This is NOT a box

A Fireflies reader sent this image to us and we love it!   We hope that you have enjoyed this month's theme - A Box!   One more activity to introduce on Wednesday, one more Fireflies CLIP book to share on Friday and then we begin our April adventure and introduce two new Fireflies' contributors.  April is also when we will launch our first podcast series, Catching Fireflies.   Can't wait for APRIL!

Laura Bird Miller's FROSTY.
One of her "S is for SNOW" Fireflies Presents' Puppets!

Wednesday we launch our January Fireflies' theme:  SNOW!  Above is Frosty - one of our puppets for the "S is for Snow" Fireflies Presents script.   We've chosen some wonderful children's books and created activities to go along with them including recipes and crafts along with print, verbal and visual communication projects.

Fireflies started while I was awaiting the birth of my grandson, Ryder.  Both will soon be one year old!  Once again we sincerely thank you for being a part of Fireflies this past year.  

Remember that you can access our blogs through Pinterest, Twitter, and our FB page as well as having the posts come directly to your email box or RSS feed.   Fireflies' posts are also great to read on Flipboard (my favorite place to read them)!

Whatever you use to read and communicate with us - thank you for responding, "liking", and sharing the message of Fireflies.

May God richly bless our families as we create memories together in the coming year,

Deni Corbett

PS Don't forget to visit our Fireflies Presents and Just One Touch sites.

C is for Christmas Puppets

It's Christmas Eve!  The presents are wrapped and I'm printing out the puppets for our Christmas Fireflies Presents Show.  We hope you have had a chance to print out all of the materials available for your own family production.  Don't forget to share your show photos with us.   "C is for Christmas" materials will be available through December 24th.  

Fireflies Presents...

We want to take this opportunity to thank each you for reading and sharing Fireflies with your friends this year.  You have been an encouragement to us with your comments on Facebook and FirefliesBlog.com.  Please continue to "like", "share", and tell others about FirefliesBlog.com.

We will be back next month with more children's books (the best of the best) along with Fireflies' kid friendly recipes, crafts, poems and much more.   Our Fireflies Presents script for January is: "S is for Snow" and will be available for download January 5th.

It is our sincere desire that you know fully,
the love that was born on Christmas Day.  

His name is Jesus!

From the Fireflies Team,

Merry Christmas!

Mary, Julie, Laura, Deni, Lani, Rachel, & Lisa

Fireflies on Facebook!

Be sure to check out our Facebook page for updates and pictures from our followers! 

Below are pictures from The Kline Family Thanksgiving.  This year they put on the Fireflies Presents:  "T is for Thanksgiving" and shared the pictures with us.   Like us on Facebook and share us with your friends.  Thanks!   

PS  There is still time to purchase a Fireflies Presents Puppet Theatre for Christmas, like the one below.

Fireflies on FACEBOOK

Tyler- the head narrator...didn't even mind the occasional pine cone falling on his head!

Even-narrator and ass't to the younger puppeteers...what an awesome helper!

Judah and Rachel wanted to put the play on a second time!

Rachel doing double duty - could it be that the "director" messed up

Our annual Thanksgiving feast held outdoors at a state park was even better this year- these amazing puppeteers presented "T is for Thanksgiving" to an audience of about 50!!

FYI - Cooking with Kids

If you have been following Fireflies, then you know we LOVE to cook with kids.  CLIP is all about creating extension experiences (ie family cooking nights) based on great children's literature.  

Cooking together can be a delicious learning experience for children and their parents. Kids can explore new foods, learn about nutrition, and develop math and reading skills as they measure and read directions. These simple guidelines are designed to help you make cooking safe and fun, and to entice your children into trying something new!

1. Planning is part of the fun!

   Invite your child to help to plan a meal or pick a recipe, make a list of ingredients, find them in your kitchen, and/or shop for them. This way, children can learn how to organize and follow through, as well as think ahead. Give your kids a sense of control and accomplishment by letting them make choices whenever possible.

2. Wash hands before you start cooking.

   This goes for grown-ups too!

3. Create a safe place where kids can cook.

   Set up a work area at a lower height to make easier for preschoolers to reach things. Offer children a stool only if you know they can balance on it. Remove any sharp objects from their reach.

4. No matter where kids work, always supervise them closely.

   Stay in the kitchen until the cooking is finished – or take the kids with you to another room.

