Today’s guest was Mrs. Jacalyn S. Leavitt, Chair of the Internet Keep Safe Coalition and former First Lady of Utah, as well as the wife of the Honorable Michael O. Leavitt, the former Governor of Utah. We learned a lot about internet safety, cyber bullying, and internet addiction. Jackie also treated us to a story about Faux Paws, a young cat learning all about the internet. To learn more about these important issues and get some great tips on how to deal with them go to http://www.ikeepsafe.org. You can also find a copy of all the Faux Paws stories on their site.

Today was our mother’s day special, complete with the history of Mother’s day, famous mothers, a story about an army mom, mother’s day craft, and a lullaby.

Materials:

• Pictures created by your children
• Cardboard
• Scissors
• Hole Punch
• Metal Fasteners, Yarn, Twine (Whatever you would like to bind your book with)
• Crayons, glue, glitter, paint, markers (To decorate your book cover)

1. Gather all the pictures created by your children from the fridge or other places of honor. Get your child to help you put them in order (To tell a story) You can write the story on the back of the pictures or leave it blank so it can be a different story every time you read it.
2. Make sure all the pictures are roughly the same size, cut down ones that are too large and for ones that are too small, paste to a larger piece of paper.
3. Cut 2 pieces of cardboard to the same size as your pictures.
4. Punch a minimum of 2 holes along one side of all papers and the cardboard, taking care the holes are in the same spot on each.
5. Fasten or bind your book together with the material you chose, metal fasteners, yarn, twine, etc.
6. To make your book open easier, take the scissors and score a line from top to bottom about a half inch to an inch from your binding. Make sure not to score it too hard, just enough so it will bend easily.
7. Decorate your cover. Remember to write story and/or pictures by your child.

Today’s Guest:

Nicole and Maddy host the ever popular Parents and Kids Talk Radio on http://www.blogtalkradio.com/parentsandkids

Today we talked about Earth Day! Wow! There were so many things to learn about this very important subject. We also talked about Ecological Footprints and gave some ideas on how to lower it.

Recycling for Art

Coming up with materials for art projects doesn’t have to be expensive. Chances are you throw away things everyday that could be put to a better use and save on the landfills. For instance, pop bottle lids.
We recycle every week here and one of the rules is the pop bottle lids need to be removed. I was just throwing these things away, not even thinking of them because they were so small. When in reality there are a great deal of things you can do with these. Have you ever created your own wind chime? The pop bottle lids do make an interesting sound when they click together. How about putting them in plastic containers for musical shakers? This gives a deeper sound than rice or dried beans.
Half of the things that you put in the garbage or recycling bins are potential musical instruments or craft materials. Here is a brief list:

• Egg crates
• Newspaper or scrap paper
• Bottles of every shape and size
• Cereal boxes
• Milk cartons
• Bottle lids
• Tin cans
• The metal ends of frozen juice cans
• Magazines
• Old puzzles
• Broken jewelery
• Glass jars
• Spice bottles
• Old, scratched cd’s and dvd’s
• Old light bulbs
• Old board games
• Mismatched or holey socks
• Scrap material

And that’s just the beginning! Before you throw something away, stop a minute to think, could I use this at a later time? Use your imagination, or better yet, use the imagination of your child. You would be surprised at how much fun a child can have thinking up new ways to use old stuff.
While you’re at it, think about the stuff you can’t reuse. How about starting a compost heap with your child? You can teach them a lot about nature and maybe start a small garden with them in the process. This also teaches them responsibility, fine motor skills, respect for nature, and gives them the satisfaction of doing something on their own. It’s also a great way to strengthen the bond between you and your child. By the time you are finished recycling for art and composting your garbage output will diminish dramatically!

Excerpt from The Mother’s Survival Kit, written and illustrated by Pam Sargant

http://ww2.earthday.net/ - Earth Day Site

www.royalsaskmuseum.ca/gallery/life_sciences/footprint_mx_2005.swf - Calculate your Ecological Footprint

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecological_footprint - Explanation of your ecological footprint

http://www.rcbc.bc.ca/resources/TenThings.htm - Ten Things That You Can do to Decrease Your Environmental Footprint

http://www.pktalkradio.blogspot.com/ - Parents and Kids Talk Radio Blog

http://soapboxmom.com/ - Soap Box Mom

Today’s Guest:

Katherine Reschke born in England, UK and originally trained as an elementary school teacher. She left the teaching profession to become a full time mom and has 3 children. She came to the States in 1999 and worked as a substitute teacher before training as a coach. Her ethos as a parenting coach is that her clients are the experts in their family and know the best answers once they are asked the right questions. She helps all her clients catch their children being good.

Her website is www.betterparentingcoach.com and her email is coach@betterparentingcoach.com

Today we talked about video games, the pros and cons and advice on how to moderate.

