Storytelling, Crafts and Kids!

The Pine Tree .... part Five

2013-12-24T04:30:00.000-08:00

The Pine Tree by Hans Christian Andersen
a story in Five parts ..... part Five

V. OUT OF DOORS AGAIN
"Now life begins again," thought the Tree. He felt the fresh air, the first sunbeam,—and now he was out in the courtyard. All passed so quickly that the Tree quite forgot to look to himself, there was so much going on around him. The court adjoined a garden, and all was in flower; the roses hung over the fence, so fresh and smelling so sweetly; the lindens were in blossom, the Swallows flew by, and said, "Quirre-virre-vit! my husband is come!" But it was not the Pine Tree that they meant.

"Now, I shall really live," said he with joy, and spread out his branches; dear! dear! they were all dry and yellow. It was in a corner among weeds and nettles that he lay. The golden star of tinsel was still on top of the Tree, and shone in the bright sunshine.

In the courtyard a few of the merry children were playing who had danced at Christmas round the Tree, and were so glad at the sight of him. One of the littlest ran and tore off the golden star.

"See what is still on the ugly old Christmas Tree!" said he, and he trampled on the branches, so that they cracked under his feet.

And the Tree saw all the beauty of the flowers, and the freshness in the garden; he saw himself, and he wished he had stayed in his dark corner in the attic: he thought of his fresh youth in the wood, of the merry Christmas Eve, and of the little Mice who had heard so gladly the story of Klumpy-Dumpy.

"Gone! gone!" said the poor Tree. "Had I but been happy when I could be. Gone! gone!"

And the gardener's boy came and chopped the Tree into small pieces; there was a whole heap lying there. The wood flamed up finely under the large brewing kettle, and it sighed so deeply! Each sigh was like a little shot. So the children ran to where it lay and sat down before the fire, and peeped in at the blaze, and shouted "Piff! paff!"

But at every snap there was a deep sigh. The Tree was thinking of summer days in the wood, and of winter nights when the stars shone; it was thinking of Christmas Eve and Klumpy-Dumpy, the only fairy tale it had heard and knew how to tell,—and so the Tree burned out.

The boys played about in the court, and the youngest wore the gold star on his breast which the Tree had worn on the happiest evening of his life.

Now, that was gone, the Tree was gone, and gone too was the story.

All, all was gone, and that's the way with all stories.

******************the end**************************
Okay, I know it's not your usual happy ending but as the story says that's the way of stories and that is also the way of Christmas trees. They bring us joy and then they are gone but we have the memories and the story.
And we have more trees to make, so let's get to it!

I love this little tree ornament! It's quick and simple. Even little ones can do it and it works on fine motor skills (also in size comparison). The directions for this Scrap Ribbon Ornament can be found at Fireflies and Mud Pies .com

This tree is definitely different. It's an alternative Christmas tree. Basically, someone took a small limb with lots of branches; hung it upside down; and decorated it. I love it! There are so many possibilities BUT there are no directions. Sorry, just a pic. I can think of lots of fun things to do with it. Paint the branches, make your own ornaments and garland, maybe a very small string of lights (battery powered) ...... the possibilities are endless!

Keeping with our stick theme, this next tree ornament uses craft sticks and is super simple to make. The Craft Stick Tree Ornament was found at Hands On As We Grow .com and has a great tutorial with lots of pics. Lovin' the use of the squeeze pouch cap for a star!

Ooops, almost forg0t our edible tree! This delicious looking Waffle Tree was found at Rutherford Family Happenings .blogspot .com Just add some green food coloring to your waffle batter then use fruit for your ornaments and a strip of bacon for the tree trunk.

The Pine Tree .....part Four

2013-12-23T15:05:00.000-08:00

The Pine Tree by Hans Christian Andersen
a story in Five parts .... part Four

IV. IN THE ATTIC
"Now all the finery will begin again," thought the Pine. But they dragged him out of the room, and up the stairs into the attic; and here in a dark corner, where no daylight could enter, they left him.

"What's the meaning of this?" thought the Tree. "What am I to do here? What shall I see and hear now, I wonder?" And he leaned against the wall and stood and thought and thought. And plenty of time he had, for days and nights passed, and nobody came up; and when at last somebody did come, it was only to put some great trunks in the corner. There stood the Tree quite hidden; it seemed as if he had been entirely forgotten.

"'T is now winter out-of-doors!" thought the Tree. "The earth is hard and covered with snow; men cannot plant me now; therefore I have been put up here under cover till spring! How thoughtful that is! How good men are, after all! If it were not so dark here, and so terribly lonely! Not even a hare. Out there it was so pleasant in the woods, when the snow was on the ground, and the hare leaped by; yes—even when he jumped over me; but I did not like it then. It is terribly lonely here!"

"Squeak! squeak!" said a little Mouse at the same moment, peeping out of his hole. And then another little one came. They snuffed about the Pine Tree, and rustled among the branches.

"It is dreadfully cold," said the little Mouse. "But for that, it would be delightful here, old Pine, wouldn't it!"

"I am by no means old," said the Pine Tree. "There are many a good deal older than I am."

"Where do you come from?" asked the Mice; "and what can you do?" They were so very curious.

"Tell us about the most beautiful spot on earth. Have you been there? Were you ever in the larder, where cheeses lie on the shelves, and hams hang from above; where one dances about on tallow candles; where one goes in lean and comes out fat?"

"I don't know that place," said the Tree. "But I know the wood where the sun shines, and where the little birds sing."

And then he told his story from his youth up; and the little Mice had never heard the like before; and they listened and said, "Well, to be sure! How much you have seen! How happy you must have been!"

"I!" said the Pine Tree, and he thought over what he had himself told. "Yes, really those were happy times." And then he told about Christmas Eve, when he was decked out with cakes and candles.

"Oh," said the little Mice, "how lucky you have been, old Pine Tree!"

"I am not at all old," said he. "I came from the wood this winter; I am in my prime, and am only rather short of my age."

"What delightful stories you know!" said the Mice: and the next night they came with four other little Mice, who were to hear what the Tree had to tell; and the more he told, the more plainly he remembered all himself; and he thought: "That was a merry time! But it can come! it can come! Klumpy-Dumpy fell down stairs, and yet he got a princess! Maybe I can get a princess too!" And all of a sudden he thought of a nice little Birch Tree growing out in the woods: to the Pine, that would be a really charming princess.

"Who is Klumpy-Dumpy?" asked the little Mice.

So then the Pine Tree told the whole fairy tale, for he could remember every single word of it; and the little Mice jumped for joy up to the very top of the Tree. Next night two more Mice came, and on Sunday two Rats, even; but they said the stories were not amusing, which vexed the little Mice, because they, too, now began to think them not so very amusing either.

"Do you know only that one story?" asked the Rats.

"Only that one!" answered the Tree. "I heard it on my happiest evening; but I did not then know how happy I was."

"It is a very stupid story! Don't you know one about bacon and tallow candles? Can't you tell any larder-stories?"

"No," said the Tree.

"Thank you, then," said the Rats; and they went home.

At last the little Mice stayed away also; and the Tree sighed: "After all, it was very pleasant when the sleek little Mice sat round me and heard what I told them. Now that too is over. But I will take good care to enjoy myself when I am brought out again."

But when was that to be? Why, it was one morning when there came a number of people and set to work in the loft. The trunks were moved, the tree was pulled out and thrown down; they knocked him upon the floor, but a man drew him at once toward the stairs, where the daylight shone.

*************************tomorrow part five ************************************

Hmmm...apparently I'm on a recycling kick. Or it could be 'cause I have so much stuff around to recycle. Anyhoo, I love this tree idea because it uses something I always seem to have a lot of.... Toilet Paper Rolls! It's fairly simple to make with just paint, sequins, glue, yarn and of course a TP roll! This TP Tube Spiral Christmas Tree Ornament was found at Spoonful .com

And to continue the spirit of recycling, our next tree uses recycled cardboard boxes but its not your average tree. I love this DIY Christmas Tree Dollhouse found at MrPrintables .com It's a truly unique idea. I think I'd like to try it in more Christmasy colors but whatever colors you use, it's sure to be fabulous.

Today I'm giving you two edible trees. This first one is a kid (and adult) favorite. Rice Krispie Treat Christmas Trees. Not only are they fun and easy to make but I even found a video for you to follow. And they've added a little something extra to these trees by using mini Reese cups as the tree stand. Yum!

Holiday Rice Krispy Treats: Christmas Trees

3 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 package regular marshmallows or 4 cups mini marshmallows
1 teaspoon green food coloring
6 cups Rice Krispies® (don’t skimp! The real ones do make a difference)
Mini red M&Ms, red-hot candies or other candies for holly berries
Rolo candies or mini Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups for tree trunks

1. In large saucepan melt butter over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat. Stir in food coloring.
2. Add RICE KRISPIES cereal. Stir until well coated.
3. Using 1/4-cup measuring cup coated with cooking spray portion cereal mixture. Using buttered hands each portion into a cone-shaped tree. Decorate with frosting and/or candies.
Best if served the same day.
recipe found here

Our second edible trees are M&M Christmas Trees that I found at Glitter Glue and Paint .com
They make great gifts as well as great decorations. These trees are pretty simple to assemble and you should be able to find everything you need at a Micheals or Joanns. The bottoms of the trees are decorated candle holders and the tops are actually frosting bags. Absolutely brilliant!

The Pine Tree ....part Three

2013-12-22T14:58:00.002-08:00

The Pine Tree
by Hans Christian Andersen
a story in Five parts..... part Three

III. CHRISTMAS IN THE HOUSE
The candles were now lighted. What brightness! What splendor! The Tree trembled so in every bough that one of the tapers set fire to a green branch. It blazed up splendidly.

Now the Tree did not even dare to tremble. That was a fright! He was so afraid of losing something of all his finery, that he was quite confused amidst the glare and brightness; and now both folding-doors opened, and a troop of children rushed in as if they would tip the whole Tree over. The older folks came quietly behind; the little ones stood quite still, but only for a moment, then they shouted so that the whole place echoed their shouts, they danced round the Tree, and one present after another was pulled off.

"What are they about?" thought the Tree. "What is to happen now?" And the lights burned down to the very branches, and as they burned down they were put out one after the other, and then the children had leave to plunder the Tree.

Oh, they rushed upon it so that it cracked in all its limbs; if its tip-top with the gold star on it had not been fastened to the ceiling, it would have tumbled over.

The children danced about with their pretty toys; no one looked at the Tree except the old nurse, who peeped in among the branches; but it was only to see if there was a fig or an apple that had been forgotten.

"A story! a story!" cried the children, and they dragged a little fat man toward the Tree. He sat down under it, and said, "Now we are in the shade, and the Tree can hear very well too. But I shall tell only one story. Now which will you have: that about Ivedy-Avedy, or about Klumpy-Dumpy who tumbled downstairs, and came to the throne after all, and married the princess?"

"Ivedy-Avedy," cried some; "Klumpy-Dumpy," cried the others. There was such a bawling and screaming!—the Pine Tree alone was silent, and he thought to himself, "Am I not to bawl with the rest?—am I to do nothing whatever?"—for he was one of them, and he had done what he had to do.

And the man told about Klumpy-Dumpy who tumbled downstairs, and came to the throne after all, and married the princess. And the children clapped their hands, and cried out, "Go on, go on!" They wanted to hear about Ivedy-Avedy too, but the little man only told them about Klumpy-Dumpy. The Pine Tree stood quite still and thoughtful: the birds in the wood had never told anything like this.

"Klumpy-Dumpy fell downstairs, and yet he married the princess! Yes, yes, that's the way of the world!" thought the Pine Tree, and he believed it all, because it was such a nice man who told the story.

"Well, well! who knows, perhaps I may fall downstairs, too, and so get a princess!" And he looked forward with joy to the next day when he should be decked out with lights and toys, fruits and tinsel.

"To-morrow I won't tremble!" thought the Pine Tree. "I will enjoy to the full all my splendor!

To-morrow I shall hear again the story of Klumpy-Dumpy, and perhaps that of Ivedy-Avedy too."

And the whole night the Tree stood still in deep thought.

In the morning the servant and the maid came in

******************** tomorrow part 4********************************

These wonderful Tissue Paper Trees were found at AliLillyBlog .com Blogger Ami has a wonderful tutorial with tons of pics.

This Paper Christmas Tree Craft (with free download!) is so cute and has lots of potential for kid creativity! The tutorial with pics can be found at TheBizyMommy .com Their tree was made with card stock but I can totally see using recycled cardboard from cereal boxes. And of course, the kids can use any designs they want. Lots of fun!!

This next tree activity is a like the previous tree. Unfortunately, there are no directions, just the picture but as you can see they made trees similar to the paper tree above (maybe a little smaller) and then attached them to a cord to make a Paper Tree Garland.

