Fun Stuff Inspired by Harriet

Dear Parents, I'm glad you are here with your child.

I hope you find some of the below activities fun and entertaining.

Play the Cloud Game

These 3 activities are inspired from Book 1 : Gold Glitter in the Air.

Have you ever looked up in the sky before and noticed a cloud was shaped like something? Maybe it looked like a dragon? Well then, you have played the cloud game.

You can lay out in the yard and gaze up into the sky and search for clouds that look like things.

I love the clouds that are big and fluffy! Did you know that there are different types of clouds? And they have their own names? Cumulus are the fluffy ones and Cirrus are thin and feather like.

Look at this cool website I found. You can learn more about clouds and weather. https://www.weatherwizkids.com/weather-clouds.htm

Water

Who loves the water? I do!

When we think of playing in water, our most common thought might be: you have to drive to the beach, lake or a pool. But what if no one has the time to do that?

Let's think of other ways to play with water!

1)Sprinklers are fun to play in

2)Go out and jump in the puddles after a storm. OR if there is no lightening, dance in the puddles while it is raining.

I did that once with an umbrella in my hand. The wind picked up, and lifted me right off of the ground! Or was that just my imagination?

3)A Water table

4)Water balloon toss

Let's get creative

Everyone can create!

It used to upset me that I couldn't paint. But, I found out that I can write. That is just a different way to express myself. I wasted a lot of time wishing I could do something versus finding out what I was good at.

What would you like to create?

Don't think, "I can't". Just try. Who cares what it looks like. You may surprise yourself and find you have a hidden talent.

What interests you? Drawing? Painting? Writing stories? Do you like molding clay?

Do you want to learn how to knit or sew? What about wood working? Maybe you can build a bird house with an adult buddy?

Scavenger Hunt

These 3 activities are inspired from Book 2: A Trail of Gold.

Explore your yard or local park for nature's treasures.

The animals who live there are having their own daily scavenger hunt for food and fresh nesting materials. Animals like squirrels and chipmunks look for things like nuts and seeds. Insects like Harriet are collecting pollen.

Walk around your yard and see what items you can find. Then lay them out and study them. Notice their colors and textures. Do the animals use it for food, shelter, or their nest?

Just Watch

Critter watching is so much fun! Be sure to watch my video below of a momma robin feeding her baby a worm! Animals are both funny & interesting to watch.

Find a comfy place to quietly sit and wait. A blanket fort where you can lay down inside and hide is perfect. Grab a pair of binoculars to secretly watch the comings and goings of your backyard friends.

Birds can be tricky - you often hear them but can't see them. Listen carefully. Look for movement in the trees or bushes. You will eventually find them.

Road Trip

Road trips are fun! You can discover interesting things when you venture out together. Pack a picnic lunch and visit a park or lake. Or maybe visit a zoo or aquarium.

What places are you interested in going to? Before you go, think about what questions you would like to ask. Normally there is a person there, happy to answer your questions.

You can also plan your visit when they have a special event. This photo was taken at a local farm during their Sunflower Festival.

You can easily find events in your

area by searching online.

More Fun Stuff!

Recipes In the Books

Outdoor Fun with Friends

These 3 activities are inspired from Book 3: Underground Trouble.

Grab a friend or sibling and play a game of tag or hide and seek. I'm sure you have your favorite games but if you want something new just ask your parents what they played when they were children.

Here is a little list of suggestions that are fun no matter your age:

Blowing bubbles
Jump rope
Tic - Tac - Toe with Chalk
Soccer
Shoot Hoops
Ride Bikes
Skateboard
Rollerblade
Build an imaginary world with a blanket fort

Bird Watching

Bird watching may sound nerdy - but it is so interesting!

You don't need to use binoculars to watch birds - but they are fun to use.

You can bird/or animal watch most anywhere, even in a city. Animals have lost much of their natural habitat. So they have learned to live around us.

I have an Opossum living under my deck. I love having him here. He eats ticks and other insects, so he is very useful. Plus he is cute. Will I try to pet him? NO - he is a wild animal.

Always watch animals from a safe distance and let an adult know you are outside watching for animals.

Go Fishing

Harriet and her friends love the water and so do I.

Fishing is just one of many fun water activities to try.

If you don't have any fishing equipment, no worries. Go to a park and have a picnic near by the water. Then look for what animals live there. You might see fish, crayfish, ducks or geese.

And remember to look to the sky! Look for birds and or play the cloud game.

Then relax and close your eyes. What do you hear?
What do you smell?
Do you feel the warmth of the sun or a cool breeze on your skin?

Fun in the Rain

These 3 activities are inspired from Book 4: Rainy Day Fun

Why are we afraid to get wet?

Going out in the rain can be a lot of fun. I guarantee you will be laughing. It is so different!

