National Adoption Day

NATIONAL ADOPTION DAY 2006 – NOVEMBER 18

ABOUT NATIONAL ADOPTION DAY
National Adoption Day is a collective national effort to raise awareness of the 118,000 children in foster care waiting to find permanent, loving families. For the last six years, National Adoption Day has made the dreams of thousands of children come true by working with courts, judges, attorneys, and advocates to finalize adoptions and find permanent, loving homes for children in foster care.

National Adoption Day is celebrated every year on the Saturday before Thanksgiving. In 2005, judges, attorneys, adoption professionals, child welfare agencies and advocates in 45 states and the District of Columbia helped to finalize the adoptions of more than 3,300 children from foster care. That year, 227 events were held throughout the country to finalize adoptions and to celebrate all families who adopt.

The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption is a non-profit public charity dedicated to dramatically increasing the adoptions of the more than 140,000 children in North America’s foster care systems. Dave Thomas, founder of Wendy’s, created the Foundation in 1992 to assure that every child has a permanent home and a loving family.

http://www.davethomasfoundationforadoption.org/
programs/programs_events.asp

Create a Sun Print

Sun Prints Glue a leaf onto colored paper and watch what develops. By Dorinda Beaumont

Materials: Colored construction paper, leaves gathered from your yard, glue stick, masking tape, picture frames. 1. Dab a bit of glue onto the back of a leaf, and attach to a piece of construction paper (we pretrimmed ours to fit a 5"7" frame). 2. Tape the paper to a sunny window, with the leaf facing out. Leave up for three to four days, until you notice that the paper's color has faded. 3. Remove from window and gently peel leaf off to reveal the print. Frame and hang.

Copyright©: 2005. Reprinted with permission from the August 2005 issue of Parents magazine.

Creepy-Critter Cake This holiday brings out the strangest creatures! Your children will love this endearing, eight-legged chocolate cake. By Jacqueline Plant and Fraya Berg

Prep time: 25 minutes Bake and decorating time: 1 1/2 hours Yield: 12 servings CAKE 2 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda 1/4 tsp. salt 1 1/2 cups sugar 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened 2 large eggs 1 1/2 cups buttermilk FROSTING 1 1/2 cups sugar 4 large egg whites 1/4 cup water 2 tsp. light corn syrup 1/4 tsp. cream of tartar Orange paste food coloring DECORATIONS Orange sprinkles, large and small 8 yellow round jellies 8 orange Twist-n-Fill Twizzlers 2 yellow lollipops 2 orange doughnut jellies (Chuckles) 4 mini marshmallows 2 brown M&M's 1 red licorice string 1 red and 1 white taffy (Airheads) 1 black jelly bean Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour one 8" round cake pan and one 2.5-liter ovenproof bowl. Prepare cake: In medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. In large bowl, with electric mixer on high, beat sugar and butter until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time. Reduce mixer speed to low; add flour mixture, alternating with buttermilk, until combined. Divide batter between prepared pan and bowl. Bake cakes until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean -- about 25 minutes for cake in pan and 40 minutes for cake in bowl. Transfer both to wire rack. Cool 10 minutes; invert and cool. Prepare frosting: In medium bowl, over simmering water, with electric mixer on low, beat together sugar, egg whites, water, corn syrup, and cream of tartar until combined. Increase mixer speed to high, and beat 10 to 12 minutes, scraping sides of bowl, until stiff peaks form. Add orange food coloring and beat until combined. Decorate: Place cake-pan layer on cake stand. Spread 1/2 cup frosting over top. Place bowl cake on top, flat side down. Spoon remaining frosting into pastry bag fitted with small star tip. Starting along bottom of cake, pipe frosting to look like squiggly hair. Add sprinkles in random pattern. Attach yellow round jelly to one end of Twizzler to make leg and foot. Insert other end of Twizzler into side of cake. Repeat to make 7 more legs. To make eyes, wrap doughnut jellies around lollipops, pipe dot of frosting onto each lollipop and attach marshmallow, then attach M&M to each marshmallow for pupils. Insert lollipops into top of cake. Trim licorice to make antennae, stick marshmallow onto ends, and insert into cake. Shape red taffy into mouth, and cut out fangs from white taffy. Press fangs in mouth; attach mouth to cake. Press jellybean into cake to make nose. 10/01

Copyright© 2004. Reprinted with permission from the October 2001 issue of Parents magazine.