I promised an edible tree for each post and today's edible tree is really yummy although it does require adult help and cooking. Holiday Tree Brownies are lots of fun to make. I found the recipe at Betty Crocker .com

Ingredients

1 box (1 lb 2.4 oz) Betty Crocker® Original Supreme Premium brownie mix

Water, vegetable oil and egg called for on brownie mix box

2 or 3 drops green food color

2/3 cup Betty Crocker® Rich & Creamy vanilla frosting (from 16 oz container)

Betty Crocker® Decorating Decors red and green candy sprinkles or miniature candy-coated chocolate baking bits

Miniature candy canes (2 inch), unwrapped

Directions

1 Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pan). Line 9-inch square pan with foil so foil extends about 2 inches over sides of pan. Grease bottom only of foil with cooking spray or shortening.
2 Make and bake brownie mix as directed on box. Cool completely, about 1 1/2 hours. Remove brownie from pan by lifting foil; peel foil away. To cut brownie into triangles, cut into 3 rows. Cut each row into 5 triangles, see diagram. Save smaller pieces for snacking.
3 Stir food color into frosting. Spoon frosting into small resealable food-storage plastic bag; partially seal bag. Cut off tiny bottom corner of bag. Squeeze bag to pipe frosting over brownies. Sprinkle with decors.
4 Break off curved end of candy cane; insert straight piece into bottoms of triangles to make tree trunks

Ooops! One last tree craft! I wanted to add this one because its so similar to the last two tree (well, not the brownie tree). This Easy Cardboard Christmas Tree is another chance for you to recycle. You can use the heavier cardboard boxes but it will also work with lighter cardboard, like cereal boxes. This is also a great way to use up all those stickers hanging around the house. I found this craft at Minted. com

The Pine Tree ....part Two

2013-12-21T05:30:00.000-08:00

The Pine Tree by Hans Christian Andersen
A story in Five parts.... part Two

II. CHRISTMAS IN THE WOODS
When Christmas came, quite young trees were cut down; trees which were not even so large or of the same age as this Pine Tree, who had no rest or peace, but always wanted to be off. These young trees, and they were always the finest looking, always kept their branches; they were laid on carts, and the horses drew them out of the wood.

"Where are they going to?" asked the Pine Tree. "They are not taller than I; there was one, indeed, that was much shorter;—and why do they keep all their branches? Where are they carrying them to?"

"We know! we know!" chirped the Sparrows. "We have peeped in at the windows down there in the town. We know where they are carrying them to. Oh, they are going to where it is as bright and splendid as you can think! We peeped through the windows, and saw them planted in the middle of the warm room, and dressed with the most splendid things,—with gilded apples, with gingerbread, with toys and many hundred lights!"

"And then?" asked the Pine Tree, and he trembled in every bough. "And then? What happens then?"

"We did not see anything more: it beat everything!"

"I wonder if I am to sparkle like that!" cried the Tree, rejoicing. "That is still better than to go over the sea! How I do suffer for very longing! Were Christmas but come! I am now tall, and stretch out like the others that were carried off last year! Oh, if I were already on the cart! I wish I were in the warm room with all the splendor and brightness. And then? Yes; then will come something better, something still grander, or why should they dress me out so? There must come something better, something still grander,—but what? Oh, how I long, how I suffer! I do not know myself what is the matter with me!"

"Rejoice in us!" said the Air and the Sunlight; "rejoice in thy fresh youth out here in the open air!"

But the Tree did not rejoice at all; he grew and grew; and he stood there in all his greenery; rich green was he winter and summer. People that saw him said, "That's a fine tree!" and toward Christmas he was the first that was cut down. The axe struck deep into the very pith; the Tree fell to the earth with a sigh: he felt a pang—it was like a swoon; he could not think of happiness, for he was sad at being parted from his home, from the place where he had sprung up. He well knew that he should never see his dear old comrades, the little bushes and flowers around him, any more; perhaps not even the birds! The setting off was not at all pleasant.

The Tree only came to himself when he was unloaded in a courtyard with other trees, and heard a man say, "That one is splendid! we don't want the others."

Then two servants came in rich livery and carried the Pine Tree into a large and splendid room. Portraits were hanging on the walls, and near the white porcelain stove stood two large Chinese vases with lions on the covers. There, too, were large easy-chairs, silken sofas, large tables full of picture-books, and full of toys worth a hundred times a hundred dollars—at least so the children said.

And the Pine Tree was stuck upright in a cask filled with sand: but no one could see that it was a cask, for green cloth was hung all around it, and it stood on a gayly colored carpet.

Oh, how the Tree quivered! What was to happen? The servants, as well as the young ladies, dressed it.
On one branch there hung little nets cut out of colored paper; each net was filled with sugar-plums; gilded apples and walnuts hung as though they grew tightly there, and more than a hundred little red, blue, and white tapers were stuck fast into the branches.

Dolls that looked for all the world like men—the Tree had never seen such things before—fluttered among the leaves, and at the very top a large star of gold tinsel was fixed.

It was really splendid—splendid beyond telling.

"This evening!" said they all; "how it will shine this evening!"

"Oh," thought the Tree, "if it were only evening! If the tapers were but lighted! And then I wonder what will happen! I wonder if the other trees from the forest will come to look at me! I wonder if the sparrows will beat against the window-panes! I wonder if I shall take root here, and stand dressed so winter and summer!"

Aye, aye, much he knew about the matter! but he had a real back-ache for sheer longing, and a back-ache with trees is the same thing as a head-ache with us.

******************* part 3 tomorrow****************************

I decided that we needed at least one edible tree per post. Today's yummy tree is a gumdrop tree. You can find them all over the web and at my favorite place Pinterest. This tutorial is from Bella Dia.

The next 5 trees all have one thing in common, well 2 if you count them being trees, they are all made with yarn! I love yarn! If you could see my stash, you would know I'm not exaggerating.

This Yarn Wrapped Tree Ornament is from Fantastic Fun and Learning and has a really good tutorial.

I love these Pompom Yarn Trees from MomAdvice .com
The kids will have fun making the pompoms. I can definitely see these trees made of bright multicolored pompoms! The crafter used a hot glue gun which I generally will not use with young children although you can get a low temp one or the adult can put on the glue.

These Yarn Trees from KiwiCrate .com are definitely for the child that likes to get messy. The yarn is soaked in glue and then wrapped around the styrofoam cone. The tutorial has plenty of pictures.

I think I like these trees because they are so colorful!! I could see keeping them around the house after the holidays. The crafter actually calls them Fanciful Scrappy Trees. I found them at Gingerbread Snowflakes .com (don't you just love that name?) They're made using one of my fave crafting solutions...Mod Podge! That stuff is wonderful and wonderous! Like most of these trees all the kids have to do is wrap the yarn around the form. This tutorial has lots of pics.

I added this last tree because it looked more traditional and because I thought the little felt ball ornaments were a nice touch. I found these trees at A Million Little Things .com The crafter uses hot glue to secure the yarn and adds a nice little wood cut star at the top. Unfortunately, there are not pictures of the process.

The Pine Tree ....part One

2013-12-20T05:30:00.000-08:00

The Pine Tree by Hans Christian Andersen
a story in Five parts.......part One

I. WHEN IT WAS LITTLE
Out in the woods stood such a nice little Pine Tree: he had a good place; the sun could get at him; there was fresh air enough; and round him grew many big comrades, both pines and firs.

But the little Pine wanted so very much to be a grown-up tree.

He did not think of the warm sun and of the fresh air, he did not care for the little cottage-children who ran about and prattled when they were looking for wild strawberries and raspberries. Often they came with a whole jug full, or had their strawberries strung on a straw, and sat down near the little Tree and said, "Oh, what a nice little fellow!" This was what the Tree could not bear to hear.

The year after he had shot up a good deal, and the next year after he was still bigger; for with pine trees one can always tell by the shoots how many years old they are.

"Oh, were I but such a big tree as the others are," sighed the little Tree. "Then I could spread my branches so far, and with the tops look out into the wide world! Birds would build nests among my branches; and when there was a breeze, I could nod as grandly as the others there."

He had no delight at all in the sunshine, or in the birds, or the red clouds which morning and evening sailed above him.

When now it was winter and the snow all around lay glittering white, a hare would often come leaping along, and jump right over the little Tree. Oh, that made him so angry! But two winters went by, and with the third the Tree was so big that the hare had to go round it. "Oh, to grow, to grow, to become big and old, and be tall," thought the Tree: "that, after all, is the most delightful thing in the world!"

In autumn the wood-cutters always came and felled some of the largest trees. This happened every year, and the young Pine Tree, that was now quite well grown, trembled at the sight; for the great stately trees fell to the earth with noise and cracking, the branches were lopped off, and the trees looked quite bare, they were so long and thin; you would hardly know them for trees, and then they were laid on carts, and horses dragged them out of the wood.

Where did they go to? What became of them?

In spring, when the Swallow and the Stork came, the Tree asked them, "Don't you know where they have been taken? Have you not met them anywhere?"

The Swallow did not know anything about it; but the Stork looked doubtful, nodded his head, and said, "Yes; I have it; I met many new ships as I was flying from Egypt; on the ships were splendid masts, and I dare say it was they that smelt so of pine. I wish you joy, for they lifted themselves on high in fine style!"

"Oh, were I but old enough to fly across the sea! How does the sea really look? and what is it like?"

"Aye, that takes a long time to tell," said the Stork, and away he went.

"Rejoice in thy youth!" said the Sunbeams, "rejoice in thy hearty growth, and in the young life that is in thee!"

And the Wind kissed the Tree, and the Dew wept tears over him, but the Pine Tree understood it not.

*******part 2 tomorrow********

I plan to put up a part of this story each day followed by a different holiday/Christmas tree craft. There are soooo many crafts that I'm sure I'll run out of story first!

This simple Fingerprint Christmas Tree can be done by the youngest child. I found the idea at SassyDealz

Using a Pine Cone as a tree is a very popular idea. I like all of the different decorations (painted snow tips, beads, stars etc) but I think my favorite is this very colorful one I found at KiwiCrate .com that uses pompoms found at the dollar store for ornaments.

Kids will love making this edible Christmas Tree made out of a waffle cone, frosting and candy. I found this craft at Make Life Delicious.

The Small-Tooth Dog....a folktale from England

2012-10-08T13:08:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time there was a merchant who traveled about the world a great deal.
On one of his journeys thieves attacked him, and they would have taken both his life and his money if a large dog had not come to his rescue and driven the thieves away.

When the dog had driven the thieves away he took the merchant to his house, which was a very handsome one, and dressed his wounds and nursed him till he was well.
As soon as he was able to travel the merchant began his journey home, but before starting he told the dog how grateful he was for his kindness, and asked him what reward he could offer in return, and he said he would not refuse to give the most precious thing he had.

And so the merchant said to the dog, "Will you accept a fish I have that can speak twelve languages?"

"No," said the dog, "I will not."

"Or a goose that lays golden eggs?"

"No," said the dog, "I will not."

"Or a mirror in which you can see what anybody is thinking about?"

"No," said the dog, "I will not."

"Then what will you have?" said the merchant.

"I will have none of such presents," said the dog; "but let me fetch your daughter, and bring her to my house."

When the merchant heard this he was grieved, but what he had promised had to be done, so he said to the dog, "You can come and fetch my daughter after I have been home for a week."

So at the end of the week, the dog came to the merchant's house to fetch his daughter, but when he got there he stayed outside the door, and would not go in. But the merchant's daughter did as her father told her, and came out of the house dressed for a journey and ready to go with the dog.

When the dog saw her he looked pleased, and said, "Jump on my back, and I will take you away to my house."

So she mounted on the dog's back, and away they went at a great pace, until they reached the dog's house, which was many miles off. But after she had been a month at the dog's house she began to mope and cry.

"What are you crying for?" said the dog.

"Because I want to go back to my father," she said.

The dog said, "If you will promise me that you will not stay there more than three days I will take you there. But first of all," said he, "what do you call me?"

"A great, foul, small-tooth dog," said she.

"Then," said he, "I will not let you go."

But she cried so pitifully that he promised again to take her home.
"But before we start," he said, "tell me what you call me."

"Oh," she said, "your name is Sweet-as-a-Honeycomb."

"Jump on my back," said he, "and I'll take you home."

So he trotted away with her on his back for forty miles, when they came to a stile.
"And what do you call me?" said he, before they got over the stile. Thinking she was safe on her way, the girl said, "A great, foul, small-tooth dog."

But when she said this, he did not jump over the stile, but turned right round again at once, and galloped back to his own house with the girl on his back.

Another week went by, and again the girl wept so bitterly that the dog promised to take her to her father's house. So the girl got on the dog's back again, and they reached the first stile, as before, and the dog stopped and said, "And what do you call me?"

"Sweet-as-a-Honeycomb," she replied.

So the dog leaped over the stile, and they went on for twenty miles until they came to another stile.
"And what do you call me?" said the dog with a wag of his tail.

She was thinking more of her father and her own house than of the dog, so she answered, "A great, foul, small-tooth dog."

Then the dog was in a great rage, and he turned right round about, and galloped back to his own house as before.
After she had cried for another week, the dog promised again to take her back to her father's house. So she mounted upon his back once more, and when they got to the first stile, the dog said, "And what do you call me?"

"Sweet-as-a-Honeycomb," she said.

So the dog jumped over the stile, and away they went -- for now the girl made up her mind to say the most loving things she could think of -- until they reached her father's house.
When they got to the door of the merchant's house, the dog said, "And what do you call me?"

Just at that moment the girl forgot the loving things she meant to say and began, "A great --," but the dog began to turn, and she got fast hold of the door latch, and was going to say "foul," when she saw how grieved the dog looked and remembered how good and patient he had been with her, so she said, "Sweeter-than-a-Honeycomb."

When she had said this she thought the dog would have been content and have galloped away, but instead of that he suddenly stood upon his hind legs, and with his forelegs he pulled off his dog's head and tossed it high in the air.
His hairy coat dropped off, and there stood the handsomest young man in the world, with the finest and smallest teeth you ever saw.

Of course they were married, and lived together happily.

