How to assemble Easter baskets for your favorite dolls!

       Each little basket below measures less than three inches tall and two inches wide. Each one is the exact, perfect size for our American Girls, Journey Girls and My Generation Girl dolls. We gifted them to the dolls last Easter. Who knows what the bunny will bring the dolls this year?

A tiny ivy stem basket with nesting grass, a peach silk carnation and artificial plants, both front
and back sides photographed.

This doll-sized Easter basket is made out of silver and stuffed with miniature blue silk flowers
and Easter speckled eggs in: pink, blue and buttercream yellow. A tiny yellow ribbon tied into 
a bow with a mini silver bell is attached to one end.

Here are two baskets including miniature porcelain dolls dressed in their finest Easter dresses and
hats! The painted lavender basket on the left includes a miniature Bible with complete text! The 
gold painted basket on the right includes a variety of Easter eggs alongside the doll dressed in
pinks silks and white lace.

Just left, a basket with a bird's nest, candy eggs and a tiny pastel blue flocked bunny. The basket on
the right, includes a flocked white teddy bear, a nest and speckled bird's eggs.

Finally, the left painted pink Easter basket is filled with a flocked rabbit, multicolored Easter grass
and many decorated eggs. On the right, there is a fully jointed, tiny teddy bear in a silver Easter
basket with painted eggs just the right size for an 18 inch doll to enjoy!

Needlepointers share how to make Easter baskets for 

American Girl dolls using plastic canvas.

Dear Valentine, Part 2

Lucy at her school desk.

    Monday morning Lucy could hardly wait to finish her breakfast before starting for school. She didn't even waste a minute talking to her friends in the hall. She went straight into the fifth grade classroom, looking for Miss Chase. The teacher was working at her desk.

   "I have a perfect idea for our school assembly," Lucy called out to her.

   ''That's fine, Lucy," Miss Chase said. ''I'm going to ask for everybody's ideas in a little while. You'll keep your suggestion for later, won't you?"

   Disappointed for the moment, Lucy nodded and went to her seat. Carefully she tried to copy the graceful script she remembered from the valentines. Slowly and lovingly she wrote:

"How fine, how full of sweet delight

Our lives will be when our hearts unite."

   It didn't look much like the script on the valentines, she decided. So she started to write it again when the bell rang and the school day began.

   It wasn't until late in the morning that Miss Chase brought up the subject Lucy was waiting for the assembly program.

   "February is a short month," Miss Chase said, ''but it's full of holidays: Lincoln's Birthday, Washington's Birthday and St. Valentine's Day. Our class, as you know, has been assigned to prepare the assembly program, and I hope you've all been working on ideas. Who has a program to suggest?"

   Lucy stretched her hand up as high as she could get it, but she didn't catch Miss Chase's attention.       

   "Yes, Robin," Miss Chase said to a stout, red-headed boy.

   Robin stood up. "I have a valentine play I want to suggest," he said.

    Lucy sighed. Why did he have to choose a valentine idea too? But she listened attentively as he told about his play.

   "The scene is in ancient Rome," Robin said, "and you would have to have a big urn for this play. Every February 14th there was a spring festival and the Romans filled the urn with the names of great men and heroes, written on slips of paper. On St. Valentine's Day, every youth at the festival had to draw a name out of the urn and pretend to be that great man. We could do the same thing!"

   As Robin talked, Lucy pictured herself dressed as a Roman goddess moving across the stage in graceful flowing robes. It sounded like lots of fun. Still, she liked her own idea better.

   "Thank you, Robin," Miss Chase said when Robin sat down. "That's a fine idea. You will be the leader of your group if we choose your play for the assembly."

    She wrote "ROBIN'S PLAY" on the black- board. "We are going to hear all the assembly suggestions," she told the class. 

Again, Lucy put her hand up.

   "Then I am going to ask all of you to vote for the one you like best."

   Miss Chase looked around the room. Again Lucy put her hand up, and this time she even waved it a bit. But Miss Chase did not seem to see her, and called on Peter.

   "I want to give a valentine play too," Peter said. "Mine would be about St. Valentine him- self. I read that he was put in prison for not believing in the Roman gods. When he sent a message to a little girl he had cured of blind- ness, he signed it 'From your Valentine.' That was supposed to be the beginning of valentines, although hundreds of years went by before any more were sent." 

   "That's another good idea," Miss Chase said, and she wrote "PETER'S PLAY" on the black- board right under "ROBIN'S PLAY." Lucy thought about the two plays, and about her own idea too, and suddenly a new plan occurred to her which was so exciting she forgot to raise her hand at all! She heard Miss Chase saying, ''All right, Susan, you're next."

   "Mine is a valentine play, too," Susan said.

   "Another valentine play!" Miss Chase looked surprised. Susan grinned. "It's about birds," she said. "The story comes from a poem by Geoffrey Chaucer. We'd have to fix the stage to look like a garden. "Mother Nature stands at the top of a high flight of steps. Beside her is a beautiful lady eagle. Suddenly, birds of every size, kind and color come flocking around. Mother Nature speaks to all of them. 'You have come here, oh birds, as you do every Valentine's Day, to choose your mates and fly away. Eagles, you may choose first, since you are King of Birds.'

   "The biggest eagle begins to talk. 'Mother Nature, beside you is the most beautiful eagle in all the world. She should be my wife because I am the biggest and bravest eagle here.'

   "No! No!' screams another eagle, ''she should be my wife. I am the best-looking eagle here. I deserve the most beautiful wife.'

   "A plain little eagle cries out, 'Mother Nature, hear me. Hear me! I am the plainest little eagle, but I have the warmest heart. Let her be mine.'

   "Mother Nature asks all the flocks to choose between the eagles. But before they can choose, the wise old owl says that the lady eagle should choose her own mate. Mother Nature asks the lady eagle, and she, of course, wants the mate with the warmest heart.

   "So I'll be his, if he'll be mine

   And take him for my valentine.'

she says. . .  ''I'd like to act out that play."

   Susan sat down to the sound of loud applause.

   Quick as a wink, Lucy's hand went up and, finally, Miss Chase called on her.

   "I have two ideas," Lucy announced.

   "Two ideas!" Miss Chase looked amazed.

