Holiday Gift Guide 2023: Best Toys for Kids & Doll Fans 

Welcome to the Our Generation Holiday Gift Guide – 2023 edition! This year’s list includes over 40 of this season’s top toys and best gift ideas to help you find everything they’re wishing for, from 18-inch dolls and doll clothes to accessories and more pretend play toys for kids. We’ve also handpicked surprise standouts that are sure to earn a holiday hug from your little one.

Ready to bring home the ultimate gifts? Scroll through each section to discover gifts that WOW, doll toys, thoughtful bundles, and cute stocking stuffers.

Gorgeous Gift Box Sets

Our 5 perfectly giftable Starter Sets have everything doll lovers need to explore friendship, fashion, and fun this season. Each stunning 18-inch doll comes with 3 interchangeable outfits to play dress-up, with themed accessories to add personality and charm to every look. And the sweetest part? They arrive beautifully packaged in a heart-decorated gift box that’s ready to tuck under the tree! 

Post-GiftG-BD31357

Stella

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Post-GiftG-BD31361

Rosalind

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Cambi

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Amora

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New

Our Generation Doll Camper

State-of-the-art details and all-around fun make this RV Camper the 2023 standout toy of the year. Kids (and adults!) will be blown away by this MEGA playset. It features working lights and wipers, 8 GPS navigation sounds, 55+ play pieces, a flushing toilet sound, and even a gas tank refilling sound!

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Limited Time Only

Our Generation Dollhouse

Now’s your chance to bring home the WOW! Our impressive 3-story dollhouse for 18-inch dolls is back by popular demand. Standing over 5 feet tall, this dollhouse is designed with 6 spacious rooms, includes 45+ movable toy furniture and play pieces, and is made of wood to last for generations!

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Award-Winner

Doll Ice Cream Truck

The Our Generation doll ice cream truck is our most iconic accessory. Kids can play 3 songs, activate working lights and wipers, and it includes 129 accessories with a real chalkboard! With over 700 5-star reviews, it’s no wonder this fan-favorite continues to be a top holiday toy.

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New

Our Generation Doll Camper

State-of-the-art details and all-around fun make this RV Camper the 2023 standout toy of the year.
Kids (and adults!) will be blown away with our MEGA camping playset. It arrives fully loaded with interactive features like working lights, swishing wipers, 8 GPS navigation sounds, 55+ play pieces, a flushing toilet sound, opening doors, built-in play spaces, and a gas tank refilling sound!

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The Our Generation Dollhouse

Limited Time Only

Now’s your chance to bring home the WOW! Our impressive 3-story dollhouse for 18-inch dolls is back by popular demand. Standing over 5 feet tall, this dollhouse is designed with 6 spacious rooms, includes 45+ movable toy furniture and play pieces, and is made of wood to last for generations!

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Doll Ice Cream Truck Playset

Award-Winner

Featured in The New York Post’s “Hottest Christmas Toys for the 2023 Holidays” the Our Generation doll ice cream truck is our most iconic accessory. Kids can play 3 songs, activate working lights and wipers, and it includes 129 accessories with a real chalkboard! With over 700 5-star reviews, it’s no wonder this fan-favorite continues to be a top holiday toy.

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Under $30: 18-inch Dolls & Boy Dolls

Friendship, fashion, and fun all in one. Our Generation dolls (and boy dolls!) have always made wonderful gifts for kids who love pretend play. Our 18-inch dolls are crafted with huggable soft bodies, eyes that open and close, lifelike details, and a range of hair and skin tones.

Birthday Doll - Kehlani

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Boy Doll - Lorenz

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Princess Doll - Sarah

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Sleepover Doll - Tanisha

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Fashion Doll - Millie

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Hair Play Doll - Capri

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Under $35: 18-inch Doll & Pet Sets

Looking for a thoughtful gift for kids who own (or have always wanted) a pet? These friendly duos open up lots of storytelling and educational opportunities.

Each doll comes with its own 6″ plush puppy. Plus, the included accessories help boost imagination and teach kids how to care for a pet.

Safie
& Ginger

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Nastassia
& Angel

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Jin
& Charm

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Elliot
& Pup

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Ember
& Elsie

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Under $50: 18-inch Doll & Horse Sets

From pet fans to horse lovers, these sets combine the fun of hairstyling and the thrill of horseback riding. Each doll comes with its own toy horse, including accessories for kids to groom and glam!