This story can be found in Household Tales and Other Traditional Remains: Collected in the Counties of York, Lincoln, Derby, and Nottingham written by Sidney Oldall Addy printed in 1895

***Small-Toothed Dog illustration found here

Honeycomb candy is an easy-to-make candy that has an interesting texture caused by carbon dioxide bubbles getting trapped within the candy. The carbon dioxide is produced when baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) is added to hot syrup. It is the same process used to make some baked goods rise, except here the bubbles are trapped to form a crisp candy. The holes in the candy make it light and give it a honeycomb appearance.
(information and recipe found at http://chemistry.about.com/od/foodscienceprojects/a/honeycombcandy.htm)

Honeycomb Candy Ingredients

3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons water
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda

Honeycomb Candy Instructions

Grease a cookie sheet. You can use oil, butter, or non-stick cooking spray.
Add the sugar, honey, and water to a saucepan. You can stir the mixture, but it isn't necessary.
Cook the ingredients over high heat, without stirring, until the mixture reaches 300°F. The sugar will melt, small bubbles will form, the bubbles will become larger, then the sugar will start to carmelize to an amber color.
When the temperature reaches 300°F, remove the pan from heat and whisk the baking soda into the hot syrup. This will cause the syrup to foam up.
Stir just enough to mix the ingredients, then dump the mixture onto the greased baking sheet. Don't spread out the candy, as this would pop your bubbles.
Allow the candy to cool, then break or cut it into pieces.
Store the honeycomb candy in an airtight container.

Great step by step pictures can be found at http://swirlandscramble.blogspot.com/2008/10/honeycomb-candy.html

How to make a Honeycomb Wax Candle

How to cut Honeycomb Beeswax sheets for Candlemaking

The Bremen Town Musicians.... a tale from Germany

2012-06-16T10:37:00.001-07:00

Bremen Town Musicians block cut by Walter Crane

A man had a donkey, who for long years had untiringly carried sacks to the mill, but whose strength was now failing, so that he was becoming less and less able to work. Then his master thought that he would no longer feed him, but the donkey noticed that it was not a good wind that was blowing and ran away, setting forth on the road to Bremen, where he thought he could become a town musician. When he had gone a little way he found a hunting dog lying in the road, who was panting like one who had run himself tired.

"Why are you panting so, Grab-Hold?" asked the donkey.

"Oh," said the dog, "because I am old and am getting weaker every day and can no longer go hunting, my master wanted to kill me, so I ran off; but now how should I earn my bread?"

"Do you know what," said the donkey, "I am going to Bremen and am going to become a town musician there. Come along and take up music too. I'll play the lute, and you can beat the drums."

The dog was satisfied with that, and they went further. It didn't take long, before they came to a cat sitting by the side of the road and making a face like three days of rainy weather. "What has crossed you, old Beard-Licker?" said the donkey.

"Oh," answered the cat, "who can be cheerful when his neck is at risk? I am getting on in years, and my teeth are getting dull, so I would rather sit behind the stove and purr than to chase around after mice. Therefore my mistress wanted to drown me, but I took off. Now good advice is scarce. Where should I go?"

"Come with us to Bremen. After all, you understand night music. You can become a town musician there." The cat agreed and went along.

Then the three refugees came to a farmyard, and the rooster of the house was sitting on the gate crying with all his might.

"Your cries pierce one's marrow and bone," said the donkey. "What are you up to?"

"I just prophesied good weather," said the rooster, "because it is Our Dear Lady's Day, when she washes the Christ Child's shirts and wants to dry them; but because Sunday guests are coming tomorrow, the lady of the house has no mercy and told the cook that she wants to eat me tomorrow in the soup, so I am supposed to let them cut off my head this evening. Now I am going to cry at the top of my voice as long as I can."

"Hey now, Red-Head," said the donkey, "instead come away with us. We're going to Bremen. You can always find something better than death. You have a good voice, and when we make music together, it will be very pleasing."

The rooster was happy with the proposal, and all four went off together. However, they could not reach the city of Bremen in one day, and in the evening they came into a forest, where they would spend the night. The donkey and the dog lay down under a big tree, but the cat and the rooster took to the branches. The rooster flew right to the top, where it was safest for him. Before falling asleep he looked around once again in all four directions, and he thought that he saw a little spark burning in the distance. He hollered to his companions, that there must be a house not too far away, for a light was shining.

The donkey said, "Then we must get up and go there, because the lodging here is poor." The dog said that he could do well with a few bones with a little meat on them. Thus they set forth toward the place where the light was, and they soon saw it glistening more brightly, and it became larger and larger, until they came to the front of a brightly lit robbers' house.

The donkey, the largest of them, approached the window and looked in.

"What do you see, Gray-Horse?" asked the rooster.

"What do I see?" answered the donkey. "A table set with good things to eat and drink, and robbers sitting there enjoying themselves."

"That would be something for us," said the rooster.

"Ee-ah, ee-ah, oh, if we were there!" said the donkey.

Then the animals discussed how they might drive the robbers away, and at last they came upon a plan. The donkey was to stand with his front feet on the window, the dog to jump on the donkey's back, the cat to climb onto the dog, and finally the rooster would fly up and sit on the cat's head. When they had done that, at a signal they began to make their music all together. The donkey brayed, the dog barked, the cat meowed and the rooster crowed. Then they crashed through the window into the room, shattering the panes.
The robbers jumped up at the terrible bellowing, thinking that a ghost was coming in, and fled in great fear out into the woods. Then the four companions seated themselves at the table and freely partook of the leftovers, eating as if they would get nothing more for four weeks.

When the four minstrels were finished, they put out the light and looked for a place to sleep, each according to his nature and his desire. The donkey lay down on the manure pile, the dog behind the door, the cat on the hearth next to the warm ashes, and the rooster sat on the beam of the roof. Because they were tired from their long journey, they soon fell asleep.

When midnight had passed and the robbers saw from the distance that the light was no longer burning in the house, and everything appeared to be quiet, the captain said, "We shouldn't have let ourselves be chased off," and he told one of them to go back and investigate the house. The one they sent found everything still, and went into the kitchen to strike a light. He mistook the cat's glowing, fiery eyes for live coals, and held a sulfur match next to them, so that it would catch fire. But the cat didn't think this was funny and jumped into his face, spitting, and scratching.

He was terribly frightened and ran toward the back door, but the dog, who was lying there, jumped up and bit him in the leg. When he ran across the yard past the manure pile, the donkey gave him a healthy blow with his hind foot, and the rooster, who had been awakened from his sleep by the noise and was now alert, cried down from the beam, "Cock-a-doodle-doo!"

Then the robber ran as fast as he could back to his captain and said, "Oh, there is a horrible witch sitting in the house, she blew at me and scratched my face with her long fingers. And there is a man with a knife standing in front of the door, and he stabbed me in the leg. And a black monster is lying in the yard, and it struck at me with a wooden club. And the judge is sitting up there on the roof, and he was calling out, 'Bring the rascal here.' Then I did what I could to get away."

From that time forth, the robbers did not dare go back into the house. However, the four Bremen Musicians liked it so well there, that they never left it again. And the person who just told that, his mouth is still warm.

story by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm in Children's and Household Tales -- Grimms' Fairy Tales published in 1857 online source for story is here

Become a Musician!
Making your own instruments can be fun and very simple. One of the easiest instruments to make is a kazoo.

A Kazoo is defined as

"a musical instrument with a membrane that produces a buzzing sound when a player hums or sings into the mouthpiece."

Wiki goes on to say:

The kazoo is a wind instrument which adds a "buzzing" timbral quality to a player's voice when the player vocalizes into it. The kazoo is a type of militron, which is a membranophone – a device which modifies the sound of a person's voice by way of a vibrating membrane.
"Kazoo" was the name given by Warren Herbert Frost to his invention in Patent #270,543 issued on January 9, 1883. In the text of the patent he refers to it as "This instrument or toy, to which I propose to give the name 'kazoo' ".

The simplest and fastest kazoo to make is a Comb Kazoo.

You'll need:
*An ordinary old fashioned plastic comb ( small fine toothed pocket combs work best, you can get a bag full at a dollar story)
*Wax Paper
*Scissors

1) Cut a piece of wax paper that is slightly smaller than the length of the comb and twice the size of the combs height.
2) Fold the wax paper in half length wise
3) Place the comb inside the folded paper with the teeth in the folded seam.

You're now ready to "play" your kazoo.
Hold the paper over the teeth of the comb and put the comb against your lips.
Then, keeping your lips open a little, hum a tune into the comb.
You'll need to experiment to see what gives you the best sound.

Here's the link to a youtube video, that for some reason I can't embed, that shows How to Make a Kazoo using a Toilet Paper Roll

This link is to the Kazoologist where they give lots of scientific information on kazoos and militrons.
http://kazoologist.org/Experiments.html

Before leaving, I want you to remember the most important rule of kazoo playing:

The Rose and the Amaranth.....an Aesop fable

2011-05-25T06:00:00.000-07:00

A Rose and an Amaranth blossomed side by side in a garden.

One day the Amaranth said to her neighbor,
"How I envy you your beauty and your sweet scent! No wonder you are such a universal favorite."

But the Rose replied with a shade of sadness in her voice,
"Ah, my dear friend, I bloom but for a time: my petals soon wither and fall, and then I die. But your flowers never fade, even if they are cut,for they are everlasting."

(This Aesop's Fable, written in the 6th century BC, compares the Rose to the Amaranth to illustrate the difference in fleeting and everlasting beauty).

FYI:

Amaranthus, collectively known as amaranth, is a cosmopolitan genus of herbs. Approximately 60 species are recognized,foliage ranging from purple and red to gold.
Although several species are often considered weeds, people around the world value amaranths as leaf vegetables, cereals, and ornamentals.
The word comes from the Greek amarantos (Αμάρανθος or Αμάραντος) the "one that does not wither," or the never-fading (flower).

info found at wiki

this site has a step by step tutorial for the rose above

A fun craft and good vid but the video cuts off. See the next vid.

This is the rest of the previous vid

Oats, Peas, Beans and Barley Grow

2011-03-19T16:20:00.000-07:00

"Can you or I or anyone know, how oats, peas, beans and barley grow?"

This month's story is actually an old folk song but like most songs it tells a story.

Oats, Peas, Beans and Barley Grow is a traditional British and American folk song.
It is a "play song" and the children perform the actions in the songs verses, basically acting out the planting and harvesting of a crop. The song can be found on many children's cd's, performed by artist such as Raffi and John Langstaff.

Oats, peas, beans, and barley grow,
Oats, peas, beans, and barley grow,
Can you or I or anyone know
How oats, peas, beans, and barley grow?

First the farmer sows his seed,
Stands erect and takes his ease,
He stamps his foot and claps his hands,
And turns around to view his lands.

Oats, peas, beans, and barley grow,
Oats, peas, beans, and barley grow,
Can you or I or anyone know
How oats, peas, beans, and barley grow?

Next the farmer waters the seed,
Stands erect and takes his ease,
He stamps his foot and claps his hands,
And turns around to view his lands.

Oats, peas, beans, and barley grow,
Oats, peas, beans, and barley grow,
Can you or I or anyone know
How oats, peas, beans, and barley grow?

Next the farmer hoes the weeds,
Stands erect and takes his ease,
He stamps his foot and claps his hands,
And turns around to view his lands.

Oats, peas, beans, and barley grow,
Oats, peas, beans, and barley grow,
Can you or I or anyone know
How oats, peas, beans, and barley grow?

Last the farmer harvests his seed,
Stands erect and takes his ease,
He stamps his foot and claps his hands,
And turns around to view his lands.

Oats, peas, beans, and barley grow,
Oats, peas, beans, and barley grow,
Can you or I or anyone know
How oats, peas, beans, and barley grow?

This video shows kids performing some of the movements in the song.

An excellent activity to accompany this song the ever popular growing a bean in a cup (or a clear bag or a test tube if you can find one).

Watch a Bean Grow
activity found at Kids Science Experiments

Materials you will need:

• Water
• Potting Soil/Compost
• A clear, plastic cup
• 3 Test Tubes
• 3 Beans (almost any kind of dry bean will do)

Steps:

1. Fill the cup with 2 inches of water
2. Drop the two beans in the cup of water
3. Leave the beans to soak overnight
4. The following day, drain/empty the water from cup and take the beans out of the cup
5. Fill the test tubes just over half way with the potting soil and place each bean inside the test tubes and fill the test tube with more soil
6. Place the test tubes in a well light and warm spot and be sure to water them every day.

Keep a close watch each day as you will be able to see how quickly the plants will grow (minute by minute).

If you do not have test tubes use clear plastic cups or a clear plastic container and plant the beans by the sides of the container so that you can watch the beans grow by looking through the clear container.

Did you know that plants need water to live? As well as absorbing water from the atmosphere (air) through their leaves, they suck water up through their stems.