5. Set up clear rules about the stove.

   Explain to them about the stove in age-appropriate, simple terms; for example, “The stove is hot! It’s not OK to touch it. Mommy or Daddy will put the pan in the oven. You can watch.” Always keep pan and utensil handles turned towards the back of the stove.

6. Give preschoolers their own safe utensils.

   Offer them wooden or plastic ones. If older children are able to use grown-up equipment, monitor them carefully. Avoid giving children graters, as fingers can easily get scraped.

7. Reading and following directions are in the mix!

   Ask your child to read each instruction aloud as you prepare the food. Kids will get a sense of turn-taking and sequencing from following directions in order.

8. Practice math as you measure and stir.

   Your child can count and help measure to build math skills. When cooking with more than one kid, ask each child to count “stirs” as he or she whips the batter.

9. Siblings or groups of kids can take turns doing the same step – in their own unique way.

   You may want to let each child participate in each step of the recipe. This may take longer, but cooking with kids is as much about “process” as it is about product.

10. It’s easier to enjoy cooking together if you’re not “starving.”

    Either pick a quick recipe that makes a healthy snack, or have veggies, fruit, and dip to snack on before you start.

11. Be spontaneous!

    To avoid a trip to the store, make simple substitutions. Cornmeal can sometimes replace flour, use vegetable oil instead of melted butter, etc.

12. Introduce new foods.

    Kids often will try unfamiliar foods, including vegetables and fruits, when they transform them into personal “creations” like a funny face pizza or a fruit kabob.

13. Turn a sandwich into a special snack!

    Cutting sandwiches with cookie cutters makes them special. Decorating with vegetables and fruits will transform a simple sandwich into a sandwich face.

14. Make set-up and clean-up part of the routine.

    Kids may love using a mop or dustpan as much as they love the cooking, but save cleaning until the cake is in the oven.

15. Enjoy the experience!

    But don’t be surprised if the kids don’t clean their plates. Some kids will enjoy the cooking more than the eating. And so it goes….
    Each month we will be providing recipes in Fireflies, for you to experience with your children.  These recipes have ties back to our CLIP book choices for that month.   It is our hope that these recipes will inspire you to create family memories in your kitchen.
    Don't miss Fireflies' May recipes: Butterfly Snacks & Rainbow cupcakes next Monday!
    This information came from an online PBS article, Cooking with Kids

Welcome Laura Bird Miller to Fireflies!

We are so excited to welcome Laura Bird Miller into our Fireflies' Family!

Laura has joined us and will be providing the content for our visual communications projects.   Each month she will 

• create an art project based on our CLIP theme and/or one of our specific CLIP books.
• introduce an art masterpiece to share with young children.
• provide discussion questions to be used when discussing the artwork with children.  
• design a visual project based on the masterpiece.
• make available the characters and setting props for our Fireflies Presents... puppet scripts.

Even though I am so excited about the expertise Laura brings to Fireflies in the area of visual arts, I am even more excited about her passion and love for children.   You cannot talk to her for long without being moved by her desire to be used by God to inspire students to be all that they can be in Christ.   Her enthusiasm is contagious and we are so blessed that she has agreed to join our team.

Not only is she an accomplished artist (her work is for sale on her website), she is available to inspire other teachers in the area of creating visual arts projects based on children's books.

As the art director for Circle Christian School, a fully-accredited private umbrella school for home school families in Orlando, Fl., Laura continues to touch the lives of hundreds of families.  Please click HERE to learn more about Circle Christian School and check out their art class options.

Don't miss Laura's upcoming post (Monday) and visual arts project (Tuesday) based on April's masterpiece!

Welcome to Fireflies, Laura!

Click HERE to read more about Laura from her personal website.

"I love having the entire class walking out the door saying, "That was so much fun; I really CAN draw!"  I believe most school-age children like instruction and want to apply this instruction to their creativity.  They love the freedom to explore and create, but they also love playing "follow the leader," watching me draw and demonstrate, and, yes, even using a template sometimes to get the gist of it.  I don't think there's only one way to do art or teach art, so I like to introduce the children to different artists and genres of art from abstract expressionism to classic realism.  

As an artist, I often throw in some art terms and basic knowledge of the elements of art and principles of design, so the students are casually exposed early on to these principles and often don't even know it!  This is done through a simple progression, repeated often. Like other global skills, for example, reading, writing, playing the piano, drawing is "made up of component skills that become integrated into a whole skill. Once you have learned the components and have integrated them, you can draw, just as once you have learned to read, you know how to read for life... Progress takes the form of practice, refinement of technique, and learning what to use the skills for." (Taken from "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" by Betty Edwards.)  

