Photo courtesy: Allyn Stotz

The Pea in Peanut Butter
Paperback: 36 pages (large print)
ISBN-13: 978-0984589050

The Pea in Peanut Butter Coloring Book Edition

Paperback: 54 pages (large print)
ISBN-13: 978-0615558981

Written by Allyn Stotz
Illustrated by Valerie Bouthyette
Target Age: 3 to 6 year old kids

The Pea in Peanut Butter,  the debut children’s picture book for author Allyn Stotz, features the adorable little Kailee. Kailee loves “the super duper, gummy yummy, sticky lickin’, and belly rubbin’ taste of peanut butter.” Of course, it’s no wonder she loves it. Peanut butter is tasty stuff! Unfortunately, Kailee loves it so much that many other foods, especially green ones like peas, get bypassed in favor of her beloved peanut butter. Until…

Kailee’s hungry tummy wakes her and she heads to the pantry for a snack. Instead of the fruit roll-up her mommy suggested, Kailee reaches for a jar of that dreamy creamy peanut butter. While she struggles to open the jar, the door slams, and Kailee is trapped in the pantry. A squeaky voice lets her know she’s not alone.  Who is talking? All Kailee sees is a pantry full of food. Young readers will find themselves pulled into a magical world where foods of all colors come to life and teach Kailee (and them) that it’s fun, tasty, and good for your health to eat a variety of foods.

Check out this fun video trailer for a sneak peek inside the book:

Note from Jo: I always test my toy and book reviews on my two kids to get an accurate reading on how well children respond to the product. I have a 10-year-old and 6-year-old, and The Pea in Peanut Butter was a hit with both of them! When I asked each of the girls separately to share a favorite part of the story, the answer was the same. The scene in the pantry when the food comes to life was magical, fun, and got their attention. Whether your kids are picky eaters or not, this book is one they will want to read time and time again! The well-written and imaginative story by Allyn Stotz and the vivid and attention-getting drawings by Valerie Bouthyette are a perfect pairing.

 

How can I get a copy of The Pea in Peanut Butter?

We’re glad you asked! There are a few different ways you can get this book for kids.

1. Visit Allyn’s blog to purchase it. You can even get an autographed copy of The Pea in Peanut Butter if you contact her via her blog and ask for it!
2. Click one of the Amazon widgets below and go directly to the purchase page.
3. Keep an eye out on Creative Kids Ideas for your chance to win a FREE copy of The Pea in Peanut Butter! Once we get to the 400 fans mark on the Creative Kids Ideas Facebook Fan Page, we’ll be hosting a giveaway for a copy of The Pea in Peanut Butter Coloring Book Edition (with the story in the front and pages for kids to color in the back). Want to make that giveaway come sooner? Send your friends and family to our FB page and help us reach 400+ likes!

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION:
Creative Kids Ideas received a copy of The Pea in Peanut Butter in exchange for this honest book review.

Setting savings goals with your kids

Creative Kids Ideas readers are familiar with our philosophy that kids learn best by doing, not merely listening. This is true in all aspects of life, whether in the classroom or at home.  In her upcoming book, Piggy Banks to Paychecks: Helping Kids Understand the Value of a Dollar, author Angie Mohr, CA, CMA offers practical advice to adults and encourages that same hands-on approach to teaching kids about money. Today, Angie shares one of her tips with our Creative Kids Ideas readers:

Raising Money Smart Kids Tip #5- Setting Savings Goals

Every family has different savings philosophies. Each has its benefits and one is not necessarily better than another. Families need to start the process by looking at what is important to them in teaching their kids to save.

The first step in setting savings goals with your kids is deciding what they are going to be responsible for buying.  Will you pay for a new bike every year or are your kids responsible for that?  Will they participate in saving for college or will you fund that for them?  Kids need to know this kind of information in order to make reasonable savings goals.

Once kids are clear on what they need to save for, they can make more informed choices.  The easiest way to get kids to save without a fight is to set ground rules with them.  For example, the rule could be that every time your child comes into money, at least 10 percent goes to the college fund and 40 percent goes to other long term savings.  The rest can be spent or saved as the child chooses.  This accomplishes two goals: it sets them on the path to having disciplined savings deposits and it also allows them some freedom to decide if they want to spend or save a portion of their “income”.  When they are adults, they will be making these same choices on a daily basis and will be setting aside a fixed, recurring amount every month to fund their retirement plans or emergency fund.

