I Spy...a cool new piece of furniture

Do you remember the I Spy books? Kids love the challenge of trying to spot something that’s hard to find. It takes focus, patience, and the payoff is a great sense of accomplishment.

While teaching preschool in Massachusetts, a colleague had the brilliant idea to create an I Spy coffee table. She asked all her students to bring in small objects of different colors from their home. The students then sorted the objects by color and counted each group. They placed the items in the table, creating a beautiful piece of furniture and hours of fun.

I thought it might be fun to have something in my home like that! I thought of it as a way to feature favorite small objects from my childhood that I was not ready to part with. I had friends donate any small “junk” pieces at my housewarming party this year. I then scoured my parents’ basement and attic. Like the students, I also sorted by color. It just seemed to work!

But what about the table to put all this great stuff in? I didn’t have the space or tools to properly build the piece of furniture in my small apartment, so I took to the Internet with vigor. It was tough to find something that perfectly suited my idea without costing a fortune. This Urban Outfitters table seemed perfect, but just too much over my budget. I settled on a table that I found on Overstock.com, took out the material inside, and covered the bottom of the table with cork contact paper.

I now have a reminder of some favorite childhood moments and memories, objects that remind me of good friends, a great piece of furniture to talk about with friends, and a piece of art that is always changing and evolving.

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Let the Games Begin!

Do you remember watching the Olympics as a kid? At 11 years old, the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta meant everything. Dominique Moceanu, only a few years older than me, inspired me to believe that young people were talented, capable, and dedicated. The US women's basketball team completely changed the game. Sheryl Swoopes was god!

Whether it's just watching, or getting out there and trying some of the sports themselves, the Olympics can have a big impact on kids.  Get your future medal winner inspired with an Olympic themed party. Need last minute invites? Paperless Post has got you covered! Get the party started right by asking your guests to create their own opening ceremony uniform, from either a country of their choice or a country of their own making! Let them show off their sporty digs while marching around the yard or neighborhood to outrageous fanfare played over your iPhone. 

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For decoration, hang up a banner of international flags, or have your guests create their own flags with white paper, crayons, a wooden dowel, and some glue. A chart to keep track of each country's medals is a great decoration, activity, and math exercise.

Don't forget snacks! I'll be making Olympic torches out of ice cream cones and popcorn. Air pop the corn kernels for a healthier option.

A photo booth will keep the party going, and helps each person remember the fun. Buy or make your own Olympic or sport-themed props!

Before each guest leaves, award them all with a medal. Turn it into a game by saying a few nice words about one child, give them a medal, and then have them say some nice words about another kid. Continue this activity, emphasizing that each person has to pick someone new, until each child has a medal.

Cheerio!
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Friendship Bracelets

So often, we get excited about media and technology for children that we forget about some of the timeless activities that kids are still very much interested in. For example, friendship bracelets. No, I'm not talking about those fancy ones that you buy at Claire's, I mean braids, chevron patterns, and Chinese staircase.

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I came across these familiar childhood tokens while at the beach. Sitting, focused in the shade was a young girl with her plastic embroidery box full colorful thread and a clip board to hold the thread down while she worked. Why didn't I ever think of that?

In typical iGeneration fashion, she wasn't just crafting, she was practicing her entrepreneurial skills. Propped up next to her was a white board listing the different sizes and patterns, and prices associated with them. I couldn't help but shell out a dollar (ugh...inflation) for a green and pink ankle bracelet. These kids aren't just making. They're making, marketing, selling, and posting about it.

I can't help but hope to find my own box of embroidery thread buried in my parents' basement this weekend. I may even take a few tips from this young DIY-er on YouTube.

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Little Hero Capes

This past Saturday, I hopped over two rivers to check out the Renegade Craft Fair, basically Etsy Live.  I didn't anticipate that I would have something to write about, that's why I was so excited to find Little Hero Capes.