Shelley & Foal

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Elara & Lumina

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Best 18-inch Doll Clothes for Dress-up Fans

Fashion lovers will gush over these Our Generation doll clothes! Compatible with most 18-inch dolls, each piece is designed in playful styles with vibrant colors that let kids easily mix and match for seamless storytelling. After all, picking out the perfect outfit is essential, right?

Cheerfully Chilly

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All Aflutter

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My Lucky Horseshoe

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Flamingo Dreaming

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Slice of Fun

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Travel Chic

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Build the Perfect Bundle

The beauty of Our Generation? You can pair dolls with playsets to gift worlds of play that STILL fit your budget! Check out our themed bundles below that spark imagination.

Under $75: Bundle for Little Stylists

18-inch Doll Veronika & Pink Vanity Table Playset

Kids can express their makeover skills in full with hair play doll Veronika and a brand-new, light-up vanity table!

$26.99

Glam & Glow Vanity Set

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$25.99

Hair Play Doll - Veronika

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Under $75: School Bundle for Eager Readers

Posable 18-inch Doll Hally & Cafeteria Table

School play gets even more engaging as kids play out Hally’s story with a book and a cafeteria table (with tennis ball table legs!). Plus, Hally is a posable doll, which means kids can bend her arms and legs to properly seat her during lunchtime!

$34.99

Hally & Storybook

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$24.99

Cafeteria Table

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Under $100: Spa Day & Dollhouse Furniture Bundle

Posable 18-inch Doll Serafina, Living Room Set, and Bathroom Set 

Ever heard of a spa-themed birthday party? Kids can play out Serafina’s adventures from her storybook with the included accessories – and learn about the importance of self-care along the way.  

Plus, these standalone doll furniture sets can transform any play area into a stylish living space or help put the finishing touches on their dollhouses. 

$24.99

Living Room Set

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$34.99

Serafina & Storybook

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$25.99

Bathroom Set

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Under $100: Slumber Party Bundle

18-inch Tooth Fairy Doll Twinkle, Bunk Beds & Bean Bag Chair 

Make their doll’s dream bedroom magically appear with a complete bunk bed set that comfortably fits two 18-inch dolls, a bean bag chair for fun decor, and tooth fairy doll Twinkle!

$21.99

Bean Bag Chair

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$29.99

Tooth Fairy - Twinkle

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$39.99

Bunk Bed Playset

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Under $100: Inspired by The Nutcracker

Kids can bring a magical adventure to life and create their own fairy tale stories with beloved characters from the classic Nutcracker tale. But don’t dilly-dally! These dolls are only available during the holiday season.

$24.99

Sugar Plum Fairy - Delmy

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$24.99

Clara & Mini Nutcracker

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$25.99

Sugar Plum Fairy - Lalia

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Under $10: Fun Stocking Stuffers for Kids

Mini gifts that pack mighty fun! Kids reaching into their stockings will love discovering a fun-sized plush pet to cherish and care for. And for those who love a little mystery, they’ll get twice the surprise when they learn that our top-selling collectible school bags include hidden accessories inside! 

Each at $7.99

Surprise School Bags

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$7.99

Plush Piglet Set

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$7.99

Plush Hedgehog Set

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We hope the Our Generation dolls and accessories in this Holiday Gift Guide will light up your child’s smile and imagination during this season and the ones to come!

If you’d like to stay up to date on everything Our Generation, sign up for our newsletter for new releases. Also, check out our Facebook, Instagram (@ogdolls), and TikTok for more fun and excitement in the OG World!

On Our Best Bee-havior

We’re sitting down with our beekeeper Melina to learn more about our bee friends and how they play an important role in our environment. She even has some funny fun facts to share and will show us how we can help the bees in our community.

 

Hi Melina! I understand that you are an expert when it comes to honey bees.

Hi there! Hehe, I don’t know if I’m an expert, I just love learning about them and what they mean to our environment.

 

What are some of the things you learned?

Well, honey bees help flowers and other plants grow, which helps them make seeds for fruits and vegetables like apples, strawberries, tomatoes, cucumbers, and lots more for us to eat.

 

Also, the bees that look for flowers are girls, and they are known as worker bees who collect pollen, help feed the other bees, build and protect the hive, and make honey. They can even circulate and clean the air by flapping their wings 200 times per second!

