Liberty Bell and Other Bells

The interior of the Liberty Bell chamber
 at the Liberty Bell Center.

        One of the most famous treasures of Philadelphia is Liberty Bell. When it was made, in London, it received two inscriptions. One of these runs: ''By order of the Province of Pennsylvania for the State House in the City of Philadelphia, 1752,'' and the other: ''Proclaim liberty throughout the land and to all the inhabitants thereof.'' The second was added because the Pennsylvanians were celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of their free colony by William Penn.
       After its arrival in Philadelphia, the bell was cracked in being tested, and had to be melted and recast. In June, 1753, it was finally finished and began its work of ringing for every festival and solemn occasion of the city. The most famous of these occasions came in July of 1776, when Liberty Bell spoke the joy of the people over the Declaration of Independence.
       That was not the last time the famous bell acted as the voice of Philadelphia and of the United States, for it remained in use until July 8, 1835, when it was cracked in tolling for the death of Chief Justice Marshall. Since then it has been tenderly cared for. On rare occasions it has been allowed to make a journey, as in 1893, when Chicago borrowed it for the World's Fair.
       The story of how bells in Europe came to have names and inscriptions goes far back into history. The Christian religion has always made much use of bells. The first missionaries to western Europe used to carry small iron ones in their hands to attract the people's attention as they traveled about teaching the new religion. People in Ireland still keep and treasure the bell Saint Patrick carried when he was teaching there in the year 640. In Field Museum of Chicago you can see an exact reproduction of it.
       Being closely associated with religion, the ringing of church bells came to be considered as holy and therefore powerful against storms, fire, sickness, and evil spirits. People of the Middle Ages were really afraid of evil spirits, especially the gods of the old religions, who were thought still to have some power, and to hate the followers of the new Christian God. These enemy spirits were believed to be afraid of the sound of church bells; therefore, when any one was dying, the bells were tolled to protect the soul on its journey from this world to the next.
       No wonder, then, that these holy and friendly bells were loved, I that they usually were inscribed with prayers, quotations from the King James Bible, or verses praising themselves, and that each one had its name, usually that of the person who had it made, or of some saint. Each new bell was christened with a solemn religious ceremony in which it was prayed over and covered with a white robe as if it were a baby. 

       Town bells, which rang to call the people together for defense or for public meetings, to give alarms, or simply to mark the hours of the day and night when most people had no clocks, were also loved and also had names.
        Other parts of the world have likewise treasured bells. The Chinese,  although they have never considered them as sacred and powerful as our ancestors did, sometimes used them in places of worship to remind people of the times for prayer. In the Field Museum's Chinese collection, you can see several old temple bells, as well as other smaller bells made for the collars of horses or camels. One cast-iron temple bell comes from a Lamaist temple. Lamaism is the form of Buddhism followed by the Tibetans and Mongols, and this bell bears inscriptions in the Tibetan and Chinese languages. It is hung to show the Chinese method of ringing by means of a wooden beam which strikes the bell on the outside. Some of the collection of pagoda models show how the Chinese hang bells at the corners of pagoda roofs to be rung by the wind.
       In the Malay jungles, when a tame elephant's work is done and he is turned out to pasture, he wears a large wooden bell to help his owner to find him again. Hunters in Africa often put small bells on the collars of their hunting dogs so that they may be more easily followed. And when you travel about the world or read geography and history, you will find many other interesting ways in which bells are used or have been used.

• The Liberty Bell at All Victorian Ephemera

Liberty Bell - Travel Thru History

A Creepy Halloween Party for Your Dolls and You

A nostalgic little Halloween invitation for your doll party. Print and send
these to all your friends and their dolls. Don't forget to fill out the date,
time and location of your spooky party!

       Turn the lights low; pile more logs on the open fire, and then play some of these games on Halloween. They will make one quite sure that there are fairies, and gnomes, and elves, and all the rest of the delightful little folk that live, usually, only between the covers of the picture books.

A Jack-O-Lantern Game. From our printable below, print ever so many of the quaint little pumpkins on orange construction paper and then cut them out, neatly, coloring their round eyes, noses, smiling mouths. Write down a number on the back of each jack-o-lantern, ten for the most frightening, five each for the friendly faces and one for just a plain uncarved pumpkin, and so on until each little squash has a number. Then hide the pumpkins in out-of-the-way corners of the room, behind the curtains, inside books, peeping out from the backs of pictures and beneath the rugs. The children who are going to play the game must stay out of the room while the pumpkins are being hidden, but, at a given signal, they return and begin a merry hunt for the paper pumpkins to see who can find the greatest number in fifteen minutes. After the pumpkins have been collected, each child counts up the numbers on the back of his pumpkin to see who has the highest score. There should be a nice prize for the winner!

