About the Book Title: A Year in the Life of the Secret Garden | Author: Valarie Budayr | Illustrator: Marilyn Scott-Waters | Publication Date: November, 2014 | Publisher: Audrey Press | Pages: 144 | Recommended Ages: 5 to 99 Book Description: Award-winning authors Valarie Budayr and Marilyn Scott-Waters have co-created A Year in the Secret… Read more »
games
Have a Grand Day: September 7
Enjoy this update of a previously run post ~ Do you know that the first Sunday after Labor Day is National Grandparents Day? This special day is meant to celebrate the important bonds between grandparents and grandchildren. You can mark this day in whichever way suits your family best. Grandparents might give and/or… Read more »
Entertain Your Brain
Although I typically write about books and book-related topics, I want to highlight a television series that I recently discovered. After all, mental stimulation is the reason we own a tv, right? Have you seen the Emmy-nominated television series, Brain Games? National Geographic’s fun, interactive show invites the viewer to take part in various experiments—brain games—that illustrate an interesting… Read more »
Books—and more—about Passover
I am rerunning a previous post with a few additions. The Jewish holiday of Passover is celebrated with a ceremonial dinner called a Seder. At the heart of the Seder is the story of the Jewish people’s exodus from Egypt. Jews are commanded to retell the story: You should tell your children that day, saying,… Read more »
Author Interview and Valentine’s Day Book Giveaway!
Last year, I had the pleasure of hearing author Brenda Ferber speak about the craft of writing and the business of publishing, as well as read from her wonderful picture book, The Yuckiest, Stinkiest, Best Valentine Ever. I found both the author and book to be engaging and was thrilled when Brenda agreed to be… Read more »
Kiddin’ Around in the Kitchen
Other than reading together, what activity can you do with children that creates memories, strengthens bonds and is fun and rewarding? Well…actually, quite a few. But there’s only one that produces a—hopefully—delicious result: cooking! And although any time of year is great for whipping up something delightful in the kitchen—hey, we always gotta eat—winter is… Read more »
Have a Grand Day: September 8
Do you know that the first Sunday after Labor Day is National Grandparents Day? This special day is meant to celebrate the important bonds between grandparents and grandchildren. You can mark this day in whichever way suits your family best. Grandparents might give and/or receive presents. You might gather for a festive meal or make cards for… Read more »
Keep Your Brain Unbored
More evidence is now in, according to a possibly ground-breaking study published online July 3 in the journal Neurology: tackling brain-stimulating activities from childhood through old age can help delay the onset of memory loss. We need to keep our brain active by doing things, such as reading books, writing letters and solving problems throughout our… Read more »