Even though books can sometimes present a silly story, they can also teach life lessons. That is exactly what we experienced at our Kids Book Club meeting this month, when the kids learned all about the difference between WANTING something and NEEDING it. We watched and listened to Cosmic Kids Zen Den (from the people behind Cosmic Kids Yoga, who help kids with mindfulness) about Getting Wanty, all about what happens when we don’t get what we want. The video clip also presents a way to choose a positive alternative to throwing a tantrum about it. You can watch the video clip here:
We then watched and listened to a reading of The Giving Tree, written by Shel Silverstein. The book suited our theme very well. The story starts off with the boy coming every day to eat apples from the tree, swing from her branches, or slide down her trunk, and the tree was so happy to provide for the boy to make him happy! As the boy grew older, his needs grew bigger, and it became more challenging for the generous tree to meet his needs, but she kept on giving. It is a beautiful, moving parable that offers an affecting interpretation of the gift of giving and a serene acceptance of another’s capacity to love in return. As one of our mommy members commented, it parallels the love of a mother for her children. The story opened up a discussion about the Earth as our provider and taking care of its resources – only taking what we need, not all that we want – keeping our “wanty-ness” in check. David, one of the little boys in our Book Club, proudly stated that “if we don’t have any fish to eat, we loose our source of protein”!
You can watch the video clip here:
Leigh, our hostess, also engaged the kids with a book called PEEPO by Janet and Allan Ahlberg, written in beautiful, catchy rhyme and repetition. The book allows a little peek into the day and life of a little baby – how he sees the things around him (or her). The book engages little readers – the pictures are full of detail, things to look at and point out, and there is a circle cut out of the pages that allow the reader to see what the baby sees (what’s written in the rhyme). Peepo was first published in 1981, and is an all-time favourite!