***********************************

Another excellent set of directions can be found at

http://www.ehow.com/how_2108951_science-experiment-child-bean-plants.html

Androcles and the Lion....an Aesop fable retold by Joseph Jacobs

2010-09-05T05:12:00.000-07:00

Androcles and the Lion

It happened in the old days at Rome that a slave named Androcles escaped from his master and fled into the forest, and he wandered there for a long time until he was weary and well nigh spent with hunger and despair. Just then he heard a lion near him moaning and groaning and at times roaring terribly. Tired as he was Androcles rose up and rushed away, as he thought, from the lion; but as he made his way through the bushes he stumbled over the root of a tree and fell down lamed, and when he tried to get up there he saw the lion coming towards him, limping on three feet and holding his forepaw in front of him.
Poor Androcles was in despair; he had not strength to rise and run away, and there was the lion coming upon him. But when the great beast came up to him instead of attacking him it kept on moaning and groaning and looking at Androcles, who saw that the lion was holding out his right paw, which was covered with blood and much swollen. Looking more closely at it Androcles saw a great big thorn pressed into the paw, which was the cause of all the lion's trouble. Plucking up courage he seized hold of the thorn and drew it out of the lion's paw, who roared with pain when the thorn came out, but soon after found such relief from it that he fawned upon Androcles and showed, in every way that he knew, to whom he owed the relief. Instead of eating him up he brought him a young deer that he had slain, and Androcles managed to make a meal from it. For some time the lion continued to bring the game he had killed to Androcles, who became quite fond of the huge beast.
But one day a number of soldiers came marching through the forest and found Androcles, and as he could not explain what he was doing they took him prisoner and brought him back to the town from which he had fled. Here his master soon found him and brought him before the authorities, and he was condemned to death because he had fled from his master. Now it used to be the custom to throw murderers and other criminals to the lions in a huge circus, so that while the criminals were punished the public could enjoy the spectacle of a combat between them and the wild beasts.
So Androcles was condemned to be thrown to the lions, and on the appointed day he was led forth into the Arena and left there alone with only a spear to protect him from the lion. The Emperor was in the royal box that day and gave the signal for the lion to come out and attack Androcles. But when it came out of its cage and got near Androcles, what do you think it did? Instead of jumping upon him it fawned upon him and stroked him with its paw and made no attempt to do him any harm.
It was of course the lion which Androcles had met in the forest. The Emperor, surprised at seeing such a strange behavior in so cruel a beast, summoned Androcles to him and asked him how it happened that this particular lion had lost all its cruelty of disposition. So Androcles told the Emperor all that had happened to him and how the lion was showing its gratitude for his having relieved it of the thorn. Thereupon the Emperor pardoned Androcles and ordered his master to set him free, while the lion was taken back into the forest and let loose to enjoy liberty once more.

story source - originally told by Aesop, this particular version was written by Joseph Jacobs in Europa's Fairy Book published in 1916

Make a Paper Mache Lion Mask
(directions found at TLC.howstuffworks.com )

What You'll Need:

Newspaper
Paper plate
Scissors
Stapler
2 paper egg-carton sections
Masking Tape
White glue
Water
Measuring cup
Large mixing bowl
Spoon
Tempera paint
Paintbrush
ITEMS TO DECORATE THE MASK: Beads, Sequins, Feathers, Ribbon scraps, Yarn, Fabric scraps, etc.

How to Make Lion Mask:
1. Cover your work surface with newspaper.
2. Cut a slit in each side of the paper plate. Pull the edges of each slit together, and overlap them. Staple the edges together. This will bend the plate into a face shape.
3. Tape on the egg-carton sections for bulgy eyes. If you want to wear the mask, then cut out eye holes instead of using the egg-carton sections.
4. Make a fist-size ball of newspaper, and tape it in place for the lion's snout.
5. Crumple up some newspaper, and put it under the mask so it will keep its form while you work.

6. Tear 7 to 8 newspaper pages into strips.
7. Mix 1/2 cup white glue with 1/2 cup water in a large mixing bowl.
8. As you use them, put the newspaper strips in the glue/water mixture.
9. When you take the strips out of the mixture, run them between your fingers to remove the excess liquid.
10. Cover the mask front with a layer of newspaper strips.
11. Let the mask dry overnight.

12. Add a second layer of strips; smooth the strips over the mask with your fingers.
13. Let the mask dry overnight.
14. Paint the mask with two coats of tempera paint. Let dry.
15. Paint on the lion's mouth;
16. Decorate the mask with whatever you have around. You can use yarn, ribbon, crepe paper streamers etc for the lion's mane.
17. Tape a loop of ribbon to the back of the mask to hang it on your wall. If you plan to wear the mask, punch a small hole on each side of the mask and tie ribbon or string

Sweet-as-a-Honeycomb....a folktale from England

2010-08-09T23:17:00.000-07:00

(After you finish this story, ask the children what popular fairy tale it reminds them of.)

Once upon a time there was a merchant who traveled about the world a great deal. On one of his journeys thieves attacked him, and they would have taken both his life and his money if a large dog had not come to his rescue and driven the thieves away.

When the dog had driven the thieves away he took the merchant to his house, which was a very handsome one, and dressed his wounds and nursed him till he was well.

As soon as he was able to travel the merchant began his journey home, but before starting he told the dog how grateful he was for his kindness, and asked him what reward he could offer in return, and he said he would not refuse to give the most precious thing he had.

And so the merchant said to the dog, "Will you accept a fish I have that can speak twelve languages?"

"No," said the dog, "I will not."

"Or a goose that lays golden eggs?"

"No," said the dog, "I will not."

"Or a mirror in which you can see what anybody is thinking about?"

"No," said the dog, "I will not."

"Then what will you have?" said the merchant.

"I will have none of such presents," said the dog; "but let me fetch your daughter, and bring her to my house."

When the merchant heard this he was grieved, but what he had promised had to be done, so he said to the dog, "You can come and fetch my daughter after I have been home for a week."

So at the end of the week, the dog came to the merchant's house to fetch his daughter, but when he got there he stayed outside the door, and would not go in.
But the merchant's daughter did as her father told her, and came out of the house dressed for a journey and ready to go with the dog.
When the dog saw her he looked pleased, and said, "Jump on my back, and I will take you away to my house."
So she mounted on the dog's back, and away they went at a great pace, until they reached the dog's house, which was many miles off.

But after she had been a month at the dog's house she began to mope and cry.
"What are you crying for?" said the dog.

"Because I want to go back to my father," she said.

The dog said, "If you will promise me that you will not stay there more than three days I will take you there. But first of all," said he, "what do you call me?"

"A great, foul, small-tooth dog," said she.

"Then," said he, "I will not let you go."

But she cried so pitifully that he promised again to take her home.
"But before we start," he said, "tell me what you call me."

"Oh," she said, "your name is Sweet-as-a-Honeycomb."

"Jump on my back," said he, "and I'll take you home."

So he trotted away with her on his back for forty miles, when they came to a stile.
"And what do you call me?" said he, before they got over the stile.
Thinking she was safe on her way, the girl said, "A great, foul, small-tooth dog."

But when she said this, he did not jump over the stile, but turned right round again at once, and galloped back to his own house with the girl on his back.
Another week went by, and again the girl wept so bitterly that the dog promised to take her to her father's house.

So the girl got on the dog's back again, and they reached the first stile, as before, and the dog stopped and said, "And what do you call me?"

"Sweet-as-a-Honeycomb," she replied.

So the dog leaped over the stile, and they went on for twenty miles until they came to another stile.
"And what do you call me?" said the dog with a wag of his tail.

She was thinking more of her father and her own house than of the dog, so she answered, "A great, foul, small-tooth dog."

Then the dog was in a great rage, and he turned right round about, and galloped back to his own house as before.
After she had cried for another week, the dog promised again to take her back to her father's house. So she mounted upon his back once more, and when they got to the first stile, the dog said, "And what do you call me?"

"Sweet-as-a-Honeycomb," she said.

So the dog jumped over the stile, and away they went -- for now the girl made up her mind to say the most loving things she could think of -- until they reached her father's house.

When they got to the door of the merchant's house, the dog said, "And what do you call me?"

Just at that moment the girl forgot the loving things she meant to say and began, "A great --," but the dog began to turn, and she got fast hold of the door latch, and was going to say "foul," when she saw how grieved the dog looked and remembered how good and patient he had been with her, so she said, "Sweeter-than-a-Honeycomb."

When she had said this she thought the dog would have been content and have galloped away, but instead of that he suddenly stood upon his hind legs, and with his forelegs he pulled off his dog's head and tossed it high in the air. His hairy coat dropped off, and there stood the handsomest young man in the world, with the finest and smallest teeth you ever saw.

Of course they were married, and lived together happily.

(Story collected by Sidney Oldall Addy for Household Tales and Other Traditional Remains: Collected in the Counties of York, Lincoln, Derby and Nottingham published in 1895)

Did you recognize the story? Yep, it's very similar to the classic Beauty and the Beast.

I've found 2 and a half fun dog crafts for you. I say two and a half because the last craft is just a variation of the first craft. The first two crafts are very simple and suitable for children of all ages. The last craft requires more skill and patience.

Directions on how to make a very simple Origami Dog

Great directions on how to make a poodle, a chihuahua and a dachshund from chenille stems and pompoms

The dog made here is the same Origami Dog made in the first directions link.

For the older child and the more experienced Origamist (is that a word?), try making an Origami Dog out of a Dollar Bill.

The Last Darning Needle....an Oregon Folktale (retold by S.E. Schlosser) for Thread the Needle Day

2010-07-01T00:00:00.000-07:00

Folks traveling the Oregon Trail looking for a new life left almost everything behind them when they made the 2000 mile journey in their covered wagons. As the trail grew harder, the valleys steeper, the mountains more treacherous, they started abandoning furniture and luxuries of all sorts by the wayside to make it easier to move the wagons. Many of their horses and cattle died on the trail.  And many lost family members to sickness or accident.

By the time the settlers reached Oregon, the few goods they had were precious indeed. And so it was for the people who made their new home in Pass Creek Canyon. The tiny settlement was so isolated that the villagers had no access to manufactured goods of any sort and had to make do with what they brought with them. And so, it turned out, they were soon down to their very last darning needle.

Now darning needles, in those days, were used to sew clothing and darn socks and mend buttons that were torn off. For a whole community to have only one darning needle was a major concern. The settlers were very careful to keep the needle safe. They passed it from family to family, and for two or three days at a time, the women in each family would sew and darn as quickly as they could before passing the needle on to the next household.

Then one day, little Jimmy Chitwood was assigned the task of carrying the needle to Grandmother Drain's cottage over the hillside. To keep the darning needle safe, his mother threaded it with bright red wool knotted firmly through the eye of the needle. Then she stuck it into a potato and gave the precious needle to her small son.

As the little boy walked along the trail, he heard a rustling in the bushes. Ahead of him, a Mama bear and her two cubs ambled into view. Alarmed, Jimmy ducked behind a serviceberry bush, hoping the Mama bear wouldn't notice him and attack. He sat very still, trembling from head to toe, until all sounds of the bears had ceased. Then he crept back out onto the trail, checked carefully in both directions, and continued toward Grandmother Drain's cabin. And that's when he realized his hand was empty! He'd lost the potato with the precious darning needle stuck into it.

Little Jimmy looked everywhere, but there were many serviceberry bushes, and he couldn't find the exact place where he'd left the trail. Soon the whole village turned out to look for the potato with the darning needle stuck into it. They combed the hillside for hours, and it was the despairing little Jimmy who finally caught a glimpse of red wool in the bracken and swooped inside to rescue the darning needle.

But all good things come to an end. With so much heavy use and so much time spent stuck into the juice of the potato, the needle grew weak and it broke in Grandmother Drain's hand the day after it was found in the woods. The whole village was upset by the loss, but no one blamed Grandmother Drain for breaking it.  It could have happened to any of them. But all sewing and mending in the village ceased from that day, and clothing grew tattered, socks and stockings had gaping holes in them, and folks shook their heads, wondering what to do.

Little Jimmy Chitwood blamed himself bitterly for the loss of the darning needle. If only he hadn't lost it. If it hadn't been stuck so long in the potato, it might not have broken in Grandmother Drain's hand.  He fretted and fretted about the lost darning needle, and nothing his parents said could comfort him.

At that time, a young man in California decided he wanted a life of adventure. He came north to Portland Oregon, set himself up with a mule and wagon full of goods, and started roaming the mountains and valleys, visiting villages and mining camps and farming communities. It so happened that a month to the day after the breaking of the last darning needle, he wandered into Pass Creek Canyon with his peddler's wagon.

News of the peddler spread like wildfire through the community, and soon the young man was surrounded by families fingering his wares and talking excitedly. The young man soon learned about the last darning needle from Mrs. Chitwood, and he watched little Jimmy stroking the horse's mane and pretending not to listen as he mother talked of losing the needle when the bear appeared, and finding it again, and then losing it again when it broke.

"Well, son," the young peddler said to Jimmy. "Do you intend to give your family and friends Christmas gifts this year?"

Jimmy looked up from patting the mule, startled by the question. He hadn't thought about Christmas until that moment. He nodded uncertainly.

"Well, son. How about you and I give everyone their Christmas presents a little early." He knelt down beside the lad and took a small packet out of the pocket of his coat. "Why don't you give one of these to each of the ladies in your town as an early Christmas gift?" And he handed the child the packet full of darning needles. "I think there are enough here for every family to have one."

And so there were. Little Jimmy passed the needles out to each family, his face beaming with pride. And the peddler refused to accept a penny for the needles, insisting that they were a Christmas gift from Jimmy to the town.

After that, Pass Creek Canyon became a regular stop on the peddler's route, and the farmers and settlers in the community began to prosper and do well in their new home. Never again did they run out of darning needles, which was a blessing to all!

July 25th is Thread the Needle Day. A day to celebrate sewing crafts of every kind. Naturally, I plan to give you a sewing craft to go with the story and the holiday but there is also an old children's game called Thread the Needle.

According to MamaLisa.com:

In Thread the Needle Games, the players stand in two rows across from each other. They hold hands in an arch with the person across from them. Players go under the arch and join the end of the line once they’re through the arch. Sometimes they’re played while singing a song.

It sounds a lot like playing London Bridge, doesn't it?
Like most folk songs and folk games, there are variations on how the game is played and on the words and tune of the song.

midi version of the tune
Thread my grandmother’s needle,
Thread my grandmother’s needle;
It is too dark we cannot see
To thread my grandmother’s needle.

Come thread a long needle, come thread,
The eye is too little, the needle’s too big.
Thread the needle thro’ the skin,
Sometimes out and sometimes in.

This is an interesting video of adults playing the game.

And now for a very easy sewing project.

T Shirt Drawstring Bag
you'll need:
a t-shirt
needle and thread
scissors
ribbon or cord for a drawstring
safety pin

Directions:
Turn the t-shirt inside out.
Cut t-shirt starting next to the collar and cut straight down both sides.
Sew down both sides and across the bottom.
Turn right sides out.
To close you bag, will use the natural neck casing as your drawstring casing. Cut small slit in this collar casing.
Pin safety pin to one end of your ribbon or cord.
Insert drawstring or ribbon through the neck casing.
Remove pin, tie the ends of your ribbon together.
Voila!
Check out these step-by-step pics.

