Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Oh, Those Dinosaurs.
Kids aren't the only ones into costumes around here. Just look at what I found our plastic dinosaurs wearing:
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Maurice Sendak
Thank you and goodbye to the best of the best of the best.
Maurice Sendak (June 10, 1928 - May 8, 2012)
Illustrations from just a few of our many beloved Sendak books: In the Night Kitchen, Chicken Soup with Rice, Alligators All Around, The Wheel on the School (by Meindert DeJong) and Little Bear (by Else Holmelund Minarik) all published by HarperCollins.
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
More Fun with Superhero Paperdolls
Do you remember this post from a long time ago? It turned out that it was just the beginning of our continuing adventures in paper hero-making...
We keep coming back to this project over and over. The kids do love to play with these figures. Since they are all laminated, they have withstood quite a lot of heroic crime-fighting action. And, as we all enjoy making them, we now have quite a collection!
Here are a few (easy to make) special add-ons and accessories that have made our characters even MORE fun to play with:
As you can see, the boys have learned to draw some of their own, relying on me for just a little help with cardboard cutting and laminating, and that has made some of our characters even more weird and wonderful. They have fantastic names, too, like: Dr. Eye-Distance, Star Chest, Thumper, Glow, and Captain Red-Flash Thunder-Side.
These two were added last weekend:
"Glow" by Diego, and "Robot" by Ruben
You can go back to the original post here, for the basic instructions and a printable template. If you do make your own, please link to your pictures in the comments. I'd love to see them!
We keep coming back to this project over and over. The kids do love to play with these figures. Since they are all laminated, they have withstood quite a lot of heroic crime-fighting action. And, as we all enjoy making them, we now have quite a collection!
Here are a few (easy to make) special add-ons and accessories that have made our characters even MORE fun to play with:
As you can see, the boys have learned to draw some of their own, relying on me for just a little help with cardboard cutting and laminating, and that has made some of our characters even more weird and wonderful. They have fantastic names, too, like: Dr. Eye-Distance, Star Chest, Thumper, Glow, and Captain Red-Flash Thunder-Side.
These two were added last weekend:
"Glow" by Diego, and "Robot" by RubenYou can go back to the original post here, for the basic instructions and a printable template. If you do make your own, please link to your pictures in the comments. I'd love to see them!
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Wooden Robot
Ruben and I made this lovely toy robot last week:
After building some robots out of blocks, and then taking them apart to move them a few times, Ruben asked if I could help him glue the blocks together. He had some specific ideas about how he wanted them stuck together, pointing to each joint and telling me, "Hot glue here and here and hinge this so it swings like this and hinge this so it bends like that..."
I love it when we make toys together. While he drew on the face and body, I figured out how to make the joints that he wanted. I drilled some holes and threaded elastic through them.
This would probably be a lot prettier if I had attached the elastic to some buttons or something like that, but we were on a roll and wanted to play with it as soon as possible. I tied some sloppy knots, and it worked just fine.
I got the idea to wood burn Ruben's drawings onto the blocks from this post on Made by Joel, and I think that this is the best part of all. It was so easy, too; he drew on the blocks with a pencil, and I carefully traced his lines with the wood-burner. (If you have a chance to do this with a child's drawings or handwriting, please do it! It looks so good, and I'm sure it will age beautifully.)
Ruben and I are both so proud of this spontaneous project!
After building some robots out of blocks, and then taking them apart to move them a few times, Ruben asked if I could help him glue the blocks together. He had some specific ideas about how he wanted them stuck together, pointing to each joint and telling me, "Hot glue here and here and hinge this so it swings like this and hinge this so it bends like that..."
I love it when we make toys together. While he drew on the face and body, I figured out how to make the joints that he wanted. I drilled some holes and threaded elastic through them.
This would probably be a lot prettier if I had attached the elastic to some buttons or something like that, but we were on a roll and wanted to play with it as soon as possible. I tied some sloppy knots, and it worked just fine.
I got the idea to wood burn Ruben's drawings onto the blocks from this post on Made by Joel, and I think that this is the best part of all. It was so easy, too; he drew on the blocks with a pencil, and I carefully traced his lines with the wood-burner. (If you have a chance to do this with a child's drawings or handwriting, please do it! It looks so good, and I'm sure it will age beautifully.)
Ruben and I are both so proud of this spontaneous project!
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Praying Mantis
But, this is no farm life, so we do what we can. Just a few days after releasing Ruben's caterpillar-turned-butterfly, we took our second tentative step into the world of pets with this graceful praying mantis that Diego found on our front lawn:
She is an elegant insect, don't you think?
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Collecting
Are you a collector? When I was a kid, my three brothers avidly collected: comic books, bottle caps, license plates and banana stickers.