Kid's top 100 books

Kids' top 100 books

http://www.nea.org/readacross/resources/kidsbooks
This list was tabulated from an online survey that ran at this web site from November 1, 1999 through February 1, 2000. The results leave no doubt that America's kids LOVE to read. You might want to compare this with Teachers' Top 100 Books for Children.

1. Harry Potter (series) by J. K. Rowling
2. Goosebumps (series) by R. L. Stine
3. Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss
4. The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss
5. Arthur (series) by Marc Brown
6. Charlotte's Web by E. B. White
7. Shiloh (trilogy) by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
8. Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
9. Holes by Louis Sachar
10. The Giver by Lois Lowry
11. The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis
12. Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing (series) by Judy Blume
13. Sideways Stories from Wayside School (series) by Louis Sachar
14. The BFG by Roald Dahl
15. The Boxcar Children (series) by Gertrude Chandler Warner
16. One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish by Dr. Seuss
17. Ramona Quimby, Age 8 (series) by Beverly Cleary
18. Pokemon (series) by Tracey West, Maria S. Barbo
19. The Babysitters Club (series) by Ann M. Martin
20. Ralph S. Mouse (series) by Beverly Cleary
21. Little House on the Prairie (series) by Laura Ingalls Wilder
22. Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein
23. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
24. The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
25. Clifford the Big Red Dog (series) by Norman Bridwell
26. Stuart Little by E. B. White
27. Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
28. The Adventures of Captain Underpants (series) by Dav Pilkey
29. The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg
30. The Berenstain Bears (series) by Jan and Stan Berenstain
31. Animorphs (series) by K. A. Applegate
32. The Witches by Roald Dahl
33. Nancy Drew Mystery Stories by Carolyn Keene
34. The Hobbit (series) by J. R. R. Tolkien
35. American Girls (series) by Susan Adler, Valerie Tripp, Connie Porter, Janet Shaw, et al
36. Matilda by Roald Dahl
37. The Call of the Wild by Jack London
38. The Foot Book by Dr. Seuss
39. How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss
40. James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
41. Junie B. Jones (series) by Barbara Park
42. Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardiner
43. Falling Up by Shel Silverstein
44. A Wrinkle in Time (series) by Madeleine L'Engle
45. Brian's Winter by Gary Paulsen
46. Amber Brown (series) by Paula Danziger
47. The North Star by Peter H. Reynolds
48. Have a Nice Day: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks by Mick Foley (Mankind)
49. Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
50. The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton
51. A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein
52. Chicken Soup for the Soul (series) by various authors
53. Curious George (series) by Margret and Hans Augusto Rey
54. The Teacher from the Black Lagoon (series) by Mike Thaler
55. If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Joffe Numeroff
56. The Bailey School Kids (series) by Debbie Dadey, et al
57. The Hardy Boys (series) by Franklin W. Dixon
58. The Mitten by Jan Brett
59. Amelia Bedelia (series) by Peggy Parish
60. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien
61. Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell
62. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
63. Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard Atwater
64. The River by Gary Paulsen
65. Magic Tree House (series) by Mary Pope Osborne
66. The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by John Scieszka
67. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
68. Hop on Pop by Dr. Seuss
69. The Complete Tales of Winnie the Pooh by A. A. Milne
70. Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
71. Redwall by Brian Jacques
72. The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson
73. Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
74. Wringer by Jerry Spinelli
75. Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume
76. Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary
77. Summer of the Monkeys by Wilson Rawls
78. Sweet Valley High (series) by Francine Pascal
79. The Adventures of Mary-Kate and Ashley (series) by Judy Katschke, Cathy Dobowski, Lisa Eisenberg, Nancy E. Krulik, Nina Alexander, Frances Lin Lantz, et al
80. Garfield (series) by Jim Davis
81. Magic School Bus (series) by Joanna Cole
82. Math Curse by John Scieszka
83. White Fang by Jack London
84. I Spy (series) by Walter Wick, Jean Marzollo, Diana Noonan, et al
85. Love You Forever by Robert N. Munsch
86. My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George
87. The Trumpet of the Swan by E. B. White
88. Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech
89. Draw 50 Airplanes, Aircraft and Spacecraft (series) by Lee J. Ames
90. Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
91. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
92. The Rock Says by Dwayne Johnson (The Rock)
93. Tikki Tikki Tembo by Arlene Mosel
94. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
95. All About Sam by Lois Lowry
96. Black Beauty by Anna Sewell
97. Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
98. Hank the Cow Dog (series) by John R. Erickson
99. Piggie Pie by Margie Palatini
100. Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia
MacLachlanhttp://www.nea.org/readacross/resources/kidsbooks

