Tt is for Trees

Try Wade's idea and draw a tree for each of the four seasons in
your doodle book . . . or go outside and sit under a tree and draw
anything you can see . . . or try reading this "tree"ific book called

"Luna & Me: The True Story of a Girl
Who Lived in a Tree to Save a Forest"
by Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw.

. . . or click the letter "Tt" over in the labels box
and look for more titles of "tree"ific books.

Happy today!
Love, Grandma

Find a Christmas T

Once upon a time the toymaker, Uncle Drosselmeyer,
gave his niece, Marie, two dancing dolls and a nutcracker.
What did he give his nephew, Fritz?


Here's a hint:

_ _ _ soldiers!

Seasons Readings!
Love, Grandma

Reading T's

There are ton's of terrific titles for "T" reading:

"Tarzanna" by Babette Cole
"Tea Party Rules" by Amy Dyckman
"Teddy Bear Picnic"
"Town Mouse Country Mouse" by Jan Brett
"Come to Town" by Ann Rockwell
"T is for Tugboat--Navigating the Seas from A -A"
(a book from my travels to Canada)
 

Maybe you could take a break from TV and read about or
under a tree today. "Maple" by Lori Nichols is a darling
book about a girl and a tree who grow up together.

Of course, you could also read tongue twisters,
Thanksgiving stories or a tooth fairy book. Or

take some time to read about trains, tigers, turtles,
treasures or "The Adventures of TinTin" by Herge. 

I read "The Phantom Tollbooth".
One day when Milo was totally bored, he drove through
the toll booth he found in his bedroom and began a crazy
journey through all kinds of "wordy" places. This is a
fun book to read more than once.

Ta ta for now.
Love, Grandma 

Halloween Tt

Tt is for trick-or-treat!

One year I had a trick-or-treat tree at my house that
this little duckie found quite tempting, especially after I let
her pick one treat off the tree. One treat was not enough
 . . . she wanted a few more. Well, guess what?

 In another week or so, the trick-or-treat tree
will be back!  Any and all  kids who come to show me
their costume or their projects can pick a treat off the tree!
(Don't worry Jack, Ryan and Nash--the tree
 will still be up in November when you come).

Happy trick-or-treeing,
Love, Grandma 

Tt Word-of-the-Day

Today would be a terrific day to find
a tree to sit under and read a book!
Maybe you would like to read about a coconut tree . . .
or a tree through four seasons . . . or a tree house
  . . . or getting a kite unstuck from a tree!

"Chicka Chicka Boom Boom"
by Bill Martin Jr.

"Fall Is Not Easy"
by Marty Kelley

the Magic Tree House series of books
by Mary Pope Osborne

"Stuck"
by Oliver Jeffers

     
Or maybe you would like to visit Grandma
and see what looks good to read under her tree!

Happy Yummy Summer Reading!
Love, Grandma

Disneyland Tt

You can take a trip on all kinds of t_ _ _ _ _  at Disneyland

. . . like the Casey Jr. Circus T_ _ _ _ in Fantasyland
. . . or the Chew Chew T_ _ _ _ in a Bugs' Land
. . . or the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad in Frontierland
. . . or the Disney Railroad all through the park!

Merry 13 days before Christmas

I spy with my little eye
an itty bitty bit of Christmas
that begins with the letter T

T _ _ _

Hint: In this forest of 12 t_ _ _ s  there is only

one real Christmas t_ _ _. Which one?

Happy 12 on the 12th!
Love, Grandma

T is for Turkey--a True Thanksgiving Story
by Tanya Lee Stone

H is for handprint turkeys




A is for apple turkeys

N is for nut-filled turkeys

K is for kid table-top turkey

S ing a "Song of Thanks"

G obble and giggle in "Twas the Night Before
Thanksgiving" by Dav Pilkey

I spy with my little eye lots of things to be thankful for in
"Count Your Blessings" by  Patricia Reeder Eubank

"V ery First Thanksgiving Day!"
by  Rhonda Gowler Creene

 

"I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Pie"
by Alison Jackson

N umbers 1-12 in "This First Thanksgiving Day"
a counting story by Laura Krauss Melmed

G ather together with family, friends and good food
and it all adds up to a happy

THANKSGIVING!