 

Wow, that sounds like a lot of work.

It is, which is why I like bees. They’re one of the hardest working insects on the planet.

 

So, what exactly is pollen?

Pollen is used to make seeds and grow more plants. It’s already on the plants and flowers, but it needs help getting to the right places to work. That’s where bees fly in to help!

 

How does that work?

When worker bees land on a flower, pollen sticks to their bodies, and when they fly away, pollen is carried to different parts of the flower that the bees land on. They can visit 50-100 flowers in one trip!

Without bees, we can lose all the plants that they pollinate, and humans and animals could go hungry. It just shows how anyone in the world, even the smallest of things, can make a huge difference.

 

That’s very true. Did you always like bees? I get a little nervous when I think about their stingers…

No not always. At first, I didn’t like bees because I was afraid of getting stung too, but I learned that they get scared of us; more than we do of them!

Most people wave their arms and try to shoo them away, but that only makes them buzz around more. Instead, I stay perfectly still and they fly away. Being calm and kind always leads to a better result over anger or force.

 

Wow, I didn’t think of it that way. I love learning something new!

Plus, bees usually use their stingers if they feel like others are bugging them too much.

The more you take the time to learn about something that seems scary, there’s a chance it can turn into something friendly.

 

Do bees have a way of telling each other where to find the best flowers?

They dance!

 

Really?!

Haha yes! They communicate through movement.

To share information, they perform a “waggle dance” and move their bodies in a figure-eight to show the other bees where to look.

 

Is there anything that we can do to help the bees?

Oh yes, and it’s both easy and fun!

We can plant some of their favorite flowers like lavender and sunflowers so they can find the food they need. I have my own plant guide that tells me which are best.

 

Thank you so much for sharing about bees, Melina. We’ve learned a lot more about these friendly insects. And we wish you happy planting!

Thank you so very much!!

 

Learning new information can lead to big words. Here are some words that Melina used during her interview:

 

Role – a person or thing that plays a part in a situation

Expert – a person with knowledge about a subject or topic

Pollen – powder found on flowers that helps grow seeds and other plants

Circulate – to move around

Pollinate (Pollination) – carrying pollen from one part of the plant/flower to another

Result – a conclusion; an end

Communicate – to talk; sharing information, news, or ideas

DIY Mother’s Day Love Jars

 

The best gifts always come from the heart, and we’re making our very own Love Jars filled with care and kind words for Mother’s Day!

This gift is EXTRA special because we have to think of all the awesome things our moms have taught us, helped us with, and how they always made everything better. That’s why every reason that goes into the jar will help bring a smile to her face.

And even though sometimes we forget to say it, it will always be written down for them to read.

 

Follow our easy tutorial to get started!

 

 

SUPPLIES

● A jar with a lid (we cleaned and reused one we had)

● Sheets of paper

● Crayons and/or markers

● Scissors

● Scotch tape

● Ribbons, yarn, hearts, and decorative flowers (optional)

 

*Safety first: this colorful craft requires scissors. Please get help from an adult to make sure you complete this craft safely.

 

STEPS

1. Write all the reasons why you love your mom on the sheets of paper. You can also use construction paper with colorful markers to write each one!

2. Next, use the scissors to cut out the reasons in slips (with adult supervision) and decorate them with pretty colors.

3. Fold the slips of paper in half and put them in the jar.

4. Create a title for your Love Jar by writing “Reasons Why I Love You” on another piece of paper.

5. Cut out the title (with adult supervision) and tape it to the front of the jar.

6. Optional: Tie a ribbon/yarn around the jar and add mini paper hearts or flowers for extra decoration.

7. You now have a special Mother’s Day gift!

 

 

Happy Mother’s Day to all the MOMS around the world!

Awesome Academy: Class in Session!

 

Welcome to the very first class of Awesome Academy! Today, we’ll be focusing on math and English exercises with fun twists that help us learn. We also have examples to help us get started with worksheets that you can try on your own for more practice, and you can easily print them out for FREE by clicking on the links below.

It’s time to choose which of your favorite dolls will participate with us today, then take a comfortable seat because class is about to begin!

 

 

 

 

Let’s Skip Count!

For this math exercise, we’re going to learn how to recognize patterns by skip counting.

