly, there's enough energy for running outside to play.

Peanut Butter Balls

1 cup powdered milk
1 cup natural peanut butter
1/2 cup honey

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl or mixer. Roll them into balls and place them on a foil or parchment paper-lined cookie sheet. Place the balls in the refrigerator for at least one hour. Keep them in an airtight container in the fridge for those moments when your kids need some quick protein and calories.

Family Movie Night

Do you love family movie nights but aren't sure what to watch? Here's a list of great family-friendly movies on DVD for your next family movie night:

Mary Poppins
Wall-E
The Wizard of Oz
Toy Story
Finding Nemo
The Sound of Music
The Lion King
How to Train Your Dragon
The Many Adventures of Winnie-the-Pooh
Up
Beauty and the Beast
The Chronicles of Narnia
The Princess Bride
Tangled
E.T.
Despicable Me
The Bee Movie
Schoolhouse Rock!
Disney's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
Ratatouille
Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory

The Book is Coming!

After several years in the works, our book is finally coming. We're pleased to announce that it will be here soon! Right now, though, it's getting ready. Remember that scene in The Wizard of Oz when Dorothy and her friends get spruced up before being introduced to the wizard? Dorothy gets her hair curled, and the scarecrow gets re-stuffed? Well, that's what's happening to our manuscript right now. Clip, clip here, brush, brush there. We're very excited to get it all spruced up and in your hands.

Mix-and-Match Felt Monsters

Here's a fabulous, inexpensive activity you can use with a babysitting co-op shift storytime, or you can just let the kids be creative and make funny, silly monsters. I found this idea at Dyan's And Next Comes L blog. She's got all kinds of great ideas; I encourage you to take a look.

All you have to do is gather up your felt scraps, or if you don't have felt scraps, go buy some felt sheets at Hobby Lobby or your nearest craft store. Felt sheets are very cheap. I've seen them as cheap as 6 for $1. Cut out some monster bodies, and then think of Mr. Potato Head pieces. What would be fun to add to monsters? Here are a few things I thought of:

• Eyes
• Ears
• Horns
• Noses
• Mouths
• Hair
• Hats
• Accessories (cell phones, umbrellas, purses, toys, teddy bears, baseball gloves, swords and shields)

If a kid falls in love with a monster but someone else wants to use his pieces, take a snapshot of it with your phone and email it to his mom. Then he can keep it forever.

Don't have a felt board? You can make one by duct taping a large piece of felt to an unused cork board or piece of heavy cardboard. In a pinch, kids can just make their monsters on a carpeted floor.

Thanks for the idea, Dyan!

Homemade Bubbles

Ready for some spring fun? These homemade bubbles will keep your co-op kids busy and happy outside on a warm spring day.

To make the homemade bubbles, combine 1 cup of water, 1/3 cup of dish detergent, and 1/6 cup of honey, corn syrup, or sugar. If you want, you can also add food coloring for special rainbow-colored bubbles. 

Provide an assortment of bubble wands, and let the kids loose outside (I wouldn't recommend using this bubble solution inside because of the sugar content, which can create stickiness where the bubbles pop. The sugar makes the bubbles nice and strong, though, so give it a try outside).

Gluten-free Vegan Oat Cookies

Sometimes it's tough to come up with a treat or snack that all the kids in your co-op can eat. Some can't eat gluten. Some can't eat dairy. And yet, everybody loves chocolate chip cookies. This video by Catherine McCord shows you how to make gluten-free vegan chocolate chip oatmeal cookies. Phew! That's a long name. I'm going to have to make some.