Books of the Week- Pets

There was no question in my mind as to which book Eva would pick as her favorite this week.  We read Love That Puppy by Jeff Jarka many, many times this week.

This is the story of an ordinary boy named Peter who one day decides to become a dog.  The humor is perfect for toddlers (with some laughs for parents thrown in too) and the illustrations are adorable.  When I asked Eva what she liked about the book, she said, "Peter pretends to be a dog but he's not a dog.  Silly Peter!"

As for my choice, Daddy and I both loved the story The Best Pet of All by David LaRochelle.

In this book a little boy really wants a pet dog but his mom won't let him have one.  So he asks her for a dragon instead.  His mother tells him that if he can find a dragon, he can have it for a pet but it turns out that dragons do not make very good pets.  Only one thing will help get rid of the dragon but you'll have to read the book to find out what it is.

Pet Week Wrap-up

We made the best pet of all this week.  It doesn't make a mess, it doesn't make noise and you can cuddle it all you want- a pet rock!  We began by selecting a rock during a walk through the park.  Then Eva picked out a color to paint it- you guessed it, turquoise!

When the rock was dry, we added googly eyes and a smile and now we have a pet that doesn't need to be fed anything more than hugs.
We also made a fish bowl inspired by our friends at Meet the Dubiens.  Using different colored ink pads, Eva made a fingerprint fish bowl complete with goldfish, sea weed and water on a white paper plate.

Little Veterinarian

Dr. Eva's animal hospital is open for business.  We spent the afternoon caring for sick dogs, rabbits and even a frog.  Eva gave each animal a thorough examination

and then they got to rest a little.

Our friend Miss Jenny stopped by (thanks for reading our blog!) and brought Eva some stickers.  She used the pet stickers to create a fun little scene with Daddy (thank you for reading the blog too!).

Dog Puppet

We transformed an ordinary white business envelope into a Woofer puppet this afternoon.  To begin I sealed the envelope, folded it in half with the sealed part on the inside and cut a slit along the outside fold.  Eva colored the inside with a red crayon and glued in a tongue.

Then we glued on a piece of black construction paper cut to look like Woofer's mask and ears and a black circle for the nose.  Googly eyes completed our mini-Woof.

You can slide your fingers into the envelope slit and make the mouth open and close.

I think the resemblance is uncanny!

Happy Birthday Woofer!

Today is our dog Woofer's 14th birthday.  We will be celebrating pets all week in her honor.

Crafts
Dog Puppet- we will transform an envelope into a pretend Woofer like the one seen here

Paper Plate Fish Bowl- we'll be borrowing an idea from our friends at Meet the Dubiens and using finger prints to create a fish scene

Pet Rock- the best kind of pet to have- no noise, no mess!

Pet Costumes- we'll craft some ears and tails so we can dress up like cats and bunnies

Small Motor Activities
Digging for Bones- there will be some dog bones hidden in the sensory tub for Eva to dig up (and share with Woofer!)

Pretend Play
Veterinarian- Eva's doctor kit will come in handy when examining sick pets and helping them get healthy

Field Trip
Pet Store- we'll head to the local pet store to see some of the usual pets (fish, dogs, cats) and check out some of the more exotic ones as well

Songs
B-I-N-G-O
I'm Bringing Home a Baby Bubble Bee
How Much is that Doggy in the Window

Books