Skip counting is a quick way to count forward or backward by counting in 2s, 3s, or even 12s!

Let’s practice some examples together:

If we’re counting to 10, one way we can count is by 1s:

0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

But another way is to skip count by 2s:

2, 4, 6, 8, 10.

This lets us get to 10 quicker because we are skipping a number in between. And by adding two to every number, we can see that there is a pattern when we count.

0+2 = 2, 2+2 = 4, 4+2 = 6, 6+2 = 8, and 8+2 = 10 (every number is going up by 2 instead of 1)

We can see another pattern if we decide to skip count by 3s:

0+3 = 3, 3+3 = 6, 6+3 = 9, 9+3 = 12 (now, every number is going up by 3 instead of 2)

Now it’s your turn! Practice skip counting by printing out our free worksheet!

 

Helpful Math Tip:

Our friend Hally loves math, and she’s not shy about letting everyone know it. She taught us a cool trick that she learned when multiplying numbers by 9.

To multiply a number by 9, first multiply it by 10 and then subtract the original number from the answer.

Let’s practice one together:

To find 5 x 9

Multiply: 5 x 10 = 50 (when multiplying any number by 10, just add a 0 at the end, always!)

Then, subtract: 50 – 5 (original number) = 45

And your answer is: 5 x 9 = 45

Let’s do one more!

27 x 9

27 x 10 = 270 (remember to add a 0 at the end)

270 – 27 = 243

27 x 9 = 243

Voila!

 

Ring Ring, It’s Time for Our English Class!

In this lesson, we’re going to focus on reading, writing, and comprehending (new word alert: comprehending means to understand something)!

Each of us will choose our favorite book from the OG Bookshelf and write a mini book report. Visit our bookshelf and read for free, then print out our free book report worksheet!

 

Helpful Reading Tip:

When you’re reading, try to think about all the characters. Which ones are your favorite, why are they special to you, and how do they fit in the story.

Also, think about what you liked about the story and which parts you would change. These questions can help when trying to comprehend what is happening in a book.

Do you remember what comprehending means?

 

There goes the bell again. We hope you enjoyed today’s lessons, and we’ll be back for more fun learning at Awesome Academy very soon! Don’t forget to share your work by tagging us @ogdolls!

A New Day to Grow

Nahla hasn’t been able to visit the rooftop garden at school with her friends to tend to her flowers and vegetables, but it looks like she’s been planting a little positivity to help make her time at home easier.

 

Hi Nahla! It’s such a pleasure that we have this chance to talk today.

Hi! I’m very excited, there’s lots of things I’d like to share.

 

How are you handling being home from school and away from your garden?

Well, it’s been tough not seeing my friends and working on my garden, but being home has given me the chance to spend time with my family and focus on things that help me grow!

 

 

Have you thought of any interesting activities to do during the day?

The first thing I thought of was how I could bring my daily activities from school to my house. And of course, I started with my garden!

I planted some tomatoes, cucumbers, and pretty flowers in small pots and placed them on top of my windowsill with some supplies that I had left over from my science project. It’s called a container garden because you can use lots of things like cans, jars, plastic cups, and milk cartons.

 

Wow! How does a container garden work?

Well first, you always need to wash your hands before and after you start any type of garden, then I get my supplies ready and I start: I fill up 3/4 of the cup with soil, put in a few seeds, add another scoop of soil on top, and add fresh water.

Then I took my creativity to the next level by drawing pictures of a sun and a bright blue sky to put on the windows so when it begins to sprout, it knows it’s in a happy environment!

 

That sounds like a fun idea. You’ve added a little twist to gardening at home!

I also drew pictures of a happy cloud with raindrops and a colorful rainbow because flowers need both the sunshine and rain to grow. Plus, I’m a bit of a pluviophile. I love the sound of raindrops when they touch the window!

 

Does that mean our friendly neighbors can see your drawings on the window?

Of course! It might inspire them to plant their own garden, draw pretty pictures too, or bring a smile to their day. That’s the best thing about creativity, it always leads to more wonderful ideas!

 

Oh, before I forget, did you get a chance to participate in the Egg Hunt?

I did! Some of my friends and I were talking about all the eggs we were able to find in the pictures.

I found two eggs near the Easter basket and the one next to Maeva in the school bag. Lexie told us there was one beside the steps and one in the girl’s pocket – she’s the best at finding hidden treasure!

