Nate will be giving out valentines this year, similar to Avery's but with treats more popular with the toddler set: goldfish crackers. For each plastic vending capsule, I filled a corner of a ziploc bag with goldfish, closed it off with a heart-printed twist tie and snipped off the excess bag. I included a similar tag as Avery's valentines (link here), only with Nate's name and a different colored heart. Hope his friends enjoy their Valentine's surprises!
Avery is officially a preschooler and has many valentines to give out this year to new (and old) friends. Her birthday falls right around Valentine's Day, so whatever she gives out usually serve as both birthday and Valentine's treats. Her little Valentine's gifts are diamond ring erasers and pirate erasers (not pictured) from Target, encased in red vending capsules from Bake It Pretty. Vending capsules are always a fun surprise for kids to open, and can be used to store little treasures later on. I printed a simple Valentine's message on 1 1/4" round labels from Paper Source, stuck them to red hearts (made using this Marvy heart punch) and attached a little bit of red and white twine from Crate and Barrel. The red paper was also from Paper Source (one of my go-to stores for paper goods). Avery can't wait to give these out!
You know those books that you come across every once in a long while--the ones whose pages you wish you could jump into and live in?? That's Inside Outside by Lizi Boyd. I originally got it as a gift for Nate, my toddler, but the first time I read it was with Avery, my soon-to-be five-year-old. We both fell in love with the book, and more so after each page.
Inside Outside is actually a wordless book which follows a boy and his activities through the seasons, with die-cut windows that allow you to take a peek at what's outside in his yard or what's inside his house. The illustrations weave together his interior and exterior world and are simple yet overwhelmingly beautiful. There are so many aspects of the boy's livelihoods and charming environment about which to talk, imagine and make inferences. There are so many curious questions and interesting dialogues to be had--the kind that usually arise from well-executed wordless storybooks. It just so happens that this engaging aspect of wordless storybooks is executed exceptionally well in Inside Outside. I cannot wait to read Lizi Boyd's other works!