Allison Faunce shared her inspiration story with me: her son would use dish towels as super hero capes, but they didn't stay on and they weren't nearly cool enough. That's when she took to designing her own, and they're way cooler than dish towels.

There are a few things I love about this company:
1- The designs are beautiful, bright, and homemade
2- You can purchase a "courage cape" on the company's site that gets donated to a child in a hospital
3- They foster the kind of outdoor, imaginative play that we keep trying to reintegrate into kid culture

The best part of Allison's booth was this sign:

What are some other ways we can support kids' imaginative play and be a hero to a child in need?

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Favorite Hunger Games Etsy Finds

I'm amazed at the influence this property has had on Etsy. People are making and selling some pretty incredible things inspired by the story. Below are a few of my favorites. 

1. Tracker Jacker Anti-Venom...you know, just in case

2. When you want to be badass without being flashy about it

3. Show your pride/support/protest

4. Clever and cute tee design

5. Stay hydrated, stay subtle

6. I can picture my middle school self trying to guess the context from which these pieces of confetti came 

7. Can you imagine exercising in this? 

8. For a hint of Hunger Games decor in your apartment, without too much flash or splash

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My (Ideal) Creative Space

The energy of a single space can inspire and encourage development and creativity. As I’m in the midst of an apartment search, I'm considering what my ideal workspace would look like. Fingers crossed for an oversized walk-in closet!

I want the room to accommodate my office space needs and reflect my interests and industry. Children’s media is particularly challenging to reflect in design. I'd like my space to pop and mirror the excitement of learning and discovery, while maintaining calm.

1. I think the circus tent panels from Big Top Fitness would make excellent curtains!
2. 'Good Morning' finger puppet poster by Egg Press
3. 'Have Fun' finger puppet poster by Egg Press
4. 'Good Night' finger puppet poster by Egg Press
5. Colorful Mid-Century desk
6. Ideas and inspiration cork board
7. Bookcase for DVDs and child development books
8. File cabinet to hide the clutter
9. Colorful swivel chair for work and seated swing dancing
10. The Neighborhood Trolley

What does your ideal workspace look like?

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Christmas Tree Craft

Inspired by a holiday window in a Tribeca kids' boutique, I decided to make a Christmas craft with my cousin Abby using a foam base and some holiday bows.

As I was gathering the materials for the craft, I thought it might be cool to experiment with stop-motion again. This time, I had Abby manning the camera. I pinned each bow onto the foam base, and Abby took the pictures. This kid has got a smart eye! She directed much of the movement, choosing which bows were placed where and deciding to have the tree turn in the middle of the film. We had so much fun reviewing the photos together. She seemed to really enjoy watching me edit in iMovie and made the final music selection, a clip from Sufjan Steven's "Put the Lights on the Tree."

We had a lot of sunlight and overhead light to support the photographs, but they have such an awkward color. I'm so eager to get a new camera and can't help but love the Canon D7. Maybe one day!

The craft was easy to make using two straight pins on each bow. Abby experimented with sticking the bows onto the foam using their sticky backs, but they didn't seem to hold well around the shape. This craft is easy and fun, and a great way to recycle holiday bows, but definitely necessitates some adult supervision.

Enjoy!



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Craft: Fireflies

This summer, I learned an awesome, new craft from one of the other teachers. We were studying fireflies, so decided to help the students create their own fireflies out of recycled water bottles. I decided to try this out at home with my cousins.

1. Tape the very bottom of your water bottle with painter's tape or masking tape.

2. Paint the water bottle with acrylic paint, any way you'd like.

3. Once the paint has dried, create wings for your firefly. You may want to use construction paper, pipe cleaners, beads, etc. Elmer's glue should be able to hold your wings on, or an adult can help with hot glue.

4. You can use googly eyes or draw a face on your bottle cap.

5. Peal off your tape, and drop in a glow stick!

Enjoy!

