Fighting the winter cold with books

With more snowy and cold days ahead, I thought it might be fun to reminisce about warmer temperatures. I realized I never completed a post about the children’s books we found while on our vacation on the breathtaking island of Maui, Hawaii. Although, I did make a scrapbook of our vacation for my husband as his Christmas present, which was a fun trip down memory lane. Sadly, the closest thing to Maui for us these days is snuggled up together watching Disney’s Moana. The pictures from our trip just don’t do it justice! However, every time I pick up one of the stories we purchased for the kids—I can picture it all so clearly. The waves roaring against the jet-black lava rocks. The crystal-clear water enveloping us as we swim next to enormous sea turtles. Hiking along the coastline with my person and trying to honor the history of the people and the island; enchanted.

We probably went a little overboard with the number of books we got the kids, but I’m a sucker for a cute story and books last a lot longer than souvenir t-shirts. Below are the books we bought for the kids. I put stars next to the books we seem to keep reading every couple of days.

*What Makes Me Brave? By Heidi Howarth and Daniel Howarth

              A cute story about the sea turtle’s “brave” journey from the beach to the ocean. This is a good one to read if your child is nervous about starting something new and you want to discuss bravery.

Goodnight, Goodnight, Lahaina Town by Jim Mayfield

              Cute board book that says goodnight to different landmarks or important things on the island.

Aloha is… by Tammy Paikai

              This book explains the meaning of “aloha” and what special meaning the word caries.

* Ultimate Spotlight: Volcanoes by Sandra Laboucarie

              This is an interactive lift the flap book all about volcanoes. It has a lot of cool facts about how they are formed, what scientists use to test seismic activity, magma within the Earth etc. This is one of Tucker’s favorite books and one he continues to request to bring when we travel. This book lends itself well to watching videos of eruptions and making your own volcanic science experiments. (I have included instructions for a quick and easy at home volcano experiment to do outside during your next big snowfall.)

If you ever get the chance to visit any of the magnificent Hawaiian Islands, please go, the long flight is worth it, I promise! Until then, check one of these sweet stories with the kiddos then cuddle up with an enticing beach read by the fire. Stay warm, friends and as always, happy reading.

Baking Soda and Snow Volcano Instructions

Supplies:

1.       Snow

2.       Baking soda (about 2 T)

3.       Vinegar

4.       Food Coloring (few drops of red or whatever color you prefer)

5.       Plastic Cup

How to:

1.       Combine baking soda and food coloring in cup and mold snow in the shape of  a volcano around the cup.

2.       Pour vinegar into the cup and watch the magic (science) happen!

Note: I have seen online that adding a little bit of dish soap to the cup helps thicken the “lava” but I haven’t personally tried that addition.

Let me know if any of you try this experiment at home and what you and the kiddos thought of it in the comments!!