Craft: Board Game

Unfinished Day at the Zoo Game

Materials:

• Large empty cereal box
• Scissors
• Paint, crayons, markers
• Stickers
• Brass brads (Metal Fasteners)
• Ruler
• String (to form a circle) 3 inches
• Push pin

1. Cut out one side of the cereal box to make one big rectangle.
2. Cut a small arrow from the remaining cardboard box, about 2 inches long and a quarter inch wide.
3. Use the push pin to put a hole at the flat end of the arrow.
4. Replace the push pin with a brad.
5. Use the Ruler to find the center of the big rectangle.
6. Use the push pin to create a small hole at the center of the rectangle
7. Tie the string to the pin on one end and to a pencil on the other end, try to keep the distance between the pin and the pencil about 2 inches apart.
8. Trace a circle around the pin, 2 inches radius
9. Remove the pin.
10. Use the ruler to create 8 even “slices” in the circle.
11. Push the brad with the arrow already on it through the center hole of the circle. Leave a space above the board and fasten the brad under the board.
12. Move the arrow to the top of the brad so it spins freely.
13. Use the ruler to create squares around the edge of the rectangle, as evenly as possible.
14. Use your new spinner to choose spots around the board for good and bad events. Ie. Spinner lands on 5, from your start point count 5. On that spot it could be “go back one space” or “go forward 3 spaces”. However you want to set it. Continue on to the next spot. (Try not to have too many special squares.)
15. Use the stickers, paint, crayons, markers, to mark off your special spots and your start space.
16. Continue to decorate the rest of your game. Come up with a theme. Our theme was a day at the zoo.
17. To create game pieces, either draw your own small picture on the remaining cardboard, or cut out a magazine picture or even use a sticker and paste it to the cardboard.
18. Cut out your game pieces.
19. Cut out strips that are ½ inch wide by 1 inch long. Fold each in half.
20. Use the scissors to cut a slit from the center of the fold down half way. This will be our stand.
21. Fit your game piece into the slit in the stand and pull the ends out to create a triangle.

Discuss the game with your child while you are making it. What kind of theme do you want? What are the rules? I would suggest writing down the rules on the last of the cardboard and taping or gluing it to the back of the game so it’s never lost.

You are ready to play your game! Have fun!

http://javascript.internet.com/ A Place to Get great Javascript Games Etc.

http://a.abcnews.com/Technology/GadgetGuide/story?id=4109365&page=1 Article about teachers modifying popular video games

http://www.esrb.org/ratings/ratings_guide.jsp Software rating board, and an explanation of the ratings

http://www.parentstv.org/ptc/videogames/main.asp Parent’s Television Council Video Game Campaign

WOW! What a great show today! We talked to Stacy Dawn, author of the new children’s series Harriet the Half-pint Holstein. Stacy was very kind to read an excerpts from the first book in the series, Harriet and the Musical Trio. We even got a sneak preview of her newest book, The Troll in the Chicken Coop, due to release April 1st. Check out Stacy’s books at http://www.harrietholstein.com/

Craft: Homemade Musical Instruments

Materials:
• Plastic containers (Small margarine or cream cheese containers)
• Paper towel or toilet paper rolls
• Dried beans
• Rice
• Pasta
• Beads
• Wooden Dowels (1/2 inch works best, and 6 inches long)
• Tape
• String
• Ribbons
• Paints
• Stickers
• Paper plates

Shaker:
Simply put beans, pasta, beads or rice into a plastic container and tape the lid on. Your child can decorate it with beads, paint or stickers. You can also use paper towel or toilet paper rolls, taping each end to make sure none of the contents escape.

Rhythm Sticks:
All you need are two wooden dowels. Your child can decorate them with paint.

Tambourine:
This is another easy craft. Fill one of the paper plates with dried pasta, beads or beans. Place another paper plate upside down on top of the first. Tape them together or you can make holes around the rim and tie them together. Have your child decorate the plates with paint and/or stickers. You can also use ribbons to decorate.

Excerpt from The Mother’s Survival Kit, written and illustrated by Pam Sargant

http://www.firedrakesweyr.com - Firedrakes Weyr Publishing LLC

http://www.harrietholstein.com - Official Site of the Harriet the Half-pint Holstein Series

http://www.stacydawn.com - Stacy’s Author Site

Today’s guest was Tamara Wilson, one of the hosts of Special Needs Kids Talk Radio and owner of the site mommyland.comWe talked about special needs kids and cooking with kids. Tamara also shared a family recipe with us.

We had a few technical difficulties for this show but we managed to get it going again.

Story: The Puddle People and the Missing Stream

by Pam Sargant and Mary Beth Marino

It all began when Mary and Louise were out playing after a huge rain one day. The sun came out and the girls decided to walk to the park. Now, Louise the younger of the sisters loved to jump and splash in puddles, but Mary didn’t like to get wet. So she made up a story about the puddle people, and that is where the adventure began.

When Mary started telling the story, a magical thing happened. There in front of the girls was a real puddle person named Drippin. Drippin loved stories and came to visit the girls often.

Drippin told the girls that they could go anywhere their imagination took them. One day the girls decided they would like to visit the enchanted forest beside their house. In an instant they were dancing down a path inside the forest. They hadn’t gone far before Mary started to notice something strange.