   "I think we should give Susan's play and Peter's play - they're both short. Then we can give Robin's play, but the names on the slips in the urn should be Washington and Lincoln and Betsy Ross, people we all know. Then we'll pick children to draw these slips from the urn and act out something from the life of the person they've drawn. The audience will have to guess who they are pretending to be, like playing charades," she said.

   "Yes, yes!" shouted the fifth graders, and, "That will be lots of fun.''

   "Children!" Miss Chase called. "Lucy hasn't finished!"

Mrs. Holly's valentine collection.

   "Well," Lucy said, "I know a lady named Mrs. Holly who has a collection of old, old valentines. Some are from Washington's and Lincoln's times and some are Victorian. They're all beautiful and she promised to bring them to school if Miss Chase gives her permission."

   "I'd like to tell about her collection and introduce her to the audience. Then we could end the assembly by having the children all come up on the stage to see the beautiful valentines."

   Everybody applauded Lucy as she settled happily back in her seat. There was no need to vote.

   "Well," Miss Chase said, "Lucy has certainly worked out our program for us, hasn't she? That's just fine, Lucy. I'm very proud of you. Please ask Mrs. Holly to come, Lucy, and I'll extend my invitation too, just to make it official."

   As soon as school was out, Lucy ran all the way to Mrs. Holly's house, and told her the good news.

   "Lucy," Mrs. Holly said, "of course I'd like to come, but wouldn't you prefer to show the valentines to the school all by yourself?"

   "Oh, I'd love to!" Lucy shouted, jumping up and down. "But I didn't think you'd let me."

   Mrs. Holly laughed her merry little laugh. "I'll let you," she said. ''And Lucy, I have a dress for a Victorian ball here in the house. My mother cut it down for me when I was about your age. Would you like to wear it? It will go well with showing valentines.''

   Would Lucy! She was almost too happy to breathe.

Mrs. Holly suggests Lucy where a Victorian ball gown.

Lucy gives a valentine presentation.

   The day of the program, she glided onto the school stage in the heavy brocaded gown and stood in front of a small table holding the valentine album. She showed the audience the comic valentines with eyes that moved and hats that lifted. She showed them the quaintly simple valentines from Washington's day, and the gloriously colorful ones from Lincoln's time. She pointed out how very romantic the Victorian valentines were. And then she gave her speech, which ended:

   "St. Valentine, Washington and Lincoln, and all great people belong in our February program. February should belong to everyone who loves his fellow man. As the valentines tell us:

   "How fine, how full of sweet delight

   Our lives will be when our hearts unite."

   Then all the children and teachers and many of the parents came in a long line up to the stage to get a closer look at the valentines. They told Lucy how much they had liked the program.

   Last of all came a surprise a surprise‚ ''Mrs. Holly!'' Lucy had no idea she was there.

   "Lucy," she said, "it was a beautiful speech. Because I enjoyed it so much, I want to give you this Victorian valentine as a present."

   She handed Lucy a frilly lacy valentine covered with hearts and flowers. A glass dew- drop clung to the stem of soft, blue forget-me-nots. What a dear valentine!

   As Lucy fingered it, she knew she would always remember this day. She knew too that this would be the start of a valentine collection. all her own.

Lucy begins her collection.

• Dear Valentine, Part 1: Lucy visits the antique shop and falls in love with old-fashioned things

Popping Corn

Popping Corn

Oh, the sparkling eyes,
In a fairy ring! 
Ruddy glows the fire,
And the corn we bring;
Tiny lumps of gold,
One by one we drop;
Give the pan a shake;-
Pip! pop! pop!

Pussy on the mat
Wonders at the fun;
Merry little feet
Round the kitchen run;
Smiles and pleasant words
Never, never stop;-
Lift the cover now;-
Pip! pop! pop!

What a pretty change!
Where's the yellow gold?
Here are snowy lambs
Nestling in the fold;
Some are wide awake,
On the floor they hop;
Ring the bell for tea! 
Pip! pop! pop!

Flossie Plays School With Her Friends

 Dear Girls and Boys:

       Flossie Fisher has to study very hard indeed to be able to teach her pets all she thinks they should know. I know all of you can write good stories this month, perhaps better than ever before, for most of you go to school yourselves, and I am sure all of you play school. I am very glad, though, to believe that there are no children in the world as naughty as one of Flossie's pupils was!

Sincerely, 
Helen Nyce
(The original letter from the illustrator has been modified.)

       ''Read'' with your eyes the series of events from top to bottom, left to right, to discover what happens to Flossie and her little companions below. Then, write in your own words a brief descriptive narrative describing based upon what you see. Below is a introductory sentence to help student begin there own narratives...

       Flossie rings the bell to announce the beginning of the school day!

Click to download or view the largest version.

       Over 100 years ago, Helene Nyce organized children's writing competitions for The Ladies' Home Journal. The magazine editors would include her silhouette cuts to illustrate a series of adventures for a little girl named Flossie. Children would then write a short story to accompany the illustrations and submit it through the mail to win a prize.

Emeralds, representing nature and youth...

Emerald's in a tiara.

       It seems very appropriate that the emerald should have been chosen as the birthstone for May, the month when Nature, awakening from her long winter rest, feels the stirring of new life and decks herself in the green of spring. Long before the Christian Era the Greeks, recognizing the fitness of this association, dedicated the emerald to Venus, their goddess of love, life, and generation, while in far-off Mexico the Aztecs had instituted the same symbolism and pronounced this gem sacred to their own Earth goddess who controlled the destinies of growing things.
       The true emerald is beryl of the accepted green hue. This gem is obtained from mines in Siberia, South America, and Upper Egypt. It has also been found in very limited quantities in North Carolina. While we often hear of Brazilian emeralds, there is no authentic proof that the emerald was ever found in Brazil, and it is thought that green tourmaline, somewhat resembling the true emerald and found in great quantities in Brazil, may have been introduced into Europe as the Brazilian emerald and thus have given rise to the idea that true emeralds came from that locality. Emeralds from Siberia and South America are of the finest quality, the gems from the Egyptian mines being light in color and cloudy.

Emeralds cut and uncut.