Toddler Squeaky Shoes

Born in Mommy's Heart has a great selection of both girls
and boys squeaky shoes and sandals at prices you can afford!

http://www.borninmommysheart.com

info@borninmommysheart.com

Squeaker Shoes are fun for toddlers and babies because they contain squeakers in the soles. Your toddler won't want to leave the house without them!

Diaper Dude - Diaper Bags for Dads

Diaper bags designed with dad in mind. A cool, hip, funky diaper bag that comes complete with changing pad, cell phone holder and key ring for dads on the go.

http://www.diaperbags.com/store/html/Diaper_Dude/1.html

Keeping Our Children Healthy and Safe

The average baby will go through 5,000 diaper changes before he or she is toilet trained. Americans throw away 18 billion diapers each year, making them the third largest source of solid waste in the nation's landfills. Most people spend 90 percent of their time indoors. This figure can be as high as 95 percent for newborns—a group that is particularly sensitive to indoor air pollution because of their small, developing bodies. Although breast milk is the ideal food source for newborns and infants, it can contain high levels of contaminants from the mother's body, including traces of DDT and other pesticides that were banned decades ago in the U.S. and many other countries. Some baby bottles and nipples are made of plastics that contain chemicals that are known to disrupt the hormone system—include phthalates in polyvinylchloride (PVC) plastic, and bisphenol-A in polycarbonate plastics.

The European Union has banned the use of soft PVC plastic in pacifiers, bite rings, and other teething toys. Mattel Inc., a leading toy manufacturer, also recently pledged to remove PVC from its products and to switch to plant-based plastics. In 1991, UNICEF and the World Health Organization launched the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) to ensure that all maternities—whether free standing or in hospitals—become centers of breastfeeding support. A designated “baby-friendly” maternity facility doesn't accept free or lowcost breast milk substitutes, feeding bottles, or teats and implements specific steps to support successful breastfeeding. Since the BFHI began, more than 15,000 facilities in 134 countries have been awarded baby-friendly status. In Cuba, where 49 of the country's 56 hospitals and maternity facilities are baby-friendly, the rate of exclusive breastfeeding at four months almost tripled in six years—from 25 percent in 1990 to 72 percent in 1996. Organic baby food is one of the fastest growing segments of the organic food market, and the range of selections is expanding rapidly. U.S. supermarket sales of organic baby food increased nearly 2,200 percent between 1989 and 1995—from $1 million to $25 million—while overall baby food sales grew just 20 percent, to $1 billion. The British Soil Association reported in 2003 that 75 percent of British babies now eat organic baby food on a regular basis. In the late 1990s, the German baby food manufacturer Hipp converted all of its production lines to organic—making it one of the world’s leading organic food processors.

If you're expecting a baby or planning on breastfeeding, minimize your exposure to pesticides, paints, heavy metals, and other toxins that may accumulate in body tissue. When changing a diaper, use soaps without strong fragrances, colorings, or detergents, which can be harsh on skin. Avoid commercial baby wipes that contain alcohol, fragrances, and other irritants. Try using biodegradable diapers or reusable cloth diapers to minimize the burden on landfills. When buying baby toys, look for items made without PVC and other plastics. If you're buying gifts for new or expecting parents, expose them to the wide array of alternatives to standard baby toys, clothing, and accessories—including sleepers made from organic cotton, toys made from non-dyed wood, or baby soaps made without synthetic ingredients.

Commit to making at least two environmental improvements in the baby products you purchase, such as switching to biodegradable diapers or organic baby food.

Courtesy of World Watch Institute
http://www.worldwatch.org/node/1478