You Complete Me

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you complete meYou can’t fly with one wing. But if you join up with another one-winged friend, well…the sky’s the limit! This project also double as a cute motor skills hook and balance game.

We read Horsefly and Honeybee by Randy Cecil (Henry Holt, 2012). Horsefly and Honeybee get in a fight over a flower, and each loses a wing. The helplessly earth-bound Honeybee is soon captured by Bullfrog. To make matters worse, her old enemy Horsefly is captured too. The two glower at each other on a lily pad until they hear Bullfrog returning for dinner. Clutching each other, they flap their combined wings and discover that together, they can soar far out of Bullfrog’s reach! The two friends also discover that there is plenty of room for both of them on a flower. Seriously, this book wins most adorable.

You’ll need:

  • Two toilet paper tubes
  • Construction paper
  • 1 piece of twisteez wire or pipe cleaner (approximately 3″)
  • 1 paper towel tube
  • 1 small box (ours was 2” x 4” x 4″)
  • 1 wooden dowel
  • 1 piece of yarn (ours was approximately 22″)
  • 1 small paper clip
  • Scissors and tape for construction
  • Markers for decorating

To make the dynamic duo of Horsefly and Honeybee, wrap 2 toilet paper tubes with construction paper. We added dark brown and black bands on their bodies, eye stickers, and a paper of pipe cleaner antenna for Honeybee. And of course, each gets one wing. Hot glue (or tape) them together, then tape a twisteez wire or pipe cleaner to the back. This is how you’ll lift them during the fishing game.

completed duo The other two game pieces are a lily pad and a flower. The lily pad is made out of construction paper, and the flower is a cupcake liner I found in the discount Easter section of Target. The flower is a small box hot glued to the top of a 6″ piece of paper towel tube. We added some green paper crinkle to the inside as well.

lily pad and flowerThe final step is to rig up a fishing pole. We used a wooden dowel, yarn, and an unfolded paperclip fishing hook. To play the game, place Horsefly and Honeybee on the lily pad. Then hook them with the fishing pole and fly them to the safety of the flower.

horsefly and honeybee gameSome story times, kids will grab the project’s supplies and create something entirely impromptu. So may I present…a Venus Fly Trap?

venus fly trap

Don’t Worry, Be Crabby

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don't worry be crabby

Did you know that hermit crabs are surprisingly multi-talented? In fact, they can do anything you can do, and we aim to prove it with this awesome hermit crab hand puppet!

We read Never Underestimate a Hermit Crab by Daniel Sean Kaye (Silver Dragon Books, 2013). You might think hermit crabs are boring. But the truth is, they love to dance, read comics, do home improvement, dress to the nines, and generally live it up. They can do all sorts of things – just like you!

You’ll need:

  • 1 small box (ours was 4.5” X 4.5” x 6”)
  • 2 paper cups
  • White poster board
  •  Hermit crab decorating supplies (more on this later!)
  • Scissors, glue, and tape for construction
  • Hot glue

finished hermit crabAssembling this hand puppet is incredibly easy. The eye stalks are made with white poster board (we used dot stickers for the pupils, but markers work too). Next, cut 2 paper cups cut down to 2.5″ and attach them to the bottom of the box. Notice that the narrower, tapered ends of the cups are towards the front of the box, and the edges of the cups are flush with the front of the box as well. Attach the cups with hot glue, and then reinforce them with tape so they really stay on!

hermit crab cupsThe shell is a 6.75″ x 17″ piece of white poster board arched over the box and secured to the sides of the box with tape or hot glue. The shell sticks out behind the box about 1.5″ to hide the puppeteers arms a little.

hermit crab shellWe recommend decorating the shell before you attach it to the box of course. We brought out patterned tape, color masking tape, fabric flowers, sparkle stems, craft ties, self-adhesive foam shapes, ribbon, and the Bling Bin.

finished hermit crabTo operate the puppet, simply slide your hands into the paper cups. To celebrate the book’s can-do attitude about the abilities of hermit crabs, we played a couple rounds of crab soccer with jumbo pom-poms and little plastic basket goals. Score!

crab soccer

Our copy of Never Underestimate a Hermit Crab is a special edition to benefit PAWS (Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society). PAWS is a non-profit that serves pet owners and rescue organization that help Philly’s 30,000 homeless, unwanted, and abandoned pets get basic care. I just wanted to give a shout out to Daniel Sean Kaye and Silver Dragon Books for their big, caring, hearts.

Princeton Writes

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From left to right: Princeton Writes Director John Wereen, Carla Zimowsk, Dana Sheridan, Dianne Spatafore, and Melissa Moss

Every year, for the past three years, Princeton University’s Princeton Writes program has sponsored a staff writing contest. Well, folks, uh…this year I won the contest! So please forgive a bit of horn tooting. I put blood, sweat, and more then a few tears into my entry, and I’m a proud essay mom.

The Princeton Writes program focuses on non-academic writing and clearness of communication. They offer classes, tutorials, writing retreats, and an annual essay contest in collaboration with the Office of Alumni Affairs and the Humanities Council. This year’s contest topic was to “describe an encounter or relationship that has given you a new perspective.” The results were truly moving.

All of us gathered at a reception earlier this month, and I was invited to read my essay out loud. Which was terrifying.

But the whole gang showed up to get me through. Full disclosure: they served wine and mini cannoli at the reception.

The links to the essays are below. We also recorded us reading them in a studio (very cool!). So if you scroll to the bottom of each page, you’ll find a sound file as well. If you’d like to read more about the authors, please see this article by Adrianne Daponte.

Princeton Writes Prize:

Dana Sheridan – She Still Hasn’t Told Me Her Name

Honorable Mentions:

Melissa B. Moss – Two Autumns
Dianne D. Spatafore – Untitled
Carla M. Zimowsk – Arkadas

I often feel like I’m writing in a void. Therefore, it’s incredibly encouraging and validating when someone likes and honors your work. I’d like to sincerely thank – from the bottom of my heart to the tips of my typing fingers – the Princeton Writes program for allowing writers a chance to channel and share their thoughts. Thank you so much.

Photos by David Kelly Crow