Book Review: Charlie the Ranch Dog

This week our new book is Charlie the Ranch Dob by Ree Drummond (author of the Pioneer Woman Blog) and illustrated by Diane deGroat.

This book follows the day of Charlie, a floppy eared dog that lives on a ranch. The story is told from his perspective and introduces country life in the story.

Charlie talks a lot about the different tasks he is doing, but the pictures tell a different story. The pictures show his friend Suzie doing the most work, but Charlie is doing what he can. And at the end of the story he does help save the day.

The illustrations are a great look at country life, especially for our city bound students. The message of the story, though not very clear for younger students, can be summed up with a do-what-you-can message and always keep trying (even if someone does it better than you).

I think this book is a good fit for older children (5 and older) due to somewhat subtle tone to the humor. For younger kids I think it would be a good choice for small groups and split into a couple of sessions. There are lots of things to talk about in the illustrations and it is great that there is a YouTube video of the real dog to watch as well.

Tanabata Crafts (Getting Ready!)

These adorable crafts are made by our Joy Tots teachers. The jelly fish was a craft all its own, but they said they may keep the jelly fish around for Tanabata and addit to the holiday decorations.

Tanabata is a Japanese holiday that celebrates the union of Orihime and Hikoboshi. It is originally a Chinese holiday and in Japan they say that on the night of July 7th if the sky is clear the couple will meet in the sky.

School children all over Japan will make cute decorations representing to couple and the Milky Way.

Another cute tradition is to hang wishes on small slips of paper on a bamboo tree. You will see these in Department Store, outside of small shops and restaurants, near schools, and outside of peoples homes as well.

A Different Kind of Bento at Meet the Dubiens

One wonderful thing about living in Japan is love of good food.

Meet the Dubiens Homepage

Working in a Kindergarten I see lots of cute, nutritious, and seasonal bento lunches. Both home lunches and our catered school lunches always seemed balanced and fun. Japanese elementary schools also do lunch very differently than what I grew up with in public school in the United States.

Many schools send out detailed menus with lots of national data (now sometimes including information about radiation screening as well.) Many elementary schools have students eat in their classrooms, students taking turns serving food brought on a trolly from the school kitchen.

I am happy to see that the bento lunch idea is spreading around the world. It is great to see a different take on the bento lunch idea. This great site, Meet the Dubiens, is a great example of cute and nutritious bento that matches the local palette.

On her site Jill posts great pictures of the bento that she makes for her kids. Take a look to see a very unique and very cute take on bento!

Book Review: The Pout-Pout Fish in the Big-Big Dark

In this story by Deborah Diesen, Mr. Fish wants to help Ms. Clam with help missing pearl. The problem is that he is afraid of the dark, and the pearl is at the bottom of the ocean!

The story is written in an easy to read rhyme and has lots of hidden treasure in the cute and quirky illustrations.

With the help of his friends, and by remembering his strengths, Mr. Fish finally makes it to the bottom of the sea. This story is not only for children who are afraid of the dark, but is a great story about overcoming any fear, or moving to a new place (like the next class in school!)

Sumida Aquarium

There is a new Aquarium in town!

Last month I visited the new Sumida Aquarium at Tokyo Skytree Town. 

Although the design is very modern and sophisticated, it is still a great aquarium for kids. Many of the exhibits are easy to see for smaller children and the very large penguin pool is great for relaxing and watching the many penguins swim around.

They do not have a seal show like the Sunshine City Aquarium, but it a nice treat to stop by when visiting Tokyo Tower, or even as a trip all its own.