Play – Wineberry Wood Press

23Jun 2025 by catbird No Comments

“Living Bridges: The Hidden World of India’s Woven Trees”

Craft Project, Earth Day, get outside, Learning, Nature Art, Picture Book Buds, Play, Summer

Picture Book Buds are a fun and easy way to incorporate literacy into nature study. Read a book (you can even read it outside!) and then enjoy the related activity and snack suggestions! Living Bridges: The Hidden World of India's Woven Trees Written by: Sandhya Acharya Illustrated by: Avani Dwivedi I was excited about Living Bridges: The Hidden World of India's Woven Trees the minute I heard it was coming out-- what a fun topic for a picture book! I didn't learn about the living bridges of India until well into adulthood, but I was immediately transfixed and I can only imagine how amazing knowledge of these bridges must feel for kids. The story walks through the process of making and tending the bridges, or jingkeieng jri, in broad strokes…

05May 2025 by catbird No Comments

“My Love for You is Like the Night Sky”

Full Moon, get outside, Hike Ideas, Picture Book Hikes, Play, STEAM

Picture Book Hikes are a fun and easy way to bring learning outside. Read a book (you can even read it outside!) and then enjoy the related hike, activity and snack suggestions! My Love for You is Like the Night Sky Written & illustrated by: by Laura Smetana My Love for You is Like the Night Sky is a lovely, lyrical story about how much a parent loves their kiddo. Gentle, spare text full of night sky and space metaphors, (glittering galaxies! full moons!) make this a fun book to introduce younger friends to moon phases, constellations, and the solar system. A perfect wind down/ bedtime book, Laura's beautiful illustrations could also be a jumping off point for a moon study. Thank you to Flying Cardinal Press for providing this book…

13Mar 2025 by catbird No Comments

“What the Crow Saw Below”

Book Buds, Craft Project, Learning, Picture Book Buds, Play, STEAM

Picture Book Buds are a fun and easy way to incorporate literacy into nature study. Read a book (you can even read it outside!) and then enjoy the related activity and snack suggestions! What the Crow Saw Below Written by: Robert Tregoning, Illustrated by: Greg Stobbs What the Crow Saw Below is a new book that I was able to read as an arc copy. I was excited to get my hands on it because I love crows and the illustrations are freaking awesome. For some reason there have been a whole slew of crow picture books lately and I haven't been terribly excited with any of them until now. (In fairness I haven't gotten to them all yet..) But, back to this book, honestly I would recommend it based…

30Jan 2025 by catbird No Comments

“Over and Under the Snow”

Craft Project, Hike Ideas, Learning, Picture Book Buds, Picture Book Hikes, Play, Recipes, STEAM, Winter

Picture Book Buds are a fun and easy way to incorporate literacy into nature study. Read a book (you can even read it outside!) and then enjoy the related activity and snack suggestions! Over and Under the Snow Written by: Kate Messner, Illustrated by: Christopher Silas Neal Over and Under the Snow is a classic winter time picture book read. It manages to be both fun to read and packed with information about what various animals do to survive during the winter, making it great for mixed age groups. I always include it in my hibernation study recommendations, but where is really shines in my opinion is in it's description of the Subnivean Zone. The hibernators seem to get all the love this time of year, and all while the shrews, mice…

29Dec 2024 by catbird No Comments

“Yours, Befana: A Letter from the Winter Witch”

Craft Project, Folklore, Picture Book Buds, Play, Recipes, Twelfth Night, Winter

Picture Book Buds are a fun and easy way to incorporate literacy into nature study. Read a book (you can even read it outside!) and then enjoy the related activity and snack suggestions! Yours, Befana: A Letter from the Winter Witch Written by: Barbara Cuoghi, Illustrated by: Elenia Beretta, Translated by: Genni Gunn Yours, Befana: A Letter from the Winter Witch is a picture book that has been translated from its original Italian which tells the story of Befana the Winter Witch. If you have read my blog before you may know that I am a huge fan of Befana (check out my Befana bread here) and always include her in our Twelfth Night festivities, I have even considered writing a picture book about her because all of the ones that…

26Dec 2024 by catbird No Comments

NYE Activity Tree & New Year’s Eve with Kids

Craft Project, New Year's Eve, Play

New Years Eve. To be honest I have never been that into this holiday, it just feels like a lot when every fiber of my being is telling me it’s time to rest. I actually enjoy it more now with kids than I ever did when I felt pressure to be out and about though. At first glance it brings to mind champagne and party dresses, but as we have established our routine over the years, its gone from being something I don't want to deal with to one of my favorite family celebrations. New Year’s Eve for us has evolved into a night of family games, nature and fun fortune telling activities. We started off years ago with one of those "do an activity every hour countdowns," that are…

26Dec 2024 by catbird No Comments

New Year’s Eve Chocolate Piñatas

New Year's Eve, Play, Recipes

By New Year's Eve I am pretty tapped out. Strangely though, it's become one of my favorite holidays to celebrate with my family. My kids love it and I do way less in preparation. We have what I lovingly call "tiny dinner" which is a bunch of store bought appetizers heated up throughout the night at pretty random intervals. My kids love this, probably more than any of the huge homemade meals I make for the other holidays. We have adapted that "do an activity every hour" pinterest stalwart to do a bunch of activities at completely random intervals until we get tired and go to sleep. We do a bunch of fortune telling games and activities for the new year. (You can read more about some of our traditions…

02Dec 2024 by catbird 1 Comment

Pretty Plentiful & Pleasant Pomanders

Craft Project, Play, Recipes, Simmer Pot, Winter, Winter Solstice

Sorry! Sometimes I have to give in to my terrible alliteration tendencies. This post is all about pomanders in every form. I love the smell of oranges and cloves together more than most things-- it's one of those things I never get tired of. So I decided to go nuts and collect a whole bunch of the various pomander projects I've done over the years in one convenient place! Pomander balls have been associated with Christmas and/or Winter Solstice for some time, but that isn’t how they originated. We think of them as oranges studded with cloves, but in medieval Europe, people would keep little satchels of herbs on them because most everyone and everything smelled bad. They became a status symbol and the wealthier you were the fancier your…

19Nov 2024 by catbird No Comments

“Owl Moon”

Craft Project, Picture Book Buds, Picture Book Hikes, Play, Recipes, Winter, Winter Solstice

Picture Book Buds are a fun and easy way to incorporate literacy into nature study. Read a book (you can even read it outside!) and then enjoy the related activity and snack suggestions! Owl Moon Written by: Jane Yolen Illustrated by: John Schoenherr Owl Moon is a classic winter story about a young girl and her father going for a walk at night. They are hoping to see some owls and her excitement at staying up late like a big kid is palpable. I am also always struck by her desire to keep quiet so as not to scare off potential owls, that struggle for a young child to be quiet and observant is something so many parents will immediately recognize, and it's so beautifully detailed. This one is a classic…

18Nov 2024 by catbird 1 Comment

Peppercorn Owls

Craft Project, Nature Art, Nature Table, Play, Winter, Winter Solstice

When I saw that the Plant Wonder Collective November plant of the month was peppercorn I was a bit stymied. I have committed to making a craft with each plant each month and the more culinary herbs are often tough. I had used tri-color peppercorns in my spice mosaic ornaments a few years ago, so I decided to make a twist on those. As I was sifting through cookie cutters looking for inspiration, the owl cutter jumped out at me-- the colors were perfect and it would make the cutest winter decoration! And so peppercorn owls were born. They are adorable as ornaments, make the sweetest gift tags, and my favorite way to use them was the owl moon garland I made by stringing them with dried moonwort seedheads. The…

Category: Play