From the category archives:

Preschooler

Activity #268: Makin’ it: Custom letter art

February 6, 2012

In a college photography class, Sue Tenerowicz was introduced to letter art. Her assignment that was to go out in the world and find letters that the world created. Then spell something. She says, “A simple idea, but the concept stuck with me.” “I’ve always used words in pictures to send a special message. Sometimes, [...]

Use scissors to get kids cooking

February 1, 2012

Reprinted from the wayback machine cuz I’m super busy today. Holden and I used to cook together a lot. Before his little brother Milo joined our family, Holden would stand by my side at the kitchen sink and crack eggs, stir with a whisk, or rip greens for a salad. Unfortunately, I must confess, I [...]

Publish your own I Spy book

January 16, 2012

We are big fans of the I Spy books, starting with the board book versions I bought when Julian was a baby. We play “I Spy” with regular books, too, and now we’ve graduated into Where’s Waldo? territory. When Julian was four, he and I did a little photo shoot with big plans — still [...]

A preschooler’s dictionary of terms according to Scarlett

January 4, 2012

Scarlett is four-and-a-half today, and one of my favorite things about her is the way she speaks. She has the voice of a chipmunk, for one — loud and high-pitched — but in a charming way, and two, she has a knack for inventing words that make so much sense to the rest of us [...]

Board games for active preschoolers (giveaway!)

November 25, 2011

I am sincerely thankful to Wonderforge for sponsoring this giveaway because it seems incredibly well-timed. There’s nothing like having a stack of great games hiding in your garage so that when you realize you need a gift in a pinch, you can simply go browse your pile of unopened toys. In my house, my husband [...]

Fun with foam, part 1

November 22, 2011

Too wet to go out? Too cold to play ball? Too sick for preschool? With a can of shaving cream or a bar of soap, here is lots of good fun that is funny: Microwave Ivory Soap. Take a cue from our friend Wendy and put a quarter bar of Ivory soap in the microwave [...]

(Giveaway) New kids’ craft book from Make and Takes

November 11, 2011

I am so proud of our buddy Marie who has just published her first book. The team at her publisher, Wiley, who maintain a pretty solid crafty website themselves, put together an adorable package of Marie’s ideas and photographer Nicole Gerulat’s images. As you can see in the table of contents above, the projects are [...]

Activity #507: Order dough at a restaurant

November 2, 2011

By the time you have a toddler, you probably know the best way to keep a small child occupied is to show them something they’ve never seen before (no, not TV). And how about something that they can smoosh, squeeze, or secretly taste a tiny nibble of? Even better! In our not-so-recent blog blast, SusieJ [...]

Activity #567: Host a kid scavenger hunt

September 16, 2011

Argh! Shiver me timbers, Monday is Talk Like a Pirate Day, so I offer a thematic scavenger hunt for little kids. Some folks might tell you that to be a pirate, all you need is an eye patch. Or a parrot. Or a peg leg. But in my house, all you really need is the [...]

Activity #329: Roll your own sushi

August 24, 2011

photo by Sarah Gilbert Years ago, I went to a silly “roll your own” sushi and head-shaving party hosted by some people I barely knew. I dragged my sister, Meggan, along to keep me company and we enjoyed the general goofiness of the theme. For example, I did a non-keg stand on a cooler full [...]

Activity #589: Tape up a train track for your toddler

July 31, 2011

A few weeks ago, a stroke of genius hit and I laid these “train tracks” down on the rug in Julian’s room. At four-and-three-quarters, he is over the whole Thomas thing, but larger scale train action definitely still turns him on. All you need is a roll of painter’s tape, the kind that removes from [...]

Games preschoolers play

July 26, 2011

When I was a little girl, I had no siblings. At my birthday parties, I frequently received board games as gifts, but they mostly sat on the shelf in my closet until I got too old for them. Sure my mom and step-dad and I played Monopoly from time to time; I played Sorry! with [...]

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