Books For 7 Year Old Girls

My hubby and I used to go to Barnes and Noble on pretty much every date.

Then I quit working full time and not being able to buy a book every time we went was a little depressing, so we stopped going there and started hitting the book section in DI. That is fun because you can afford to buy a book, but it led to my being unusually out-of-touch with the current YA fiction market.

I love YA and middle reader books. LOVE THEM. It is what I write, after all, and I used to pride myself on always knowing about/reading all the new books as they came out. I also used to pride myself on being the go-to girl for book recommendations. Not to mention all the people who think of my house as a library. Seriously--I make them write down what they borrow and everything. I own a lot of books.

But you all know how it is. The more kids you have the less time you have to read, the less time you have to read the more selective you are in what you read. The more selective you are the less familiar you become with the market as a whole.

And then that sad day comes (for me it was just before Christmas) when you go to Barnes and Noble for the first time in a loooonnnggg time, and you find yourself staring at your beloved YA shelves with mouth gaping open and a sense that your universe just fell apart.

Because every book on every shelf has a cover picturing a half-naked teenage male vampire.

WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN?????????

Are they really only selling harlequin romances dressed up as YA in the YA section??

I was devastated, actually. That's my genre. My happy place.

Then, when I was still trying to get over my shock in realizing that my happy place will now have to be middle readers, I read several middle readers that had inappropriate sexual material in them. Inappropriate because it is a MIDDLE READER. What in the world?? Since this has all happened around Christmas, I decided it was time to start sharing more good books on this blog as apparently, not that much of great worth is being published these days. (Of course, when my book gets published it will be worth reading . . ..) I didn't realize I'd have to pre-read all Miriam's middle reader books. Grr.

So, without further ado, here are the books that have thrilled Miriam to pieces over the past month.

The Wide-Awake Princess by E.D. Baker. Now, I read this one first to make sure it was decent, and I really liked it. The writing isn't great but the plot is really fun and clever and everything is entirely appropriate for the age group. I have tried to read E.D. Baker before--her Wings: A Fairy Tale appears to have a very clever plot but the writing was so bad that I put it down after three chapters. Baker has improved and I can happily endorse this book for the youngish girl crowd.

Good Luck, Ivy by Lisa Yee I have not read, but Miriam liked it. I have read numerous American Girl books and liked them, so I'm hoping this was equally clean. I checked it out for Miriam for the San Francisco part of our Babies unit.

Miriam adores mysteries so it is no surprise that she is in love with the Cabin Creek Mysteries--all three that she's read. I have not read them myself, but a word of caution. Because Miriam loved the Cabin Creek Mysteries so much, I checked out a bunch of other books by Kristiana Gregory. I read Jenny of the Tetons and quite enjoyed it but did not think my 7 year old needed the sex ed that was included as part of the story (it was very mild but still). So I took it back to the library. Her books are probably all pretty clean (I haven't read any except the Jenny book), but just a small warning that you might want to glance through them first.

Peppermints in the Parlor by Barbara Brooks Wallace is such a great book!!!!! It came up when I was searching for San Francisco and since Miriam loves mysteries, I checked it out. Then I read it. And loved it. Then Miriam read it. And loved it. She still hasn't stopped talking about it. Get it. Read it. Love it.

Some other books I've read lately (not Miriam) and my thoughts: The Sisters Grimm: The Fairy-Tale Detectives by Michael Buckley. I didn't think it was worth the time I spent reading it.

The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy by Jeanne Birdsall. LOVED IT!!!! I am not having Miriam read it because the oldest girl is twelve and has a crush on a teenager and while I think it was handled perfectly and authentically and wonderfully, I still don't think my daughter needs to read it until she is at least ten. No need to give her ideas. Still, if you have older daughters, get it for them. I really loved it.

Graceling by Kristin Cashore. I really enjoyed this book but don't give it a whole-hearted recommendation. It was fun. It kept you flipping the pages. The plot was excellent. But it wasn't a "must-read" by any stretch. Still, if you have nothing else on your book list and you want a fantasy that has a great plot--give this one a shot. But not until you've read the Thief series by Megan Whalen Turner. Because really, you shouldn't read "good" books if you haven't bothered to read the "best" books. Also, much too old for Miriam--definitely a YA, not anywhere near middle reader.