There were also three eggs hiding in the Saddle Up Stables horse barn. One was near the silver trough, another was high up on the shelf, and the last one was in the corner under the saddle!

 

Thank you so much for talking to us today, Nahla. You’ve certainly given us some valuable lessons.

Thank you! Remember, happiness can always be found in every day if you’re looking in the right places.

See you next time!

 

Taking the time to learn new words can help us understand stories much better, and they can be used to tell our own stories in clear and exciting ways. Here are some words that Nahla used to tell her story:

 

Tend to – to care for or look after someone/something

 

Sprout – a plant that is starting to grow

 

Environment – the place/surroundings in which a person, animal, or plant lives

 

Pluviophile – a person who loves rain

DIY Flower Crowns for Kids

 

 

 

Ready to earn your crown? This easy homemade craft lets little ones design their own flowery fashion accessory just in time for spring! And since this activity encourages creative freedom, kids can fill up their crowns with any type of flower, colors, pretty patterns, or anything their imagination can dream up.

Psst! Parents can also join in the fun by creating a matching crown for themselves! Let’s get started:

 

 

 

 

Supplies

  • Pencil
  • Ruler
  • Scotch tape
  • Glue stick
  • Scissors
  • Construction paper in your favorite colors

 

*Safety first! This colorful craft requires scissors. Please get help from an adult to make sure you complete this craft safely.

 

 

Steps

  1. To make the headband of the crown, cut two long strips of construction paper and tape the ends together as shown (with adult supervision).
  2. Next, use your ruler to measure a 4″ x 4″ square and fold it in half two times. 
  3. Draw your flower petal on the square with the folded edges pointing down (as shown in the image) and cut out your petal (with adult supervision). 
  4. When you unfold the paper, you’ll have a flower with four petals all attached (wow!). You can create different-sized flower petals by measuring larger or smaller squares from Step 2.
  5. Cut out mini circles to use as the flower centers – you can even add leaves for extra creativity!
  6. Mix and match the colors and flower sizes and glue them together with the mini circles in the middle.
  7. Fill up the headband with your flowery creations, tape the other ends together, and enjoy your crown!

 

Show us your colorful flower crowns on Instagram (@ogdolls) and TikTok (@officialogdolls)!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We found inspiration for this craft here. Thank you Paper and Glue!

 

 

Cecee’s Pre-Presentation Jitters

 

It’s recess, and Cecee is about to give a presentation in her next class. But she’s really nervous about what the other students might think. So, she’s decided to write down her thoughts in her journal for help. Let’s see how Cecee is coping…

 

Class Presentation Day

 

I’ve given a school presentation before, about my summer vacation and favorite animals, but what I’m presenting today is VERY different.

 

Our teacher told the class to choose any person in history that inspires us, and I chose Emma Lilian Todd (she was the first female airplane designer). At first, she inspired me because she was a self-taught designer; she thought of an idea and learned the skills to make it come true. That’s very hard to do, but it can also be something amazing. Then, the more I read about Emma, I started to get my own ideas, like what it would be like to design a flying car! That’s never happened to me before. All these images, sounds, colors, and possibilities rushed into my mind. And it got me thinking about creating one for the future. How do I explain an idea like that to the rest of the class?

 

This is something that hasn’t been done yet, and it also sounds silly the first time you hear it out loud. Telling the students how I built sandcastles on a beach is way more realistic than saying I want to design a flying car. I wondered what they would think: what if they start to laugh? What if they don’t pay attention? Or worse, what if they don’t believe in me?

 

Maybe, I thought, if I could draw a picture and show the class, it could help them get excited about my idea too! So, I asked my classmate Lake for help, she told us that she created a Happy Habit to be more creative this year – I knew she was the perfect person to help me sketch some designs. I wanted it to have mini engine rockets on each side (whoosh!), with wheels that can fold in at the push of button (boop!), and a heart-shaped grill on the front! The other students would have to believe in me now!

 

But the more I thought about it, maybe I was putting too much pressure on what the class would think. I know I put a lot of work into my class presentation by researching and practicing many times. Plus, I realized how excited I was to build my idea and bring something to life using my imagination. And once I started drawing, all my worries about the class disappeared. If they do like it, then that would be encouraging, but if they don’t, then that would be okay too. Sometimes, people can’t see what you see, and just because they don’t, it doesn’t mean it isn’t there, or wrong, or unimportant. My idea came to me for a reason, and I’m going to try to design my flying car and change the world!

