March 1 - National Peanut Butter Lovers' Day

Unless of course you are allergic, but hey, we're going to talk about that, too!

Let's start with

Books

One of my favorites:

978-141-971-2470

Reginald isn’t like the other zombies who shuffle through Quirkville, scaring the townspeople and moaning for BRAINSSSSS! The only thing Reginald’s stomach rumbles for is sticky peanut butter and sweet jelly. He tries to tell his zombie pals that there’s more to life than eating brains, but they’re just not interested. Will Reginald find a way to bring peace to Quirkville and convince the other zombies that there’s nothing better than PB&J?

Zombies don't get much cuter than this. Nothing scary, just silly fun! Extension: what would you try to convince zombies to eat, rather than brains? Make your case for pizza or chocolate chip ice cream by making a poster, writing/dictating an opinion piece, or giving an impassioned speech.

OR turn it into an introduction to coding/giving directions by having kids guide you through making a PB&J sandwich. Set all the supplies out and do EXACTLY what they tell you to do (after all, zombies - like computers - don't have a brain to think for themselves!) Did they say "Put the peanut butter on the bread"? Then pick up the whole jar and plop it onto the loaf. They will learn to get specific pretty quickly!

978-1681521480

Wait...peanut butter comes from peanuts? Okay I knew that, and you knew that, but don't assume a preschooler knows that! Read up on how peanut butter is made, or check out this video from the Discovery Channel:

Extension: Then try making your own! You can find a million recipes online, or click here for a simple one from Pinch of Fun - just peanuts, sweetener, salt, and a blender. Your coolness points will go through the roof.

Hey, we don't have to be all about food, though:

978-037-595-6270

Baby brother or sister, will you look like me? I blend from semisweet dark
Daddy chocolate bar and strawberry cream Mama’s milk.
My hair is soft crunchy billows of cotton candy.
I’m your peanut butter big-brother-to-be.

This book is another one of my favorites. Great rhythm and imagery, not to mention the positive way of looking at all our different skin tones. Extension: Head over to your local paint shop and check out the color sample cards. None of us is really black or white, are we? Can you find a paint color that matches your skin? Talk about melanin and how our skin color can change. Encourage your child to look positively at the rainbow around them!

978-148-240-9758

This title is part of a series on different types of allergies, which attempts to explain the seriousness of those allergies without sounding scary. It comes off a little uneven at times, but the books make a good conversation starter. Are there any allergies in your own family? Talk about what allergic reactions can look like, and what people may need to do (such as give themselves a shot).

Rhymes

In book form:

Image result for westcott peanut butter and jelly

978-014-054-8525 (PB)

Or in text (there are different variations of course!)

First you take the peanuts

And you crunch ‘em, you crunch ‘em

You crunch ‘em, crunch ‘em, crunch 'em.

Chorus:

For your peanut, peanut butter,

And jelly

Peanut, peanut butter,

And jelly

Then you take the grapes

And you squish ‘em, you squish ‘em

You squish ‘em, squish ‘em, squish 'em.

Repeat chorus

Then you take the bread

And you spread it, you spread it

You spread it, spread it, spread it.

Repeat chorus

Then you take your sandwich

And you eat it, you eat it

You eat it, eat it, eat it.

‘Cause it’s good peanut butter,

And jelly

Good peanut butter,

And jelly

Science

Do you know who else likes peanut butter? Birds and other critters! Spread pine cones or stale bread with peanut butter and smash in some bird seed. While you are at it, string Cheerios on pipe cleaners (great for fine motor skills!) and twist them into shapes. Find a tree to hang them on, preferably one you can see from a window, and watch to see who comes to visit!

(Word of warning - dogs like PB and Cheerios too, and if they are like my mother's dog, they will happily eat the pipe cleaners along with them - so you may need to hang them high!) (The treats, not the dogs.)

Social Studies

You may remember from your elementary school days that George Washington Carver was all about peanuts - but do you remember why? America's Library has a simple run-down of Carver's peanut legacy here. Carver was also a very wise man, who cared deeply about other human beings. Here are a few of his most famous quotations - younger children may need some rewording, but they all make for great discussion starters:

* Education is the key to unlock the golden door of freedom.
* When we assumed the soldier, we did not lay aside the citizen.
*It is impossible to reason without arriving at a Supreme Being.
* Guard against the impostures of pretended patriotism.
* Worry is the interest paid by those who borrow trouble.
* Happiness and moral duty are inseparably connected.
* It is better to be alone than in bad company.
* It is better to offer no excuse than a bad one.

Math

Grab a bag of dry roasted peanuts-in-the-shell and use them as manipulatives to practice adding and

subtracting.

Or, tens and ones! There were 125 in approximately half a bag of peanuts, so we estimated that a full bag has 250.

And yes, she does her own hair, why do you ask?

Then crack them open, use the nuts to make peanut butter (see above), and smash the shells up for mulch!

Snack

Ants on a log!

Community

Whip up a double batch of peanut butter cookies (or, if you're from my neck of the woods, buckeyes!) and take some to a neighbor, the police or fire station, the guys working on the highway, the folks at Animal Control, the nearest school, a friend with a birthday coming up (why thank-you Facebook)...or who else? Think outside the box and brighten someone's day!