Creativity
-
DIY Woven Wall Hanging
This is a wonderful project for adults and kids to try. It is easy and fun and you can find stuff in and around your house to use. My son, Ruan, made a very cute one for his teacher as her holiday gift this year. You will need: some yarn and/or fabric cardboard box a stick, twig or driftwood ruler, pencil and scissors Cut a piece of cardboard box. The one I used is 5 x 7. Measure half inch marks on the box. Cut slits approximately 3/4 inch deep. Use yarn as your base and start by adding the yarn though the slits you just cut. Leave a…
-
Nintendo Releases New Games Geared Towards Girls!
This holiday season Nintendo has come out with two new games compatible on the Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo 3DS XL, or Nintendo 2DS that are geared towards girls. In 2013, Nintendo claimed that 50% of its users were female so I am happy to see they are making games with them in mind! My daughter announced to her first grade class last year during Show-n-Tell that she wanted to be a gamer when she grows up. When the teacher asked her what types of games, she responded very seriously, “you know, games that allow them to be creative with their mind.” That’s my girl! That very much could happen since she absolutely…
-
THOMAS & FRIENDS Watch and Play
Released today by PBS Kids, THOMAS & FRIENDS Watch and Play is designed for preschoolers and available on iPhone, iPad and iPod touch! This is the first-ever Thomas app to offer full-length episodes, in addition to games that promote key problem-solving skills for preschoolers as they build, fix and create train tracks and scenes. I had a chance to review THOMAS & FRIENDS with my daughter. The app opens up to the screen you see above and you choose what activity you would like to play. The kids will definitely be entertained if they touch Thomas the Engine face in the middle of the screen, he smiles and blows his engine! I love the…
-
Education :: Improving Spelling Skills with All About Spelling
Image courtesy of Flickr If you are a parent looking for a better way to help your child learn to spell, I’m here to share something great with you! I homeschool, and was on the lookout for new material to add to our language arts curriculum. At the beginning of the year we purchased some language arts workbooks from Houghton Mifflin, but they ended up just being “busy work” worksheets for my son. I didn’t feel like he was learning anything new, and the workbooks didn’t give me any tools to help teach him. I found a company online called All About Learning Press. Created by…
-
Family :: Creating Magical Holiday Meals Together
The holidays provide the perfect opportunity to spend quality time together making yummy holidays meals. It is such a wonderful time to pass down family recipes and have your kids help out in the kitchen. Just this past Thanksgiving, I had my daughter help me make the infamous green-bean casserole that my mother use to make every year. It is funny, because as a kid I didn’t really like this dish but now I absolutely love it! We ended up using Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom with garlic (highly recommend) and steamed the fresh green beans before we baked the casserole (also recommend doing this for a minute or two). I…
-
Dwell :: 7 DIY Holiday Centerpiece Ideas
Are you hosting friends and family this holiday? Why not add in some little extras to the table to make it even more special. But don’t worry, we found some ideas that won’t break the bank! Most of these items you might already have in your home! Here are some fun ideas to try out and enjoy this year! Create a Snow Village: Love this idea! I just picked up some inexpensive glass containers at Marshalls and was planning on doing something festive when I came across this Pin on Pinterest. The kids would absolutely love to see this! Would make for a fun activity at Christmas…