 

       A fine emerald is the rarest of the precious stones, and throughout the ages it has occupied the first place in point of value. While it cannot be said that there is no such thing as a perfect emerald, such gems are so exceedingly rare that the flawless emerald has passed into proverb as an unattainable form of perfection. Practically all emeralds contain fissures, cracks, and small enclosures of foreign matter, which if present in great quantity, tend to make the gem cloudy and dull. Depth and beauty of color should be the first consideration in the selection of an emerald, after which should follow transparency and approximate freedom from flaws.

• All things emerald: Everything you need to know
• How to tell the difference between natural and created emeralds
• Kagem and Zambia, The World's Largest Emerald Mine
• 9 Famous Emeralds in the World

HISTORY

       The earliest source whence this gem was obtained is the so-called ''Cleopatra'' mines in Upper Egypt. The length of time during which these mines have been operated is not known. Implements found there date back to the time of Sesostris, 1650 B. C., but as emeralds have been found in the wrappings of mummies of a much earlier period it is practically certain that the Cleopatra mines were known many centuries before that time. During the Middle Ages the location of these mines was lost, but they were discovered early in the last century by a French explorer. They were, however, worked but little at that time, and were closed within a few years. About 1902 they were reopened and produced gems still.
       When the Spaniards grimly conquered Peru and Mexico and ruthlessly despoiled those countries of all treasure that could be carried away, immense numbers of emeralds, some of almost incredible size, were literally poured into Spain and eventually found their way into other parts of Europe.
       The Spaniards having seized nearly all of the emeralds that the natives had amassed in their temples, devoted their attention to searching for the source of these marvels of nature, and in 1558 they discovered the mines in what is now the United States of Colombia. These mines have been worked almost continuously since that time and are the principal source of the present-day emerald supply.
       As the natives, who met with gross injustice and cruelty at the hands of the Spaniards, hid all of the mines that were known to them and refused to give any information as to their location, it is possible that other emerald mines may yet be discovered. No emeralds are produced from either Peru or Mexico during modern times. It is believed, therefore, that the gems which the conquistadores found in the possession of the Incas and the Aztecs came from mines which remain unknown to us, or from the mines in Colombia.
       Perhaps the most extraordinary of the gems which the Spanish obtained from the New World at the time of the Conquests were the five choice emeralds which Hernando Cortes presented to his bride, thereby mortally offending the Queen who had desired them for herself. These had been fashioned into divers fancy shapes. One was cut like a bell and had a fine pearl for a tongue. Another was shaped like a rose, and a third like a horn. A fourth was fashioned into the form of a fish, while the fifth was hollowed out and shaped into a cup. These gems were lost on Cortes disastrous voyage to assist Charles V at the siege of Algiers, 1529.

AN UNFORTUNATE TEST

       We are told that many fine emeralds were destroyed through the ignorance of the Spaniards who believed that it was the nature of the true emerald to withstand the blow of a hammer. Of course no gem would stand such a rigorous test.
       Lake Guatavita, on the Andean plateau of Colombia, was the chief holy place of the native people of that locality hundreds of years ago. Gold and emeralds, unknown to their impoverished descendants of our day, were then plentiful among them. It was customary for these natives, at their semi-annual festivals, to cast great quantities of gold, emeralds and other precious stones into the lake as propitiatory offerings to the divinity who was supposed to dwell therein. During the ceremony, the Casique (tribal chieftain), having covered his body with an adhesive clay over which was then sprinkled gleaming gold-dust, would paddle to the center of the lake bearing the choicest offerings, with which he would plunge into the water. Having washed away the gold-dust, he would swim ashore. The Spaniards, observing this procedure, called the Casique "El Dorado" (The Golden One). The term is now generally used to signify a place where gold is found in great abundance.
       Attempts have been made to secure the treasures of Lake Guatavita by drawing off the waters of the lake, but they have met with but partial success. One of the early attempts at least resulted in the recovery of so much treasure that the government's three per cent share is said to have amounted to $170,000. In none of these essays, however, was the lake effectually drained. It is probable that in order to secure the treasure it would now be necessary to dredge forty or fifty feet below the present lake bottom, the religious custom which we have related having prevailed among the natives centuries ago.

RELIGIOUS ASSOCIATIONS

       Not among the indigenous peoples alone did the emerald possess religious associations. In Rabbinical legend it is related that four precious stones were given by God to King Solomon. One of these was the emerald.
       This gem was one of the stones in the breast-plate of the Jewish High Priest. In Greek mythology there was a gem-city (the City of the Islands of the Blessed), the walls of which were of emerald. The first Mohammedan heaven was supposed to be composed of emerald, and in Revelation this gem is given as the fourth foundation stone of the New Jerusalem.
       The Sacro Catino a cup preserved in Genoa, was long believed to be made from a single immense emerald. Investigation has since proved that it is of no more valuable material than green glass. A legend still current in the early part of the sixteenth century represented this cup as having been used by Christ at the Last Supper. At one time when the government was pressed for money, the Sacro Catino was offered to a rich merchant of Metz as a pledge for a loan of 100,000 crowns. He was loath to take it, as he probably recognized its spurious character, but was finally forced to accept it under threats of dire vengeance in case of refusal. When some years later the Genoese were ready to redeem this precious relic, they were puzzled to learn that no less than six different persons claimed to have it in their possession. The merchant had fabricated a number of copies which he had succeeded in pawning for large sums, assuring the lender in each case that the redemption of the pledge was certain.
       It seems not amiss here to state that while we sometimes hear of ''synthetic" or ''scientific'' emeralds, there is no such thing. All attempts on the part of man, to fuse emerald chips, or to otherwise evolve a gem which will stand the tests that are used to identify the true emerald, have failed, and imitation emeralds can easily be recognized by one who is familiar with the character of the true gem. 

LORE AND SUPERSTITIONS 

       The superstitions that are attached to the emerald are many. Thus it was believed to predict future events. Whether this was accomplished through images seen in the stone in the manner in which such images are seen in crystal spheres, or through some power to confer prophetic vision believed to be inherent in the stone, is not plain. As a revealer of truth this stone was an enemy of all enchantments and conjurations, hence it was greatly favored by magicians who found all their arts of no avail if an emerald were in their vicinity when they began to weave their spells.
       Many other virtues were supposed to be peculiar to the emerald. If one wished to strengthen his memory or become an eloquent speaker he was sure to attain his end by securing possession of a fine emerald. The gem revealed the truth or falsity of lovers oaths, sharpened the wits, enhanced the honesty of the wearer, and cooled all passion. It was also believed to be fatal to the eyesight of serpents.