Love, Grandma

 

 

Aa is for Alphabet

September 12

You might say I am slightly obsessed with the alphabet. Everything from books to cookie cutters . . . from fabric to mugs . . . from posters to puzzles . . . from scrapbook paper, stickers and stamps . . . I love just about anything alphabetical. But what do you expect from someone who writes an Alpha-Blog?

Nevermind that . . . the real question is:
Can you find every letter from A to Z
on these 12 bits and pieces of my alphabet collection?

Happy 12 on the 12th!
Love, Grandma

82.  Words of the day

Tt is for talk
Believe it or not, people do not talk much in English  in other countries.
We heard (or saw) a few other languages in countries
we visited on our vacation.

When people talk in France, they might say  bonjour  or merci.

(good morning . . . thank you)

When people  talk in the Netherlands or Norway,
they might say ja or god morgen.
(yes . . . good morning)
What are those words  in English? 
And what is the name of this popular children's book in English?
(Diary of a Wimpy Kid)

  



80. Guess what's growing in Grandpa's garden!
1) roses . . . 2) lots of greenery . . . 3) corn . . . 4) yellow flowers
5) zucchini . . . 6) tomatoes . . . 7) pumpkins . . . 8) zinnias
9) white and purple flowers . . . 10) more colorful flowers . . .
11) butternut squash . . . 12) beans!
Happy 12 on the 12th!


49. I spy with my little eye . . .

twelve red, white, or blue items around my house.
Can you identify any or all of them?
1) wooden watermelon decoration . . . 2) blue table
3) flag on front door . . . 4) stars on tree
5) Fisher-Price race cars . . . 6) star marshmallows
7) wagon . . . 8) raspberries, bananas and blueberries
9) toy boat . . . 10) my "America" picture books
11) Grandpa's blue shirt . . . 12) USA bears!

Happy 12 on the 12th!

19. Name that flag

Hint: Grandpa and I have visited 11 of the places
represented by these flags.
1) U.S.A. . . 2) Hong Kong . . . 3) United Kingdom
4) Canada . . . 5) Netherlands . . . 6) Idaho
7) France . . . 8) Utah . . . 9) Denmark . . . 10) Norway11) the Jolly Roger (we have never been on a pirate ship)
and 12) Ireland
Happy 12 flags on the 12th!

Tt is for Twelve

May 12

(a little late)

During May Grandpa and I went on an Atlantic adventure in a big boat cruising to delightful destinations in Europe. We got home on May 12 (just 12 days ago) so I thought I would show you 12 pictures of our "home away from home" during our long vacation.

1. This is the place where pizza was baked all day long every day--one of Grandpa's favorite snack stops.
2. This is the place just outside our cabin (the balcony) where we could read or watch the scenery.
3. This is the place where we could shower and brush our teeth. Grandpa is actually standing in the shower to take this picture!
4. This is the place where you could check out books and board games. You probably didn't know that ships have libraries in them.
5. This is the place where we could eat. The Horizon Court was just one of many places we could eat!
6. This is the place where we entered our cabin and where we picked up our "mail". Our address was Caribe 614 and every day we got a newsletter called the "Princess Patter".
7. This is the place where we would find two chocolates each night before we went to bed. Who put them there? Why our cabin steward, of course. He also made our bed and cleaned our room every day!
8. This is the place--called the Internet Cafe-- where we could read and send emails to all of you.
9. This is the place where we could get a sandwich, salad, cookie, pastry treat or gelato any time we wanted since it was open 24 hours a day!
10. This is the place where you could swim if you wanted, but where we went in the evening, sat on the deck chairs with a cozy blanket and watched "movies under the stars".
11. This is the place--the promenade deck-- where you could go for walks around the entire ship.
12. And this is the place where all the 11 previous pictures were taken--the Emerald Princess. If you look in the lower right corner you might also be able to see the place (the gangway) where we exited the ship whenever it reached a port of call.