Parent's do know best - it may be too cold or there may be lightening. So don't be upset if they say no.

But if they say yes: go splash and stomp in the puddles. Open a pretend bakery and make mud pies. I know you are older now, but pretend play is fun no matter what your age.

Always stay young at heart!

Fun in the Kitchen

Ok, so maybe playing outdoors in the rain didn't sound fun to you. Remember, we are all different. And that makes life interesting!

What about making some yummy cookies? Or your favorite dessert?

Or helping to make dinner?

Yes, you are smaller, but if you are willing to help there are many ways to do so.

Here are the four nicest words a person can say: How Can I Help?

Suggestion:

In the book 'Rainy Day Fun' I have a recipe for Honey Drop Cookies. You can also find the recipe by clicking on the link on this page.

They are delicious and easy to make.

Day Dreaming

Some days go by so quickly. We have so much to do. School, homework, activities and more.

Take time to relax & day dream!

Like Harriet, find your favorite thinking position. Maybe you have a favorite stuffie or pillow you like to hold?

The best part of day dreaming is you can do it ANYWHERE.

In your bed

In a tree

In your yard

In the car

On the coach

In a blanket fort

When you think - you are opening your heart and mind to possibilities.

Your Special Place

These 3 activities are inspired from Book 5: Hooting Owl & Shooting Stars

We all have times when we just need a break! You may be frustrated with a math problem or sad that a friend just moved away.

Harriet and Grace need a break as well. They are not feeling their usual fun selves. So they go to the pond to relax and feel better.

When you are trying to feel better, do you like to listen to music, or do you prefer peace and quiet?

Do you like to hold a squishy pillow or stuffed animal? Or maybe just talking to your dog or pet goldfish makes you feel better.

Do you have a special place to go when you need a break?

Find your place.

It may be sitting under a tree, or laying on your bedroom floor looking up at your ceiling. Or maybe swinging. Let the wind blow away your blues and bring back your smile.

Ghost Helpers

What did you think of Grace's idea to name the friends, Ghost Helpers?

I hope it made you chuckle. I also hope it made you think about how you can help someone. Not because you were told to, but because you want to.

First: Think of something nice you can do to help.

Here are a few ideas: rake the yard; take out the trash; help with dinner dishes. Talk to the adults in your house, I'm sure they have some ideas too.

Second: Who can you get on your team to help? Maybe a parent, or a sister or brother? Or a friend?

Maybe your entire family becomes "Ghost Helpers"!

Discuss what you can do together to help someone else. Maybe a neighbor needs help planting her garden?

You are much bigger than Harriet, Grace and Sergio, so maybe you will be seen. But that is ok.

You will make a big impact with your little acts of kindness.

Star Gazing

In Hooting Owl & Shooting Stars Harriet and Grace follow the hoot of an owl and discover a whole new world - the night sky.

Gather the family and go out and enjoy the night sky! In the back of Hooting Owl & Shooting stars there is a night time scavenger hunt to have fun with.

NASA has an amazing website that will help your family discover what is going to be in the sky each month and night.

https://science.nasa.gov/skywatching/

Grab the chairs and blankets! Make some popcorn or smores. While you wait for the starts to emerge play a game.

My favorite game to play while sitting around camping was "I'm going on a picnic." Have you played it? It is a memorization game.

I will start - I'm going on a picnic and I am bringing an apple.

Your turn - I'm going on a picnic and I'm bringing an apple and a boat.

Your friends turn - I'm going on a picnic and I'm bringing an apple, a boat, and a cat.

You just keep going till you reach Z.

Have a wonderful evening!

Don't forget to say a wish when you see your first shooting star!

Crisis in the Chrysalis Cover_edited_edited.jpg

Hunt for a Chrysalis

These 3 activities are inspired from Book 6: Crisis in the Chrysalis

During the spring and summer we see caterpillars every where. Minding their own business and crawling along a leaf or limb of a tree.

But I rarely stop and wonder what butterfly will this one turn into? Do you?

It's funny how life just goes on around us and sometimes we don't stop to think about it.

Mr. Caterpillar just does his thing with no one noticing.

After Grace shares her metamorphosis story with Harriet and takes her to see a butterfly nursery, now I want to find a chrysalis!

They can be hard to find but here are some places to look: under a leaf, hanging from a branch, under a fence railing.

Remember, before you go poking around in the yard ask someone if it's ok - there may be areas you shouldn't go.

Good Luck!!

Cherry Dump Cake

Harriet and Grace spend much of their spring and summer taking care of their cherry tree. In "Crisis in the Chrysalis" the cherries are ripe and the girls are excited to bake something with them.

Cherry Dump Cake!

Grace doesn't think it's going to taste good after they make it, but when it comes out of the oven she has changed her mind!