THERAPEUTIC USES

       The emerald was employed as an antidote for poisons and for poisoned wounds. It was also used as a cure for epilepsy, dysentery, leprosy, and many other diseases. It was considered most efficacious in the treatment of diseases of the eye, and so general in the early centuries was the idea that the pure green hue of emeralds aided the eyesight and rested the eyes, that gem - engravers were said to have kept some of them on their work-tables that they might look at the stones from time to time and thus relieve the eye-strain caused by close application to their delicate tasks.

LARGE STONES

       Tradition and unauthenticated accounts tell of phenomenally large emeralds. Most of these stories are without foundation, the number of large emeralds in existence being extremely limited. One of the largest of these belonged to the Duke of Devonshire.
       This gem is a South American stone, badly flawed but of good color. Its weight is 1347 carats.
       The finest cut emerald known is a gem of thirty carats which belonged to the former Czars of Russia.

FAMOUS EMERALDS 

       Of the famous emeralds perhaps the one most deserving of mention was that which belonged to Nero. This gem, famed far and wide, was believed to possess many powers. It was fashioned into a lens and through it the Roman Emperor was accustomed to view the gladiatorial shows.
       In ancient times green was used as the mourning color for those who died in the flower of youth, an emerald being placed at times on the index finger of the deceased. In the tomb of Tullia, the dearly beloved daughter of Cicero, was found a large and rarely beautiful emerald. This gem passed into the hands of Isabella da Este.
       A famous talismanic emerald, once the property of the Moguls of Delhi, ranks as one of the finest gems known. It possesses an unusual depth of color and weighs 78 carats.

THE EMERALD TODAY

       It may be truthfully said that the emerald is the most beautiful of the colored gems, and it is to be regretted that so few of them are to be had. In recent years this gem has become increasingly difficult to obtain and one who possesses a fine specimen is indeed fortunate. The small stones are more plentiful and are used in many of the most beautiful rings and gem-pieces in conjunction with diamonds or other precious stones to lend a touch of that superb color which is characteristic of the emerald alone. Wood

• Back to "What Are Birthstones?"

"Bite To Eat Diner" verses "Seaside Diner"

        The My Generation Diner itself includes: a checkered black and hot pink faux linoleum floor, a pink pay phone, a chalkboard for the menu, a juke box (plays music) at the table for two, a shuttered window that moves, a large counter-top with faux marble look, a spinning cake and desert display unit, the counter lights-up with neon lights, a wall that attaches to the back of the counter that looks like stainless steal.

• The most detailed description at YouTube is by DeenaandBeena

The Food Accessories In "Bite To Eat" Diner: Again, I will link into crafts that I have posted to replace those pieces you do not have for either Diner set in the near future...

• two pink and orange stools
• one cake/cake stand with domed lid: strawberry cake with white icing and chocolate covered strawberry topping, drip styled strawberry icing too (one slice may be removed)
• one banana split in a transparent plastic dish
• silverware, two of each: fork, knife and spoon
• two blue bowls
• two plastic cups
• a plastic pitcher
• two dinner plates and two dessert plates matched set
• a faux metal napkin dispenser with one napkin
• large sugar shaker for table
• salt and pepper shakers with colored glitters inside the pepper
• one vinegar bottle (empty)
• vintage, plastic ketchup and mustard bottles 
• one hamburger that comes in pieces: lettuce, buns, beef patty, pickles
• a grilled cheese sandwich
• a hot dog with a bun that comes apart for play
• 4 Entrees attached to dinner plates: smoked meat sandwich with pickle, spaghetti and meatballs, fish sticks with lemon slice and red dipping sauce, and pancake stack with butter slices, maple syrup and three blue berries on the side
• 1 dessert attached to desert plate: brownie, whipped cream and cheery on top
• Loose single serve foods that may be stacked separately on the empty plates: eggs sunny-side-up, two slices of bacon, loose stack of sausages (3)
• One bowl of tomato soup with saltine crackers
• 1 plate of french fries and red/white checkered napkin
• 9 doughnuts iced: lime, strawberry and chocolate
• 6 heart-shaped cookies with jelly filling and glaze icing
• cupcakes 3 of each: red velvet with cream cheese icing, chocolate with pink strawberry icing, vanilla with fluffy white icing + each has a cherry on top
• A lattice work blueberry pie that can be removed from a faux tin pie plate: it comes with one slice of pie that can be removed and served separately
• 1 dish of pink ice cream and red syrup, the dish has a pedestal base
• one blue cup of coffee with saucer
• One coffee pot filled
• 2 sodas: grape and coke come with straws
• 2 juice drinks: grape and cherry with straws
• 1 strawberry milkshake with whipped cream and cherry and straw
• paper money, plastic coins
• chalk for writing on the menu board
• order forms for the diner treats and meals

       The American Girl, Maryellen's "Seaside Diner" itself includes: an attached vintage milkshake machine, a black pay phone, a white counter top with stainless steal edging, faux glass blocks at one end, a neon "Seaside Diner" sign that lights up, clips for orders, two stainless steel stools with vinyl-like blue cushions, tiled counter sides and floor. This unit is very authentic 1950s retro design with accurate colors: pastel pink, blue and white. The primary unit also plays conversations and music.

       The seating unit includes a coral colored top with stainless steel edge and grey metal table leg. Two bench seating covered in authentic glossy vinyl upholstery.

• dollidays reviews this set in detail at YouTube here.

