Spring, Bunnies, Rainbows, & Easter~What Could Be Better?

I can happily report that spring has definitely arrived on the mid-Atlantic coast. Signs of spring are everywhere—from the bluebirds that are busily creating their nests, to the flowers popping up from the still-frosty ground, to the trees that look as if their branches are ready to burst. Spring is my favorite season, ushering in the opportunities to renew just about everything.

For Quiet Bunny, the adorable creation by Lisa McCue, the same is true. Quiet Bunny loves spring. And, as Easter falls this month, I decided to offer a review of Quiet Bunny’s Many Colors—a book perfect for spring AND Easter!

QUIET BUNNY’S MANY COLORS by Lisa McCue

From yellow to green and from blue to red—Quiet Bunny loves all of the colors of spring. Yet, poor Quiet Bunny becomes sad when he thinks that his brown and white fur is not a color of the season that he loves so much.

Quiet Bunny sets out on a mission to become one-with-spring by adorning himself with nature’s offerings of the season.

He tries dandelions.

He tries lily pads.

Quiet Bunny even tries a good coating of red clay.

Nothing works.

Just about the time that Quiet Bunny is ready to give up a wise owl steps in and helps Quiet Bunny realize that he is indeed the color of spring!

In Quiet Bunny’s Many Colors, Lisa McCue, author and illustrator, presents a heartwarming tale of acceptance of oneself. With vivid splashes of color, McCue’s illustrations will definitely create a lasting memory of this very important message. Her clever way of transitioning from one event to the next also provides an opportunity to discuss sequencing and story plots.

As an added bonus, McCue tucks little surprises on each brightly colored two page spread that will encourage children to explore the world around them. Children will delight in finding each plant and animal that represents the color that Quiet Bunny is attempting to mimic.

Bunnies, nature, bright colors, and acceptance of our many differences—Quiet Bunny’s Many Colors is the perfect way to usher in the season of new beginnings.

Word Count: 609

Average words per page: 20

Recommended Age: 3-6-years-old

Added bonus: Great for color recognition, identifying items from nature, and lessons on acceptance, FABULOUS illustrations!

 

Click here for a link to Lisa McCue's story-Quiet Bunny's Many Colors

 

Fun Printables to Teach Color Recognition and Sequencing

 

 

 

 

 

If you are seeking additional resources to teach and reinforce color recognition, my newest book When Violet was Blue, available as an ebook on Amazon can easily fit the bill. The simple drawings and bouncy tale will help your little ones learn and remember the colors of the rainbow.

The image below will lead you to a link of the ebook. This book even features the text-to-speech option so that your little ones can ‘read’ the story all by themselves.

 

Link to ebook on Amazon

 

 

RAINBOW Fun for St. Patrick's Day

Here on the east coast, the winter has definitely been long. Students in our area missed nearly 3 weeks of school due to snow, ice, wind—you name it. That’s why I am especially looking forward to St. Patrick’s Day this year. The holiday doesn’t always attract much attention. However, with the sea of green from a St. Patty's Parade and the rainbows that signal the end of a storm, St. Patrick’s Day seems to be the perfect holiday to usher in a spring-thinking state of mind.

The post for today deals with the wonders of a rainbow and a quick list of activities that you can use to reinforce math skills as well as color identification.

So, print the printables and have some rainbow fun.

RAINBOW STICKS

This printable is great for teaching color concepts, ordering of sizes, and non-standard measurement (How many red strips long is the table?)

Suggestion: Print the color sticks on card stock. If you decide to use these to teach fact families, cut off the white end of each stick.

RAINBOW BRICK COUNTING STICKS

 

This printable is great for teaching addition basic facts, comparisons, and matching.

Suggestion: Print the color sticks on card stock. If you decide to use these to teach fact families, cut off the white end of each stick to more easily align each stick.

RAINBOW ADDITION

 

Create your own rainbow with pipe cleaners or wax-coated yarn to demonstrate differences in diameter.

 

If you are looking for a fun story that teaches colors, positional words, and the concept of teamwork to the kiddos, check out the link below to my latest story for children ages 3 through 6.



Link to Book and eBook on Amazon.com

Most importantly, have some RAINBOW FUN.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

This post was shared on the following blog. Please check them out:

The Kennedy Adventures dot Com

 

ONE Snowflake Among Billions

How do you pay tribute to the ones that you have loved and lost? From Thanksgiving through the end of December, people everywhere pay tribute in many ways. In the United States we remember those that risked everything to settle our country by welcoming loved ones to share a meal at our dining table. In December, we celebrate the birth of Jesus by donating our time and money to help those less fortunate than us. We present gifts to loved ones to remember the ultimate gift that Jesus presented to us. There are countless ways to honor others and help out the community at the same time.