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King Bidgood's Bathtub Lesson

Two weeks ago, I said goodbye to my students and Massachusetts friends. I'm glad to be home, but I think I miss my students most. I enjoyed working at the school and learning from the children. I absolutely learned something new from them every day!

Our summer preschool group did a pretty great project that I wanted to share. Have you heard of King Bidgood's in the Bathtub? It's the story of a king who is in his fancy bathtub and just won't get out. He eats, plays, and meets in the tub. Our group loved this story!

After we read the story, we decided to use clay to create a giant bathtub. The children then created items from the story to put in the tub. Once the clay was fired, painted, and fired, we recreated the story and put the items into the tub until it was filled. The children were also able to take their clay creations home with them at the end of the week.

Clay is an amazing medium for children to work with. This year I saw preschoolers work with clay for over 30 minutes just created and destroying different shapes. It takes a great deal of focus and energy and can be a lot of fun. Try it out!

If I were to do this again, I might use a sensory table as the bathtub. The clay bathtub takes some time to create and a lot of space in the kiln to fire.

You can get your copy of the book here!

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Our Craft List

My cousins are visiting today, and we're working on an exciting craft project that we'll be sharing in a few days. Until then, my cousin Abby and I are brainstorming a list of crafts that we'd like to work on.
-Paper mache planets, creating the solar system
-A paper mache helmet
-Paint butterflies with acrylic paint
-Make fish out of water bottles
-Use brown paper to make white-tailed deer

We'll let you know what we work on and how it comes out!

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Bubbles!

While prepping for this week's summer camp, I was reminded of how much I love bubbles. Did you see the picture? I am serious about making bubbles!

We created a batch of our own bubble solution on Friday and stored it over the weekend. The longer it sits, the better! On Monday morning, we poured some of our solution into the outdoor sensory table and brought out the gigantic bubble wands. I have NEVER seen such huge bubble wands. Childhood has definitely improved since 1991.

Here's the recipe we use:
2/3 cup dishwashing soap (Joy or Dawn seem to have magical powers)
1 gallon water

Glycerine kicks it up a notch. Some recipes recommend 2 to 3 tablespoons.

Enjoy!

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Around the World

This week marks the end of the official school-year at EP. Though I'm teaching through the summer, I can't help but feel that this is the end of the best job I've had. The school has become a home, and I've created a wonderful network of close friends within its community. I wanted to acknowledge my mentors this year with something special. Whatever it was, I wanted it to somehow compliment the year's anti-bias education focus.

Louise Derman-Sparks is a pioneer of the movement, and we have had the great fortune of working with her this year. We explored anti-bias topics in our own classrooms and among our teaching teams. The four curriculum goals of anti-bias education are:
*construction of a knowledgeable, confident self-identity
*comfortable, empathic interaction with people from diverse backgrounds
*critical thinking about bias
*ability to stand up for herself or himself, and for others, in the face of bias

When I found this on Etsy, I was certain that it would be the perfect gift. The painting and woodwork are really beautiful! Unfortunately, the cost is unrealistic for me. I decided to experiment with creating my own. I purchased a bag of 40 peg people, a few paper mache boxes, and lots of paint!

I used Crayola multicultural paints on the peg people. I wanted each gift to have an assortment of people with different shapes and skin tones. The Crayola paint is washable, however, which made it difficult to get a nice, solid color. If I were to do it again, I would use the Crayola colors to find acrylic matches.


Finally...acrylics! I painted the tops of the boxes blue. It was so much easier to get the color I wanted, and it dried a lot faster.


I painted different regions of the globe on each top using green acrylic. I also put some green, paper grass inside the box before adding the people to give it a fuller look.


Finally, I wrapped each box with a complimentary orange ribbon.


I am so proud of my crafting! The gifts were inexpensive, and I think they mean that much more because I took the time to make them myself. I used a black marker to write a personal note on the bottom of each box: "Made with love for ______ by Christina."


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