Bake at 375 for 50-55 minutes

Tools: Adult Baking Buddy, Oven Mitts, Cooking Spray, 9x13 baking pan.

Ingredient list: 1 stick of unsalted butter – sliced; a Box of Yellow Cake Mix; Frozen Cherries; honey.

Optional ingredients: nuts, granola, pie filling

Step 1 – Spray your pan and spread the frozen cherries on bottom of pan (or any fruit pie filling)

Step 2 – Dump 2/3 of the cake mix over the cherries (or substitute a granola for a crispier top)

Step 3 – Spread the pats of butter over the top of the cake mix

Step 4 – Drizzle honey over the top

Step 5 – Sprinkle optional nuts over the top

Step 6 – Bake for 50 – 55 minutes, until the top is brown, and the cherries are bubbling up.

I hope your Dump Cake is yummy in your tummy!

Dream Box

In Crisis in the Chrysalis, Callum shares his dream - to become an astronaut. Harriet and Grace learn that anyone can have a dream. Callum tells them to think of the things that make you the happiest.

What is a Dream Box?

It is a box that you are going to decorate however you want.

Your Dream Box will be a special place for you to store your treasures. Some of these treasures may be clues to your dream.

Your first baseball, your first pair of ballet shoes, your favorite book, a photograph of a place.

Place a note pad or blank pieces of paper in your box to make notes to yourself. For example, you might write: Today I went to the fair and saw many different animals. It made me very happy. Maybe I want to be an animal doctor?

And never get rid of your box! Every once in a while go through your treasures to enjoy your memories and remember why that was important to you. They could become a roadmap to your dream.

For example: lets say you open that box 8 years later, now you are 16 years old, wondering what you want to be. And when you open your box you find it is filled with rocks. Maybe you should study geology!

What if the box is filled with movie ideas and stories = maybe you should be an author or learn how to make a movie.

I know your Dream Box is going to be very special - just like you!

Can you find the author's mistake in A Risky Rescue!

These 3 activities are inspired from Book 7: A Risky Rescue

No matter if we are 5 or 50 we don't like making mistakes. And I am no exception.

I like to call my mistakes - Oopsies.

Mistakes and oopsies will always happen. How we react to them is more important than the mistake itself. An oopsie gives us a chance to learn and grow.

I was so excited when I received my copy of "A Risky Rescue".

I sat down to read it and felt so proud as I turned the pages of this wonderful little book that made me smile.

I turned another page - and my smile disappeared when I discovered a HUGE mistake staring me in the face!

HOW DID I MISS THIS AFTER SO MANY ROUNDS OF EDITS!

For a minute I was upset and frustrated with myself. Then I laughed!

I thought: does this one error take away from this wonderful book? Does it make the book less of an accomplishment? Will children not enjoy the book because of this little mistake?

Instead of removing my mistake I decided to have fun with it.

I hope this will help you laugh at your oopsies and not be so hard on yourself. We do not have to be perfect.

Here is your challenge:

See if you can find my oopsie in Chapter 2 of "A Risky Rescue".

Write Your Story

The Queen Bee reminds Harriet that she has a story to tell.

We all have a story to tell, even you!

Some people write down their life story and turn it into a book. This type of book is called an auto-biography. And can be very interesting to read.

This activity has two options. You can do one or even both.

1) Read an autobiography of a person you are interested in learning more about. There are auto-biographies that are specifically written for children.

2) Write your own auto-biography! Get a notebook and fill it with all of your stories. Write down everything you like and enjoy doing.

You don't have to sit down like this is homework and do it all at once.

Enjoy writing your story. You can do a little at a time, or sit for hours and write.

As you write more things will come to your mind.

Your story will talk about your past, but you can also write about your dreams for the future.

And this will be something to save forever. It will be so cool to read your "story" years later.

Pitch a Tent

One of my favorite childhood memories was setting up my tent in the back yard.

I would fill it with pillows, blankets, games, and food.

Sometimes I would have friends over for a sleepover. But many days I just hung out in my tent reading by myself.

Ask if you can put up a tent this summer.

If you don't have a tent, you can make one. Ask for an old sheet or blanket that you can throw over a limb of a small tree.

If you don't have anything like that, use your imagination to create your tent.

When you enter your tent it is like entering a different world. Enjoy this special space that you create for yourself.

You could even write your story while out in your tent.

And if the tent thing isn't working out spread a blanket out on the ground and enjoy!

It's all about creating a place for you to enjoy and make some summer memories.

I looked out my window. I noticed this baby robin sitting on the arm of my front porch rocking chair. I watched her for a few minutes. I noticed she was getting excited. She started flapping her wings really fast. And then this happened.
I love how she hears my voice at the end and turns her
head and stares right at me!
Interesting things happen all around us if we take the time to stop and look.
(Be sure to open it up to full screen for best viewing)