“What’s wrong with all the animals?” She asked. The animals all looked tired and droopy. Drippin climbed up to Mary’s shoulder to see. “Why don’t we ask them?” he replied. “The animals can talk?” Mary asked. She was surprised. Drippin smiled, “This is the enchanted forest.” He replied. “Anything can happen.” Mary shrugged and went over to a drooping deer. “Excuse me,” She asked politely, “Why do you look so tired?” The deer raised her head and answered, “So thirsty!” She whispered and looked towards the stream before putting her head back down. Mary looked at the stream and was surprised to see only a small trickle of water. Louise looked too. “What happened to all the water?” Louise wondered.

“My brother Edkin lives near the spring that feeds this stream.” Drippin answered, “Maybe he will know.”

“Let’s go!” Mary said and started down the path that ran along the stream. As they walked they talked about what could have stopped the water. “Maybe it was a mean wizard!” Louise wondered. Drippin told the girls that he didn’t know of any wizards that lived in the forest. They walked and talked for a long time until they finally came to a wall of sticks and mud. “Who could have put that there?” Mary asked. Just then Edkin popped up out of a bush. “The beavers have moved in.” He answered. “Beavers?” Asked Louise. “What are beavers? Are they evil wizards?” Edkin laughed, “Beavers are animals that live in the water.” He answered “They are not evil, they are here to help”

Mary was confused, “How can they help when they stop the water?” She wanted to know.

Edkin climbed up to Louise’s shoulder and pointed to other side of the wall. “Why don’t we ask?” he answered.

On the other side of the wall, that Edkin called a dam, the girls found lots of water and in the middle of it was a mound of sticks. “Mrs Beaver!” Edkin called. The girls saw a ripple in the water heading straight for them. When the ripple reached the edge of the pond a strange looking creature with big teeth crawled out. “Mrs. Beaver, I would like you to meet Mary and Louise.” Edkin started. Mrs. Beaver smiled and nodded. “What can I do for you girls?” She asked.

Mary was a little angry. “Why did you build that dam?” She wanted to know

Mrs. Beaver pointed a clawed paw towards the flooded area behind the dam. “My job is to control the water, so when it doesn’t rain for a while we will all still have enough. First I build a dam to create a pond for my home and a marsh for other animals to live in.”

“But what about the rest of the forest?” Louise asked.

Mrs. Beaver smiled. “When the pond rises enough, water will spill over the dam like a waterfall and fill the stream again.”

“But the animals are very thirsty NOW!” Mary sighed. “How can we help them while we wait?”

“Maybe we could get buckets?” Louise offered.

“No, it’s too far and heavy” Mary answered “But what about a trap door in the dam?”

Edkin winked at Drippin. The two puddle people climbed down off the girl’s shoulders and went over to Mrs. Beaver. Drippin whispered in her right ear, and Edkin whispered in her left ear.

Suddenly the beaver looked up at Mary and Louise and smiled with her great big teeth chopping up and down and then she darted off…out of sight.

“Where is she going? Louise whispered to Mary.

I don’t know shhhhh she whispered back. Let’s just watch and see what happens.

As fast as she left Ms. Beaver came back with her 10 children. Mr. Beaver came too.
“O.k. children, let me see your teeth” instructed Ms. Beaver. The beaver children all lined up and each one of them had two protruding teeth that hung over their lower lip.

Louise giggled. “They have funny teeth,” she said, and Mary hushed her right away.

“Louise, that is not nice,” scolded Mary.

“Actually, their teeth is what makes the beaver so special,” explained Drippin.
“Watch what they are going to do with those teeth”, he grinned.

The two puddle people and the beavers all went to the dam. Drippin, Mrs. Beaver, and 5 of her children on one side, and Edkin, Mr. Beaver, and the other 5 children on the other.

“This is all very strange, Mary thought…”

All the sudden, Drippin and Edkin started singing,
When the water seeps through the dam,
We’ll have lots of water, thank you ma’am

While they were singing this silly tune, all the beavers started to use their teeth to chomp on the wall…they chomped and chomped and chomped. Little by little, they each gnawed away at the wall, and before you know it, water started coming through the dam and flowing down the stream!

“When the water seeps through the dam,
We’ll have lots of water, thank you ma’am.” The puddle people sang

All the animals from the forest smelled the water from way far away and came running to the water to drink…there were rabbits and deer, birds, and squirrels,
There were even two bunnies hopping to the water with 12 babies behind them!

Mary and Louise started dancing and singing along to the funny little tune.

“Maaaaaaaaaaaryyyyy!” “Louiseeeeeee!” They heard their mommy calling.

“Oh, it’s mommy!” they cried together
In seconds they were back at the edge of the forest.
The girls say goodbye to their friends and run home full of stories about beavers.

Easter Bunny Salad

Slice of Lettuce on plate
Peel and slice a fresh pear (Canned pears work great too )
Place the pear open side down
Place two cloves for eyes (I also use rasions and a broken tooth pick)
Two Almond Halves for the ears
1teaspoon of cottage cheese for a tail. (you can have more if you like)

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Special-Needs-Kids Special Needs Kids Talk Radio

http://www.mommyland.com Mommyland

Guest: Linda Sue Brooks - Author of Meet Toado and Friends
“This delightful series of Toado and Friends teaches life lessons in each adventure-filled story. Young children will read about different circumstances and learn how to deal with them.”We had a lot of fun with this guest! We also had a special treat. Linda read her book to us!