Craft Blog has a similar bag from a t-shirt. The directions have good pictures.

How to Hand Sew

Fairy Gifts...a tale from Andrew Lang's Green Fairy Book

2010-05-07T15:48:00.000-07:00

Fairy Gifts
(this story is a little longer than most of the tales I've put up but it is well worth telling. It might be a good story to tell in parts.)

It generally happens that people's surroundings reflect more or less accurately their minds and dispositions, so perhaps that is why the Flower Fairy lived in a lovely palace, with the most delightful garden you can imagine, full of flowers, and trees, and fountains, and fish-ponds, and everything nice. For the Fairy herself was so kind and charming that everybody loved her, and all the young princes and princesses who formed her court, were as happy as the day was long, simply because they were near her. They came to her when they were quite tiny, and never left her until they were grown up and had to go away into the great world; and when that time came she gave to each whatever gift he asked of her. But it is chiefly of the Princess Sylvia that you are going to hear now.

The Fairy loved her with all her heart, for she was at once original and gentle, and she had nearly reached the age at which the gifts were generally bestowed. However, the Fairy had a great wish to know how the other princesses who had grown up and left her, were prospering, and before the time came for Sylvia to go herself, she resolved to send her to some of them. So one day her chariot, drawn by butterflies, was made ready, and the Fairy said:
'Sylvia, I am going to send you to the court of Iris; she will receive you with pleasure for my sake as well as for your own. In two months you may come back to me again, and I shall expect you to tell me what you think of her.'

Sylvia was very unwilling to go away, but as the Fairy wished it she said nothing--only when the two months were over she stepped joyfully into the butterfly chariot, and could not get back quickly enough to the Flower-Fairy, who, for her part, was equally delighted to see her again.

'Now, child,' said she, 'tell me what impression you have received.'

'You sent me, madam,' answered Sylvia, 'to the Court of Iris, on whom you had bestowed the gift of beauty. She never tells anyone, however, that it was your gift, though she often speaks of your kindness in general. It seemed to me that her loveliness, which fairly dazzled me at first, had absolutely deprived her of the use of any of her other gifts or graces. In allowing herself to be seen, she appeared to think that she was doing all that could possibly be required of her.
But, unfortunately, while I was still with her she became seriously ill, and though she presently recovered, her beauty is entirely gone, so that she hates the very sight of herself, and is in despair. She entreated me to tell you what had happened, and to beg you, in pity, to give her beauty back to her. And, indeed, she does need it terribly, for all the things in her that were tolerable, and even agreeable, when she was so pretty, seem quite different now she is ugly, and it is so long since she thought of using her mind or her natural cleverness, that I really don't think she has any left now. She is quite aware of all this herself, so you may imagine how unhappy she is, and how earnestly she begs for your aid.'

'You have told me what I wanted to know,' cried the Fairy, 'but alas! I cannot help her; my gifts can be given but once.'

Some time passed in all the usual delights of the Flower-Fairy's palace, and then she sent for Sylvia again, and told her she was to stay for a little while with the Princess Daphne, and accordingly the butterflies whisked her off, and set her down in quite a strange kingdom. But she had only been there a very little time before a wandering butterfly brought a message from her to the Fairy, begging that she might be sent for as soon as possible, and before very long she was allowed to return.

'Ah! madam,' cried she, 'what a place you sent me to that time!'

'Why, what was the matter?' asked the Fairy. 'Daphne was one of the princesses who asked for the gift of eloquence, if I remember rightly.'

'And very ill the gift of eloquence becomes a woman,' replied Sylvia, with an air of conviction. 'It is true that she speaks well, and her expressions are well chosen; but then she never leaves off talking, and though at first one may be amused, one ends by being wearied to death. Above all things she loves any assembly for settling the affairs of her kingdom, for on those occasions she can talk and talk without fear of interruption; but, even then, the moment it is over she is ready to begin again about anything or nothing, as the case may be. Oh! how glad I was to come away I cannot tell you.'

The Fairy smiled at Sylvia's unfeigned disgust at her late experience; but after allowing her a little time to recover she sent her to the Court of the Princess Cynthia, where she left her for three months. At the end of that time Sylvia came back to her with all the joy and contentment that one feels at being once more beside a dear friend. The Fairy, as usual, was anxious to hear what she thought of Cynthia, who had always been amiable, and to whom she had given the gift of pleasing.

'I thought at first,' said Sylvia, 'that she must be the happiest Princess in the world; she had a thousand lovers who vied with one another in their efforts to please and gratify her. Indeed, I had nearly decided that I would ask a similar gift.'

'Have you altered your mind, then?' interrupted the Fairy.

'Yes, indeed, madam,' replied Sylvia; 'and I will tell you why. The longer I stayed the more I saw that Cynthia was not really happy. In her desire to please everyone she ceased to be sincere, and degenerated into a mere coquette; and even her lovers felt that the charms and fascinations which were exercised upon all who approached her without distinction were valueless, so that in the end they ceased to care for them, and went away disdainfully.'

'I am pleased with you, child,' said the Fairy; 'enjoy yourself here for awhile and presently you shall go to Phyllida.'

Sylvia was glad to have leisure to think, for she could not make up her mind at all what she should ask for herself, and the time was drawing very near. However, before very long the Fairy sent her to Phyllida, and waited for her report with unabated interest.

'I reached her court safely,' said Sylvia, 'and she received me with much kindness, and immediately began to exercise upon me that brilliant wit which you had bestowed upon her. I confess that I was fascinated by it, and for a week thought that nothing could be more desirable; the time passed like magic, so great was the charm of her society. But I ended by ceasing to covet that gift more than any of the others I have seen, for, like the gift of pleasing, it cannot really give satisfaction. By degrees I wearied of what had so delighted me at first, especially as I perceived more and more plainly that it is impossible to be constantly smart and amusing without being frequently ill-natured, and too apt to turn all things, even the most serious, into mere occasions for a brilliant jest.'

The Fairy in her heart agreed with Sylvia's conclusions, and felt pleased with herself for having brought her up so well.

But now the time was come for Sylvia to receive her gift, and all her companions were assembled; the Fairy stood in the midst and in the usual manner asked what she would take with her into the great world.

Sylvia paused for a moment, and then answered: 'A quiet spirit.' And the Fairy granted her request.

This lovely gift makes life a constant happiness to its possessor, and to all who are brought into contact with her. She has all the beauty of gentleness and contentment in her sweet face; and if at times it seems less lovely through some chance grief or disquietude, the hardest thing that one ever hears said is:

'Sylvia's dear face is pale to-day. It grieves one to see her so.'

And when, on the contrary, she is gay and joyful, the sunshine of her presence rejoices all who have the happiness of being near her.

There are soooooo many ideas available for fairy crafts that I had a hard time limiting my self. I finally managed to narrow it down to five activities. Enjoy!

This is a cute idea....I went to a Fairy Name generator. Here's my fairy info. The link to find your fairy is below:

Your fairy is called Bramble Goblintree
She is a bringer of riches and wealth.
She lives in leafy dells and bluebell glades.
She is only seen when the first leaves fall from the trees.
She wears bluebell-blue dresses. She has gentle green wings like a butterfly.
Get your free fairy name here!

How to Make Fairy Wings

Here are lovely directions with good pictures on how to make a Fairy Garden.

Use lots of ribbons to make a very simple Ribbon Fairy.

Make a Fairy House
you'll need:

a hula hoop
strong strings
pieces of material- fabric can be cut/torn into strips or you can use scarves and tie them on...soft silky fabrics that flow work best

Directions:

Mark three sections of an equal distance from each other on the hula hoop
Cut the string into 3 equal pieces the length of which is up to you but probably at least 2ft each.
After tying the strings to each point, tie the other ends together. The house will hang from here.
Now you're ready to add fabric and make your house.
You can tear your fabric into long strips which can then be tied onto the hoop to hang down. The strips can be as thing or thick as you wish.
Cutting will give you a cleaner edge and you can also cut the bottoms of your strips in to a curved shape to look like flower petals.
Once you have added your fabric, decide where you want the "house" to hang.
You can add special touches like artificial flowers and other touches. The flowers can be glued on or the stems wrapped on the hoop.

Two Frogs....a story from Japan for Frog Month (April)

2010-03-31T02:14:00.000-07:00

The Two Frogs
Once upon a time in the country of Japan there lived two frogs, one of whom made his home in a ditch near the town of Osaka, on the sea coast, while the other dwelt in a clear little stream which ran through the city of Kyoto. At such a great distance apart, they had never even heard of each other; but, funnily enough, the idea came into both their heads at once that they should like to see a little of the world, and the frog who lived at Kyoto wanted to visit Osaka, and the frog who lived at Osaka wished to go to Kyoto, where the great Mikado had his palace.

So one fine morning in the spring they both set out along the road that led from Kyoto to Osaka, one from one end and the other from the other. The journey was more tiring than they expected, for they did not know much about traveling, and halfway between the two towns there arose a mountain which had to be climbed. It took them a long time and a great many hops to reach the top, but there they were at last, and what was the surprise of each to see another frog before him!

They looked at each other for a moment without speaking, and then fell into conversation, explaining the cause of their meeting so far from their homes. It was delightful to find that they both felt the same wish--to learn a little more of their native country--and as there was no sort of hurry they stretched themselves out in a cool, damp place, and agreed that they would have a good rest before they parted to go their ways.

"What a pity we are not bigger," said the Osaka frog; "for then we could see both towns from here, and tell if it is worth our while going on."

"Oh, that is easily managed," returned the Kyoto frog. "We have only got to stand up on our hind legs, and hold onto each other, and then we can each look at the town he is traveling to."

This idea pleased the Osaka frog so much that he at once jumped up and put his front paws on the shoulder of his friend, who had risen also. There they both stood, stretching themselves as high as they could, and holding each other tightly, so that they might not fall down. The Kyoto frog turned his nose towards Osaka, and the Osaka frog turned his nose towards Kyoto; but the foolish things forgot that when they stood up their great eyes lay in the backs of their heads, and that though their noses might point to the places to which they wanted to go, their eyes beheld the places from which they had come.

"Dear me!" cried the Osaka frog, "Kyoto is exactly like Osaka. It is certainly not worth such a long journey. I shall go home!"

"If I had had any idea that Osaka was only a copy of Kyoto I should never have traveled all this way," exclaimed the frog from Kyoto, and as he spoke he took his hands from his friend's shoulders, and they both fell down on the grass. Then they took a polite farewell of each other, and set off for home again, and to the end of their lives they believed that Osaka and Kyoto, which are as different to look at as two towns can be, were as alike as two peas.

* Source: Andrew Lang, The Violet Fairy Book (London: Longmans, Green and Co., 1901), pp. 125-126.

How to Make an Origami Jumping Frog

Origami (折り紙?, from ori meaning "folding", and kami meaning "paper") is the traditional Japanese folk art of paper folding, which started in the 17th century AD and was popularized in the mid-1900s. It has since then evolved into a modern art form. The goal of this art is to transform a flat sheet of material into a finished sculpture through folding and sculpting techniques, and as such the use of cuts or glue are not considered to be origami.

this info found at wikipedia

I love these little frogs. I find the best way to learn origami is visually. So I have given you the chart below, a link and a wonderful video.

pic from papercrane.org

Very good step by step pictures on How to make an Origami Jumping Frog

Rumpelstiltskin......a German tale retold by the Brothers Grimm

2010-03-03T08:20:00.000-08:00

Once upon a time there was a miller who was poor, but who had a beautiful daughter. Now it happened that he got into a conversation with the king, and to make an impression on him he said, "I have a daughter who can spin straw into gold."

The king said to the miller, "That is an art that I really like. If your daughter is as skillful as you say, then bring her to my castle tomorrow, and I will put her to the test."

When the girl was brought to him he led her into a room that was entirely filled with straw. Giving her a spinning wheel and a reel, he said, "Get to work now. Spin all night, and if by morning you have not spun this straw into gold, then you will have to die." Then he himself locked the room, and she was there all alone.

The poor miller's daughter sat there, and for her life she did not know what to do. She had no idea how to spin straw into gold. She became more and more afraid, and finally began to cry.

Then suddenly the door opened. A little man stepped inside and said, "Good evening, Mistress Miller, why are you crying so?"

"Oh," answered the girl, "I am supposed to spin straw into gold, and I do not know how to do it."

The little man said, "What will you give me if I spin it for you?"

"My necklace," said the girl.

The little man took the necklace, sat down before the spinning wheel, and whir, whir, whir, three times pulled, and the spool was full. Then he put another one on, and whir, whir, whir, three times pulled, and the second one was full as well. So it went until morning, and then all the straw was spun, and all the spools were filled with gold.

At sunrise the king came, and when he saw the gold he was surprised and happy, but his heart became even more greedy for gold. He had the miller's daughter taken to another room filled with straw. It was even larger, and he ordered her to spin it in one night, if she valued her life.

The girl did not know what to do, and she cried. Once again the door opened, and the little man appeared. He said, "What will you give me if I spin the straw into gold for you?"

"The ring from my finger," answered the girl.

The little man took the ring, and began once again to whir with the spinning wheel. By morning he had spun all the straw into glistening gold. The king was happy beyond measure when he saw it, but he still did not have his fill of gold. He had the miller's daughter taken to a still larger room filled with straw, and said, "Tonight you must spin this too. If you succeed you shall become my wife." He thought, "Even if she is only a miller's daughter, I will not find a richer wife in all the world."

When the girl was alone the little man returned for a third time. He said, "What will you give me if I spin the straw this time?"

"I have nothing more that I could give you," answered the girl.

"Then promise me, after you are queen, your first child."