Before Thanksgiving, readers of this blog participated in a memorial project that encouraged remembrance and selfless giving. This project was in memory of a man that none of the readers nor I had ever met--Roger Mulder from West Michigan. The participants in this project, both young and old, remained anonymous, only providing their first names and states in which they reside. True gratitude and caring was evidenced by the readers’ willingness to help shine the light on a kind and caring man that helped many many children have a brighter Christmas for 10 years.

The blog readers and their children selected toys were donated to the Salvation Army Angel Tree in Virginia and Michigan memory of Roger Mulder.

The blog readers and their children created or selected a very special angel to photograph for this project.

The blog readers helped continue Roger Mulder’s generosity.

I am certain that many readers wonder about the significance of this blog’s title--Rainbows to Snowflakes. Both rainbows and snowflakes are amazing examples of God’s gifts to us. When we take the time to study and admire the beauty of something as small and insignificant as a drop of water that becomes a snowflake-ONE among billions, our eyes and hearts are opened wide enough to allow us to see the splendor of a rainbow, the combination of billions of drops of water. Roger Mulder was ONE of those beautiful and amazing drops that formed a snowflake. When the readers of this blog paused long enough to take note of this man’s great acts of generosity, I am certain that their own personal rainbows became brighter.

The blog readers gave selflessly by participating in this project. And, a selfless act is the most precious gift we can present to ourselves.

Thank you to the many people that took time to snap a photo of an angel, create an angel, or select a very special angel and shine the light on an angel in Heaven--Roger Mulder.

Please take a moment to view the photos that are the conclusion of this project—each image ONE droplet, ONE snowflake of the beautiful rainbow of humanity.

 

 These toys were donated in memory of Roger Mulder:

 

 

 

 

Lazy Daisy Summer Fun

It’s official. Summer is here with its heat, humidity, and ever-present chance of afternoon thunderstorms. For many of us this change in weather patterns is a signal to slow down, relax, and enjoy the lazy daisy days of summer.

I’m embracing this philosophy with today’s activity—a fun yet easy-to-do creation of bright rainbow colors for your air conditioned spaces. Bring the summer inside—both the flowers and the rainbows.

I have many fond summer memories of treks to the fields with my sisters to pick huge bouquets of Queen Anne’s lace. When we got home, we’d promptly give each stem a long drink of water—but not just any water. With Momma’s help, we’d squirt food coloring into the glasses of water before standing the flowers in their own rainbow-colored swimming pools. The next morning we were always rewarded with a perfect blend of nature’s beauty. No longer white bunches of tiny white blossoms, the lace caps had turned to amazing shades of red, blue, green, and yellow.

As daisies are my all time favorite summer flowers, I am substituting them for the Queen Anne’s lace of my childhood adventures. The lesson is presented in photos only. This activity is also an opportunity for a springboard discussion on how flowers absorb water—a great way to bring a bit of science into summer.

So, the next misty morning, take your little ones for a walk in the field to pick the base for their own indoor rainbow creation.

Hint: I have found better success using blossoms that have not been recently watered. The flowers shown in the photos went two days with no rain.

ARE YOU A RAINBOW, A SNOWFLAKE, OR A LITTLE BIT OF BOTH?

 

Rainbows and snowflakes are true contrasts of nature. To best experience the splendor of a rainbow, we must pause, step back, and gaze from a distance. A snowflake, on the other hand, implores us to draw close. We must capture the fleeting beauty of winter’s masterpiece as it quickly blends into a snowdrift.

In many ways we are a blend of both rainbows and snowflakes. Some of our qualities are rainbow bold, easily noticed by others. However, each of us also possesses wonderful talents that can be easily missed. Like a quietly drifting snowflake, these talents implore others to draw closer to truly appreciate the traits that make each of us a unique snowflake.

As you and your child create today’s activity, take time to explore how wonderfully unique you are.

ARE YOU A RAINBOW OR A SNOWFLAKE, OR A LITTLE BIT OF BOTH?

SECONDARY RAINBOW SHOWN

 

Today’s activity is a colorful spin on the traditional silhouette-perfect fun for those rainy days waiting inside for the rainbow to signify the rain has come to an end.

Age range: Fun for all

Time to complete: 45-60 minutes

MATERIALS:
Thick drawing paper or card stock
White paper
Bright light source for silhouette creation
Pencil
7 cotton balls
Colored pencils* (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet)

Scissors

Repositionable adhesive

*This activity can also be completed with crayons or tempera paints.