Look at what I found in the "secret compartment" of Diego's special pencil box:
I've always seen myself as more of an accumulator than a collector, but now I think I'll start collecting these:
So, what did you collect when you were seven and a half?
Look at what I found in the "secret compartment" of Diego's special pencil box:
I've always seen myself as more of an accumulator than a collector, but now I think I'll start collecting these:
So, what did you collect when you were seven and a half?
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Tonight in Our Kitchen
A flubber party!
Our preschool teacher told us that hanging flubber in a plastic strawberry basket and giving the kids scissors would provide hours of fun, as this gluey fluid drips and stretches slowly and cuts so easily. We also blew bubbles in it, made hilarious noises with it, and watched our hand prints melt away. It was amazing!
Our preschool teacher told us that hanging flubber in a plastic strawberry basket and giving the kids scissors would provide hours of fun, as this gluey fluid drips and stretches slowly and cuts so easily. We also blew bubbles in it, made hilarious noises with it, and watched our hand prints melt away. It was amazing!
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Paper Heart Valentine with Pencil Arrow
Here is a quick and easy Valentine that is fun for kids to make and give out at school:
1. Cut red card stock or construction paper into strips. (This one is 1" x 11".)
2. Fold each strip in half and staple it right next to the fold. Bend the ends back until they touch and staple them together to make the bottom point of the heart.
3. Use a standard hole punch to make holes on each side of the heart for the pencil.
4. Thread the pencil carefully through the heart and your note. It should be a little tight, so take care not to tear it.
5. Add an eraser tip, tape on a paper fringe for the arrow, and you're done.
We are going to make A LOT of them!
Fortunately, Julio is very interested in stapling and hole-punching these days. Did you see his hand in the top picture? He really was my photo assistant this time!
Here are some other Brooding Hen Valentine posts that you might like:
Kissing Thaumatrope
Tiny Bow and Arrow (This project wasn't originally for Valentine's Day, but I see that people are using it for little Cupid's arrows.)
Tips and Tricks:
1. You can make this a lot simpler by writing your note or name directly on the heart before stapling it, and by just sharpening the pencil so that you don't need to add an eraser tip or fringe.
2. You can make them even splashier by using a shiny pencil, a ribbon for the note, a heart-shaped eraser tip, or adding feathers or other decorations as the fringe.
1. Cut red card stock or construction paper into strips. (This one is 1" x 11".)
2. Fold each strip in half and staple it right next to the fold. Bend the ends back until they touch and staple them together to make the bottom point of the heart.
3. Use a standard hole punch to make holes on each side of the heart for the pencil.
4. Thread the pencil carefully through the heart and your note. It should be a little tight, so take care not to tear it.
5. Add an eraser tip, tape on a paper fringe for the arrow, and you're done.
We are going to make A LOT of them!
Fortunately, Julio is very interested in stapling and hole-punching these days. Did you see his hand in the top picture? He really was my photo assistant this time!
Here are some other Brooding Hen Valentine posts that you might like:
Kissing Thaumatrope
Tiny Bow and Arrow (This project wasn't originally for Valentine's Day, but I see that people are using it for little Cupid's arrows.)
Tips and Tricks:
1. You can make this a lot simpler by writing your note or name directly on the heart before stapling it, and by just sharpening the pencil so that you don't need to add an eraser tip or fringe.
2. You can make them even splashier by using a shiny pencil, a ribbon for the note, a heart-shaped eraser tip, or adding feathers or other decorations as the fringe.
Friday, December 16, 2011
A Gift from Ruben
Holiday decorating is in full swing at our house. We will get our tree tomorrow, but the halls around here are already decked with many quirky decorations. Last week, Ruben made this posable paper Santa toy for our front door, and today he asked me to share it with you. If you want to make your own, you can print this on heavy paper, punch holes in the arms, legs and body, and use wire brads to put it all together.
Ruben's fondness for Santa runs deep. He pulled out his old hat and pipe cleaner beard again, and I can easily imagine him dressing up like Santa every year from now until his real beard is long and white.
Ruben's fondness for Santa runs deep. He pulled out his old hat and pipe cleaner beard again, and I can easily imagine him dressing up like Santa every year from now until his real beard is long and white.
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
December Leaves
Do you decorate your house for the seasons? Here in Los Angeles, the reality of our natural world bears little resemblance to our "seasonal" decorations. Back when the kids were painting Fall leaves in school, outside the trees were green and blooming. We picked strawberries and went to the beach.
Now that it is December and the school children are making cotton-ball snowmen and construction paper evergreens, the few deciduous trees that show color are giving us their muted reds and yellows, while the chilly winds kick up their fallen leaves and swirl them about.
It won't snow here. People are just now harvesting the last of their tomatoes. In winter our hills are green and in summer they are brown, but our seasonal decorations carry on with daffodils, ice cream cones, falling leaves and snowmen as if the whole world was New England. I don't mind. I want my kids to know that in December, children somewhere else are sledding and having snowball fights.