The Game of Tinker Bell. She was the strange little fairy, you know, in the story of Peter Pan, whom one never saw, but only heard, because her voice was a tiny, tinkling bell. To play this fairy game, all the children, except two, join hands and make a ring in the center of the room. If it is a party, it will be much more fun to have these two children dressed in costume, one with wings upon her shoulders like a fairy and the other in a Peter Pan cap. Peter and the fairy stand in the center of the circle, the fairy wearing a tiny bell hung from her wrist by a ribbon, and which she rings from time to time. Peter's eyes are blindfolded, and he tries to catch the fairy by following the sound of the bell. As he almost reaches Tinker Bell, she moves softly away, and the children move also, but very softly too, on their tiptoes. If Peter does succeed in catching the fairy he gives his cap to some other child to wear, who is, in his turn, blindfolded and tries to catch Tinker Bell.

The Fairy Gifts. Every one knows that Halloween is the night when the fairies give good gifts to little children. One may choose one's own gifts when playing this game.

       Draw or paint a big yellow crescent moon on a white sheet and all about it draw many little yellow stars. Upon the moon, and in the center of each star, paste little white papers, with the name of a good gift written plainly on it. These gifts may be anything that a child would like very much; a set of dolls' dishes, a drum, a party, happiness, a new book, a sunshiny day, all these and many more gifts are written down. Each child is blindfolded, turned about two or three times, and then told to walk up to the sheet and pick out a gift. Perhaps he will not be able to touch any gift at all. Perhaps a boy will select a doll for his gift and a girl a drum‚ that is the fun of the game, but before the time is up some delightful gifts will have been touched which the children can write down on slips of paper and count up, afterward, to see who is to be the happiest and the richest during the year.

Secrets. This is a mystery game that will furnish ever so much fun as the children sit around the open fire on Halloween. One child leaves the room while the others decide upon some object or character connected with the eve. Then the child returns and says to each of the others in turn:

"What is your secret like?"

Perhaps a Jack-o-Lantern was chosen, and the answers are:

• "It is round."
• "It has large eyes."
• "It grows in the garden."
• "It is orange," and then the child is able to guess what it is.

If an elf was decided upon, the answers may be like these:

• "It is tiny."
• "It lives in story books."
• "It is fond of playing tricks."
• "It wears pointed shoes," and after awhile the child finds out.

The Witch. To play this game, one child is chosen to play the part of the witch and she may wear a red cloak, a pointed cardboard hat, and have a toy black cat sitting upon her shoulder. In one hand she carries a little broom and she is blindfolded. The other children form a circle around the witch and dance about her, chanting: 

"On Halloween,

We all believe,
A witch rides over the trees,
On a broomstick steed,
She's a sight indeed,
And she catches each child
she sees."

       At the end of the jingle, the children stand still and the witch points her broom at one child, who

must catch hold of it.

       "Who are you?" asks the witch.

       In reply the child who holds the broom disguises his voice and crows like a rooster, gobbles like a turkey, peeps like a chick, or makes any other animal or bird sound. If the witch is able to recognize the child's voice and tell his name the child has to pay some funny forfeit.

Printable sheet of pumkins for A Jack-O-Lantern Game described above.
Print pumpkins directly onto orange construction paper before cutting them out.

More Halloween fun with dolls:

• American Girl Doll Halloween Party with a Werewolf!
• The Haunting Halloween Party - Dolloween Special
• An American Girl Halloween
• Trick or Treat?
• An American Girl Halloween

Sculpting Veggies from The Nightshade Family

Left, small, soft-skinned red potatoes. Center, hand-sculpted potatoes for our American Girl dolls
 made using Sculpey. Right, hot red chili peppers strung together.

Left, the unpainted red tomatoes. Right, how these looked after painting them with acrylics and 
then sealing them with Mod Podge.

 

The Nightshade/Potato Family: The Solanaceae or nightshades, are a family of flowering plants that ranges from annual and perennial herbs to vines, lianas, epiphytes, shrubs, and trees, and includes a number of agricultural crops, medicinal plants, spices, weeds, and ornamentals. Many members of the family contain potent alkaloids, and some are highly toxic, but many—including tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, bell and chili peppers—are used as food. Read more...