Changing Savings Goals
Like adults, kids will likely change their wants and needs many times and will want to re-adjust their savings goals.  Walking them through the process of deciding whether new goals are more appropriate will help them to make these types of decisions in the future.  If you instead hold them to their original plans (“you wanted the iPod so you have to keep saving for it”), kids can lose interest in savings.  That doesn’t mean that they should change their goals every few days when something new and cool comes on the market.  Help them to put some real thought into why the new goals make more sense now than the current goals and help them figure out how much more or less they will have to save on a regular basis to adjust to the new goal.

For more great Raising Money Smart Kids Tips and excerpts from my new book, Piggy Banks to Paychecks: Helping Kids Understand the Value of a Dollar, come and join us on our March book blog tour here.

© Angie Mohr 2012

Drop by Angie Mohr’s blog to offer your support, grab your copy of her new book, or learn more about her other publications.

You said what to your kids?

“After I stop this car, I’m going to lick both of you, and then pick my nose and wipe it on you!” Yes, I confess that I said this to my kids recently! The worst part? We had a guest in our car that day, our new pastor’s wife. Yes, I went there. Fortunately, she is also a parent and a grandmother and understood that my comment was in jest and out of frustration. Her only response was, “I think I’ll sit at the other end of the table when we eat lunch then.”

Don’t judge. You know you’ve said something equally crazy and marveled to yourself — or someone else — that you couldn’t believe you had actually spoken those words to a child. We’ve all been there… numerous times. We at Creative Kids Ideas believe that a healthy dose of laughter and the ability to not take ourselves too seriously are important ingredients for parents, teachers, youth workers, and anyone else who spends more than 5 minutes a day around kids!

So, it’s confession time. Creative Kids Ideas wants to hear from our readers on this one! Share with us the wackiest story or phrase you’ve uttered to your kids, grandkids, or students. The ones that tickle our funny bone will be featured in a Creative Kids Ideas post, and possibly in a humorous e-book our owner, Jo Brielyn, is writing (with your permission and credit, of course)!

How do I share my funny story with Creative Kids Ideas?

You can share your humorous story or phrase with us by leaving a comment in the section below this post. If you’d rather, you can also send your response to our email account at admin@CreativeKidsIdeas.com and type “Funny Story” in the subject line so we don’t miss it.

Entries must be submitted before 11:59 PM on March 25, 2012 to be considered for inclusion in the feature post on CKI or in the future e-book.

We’re looking forward to reading your funny stories and responses to this one. Don’t be shy! We won’t judge. We can’t promise there won’t be laughter, though, but we’ll be laughing with you not at you.

Do you know a child who is a gifted writer or artist? Are you looking for ways to encourage him or her to use those skills?

If so, you might want to check out the Kids Are Authors competition sponsored by Scholastic Book Fairs. It is a yearly contest for all students in Kindergarten to 8th grade (in American and U.S. international schools). Since the goal of the contest is to also teach kids how to work better in groups, the rules stipulate that students must work in teams of three or more kids with an adult project coordinator to write and illustrate their own book. The Kids Are Authors competition encourages kids to use their writing and artistic skills, as well as creativity, teamwork, social skills, and communication skills.

Important Dates:

All entries must be postmarked by March 15, 2012 in order to be eligible for the 2012 Kids Are Authors Competition. The winners will be announced by May 31, 2012.

Contest Prizes:

Grand Prizes — The two grand-prize winning books will be published by Scholastic and sold at Book Fairs all over the United States. There will be one fiction and one nonfiction book chosen. Each winning team will also receive $5,000 in merchandise from the Scholastic Book Fairs School Resource Catalog to be awarded to the public/private school or non-profit organization of their choice and 100 copies of their published book. Each student will also earn a gold medal and a framed award certificate.

Honeorable Mentions — In addition to the big prizes, there will also be 25 honorable mentions selected. Each winning team will earn $500 in merchandise from the Scholastic Book Fairs School Resource Catalog to be awarded to the public/private school or non-profit organization of their choice. Each participating kid in the winning groups will also receive an award certificate.

Guidelines and Rules:

Learn more about Kids Are Authors by visiting the Scholastic website. You can also find the full contest guidelines and offical rules and specifics on how to enter the contest there.

Good luck to all the kids who enter!

How to celebrate diversity with young kids (Photo credit: sxc.hu/spekulator)

Limited primarily to their family, neighborhood and school a young child’s view of the world is relatively small. Explaining that the world is a much larger place than that can be difficult. Preschool children can learn to expand their worldview by discovering that the world is made up of many neighborhoods full of diversity and culture.