Tangerine by Edward Bloor. LOVED IT. Loved it, loved it, loved it. Too old for my daughter but I will be purchasing this one for when she's older. Such a fabulous story. So well-written.

The Parenting Breakthrough by Merrilee Browne Boyack. The best parenting book I've ever read. The two chapters on teaching your children finances were amazing. So many great ideas. My hubby is reading those two chapters now so that we can decide how to incorporate some of her ideas into our own family. Just loved it.

Okay--this post is ridiculously long. I've been reading more than normal because I'm getting close to delivering and I tend to read more then (something about sitting down . . .). I'm a retired English teacher who is passionate about books--if you have an age group for which you need some recommendations, let me know.

In the meantime, let us try to help each other avoid the books that are a waste of time.

Oh, and by way of warning, I used to read a lot of Tamara Pierce novels. She has a whole series aimed at the middle reader crowd (the books I let my seven year old read) with homosexual girls as the main characters. I was not impressed. In fact, I threw away all my books by her so that Miriam wouldn't find them, like them, and then go looking for more by that author. Homosexuality in books aimed at elementary kids might not be a problem for you, but it is for me. So, you've been warned.

Happy reading!

PS--If you haven't bought the Ranger series for your sons yet, shame on you.

Review of the first half of the Year

So far, this has been our best year of homeschooling ever. I am more than a little surprised that I am saying that. I am not what anyone would consider a cheerful pregnant person. I fall into the short-tempered, grumpy, and highly irritable pregnant person category.

I didn't have high expectations for this year.

I didn't even have a strong spiritual witness that I needed to homeschool this year. In fact, when I prayed about it I felt like it didn't matter if we homeschooled or not. I could choose.

I chose to homeschool because I wanted to have baptism prep with Miriam and I was unable to fathom entertaining Cowen with Miriam gone every day. The boy is very dependent on her. There were other reasons, but those were my main two. (Putting Cowen in public school kindergarten was out of the question for various reasons.)

I went into the school year with lingering nasty morning sickness, a sense of doom, and a commitment to baptism prep. That was it.

And yet, this year has been fantastic beyond my wildest hopes. I've thought long about why this has been the case and I've hit on a few answers.

1) I started to practice what I preach in that I don't think children need formal academics before they are 8.

Ever since I started taking education classes and thinking about education systems and the purpose of education, my opinion on early education has shifted and solidified to anti-formal schooling for young children. I have come to believe most strongly that a mother's influence is the most important thing a child can have--especially for children under the age of 8--and that time with mother is the best gift you can give a young child. I have also come to believe very strongly that pushing academics early on can distort a child's self-perception and diminish a child's interest in learning.

I have long thought that, but when you first start to homeschool you get hit with a barrage of anti-homeschooling sentiment from all those around you. Especially your nearest and dearest who worry about your children out of love. It is hard to resist feeling the need to "fight back" by proving your children's smarts and pushing them to achieve according to public school standards. We are so used to competing and measuring and comparing that it is hard to let that go no matter how firm our convictions.

This year, I stopped worrying about it. If Miriam got "behind" in math, I didn't care. If Cowen didn't learn to read in kindergarten, I didn't care. I don't think children need to know anything specific before they hit age 8 except gospel principles and how much you love them. I finally, finally, gratefully lived up to that belief. It has made all the difference.

2) I remembered that I am a teacher who can adapt to her student's learning styles.

Some of you might be rolling your eyes right now. I know--most homeschool moms are really good at recognizing their children's learning styles and adapting to them. Again, for me, this was related to wanting to prove that my children were not falling behind. Instead of looking at my daughter and evaluating her needs, I pushed her in math to get a certain amount done just to get it done. I really am a good teacher. Professionally speaking that is. It took watching a teacher give a fantastic lesson on graphing for me to remember that I am good at creating lesson plans to teach things and I never used textbooks when I taught professionally. Why was I so welded to Miriam's math book?? It was an "aha" moment. I could teach math. Not just stick a math book in front of my child.

Reevaluating my math strategy has changed our homeschool drastically. Miriam's favorite subject this year has been math and it is because I am teaching it and because I took the time (a great deal of time) this summer to really think about how Miriam would learn math best.

3) I tried harder to match lesson plans to my children's interests.

At the risk of sounding like an unschooler--which I am not--I have to say that following my children's lead in what to study has made a big difference this year. I started out the year thinking we would study ancient history. I tend to focus on history because it is my thing, so I know a lot about it and I can easily create lessons plans. Easy is a good thing.