The Food Accessories In "Seaside" Diner:

• a vintage paper hat with "Seaside Diner" logo
• 8 paper trays for fast food
• paper money and plastic coin for pay phone
• Seaside diner advertising cards
• 2 paper menus
• one sheet of many advertising stickers, daily menu and clock
• paper order forms 
• 2 orange bowls with fruits
• a jar of maple syrup with a metal-look spout/lid
• bacon 3 attached pieces
• two sandwiches with olive on top, very detailed
• salt and pepper shakers
• four ceramic plates 50s designs
• 2 Milkshake cup
• Mac and cheese separates
• grey serving tray
• stainless steel condiment tray, round with handle, attach menu
• spinning diner sign, stainless steel detailing
• extra paddies for the grill
• milkshakes: chocolate and strawberry
• a working bell for the counter
• four stainless steel forks
• Loose breakfast foods: two eggs over easy, 2 toasts, one waffle, one stack of pancakes
  
• 2 hot dogs with mustard
• vintage, plastic ketchup and mustard bottles 
• two stacks of crinkly fries
• a special apron with "Seaside Diner" logo

School Days

        It is early morning a week later and the family is busy around the house. Pablo stops piling up the firewood. ''You are lucky, Tono,'' he says to his little brother. ''All day long you can play. You don't have to work or to go to school.''
       ''But I have to stay in the patio all day,'' complains Antonio. ''I want to go out into the street. Won't you take me with you today?''
       Pablo shakes his head. ''You are too little,'' he says.
       Antonio, like the other small children, is kept in the yard, or patio, unless his mother or older brothers and sisters will take him out. It is very boring, he thinks. He tries to amuse himself by playing marbles like the big boys.
       Nearby his little sister Felicite is playing house with her rag doll. ''Mama,'' she begs, ''may I please have just a little bit of corn to grind so I can make my doll a tortilla?''
       Antonio, Felicite, and their brothers and sisters have very few toys. They play with sticks and stones and corncobs and are very good at make-believe.
       Antonio is tired of the marbles and throws them to one side. ''Let's play we are going to the fiesta,'' he says. ''There is going to be one at Santa Catarina and we are going to it. Make a circle now and we will dance. See, I am a man on horseback.'' He does a skipping step like the dancers of Santo Domingo who performed at the last fiesta.
       There is a bustle in the patio as Pablo leaves to do his farm chores before school. Antonio and Felicite watch enviously. Little Felicite will be six next month and then she can go to school too. Last year her parents wouldn't let her start for fear too much learning would ''hurtt her head.'' Most of the children in the town start school, but many drop out each year until by sixth grade there are few left.
       Maria, Pablo's older sister, was very sad when she had to stop school and stay at home. She cried a great deal. But Pablo couldn't understand. He would rather roam the country or even work in the fields. He doesn't like school.
       ''I have to work all the time when I am home,'' Maria explained. ''I haven't a minute to myself. In school I was away from hard work for six whole hours and I could play with girls of my own age as well as study. I loved it.''
       Pablo and the boys have more freedom than the girls. They like to play hooky and sneak away for games or a walk to another town. During fiesta season, many stay out of school to enjoy the excitement. Then there is time lost in helping with the chores, bringing home water from the fountain, or helping on the farm. Every day Pablo drives the cattle to pasture and afterwards he likes to loiter along and play a game or two. His parents have never minded if he was late to school. ''Farm duties come first,'' they always said. ''All the children need to learn is a little reading and writing.''
       But the teachers think differently. When they saw that no one paid attention to the clock in the town hall striking the hour, they decided that the bell in the great church in the central plaza should be rung every morning and afternoon to let everyone know that school had begun. They even set up a game between the different grades to see whose record of attendance and promptness was the best. Though people in Tepoztlan still feel one hour of daylight is as good as another, Pablo and his friends have found it is best to get to school on time. 

Back to The Index

School Days in Modern Rural Mexico:

• A Day at School in Mexico
• Most Dangerous Ways To School in Mexico - children of Sierras 
• Education in Rural Mexico - posted 2020

Popping Corn

 Popping Corn

Oh, the sparkling eyes,
In a fairy ring!
Ruddy glows the fire,
And the corn we bring;
Tiny lumps of gold,
One by one we drop;
Give the pan a shake;-
Pip! pop! pop!

Pussy on the mat
Wonders at the fun;
Merry little feet
Round the kitchen run;
Smiles and pleasant words
Never, never stop;-
Lift the cover now;-
Pip! pop! pop!

What a pretty change!
Where's the yellow gold?
Here are snowy lambs
Nestling in the fold;
Some are wide awake,
On the floor they hop;
Ring the bell for tea!
Pip! pop! pop!

Fritillaria

Fritillaria meleagris.

We ring, we ring, "Here comes dear Spring.
Awake ye nymphs and fays,
Your webs and paints and brushes swing‚
Come, Larks, strike up your lays.

       How many of you children know the Fritillaria or Checkered Lily? It is sometimes called the Mission Bells and sometimes the Rice Root. All its names fit it well.
       It looks quite different from the bright colored flowers we have been studying. Perhaps you wonder if so dull a dress will attract insects. Just kneel down by a Fritillaria for a few minutes. See, she has many visitors. When you study her, it is easy to tell why.
       After becoming acquainted with Blue-Eyed Grass, you know that, in some flowers, the calyx and the corolla look alike. This is true in Fritillaria. You see a beautifully shaped bell. It has six parts, all colored alike. You will find that three are joined to the stem a little farther out than the others. These are the sepals.
       Both sepals and petals are woven of a thick material, quite different from Poppy's thin satin. Fritillaria seems to use this thick material so that she can drape each part into graceful curves. She just dotes on curves. She does not even hang her leaves in straight lines.
       As for her sepals and petals., she compounds her curves in them. Each part is arched along its long line. It curves its sides toward the center. Its edges are wavy all around. You see Fritillaria is an artist when it comes to lines.
       She does not seem to care for color. She gives her head a toss, and exclaims, ''No copying of Sun and Sky for me! The colors of Mother Earth and her soft Grass are good enough for my gown.''
       But really, she does take care in arranging her browns and greens. She mixes them together in checks and in spots. Sometimes, she adds purple to her dye. Sometimes, she bleaches them out to palest green. I really believe, Mrs. Fritillaria, that you spend as much strength in getting your dress perfect, as Baby-Blue-Eyes does in copying the Sky and Clouds, or Poppy in copying the glorious Sun.
       Down at the bottom of the bell, Fritillaria puts an oblong shaped dish of sweets. It lies open for any one to see. Its fragrance floats far on the sunny air. You may be sure that Mrs. Ant is not slow to accept the kind invitation the Breezes carry to her.
       Inside the bell are the six stamens, each with an oblong anther on top. The pistil rises inside their ring. Its stigma is divided into three parts, each of which curves gracefully outward.
       Even if you happen on Fritillaria when she has not visitors, you know how they help her. As they feed at the oblong honey dish, they stumble against the stamens. The oblong anthers open, and down falls the pollen.
       When the visitors go into the next Fritillaria, they carry this pollen with them. It is dusted off on to the stigma and is sent down to make the ovules into seeds.
       Fritillaria makes her seed-case along beautiful lines. She curves it in and wings it out. She packs in it six rows of thin flat seeds. Watch it as it grows old. See how its material changes. See how it gets its seeds scattered.
       When you are older, you can study the different kinds of leaves Fritillaria has. You can tell the age of this plant by its leaves. Some people, you know, can tell a horse's age by its teeth. Well, one who has studied the Fritillaria can tell by looking at the leaves, just how long ago it was that that plant was a tiny seed. There are many things you can learn about plants as you grow older. You cannot learn everything the first year you study them.
       Now, you need only notice that there are different kinds of leaves on the same flower stalk. Notice that they are fixed differently on the stem. See what a deep green the stem is and how it wears a soft powder over its color.
       When you hear Fritillaria called ''Rice Root'' you know  she must be making something odd underground. She is. If you dig up a root, you will find many little bulbs around it, shining white like rice. Be careful not to hurt any of them. They will all grow into beautiful plants if left unharmed. You can transplant some roots and start a Fritillaria bed of your own in a shady spot.
       The Spanish Californian children called Fritillaria ''Mission Bells.'' You can easily see why. Her brown blossoms are as beautiful as the bronze bells that were brought from Spain and hung in the Mission's belfry. They were rung to call people to church or on news of gladness or on news of sadness. The ringing of the Mission Bells always meant that people would come together to think about the same thing. 
       There is old flower lore of why the Fritillaria is dark and why she has such great big drops of syrup in her cup:

       "Flower lore tells that before Christ was crucified, the Fritillaria was pure white and held her flowers open up to the sky. While Christ was hanging on the Cross, all the flowers hung their heads and wept. All but Fritillaria. She stood proud and straight. When Christ died, a darkness passed over the earth. Then, Fritillaria suddenly became sorry for her pride. She hung down her bells. She changed her white dress to dark mourning. She shed tears of sorrow. She has not stopped being sorry yet. You can see for yourself the down-turned bells, the dark dress, and the ever-present tears.''

       This story teaches us some things we should learn. We must never be too proud to show sorrow for any one's sufferings. Then, we will never have to shed tears because we had been proud.

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Wild Hollyhock

Hollyhock, with fragrance laden,

Curtsies gaily to the Breeze.

That old Gossip steps out lively

To spread the news among the Bees

       When the Poppies and Buttercups, the Cream Cups and Baby-Blue-Eyes are all coloring the fields, you see spots of pink here and there. Then, you know Wild Hollyhock has come to town. Her color is delicate, but she is well built to carry on her year's work.

       Pick a stem. See how the lovely bell-shaped blossoms are all crowded to its top. Look at one blossom. It looks as if it were made of dainty pink gauze. It has many heavy white lines leading down to the center. You exclaim, "A ha! Miss Hollyhock is calling the insects."

       Even if your eyes did not see these honey paths, your nose would tell you she was making honey. And such honey! Sweeter even than that of Baby-Blue-Eyes. You find the little bowls well filled. Over each bowl is the curtain of fine hairs. These hairs are so fixed that if any drop of dew falls on them, it will slide off without dropping into the sweet dish, which is thus kept pure. The bees just love this feast and come for miles around to get it.

       Look again into Miss Hollyhock's bell. Look well at the stamens. In Baby-Blue-Eyes, you found five stamens standing up on the corolla. In Hollyhock, you find them standing close together in a ring. They look like a little vase. Divide this vase into two circles of stamens. Now, you only need see that the little anthers are a lovely rose pink and their pollen is a creamy powder.

       You will find that the pistil is inside the stamen vase. The pistil does not grow out until after the anthers have thrown their creamy powder away. Then, it grows out higher than the stamen vase. You see it gets ready to make seed too late to use the pollen from its own stamens. These were ready so long before, that their pollen was carried away. It could not get any pollen to make seed, if Mrs. Bug did not bring it some from another flower.

       But with such a bright gown and with such delicious honey, Mrs. Bug is sure to come. And after a taste, she is sure to go into another Hollyhock for some more of the good food. She visits one Hollyhock after another. In some, the stamen will be sure to be ready to throw out the pollen. In others, the pistil will be ready to receive the pollen. So, Miss Hollyhock is sure to make good seed, and Mrs. Bug repays her forgetting out the good meal.

       After the pollen has fallen on the pistil, Miss Hollyhock does not need the bug any longer. She does not make any more food. She is a very honest person. She does not wish to bother Mrs. Bee unless she is going to pay her. So, she changes the bright pink of her corolla to dark purplish color. This sign means ‚"No more parties in this flower."

       "Hmm!" hums the Bee. "Is that so? Well, I'll go to a lighter colored Hollyhock."

       And she swings into a newly opened Hollyhock and helps it do its work.

       When the seeds begin to grow, the corolla falls off, but the calyx clings on.

       In the flower bud, you can see how the sepals fold together to keep the flower safe. See how furry they are outside and how silk-lined they are inside. You see there are just as many sepals in Hollyhock as petals, five sepals and five petals.

       If you look at a flower stalk, you will see that the buds nearest the ground bloom out first. When their corollas fall off, the next higher buds bloom out. And so the pink flowers creep up the stem higher and higher until the very top one waves. Look at other plants and see if they all bloom this way. Do those in your garden at home bloom from the bottom of the stem up?

       Look at the leaves. Some are nearly round. Others are cut into parts. Put a round one on a sheet of paper. Draw a pencil mark around its edge. Now put a cut-into leaf down. Draw around its outer edge. You see the leaves are the same shape. You will find it easy to draw a Hollyhock stem if you will remember the outside line of the leaves. The buds are not hard to draw. The flower is not hard to draw. A stalk of Hollyhock makes a pretty picture.

       Are the round leaves just the same color as the cut-into leaves? Are the leaves the same color on their tops as on their lower surfaces? Have both kinds of leaves hairs on them? Have the leaves near the flowers got stems as long as the leaves near the ground? 