"Who knows what will happen," thought the miller's daughter, and not knowing what else to do, she promised the little man what he demanded. In return the little man once again spun the straw into gold.

When in the morning the king came and found everything just as he desired, he married her, and the beautiful miller's daughter became queen.

A year later she brought a beautiful child to the world. She thought no more about the little man, but suddenly he appeared in her room and said, "Now give me that which you promised."

The queen took fright and offered the little man all the wealth of the kingdom if he would let her keep the child, but the little man said, "No. Something living is dearer to me than all the treasures of the world."

Then the queen began lamenting and crying so much that the little man took pity on her and said, "I will give you three days' time. If by then you know my name, then you shall keep your child."

The queen spent the entire night thinking of all the names she had ever heard. Then she sent a messenger into the country to inquire far and wide what other names there were. When the little man returned the next day she began with Kaspar, Melchior, Balzer, and said in order all the names she knew. After each one the little man said, "That is not my name."

The second day she sent inquiries into the neighborhood as to what names people had. She recited the most unusual and most curious names to the little man: "Is your name perhaps Beastrib? Or Muttoncalf? Or Legstring?"

But he always answered, "That is not my name."

On the third day the messenger returned and said, "I have not been able to find a single new name, but when I was approaching a high mountain in the corner of the woods, there where the fox and the hare say good-night, I saw a little house. A fire was burning in front of the house, and an altogether comical little man was jumping around the fire, hopping on one leg and calling out:

Today I'll bake; tomorrow I'll brew,
Then I'll fetch the queen's new child,
It is good that no one knows,
Rumpelstiltskin is my name.

You can imagine how happy the queen was when she heard that name. Soon afterward the little man came in and asked, "Now, Madame Queen, what is my name?"

She first asked, "Is your name Kunz?"

"No."

"Is your name Heinz?"

"No."

"Is your name perhaps Rumpelstiltskin?"

"The devil told you that! The devil told you that!" shouted the little man, and with anger he stomped his right foot so hard into the ground that he fell in up to his waist. Then with both hands he took hold of his left foot and ripped himself up the middle in two.

* Story Source: Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, Rumpelstilzchen, Kinder- und Hausmärchen (Children's and Household Tales -- Grimms' Fairy Tales), final edition (Berlin, 1857), no. 55.

March 7th through 13th, 2010 is Celebrate Your Name Week, the perfect time to read a story or books about names and to do name related crafts.
Check out my list of Picture Books about Names

Mirror Name Art
here's a good example
You'll need:
Paper
Crayons
Markers
Ruler

How to:
1. Fold a sheet of paper in half the long way and turn the paper so that the fold runs from left to right.
2. Write your name across the top half of the paper. Press down hard with the crayon as you color in your name.
3. Fold the paper in half again along the same fold but in the other direction so the name is covered.
4. Rub along the folded side with the side of a pencil, marker or ruler.
5. Open the paper to see your name written backwards on the other side of the fold.
6. Turn the paper so the fold runs top to bottom.
7. Using markers or crayons, make a picture out the design your name created!

The Three Goslings......a tale from Italy

2010-02-09T05:18:00.000-08:00

Once upon a time there were three goslings who were greatly afraid of the wolf, for if he found them he would eat them. One day the largest said to the other two, "Do you know what I think? I think we had better build a little house, so that the wolf shall not eat us, and meanwhile let us go and look for something to build the house with."

Then the other two said, "Yes, yes, yes! Good! Let us go!"

So they went and found a man who had a load of straw and said to him, "Good man, do us the favor to give us a little of that straw to make a house of, so that the wolf shall not eat us."

The man said, "Take it, take it!" And he gave them as much as they wanted.

The goslings thanked the man and took the straw and went away to a meadow, and there they built a lovely little house, with a door, and balconies, and kitchen, with everything, in short.

When it was finished, the largest gosling said, "Now I want to see whether one is comfortable in this house." So she went in and said, "Oh! How comfortable it is in the house! Just wait!" She went and locked the door with a padlock, and went out on the balcony and said to the other two goslings, "I am very comfortable alone here. Go away, for I want nothing to do with you."

The two poor little goslings began to cry and beg their sister to open the door and let them in. If she did not, the wolf would eat them. But she would not listen to them. Then the two goslings went away and found a man who had a load of hay. They said to him, "Good man, do us the kindness to give us a little of that hay to build a house with, so that the wolf shall not eat us!"

"Yes, yes, yes! Take some, take some!" And he gave them as much as they wanted.

The goslings, well pleased, thanked the man and carried the hay to a meadow and built a very pretty little house, prettier than the other. The middle-sized gosling said the smallest, "Listen. I am going now to see whether one is comfortable in this house. But I will not act like our sister, you know!"

She entered the house and said to herself, "Oh! How comfortable it is here! I don't want my sister! I am very comfortable here alone." So she went and fastened the door with a padlock, and went out on the balcony and said to her sister, "Oh! How comfortable it is in this house! I don't want you here! Go away, go away!"

The gosling began to weep and beg her sister to open to her, for she was alone, and did not know where to go, and if the wolf found her he would eat her. But it did no good. She shut the balcony and stayed in the house.

Then the gosling, full of fear, went away and found a man who had a load of iron and stones and said to him, "Good man, do me the favor to give me a few of those stones and a little of that iron to build me a house with, so that the wolf shall not eat me!"

The man pitied the gosling so much that he said, "Yes, yes, good gosling, or rather I will build your house for you."

Then they went away to a meadow, and the man built a very pretty house, with a garden and everything necessary, and very strong, for it was lined with iron, and the balcony and door of iron also. The gosling, well pleased, thanked the man and went into the house and remained there.

Now let us go to the wolf.

The wolf looked everywhere for these goslings, but could not find them. After a time he learned that they had built three houses. "Good, good! he said. "Wait until I find you!" Then he started out and journeyed and journeyed until he came to the meadow where the first house was. He knocked at the door, and the gosling said, "Who is knocking at the door?"

"Come, come," said the wolf. "Open up, for it is I."

"The gosling said, "I will not open for you, because you will eat me."

"Open, open! I will not eat you. Be not afraid. Very well, " said the wolf, "if you will not open the door, I will blow down your house." And indeed, he did blow down the house and ate up the gosling.

"Now that I have eaten one," he said, "I will eat the others too." Then he went away and came at last to the house of the second gosling, and everything happened as to the first. The wolf blew down the house and ate the gosling.

Then he went in search of the third, and when he found her he knocked at the door, but she would not let him in. Then he tried to blow the house down, but could not. Then he climbed on the roof and tried to trample the house down, but in vain. "Very well," he said to himself. "In one way or another I will eat you." Then he came down from the roof and said to the gosling, "Listen, gosling. Do you wish us to make peace? I don't want to quarrel with you who are so good, and I have thought that tomorrow we will cook some macaroni, and I will bring the butter and cheese, and you will furnish the flour."

"Very good," said the gosling. "Bring them then."

The wolf, well satisfied, saluted the gosling and went away. The next day the gosling got up early and went and bought the meal and then returned home and shut the house. A little later the wolf came and knocked at the door and said, "Come, gosling, open the door, for I have brought you the butter and cheese!"

"Very well, give it to me here by the balcony."

"No indeed, open the door!"

"I will open when all is ready."

Then the wolf gave her the things by the balcony and went away. While he was gone the gosling prepared the macaroni, and put it on the fire to cook in a kettle full of water. When it was two o'clock the wolf came and said, "Come, gosling, open the door."

"No, I will not open, for when I am busy I don't want anyone in the way. When it is cooked, I will open, and you may come in and eat it."

A little while after, the gosling said to the wolf, "Would you like to try a bit of macaroni to see whether it is well cooked?"

"Open the door! That is the better way."

"No, no. Don't think you are coming in. Put your mouth to the hole in the shelf, and I will pour the macaroni down."

The wolf, all greedy as he was, put his mouth to the hole, and then the gosling took the kettle of boiling water and poured the boiling water instead of the macaroni through the hole into the wolf's mouth. And the wolf was scalded and killed.

Then the gosling took a knife and cut open the wolf's stomach, and out jumped the other goslings, who were still alive, for the wolf was so greedy that he had swallowed them whole. Then there goslings begged their sister's pardon for the mean way in which they had treated her, and she, because she was kindhearted, forgave them and took them into her house, and there they ate their macaroni and lived together happy and contented.

Source: Thomas Frederick Crane, Italian Popular Tales (London: Macmillan and Company, 1885)

This story, which you'll have noticed is very similar to the 3 Little Pigs story, is lots of fun to do with puppets.
It's easy to make stick puppets for the characters and houses out of milk cartons.
You can use the pictures above for your puppets or draw your own.

You'll need :
Construction or scrap paper for the puppets and to decorate the houses
Popsicle sticks or tongue depressors for the puppets
Glue
Markers or crayons
Paint for the houses if you wish to use it

Optional:
sticks, straw, very small rocks can be used with the houses

A really cute video on how to make a stick puppet..it gives you the basics.
The little girl makes a man puppet but for the story you can make three goslings and a wolf.

How to make a Milk carton house...this vid uses paint to decorate the boxes but for the above story you can use straw, sticks, little rocks or anything that would simulate the materials used in the story.

This blog did a really cute job using stick puppets etc with the 3 Little Pigs story

The Cap that Mother Made

2010-01-11T07:49:00.001-08:00

Once upon a time there was a little boy named Anders, who had a new cap. And a prettier cap you never have seen, for mother herself had knit it; and nobody could make anything quite so nice as mother did. It was altogether red, except a small part in the middle which was green, for the red yarn had given out; and the tassel was blue.

His brothers and sisters walked about squinting at him, and their faces grew long with envy. But Anders cared nothing for that. He put his hands in his pockets and went out for a walk, for he wished everybody to see how fine he looked in his new cap.

The first person he met was a farmer walking along side a wagon load of wood. The farmer made a bow so deep that his back came near breaking. He was dumbfounded, I can tell you, when he saw it was nobody but Anders.

"Dear me," said he, "if I did not think it was the little count himself!" And then he invited Anders to ride in his wagon.

But when one has a handsome, red cap with a blue tassel, one does not ride in a wagon, and Anders said, "No thank you," and walked by.

At the turn of the road he met the tanner's son, Lars. He was such a big boy that he wore high boots, and carried a jack-knife. Lars gaped and gazed at the cap, and could not keep form fingering the blue tassel.

"Let's trade caps," he said. "I will give you my jack-knife to boot."

Now this knife was a very good one, though the handle was a little cracked. Anders knew that one is almost a man as soon as he has a jack-knife. But still it was not as good as the new cap which mother had made.

"Oh, no, I'm not so foolish as all that. No I'm not!" Anders said.

And then he said good-bye to Lars with a nod. But Lars only made faces at him, for he was very much put out that he could not get Anders cap.

Anders went along, and he met a very old woman who curtsied till her skirts looked like a balloon. She called him a little gentleman, and said he was fine enough to go to the royal court ball.

"Yes, why not?" thought Anders. "Seeing that my cap is so fine, I may as well go and visit the King."

And so he did. In the palace yard stood two soldiers with shining helmets, and with muskets over their shoulders; and when Anders came to the gate, both the muskets were leveled at him.

"Where are you going?" asked one of the soldiers.

"I'm going to the court ball," answered Anders.

"No, you are not," said the other soldier stepping forward. "Nobody is allowed there without a uniform."

But just at this instant the princess came tripping across the yard. She was dressed in white silk with bows of gold ribbon. When she saw Anders and the soldiers, she walked over to them.

"Oh," she said,"he has such a very fine cap on his head, and that will do just as well as a uniform."

And she took Anders' hand and walked with him up the broad marble stairs where soldiers were posted at every third step, and through the beautiful halls where courtiers in silk and velvet stood bowing wherever he went. For no doubt they thought him a prince when they saw his fine cap.

At the farther end of the largest hall a table was set with golden cups and golden plates in long rows. On huge silver dishes were piles of tarts and cakes, and red wine sparkled in shining glasses.
The princess sat down at the head of this long table and she let Anders sit in a golden chair by her side.

"But you must not eat with your cap on your head," she said, putting out her hand to take it off.

"Oh, yes, I can eat just as well with my cap as without it," said Anders, holding on to his cap. For if they should take it away from him, nobody would any longer believe that he was a prince. And besides, he did not feel sure that he would get it back again.

"Well, give it to me," said the princess, "and I will give you a kiss."

The princess was certainly beautiful, and Anders would have dearly liked to be kissed by her, but the cap which mother had made, he would not give up on any condition. He only shook his head.

"Well, but see," said the princess; and she filled his pockets with cakes, and put her own gold chain around his neck, and bent down and kissed him.

But he only moved farther back in his chair and did not take his hands away from his head.

Then the doors were thrown open, and the King entered with a large number of gentlemen in glittering uniforms and plumed hats. The King himself wore a purple mantle which trailed behind him, and he had a large gold crown on his white curly hair.
He smiled when he saw Anders in the gilt chair.

"That is a very fine cap you have," he said.

"So it is," replied Anders. "Mother knit it of her very best yarn, and everybody wishes to get it away from me."

"But surely you would like to change caps with me," said the King, raising his large, heavy crown from his head.

Anders did not answer. He sat as before, and held on to his red cap which everybody was so eager to get. But when the King came nearer to him, with is gold crown between his hands, then Anders grew frightened as never before. If he did not take good care, the King might take his cap from him; for a King can do whatever he likes.

With one jump Anders was out of his chair. He darted like an arrow through all the beautiful halls, down all the marble stairs, and across the yard.

He twisted himself like an eel between the outstretched arms of the courtiers, and over the soldiers' muskets he jumped like a rabbit.

He ran so fast that the princess's necklace fell off of his neck, and all the cakes jumped out of his pockets. But he still had his cap. He was holding on to it with both hands as he rushed into his mother's cottage.

