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Reader’s Top Picks from All 7 MPMK Gift Guides

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I'm sure that all of you are very together this year and completed your Christmas shopping weeks ago... but just in case, I thought I'd throw out a friendly reminder that today's the last full day to take advantage of Amazon's free two day shipping (with your free 30 day trial of Amazon Prime) and get your gifts shipped to you by the big day. And just in case you still have a few holes in your list, I also thought I'd take advantage of some handy dandy data compiled by MPMK since Black Friday … [Read more...]

Teaching Kids to Give Back: The Sock Project

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Two weeks ago, our family was on our way to pick up a Christmas tree when my 4 year old spotted a homeless man with a sign on the street corner.  He asked me what he was doing and thus began an ongoing conversation we've been having this holiday season about those less fortunate than us.  It's not always easy to know what to say, or do, to help young children understand.  Which is why, I'm so happy Kristin is here today sharing a lovely personal project her family has recently taken … [Read more...]

Getting Our Christmas Craft On

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I always try to make an extra effort to do some special activities with the littles this time of year. Lately, I find sitting around the art table with the kids is just about all I want to do. So here's a glimpse of a few simple crafts the kiddos and I have made together this past week.  I hope you can find the time to share one or two of them with your little ones. … [Read more...]

Gift Guide: Little Explorers

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Today's the last of MPMK's 2012 Christmas Gift Guides, and it's a good one - designed to nurture the explorer within.  After all, if your kiddo has an adventurous spirit, I say run with it!  Whether their fascination lies in the stars above or their own backyard, our finds will help you milk their curiosity for all it's worth. Don't forget you can see all of our 2012 Christmas Gift Guides here.  As with our other 2012 Christmas Gift Guides, here's a sneak peak of my top 3 picks: IKEA Kids … [Read more...]

Gift Guide: Artists & Creators

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Yay! I'm so excited it's time to talk about our Artists & Creators Christmas Gift Guide.  This one is second only to our Builders & Innovators Gift Guide on my list of favorites.  But that probably doesn't surprise you, huh?  You all know how much I love anything that promotes open-ended creativity. Don't forget you can see all seven of our guides here. And, as we're doing this year, here's a glimpse at my top 3 picks for this guide: Set of 11 Simply Washable 16 oz. Tempera Paints … [Read more...]

Classic Christmas Craft: Falling Snowflakes

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Allison's here today helping us check off #14 on our family activity Advent list: easy and lovely paper snowflakes that everyone in the family will have fun making. There seems to be a never ending itch to craft this time of year. Whether it's at home or at school my boys seem to be crafting away! One of their favorite simple crafts is paper snowflakes. No snowflake comes out the same and they love seeing how their creations turn out. For them the projects that bring instant satisfaction are … [Read more...]

Gift Guide: The Vehicle Lover

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Gift guide #5 is all about things that go Vroom!  If I let C see it, I'm sure he'd want every single item on this list (which is exactly why I'm not showing it to him). Don't forget you can see all of MPMK's 2012 Christmas Gift Guides here.  As with all the guides this year, we're starting with our top 3 for those of you who don't have time to peruse the whole thing: KidKraft Limited Edition Waterfall Mountain Train Table $141.95 Battat Take Apart Sets $ 18.15 and up Bruder … [Read more...]

Make It: Washi Tape Tree

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I'm thrilled to introduce you guys to our newest MPMK contributor, Alli. She's an amazing mama, photographer and kiddo activity planner!  I think you're going to love her and her first tutorial as much as I do. Decorating the family tree has to be the most exciting part about Christmas for a kiddo, right? Okay, maybe Santa wins out. But still, Christmas trees hold a very special place not just in our little ones' hearts, but our hearts as well. Having a small toddler, I am one of the … [Read more...]

Gift Guide: Doll Lovers

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I have so many friends with little girls that are absolutely obsessed with dolls right now that I just had to include this guide (they're just too good of a resource not to take advantage of).  Plus doll play is wonderful for dramatic play, teaching emotions, and fostering nurturing and empathetic qualities in children. As with all of 2012's Gift Guides, here's our cheat sheet to this list's top 3: Melissa & Dough Brianna Doll $15.68 Chico Doll Stroller $39.99 Corolle Mon … [Read more...]

Two Tips for Easy, No-Bake Gingerbread Houses

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So I know I suggested decorating ginger bread men in lieu of gingerbread houses in this year's 24 family Advent activities. But then my mother-in-law decided she wanted to host a family gingerbread house party the day after Thanksgiving and she kind of changed my mind about the difficulty of making gingerbread houses - with two very clever tricks. Wanna know what they were?  Read on for all the details... … [Read more...]

Gift Guide: Kids on the Move

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Installment #3 of 2012's Christmas Gift Guide was born purely out of necessity.  With two rambunctious kiddos bouncing off the walls around here, I'm asking everyone in the family to think about gifting active toys this year!  Below is a carefully curated collection of my favorite picks for expelling energy both indoors and out. Don't forget, you can see ALL of this year's gift guides (even those that haven't debuted yet) by clicking here or via our sidebar button.  Before we dive in, here are … [Read more...]

Classic (and Soon to be Classic) Christmas Reads

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MPMK's resident children's literature expert Janssen is back today sharing 10 must-read Christmas books.  I've just finished putting several of them on hold at our local library - thank you Janssen! Could anything be better than reading stories by Christmas tree lights? Throw in a mug of hot chocolate with some marshmallows and maybe a crackling fire, and you're looking at some of my favorite childhood Christmas memories. Of course, having the right books to read with your child is the most … [Read more...]

Gift Guide: Dramatic Play

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  Welcome to the famous MPMK Gift Guides and congrats on finding the most comprehensive and easy-to-use kids' gift guide on the internet! (If you're not familiar with our famous lists, learn all about them here)... On to our finds for dramatic play, yippee!  Why am I so enthusiastic about this list, and dramatic play in general?  Because I truly believe that this type of play is absolutely VITAL to kids' development. It teaches so many wonderful things - literacy through vocabulary … [Read more...]