But this year, Miriam told me that she wanted to be an animal rescuer so I scratched my lessons on Persia and started our animal classification unit. Not because Miriam said to, but because I was paying attention to her interests. Let me be perfectly clear here--I am not an unschooler. I do not believe that children know enough to know what they want to study, let alone what they should study. I am also not a real TJEder. I like some TJEd ideas, but not "inspire not require." I believe in a whole lot of requiring. But I am also a teacher, and teacher's know that students only get excited about learning something if you sell it to them well. With animal classification I was able to sell it well in addition to my children's pre-existing interest.

The result was one of the best units I've ever put together. Not because the actual lesson plans were always that great, but because interest remained high long after I thought it would wane. I originally planned on spending a total of one month on the whole thing. Instead we spent almost a month on each category of animal because my children really loved learning about the subject.

4) I was less rigid about our schedule.

5) I spent more time during the summer pondering my end goals for my children and aligning my homeschool to match those goals.

Clarity of purpose creates stunning results. I started homeschooling for particular reasons, but those reasons have shifted a great deal in the three years we've been at this. During the summer I figured out what my goals are now. Then I focused our day around those things. For example, piano is more important to me than math right now. So, at the end of the day if Miriam hadn't practiced piano I felt grumpy. Once I realized this, I planned our schedule to make sure the critical things--devotional, music time, piano practicing, and baptism prep--always happened. If we didn't get to other subjects like math or language arts, I didn't mind because we did the things I felt were critical. Having a really solid focus has meant that I am happier at the end of the day with what has been accomplished and that my children are happier because I am happier.

6) I actively found ways to let my children create.

My children have been happier and more joyful during school time because they love to create. Seeing their enthusiasm has made me happier. I like to facilitate happiness in my little ones.

7) I asked for more revelation in school matters because school affects everything else in our family, including the spiritual development of my children.

This is the most important difference this year. I read several good books this year about Christ and developing a more loving attitude towards those around you. I highly recommend President Eyring's book To Draw Closer to God. I also listened carefully to Sister Beck who promised that revelation will be given in abundance to the sisters if they ask for it.

I started asking for it.

Revelation has come that is so simple, but has helped in so many ways. For example, Miriam and I put together a check list of things she needs to know and do before she is baptized in July. At the end of one week, I pulled out the list and was going to go through it with her and check off the items she had done. But then I had a thought--that this was something she should do with her priesthood leader. So that Sunday, Miriam and her dad had their first baptism meeting/interview and went through the list together.

I could have done it. It wasn't the difference between doing something bad or something good. It was the difference between doing something good and doing something much better. I didn't think of it myself. That kind of revelation has been so helpful. Nothing earth shaking, but I have felt more confident in my decisions. I have felt more love from my Savior. I have felt more love and peace in my home. Even with my losing my temper every sixty seconds. (Irritable pregnant person syndrome.) I have felt more guided in what I should do for and with my children. I have given Miriam more independance and trusted her and my Savior more. I have felt less need to control everything all the time. I have even managed to not yell at my kids during devotional now and again. :)

I still have a long way to go in creating the atmosphere in my home that I want, but diligently seeking more revelation has changed our home this year. And because of that, our homeschool has changed.

As I get nearer and nearer to delivering number five, I remain hopeful that home and homeschool won't fall apart and that this year will continue to be the best homeschooling year we've had.

Japan

Days two and three of the new unit got a little derailed. I had to run a gazillion errands on Tuesday and then yesterday Cowen threw up and I was dealing with that.

However, since the baby's arrival creates a bit of a deadline for this unit, we persevered as best we could.

On Tuesday, after taking Eli to the doctor (ear infection) and making copies at Weber State for the class I teach that starts tonight, and picking up medicine, and dropping off library books and picking up new ones . . .

we also went to my favorite Asian market. It is called Oriental Market Foods and Gifts and is on Riverdale Road as you head into Roy. So, if you are at the Target in Riverdale, you head west toward Roy, going past all the freeway exits and entrances, and just before you hit the main road that runs through Roy, on your right is the Oriental Market.

I love that place.

I took a Chinese cooking class back in the day so I do a lot of Asian cooking. Mostly Chinese and Thai. The man who owns the market is from Taiwan and he is as nice as could be--but doesn't speak much English. His son is there most of the time and he's fluent. Don't worry though, if you write down the ingredients you need the owner can find everything for you. I've never had a problem.