His mother took him up in her lap, and he told her all of his adventures, and how everybody wanted his cap. All of his brothers and sisters stood around and listened with their mouths open.

But when his big brother heard that he had refused to trade his cap for the King's golden crown, he said that Anders was foolish. Just think how much money one might get for the King's crown; and Anders could have gotten an even finer cap.

That was something that Anders had not thought of, and his face grew red.
He put his arms around his mother's neck and asked:
"Mother, was I foolish?"

His mother hugged him close and kissed him.
"No, my little son," said she. "If you were dressed in silver and gold from top to toe, you could not look any nicer than you do in your little red cap."

Then Anders felt brave again. He knew that mother's cap was the best cap in all the world.

Anders' Cap is retold by LLL,Storysinger; the original source is Swedish Fairy Tales by Anna Wahlenberg, published in 1901

above illustrations are from "The Cap that Mother Made Me", Rand McNally Start-Right Elf Book, 1967, Illustrations by Esther Friend

I have found that in some crafts it is easier to learn when you can see what needs to be done.
Knitting definitely seems to be one of those "watch what I do" crafts.
For this reason, I have chosen to put up videos on how to knit.

I have three videos for you. The first two vids demonstrate how to you make a very basic scarf.

The third vid is for the more advanced knitter or the adventurous beginner.
It gives directions for making a simple hat using circular needles.

For the scarf (the first 2 videos) you will need:
a pair of knitting needles, the size is up to you
a skein/ball of yarn (I suggest avoiding very fine/thin yarns in the beginning)
a pair of scissors

How to Cast on stitches to begin your knitting.
There are other ways to do this but I like the way that this video explains the process.

How to do your basic knit also called the Garter Stitch and how to Bind off/end your knitting.

For this third video, hat making, you'll need...yarn, circular needles, stitch markers and scissors.

MarthaStewart.com has a few pics on How to Knit here

The Legend of La Befana

2010-01-01T02:45:00.000-08:00

A Christmas tale from Italian Folklore retold by La

La Befana was an old woman who lived in a small village in Italy. She was known throughout the village for her wonderful baking and the cleanliness of her kitchen. She was often seen sweeping the area in front of her home. And many had heard her say that she was so busy baking and cleaning that she rarely had time to do anything else.

One winter day, while La Befana was sweeping in front of her home, three travelers stopped to ask her for a drink of water. They told La Befana that they were astrologers (they were often called the three wise men) who were following a star to the birth place of the Christ child. She kindly gave them water and then invited them to dinner.

After dinner the astrologers prepared to continue their journey and asked her if she would like to come with them to see the Christ child. La Befana shook her head saying that she could not possibly take the time needed for such a journey. She was secretly itching to get back to her cleaning and cooking. She stood at her door and watched them leave.

La Befana went back to her sweeping. But hours later she began to feel that she had made a mistake. Maybe she should have gone with the 3 astrologers to see the Christ child. La Befana decided to follow them.

She quickly grabbed a basket and filled it with baked goods of all kinds. She then put on her shawl and with her basket and broom hurried off into the night practically running to catch up with the wise men.

La Befana traveled through the night but never caught up with the wise men. It is said that she ran and ran until she and her broom were lifted up into the air!

Ever since that night, La Befana is believed to fly through the night or run over the roofs in Italy on Epiphany eve. She stops at the home of every child, leaving them treats in their stockings if they are good and a lump of coal if they are bad.

She hopes that one of the children she visits will be the christ child.

Copyright LLL, Storyteller/Storysinger

The name Befana is said to be a mispronunciation of the Italian word epifania which stands for epiphany. La Befana still visits the children of Italy on the eve of January 6, Epiphany. She fills their stockings with candy or a lump of coal. It is also believed that she sweeps the floor before she leaves. Many households leave her a small glass of wine and a small plate of goodies.

Epiphany Star
Materials
Craft or Popsicle sticks
colored markers
glue
glitter
a variety of small beads, confetti or other decorative items
thread or ribbon

Instructions:
1. Paint or color sticks using markers
2. Glue into sticks into a star shape
3. Decorate your star with glue and glitter and/or any of the other items you have
4. Tie or glue a loop of thread or ribbon for the hanger

For a different look, use twigs or small pieces of wood instead of craft sticks. The twigs can be painted and then sprinkled with glitter.

Legend of the Christmas Spider

2009-11-28T03:31:00.000-08:00

On Christmas eve, a long time ago, a gentle mother was busily cleaning the house for the most wonderful day of the year... Christmas day, the day on which the little Christ child came to bless the house. Not a speck of dust was left. Even the spiders had been banished from their cozy corner on the ceiling. They had fled to the farthest corner of the attic.

The Christmas tree was beautifully decorated. The poor spiders were frantic, for they could not see the tree, nor be present for the little Christ child's visit. Then the oldest and wisest spider suggested that perhaps they could wait until everyone went to bed and then get a closer look.

When the house was dark and silent, the spiders crept out of their hiding place. When they neared the Christmas tree, they were delighted with the beauty of it. The spiders crept all over the tree, up and down, over the branches and twigs and saw every one of the pretty things.

The spiders loved the Christmas tree. All night long they danced in the branches, leaving them covered with spider webs. In the morning, when the little Christ child came to bless the house, he was dismayed! He loved the little spiders for they were God's creatures, but he knew the mother, who had worked so hard to make everything perfect, would not be pleased when she saw what the spiders had done.

With love in his heart and a smile on his lips, the little Christ child reached out and gently touched the spider webs. The spider webs started to sparkle and shine! They had all turned into sparkling, shimmering silver and gold.

According to legend, ever since this happened, people have hung tinsel on their Christmas trees. It has also become a custom to include a spider among the decorations on the Christmas tree.

A version of this story can be found in Shirley Climo's picture book "A Cobweb Christmas".

The first set of directions below comes from eHow.com
I have also included links for 2 sites with really good step by step directions and wonderful pictures.

How to Make a Christmas Spider Ornament
The Christmas Spider serves as a holiday tradition for many people. It makes a wonderful gift and can be easily made using anything from inexpensive beads to crystal beads. Give it as a gift or hang it on your Christmas tree. Follow these steps to learn to make a Christmas Spider.

Things You'll Need:
Beads sizes-6mm and 10mm
Wire - make sure it will fit through the bead holes
Wire cutters

Pipe cleaners
Use pipe cleaners and plastic beads if working with younger children.
They can make their own spiders with these materials.

Step 1
Get two beads, a 6 mm and a 10 mm size, to use for the body and the head. String them onto the wire. First string the bigger bead for the body then the smaller bead as the head.

Step 2
Make sure that the wire you chose is thin enough to fit through the beads but soft enough to be bendable. A 20 half-hard gauge size works. Full-hard gauge may be too stiff to properly shape and bend.

Step 3
Cut four 6-inch lengths of wire to form the legs. For smaller spiders, use two wires to make four legs. Wrap all four wires together in the middle and wrap once between the body and head beads. Pull tightly to secure around the main wire.

Step 4
Arrange the wrapped wires that form legs in the form you desire. You can bead these legs as well, using 3- or 4-mm beads or seed beads with bugle beads as the legs themselves. To make the beaded legs, add the beads you have chosen by pushing them securely against the body and making a bend at the end of the wire to hold the beads on it.

This site has step by step directions for a beautiful beaded Christmas Spider.

PolkaDotCreations.com has a fabulous tutorial on making Polymer Clay Christmas Spiders

The Shoemaker and the Elves

2009-10-24T03:00:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time there was an honest shoemaker, who was very poor. He worked as hard as he could, and still he could not earn enough to keep himself and his wife. At last there came a day when he had nothing left but one piece of leather, big enough to make one pair of shoes. He cut out the shoes, ready to stitch, and left them on the bench; then he said his prayers and went to bed, trusting that he could finish the shoes on the next day and sell them.

Bright and early the next morning, he rose and went to his work-bench. There lay a pair of shoes, beautifully made, and the leather was gone! There was no sign of any one's having been there. The shoemaker and his wife did not know what to make of it. But the first customer who came was so pleased with the beautiful shoes that he bought them, and paid so much that the shoemaker was able to buy leather enough for two pairs.

Happily, he cut them out, and then, as it was late, he left the pieces on the bench, ready to sew in the morning. But when morning came, two pairs of shoes lay on the bench, most beautifully made, and no sign of any one who had been there. The shoemaker and his wife were quite at a loss.

That day a customer came and bought both pairs, and paid so much for them that the shoemaker bought leather for four pairs, with the money.

Once more he cut out the shoes and left them on the bench. And in the morning all four pairs were made.

It went on like this until the shoemaker and his wife were prosperous people. But they could not be satisfied to have so much done for them and not know to whom they should be grateful. So one night, after the shoemaker had left the pieces of leather on the bench, he and his wife hid themselves behind a curtain, and left a light in the room.

Just as the clock struck twelve the door opened softly, and two tiny elves came dancing into the room, hopped on to the bench, and began to put the pieces together. They were quite naked, but they had wee little scissors and hammers and thread. Tap! tap! went the little hammers; stitch, stitch, went the thread, and the little elves were hard at work. No one ever worked so fast as they. In almost no time all the shoes were stitched and finished. Then the tiny elves took hold of each other's hands and danced round the shoes on the bench, till the shoemaker and his wife had hard work not to laugh aloud. But as the clock struck two, the little creatures whisked away out of the window, and left the room all as it was before.

The shoemaker and his wife looked at each other, and said, "How can we thank the little elves who have made us happy and prosperous?"

"I should like to make them some pretty clothes," said the wife, "they are quite naked."

"I will make the shoes if you will make the coats," said her husband.

That very day they set about it. The wife cut out two tiny, tiny coats of green, two weeny, weeny waistcoats of yellow, two little pairs of trousers, of white, two bits of caps, bright red (for every one knows the elves love bright colors), and her husband made two little pairs of shoes with long, pointed toes. They made the wee clothes as dainty as could be, with nice little stitches and pretty buttons; and by Christmas time, they were finished.

On Christmas eve, the shoemaker cleaned his bench, and on it, instead of leather, he laid the two sets of gay little fairy- clothes. Then he and his wife hid away as before, to watch.

Promptly at midnight, the little naked elves came in. They hopped upon the bench; but when they saw the little clothes there, they laughed and danced for joy. Each one caught up his little coat and things and began to put them on. Then they looked at each other and made all kinds of funny motions in their delight. At last they began to dance, and when the clock struck two, they danced quite away, out of the window.

They never came back any more, but from that day they gave the shoemaker and his wife good luck, so that they never needed any more help.

Original story by the Brothers Grimm; this version from Stories to Tell to Children by Sara Cone Bryant

This is a Fabulous craft!! Now you, too, can be a shoemaker (or an elf) when you make your own....Denim Slippers

Materials Needed:
1 pair of jeans
Batting
Thin cardboard or paper for making a pattern

1) Trace the general outline of your foot...cut out the pattern using cardboard or paper

2) Use this pattern to cut out _ 4 outlines of your foot from denim
and 2 from batting

3)Run a stitch on the outside, joining the two cloth pieces leaving an opening to insert the foam. Turn the cloth inside out and put the foam. Then, complete the stitch. You can back stitch either by hand or on the sewing machine.

3) Use the backpockets of the jeans for the top of your slipper.....cut the pocket from the jeans then sew one pocket to the top/toe area of your slipper

This site has slippers with great directions and pics (slippers pictured above are from this site)....21centurydressmakers.blogspot.com

The Mitten.....a Ukrainian Folktale

2009-09-28T03:19:00.000-07:00

There was once an old man who lost his mitten.

A mouse came running up, and she climbed into the mitten and sat there.

By and by a Frog came hopping up, and she stopped and called out:

"Hullo there! Who is living in this mitten?"

"I am. Crunch-Munch the Mouse. And who are you?"

"Hop-Stop the Frog. Let me in!"

"All right. Jump in!"

By and by a Rabbit came scurrying up, and he stopped and called out:

"Hullo there! Who is living in this mitten?"

"We are. Crunch-Munch the Mouse, Hop-Stop the Frog. And who are you?"

"Fleet-Feet the Rabbit. May I join you?"

"All right. Jump in!"

By and by a Fox came scampering up, and he stopped and called out:

"Hullo there! Who is living in this mitten?"

"We are. Crunch-Munch the Mouse, Hop-Stop the Frog, Fleet-Feet the Rabbit. And who are you?"

"Smily-Wily the Fox. Won't you make room for me?"

"All right. Jump in!"

So there the four of them sat, and by and by a Wolf came stalking up, and he stopped and called out:

"Hullo there! Who is living in this mitten?"

"We are. Crunch-Munch the Mouse, Hop-Stop the Frog, Fleet-Feet the Rabbit and Smily-Wily the Fox. And who are you?"

"Howly-Prowly the Wolf. And I meant to get in!"

"All right. Go ahead!"

By and by a Bear came lumbering up, and he growled and roared and called out:

"Hullo there! Who is living in this mitten?"

"We are. Crunch-Munch the Mouse, Hop-Stop the Frog, Fleet-Feet the Rabbit, Smily-Wily the Fox and Howly-Prowly the Wolf. And who are you?"

"Grumbly-Rumbly the Bear. And I know you'll make room for me!"

"All right. Get in!"

So the Bear Squeezed in too, and there the six of them sat in the mitten.

By and by a Wild Boar came sauntering up, and he stopped and called out with a grunt:

"Hullo there! Who is living in this mitten?"

"We are. Crunch-Munch the Mouse, Hop-Stop the Frog, Fleet-Feet the Rabbit, Smily-Wily the Fox, Howly-Prowly the Wolf and Grumbly-Rumbly the Bear. And who are you?"