INSTRUCTIONS: **

**Some of the instructions are intended for completion by an adult. Those steps will have a ** prior to the step.

1. ** Using a bright light against a white wall, trace the silhouette of your child.

            a. Tape a piece of white copy paper to the wall directly behind where your child is sitting.

            b. Shine the light on the profile of your child and trace the shadow formed by the bright light.

2. **Make a copy of the drawing to use for the project and cut out the copy. (You will use the silhouette for the project.)

3. Create the paper snowflake:

            a. Trace and cut a circle that is 4 inches in diameter out of white paper.
            b. Fold the paper in half, as shown.
            c. Fold the half circle into thirds, creating 6 sections.
            d. Draw and cut a decorative V shape at the curved edge. You will leave at least 1" edge not cut, to form the snowflake stencil.
            e. Open and flatten the paper snowflake. (You will use the outside portion of the snowflake for the project.

4. Prepare the materials for the coloring portion of the activity.
            a. Draw a heavy block of each color on a white sheet of paper. This will be used for the cotton ball ‘painting’.

            b. Load the color onto the cotton balls by rubbing the cotton balls back and forth across the colored blocks. You may have to reload from time to time.

5.**Spread a thin layer of repositionable adhesive to the back of the silhouette.

6.**Attach the silhouette to a blank sheet of heavy paper.

7. Beginning with either the red or the violet colors, rub the cotton balls onto the paper, around the edges. Complete these in order to create either a primary rainbow or a secondary rainbow. A secondary rainbow was used for this activity.

8.**When all seven colors have been used, carefully remove the paper silhouette.

 

9. Repeat steps 5, 6, and 7 for the snowflake, placing the snowflake inside the silhouette.

Hint: If you plan to use paint for the project, allow the paint to dry thoroughly before removing the silhouette and snowflake.

For additional rainbow and snowflake-related activities, please check out my activity book posted below. The book is available on Amazon.

 

TROPICAL STORM ANDREA IS GONE, TIME FOR A RAINBOW

We are lucky enough to have rainbows form in our back yard quite often.

The hurricane season is officially here on the east coast with an early start from Tropical Storm Andrea. Yesterday was definitely not a day to head outdoors. Today, however, is a different story. The clouds are thinning and the sun is slowly forcing its way through the heavy gray haze—the perfect recipe for a rainbow.

Today I am posting an easy way for your kids to make their own rainbow—no rain required. So, head outdoors, grab the hose, and have some wet summer fun.

HOW CAN YOU MAKE YOUR OWN RAINBOW?

Time to complete: 20-30 minutes

Ages: Anyone can enjoy this activity 

Materials:

Garden hose with an adjustable nozzle attached

Photographs of naturally occurring rainbows

Picture of a right triangle or angle

Open space outside

Sunshine (the sun should NOT be directly above you)

Instructions:

1. Show the children images of naturally occurring rainbows (single and double rainbows).

Ask: What colors do you see in the rainbows? How do you think these rainbows are created? Look closely at the double rainbows. How are they different?

2. Show children the picture of a right triangle.

3. Demonstration:

            a. Position yourself with the sun directly behind you so that you and your shadow form the legs of a right triangle, as shown.

            b. Position the hose approximately halfway between your shadow and you. The actual angle is 42 degrees for the primary rainbow and 50 degrees for the secondary rainbow. However, using the phrase halfway will be easier for the children to understand.

            c. Have a child turn the water on FULL blast. Arc the hose spray to create the rainbow. The rainbow should be formed close to the halfway point between the legs of the triangle.

Ask: What colors do you see in the rainbow? What color is at the top? At the bottom?

4. Have the children take turns creating their own rainbows. It may be possible to create a double rainbow in this manner, but the secondary rainbow will be faint.
 

Conclusion:

To create a rainbow you need a source of light and something that will refract and reflect the light. The light from the sun is refracted (bent) and reflected (bounced) inside the droplets of water from the hose. As each color of the rainbow has a different wavelength, the way they are refracted and reflected causes the sunlight to split into the different stripes of the rainbow.

RAINBOW fact: Double rainbows are actually mirrored rainbows. The primary rainbow is on the bottom with the spectrum colors beginning with the red stripe. The secondary rainbow begins with the violet stripe and is not as bright as the primary rainbow.

There are many ways to create a rainbow—using CDs, water, water and oil, and many more. Try your own hand at creating rainbows.