Imagination

The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination. -  Albert Einstein 

Sabine sent my son her new book and he loved it SO much!  SO....

Das große Buch vom BASTELN und SPIELEN from asieben on Vimeo.

he thought of a creative way to say thank you with a video of his own.  He used the pattern for her windmill to create a ninja star for fending off dragons and such.

 
ninja star from wendy cook on Vimeo.


 I stumbled upon Sabine's work some years ago and it has been a steady source of inspiration ever since. You can imagine my delight when, two summers ago, I found one of her early books at the library book sale. I introduced her work to Satch and he was instantly smitten.

Taro Gomi Lovefest

"The secret of genius is to carry the spirit of childhood into maturity" - Thomas Huxley

I know I've shamelessly swooned over the Gomi coloring books before here and here and here, but can you see why this 4 yr old boy and his mama love them? They truly speak to the heart of the child...

(there's one in all of us)

and engage the imagination. It's a lovefest over here, folks!

"worried giraffe"

"dragon fly by"

"spider web"

"centipede catching a bug!"

"mosquitoes"

"watermelon"

"jack in the box"

Art Projects For Kids & a Giveaway

I receive a lot of questions about art projects for kids. There is inspiration everywhere, but when I can't come up with something, I hit the books...

Now that the warmer weather has returned we are spending more time outside. And we are loving The Jumbo Book of Outdoor Art! The book is written for older children, but parents can easily tailor the projects for little ones.


Some of our favorite projects are:

• Bubble Paintings: add a bit of dish soap to some bowls of watery tempera paints. Put a straw in the bowl and blow until overflowing with bubbles. Place your paper on top of the bubbles to create bubble art.

• Super Spider Web: this project is made with twigs, floral wire and raffia and is so adorable that we're going to make a few for the garden.

We also love The Jumbo Book of Art. It's packed with easy instructions for all sorts of projects like: puppets, cardboard castles, wish flags and mobiles!

Another wonderful book is Great American Artists for Kids by MaryAnn Kohl. The book is in full color and contains biographies of 75 American artists with related activities for children.

And because these books are so completely fabulous, Kids Can Press is generously allowing me to give away a copy of The Jumbo Book of Outdoor Art and The Jumbo Book of Art. Simply leave a comment by midnight on Friday April 1oth (and specify which book you would like to win and a contact email addy) and I will use a random generator to pick a winner. The winner will be announced Tuesday.

What Can You Do?

It's raining and it's cold and I found some terrific remedies for cabin fever!

What can you do with a paper bag?
C'mon over to our nest and we'll show ya!

Satch practices cutting with his safety scissors and exclaims, "YOOK mama, I made a costume"!



And another amazing coloring/activity book by Taro Gomi!
(Way too cool for words)


Tell me....what can you do?