 

There goes the bell.

Good luck, Cecee!

 

 

Lots of interesting words can come to mind when you write about how you feel. Do you recognize any of the words that Cecee used in her journal entry?

 

Coping – how someone deals with something difficult

 

Inspires – someone (or something) that gives people the desire to do or feel something

 

Self-taught – learning a skill (or knowledge) on your own

 

Happy Habits – a plan made by Rashida to help all her friends reach their goals

 

Sketch – to make a drawing of something

 

Encouraging – giving someone support or hope

Curious, Kind, and A Friend of Mine

It’s almost Galentine’s Day – a day when girls celebrate with their best friends! This past weekend, Gloria and Lake decided to create a card for one of their friends, and they’re using a little imagination to make this year’s Galentine’s & Valentine’s Day extra special!

Happy early Galentine’s Day girls, and Valentine’s, too!

Lake + Gloria: Happy early Galentine’s & Valentine’s Day!

 

I don’t know about you two, but February is one of my favorite months to be in.

Lake: I love February too! It has such a warm feeling and lots of people wear red – my favorite color!

 

Gloria: Plus, everyone shows someone they love how much they care about them. AND, I’m also a leapling*. That means my birthday is on February 29th!

 

That’s true! I forgot about the leap day this year. Haha, that’s going to be my favorite word of the day. Have you planned anything special with your friends?

Gloria: Oh yes! We’re going to have a slumber party with Rashida, and we’re going to give her a Compliment Card that we made.

Lake: She told us about her Happy Habits idea for 2020 and we liked it so much that we decided to make our own. And so far, it’s been a tremendous* help!

 

It sounds like Rashida has been a positive influence* on both of you. What did you choose to do this year?

Gloria: I want to learn dancing, preferably* ballet. It looks like so much fun and I’ve never tried anything like it before.

Lake: I would like to be more creative. There’s lots of things to consider* like painting, drawing, arts & crafts, and so much more. It was the perfect way to start a new Valentine’s Day project!

 

Those sound like exciting habits! So how does this “Compliment Card” work? How did you make it?

Lake: The magic is in the idea. We made a heart out of construction paper (red of course!) and then we wrote 16 compliments on top: one for every day of the month starting on Valentine’s day.

Gloria: We also put heart-shaped post-it notes on top of the compliments. That way, Rashida can peel off a heart and read her compliment for the day!

 

That is so, so sweet! What made you think of that idea?

Lake: She told us that one of her Happy Habits was giving a compliment to people she meets, so we wanted her to receive a compliment too.

Gloria: Everyone deserves to hear something nice!

 

Thank you both so much for taking the time to talk today. You’ve inspired me to make “Compliment Cards” for my friends, too. I know Rashida will love it!

Gloria: Thank you for inviting us to chat!

Lake: We can’t wait to see the look on her face!

 

Talking with friends is a great way to practice your vocabulary. Try using the words from Lake and Gloria’s interview in your next friendly conversation:

 

Leapling – a person born on a leap day (February 29th)

Tremendous – extremely well; marvelous or fantastic

Influence – having an important impact on someone or something

Preferably – doing something by choice, if possible

Consider – thinking about something carefully

Learning New Skills This Ski-Son

Rashida is no stranger to New Year’s resolutions, but this year, she’s taking a different approach to make sure she experiences everything on her list. Let’s see what ideas Rashida has planned for this exciting new year!

 

Happy New Year, Rashida! It’s so nice to finally sit down with you and talk about all your plans for 2020!

Happy New Year! I’ve got so many new activities I want to learn, and this year is the perfect time to do everything on my list!

 

Everybody has been making New Year’s resolutions and trying their best to stick with them. Have you set any goals for yourself that you want to accomplish?

Oh yes! I made a list of all the things I want to do, but instead of calling them resolutions, I told myself that I’m going to create Happy Habits!

Every time I made a resolution in the past, it got a little difficult to continue doing it after January, but I learned that building a good habit can help turn my goals into a daily routine.

 

Wow, that sounds very interesting, Rashida. What are some of these “Happy Habits” that you’ve created for yourself?

