Play

Whether playing outside in nature, playing games, or playing with experiments, these activities will engage children’s curiosities and promote creative and critical thinking…mindsets that support children as they grow into a world that values independent thinking.

Homemade Playdough // Glitter Recipe

If you have never made homemade playdough, I hope this post compels you do it already. It’s really easy and cool to make. (By cool I mean sciency and awesome). The kids loooooooove making it, but the true bonus is that it lasts forever and ever! (By forever I mean in playdough-time, which is about 6 months). We used food coloring but you could also experiment with natural dyes.

Ingredients:

1 cup flour

1/4 cup salt

2 teaspoons cream of tartar

1 cup water

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

dye & glitter

Directions:

Mix dry ingredients in a big-ish bowl (big is good because then little people can stir without losing too much). Add the water, oil, food coloring and glitter. We used about 2 tablespoons silver glitter. When fully mixed (it’s ok if there are still a few lumps), pour into a non-stick pan over medium heat. Cook and stir for about 3 minutes, or until the mixture draws away from the pan. Cool until you are able to handle it. Knead until smooth and place in an airtight container (we use zip locks).

{Note: Although homemade, this playdough is not edible because it’s too salty.}

We’ve collected many tools over the years for playing with our playdough. On this day, we used a roller, spatula, potato masher, and an old set of heart cookie cutters.

Playdough never gets boring because it’s so tactile. Even my 13-year old will knead and roll and cut. And there is something about homemade playdough that is softer and even more satisfying to squeeze!

Make some today before Nemo hits (for all of you New Englanders), and stay safe!!

{Here is a video that shows you how it’s made. They used essential oils which is also a great idea…rose scented play dough!}

8 Feb 2013By: Barbara Rucci Category: Create, DIY, Easy, Explore, Featured, Play, Science Tags: glitter, homemade, playdough

Amsterdam Bike Trip with Kids

Today I am revisiting one of my favorite European excursions ever. Three summers ago, we stayed in Amsterdam for a week. We spent most of the time visiting relatives and sightseeing. Day after day, we discussed whether or not we should take a bike trip into the countryside. My little guy was sick, my middle was ‘not in the mood’ and all my mom could see was danger (no helmets, fast cars…).

My dad and stepmom, thankfully, insisted that no Holland vacation was complete without a bike trip. To this day, we still talk about how it was the best day of our entire European vacation!

Here are some photos from our time in Amsterdam:

We stayed at Mae’s B & B on Herenstraat in the Jordaan district – a lovely place in a great location owned by two cool guys, Ken & Vlad. Here are the sisters on the hotel stoop.

On the way to rent our bikes, and taking the ferry across the canal to our starting point.

Broek in Waterland, the picturesque village where we stopped to have pancakes just north of Amsterdam.

Pannenkoekenhuis (Pancake House) with Bompa, and other vignettes from our stroll through the village.

Our scenic ride back to Amsterdam (the ride back is twice as long…but worth it!)

It took us about 5 hours from door to door. The girls, who were 7 and 10 at the time, were able to make it the whole way. And the little guy was a trooper, fever and all. The bucket in the front of our bike is called a baakfiets, and they are brilliant. I would totally get one for home, but we have hills in Connecticut. There is a reason people bike so much in flat Holland!

If you ever have the chance to visit Amsterdam and go on this bike trip, do it! You will remember it forever.

18 Jan 2013By: Barbara Rucci Category: Explore, Featured, Outdoor, Play, Summer, Travel Tags: Amsterdam, bike trip, Europe

Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade

Every year, we are lucky enough to see the Macy’s parade from my dad’s apartment. It is a complete and utter luxury that we try not to take for granted. A slice of Americana that is so festive and unique. Our favorite part by far is watching the marching bands. Top bands from all over the country are invited to represent their state. This year they came from High Schools and Colleges from Tennessee, Ohio, Florida, Texas. The NYPD marching band is always there, and this year the US Air Force band marched. Listening and watching these bands always gives us goose bumps.