"Snout-Rout the Boar. And I'm sure you want me too."

"All right. Climb in!"

So the Boar squeezed in, and there the seven of them sat in the mitten.

By and by a hunter came walking up. He saw the mitten move, and bang! - he fired his gun. The mitten burst, and away helter-skelter ran the seven friends.

Mittens, Mittens, Mittens!! OMGosh!! I love this vid!
This craft is soooo simple! Older kids or adults can do the cutting and assist with the sewing which can be done by hand or machine.

I am sooo ready to run to the nearest thrift shop and buy some sweaters!
No...I don't have any sweaters I want to cut up..nyah!

I Had An Old Coat....a recyling song and more fabulous recycling projects!

2009-09-15T03:26:00.000-07:00

Yes! It's another recycling blog!

Instead of a story for this blog, I have a song.
This song, I HAD AN OLD COAT, is based on a a Yiddish folksong I used in my May blog.

And that Yiddish song was the inspiration for the The Thrifty Tailor story from my April blog.

And it was also the inspiration for the book Joseph had A Little Overcoat by Simms Taback (you can read the book at pbskids.org). The picture at the top of the blog came from this book.

I HAD AN OLD COAT
written by Paul Kaplan

I had an old coat and the coat got torn, what'll I do
I had an old coat and the coat got torn, what'll I do
I had an old coat and the coat got torn
So I cut it down and a jacket was born
And I sing every day of my life.

In a couple of years those threads got thin, what'll I do.
In a couple of years those threads got thin, what'll I do.
In a couple of years those threads got thin
So I called it a shirt and I tucked it in
And I sing every day of my life.

Then the arms wore out in the East and West, what'll I do.
Those arms wore out in the East and West, what'll I do.
The arms wore out in the East and West
So I pulled them off and I had a vest
And I sing every day of my life.

Then the vest got stained with cherry pie, what'll I do.
That vest got stained with cherry pie, what'll I do.
The vest got stained with cherry pie
So I cut and sewed 'til I had a tie
And I sing every day of my life.

Soon that tie was looking lean, what'll I do
Soon that tie was looking lean, what'll I do
Soon that tie was looking lean
But I made a fat patch for my old blue jeans
And I sing every day of my life.

When that patch was next to nuttin', what'll I do
When that patch was next to nuttin', what'll I do
When that patch was next to nuttin'
I rolled it up into a button
And I sing every day of my life.

When that button was almost gone, what'll I do
When that button was almost gone, what'll I do
When that button was almost gone
With what was left I made this song
Which I sing every day of my life.

copyright: Paul Kaplan Music, 1985

So far I have 3, oops! make that 4, craft vids for you.
The first vid is for younger children although admittedly the adult has to do a lot of the work but it's still fun for the kids.
The other vids are for older kids that can either hand sew or use a sewing machine.

This is a really cute and simple craft but adults and caution are required.

This one is almost no sew. Great for the younger kids. They will only need a little help and supervision with the scissors.

Love the music used in this vid!
Great directions for turning a sweater into a great purse.

Recycled Sweater Pants for Toddlers Directions at That's Kinda Cool

The Elephant and the Dog ....a Jataka tale of Friendship

2009-09-01T03:35:00.000-07:00

ONCE upon a time a Dog used to go into the stable where the king's Elephant lived. At first the Dog went there to get the food that was left after the Elephant had finished eating.

Day after day the Dog went to the stable, waiting around for bits to eat. But by and by the Elephant and the Dog came to be great friends. Then the Elephant began to share his food with the Dog, and they ate together. When the Elephant slept, his friend the Dog slept beside him. When the Elephant felt like playing, he would catch the Dog in his trunk and swing him to and fro. Neither the Dog nor the Elephant was quite happy unless the other was near-by.

One day a farmer saw the Dog and said to the Elephant-keeper: "I will buy that Dog. He looks good-tempered, and I see that he is smart. How much do you want for the Dog?"

The Elephant-keeper did not care for the Dog, and he did want some money just then. So he asked a fair price, and the farmer paid it and took the Dog away to the country.

The king's Elephant missed the Dog and did not care to eat when his friend was not there to share the food. When the time came for the Elephant to bathe, he would not bathe. The next day again the Elephant would not eat, and he would not bathe. The third day, when the Elephant would neither eat nor bathe, the king was told about it.

The king sent for his chief servant, saying, "Go to the stable and find out why the Elephant is acting in this way."

The chief servant went to the stable and looked the Elephant all over. Then he said to the Elephant-keeper: "There seems to be nothing the matter with this Elephant's body, but why does he look so sad? Has he lost a play-mate?"

"Yes," said the keeper, "there was a Dog who ate and slept and played with the Elephant. The Dog went away three days ago."

"Do you know where the Dog is now?" asked the chief servant.

"No, I do not," said the keeper.

Then the chief servant went back to the king and said. "The Elephant is not sick, but he is lonely without his friend, the Dog."

"Where is the Dog?" asked the king.

"A farmer took him away, so the Elephant-keeper says," said the chief servant. "No one knows where the farmer lives."

"Very well," said the king. "I will send word all over the country, asking the man who bought this Dog to turn him loose. I will give him back as much as he paid for the Dog."

When the farmer who had bought the Dog heard this, he turned him loose. The Dog ran back as fast as ever he could go to the Elephant's stable. The Elephant was so glad to see the Dog that he picked him up with his trunk and put him on his head. Then he put him down again.

When the Elephant-keeper brought food, the Elephant watched the Dog as he ate, and then took his own food.

All the rest of their lives the Elephant and the Dog lived together.

from More Jataka Tales by Ellen C. Babbitt published in 1922

This is a favorite camp activity and very simple....Friendship Bracelets.
If you click on the picture below, you can read the directions easily.

You will need:
4 Colors of Embroidery Floss approx 25" Long
Masking Tape

A very detailed set of directions can be found at How-to-Make-Jewelry.com

I LOVE this Song!!.....The Sun is a Mass Of Incandescent Gas...

2009-08-15T03:35:00.000-07:00

This extremely educational and catchy tune was written by Lou Singer and Hy Zaret in 1959.
Hy Zaret(who cowrote Unchained Melody)became interested in educational children's music in the late 1950s.
He collaborated with Lou Singer on a six-album series called "Ballads for the Age of Science".
The albums covered the subjects of space, energy and motion, experiments, weather, and nature.
The records were quite successful, and the song "Why Does the Sun Shine?" aka "The Sun Is a Mass of Incandescent Gas"(I love that title)was even covered by They Might Be Giants in 1994 on a cd of the same name.

I first heard this song at a summer camp and not only did the kids love the song but it was a favorite among the counselors as well!
It is fun to sing and can even be put on as a sort of mini musical
(costumes and all).
The spoken parts are wonderful when said by one child or a counselor in an "announcer" type voice.

The sun is a mass of incandescent gas
A gigantic nuclear furnace
Where Hydrogen is built into Helium
At a temperature of millions of degrees

The sun is hot, the sun is not
A place where we could live
But here on Earth there'd be no life
Without the light it gives

We need its light, we need its heat
The sun light that we seek
The sun light comes from our own sun's
Atomic energy

The sun is a mass of incandescent gas
A gigantic nuclear furnace
Where Hydrogen is built into Helium
At a temperature of millions of degrees

The sun is hot...

(spoken)
The sun is so hot that everything on it is a gas
Aluminum, Copper, Iron, and many others

The sun is large...

(spoken)
If the sun were hollow, a million Earth's would fit inside
And yet, it is only a middle size star

The sun is far away...

(spoken)
About 93,000,000 miles away
And that's why it looks so small

But even when it's out of sight
The sun shines night and day

We need its heat, we need its light
The sun light that we seek
The sun light comes from our own sun's
Atomic energy

(spoken)
Scientists have found that the sun is a huge atom smashing machine
The heat and light of the sun are caused by nuclear reactions between
Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Carbon, and Helium

The sun is a mass of incandescent gas
A gigantic nuclear furnace
Where Hydrogen is built into Helium
At a temperature of millions of degrees

The tune on midi can be found at
Why does the sun shine?

Here's a fun (short) Sun song if the first one is too much for you!

Oh, Mr. Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun,
Please shine down on me.
Oh Mr. Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun,
Hiding behind a tree
These little children are asking you
To please come out so we can play with you.
Oh Mr. Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun,
Please shine down on,
please shine down on,
Please shine down on me.

Well, that was fun! Now on to the sun activities.

I've made a very short list of some of the activities you can do and included links.
I will only give a little detail on one craft and that is Sun Painting/Printing.

Make a Sundial
Make Sun Tea
Make Sun Catcher
Make a Sun Pinata

Sun Paint Picture/Info from Dharma Trading

Sun Printing/Painting

The very simplest way to sunprint is to use Dark colored construction paper, Natural objects such as leaves, twigs and pinecones; and also household objects such as scissors, keys and old cutlery.
The Process:
Place the construction paper outside somewhere in the direct sunlight.
Give the child/ren the freedom to arrange the objects in any way on the paper.
Allow the objects sit for at least two hours in the sun (time depends on strength of sunlight)
Remove the objects to discover what the sun has painted.

You can also purchase Sun Printing Kit which come with photo-sensitive paper.

Another method that can be done with older children or adults:

The easiest method of sun printing is actually sun painting, not dyeing. You saturate fabric with any transparent fabric paint, arrange objects on the damp fabric, then expose the assemblage to the sun or any hot lamp. It is actually the infrared light (radiant heat) which does the trick. It is not the ultraviolet in the light which does the work, as is sometimes claimed, but instead infrared, so a halogen lamp is more suitable than a fluorescent sun lamp. Exposed areas dry first, in the hot light; the exposed fabric, as it dries, sucks additional wet dye out from under whatever you have placed on top of the fabric. The result is lighter-colored 'shadows' wherever you placed the masking objects. The color is deeper where the light from the sun, or the hot lamp, was able to reach. This procedure has been widely popularized for use with Seta Color brand fabric paint. Other brands of thin, transparent fabric paint will work, as well; for example, PRO Chemical & Dye provides instructions for "Sun Printing using PROfab Textile Paints", and Jacquard includes instructions on their online "How To" page for Dye-Na-Flow fabric paint. Sun painting is a highly suitable project for children and beginners.

Quote from All about Hand Dyeing pburch

The Princess and the Pea.......with lots of craft ideas

2009-08-07T03:24:00.000-07:00

THERE was once a Prince who wished to marry a Princess; but then she must be a real Princess. He travelled all over the world in hopes of finding such a lady; but there was always something wrong.
Princesses he found in plenty; but whether they were real Princesses it was impossible for him to decide, for now one thing, now another, seemed to him not quite right about the ladies.
At last he returned to his palace quite cast down, because he wished so much to have a real Princess for his wife.

One evening a fearful tempest arose, it thundered and lightened, and the rain poured down from the sky in torrents: besides, it was as dark as pitch. All at once there was heard a violent knocking at the door, and the old King, the Prince's father, went out himself to open it.

It was a Princess who was standing outside the door. What with the rain and the wind, she was in a sad condition; the water trickled down from her hair, and her clothes clung to her body. She said she was a real Princess.

"Ah! we shall soon see that!" thought the old Queen-mother; however, she said not a word of what she was going to do; but went quietly into the bedroom, took all the bed-clothes off the bed, and put three little peas5 on the bedstead. She then laid twenty mattresses one upon another over the three peas, and put twenty feather beds over the mattresses.

Upon this bed the Princess was to pass the night.

The next morning she was asked how she had slept. "Oh, very badly indeed!" she replied. "I have scarcely closed my eyes the whole night through. I do not know what was in my bed, but I had something hard under me, and am all over black and blue.
It has hurt me so much!"

Now it was plain that the lady must be a real Princess, since she had been able to feel the three little peas through the twenty mattresses and twenty feather beds. None but a real Princess could have had such a delicate sense of feeling.

The Prince accordingly made her his wife; being now convinced that he had found a real Princess. The three peas were however put into the cabinet of curiosities, where they are still to be seen, provided they are not lost.

Wasn't this a lady of real delicacy?

written by Hans Christian Andersen in 1835

For something a little different go to youtube and watch Faerie Tale Theatre's version of The Princess and the Pea

Why not make your own Princess bed with "mattresses" and Pea included?

You'll need:

A doll bed
A "Princess" doll
(if you want to do the whole story why not find a Prince and a Queen?)
Pieces of colorful polar fleece (large enough to be cut to fit the bed)
A Piece of Paper or Cardboard to make a pattern
Scissors
Tape Measure or Ruler
Marker or Tailors Chalk
A dried Pea or a green bead

Directions:
1)Measure your doll bed to find out the size your "mattresses" will be.
You can fit them to the frame or have them overlap more like quilts.
2)Make a pattern using your paper/cardboard.
3)Place the pattern on your fabric and use the marker/tailors chalk to trace it.
4)Cut out as many "matttesses" as you would like. The more the merrier.
5)Place your "pea" on the edge of the bed and then cover with your "mattresses".
6)Use your dolls (or puppets or action figures whatever works for you) to act out the story of the Princess and the Pea.

This activity will work with children as young as preschool age if they are carefully monitored and you use safety scissors.

For an older child upgrade:
You might consider making "mattresses" by using fabric and quilt batting to make small puffy quilts.
Cut a front and back out of your pattern and hand sew them together, leaving an opening at the top. Cut a piece of batting with the same pattern and insert into fabric. Slip stitch mattress/quilt closed.
(this pic found at ctpubblog.com)

More Craft Ideas:

This craft can be found at the SurlaluneFairytales.blogspot.com

The directions for this fabulous cake can be found at Familyfun.go.com

Here is a wonderful rendition of the Princess and the Pea story by author/artist Lauren Child, author of the "Charlie and Lola" and the "Clarice Bean" books.(you can find the book at amazon.com)