Veggies From The Nightshade Family Include: Egg Plant, Peppers, Potatoes, and Tomatoes

Left, are the sculpted Idaho potatoes before they were painted. Right are the finished
result displayed in a small tin bucket.

Left, sculpted bell peppers soon to be painted for play in our doll sized farmer's market.
Right, I finished the bell peppers in red, yellow and green acrylic paints.

Left, are the unpainted versions of our doll sized sweet potatoes. Right are the sweet 
potatoes painted and displayed in a doll sized tin bucket for the veggie market.

Left, unpainted versions of our doll sized egg plants. Right painted purple egg plants.

More About This Vegetable Family From YouTube:

• Is a tomato a fruit or a vegetable?
• Grow your own potatoes!
• Learn fruits and vegetables for kids: the eggplant
• Bell peppers: how do these grow?

 

A variety of pepper clip art for crafts, decoupage and journals.

Tomato Clip Art for doll crafts.

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.

Back to "Little Blossoms" Doll Summer Camp Index 

Bluebell

Bluebell softly, gently sways

Through the long hot summer days;

Lives where nothing else can grow,-

That's why we all lover her so.

       Assemble a mini doll sized book: Right, is the Blue Bell's illustration and verse. Visitors can collect all the flower illustrations and verse from "Flower Children" to print and construct a small book of verse for their dolls. Simply drag each png. into a Word Document, print, cut out all of the images the same size and staple the pages together at the left edge. Squeeze out some white school glue along the stapled edge of the pages and attach a cardboard cover.

The scientific name for Blue Bell is Mertensia virginica. Read more about these woodland blooms here.

• Back to the Flower Children Index. 
• Capturing the beauty of bluebells with Katy McIntyre-Brown
• Common Bluebells by GardenClips
• Project Diaries takes a walk through the bluebells...

Antique postcards of wildflower dolls. I especially like the bluebell gentleman!

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

Back to "Little Blossoms" Doll Summer Camp Index

Patriotic Doll Crafts

Far Left, a tote bag made with American flag duct tape. Center left, Patriotic Pinwheel Cookies,
Center right, our dolls love to rest in this folksy, log cabin quilt covered hammock. Far right,
 doll sized rockets for the 4th of July.

       Decorations are seen here, there, and everywhere on Independence Day/4th of July, President's Day, Memorial Day and Veteran's Day in the United States. How beautifully the flags and streamers look as they wave in the breeze. All the houses and streets are nostalgic with red, white and blue bunting. We listen with a thrill of patriotic excitement to the marching bands and watch parades pass down our neighborhood streets with enthusiasm. 

       The spirit of freedom fills the very air we breath. Whiz! zip! bang! go the fireworks. The noise is enchanting and the smell of powder brings back so many memories.

       All of our national, patriotic holidays in the United States are celebrated with similar traditions. These celebrations, from early morning through late in the evening, give ample opportunities for fireworks, games, sport and food. And American girls and boys can join in the fun with their dolls too!

Below is a listing of all our patriotic doll crafts, games and entertainments. You can help grow our listing by making requests for particular patriotic crafts in the comment box below:

1. DIY Doll Sized Rockets for 4th of July!
2. 18" Doll Size Patriotic Pinwheel Craft 
3. DIY Patriotic Pinwheel Cookies for American Girl Dolls
4. How to Recycle a Hammock For a Doll
5. Craft a Patriotic Duct Tape Tote for A Doll
6. DIY Simple Doll Cheerleader Pom-Poms
7. Sew a Doll Sized Table Skirt
8. Craft Cotton Candy for A Doll
9. Craft Small Award Ribbons
10. Sew a patriotic hair bow for your doll...
11. How to Sew a Liner For A Picnic Basket
12. How to craft a wooden American flag for doll decor...
13. 4th of July cupcakes to craft for your dolls
    
14. How to make patriotic cakes for your dolls...

Vintage, Patriotic Coloring Pages for Kids:

• Vintage American Patriot Coloring Page Index
• Flossie Fisher Paper Dolls - she's dressed for a parade with her pets...

American Federal Holidays and Customs: The following federal holidays are legislated.