But, last week we gathered some of the prettiest leaves on our block and found a sycamore branch that fell in the wind, and I made a Los Angeles style December decoration for our living room.
Falling Leaves Mobile: Sycamore branch, Liquid Amber & Ginko leaves dipped in beeswax, transparent thread.
Now that it is December and the school children are making cotton-ball snowmen and construction paper evergreens, the few deciduous trees that show color are giving us their muted reds and yellows, while the chilly winds kick up their fallen leaves and swirl them about.
It won't snow here. People are just now harvesting the last of their tomatoes. In winter our hills are green and in summer they are brown, but our seasonal decorations carry on with daffodils, ice cream cones, falling leaves and snowmen as if the whole world was New England. I don't mind. I want my kids to know that in December, children somewhere else are sledding and having snowball fights.
But, last week we gathered some of the prettiest leaves on our block and found a sycamore branch that fell in the wind, and I made a Los Angeles style December decoration for our living room.
Falling Leaves Mobile: Sycamore branch, Liquid Amber & Ginko leaves dipped in beeswax, transparent thread.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
A Play Kitchen Made From An Old Bed!
Here is a very special play kitchen that I made out of an old wooden bed frame:
It started out like this:
It was a little dented and scratched and had a broken leg, but I loved some of the details like this "beehive" bedpost finial.
We cut it up and reassembled it:
I had some ideas for it that worked out especially well, like this olive oil can that I cut open and mounted behind the stove. It is mainly decorative, but it could also double as a magnet board. I used some painted rulers along the sides to protect fingers from the sharp edges.
The "burners" are lids from large cans. I used a can opener that pries the lids off without making them sharp, and attached them to the surface with small button top wood screws.
I added some little drawings with paint pens, like this doorway and a small stop light.
Most of this project was made using recycled materials. The little picture frame was once an electrical outlet cover. (I taped two photos to a piece of clear plastic and taped the plastic inside the metal cover.) That funny hanging mushroom is an old chime mounted on a wooden spool. Just under it is a springy doorstop that rings the chime. The spinning stove knobs are slices of a wooden dowel, wood screws and bottle caps.
The sink was made with a steam table pan, plumbing pipes and some old hot and cold bathtub knobs. Joe hand cut a perfect little matching shelf out of one of the leftover wood scraps. The beehive shape on top of the bedpost inspired me to paint it yellow and draw some tiny bees on it. I drilled a hole in it and painted the inside of the hole black. It was immediately used to gather honey for pretend tea!
This kitchen was made as a gift for some very special young friends of ours who are two and a half year old twin boys. They love to cook and I wanted to make a kitchen for them that they could work and play at together for years. It was so fun to build and tinker with, but the most gratifying part was giving it to those adorable little guys and watching them enthusiastically cooking!
I have to admit, as excited as we were to deliver it, we missed it when it was gone. But then, just a few days after we delivered it, we found another darling little solid wood bed frame with lots of potential, so more kitchens are coming soon!
If you are considering making a play kitchen, I hope this gives you some inspiration, and if you have already made a play kitchen of your own, I would love to hear about it, so please share your ideas and links in the comments below!
It started out like this:
It was a little dented and scratched and had a broken leg, but I loved some of the details like this "beehive" bedpost finial.
We cut it up and reassembled it:
I had some ideas for it that worked out especially well, like this olive oil can that I cut open and mounted behind the stove. It is mainly decorative, but it could also double as a magnet board. I used some painted rulers along the sides to protect fingers from the sharp edges.
The "burners" are lids from large cans. I used a can opener that pries the lids off without making them sharp, and attached them to the surface with small button top wood screws.
I added some little drawings with paint pens, like this doorway and a small stop light.
Most of this project was made using recycled materials. The little picture frame was once an electrical outlet cover. (I taped two photos to a piece of clear plastic and taped the plastic inside the metal cover.) That funny hanging mushroom is an old chime mounted on a wooden spool. Just under it is a springy doorstop that rings the chime. The spinning stove knobs are slices of a wooden dowel, wood screws and bottle caps.
The sink was made with a steam table pan, plumbing pipes and some old hot and cold bathtub knobs. Joe hand cut a perfect little matching shelf out of one of the leftover wood scraps. The beehive shape on top of the bedpost inspired me to paint it yellow and draw some tiny bees on it. I drilled a hole in it and painted the inside of the hole black. It was immediately used to gather honey for pretend tea!
This kitchen was made as a gift for some very special young friends of ours who are two and a half year old twin boys. They love to cook and I wanted to make a kitchen for them that they could work and play at together for years. It was so fun to build and tinker with, but the most gratifying part was giving it to those adorable little guys and watching them enthusiastically cooking!