When gently encouraged and sensitively knowing when to lead and when to pull back and let them explore on their own, it is my feeling that any child can enjoy the experience of drawing & creating, can grow in their skill set, and have fun through artistic means of expression!"

FYI: Childhood Fears

Childhood Fears

by Colleen Shemeley

Just as your children grow and change, so do their fears. Monsters under the bed, thunderstorms or loud noises probably no longer cause your child to need your reassuring words and hugs. Fourth and fifth graders' most common anxieties are being kidnapped, parents divorcing, someone dying, fires, burglars, school failure and being a social outcast.

Psychologists have discovered that distinguishing between fear and anxiety is often difficult in children. Fear is a response to a situation (a neighbor's dog), while anxiety is being worried about something that hasn't happened yet (a shot at the doctor's office). Once parents realize this difference, they can better help their child cope.

• The first and most important thing is to believe your child's fear. Talking about and affirming the existence of her fear will help your child. But be careful not to overtalk the fear or express your own fears. If your child doesn't want to discuss it, encourage her to write a fictional story about another person with the same fears or draw a picture of what could happen.
• Fears can often be removed or reasoned through to a logical conclusion after evaluating reality. Make a plan of action if a mean dog comes too close. Practice on dolls the day before a visit to the dentist. Memorize certain Bible verses that fit your child's fear (check out Psalm 27:1, Psalm 31:24 and John 14:27). The more independent your child feels, the smaller the fear can become.
• Try to recognize your child's signs of anxiety in order to quickly help. Some children may become introverted. Others will misbehave, and still others will have sleeping problems, headaches or stomachaches.
• Know the fine line between being a protective parent and being overprotective. Your child should feel safe but shouldn't be so insecure as to never want to be alone. Shielding unpleasant situations is part of a parent's responsibility, but children also must have the freedom to learn from their experiences and their mistakes.

If your child's anxiety repeatedly interrupts her daily life, consider consulting a counselor, pediatrician or pastor for advice on minimizing these heart-pounding fears.

Article link:  Focus on the Family

See also - Bedtime Routines and Fears

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!

What better way to celebrate Dr. Seuss's birthday tomorrow than reading to your child? On the evening of March 2nd (Dr. Seuss's birthday), Random House and the National Education Association (NEA) urge you to participate in the second annual Read Across America and read to a child.  Why not grab your favorite Dr. Seuss book, curl up with your child and enjoy!  Green Eggs and Ham?  Hop on Pop? Cat in the Hat?  Which is your favorite?


Click on the following:
     certificate of participation
     Cat in the Hat doorknob hanger
     Dr. Seuss activity sheet

For more fun activities and a catalogue of Dr. Seuss books, visit Seussville.com!


For more information on Read Across America, please visit the NEA's Web site at www.nea.org/readacross.

Mr. Morris Lessmore wins an Oscar! [Short Film - animated]

And the award goes to...


I was so excited to watch our recommendation for favorite book app - The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore - win an Oscar for Short Film (Animation) last night.   Congratulations to its creators, William Joyce and Brandon Oldenburg.


Click on this Oscar link overview to view pictures showing the making of this wonderful animation and a short Q & A with its creators.  

Deni Corbett

2012 Caldecott Winner

A Ball for Daisy
by Chris Raschka

Announced at the ALA Convention Today:  January 23, 2012

Information from American Library Association
The 2012 Caldecott Medal winner is A Ball for Daisy, written and illustrated by Chris Raschka, published by Schwartz & Wade Books, an imprint of Random House Children's Books, a division of Random House, Inc.

In a wordless book with huge children’s appeal, Chris Raschka gives us the story of an irrepressible little dog whose most prized possession is accidentally destroyed.  With brilliant economy of line and color, Raschka captures Daisy’s total (yet temporary) devastation. A buoyant tale of loss, recovery and friendship.

“Chris Raschka’s deceptively simple paintings of watercolor, gouache and ink explore universal themes of love and loss that permit thousands of possible variants,” said Caldecott Medal Committee Chair Steven L. Herb. ‘A Ball for Daisy’ holds as many unique stories as there will be young readers and re-readers.

NPR Interview with Chris Raschka

The Caldecott

The Caldecott Medal was named in honor of nineteenth-century English illustrator Randolph Caldecott. It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children.