At the market we picked up some seaweed for sushi, some Japanese soup base, some frozen rice cake things for a soup we are trying, and then I let the kids pick a few different treats.

The treats, like most foreign treats, weren't that great (how come sweets don't transfer borders the way the rest of the food does???). We are making our fancy Japanese meal the beginning of next week--I'll post all about it.

However, even if you don't want to tackle actual Japanese cooking, you should definitely go on a field trip to the Oriental Market. There are lots of fun dolls, statues, fans, carp kites, fancy tea sets, origami paper, and even a fancy samurai helmet that had Cowen's heart yearning. He continues to yearn, but seeing it was awesome. Plus all the dried squid (yum!! I'm serious--yum, you should try it), and other foods that look very different from our own. Since I don't know of any museums around these parts with a good Japanese representation, this is as close as I can get.

So that was Tuesday. On Wednesday, despite Cowen's illness we managed to read the following three books:

I Live in Tokyo by Mari Takabayashi is a good one. The baby in the movie lives in Tokyo, so that got the kids' interest right off. We liked it.

K is for Kabuki: A Japan Alphabet by Gloria Whelan didn't keep my kids' interest quite as well as the other two. I think that was mainly because Eli was crawling on and off my lap and trying to get me to read a different book and screeching when I wouldn't. To give the book its due--it has a lot of good info and the kids like looking through it on their own. I think I will try to revisit it with the kids when Eli is asleep.

Of the three, My Japan by Etsuko Watanabe was the runaway favorite. It is fairly similar to the Tokyo book but it also has Japanese letters in the back and pictures of food that Miriam has been practicing writing/drawing much of the morning. If you do anything with Japan, definitely get this one.

This morning was hectic as I was trying to finish getting my class ready for tonight, so school was kept to a minimum. We did two things. In the picture below you can see Cowen coloring a picture of a boy and girl in kimonos. We then hung the finished pictures on the wall as a decoration for our forthcoming Japanese dinner.

You can find the coloring page here. Just scroll down a little.

We also did a little vocabulary. I put the words on the wall and spread the definitions on the table. The kids looked through the definitions and matched them to the words on the wall. They knew most of them, so it didn't take them long to figure out the last two or three that they didn't know.

We used the words:

kimono--a loose robe fastened with a wide sash; made of silk

sayonara--goodbye

konnichiwa--hello

archipelago--a group of islands

samurai--Japanese warriors who were masters of archery and swordmanship

origami--the art of Japanese paper folding

pagoda--Buddhist temple; symbol of heaven

ancestor--a relation who lived a long time ago

Hopefully, tomorrow we'll be able to get back on track.

NEW UNIT: Babies/Geography

I'm having a baby in two months.

I know that isn't pertinent to all of you, but it does play a part in why I'm putting a hold on animal classification (I'm really sorry all of you who are starting the unit this January and expected to have my unit plans to assist you--I promise I'll finish up amphibians and mammals after baby arrives) and switching to a babies/geography unit.

I was inspired by my own pregnancy and that Miriam and Cowen are old enough to have a sincere interest in the process of growing a baby and in how to help take care of their soon-to-arrive youngest sister. Emeline has always been a little mother, so this unit was created with her in mind as well.

I was also inspired by the wonderful documentary Babies.

I'm sure you've all seen it by now, but I'll tell you what I love about it. First, I love that the movie illustrates that mothers love their babies. All mothers, all over the world. Second, I love that it shows how much mothers need other mothers. I was jealous of the African mothers who were so connected to each other. They were never isolated, off in their own house doing their own thing without adult companionship for hours and days at a time. Third, I love the scenery--just beautiful. Fourth, I love that the film provides such a powerful testament that mothering is cultural. It makes you really stop and think about why you do the things you do. It makes you wonder if we're not just a bit overprotective around these here parts. It makes you wonder what CPS would do if you tied your child up so you could go milk a cow. Not saying I'm going to do it, just . . . saying. And lastly, I just plain loved watching the babies.

I decided that the movie would perfectly whet my children's interest in the places the four babies live while building on their already high interest in babies.

And thus, a unit was born.

We started the unit today.