I have to admit, as excited as we were to deliver it, we missed it when it was gone. But then, just a few days after we delivered it, we found another darling little solid wood bed frame with lots of potential, so more kitchens are coming soon!
If you are considering making a play kitchen, I hope this gives you some inspiration, and if you have already made a play kitchen of your own, I would love to hear about it, so please share your ideas and links in the comments below!
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
The Monster Game
Here's a simple family art game that we think is so much fun:
1. Get a piece of paper and a pencil for each person who wants to play.
2. Sit so that you can't see each others' papers.
3. Take turns giving drawing instructions by naming monster parts for all players to draw on their papers.
4. When you are all done, show each other your monsters!
Here are some examples of drawing instructions: Draw a square head, add striped horns, make a mouth with as many teeth as you like, draw a long neck, make a fuzzy body, give it feet but no legs, add six arms, draw some eyeballs.
Here are three of our monsters (Diego's, Ruben's and mine) from the same set of instructions:
So far, we have only drawn monsters, but we enjoy this game so much that I'm sure we'll try it with other themes in the future. It could be fun with castles, cities, animals, robots, or anything that the kids are loving at the moment.
The idea for this game was inspired by a lovely post on The Artful Parent.
1. Get a piece of paper and a pencil for each person who wants to play.
2. Sit so that you can't see each others' papers.
3. Take turns giving drawing instructions by naming monster parts for all players to draw on their papers.
4. When you are all done, show each other your monsters!
Here are some examples of drawing instructions: Draw a square head, add striped horns, make a mouth with as many teeth as you like, draw a long neck, make a fuzzy body, give it feet but no legs, add six arms, draw some eyeballs.
Here are three of our monsters (Diego's, Ruben's and mine) from the same set of instructions:
The idea for this game was inspired by a lovely post on The Artful Parent.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Non-Stop Halloween
Julio LOVED his super-special Halloween costume:
But, after so much excitement, he happily got back into his boring old everyday clothes:
(Ladybug costume made with aluminum wok cover, red spray paint and black tape, held on to the back by a tiny backpack taped into the inside. Pipe-cleaner antennae stitched on to jersey knit hat.)
But, after so much excitement, he happily got back into his boring old everyday clothes:
(Ladybug costume made with aluminum wok cover, red spray paint and black tape, held on to the back by a tiny backpack taped into the inside. Pipe-cleaner antennae stitched on to jersey knit hat.)
Monday, October 31, 2011
Eleventh Hour Halloween Ideas
Happy Halloween, everybody! In case you need a last-minute costume change, here are some very fast ideas from the archives for you:
The Fastest Capes
5-Minute No Sew Skirts for Witches, Wizards, Pirates and Fairies
Tin Can Tin Man
Cats and Mice
Fork Fangs
If you make the skirts or capes, remember to save the t-shirt sleeves to use for super-easy matching doll or toy costumes!
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Simple Play Kitchen Sink
I have been busy working on a special play kitchen with a toy sink that I am building for some friends. Julio has been so drawn to it while I'm working on it, that I decided to make a simple version for him. I knew that I wanted to make it out of recycled furniture, and before long, I found this little treasure out on the curb:
Am I the only person in the world who could get excited over this piece of junk? When I saw it, I knew it was just perfect. I cut a few inches off of the legs and a hole for the sink, painted it blue, and outfitted it with some inexpensive plumbing pipes and a steam table pan.
I made some wooden knobs that are decorated with bottle caps. They were very simple, and they are nice and sturdy. (Let me know if you like these little knobs, and I'll give you a tutorial.)
I stuck a wire rack in there, but I may have to take it back every time I want to bake some real cookies. I thought the kids might want a door and more knobs for the oven, but I was happy to see them miming opening and closing the oven when they were pretending to bake. I'm going to wait and see how they play with it, and then I might add some more details later.
The only real problem with it is that now Julio believes that he can really wash his hands here. When I tell him to wash up for lunch, he refuses, saying, "I already did it in MY sink."
Am I the only person in the world who could get excited over this piece of junk? When I saw it, I knew it was just perfect. I cut a few inches off of the legs and a hole for the sink, painted it blue, and outfitted it with some inexpensive plumbing pipes and a steam table pan.
I made some wooden knobs that are decorated with bottle caps. They were very simple, and they are nice and sturdy. (Let me know if you like these little knobs, and I'll give you a tutorial.)
I stuck a wire rack in there, but I may have to take it back every time I want to bake some real cookies. I thought the kids might want a door and more knobs for the oven, but I was happy to see them miming opening and closing the oven when they were pretending to bake. I'm going to wait and see how they play with it, and then I might add some more details later.
The only real problem with it is that now Julio believes that he can really wash his hands here. When I tell him to wash up for lunch, he refuses, saying, "I already did it in MY sink."
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