A little back history on how the parade got started: In 1924, Macy’s was already a leading department store in Manhattan. As a way for its immigrant workers to celebrate their new American culture, Macy’s organized their first parade. That first year there were no oversized balloons marching down the sidewalks. Instead, live animals were borrowed from the Central Park Zoo. For various reasons, including the safety issues of parading live animals, the parade began to feature balloons in 1927. Goodyear Rubber and Tire made the balloons, the first of which was Felix the Cat. Balloons are inflated the night before the parade outside of the Museum of Natural History, and the public is invited to watch (another fun parade event).

If you aren’t one of the lucky few who has a friend or relative living along the parade route, Time Out New York has some great tips on the best spots to view the parade.

Oh, and another of our favorite parts…the cheers that errupt for the pooper-scooper men who follow behind the horses!

Let the holidays begin.

25 Nov 2012By: Barbara Rucci Category: Explore, Featured, Outdoor, Play, Travel Tags: Macy's Parade, New York City, Thanksgiving

Museums with Kids

We live about an hour from New York City, which is very lucky. One train ride and we are in the Big Apple! We try to take advantage of this perk whenever possible, although I’ve found that it was actually easier when they were little and didn’t have homework and activities. One of my favorite trips is to the MoMA. I just love this place! If you’ve never had the chance to visit the Museum of Modern Art, I would suggest planning a trip to NYC, pronto.

My kids didn’t used to jump up and down for joy when I mentioned going to a museum, but now they do because I have a museum trick! Well, it’s not really my trick, it’s one that was told to me by a wise friend. You probably already know this trick, but it’s so good that I just had to share.

Here is what you do:

When you get to the museum, go directly to the gift shop. Let your kids chose a handful of postcards that excite them. You can use this time to talk about when the piece was made, the artist’s style and color choice, and anything else that stands out. Then it’s time to go on a search! My kids love this part…finding the real art that matches the postcard. I love it, too!

These pictures are from a few years ago but I remember this day like it was yesterday. After we did our museum search, we went out for lunch at Rockefeller Plaza. They had their backpacks full of little surprises, and we had the day to ourselves…just the girls. When we got home, hot and tired, they taped their postcards to their doors. A little trick they like to do to let everyone who enters know what they have been up to. We still have the postcards, I used them this summer to decorate my studio. Have I mentioned how much I love postcards?

Right now at the MoMA (through 11/5/12) there is a wonderful exhibit called Century of the Child, a survey of 20th century design for children. With over 500 items to look at, this curated show examines the intersection of Modernist design and modern thinking about children. I can’t wait to take all three of them!

Here are some more exciting ways to use museum postcards.

Have fun!

27 Sep 2012By: Barbara Rucci Category: Explore, Featured, For Moms, Play, Teach, Travel Tags: explore, museums, postcards

Growth Table

This table caught my eye when I saw it on Handmade Charlotte‘s blog. It’s so cool!!! I am trying to think of a way I could build this…and where I would put it in my house. In our art room, we have always had a low, round table that is perfect for ages 2 to tween. But I must say, having a table like this one would be ideal for our family. When siblings have to share a space and supplies, bickering ensues. When I give my kids an assignment, like painting portraits or drawing a birthday card, I often send them to three different spaces because the number one shouty complaint I hear more than any other is, “Stop copying!”

I fully believe that when children are presented with a beautiful, uncluttered, prepared environment, they will always sit down and get to work.

I love this table because it allows several children (mom and dad, too!) to sit down together to make art, yet maintain and take care of their own supplies. It is social and solitary at the same time. The simplicity of it all is what makes this table so brilliant!

Growth Table by Tim Durfee & Iris Anna Regn.

5 Sep 2012By: Barbara Rucci Category: Art Room, Featured, Inspire, Kid Spaces, Play Tags: art table, Growth Table

Easy Forts

Kids love forts! It’s true. I have never met a child who doesn’t love small, enclosed spaces where they can hide their stuff, and hide themselves. I remember as a kid begging my parents to let me sleep in the basement, in the small storage room that was full of secret stuff. They let me! I moved my bed and all of my nicknacks to the basement. I remember that first night, feeling so lucky to have a “new room” that was dark and small and fort-ish (emphasis on “ish”). It was an exciting time! Until I heard the scratch, scratch of little teeny paws.

