"There is no living thing that is not afraid when it faces danger. The true courage is in facing danger when you are afraid." ~ L. Frank Baum … [Read more...]
Glinda the Magical Pokemon Trainer of Oz and the Pikachu Princess in Black…
This year the girls wanted Pokemon costumes. The idea was partly fuelled by their obsession with watching Pokemon on Netflix, and partly by the fact that they had seen a "make your own Pikachu costume" section in their Chirp magazine. The 5 year old brought September's magazine to me, folded carefully open to display the magazine's idea for a Pikachu costume. "This is what I … [Read more...]
I Made a Connection With a Stranger on Instagram and It Landed Me Back in Oz
Sometimes social media rocks. Sometimes it connects you with other people in unexpected ways, and ends up brightening everything up. The company my husband works for is shut down while Chrysler retools their Windsor plant. The fact that they are reinvesting here in Windsor is fantastic. The fact that they are retooling means they will likely be building automobiles here in … [Read more...]
The ONE magic ingredient you need to make a Scarecrow Costume in 10 minutes or Less
For Halloween, my Oz loving girls asked if they could be the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodsman. The seven year old had a clear vision of her Tin Woodman costume and some pretty elaborate ideas involving cardboard boxes and tinfoil. I was left wondering how I was going to turn her younger sister into the scarecrow. I had some ideas involving making straw out of yellow felt, or.... … [Read more...]
O is for… Once Upon a Time in the Land of Oz!
Of course "O" is for Oz, in this household how could it be anything else? I think most of you are already well aware of how much Rainbow and I love the original Oz books. Reading a chapter from "Dorothy-Toto" has been part of our nightly bedtime routine for well over two years now. Since L. Frank Baum's Oz stories were written over 100 years … [Read more...]
Curious Mom asks… Are you taking your kids to go see Oz The Great and Powerful?
My five year old daughter doesn't read yet. She recognizes a handful of words, Mom, Dad, her name, her sister's name, and Oz. She's crazy about the Oz books, which we're still reading each night at bedtime. She often looks over my shoulder when I'm online, and she has noticed ads for Oz the Great and Powerful. Of course she read the word "Oz", and instantly became interested, … [Read more...]
Follow Me Down the Yellow Brick Road: A Round Up of All Things Oz Related
I'm all about Oz this week. Actually, I'll all about Oz on pretty much a daily basis, as G-Girl and I are still reading through the original series for a second time. But I find Oz on my mind even more then usual, as I'm obsessing on the new Disney prequel coming out this weekend. So I've been browsing around the net, collecting Oz related things that catch my fancy. You can … [Read more...]
A couple of reasons why I’m looking forward to seeing Oz The Great and Powerful…
I'm not usually the type to head out on opening night to see a flick. In fact I rarely see movies in the theater at all. But this one has me ridiculously excited and here's why: First, the soundtrack. It's by my one of my all time favourite composers, Danny Elfman. Almost reason enough to line up right there. Secondly, the China Girl character. Let me explain... If you … [Read more...]
The Sea Fairies by L. Frank Baum ~ delightful children’s classic from the author of The Wizard of Oz
We just finished reading The Sea Fairies by L. Frank Baum. It's one of Baum's non-Oz book. It's also now one of my favourite children's books ever. The descriptions of the mermaids and the underwater life were fantastic, and Zog the Magician was one of the most deliciously evil villains I've encountered in quite some time. This book was a delight to read aloud and share with … [Read more...]
On the importance of daydreams…
This week, March 6th, marks World Read Aloud Day. So in honour of one of my favourite books to read aloud, here is a quote from L. Frank Baum on the importance of imagination and daydreams both to a child's development and to the development of society. "Some of my youthful readers are developing wonderful imaginations. This pleases me. Imagination has brought mankind … [Read more...]
What Comes After The Wizard? – How to share Baum’s Oz books with your kids, & What should you read next?
Each night at bedtime I read my daughter a chapter from a "big kids" storybook. Over the past year and a half we've worked our way through all fourteen of the original Oz books, and then went on to read a handful of other assorted children's classics. However, by request we've ended up back with "DorothyToto" each night before bed. We are currently on our second go … [Read more...]
Bedtime Conversations in the Land of Oz…
As I mentioned before I’ve been reading the Oz books to my three year old. Each night at bedtime Rainbow and I read a chapter. Right now we're reading book five, Road to Oz. Some interesting conversations have come about from these bedtime reads… In the second book in the series, The Land of Oz, there is an uprising and General Jinjur removes the Scarecrow from the … [Read more...]
Bedtime Stories…
I began reading chapter books at bedtime a little after Rainbow's third birthday. We started with Winnie the Pooh. I wasn’t sure if she was old enough yet, or if it would keep her attention, but she LOVED it. The serial, cliff hanger nature, the I wonder what will happen next aspect, and the waiting to read the next chapter tomorrow, has her completely hooked. When she’s … [Read more...]