Happy Cat & Merry Cat Meet Merry-Lynn
I was reflecting on my friendship with a dear friend Kathy, who I met just after having our first son. We had moved into a new subdivision in Dundas, Ontario, where in the fence free backyards of this new community, kids and parents could roam free. Kathy and I quickly became good friends as we had a lot in common. We were both teachers, we loved sharing fun activities for our kids and the community and enjoyed going for tea. Kathy, then and now, has a love of celebrations, parties, festivals and often can be seen laughing. I nicknamed her Happy Cat. As the years passed and we approached retirement, we would go for tea and dreamed of what it would be like to own a tearoom. These ponderings along with speculations as to what we might have been like as friends during childhood became the inspiration of Happy Cat and Merry Cat.
My dear friend Keith Cains did a great job illustrating this fun story with beautiful watercolours, silhouettes and simple outlines, allowing for children to compare and contrast the different art technique. We shared this story with a special friend Melanie and her class that gave us a great review, which we included on the back cover. They also gave us feedback and said they wanted to see more Merry Cat and Happy Cat stories. Subsequently, I wrote Happy Cat and Merry Cat answer “Who’s Steering Your Ship”, asked the class to illustrate the story then copies were made for each of them. This story tackles how these happy go lucky impulsive girls learn to make effective choices. It was greatly inspired by Dr. William Glasser’s Choice Theory and Melanie Brown-Robson’s respectful and fairy classroom management techniques. This is available story is free in a printable format so that your child can illustrate the story themselves as you read and discuss it ( Scroll down on my home page).
Given the prodding from Melanie’s class I took it another step and imagined what it would be like if the two girls met a fairy, Merry-Lynn (inspired by a former principal/boss and fairy Godmother mentor- Glinda, Marilyn Stewart) who could grant them wishes. In this story the girls wish to become cats and experience what it is like to have nine lives. The wise words of, “be careful of what you wish for” becomes the final message.
Future plans are to create another HC and MC adventure, but this time they will meet Kar’in Fairy. So stay tuned to see what other adventures these two rascals will tumble into. What will be their next learning lesson and will they make effective choices?
Quick Take Away Links
– Junior Disney …Cat Boy
– a cool post from a cat expert on how to encourage your cat to be a lap cat
Seven Tips for Turning Your Cat into a Lap Cat
– A cool article delving into the history of house pets
How Victorians Turned Beasts into Man’s Best Friends
– Great author to introduce your children to James Herriot (James Wight an English veterinary surgeon and writer)
Dazzle’s Challenge:
Why not print off the free copy of Happy Cat and Merry Cat Answer, “Who’s Driving Your Car?” and have your child illustrate it. You then can read it together and discuss the concept of effective choices.
Kid Cat Crafts
Happy Cat & Merry Cat Meet Merry-Lynn
I was reflecting on my friendship with a dear friend Kathy, who I met just after having our first son. We had moved into a new subdivision in Dundas, Ontario, where in the fence free backyards of this new community, kids and parents could roam free. Kathy and I quickly became good friends as we had a lot in common. We were both teachers, we loved sharing fun activities for our kids and the community and enjoyed going for tea. Kathy, then and now, has a love of celebrations, parties, festivals and often can be seen laughing. I nicknamed her Happy Cat. As the years passed and we approached retirement, we would go for tea and dreamed of what it would be like to own a tearoom. These ponderings along with speculations as to what we might have been like as friends during childhood became the inspiration of Happy Cat and Merry Cat.
My dear friend Keith Cains did a great job illustrating this fun story with beautiful watercolours, silhouettes and simple outlines, allowing for children to compare and contrast the different art technique. We shared this story with a special friend Melanie and her class that gave us a great review, which we included on the back cover. They also gave us feedback and said they wanted to see more Merry Cat and Happy Cat stories. Subsequently, I wrote Happy Cat and Merry Cat answer “Who’s Steering Your Ship”, asked the class to illustrate the story then copies were made for each of them. This story tackles how these happy go lucky impulsive girls learn to make effective choices. It was greatly inspired by Dr. William Glasser’s Choice Theory and Melanie Brown-Robson’s respectful and fairy classroom management techniques. This is available story is free in a printable format so that your child can illustrate the story themselves as you read and discuss it ( Scroll down on my home page).
Given the prodding from Melanie’s class I took it another step and imagined what it would be like if the two girls met a fairy, Merry-Lynn (inspired by a former principal/boss and fairy Godmother mentor- Glinda, Marilyn Stewart) who could grant them wishes. In this story the girls wish to become cats and experience what it is like to have nine lives. The wise words of, “be careful of what you wish for” becomes the final message.
Future plans are to create another HC and MC adventure, but this time they will meet Kar’in Fairy. So stay tuned to see what other adventures these two rascals will tumble into. What will be their next learning lesson and will they make effective choices?
Quick Take Away Links
– Junior Disney …Cat Boy
– a cool post from a cat expert on how to encourage your cat to be a lap cat
Seven Tips for Turning Your Cat into a Lap Cat
– A cool article delving into the history of house pets
How Victorians Turned Beasts into Man’s Best Friends
– Great author to introduce your children to James Herriot (James Wight an English veterinary surgeon and writer)
Dazzle’s Challenge:
Why not print off the free copy of Happy Cat and Merry Cat Answer, “Who’s Driving Your Car?” and have your child illustrate it. You then can read it together and discuss the concept of effective choices.
Kid Cat Crafts