Explaining the concept of “diversity” to your young child might feel like a complex lesson. However, preschool children can use their imagination and learning to discover a whole knew world that is much larger than they thought. Through music, sports and even wildlife around the world you can make up lessons and games that will be fun for your child while they learn about diversity. You will help spark your child’s understanding of the vast size and rich texture of our global community.

“We live in a diverse world. By teaching children to appreciate other cultures from an early age, you will help them develop compassion and seek out shared values,” said Dr. Mary Zurn, vice president of education for Primrose Schools. Living with diversity is not a choice; it’s a fact. By teaching our children about diversity at a younger age we will be preparing them for preschool and life beyond. Accepting others for who they are comes from appreciating and respecting the culture and lifestyle they come from.

These few tips from Dr. Zurn can help you begin to explore the diversity of others with your child:

Read a Book. Although it may seem to simple, reading to a child is one of the best ways to introduce them to different types of families, children and people from all over the world. Culture can come to life through different stories, characters and themes. Try to find books that will be easy for your child to relate to. Pictures are a great starting point for discussions about diversity. Some suggestions for books are:
•    It’s Okay to Be Different by Todd Parr
•    Children from Australia to Zimbabwe: A Photographic Journey Around the World by Maya Ajmera and Anna Rhesa Versola
•    The Crayon Box That Talked by Shane Derolf

Share Your Family History. Understanding others begins with an understanding of oneself. It also builds a child’s awareness of their family history and their own culture. Use old photos and any memorabilia you may have from your childhood. Family air looms are also a great addition when telling stories about past family members. Children love hearing stories, so the more visual you make it the easier it will be for them to understand and remember. They will probably ask for more stories and for stories to be told over and over!

Listen to Music. Share your family’s cultural heritage through music. Play music from your family’s country of origin, your region of the United States, or favorite songs you sang as a child. Then play music from other cultures or parts of the country. Ask your child to identify the similarities and differences.

Think Outside the Box. There are many opportunities out there for you and your child to experience different cultures, it just depends on if you recognize them and celebrate them. Simple things like going to an ethnic restaurant, visiting museums and going to festivals are all fun ways to explore different cultures. Be sure talk about your experience though, your child may not understand or recognize the cultural differences if you don’t have a discussion about it. Becoming friends with families that are different from your own will increase your family’s appreciation of cultural differences.

The more you express your interest in learning about cultural differences the more interested your child will be. Dr. Zurn said, “Encourage a celebration of cultures near and far, including your own, to help your child grow to be an accepting, compassionate adult, who values the differences in others.”

Submitted by Dan Gilbert on behalf of Primrose Schools. For over 25 years, they have helped individuals achieve higher levels of success by providing them with an AdvancED® accredited, early child care services and education.  Through an accelerated Balanced Learning® curriculum, Primrose Schools students are exposed to a widely diverse range of subject matter giving them a much greater opportunity to develop mentally, physically and socially. Dan has written a number of articles on topics varying from bilingual learning to teaching the importance of volunteering.

Photo copyright: sxc.hu/imru2b12

Kids are constantly being nagged by their parents, teachers, and other adults to watch their attitudes. Please don’t get me wrong. Children and teens should learn the importance of portraying positive outlooks and behaviors. But, if we’re honest with ourselves, sometimes the attitude adjustments need to come from us parents.

While eating dinner with my family at a local restaurant last week, we had the pleasure to meet an employee named Tammie who had the most amazing attitude I’d seen in a long time. I mean, this woman loved her job and her enthusiasm was contagious. She could have simply went through the motions with a frown on her face or grumbled about how many times she’d cleaned up after whiny, messy families that day, and no one would have blamed her. Instead, every customer she came into contact with left with smile – including my daughter who had entered the restaurant cranky! The encounter got me thinking about how important attitude is when dealing with people — regardless of their age. That, of course, made me evaluate what kind of attitudes I portray to my kids and about my role as a parent. It was time for a parenting attitude check!

Read more…

Activities and crafts to help you celebrate St. Patrick's Day with your kids

Parents and teachers can find a wide variety of St. Patrick’s Day activities, craft ideas and printables for children online. Here are some of my favorite websites and links to articles with fun ideas and St. Patrick’s Day activities for kids and families to enjoy.

St. Patrick’s Day printables and coloring pages:

• Parents and teachers will find word search puzzles, printable shamrocks, leprechaun puppets, St. Patrick’s Day games, coloring pages and more at Abcteach.com.

• Visit Kaboose.com for a huge selection of fun St. Patrick’s Day crafts, activities, clip art, games, recipes and party ideas for kids of all ages.

