Search Results for: pretend

How to Make Your Own Felt Pasta (Italy)

Here is a very quick and super easy project you can make for the kids to encourage plenty of creative playtime fun as we explore Italy on our Kids’ Culinary Passport series! Today, I’m sharing how to make pretend pasta (in this case, linguini) using common household items you may already have on-hand or could […]

10 Ways to Stay Cool with Water Play

If you find yourself stuck in a heat wave this Summer, it may be a good time to try some water play ideas to stay cool, and keep the kids entertained without the use of batteries or screens! Some tips to keep in mind — Avoid being outside during the hottest part of the day, […]

5 Ways to Learn with Chalk

Truth? I have never intentionally planned a “learning activity” for my children using chalk (bad blogger mom Melissa!). To me, chalk is simply an inexpensive medium used to create driveway art or something to occupy the boys’ hands and minds while I page a magazine and chat with an old friend on the phone. However, […]

Let’s Build a Fairy Garden Table!

This fairy garden table is a never-ending project for the kids this Summer! I love that this space provides: 1. plenty of inspiration for imaginative playtime fun, 2. learning opportunities about various plants, and 3. fresh herbs for our Summer recipes! Oh, and it is absolutely adorable!! We started with a simple elevated garden bed […]

Wummelbox Review & Giveaway

Looking for some educational and fun activities for the kids this Summer? Consider Wummelbox, a new European-designed craft and activities subscription service for kids ages 3-8 yrs. Each Wummelbox comes with all the materials and instructions to make 3-4 projects around a particular theme. For the purposes of this review, we were given a food […]

20 Favorite Must-Do Activities for Summer

Are you looking forward to Summer? Need some inexpensive activities for the kids to do to help celebrate the season?? Here are 20 of our family’s favorite Summer activities that have become special traditions — without breaking the bank. 1. Kick Ball Croquet — Repurpose some old pool noodles to make your own kickball croquet […]

Kids in the Kitchen: Easy Mexican Nachos Recipe

In honor of Cinco de Mayo, we are making nachos today! Nachos can be made healthier by using real cheese (not processed), fresh tomatoes, salsa, and beans. I chose to make it vegetarian as well, just because it’s faster and easier to make that way. This post is sponsored by our friends, The Little Partners, who make […]

Octonauts to the Rescue!

Looking for some fun toys to add to your child’s water table or pool this Summer? We were given a generous assortment of Octonaut toys to review, and the kids have enjoyed plenty of imaginative playtime fun with these! These action figure toys are based on the hit Disney Junior television series, The Octonauts, featuring […]

11 Recycled Crafts for Kids

Happy Earth Day!! To celebrate, we’ll be planting seeds in the garden, helping to clean up a local playground, and of course crafting with our invention kit made up of recycled materials. Need some eco-friendly craft ideas to help you get started? Here are 11 inspiring crafts to make from recycled materials and other common […]

5 Ways to Make Old Toys Seem Like New

Getting the most play value out of the toys your kids already have doesn’t have to take a lot of time or effort. Here are some easy ways to make old toys seem like new! These tips can help teach kids to appreciate the things they already own, and promote plenty of imaginative playtime fun. […]

Rainy Day Activities for Kids

With the inevitable rainy days of Spring ahead, it seems I can never find enough indoor activities to keep the kids entertained. Here’s a quick and easy activity that uses stickers to create a fairy garden mural celebrating the arrival of flowers this Spring! A big thank you to our friends at Melissa & Doug […]

Gift Ideas to Make the Most of Spring

There’s nothing more fun for kids than getting outdoors and being active. You can encourage outdoor play with these cool, new gift ideas perfect for Spring: 1. A Water Table – There are hours and hours of fun just waiting to be had in this small, portable water table. There’s something magical about mixing kids […]

Cherishing Simple Pleasures in Spring

“I must admit I’m a bit of an Autumn girl, but you really can’t beat the magic of Spring!” ~ Jane In the Spring, we love going outside and searching our garden for new flowers that might be peaking up, and identifying the birds and bugs in our yard.  There is so much wonderment in […]

Inspiration All Around!

It’s been so much fun getting to know everyone and reading your stories on how & where your children are inspired to create. I’ve noticed a common trend in all of our children being inspired by the simplest of things, and nature in particular. It really is quite fascinating. We had a lively discussion on […]

Gifts to Inspire Creativity

Inspire creativity with these great gift ideas! Whether you’re looking to add a little more creativity to your life (or someone else’s), here are seven of our favorite gifts (to give & receive) that are sure to inspire any lucky recipient. This collection is full of possibilities for endless creative fun for all ages and […]

Crafts and Activities to Celebrate Friendship

If you’re wondering what to do with the kids, here are 10 inspiring ideas to keep them entertained while teaching them about friendship. Added bonus — the month of February happens to be National Friendship Month, so you have the perfect (and timely) excuse to be crafty and kind! Many of these activities serve two […]

Toy Fair NY 2013!

Toy Fair is one of the biggest toy events in the world, and this year they celebrated their 110th birthday at the Javits Center in NYC! Toy Fair is not open to the public — only those directly involved in the toy industry are permitted to attend. Want to see all the latest and greatest […]

50 Ways to Keep Kids Entertained During a Blizzard

Keeping kids entertained during a blizzard can be quite challenging, especially if they have lots of extra energy to burn. Here are 50 of our favorite indoor activities for while the blizzard is going on, before you head outdoors for some fun in the snow! Added bonus — you probably have everything you need for […]