I want to read for a minimum of 30 minutes a day (usually before bedtime), give out a compliment to someone I meet, and listen to others a whole lot more – people have lots of interesting stories to share!

Those are my habits and goals that I set each day, but I’m also learning how to ski and snowboard before the snow melts. And once it’s summer, I want to learn how to rollerblade!

 

You certainly have a lot of activities that you want to accomplish this year. How are they going so far?

Some days are challenging, but I manage to do them all on most days. So far, I’ve learned that clouds weigh over one million pounds, the cookie monster’s real name is Sid, and in Switzerland, it’s illegal to own only one guinea pig because they get lonely.

Whether I’m learning something big or small, it always motivates me to continue moving forward, and I know that as long as I always try my best, that’s what matters most.

 

That is really impressive, and you’re absolutely right! Have you started skiing and snowboarding yet?

I started two weekends ago. I learned how to keep my balance on the skis while making left and right turns, and I learned how to stop on the snowboard while sliding on the mini hills!

 

Ha ha, it sounds like you might be getting the hang of it.

It’s so much fun! I was able to use the skills I learned in horseback riding to help me, but it’s a really great experience learning something that I’ve never done before.

 

All of us can’t wait to see you out on the slopes. Thank you so much for sharing your “Happy Habits” with us, Rashida. We hope your 2020 is going to be filled with lots of happiness and excitement!

Thank you so very much, you’ve made this interview really fun!! There’s my compliment for today, ha ha.

 

Listening and reading can lead to learning new words. Here are a few that were used in Rashida’s interview:

 

Resolutions – deciding to do (or not to do) something

Accomplish – to achieve or complete something successfully

Happy Habits – a positive way to think about completing your goals

Routine – a usual way of doing things

Minimum – the smallest/lowest amount possible

Compliment – saying something kind to another person

Illegal – not allowed to be done by law

Impressive – something done with great skill or quality

A Noelle Tradition

Noelle has lots of exciting activities planned for all her friends and family, and she’s having a merry little chat with us today about how she’ll bring her holiday plans to life. Let’s see how excited Noelle is to be hosting:

 

Happy holidays, Noelle! 

 

Happy holidays to you too! I’m always super excited during this time of year.

 

You’re hosting your very first HOLIDAY PARTY! Aren’t you a little nervous?

 

Not at all! I’ve got the BESTEST of friends and family that will make sure I enjoy every second. Plus, I’ve got lots of great ideas that are perfect for the occasion. How lucky are we that we get a December in our own little world!

 

[Giggling] I almost forgot that winter is your favorite season.

 

AB-SO-LUTELY! I think of myself as a chionophile. But it’s not just the snow I love, there’s so many great things about this time of year. Everyone is so cheerful, the days are so much brighter, and it’s also my birthday, so it’s double the fun for me!

 

That’s true! You must have LOTS of different activities planned for the evening then, right?

 

Of course! We have lots of fun board games to play and we’re going to sing karaoke with holiday classics… After some cups of hot chocolate, though!

 

Oh… and we’ll even play a mini gift-exchange game!

 

Really? How will that work?

 

We all sit in a circle and place the gifts in the center (there’s six of us so there will be six gifts in total). To start, we each pick a playing card one at a time and whoever gets the highest card gets to pick first. After everyone has picked, the next person who gets the highest card has to trade their gift with someone else! And since all the gifts are wrapped, no one knows what they’re trading away!

 

That sounds like so much fun!

 

IT IS! You can play as many turns as you want, so everybody will get a chance to trade.

 

What kind of gifts are they?

 

Ah ah ah. It’s a surprise… But they’re sweet and delicious!

 

[Fa La La La La, La La La La]

 

What was that sound?

 

Ha-ha, that’s my doorbell. Haven and Ivory must be here. They asked if they could be my helper elves for the party since there is SO much more to do.

 

Well, Noelle, it looks like you’re eager to get back to decorating. Thank you so very much for having us over and sharing your holiday plans with everyone. It sounds like you’re going to have a WINTER-TASTIC party!

 

Thank you very much for coming! This is going to be the first of many best holiday parties ever!

 

Definitions

 

Hosting – a person who organizes an event or a party

 

Giggling – laughing in a silly, playful way

 

Chionophile – a person who loves the cold weather, especially snow

 

Gift exchange – happily giving gifts to one another

 

Eager – when someone is very excited to do something