So, my friend, Ginger, had this amazing idea that she claims she got from a parent magazine sometime a long time ago and filed it away in her brain for when she had kids....my theory is that she is really just that brilliant and came up with this idea on her own :o) So for Advent this year, she and I are doing an unconventional, yet very exciting Christmas Countdown for our children. Not the calendar that you open the little windows (Hudson would open them all on one day), not the Jesse Tree (we don't have one - but check it out if you don't, they're pretty awesome), not a wall-hanging pocket piece. We have this....
What is this, you ask? This is a basket of children's books - excellent children's literature (I'll post on this tangent at some later date) - that Hudson and Anna will get to open. They will open one book after dinner each night, all the way up to Christmas Eve, and then we will sit together and read it together. The closeness and cuddling of reading books, the gentle up and down melody, variants of syllables in words, the rhythm and pattern to a well written piece of literature....all things I want my kids to be aware of - maybe not consciously, but they'll know they like to be read to. I've wrapped some library books that we've checked out from the library, and the others are books that we have - well, some of them are byproducts of having a teacher on temporary retirement for a mommy. I looted my book boxes for some great stuff (Henry and Mudge, Robert Munsch books, Cynthia Rylant and Syd Hoff). Other books we have and some I recommended to Ginger are as follows: (just in case you were wondering some of the ones in our basket or some you may pick up at your local library or bookstore)....Snowmen at Night AND Snowmen at Christmas by Buehner
Snowflake Bentley - Briggs Martin (this is more advanced, great pictures - Caldecott winner)
Christmas in the Country by Rylant (Cynthia Rylant Rocks!!!!)
The Mitten by Brett
White Snow, Bright Snow by Tresselt - classic old book, but great reading
Auntie Claus by Primavera
Jolly Christmas Postman by Little (lots of small pieces though - check what you can handle)
The Polar Express by Van Allsburg
Merry Christmas George! (at Kohl's right now for 5.00 Hardcover)
What is Christmas? Adams and Wummer
Who is Coming to Our House? Slate
Snowy Day by Keats
If you Take a Mouse to the Movies by Numeroff (She rocks too - that's the whole If you....series)
Merry Christmas Mouse! by Numeroff
Clifford's Christmas is always a classic
Biscuit Gives a Gift (Hudson loves Biscuit) and there's the Pet and Play Christmas book too)
Room for A little one (board book - by Waddell)
Snowballs by Ehlert - caldecott artist
what Santa Can't Do (it's funny!)
Olive, the Other Reindeer
This is the Stable by Cotten
There was a Cold Lady Who Swallowed Some Snow (fun take on the old song!)
There are many more, but these were some of the ones I have, want to have, or have gotten from the library because of their appeal to my kids, or just plain great books. Feel free to let me know some of your favorites that we may like to check out or try to find! And.....Merry Christmas!
2 comments:
great idea! however, i just laughed out loud because i was just upstairs SERIOUSLY thinking of getting rid of all my kids books! the oldest 2 are bored of reading the same ones and typically have an interst in library books because they are new.
that will save you from having to think next christmas...just come wrap up mine (i only have like 3 wash baskets full. i'm not joking;)
what a fabulous idea! i'll have to tuck that one away for next year. thanks for sharing!
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