First, we went downstairs and watched the movie together. As fair warning, there is a lot of nudity in the movie--mostly breasts as nursing is a major baby activity. Also, the San Fran mom shows off her backside as she gets out of a hot tub with her baby. I didn't find it offensive. I thought it was all very natural, very National Geographic, and very okay for kids. However, you should definitely preview the movie as you might feel differently.

My children loved it. They laughed hysterically when the Tokyo baby has her melt-down fit when she can't get her toy to work properly. They laughed at the older Mongolian boy tormenting his baby brother. They were totally charmed by the African baby's smile. Basically, they loved it as much as me.

After we watched the movie we returned to the couch and read two books about babies.

Babies: All You Need to Know by Deborah Heiligman.

What's Inside Your Tummy, Mommy? by Abby Cocovini.

I read through a lot of books about babies development in the womb and how to take care of newborns while putting together this unit. Many of them had too much information for my little, little ones. These two I thought were particularly good without going overboard in the info department.

My children enjoyed both books, but they enjoyed more that after I read the books I bared my belly (I don't often do that as I don't often have time to just lay around letting the kids poke me) and let the kids examine to their hearts content. They poked, prodded, pushed, listened for a heart beat, and giggled when the baby pushed back. I was glad baby woke up and moved around for them as she usually is pretty quiet during the day. We were able to identify a few body parts of the baby (or we had fun thinking we'd figured it out), and she even did a great spasm-like movement that made my whole belly shake and jiggle and wiggle. My kids were in heaven.

It was a good kick-off to what I hope will be a very fun and successful unit.

Reptile Books

A quick look at some of our favorite reptile books. And yes, after reading them, we added information to our chart. We just don't tire of it!

Life-Size Reptiles by Hannah Wilson is a very large book with fold out pages so you can see many of the reptiles life-sized. My children thought this book was totally awesome and amazing and they loved to look at it and unfold the pages, and fight over it, and give mom a heart-attack thinking they were going to rip the pages and we'd have to *donate* even more money to the library. Fortunately, they didn't destroy the book. I highly recommend even though it might raise your blood-pressure just a little.

I love DK books. Love them. Reptiles by Colin McCarthy was no exception. We didn't read this book from cover to cover, but the children spent tons of time poring over the incredible pics. Definitely check this one out.

Reptiles by Catriona Clarke was our favorite reptile book to read cover to cover. The format is very child friendly and the pics are great. Fantastic book.

What is a Reptile? by Robert Sneddon we used as a reference mostly. The pics are great. Especially the pic of the frilled lizard--Miriam's favorite reptile. It is another good one.

Warning: What Do You Call a Group of Alligators by Emma Nathan causes hysterical giggling. I am not sure exactly why a group of toads being called a knot is so funny to my children, but it is. Alligators=congregation, another one that had them laughing. A group of frogs=army. You should have heard my son with that one. Anyway, either they were in a very silly mood or this book is high comedy. Either way, it was fun and informative.

Life Science: Reptiles by Janice Parker is another solid choice. Good pics, accessible text (although we skimmed quite a bit because we'd read so much by then).

Do not be confused or alarmed. I recognize that the book in this picture is not about reptiles, however, there is another book in the same series about reptiles and that is the one we read. I couldn't find a picture of it, so I substituted because the covers are almost identical.

The book is actually called Animals in Disguise: Reptiles by Lynn Stone. Maybe it is a boy thing, but my son loves anything to do with the concept of camouflage. He lays on the floor and thinks you won't be able to see him if he is wearing brown and he practices blending in the with the background. Every animal we study we try to find a "disguise" book to go along with it because my kids never tire of the concept. This was a good one.

To sum up our reptile unit: It could have been better. I was trying to put together a different unit and stuff reptiles in during the holidays, so we didn't do everything I had planned. On the other hand, we did read quite a few good books and made a few fun crafts, so if could have been worse.

I recommend you spend a little more time than we did and that you do some charades with reptiles. Since there are so few kinds, the kids can act out the different reptiles and guess them fairly easily. Also, my kids don't care if there are twenty million repeats, so the game remains fun for them for a long time.

I also recommend going to a local pet store and looking at their collection of lizards/snakes/reptiles in general for sale. Kids like that and it is free.

Good luck and let me know if you do anything really fun with reptiles. I'll add it to the list of good ideas to help others.