Craft: Egg Carton Wreath

Materials:

• Cardboard
• Scissors
• Markers
• Paint and brushes
• Egg carton
• Glue
• Ribbon

1. Draw a circle on the cardboard
2. Draw another circle just inside the first one
3. Cut out the outside circle
4. Cut out inside circle
5. Paint cardboard circle
6. Take one of the egg cartons and cut apart each egg cup
7. Paint each egg cup
8. Allow paint to dry
9. Glue egg cups around cardboard circle
10. Arrange ribbon around cardboard circle and glue in place

Excerpt from Spring Survival Kit, written and illustrated by Pam Sargant

http://www.maginthat.net/author.html

http://www.divorceketeers.com

This was our Spring Break Show. Mary Beth and I researched and gave out a lot of information about things to do with your kids during the march break. We also got a lot more ideas from suggestions in the live chat room.Correction: Read Across America is run by NEA, National Education Association

What if it NEVER Stopped Snowing?

By Pam Sargant and Mary Beth Marino

At first, Mary and Louise were happy to see the snow. Snow meant angels, forts, snowball fights, and snowmen. But it had been snowing for three days now. They weren’t even allowed to go outside and play because it was snowing so hard you couldn’t see across the yard. And now the power had gone out. Right in the middle of their favourite TV show. They were bored, and just a little scared.

Daddy was busy making a fire in the fireplace and mommy was getting the flashlights and candles. The two girls sat down in front of the big picture window in the living room and stared out into the snowy night. “What if it never stopped snowing,” Louise whispered.

“Don’t be silly Louise, it HAS to stop sometime.” Mary answered. She thought for a moment, and then giggled. “What if it snowed so much it buried the house? It would be like a huge igloo! We would have to go out the window!” The girls started giggling and Louise felt a little better. Mommy came over and handed them each a flashlight. “What silly girls you are!” She smiled as she went to get the sleeping bags.

Mary was starting to have fun and Louise was starting to relax a bit more. “How would we get out?” Louise asked. Mary smiled and thought some more. “We could go out the attic window.” She answered. “But we would sink right down!” Louise countered.

Mommy came back with the sleeping bags and ushered the girls to the carpet in front of the fireplace. Daddy was starting to pop some popcorn. “What if…” Mommy started “We used tennis rackets like snowshoes? Then we wouldn’t sink into the snow.”

Mary giggled. “Daddy’s too big! He would break his tennis rackets.”

Daddy smiled as he continued roasting popcorn. “How about using trash can lids?” Louise laughed out loud as she imagined her daddy clanging across the snow like a robot.

Mary was imagining her daddy sliding down the snow bank. “They would make better sleds” she giggled.

Daddy had finished the popcorn and brought it over for them to munch on. It was mommy’s turn at the fireplace to make some hot chocolate. As daddy settled down near the girls he smiled. “What would we see in the snow after I slid down the snow bank?”

Mommy laughed like a cartoon villain, “Muahahahahaha, what if there was a polar bear buried in the snow at the bottom of the slope?”

Daddy gave her a look that melted into a lopsided smile. Louise just stared at Daddy. “A polar bear?” She whispered. Mary giggled. “If it was buried daddy would fly right off it like a ski jump.”

Louise looked at Mary. “What if the polar bear woke up and started to chase daddy?” Mary hugged her daddy. “He would be too fast on his trash can sled and leave the bear wayyyyyyyyyyy behind.”

Mommy brought the hot chocolate over and handed the cups out to everyone. “If daddy was going that fast, how would he stop?”

Louise, remembering getting lost last year blurted out, “What if we get lost in all that snow?”

“Rex will find us”, Mary said confidently. Rex, their large black lab who was napping by the fireplace, raised his head at the mention of his name

Louise yawned and put down her cup. “Wouldn’t he sink in the snow too?” Rex got up, walked over and laid down beside the little girl, wagging his tail.

Mommy gathered the cups, “What could Rex put on his feet so he wouldn’t sink?”

Mary settled into her sleeping bag. ”Frisbees of course,” She said. “Rex loves Frisbees”

Daddy handed his cup to mommy. “How would we make them stay on his feet?”

“Glue?” Louise offered. She thought Rex made a great pillow.

Daddy laughed, “Then we would never get them off. How about if I tied them on?”

The girls thought this might be a good idea and agreed. Mommy came and settled into her sleeping bag. “It must be getting cold and dark outside, after Rex finds us, how will we get home?”

It was Mary’s turn. “We could make a dogsled out of trees and Rex can take us home.”

Daddy smiled. “What if the trees were all covered too?”

Mary stuck her tongue out at daddy and laughed. “Then we’ll use your trash can lids.” She imagined mommy and Louise on one lid and her and daddy on the other.

Mommy thought that it would be hard for Rex to pull them all by himself, but Mary had the answer. “Rex will just call his friends to help.”