We're happy to be back to our real "home sweet home" now though.
Happy 12 on the 12th day after the 12th of May!
Love, Grandma

Rr is for Rainbow

April 12 There is a saying "April showers bring May flowers".
While you're waiting for the May flowers to grow,
perhaps you could look for a rainbow . . .
or even make, eat or play with a rainbow!
You will find 12 ideas here.

Happy 12 on the 12th!
Love, Grandma

Tt is for Twelve

March 12
Who, what or where did I spy with my little eye
on the 12th day of March?

Happy 12 on the 12th!
Love, Grandma

Tt is for Twelve

February 12

Just in case you didn't get enough hearts during the week
of a hundred hearts, here are twelve more
for your viewing pleasure.
How many hearts can you find in your house
if you go on a heart hunt?
Happy 12 on the 12th!
Love, Grandma

Tt is for Twelve

January 12

On the 12th day of each month during 2012
I thought I would post a collage of 12 pictures.
Can you guess what these 12 pictures have to do
with each other before I give you the answer
in about 10 more days!
Happy 12 on the 12th!
Love, Grandma

Tt is for Trees

T is for trees to decorate so gay

After you decorate your paper tree, try singing this little tune called "Old McDonald Had a Tree" . . .

Old McDonald had a tree . . . jingle, jingle bell! And on that tree he had some lights . . . jingle, jingle bell! With a blink, blink here and a blink, blink there. Here a blink, there a blink, everywhere a blink, blink. Old McDonald had a tree . . . jingle, jingle bell!

Old McDonald had a tree . . . jingle, jingle bell! And on that tree he had some popcorn . . . jingle, jingle bell! With a pop, pop here and pop, pop there. Here a pop, there a pop, everywhere a pop, pop. Old McDonald had a tree . . . jingle, jingle bell!

Old McDonald had a tree . . . jingle, jingle bell! And on that tree he had some cookies . . . jingle, jingle bell! With a yum, yum here and a yum, yum there. Here a yum, there a yum, everywhere a yum, yum. Old McDonald had a tree . . . jingle, jingle bell!

Old McDonald had a tree . . . jingle, jingle bell! And on that tree he had a doll . . . jingle, jingle, bell! With a mama here, and a mama there. Here a mama, there a mama, everythere a mama, mama. Old McDonald had a tree . . . jingle, jingle bell!

Old McDonald had a tree . . . jingle, jingle bell! And on that tree he had a train . . . jingle, jingle bell! With a choo, choo here and a choo, choo there. Here a choo, there a choo, everywhere a choo, choo. Old McDonald had a tree . . . jingle, jingle bell!

Old McDonald had a tree . . . jingle, jingle bell! And on that tree he had a star . . . jingle, jingle bell! With a twinkle, twinkle here and a twinkle, twinkle there. Here a twinkle, there a twinkle, everywhere a twinkle, twinkle. Old McDonald had a tree . . . jingle, jingle bell!

Whew! Merry five days until Christmas!

Love, Grandma

Tiny Tissued "T"

It's time to take out the paper plate with an upper-case T on the front of it and the little baggie with a lower-case t. Inside that baggie are tiny tissue paper squares and a pencil. Why a pencil? That's doesn't start with a T. Let me tell you why. First put some glue on one tiny section of your upper-case T. Then wrap each tiny tissue paper square one at time around the eraser end of the pencil until it holds its shape. Push the tissue paper squares into the glue sticking them close together until the T is totally covered! Then it's time for "The Teddy Bears' Picnic", a song that has been made into a book by various illustrators. Maybe you would like to take your teddy bear (or any other stuffed animal) on a picnic today. Make some tiny sandwiches or even a sandwich on a stick and have some tasty fun!

Happy Teddy Bear Picnic!

Love, Grandma