       Do you use the Hollyhock seeds at your pretend parties? Look how the seed-cases divide. We used to play that they were parts of an orange. They are good to eat. Watch which birds come to eat them at a feeder.

       Miss Hollyhock has a sister who is a greater help at a Doll's Party than she is. This is Mallow who comes into many gardens. She comes up along all the streets, wherever there is the tiniest bit of earth. Now, do not turn up your nose and sniff, That weed! Her seed-cases are the "cheeses'' children all over the world play with.

       They are dented just to be cut up like pies. We call them "cheeses" and so do the children in England. The children in France and the children in Spain play with them and call them "cheeses" in their own language. 

       Isn't it fun to think that we are playing party with the same kind of seed-cases that children in other countries are playing with? Mother Nature sends along many interesting things for children.

Back to "Little Blossoms" Doll Summer Camp Index

Baby Blue Eyes: Lesson 1

A little bit of sky
On Mother Earth's kind breast,
With smile of welcome shy,
Rewards our eager quest.

       Is there one of you children who does not hail with delight the first Baby-Blue-Eyes you find in the Spring? Have you ever grown tired of this dainty flower? Even if you live next door to a whole field of Baby-Blue-Eyes, you will still love them. Their bright blue faces seem to be smiling up at us as sweetly as babies smile.

       But if Baby-Blue-Eyes does remind us of a sweet little baby, she is not helpless. She is very well able to carry on her work. She is also very honest. She wishes to pay well any insect who helps her.

       She waves her blue corolla above her leaves to invite Mrs. Bug to dinner. This lady is very glad to accept the invitation. She does not wait to send an answer. She hurries along herself, quite hungry for the feast. When she reaches Baby-Blue-Eyes, she finds several pleasant surprises.

       Mrs. Baby-BluerEyes has not dyed all her corolla bright blue. Down near the center, she has kept it white. Lest the insects may not care for plain white, she has scattered dots of dark blue and black over the light places.

       When Mrs. Bug comes near Baby-Blue-Eyes, her nose begins to tickle.

       "Honey! Honey! Honey!" she hurries along, humming in time to her wing beats. "Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah!"

       Look and see what she will find. You see the corolla is shaped like a bell. There are five petals, fitting nicely together to make a circle. Now look inside the bell. Each petal has set out food generously‚ not one dish, but two. Think of that! Two dishes of honey to each petal. Now, do you not believe that Mrs. Baby-Blue-Eyes has a generous heart?

       There are little honey paths leading to the dishes. If Mrs. Bug should happen to have a cold and cannot smell the honey, she could still find it by using her eyes.

       Mrs. Baby-Blue-Eyes does not want the smallest bugs, who can creep in without touching her stamens, to seat themselves at her table. She is willing to set out a good meal, but she wishes fair payment for it. So, she has hung a screen of fine hairs over her honey bowls. Your parents put screens at your windows to keep out the flies, don't they? Just so, Mrs. Baby-Blue-Eyes hangs up screens in front of her honey to keep out the bugs she does not like. Larger bugs, who will help her, can easily bend the hairs aside and stick their tongues in between.

       Mrs. Baby-Blue-Eyes has shaped her little brown anther like an arrow. She turns it out toward the petal, instead of in toward the center, as many flowers do their anthers. When Mrs. Bug alights on a petal, she starts down a honey path. She knocks against the foot of the stamen. Like a flash, the anther springs open and pours fine grey pollen over her. It is like when you flip the switch on the wall and your electric light flashes on. Just that quickly does an anther open when Mrs. Bug touches the foot of the stamen.

       When Mrs. Bug has eaten all she wants in that Baby-Blue-Eyes, she goes to another. Here, as she goes in, her head is sure to brush against the stigmas. She leaves some pollen on them. They send the pollen down to the ovules and the seeds are started.

       If no Bug comes to Baby-Blue-Eyes, after a while, she turns her anthers around, so that they face the center. Then, they open and the pollen falls on the stigmas in that same flower. Then seeds are made in the seed-case. Baby-Blue-Eyes likes better to have the pollen of one flower go to the ovules of another. It makes better seed. All plants like to have the pollen of one flower get to the ovules in another. That is why they invite the insects to help them.

       Baby-Blue-Eyes feels sure that her plan of work is a good one to get the insect to help. So, she lifts up only five stamens. Remember how many stamens Buttercup and Poppy and Cream-Cup raise aloft. They could lose lots of pollen and still make seeds.

       Sometimes, the wind carries away the pollen from a flower and it falls on the stigmas in another flower. Do you think it is sure to fall on the same kind of flower? Is it as sure as if Mrs. Bug carries it?

       Baby-Blue-Eyes does not depend upon the wind. She sets out to please Mrs. Bug and she succeeds. Mrs. Bug finds her honey so delicious that she is sure to try the same kind of flower for another taste of it. Some days, you just like chocolate soda, don't you? No matter what kinds are offered you, you still choose chocolate. Some days you choose strawberry instead. Well, it is the same with Mrs. Bug. Some days, her fancy is set on Baby-Blue-Eyes honey and no Buttercup soda or any other flavor will satisfy her sweet tooth.

       The Baby-Blue-Eyes seeds are healthy. You can plant them in your gardens and they will grow into good plants. Florists have sent the seeds all over the World. Do you know what a florist is? I thought you did. The seeds grow well in far off countries. They grow healthy and send out many flowers. Their flowers are pretty to the people there, but they would look a little faded to us. The corolla is not so bright a blue as our wild flowers wear. Baby-Blue-Eyes, to be really beautiful, needs to look up at the California sky.

Wander in fields of Baby-Blue-Eyes or 

Nemophila with Mochi Mochi My

Read more about Nemophila

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"Little Blossoms" Doll Summer Camp

Sample crafts for the "Little Blossoms" Doll Summer Camp: flower crown,
daisy flower bed, backyard pond, and watering can.

 

Lessons For "Little Blossoms" Doll Camp: Our flower camp for dolls includes lessons below by Chandler a teacher who lived and taught and wrote several science readers for the Primary Grades based upon the flora and fauna of California.

