Baby Hand & Footprint Bowl for Grandparents

Grandma Bowl

When my husband’s mother only had two grand babies, we made this bowl for her Christmas gift.  She loved it!  We went to a make-it-yourself pottery shop called Color Me Mine.  We designed the bowl beforehand.  My brother-in-law, claiming to be the least artsy, took the babies on a walk around the shopping center while we painted the bowl.  Then he returned so we could paint the babies’ hands and feet.

Baby Hands on Bowl

We all signed our names on the bottom of the bowl.

Bowl

We left the bowl at the shop to be glazed and fired.  We went back the next week and it was finished! This is a large serving bowl, so it’s practical as well as fun!

 

ABC Books- Perfect Gift for Toddlers

ABC Books

My mother-in-law has given these books to my kids when they turned two years old.  I have helped several of my friends make them as well.

ABC Books 

There’s a photo for each letter of the alphabet.  Some of my friends have pasted multiple photos on each page but I like the simplicity of one photo per letter.  Some of our books have fabric covers and some are just plastic covers with a piece of paper slipped in front.  Any way you do it, the kids LOVE, LOVE, LOVE having their own books.

I have used small 5.5 X 8.5 inch binders with a 1-inch ring for these books. The page protectors fit a half sheet of paper. They also measure 5.5 x 8.5 inches. I go to local scrapbook stores to find the paper and use their dye-cuts.  Most stores let you use their dye-cuts for free if you buy their paper!

 

Our Favorite Picture Books

PLEASE give your children books. Let their fingers turn the pages.  Let them study the illustrations. Let them use bookmarks!  A beautiful paper book can never be trumped by an image on a phone or tablet, especially in the case of picture books.  There’s something about the smell and feel of a real book, with lovely illustrations to sweep you into a new place and time. If you’ve missed out on any of these wonderful picture books, we think they’re worth a trip to the library or bookstore to get your hands on a copy.

Here are 30 picture books that have been read over and over at our house. Some teach wonderful lessons. Some have gorgeous illustrations. Some are just plain silly. We know they’ll make you smile! A full list follows the photos.

 

Seven Silly Eaters by Mary Ann Hoberman and Marla Frazee

Edward and the Pirates by David McPhail

This is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen

My Lucky Day by Keiko Kasza

Fanny’s Dream by Caralyn and Mark Buehner

Blueberries for Sal by Robert McClosky

Two Good Friends by Judy Delton and Giulio Maestro

The Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant and Stephen Gammell

A Porcupine Named Fluffy by Helen Lester and Lynn Munsinger

Joseph had a Little Overcoat by Simms Taback

The Empty Pot by Demi

Roxaboxen by Alice McLerran and Barbara Cooney

Enemy Pie by Derek Munson and Tara King

King Bidgood’s in the Bathtub by Audrey and Don Wood

When Grandma Gives You a Lemon Tree by Jamie L.B. Deenihan and Lorraine Rocha

The Hula-Hoopin Queen by Thelma Lynne Godin and Vanessa Brantley-Newton

Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina

Go Away, Big Green Monster! by Ed Emberley

A House is a House for Me by Mary Ann Hoberman

Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch by Eileen Spinelli and Paul Yalowitz

Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse, Wemberly Worried, and Chrysanthumum by Kevin Henkes

Birds by Kevin Henkes  (Can you tell that we really love Kevin Henkes?)

Henri’s Walk to Paris by Leonore Klein and Saul Bass

The Bad Seed (+3 others in series) by Jory John and Pete Oswald

Rosie Revere, Engineer (+ others in series) by Andrea Beaty and David Roberts

The Sneetches and Other Stories by Dr. Seuss

The Circus Ship by Chris Van Dusen

The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy (This one is arguably more for parents than their kids.)