• Discover coloring pages, St. Patrick’s Day crafts, games, worksheets and recipes galore at DLTK’s page for St. Patrick’s Day crafts for kids.

• For more great ideas and websites, read Kid’s Crafts: Free Printable Leprechaun Coloring Pages for Saint Patrick’s Day written by Laurie Meekis.

Other St. Patrick’s Day activities for kids and families:

• Add a little history, adventure and Irish folklore to your St. Patrick’s Day celebration with your children this year by setting a leprechaun trap. This is a great activity for home or school. Read this article for full details on how to set a trap with the children.

• Take this fun and educational quiz on St. Patrick’s Day and Irish trivia to test your knowledge of the holiday and heritage surrounding it: Test Your St. Patrick’s Day Knowledge.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day to you and your family from Creative Kids Ideas!

Have a Happy and Creative Valentine's Day!

Today’s a busy holiday, so this post will be short and sweet – kind of like my two little Valentines are! I simply want to wish you and your family a Happy Valentine’s Day!

Also, if you’re looking for last minute Valentine’s Day ideas to use with your kids, check out these fun ones below:

How to Make a Valentine Mailbox for Your Child’s Valentine’s Day Cards and Gifts – Do you need a way to hold your child’s Valentine’s Day cards and gifts? Don’t worry. It’s still not too late to make one! This fun and functional valentine mailbox is a simple and inexpensive craft project to make with kids at home or at school. It can be customized for each child, so it’s suitable for boys and girls. The best part about this cute kids’ craft is there’s no need to spend money on supplies, because it’s made entirely from construction paper and recycled materials.

Recycled Jeans Valentine Pouch – I saw this cute Valentine’s Day craft for kids the other day and fell in love. It’s made from an old pair of blue jeans and a few other simple items. It’s a win-win idea. You get rid of some of those old holey jeans that are lying around, you and your child have fun making the craft together, and your child gets a stylish and unique way to hold her valentines or decorate her doorknob.

Valentine’s Card Homemade from the Heart – Need some last minute valentines cards? Instead of spending money on store-bought ones, try these quick, easy-to-make ideas for making your own cards. The thought and creativity you put into these will make your Valentine feel even more special!

Still want more? Here are a few other Creative Valentine’s Day Crafts for Kids.

Happy Valentine’s Day from Creative Kids Ideas!

Chillin' in the snow

Determined to take full advantage of their snow day off from school, they bundled up and headed outside to play. I sat in my office working for awhile, enjoying the sounds of their laughter and sweet giggles. Soon, I realized I didn’t want to work and listen to them have fun. I wanted to enjoy it with them. As I stood outside and watched my girls build a fort in the mounds of snow and snack on a cold treat of icicles, I was reminded again of how much I learn from them. It’s so easy to get wrapped up in the busyness that we forget to simply enjoy the little things life has to offer, or to even notice them for what they are. Yes, snowstorms and snow days may inconvenience us. They may even cause us to miss work and lose money. They also force us to slow down, something most of us parents need to be reminded to do once in awhile.

Looking for new ideas on how to enjoy the snow with your kids this winter? Eight Ideas for Fun in the Snow offers fun games and activities to play in the snow and will help you take advantage of the winter weather and have fun with your kids.

Family Goals for the New Year

First of all, I apologize for slacking on my blogging duties lately. Preparing for the holidays, trying to meet book deadlines, having the kids off from school, and fighting off the dreaded colds and stomach viruses that hit our family in December, all have kept me running like a crazy woman! (Okay, crazier woman.) Anyhow, enough with the excuses. I’m back and ready to kick off 2011 the right way – with family goals for the New Year.

I have a confession. I don’t make New Year’s resolutions. I don’t even like to think about them. Why? Let’s face it. Come mid-February, too many of those resolutions have already fizzled out and are forgotten – at least mine do. Unfulfilled resolutions don’t lead to real changes.

On the other hand, I am one who constantly seeks ways to improve and the beginning of a new year is an excellent time to initiate those improvements. Instead of making New Year’s resolutions, I choose to use the start of the New Year as an opportunity to reevaluate my life, determine areas I can make better, and build new goals to achieve in the upcoming year. Not resolutions but life changes. Usually I focus on personal or career related goals. For 2011, however, I am adjusting my focus to create goals for the benefit of my whole family in the New Year. I encourage you to do the same.

Read on to learn why making family goals for the New Year is beneficial for your family and to find out what mine are…

What goals have you set for your family? I’d love to hear what your plans are and how they’re working!