1. New Year's Day: January 1
2. The King Center: third Monday of January
3. George Washington's Birthday or Founding Fathers of The United States: third Monday of February
4. The History Behind Memorial Day: last Monday in May
5. Juneteenth: June 19
6. The Story of the Fourth of July: Independence Day: July 4
7. The History of Labor Day: first Monday in September
8. Indigenous People's Day or Columbus Day: 2nd Monday in October
9. Veterans Day: November 11
10. Thanksgiving Day: the fourth Thursday in November
11. Christmas Day: December 25

Patriotic Poems, Speeches, Books and History:

• The Flag Goes By by Henry Holcomb Bennett
• United States Presidents Index
• The Flag Maker - by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
• An Old Letter  by Sprague
• Forever - "There's a joyous sound in the summer air..."
  
• The Liberty Bell and Other Bells - Story behind the Liberty Bell and why ringing bells at celebrations?

 Poems About Summer:

• July 
• Summer Days

4th of July Video from American Girl Doll Fans: 

• Doll Summer Fashions for The 4th of July 
• Setting up a picnic for the dolls on the 4th of July from agforlife

American Girl Dolls that Represent Children Living in Times of War:

• Felicity Merriman's and Elizabeth Cole's World of Historic Artifacts from American Colonial Era
• Caroline Abbott's World of Historic Artifacts from The War of 1812
• Addy Walker's World of Historic Artifacts from the Civil War Era
• Rebecca Rubin's World of Historic Artifacts from WWI War Era in America
• Molly McIntire's and Emily Bennett's World of Historic Artifacts from WWII War Era in America

Parents Choose Books About War Carefully Please:
Book Reviews About Young Teens and Children During War:

• 8 Unforgettable Middle Grade Books About WWII
• Fiction About The Revolutionary War: 4th-10th Grade
• Reading About WWI for kids
• Five Great Books About the Vietnam War for Middle Readers
• Top 10 Civil War Books for Kids
• Children's Books in the Swarthmore College Peace Collection

Juvenile Fiction About Anti-War Themes:

• The Butter Battle Book – Dr. Seuss, 1984
• Children of the Book – Peter Carter, 1982
• The Clay Marble – Minfong Ho novel, 1991
• Ender's Game – Orson Scott Card novel, 1985
• Fallen Angels – Walter Dean Myers novel, 1988
• Habibi – Naomi Shihab Nye novel, 1997
• I Had Seen Castles – Cynthia Rylant, 1993
• Soldier's Heart: A Novel of the Civil War – Gary Paulsen novel, 1998
• Sunrise over Fallujah – Walter Dean Myers, 2008
• War Horse – Michael Morpurgo, 1982
• When the Horses Ride By: Children in the Times of War – Greenfield, Gilchrist poems and illus., 2006
• The Underland Chronicles by Suzanne Collins - five epic fantasy novels

Juvenile Non-Fiction About Anti-War Themes:

• Ain't Gonna Study War No More: The Story of America's Peace Seekers – Milton Meltzer, 2002
• Lines in the Sand: New Writing on War and Peace – Hoffman and Lassister, eds. essays, stories, poems, 2003
• A Little Peace – Barbara Kerley, 2007
• Operation Warhawks: How Young People Become Warriors – Terrence Webster-Doyle, 1993
• Paths to Peace: People Who Changed the World – Jane Breskin Zalben, 2004
• Peace One Day – Jeremy Gilley, 2005
• Some Reasons for War: How Families, Myths and Warfare Are Connected – Sue Mansfield, 1988

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

"Rebecca" An Early American Settler Doll

Close-up of "Rebecca" Avon doll.

The printing on the side of the box she comes in reads:

 "Avon's celebration of women of bygone days is reflected in this beautiful and unique hand-crafted collector doll.

Rebecca, the Early Settler Doll, wears a dress that is both charming and practical. The bell-shaped green skirt is covered by a crisp white apron trimmed with lace. A face-framing cap is tied at the crown and neck by satin ribbons. Her winsome features are sculpted of fine porcelain bisque and carefully hand-painted. Her beauty lies in her character and simplicity."

Learn More About Colonial American Fashions:

• I Wore 18th-Century Clothing Every Day for 5 Years (1700s)
• Getting dresses in the 18th Century from National Museums Liverpool
• How to sew a classic mop cap 
• How kids can make a no sew mop cap for Colonial Period studies
• Colonial Williamsburg Fashion Days Event

Full length photos of front and back of the doll' costume.

See the doll's molded hair without her mop cap. 

• Back to Avon Doll Introduction post...

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!

"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