“Don’t forget about the polar bear.” Louise said. “How will we get past him again?” Mary had to think about that one. “We’ll make sure we go around him this time.” She decided.

Mommy laughed, “What if we don’t know where he is? Polar bears are awful hard to see in the snow you know.” Daddy thought that the noise of the barking dogs would wake the bear up anyway.

Louise snuggled against Rex. “Rex the wonder dog would scare that nasty old bear away!”

Daddy laughed. “If I saw a big black dog bouncing up and down in the snow with frizbees on his feet I would run too!”

Just then the roaring of the wind stopped outside. “shhh,” Mommy said, “I think the storm’s over.”

They listened to the silence. Mary got up and went to the window. “It stopped snowing!” She cried. “I told you it would stop!” She said to Louise and stuck her tongue out at her.

The lights came back on just as she was going back to her sleeping bag. “Awww,”
she pouted, ”Just when we were having so much fun!”

Mommy started to clean up while daddy took the girls to their beds. “Can we play what if again tomorrow?” Mary wanted to know. Daddy smiled and nodded. He kissed each girl on the forehead and tucked them into bed. When he had left the room the girls looked at each other and giggled. They had the same idea. For the next hour they whispered back and forth…”what if?”

Take a piece of paper and fold it in half. Then fold in half the other way. Next fold in half diagnally twice.

Keeping a hold of the center fold, cut or tear shapes into your triangle. One idea was to use hole punches with different shapes.

Craft #2 Easter Egg Flowers

Materials:

• 8 Egg shaped Styrofoam balls
• 8 Pipe Cleaners
• Paint
• Construction paper
• Pie tins
• Scissors
• Markers

1. Pour paint into the tin plates, leaving one plate for mixing
2. Stick one pipe cleaner into each egg shaped ball
3. Dip “eggs” into paint then roll in empty plate to create swirly designs
4. Allow to dry
5. While paint is drying, use markers to draw flower shapes on the construction paper
6. Cut out shapes
7. Find the center of each flower shape and cut a small hole
8. Push the flower shape onto the pipe cleaner so that it rests just under the egg shapes
9. Add extra flower layers or leaves if desired

Excerpt from Spring Survival Kit, written and illustrated by Pam Sargant

Links mentioned on the show:

http://akidsheart.com/holidays/spring/spring.htm Printable activities
http://www.dltk-holidays.com/spring/printables.htm Printable activities
http://familyfun.go.com/games/indoor-outdoor-games/specialfeature/spring_activities_ms/ Games
http://childparenting.about.com/cs/holidays/a/springcrafts.htm Crafts
www.seussville.com games and printable activities
http://www.nickjr.com/ Safe online activities

http://www.nea.org/readacross/index.html Read Across America

We had a wonderful conversation with Rita Trevalyan Author of Takuhi’s DreamYou can find Rita’s books at http://www.firedrakesweyr.com

Story: The Little Goose Girl (Revised by Mary Beth Marino)

Once upon a time, in a land called Andover, there lived a royal family. They lived in a beautiful castle that stood high on a mountain-top looking over the kingdom and the village below.

Now the King and Queen, Charles and Isabella, had a grown daughter named Gwendolyn who made a beautiful young princess. King Charles was very proud of his daughter and wanted only the best for her; so he and Queen Isabella, promised her in marriage to a young prince from another Royal family, who lived in a kingdom far, far away, called Silas.

“We must start to prepare the gifts for Gwendolyn to present to her new family, Queen Isabella told Charles. We must select find treasures befitting the occasion. I will pack jewels, goblets, and beautiful linens handsomely embroidered, to go with her! And we shall also send Elise, her maiden servant to help her with her needs; and of course, she must take her beloved horse, Falada, for since he is a speaking horse, he will guide her during the journey”.

The King and Queen agreed that all the plans were in order and there was but one thing left to do before sending their Gwendolyn off to marry her husband prince in Silas.

“My dear Gwendolyn”, the King said. As you know there are only two things in the Kingdom that possess magical powers and was given to you at birth. One is your beloved horse, Falada, who can speak, and the other is a magic potion we saved all these years to be used only in case of your danger.

The King handed Gwendolyn a small bottle containing the magic potion. If you find yourself in grave danger from someone, take a sip of this potion and it will give you the power you need to fight anything. The princess took the bottle from her Father and put it safely in her dress pocket, tapping it to make sure it was in there safe and sound.

So, the next morning, the princess and her maiden servant, Elise, set out for their long journey to Silas. They rode for a very long time when finally, the princess, tired and thirsty, asked Elise to stop and rest.

“Would you please get down from your horse and fetch me a cup of water, Elise? My throat is very dry” she said.

Elise hesitated only for a moment; then a big scowl came on her face when she answered, “Get off your fancy horse and get it yourself! I am tired of being your slave!”

Shocked by the maiden’s fierce command, Gwendolyn had no choice but to do as she said; so she got off Falada and went for the water herself. She could not even use her gold cup stored in the maiden’s saddlebag! She paid no attention, and just walked down to the brook where she and Falada drank their water. Then the horse said to Gwendolyn,

“if your mother knew this, it would break her heart;
She was worried about you right from the start.”

