Now that we've just barely finished unpacking all the boxes (inside at least - the garage is a different story), guess what - we're packing some bags and hitting the road to visit our family lake house in Montana. Naturally, a 7 hour road trip calls for breaking out the big guns and this idea from Kaley is one of my favorites. Hope you can use it too! With summer in full swing, we have been doing a lot of traveling (get more of our tips here). Planes, cars, even buses. And no matter … [Read more...]
Play Theme Cheat Sheet: Space
Even though it's not quite August yet, we just couldn't wait any longer to post our latest Play Theme Cheat Sheet. We just know you're going to love it!... I am so excited about this month's playtime cheat sheet, just because of the theme alone....SPACE! I don't know why, but I was somewhat overly fascinated with space as a child (nerd alert). I simply couldn't get enough of it. I even asked for a toy planetarium for Christmas one year, which I've now passed down to my son. P.S. It still … [Read more...]
Kid Craft: Paper Sun Catchers
Hi friends, how are you all doing? To be honest, I'm feeling drained. We started the week with my daughter's birthday and ended it by saying goodbye to our extremely loving and loyal family dog. The emotional ups and downs have taken it out of me and I find I don't have much to say today. So how about a joyful little kid craft instead? These paper sun catchers have been a HUGE hit with S and C and their bright colors can't help but bring a smile to my face. I'm over at eHow mom sharing the … [Read more...]
Crafting with Food: Apple Prints
Happy Friday everyone, any big plans for the weekend? We're going to be bike riding, house hunting, and BBQing with friends. I'm beyond excited for a nice, chill weekend. If you need something to do with the littles this weekend, I highly suggest this apple print activity I put together over on eHow's mom channel. There's a reason this one is a classic, kids absolutely love painting with produce. And if you need something to read, check out what we've been discussing over on Sulia this … [Read more...]
What the Kids and I Have Been Up to Elsewhere
We've been talking a lot of food around here lately. You may even be wondering if we forgot about the kids a bit. Rest assured, the littles and I have been up to our usual tricks - we've just been sharing them elsewhere. Here's a recap of our latest adventures. Over on eHow's mom channel we've been making "Critter Snacking Ladders" (pictured up top)... … [Read more...]
DIY Book Binding: Experience Journals
We have two very special guests today, all the way from Singapore. They're stopping by to share with you a little of the book arts - specifically how to easily create what we're calling an "experience journal" with your child. I love the idea of using them to capture some of the journeys you make together, both big and small. P.S. QUESTION OF THE DAY Are you good at capturing some of the everyday moments with you kids? What are your favorite ways for doing so? When I remember, I try to … [Read more...]
Letting the Kids Color on Fabric
Contributor Allison is back today with something very cool. DecoArt sent us some of their new and a bottle of basecoat to play with and I, in turn, sent it along to Allison to see what her and her boys could come up with. The results are pretty fantastic. I'm all about getting my kids involved so this project was their creation. I love creating (and getting) handmade gifts and I try to pass that love along to my kids as well. We decided to make a placemat/playmat that our younger … [Read more...]
Summer Fun for Everyone: Finger Knit Bracelets
I'm guessing that knitting isn't high up on most of your lists for summertime fun. But I'm here to change your mind. In fact, I'm at eHow this week talking about the perfect summer knitting project: finger knit friendship bracelets. As the name implies, this is a needle-free type of knitting suitable for kids of all ages. It's a great way to get your littlest little ones in on the summer-friendship-bracelet-making fun and it promotes fine motor skills to … [Read more...]
Creating Art with Nature
I've been really inspired lately by a concept known as "invitations to play". The steps involved are about as simple as they come: Find some interesting materials Lay them out in an appealing and accesible way Watch the children be drawn in like moths to a flame Recently I decided to try the technique with a mix of art materials and found nature objects. To add to the fun, I set everything up in our playroom while the kids were napping and just left it there for them to … [Read more...]