1. Buttercup: Lesson 1  - Ranunculus californicus, commonly known as the California buttercup, is a flowering plant of the buttercup family Ranunculaceae. It is a native of California, where it is common in many habitats, including chaparral and woodlands.
2. Buttercup: Lesson 2 - You can also find California buttercups in Oregon and on islands between British Columbia and Washington.
   
3. Parts of the Flower - A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants. Identification chart, parts of a flower.
4. California Poppy - Eschscholzia californica, the California poppy, golden poppy, California sunlight or cup of gold, is a species of flowering plant in the family Papaveraceae, native to the United States and Mexico.
5. Cream-Cup - Platystemon is a monotypic genus of flowering plants in the poppy family containing the single species Platystemon californicus, which is known by the common name creamcups.
6. Baby-Blue-Eyes: Lesson 1  - Nemophila menziesii, known commonly as baby blue eyes or baby's-blue-eyes, is an annual herb, native to western North America
7. Baby-Blue-Eyes: Lesson 2  - ''Baby-Blue-Eyes has several sisters, natives of California...''
8. Wild Hollyhock  - Iliamna is a small genus of flowering plants in the mallow family, endemic to North America. It is related to the bush mallows of California.
9. Filaree  - ''The Filaree gets its green rosette placed early in the year. Then, it can send out its flowers early...''
10. Miner's Lettuce  - Claytonia perfoliata, commonly known as miner's lettuce, Indian lettuce, or winter purslane, is a flowering plant in the family Montiaceae. It is an edible, fleshy, herbaceous, annual plant native to the western mountain and coastal regions of North America. How Native Americans cooked this plant.
11. Wild Portulaca  - ''Some people call Wild Portulaca, Red Maids‚ because she wears such a beautiful red dress, but I think more people know her by the name I use..."
12. White Forget-Me-Not  - This flowering plant is native North America, Alaska, Canada and the United Kingdom.
    
13. Wall Flower - ''If you wish to study a flower that looks like a party and smells like a party, just take a wild Wall Flower...''
14. Shooting Star  - Primula hendersonii is a species of flowering plant in the family Primulaceae.
15. Trillium - 'Trillium was called the Wake-Robin in the East because soon after it blossoms there, the robin begins to sing..."
16. Iris: Lesson 1 - Some people call this flower the Flag, but as Iris, she is known to all the World.
17. Iris: Lesson 2 - "What an odd flower Iris is! She has caught the curves and the colors of the rainbow and has brought them down to earth...''
18. Blue-Eyed Grass  - ''"Blue-Eyed Grass'' we call these plants because their leaves seem so grass-like...''
19. Fritillaria - The flowers are usually solitary, nodding and bell-shaped with bulbs that have fleshy scales, resembling those of lilies. They are known for their large genome size and genetically are very closely related to lilies. 
20. Soap Root - Botany facts and how this unique plant was once used by minors, pioneers and Native Americans...
    
21. Azalea - Wonderful odor but toxic to eat...
    
22. Johnny-Jump-Up: Lesson 1 - ''Every boy I have ever known, whether his age was seven years or seventy, seems to have a tender spot in his heart for this golden beauty...''
23. Johnny-Jump-Up: Lesson 2 - ''Not many insects visit Johnny-Jump-Up. Perhaps they find her honey too hard to reach...''
24. Farewell to Spring - pollinated by butterflies
    
25. Wild Cucumber  - Root system the size of a man!
    

Flower/Garden Themed Doll Crafts:

• Craft a Doll's Flower Crown (and the child too...) - fit it to any doll or child!
  
• Craft a Daisy Flower Bed for Dolls - Fill it with your doll's favorite flowers, if not daisies.
• 30 Tiny Floral Embroidery Ideas for Doll Clothes -Use these designs to decorate an apron, dress etc. for a child and her doll's clothing.
  
• DIY American Girl Doll Potting Bench - An important piece of furniture for your doll to store her garden tools in and also to learn how to prepare her plants on before transplanting them.
• Daisy Gives a Paper Doll Garden Party - Cut and display lovely paper dolls in a garden setting as long as the wind doesn't carry these away.
• How to craft felt roses for your doll doll camp activities - Every doll wants a garden filled with flowers so that she may display them inside her dollhouse.
• Craft a Watering Can for Your Doll's Garden - Even pretend flowers and plants need fake water to keep them happy and growing day by day...
• Assemble a garden pond for your dolls... - This craft can look new everyday if the children wish to plan it that way.
  
• Antique Floral Postcards for The Dolly Mail  - Dolls can send their friends and family news about the progress made in their lovely gardens through the dolly mail.
  
• How to craft felt carnations for your doll camp activities - Take the Spring flowers into the dollhouse to give it that special gardener's touch.
  

The Flower Children Garden Crafts and Flower Dolls - Miniature pages for young ones to download and print out a book for their dolls to read aloud, in simple verse. Plus new crafts, poems and stories about flowers are also included among these posts as I find them in the archive.

More Flower Poetry:

• Little Spring Verses - Short and sweet little rhymes for young students to recall and recite.
• Welcome, Little Seed! - ''Welcome, little seed,’’ said the sunshine ray, “You must burst, burst, burst, from your coat today.”
• Buttercup Land by Rose Henderson - ''Come, little girl in the new blue frock...'' and illustrated as well
• Rose, When You're Bored With Blooming  - ''I'm glad that there are roses, Roses, Are you glad there's me?'' and illustrated

Flower Songs for Young Children:

• "I love tulips song" CBCKids
• evokids sing "Daisy, Daisy Daisy Bell" - about a girl named after a flower
• Here is The Beehive Song from Super Simple Songs

More Youtube for The Young Gardener:

• Let's plant a garden by SciShow Kids - Young students can learn the basics for growing their very own veggies to eat.
• ''The Tin Forest'' brought to you by Reading Rainbow - Gardens or even forests can grow with dedication and hope in places you least expect...
• ''A Flower for Ambrose'' read aloud by A Book Outside - One of my favorite books to read from my childhood.
• ''Flower Garden'' read aloud by Karen Dzwoner - How does a little girl make a garden grow in the middle of her city?
• What's Inside A Flower? read aloud with author Rachel Ignotofsky - from Brightly Storytime
• Growing a Greener World - Crafting a meadow for children to observe wildlife daily!
• Transform Your Lawn Into a Wildflower Meadow -  Your backyard can become a classroom.