Gwendolyn turned to the horse and said,

“We won’t tell my mother, you NOR I,
Let’s just continue our journey, bye and bye”.

They continued their journey, noticing as they went the sun shining down on the meadow of flowers, and the birds flying, and the bees humming, all in happy turns.

Later on, as the sun was going down, once again, Gwendolyn was thirsty and tired, and needed to rest for awhile. She had forgotten all about the meanness Elise had shown her earlier that day, she asked the maiden servant, “Elise, would you please fetch some water from my golden cup, I am very thirsty.”

“If you are thirsty than get your OWN drink of water, Elise shouted in a nasty voice…”I am NOT your servant!”

Tears were streaming down Gwendolyn’s face as the princess and Falada strolled down to the brook. She bent down to drink; but she did not notice that her little bottle of potion fell from her pocket, and was quickly floating down the brook. Falada once again said,

“If your mother knew this, it would break her heart,
She was worried about you right from the start.”

Too weak from crying, Gwendolyn slowly started to mount her horse. Suddenly, she heard Elise shout once more, “Falada belongs to me now, and you get this old, weary donkey!” And, before we travel again, take off that dress and give it to me! YOU shall wear my old plain clothes…you can see how it feels to be a maiden servant!”

Now Elise looked o.k. in Gwendolyn’s gown, but her face was still very ugly. A person who is mean on the outside, usually had an ugly face on the outside. Whereas, Gwendolyn, in the plain old clothes, still had all the beauty and delicacy of being a princess, for she was beautiful both inside and out.

“And if you have any ideas of telling anyone about this, I shall find you in your sleep and see that you are punished, and you will never see your parent’s again.” shouted Elise.
“I am the princess bride now!”

So, as their journey came to an end, they approached the castle and saw the young handsome Prince running toward them. He was ready to welcome his new princess bride. He went to Elise, who was pretending to be the princess, and was lifted off of Faldala, and swept into the Prince’s arms, to be carried off into the castle.

Gwendolyn, the REAL princess stayed outside wondering what she would do now? The prince’s Father, King George, stared at Gwendolyn from the castle window above, and noticed how delegate, beautiful and gentle she was, and sad.

He approached the pretend princess, Elise, and asked her what the maiden servant should be doing. ‘Put her to work dear King, so that she does not grow lazy! Now the King didn’t have actual work, but he decided that Gwendolyn could help Conrad, the Geese Boy, with the flock of Geese roaming the countryside. And so now, the princess would be called the “Geese Girl”.

In the meantime, Elise, the phony princess, was afraid that Falada, that stupid speaking horse, might tell the Prince that she was not the real princess, so asked her future husband the prince, to do her a favor.

“Falada, that stupid horse who can talk, gave me nothing but trouble on my journey here, would you please get rid of the horse so I don’t have to see him again?” asked the fake princess, Elise.

“Anything that will make you happy my dear.” said the prince.

The prince had a horsemen take Falada to the village stable where his bride-to-be would not have to lay eyes on him ever again.

The next day, the Goose girl and the Goose boy were driving their geese through the village, when Gwendolyn spotted Falada in the stable. She ran up to her horse, threw her arms around him and said,

“Oh Falada, it is such a big mess we are in,
I don’t know if we’ll EVER be happy again”

The magical talking horse replied:

“If your Mother knew of this pain you suffer,
Her heart would deeply break like no other.”

Gwendolyn said nothing more, as she and Conrad continued on their way, driving their geese into the meadow.

Gwendolyn sat to rest for a minute, and shook her hair from her braids, allowing the wind to blow through her hair. Conrad, upon noticing this, stared at the beautiful Geese Girl and thought how beautiful she was with her golden hair and fine delicate skin.

Gwendolyn noticed Conrad staring at her; but suddenly, a gust of wind swirled around Conrad’s head, stealing his cap and flying it in the air across the meadow!

Conrad shouted to the gusty wind,

“I’ll run and fetch my cap from thee,
“It’s the maiden beauty I need to see”

Her beauty binds me at the heart
I must return and not stray apart;”

But when Conrad caught his hat and returned, Gwendolyn already had her hair up in braids again. Conrad was so disappointed, he did not speak to the Goose girl the rest of the day, and when they returned to the castle, he went straight to the King with his tale.

“Why has this maiden, upset you so?” asked the King.

“There is something very strange about this maiden, AND her talking horse, Conrad said. Every day she speaks to this horse he talks back to her! Then, when she took her hair from her braids, I watched it blow in the wind, highlighted with golden sunlit streaks, and her face looked as gentle as porcelain. She is much to soft, delicate and fragile to be a mere maiden servant, or even a Goose Girl, your King!”

The King, upon hearing this tale, and seeing Conrad so taken with the Goose girl, remembered that he TOO thought the same thing that first night he saw her. She was indeed of soft features and somewhat fragile.

