"Groove is in the Heart" by Deee-Lite

Fall Reading Recommendation!

"What's the best Halloween book to read to my little one?"

Without a doubt my favorite Halloween book is The Ugly Pumpkin, written by Dave Horowitz. Just like in the classic story of the The Ugly Duckling which we all know and love, this is the story of an "ugly pumpkin" who is rejected by other Halloween creatures. We find out at the end that the pumpkin is actually a squash!

With its colorful illustrations and cute anecdotes, it is a book that relays a nice message that the entire family will enjoy. It's also a perfect read for this fall season! You can find it for purchase online here.

Pinkie Flamingo!

If your fridge is looking a bit drab this fall, you could be in need of a flamingo! This easy craft is a great way for you and your child to be creative together. Plus, it looks great on the fridge. Have fun!

Supplies:

• 1 pink sheet of construction paper
• 1 paper plate
• 2 sheets of ink tissue paper
• Pink paint
• White glue (Elmer's works well!)
• Pink glitter
• Pink feathers
• 2 sticker eyeballs
• Messy mat

Directions:

1. Lay down messy mat.
2. Mix half pink paint and half white glue together.
3. Cut out flamingo head and legs.
4. Paint paper plate with paint and glue mixture.
5. Stick on tissue paper feathers.
6. Sprinkle with glitter and add eyeball stickers.
7. Let dry and stick on the fridge!

Week FIVE: Recap!

We had a lovely tea party today in Taste Buddies class! We made mini cucumber sandwiches, deviled eggs, and sugar bear cookies. We also enjoyed some iced tea and milk to wash down our snacks.

SUGAR BEAR COOKIES:
These are super cute and easy to make. Try variations on this with different types of prepared cookie dough, like oatmeal or chocolate chip! You can also change your cookie shape to suit your season, like using dough balls and raisins to create a flower for spring, or snowman for winter.

MINI CUCUMBER SANDWICHES:
We used mini toast from Whole Foods Market in class today for our cucumber sandwiches. We topped our toast with cucumber and cream cheese. Whipped cream cheese works best because it is easier to spread. This is such a fun, easy treat, with just a few ingredients!

DEVILED EGGS:
We made the tastiest deviled eggs I have ever eaten today in Taste Buddies! We used a plastic bag to put our filling in and then squeezed it out of a snipped-off corner, like icing. They looked beautiful and tasted wonderful!

Week FIVE: Sugar Bear Cookies, Cucumber Sandwiches and Deviled Eggs

SUGAR BEAR COOKIES
Ingredients:

• 1 package of pre-made sugar cookie dough
• 1 box of raisins

Directions:

1. Roll balls of cookie dough and place on cookie sheet to create a bear.
2. Use raisins for the eyes and belly button.
3. Bake according to cookie dough package directions.

MINI CUCUMBER SANDWICHES
from Entertaining.About.com
Ingredients:

• 2 small slices white bread, ends trimmed
• 2 teaspoons unsalted butter, softened
• 2 tablespoons whipped cream cheese
• 4 (1/4-inch) slices of English cucumber
• Pinch of salt

Directions:

1. Spread one teaspoon of butter on each slice of bread.
2. Spread one tablespoon of cream cheese on top of each buttered slice.
3. Place cucumber slices on one slice of bread. Add a pinch of salt.
4. Top with the other bread slice and press together.
5. Make a diagonal cut across sandwich to make two triangle tea sandwiches.

DEVILED EGGS
Ingredients:

• 6 hard boiled eggs
• 1/4 cup of mayonnaise
• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon white vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika

Directions:

1. Cut eggs in half.
2. Remove egg yolk from egg.
3. Mash with remaining five ingredients.
4. Put egg yolk mixture back into egg half and sprinkle with paprika.

Book of the Week: "The Kiss That Missed" by David Melling

I am so excited about this week's book! It's called The Kiss That Missed written and illustrated by David Melling. 

I stumbled upon it before my Bubble Step class (our gentle separation class) one day here at Bubbles Academy. I thought I would only make it about half way through the book, but those Steppers sat through the entire story. The book begins with a king, who is always in a hurry, blowing a goodnight kiss to his son, the prince. However, the kiss misses... and flies right out the window! 

The distraught king then sends his trusty (though clumsy) knight on a quest to find that kiss. The knight and his horse travel across the kingdom, through Melling's active and engaging illustrations, until they reach the deep, dark woods. Inside the woods, they are surrounded by forest creatures, all a little more silly than scary (thank goodness). Just when our good knight is cornered, that pesky kiss whizzes in, kissing all the animals goodnight! He follows that kiss to a dragon who wants to give them a kiss of his own. What a fun and silly fairytale!

All the heroes, including the woodland creatures and the dragon, journey back to the castle where the king vows to stop being always in a hurry. The king and the entire court settle in for a proper goodnight, complete with pillows, blankets, snuggles, a story, and of course... a goodnight kiss. I was really touched by this wacky adventure. What a nice reminder, as school is kicking back into session and days are getting shorter, that we should take time for what's really important.

Journey over to Bubbles Academy this week for your own adventure as we read The Kiss That Missed during Open Play Story Time at 4:00 p.m. this Thursday!

"Octopus's Garden" by The Beatles