The fort my son and I built is much cheerier, and easy! No moving furniture, or living with mice. All you need is this:

String

Lights

Sheets

Clothespins

Hammer and nail

Ideally, you need to be able to stretch the string from one point in the room, across to another point. I used a tiny nail at the corner of a window frame. No damage done.

My son spends days in his fort (no nights yet, but soon). We can pack it up, and build it again and again…whenever he’s in the mood to escape ‘the sisters’!

7 Jun 2012By: Barbara Rucci Category: Crafts, Create, DIY, Easy, Featured, Play Tags: fort

Flubber: A Toy for All Ages

I left some of our homemade flubber at my kids’ performing arts studio. Turns out, flubber is not just for kids! Lorah Haskins of The Studio made this movie. Make some flubber for yourself with our recipe.

2 May 2012By: Barbara Rucci Category: Featured, Play Tags: flubber, movie, The Studio

Flubber Recipe

This past weekend was my son’s birthday. He turned six! We broke our own rules of 1) having birthday parties at home and 2) inviting no more than 10 guests. This year he wanted to invite all of the kids in Kindergarten (oy!), no one was to be left out. With so many invitees, we had to come up with a new plan. We decided to rent out the local movie theatre, and make a homemade party favor that wouldn’t cost too much. After some investigation, and many lengthy discussions, we decided to make flubber!

I researched and tried several variations on the recipe. We made 10 batches, each batch filling 4 containers. That’s 40 party favors! I designed a little label which I had printed on sticker paper at my local print shop, color coordinated, of course, and we were done. Moms were happy there was no candy, and my son was happy that he could share something he made himself.

Here is the simple recipe we used:

FLUBBER

Mixture 1:

~ 1 1/2 cups very warm water

~ 2 cups white school glue (I used Elmer’s)

~ Food coloring

Combine in a small to medium bowl and stir with a clean spoon.

Mixture 2:

~ 3 teaspoons Borax (found at the grocery store)

~ 1 cup very warm water

Combine in a large bowl, stir until dissolved (or almost dissolved) with a clean spoon.

Pour mixture 1 into mixture 2. Because of the science behind this recipe, the borax combines with the PVA in the glue and makes a polymer. You could do nothing at this point and it would turn to flubber after a while. But what fun would that be? Your kids will want to stick their hands in immediately and start mixing. It will take about 10 minutes, but eventually all of the water will be absorbed, and you will have flubber!

Since I am an eco-mom, I did some research on Borax. (I had read on a few blogs that it was toxic which freaked me out). Borax (sodium borate) is a mined substance, just like salt is mined, and occurs naturally in the Mojave Desert, Chile and Tibet. Borax is only slightly more toxic than salt, and in some countries it is used as a salt substitute. Caffeine is 14 times more toxic than Borax! Flouride is more toxic, too. Breathing Borax powder is not a good idea, so don’t let your kids handle the powder. But once it is in it’s polymer form, it is completely safe.

Remind your kids that flubber is not a food! Also, just to be safe, have them wash their hands after playing with their flubber.

Tip: Keep your flubber in an airtight container, or a ziploc baggie. it’s shelf life is about 3 weeks. When throwing out your flubber, use the garbage not the sink.

30 Apr 2012By: Barbara Rucci Category: Create, Explore, Featured, Party, Play Tags: birthday party, craft, Create, explore, flubber, homemade, party favor, science

Jump Rope Rhymes

With spring in the air, our minds are one step away from summer. I pulled out these photos of my little guy learning to jump rope last year with his cousin and uncle. Here’s a great book of old-fashioned jump-rope rhymes that you can buy and teach your kids. Or google jump rope rhymes and you will find many more like this:

Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, turn around,
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, touch the ground,
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, tie your shoe,
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, that will do!

Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, go upstairs,
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, say your prayers,
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, turn out the lights,
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, say good-night!