So the next day, the King followed the Goose Girl and Goose Boy into the village. When he saw Gwendolyn stop and speak to her beloved horse, Falada, he also realized it was the same horse Elise had asked the prince to send far away. He watched quietly as Gwendolyn said to Falada,

“Oh Falada, it is such a big mess we are in,
Will we NEVER, EVER, be happy again?”

“I am the princess, and the maiden is Elise,
She took you, my jewelry and even my valise!”.

“If we tell, she promised to hurt us in our sleep,
She is marrying my prince and I shall forever weep!”

Gwendolyn said goodbye to the horse, and went on to drive the sheep to the meadow with Conrad. She did not see that the King was trailing behind them and hiding.

Once in the meadow, Gwendolyn shook her braids once again, so her hair could catch the wind. Immediately, the King saw exactly what Conrad had seen the day before. Her hair shown with streaks of sunlight, and her face looked like a princess, not a maiden servant or Geese Girl at all!

When Conrad and Gwendolyn arrived back at the castle that evening, the King sent for them.

“Do not be afraid little goose girl, but I have found out who you really are!” said the King. I heard you talking to your magic horse today, and I promise, I will not allow this lie to go on any longer.”

A maiden servant entered the room, and took Gwendolyn to her new bedroom in the castle, and dressed her in a fine gown befitting a princess. She put beautiful jewels around her neck and soft slippers on her feet. And the maiden servant took her back to the King, where the fake princess Elise, and the handsome prince we sitting.

Now the King had told his son of Elise’s lie, he and the Prince were now going to test Elise. Upon seeing the REAL princess bride, Gwendolyn, the prince was filled with joy and his heart beat fast, seeing how beautiful and delicate she was.

Elise did not notice that it was really Gwendolyn who sat on the other side of the prince; she was far too beautiful to be the goose girl. So the party began with the entire guest eating and drinking and having a wonderful time.

After the feast, the King said he had a story to tell. The guests gathered round the circle as the King began telling the story. He told them how a REAL princess had become a maiden, and a Geese Girl. He explained that REAL Princess had a maiden servant who tricked her, threatened her, stole her horse, jewels and finery, and MOST of all, had stolen her beloved prince whom she was suppose to marry!!

The crowd spoke in whispers upon hearing this tale, and watched as Elise gasped in shock! She immediately looked at Gwendolyn, knowing the real princess was back, and surely she would be banished from the castle forever. The Prince took Gwendolyn’s hand, the REAL bride-to-be, and slowly turned to Elise, the maiden servant.

“You have caused my beautiful princess pain,
Lied, and cheated for your own gain,

To the stables to clean and lay new hay,
You will live with the horses… forever and a day!!”

And so it was, Elise was living in the stable with the horses, and Princess Gwendolyn and her new faithful maiden servant, started preparing for the Royal Wedding.

The Princess Brides parents, King Charles and Queen Isabella, arrived for the wedding and were so pleased that their beloved daughter was so happy. She was marrying the handsome prince as was the promise made so long ago…in a land where there are talking horses, magic potions and a prince and princess who would someday be the King and Queen of Silas. There was one thing though. …that did surprise them, though they made no mention.

They wondered why on earth the former maiden servant Elise, who was their daughter’s maid, was assigned to live among the horses and clean up after their smelly mess. But it was not polite to ask, and besides, they liked this new maiden servant who took good care of their daughter.

So, the Prince and Princess were married, all was well with the Royal family, and they lived happily ever after, all except for Elise, who was dirty allll the time, and had this funny smell about her!

Today’s Guest: We are pleased to welcome Lisa Callsen to the show. She will be talking to us about Signing for Parents and Baby.

Story:

Thomas the Little Tailor
The Brother Grimm’s, Revision of Household Tales
By Mary Beth Marino and Pam Sargant

Used for Blog-Talk Radio Story-Hour, February, 2008

Once upon a time in a land far away there lived a little tailor named Thomas. One morning Thomas was sitting by the window, working cheerfully away, when he heard an old woman down in the street calling, “Good jelly to sell! Good jelly to sell!

Thomas smiled and called out “Here! I’ll buy some of that good jelly!” He selected two of his favorite flavors and eagerly took them into the kitchen to taste them. He took two thick slices of bread and spread out the jelly, brought them back into his work area and sat down to have a treat while he worked.

Before long several flies caught the scent of the wonderful jelly and came to have a treat themselves. Thomas did not like the idea of sharing his special treat with flies and started waving this way and that, trying to get rid of them. Finally he brought his two hands together with a loud SNAP! When he opened his hands again he found that he had caught 7 of them. Seven flies with one blow! As he went to wash his hands that phrase kept repeating in his mind and the little tailor was very pleased with himself. He didn’t think there was anyone in the world so skilled as to catch 7 flies with one blow.

Thomas went back to his window to continue his work and finish his treat. While he worked he started to sing a little song to himself.

Seven came and thought they’d stay
Ruining everything as they play

I told them all to go away
And seven with one blow I did slay

Thomas was working on a very nice belt for the Mayor, but he was getting so carried away, he decided to make it for himself instead, and stitched “Seven with one blow” right across the middle. He could always make another belt for the Mayor. He tried it on for size.