Reptiles: Crocodilians

The library had a surprising number of crocodilian books. We read World Book's Animals of the World: Alligators and Other Crocodilians first. It was a mistake. The book had great pictures and tons of information. Too much information for my children to take in at one time. Although I recommend getting this book, I don't recommend trying to read it all in one sitting. Also, it might be a better choice as a reference book. We liked some of the other books better, but by the time we finished the World Book, we were pretty done with crocs.

On the other hand, the book contained a section titled "How Do Alligators Move on Land?" This section was awesome because it talked about the difference between a "high walk" and a "belly walk." I encouraged my children to demonstrate the difference between the two, which led to ten minutes of hilarity and good times. If you are going to study crocs--please practice high walking and belly walking. It's fun!

Alligators and Crocodiles: Amazing Animals by Angela Royston is an excellent pick for the younger elementary crowd. The information is concise, the pics are excellent, and there is a quiz at the back. I know, not everyone loves a good quiz, but my kids sure do!

In the Wild: Crocodiles by Claire Robinson was another good one for my children's age group. We had read so much about crocs by the time we got to this book that we just looked at the pictures and I reiterated some of the earlier information. Still, a good pick for the younger crowd as the text is pretty minimal compared to the other croc books. (Sorry about the pic--it was the largest one I could find.)

GOLD STAR BOOK!!! I told Becky I would try harder to alert her to the best books, as her library carries almost none of the books I mention. This way, she knows if it is worth her $2.00 interlibrary loan fee. This one is worth it!

Super Croc: Paul Sereno's Dinosaur Eater by Paul Sereno and Natalie Lunis is about the discovery of an ancient, intact, head of a crocodile. The head was six feet long. Crazy. Those of you who know me well have probably heard my anti-dinosaur rants. I think scientists get a little crazy stretching what little they know into the extensive world that is paleontology. I have to admit, though, that this book hooked even me. (No, I don't share my anti-dinosaur feelings with my offspring--I try to avoid passing on my biases to them.) The writing was very accessible for the younger crowd, the pics were great, and my children were mesmerized. They all wanted to go dig for bones immediately. Maybe a trip to the dinosaur museum is in order. Or maybe it is time to buy one of those kits from amazon where you dig out a t-rex skeleton and put it together. Has anyone tried one of those? Are they worth the $20?

Regardless--get the book and read it with your kids. Good times.

I have to admit that I planned on doing a cute little alligator craft with my kiddos, but between the holidays and my laziness, and putting together a new unit, the alligator craft didn't happen. But, I still think it would be a good one. If you interested, you can find it here. Good luck, and let me know if it is worth doing.

Reptiles: Snakes

None of the snake books we read were truly amazing, but some weren't bad.

Snakes! by David T. Greenberg was a huge hit with my children. I thought it was disturbing.

My children also really liked Class Two at the Zoo by Julia Jarman much more than I did.

Amazing Snakes! by Sarah L. Thomson was a great intro to snakes. It is an early reader so the text is limited--perfect for my younger children.

The rest of the books my son Cowen loved, but the other children didn't as much. I think it is because all the snake books discuss the same things--the expandable jaw, for instance. Miriam was done with snakes after the first three books but Cowen wanted me to read every single snake book I brought home from the library. I indulged him because although I find snakes creepy, I don't find snuggling up to my son creepy.

Cowen's favorites include Animals of the Rainforest: Anacondas by Christy Steele.

He also liked Sea Snakes by Colleen Sexton.

And Taipans by Doug Wechsler.

After reading through the snake books, we made a snake. This is a great craft. It requires you to save a great many toilet paper rolls, but it is worth it.

First, cut the toilet paper rolls in half. Then divide the halves amongst your children. I wanted the kids to have plenty of time to paint so they made rather long snakes. Cowen wanted to make an anaconda. It required a lot of sections.

Then, let the kids paint the toilet paper rolls however they want their snakes to look. None of my children made a pattern but I'm sure older kids would have.

Then we attached the pieces together with yarn, added googly eyes (those things are invaluable) and a forked tongue (that my hubby made). Voila! A fantastic snake.

You can find the directions here. You'll notice we didn't follow the directions. I thought using construction paper was way too fussy. We did, however, tie the snakes together with yarn on the top and bottom of each tube. That helped keep it from getting all tangled together.

While studying snakes is not really my "thing"--it wasn't too bad. Just mildly bad. :) Hope you enjoy it!