Then Thomas decided it might be time for him to go out on his own to seek his fortune. He gathered some things into a pack and before he could change his mind set off with a skip and a whistle.

Thomas was well into his journey, many miles from home, when he came upon a huge giant sitting against a tree. Now you would think that Thomas would be afraid, but not anymore…after all, his belt said, “seven in one blow”!

The overly brave Thomas, boldly called out to the giant, “Hello, Giant! I’m on my way to seek my fortune, do you know where I can find it?”

The giant glanced at Thomas and then decided to ignore him. Many a man would feel lucky to be ignored by a giant.
But Thomas was not afraid; he threw open his coat and showed the giant his belt with the inscription,“seven at one blow!”

Now the big giant looked twice at Thomas! This small human must be something special. But the giant decided to test Thomas himself and see just how great he really was.

The giant put Thomas through some tests. One was to get water from stone. Thomas knew he was not strong enough to do what the giant had done, but he put his brain to work on the problem. He had some cheese in his pack that looked like stone. He took it out and squeezed as hard as he could. There was a puddle of water at his feet! The giant was impressed.

Which each new test Thomas searched his brain and found some way to do the things the huge man asked of him. In the end, the two men sat down together for a rest and a good meal. The giant told Thomas of a nearby kingdom where he could try his fortune, “But be careful.” The huge man said, “I have two brothers who live near there and they are not as nice as I am.” After their meal, Thomas cheerfully went off in that direction, promising to be careful.

When Thomas reached the kingdom, he made his way through the castle town to the castle itself. On the way he heard many tales about the two giants who made messes all over the kingdom. He also heard that who ever got rid of the giants could marry the King’s beautiful daughter. By the time Thomas reached the castle he had an idea of how to do this.

“Oh good King”, Thomas said. I hear you are having terrible problems with two mean giants who are making a terrible mess all over your kingdom. With your permission, I have a plan on how to take care of those giants and get rid of them once and for all.”

“How can such a little man take care of such big giants?’ the king asked.

“Trust me King”, Thomas said, throwing open his coat so the King could see his awesome belt”

The King, seeing the inscription on Thomas’ belt, “seven with one blow”, he realized that Thomas was just not “some little man”, but maybe a very powerful little man!

“O.k. Thomas, go and take care of those awful giants who are making a mess of my kingdom. I will give you the promised rewards if you can get rid of those giants once and for all”.

So, off Thomas went into the woods in search of the two mean giants.

He found the giants sleeping soundly under a huge oak tree. They were snoring so loudly, they did not hear Thomas creep up. Thomas picked up a large stone and a large metal cone and put them into a bag. Then Thomas quietly climbed up to top branch of the highest tree he could find and hid himself under the leaves, so the giants couldn’t see him.

Thomas counted, 1…2…3! And then dropped the brick on one of the giants. Thomas watched from the treetop, and heard the giant roar! Then he saw the giant stand up and start yelling at the other giant!

“You should NOT have thrown a brick at me”, he roared waking up the other giant who did not have a clue what was going on! Thomas then took out the large cone and yelled into it in his deepest voice. The cone made his voice boom over the countryside. “I threw the stone!” The two giants looked around. They could tell that whoever spoke was much taller than them but they couldn’t see a thing. “It must be a humungous invisible giant!” The older of the two whispered.

Thomas watched as the giants started to make poking motions around the area trying to find the other giant, then brought the cone to his mouth once more. “This is MY kingdom now! Leave before I step on you!”

The two giants looked at each other then up in the air around them. They were starting to get scared. Thomas brought the cone to his lips one more time and made the loudest scariest roar he could manage.

That did it, the giants did not wait to see what would happen and took off through the woods. They did not stop until they reached the other side of the world.

Thomas climbed down from the tree and was so proud of himself that he decided to add another inscription to his belt, “One blow and two giants, gone!”

So Thomas the Tailor, went back to the castle, and reported to the King that both giants would NOT be messing up his kingdom any more. The King was very impressed with Thomas and fulfilled his promise. Thomas and the king’s daughter were married, which made Thomas a prince. One day, he would own the keys to the kingdom and live happily ever after, knowing he had never in his life hurt a human being, but he did swat 7 flies all at one time.

Craft:

3-D Owl

Materials:

• Poster board
• Paper plate
• Construction paper
• Markers
• Scissors
• Glue

1. Fold construction paper in half lengthwise
2. Place hand so that bottom of palm lines up with the fold on the construction paper
3. Trace hand
4. Cut out tracing of hand so that folds remains intact
5. Cut eyeholes out of the palms of the hands
6. Fold hand cut out as shown in diagram
7. Paste folded hand across the top of the poster board
8. Cut paper plate in half
9. Paste to poster board underneath the hands
10. Take the pieces that you cut out of the hands and trace your knuckles
11. Cut out knuckle tracings
12. Paste knuckles at the bottom of the poster board
13. Use markers, crayons, stickers, or glitter to decorate your owl

Excerpt from Spring Survival Kit, written and illustrated by Pam Sargant

www.limelight-training.com/sounding - Lisa’s Blog