In this edition of our weekly video blog, brought to you in partnership with After Ellen, Helen and I look at the low-tech but still entertaining world of board games. We review two brand-spanking new kids’ games from Cranium, including one that works for all types of family configurations. We also recommend a bevy of
If you’re looking for an easy kids’ project for a snow day or just for the holidays, try a “gingerbread” house make of graham crackers. It’s become one of my favorite seasonal activities, either for my son and I or for a playdate (where I put together the base houses in advance). Make up a
As many of you know, my partner Helen and I have a fondness for making toys from PVC pipes. We’ve done a PVC pipe construction set, a rain stick and even a wild musical pipe set that at least one reader has copied to great success. Today, I wanted to assure you that we’re not
The Daring Book for Girls, by Andrea J. Buchanan and Miriam Peskowitz, is the distaff version of the bestselling The Dangerous Book for Boys by Conn and Hal Iggulden. Like its male version, The Daring Book is a throwback to the children’s encyclopedias and magazines of old, full of games, activities, and bits of information
Passing along this invitation from the Family Equality Council. We may try to be at the event with our son, although this being both cold and holiday season, nothing is certain. If you’re going, too, though, drop me a note. I’d love to say hi in person. The Family Equality Council is hosting its first
For most of us in colder climes, camping season is drawing to a close. If you’re lucky enough to live near or be visiting Los Angeles, however, you have the opportunity not only to eat freshly roasted marshmallows in November, but to do so in the company of other LGBT families. The L.A. Gay and
This Saturday, September 29, is Museum Day, when participating museums and cultural institutions across the U.S. will be offering free admission. (Special exhibits may not qualify.) Simply print a pass from the Smithsonian Web site.
I interviewed children’s musicians Erin Lee and Marci after meeting them on the R Family cruise in July, and posted about their inclusive approach to children’s music as well as their escapades with an illegal Elmo. They’ve kindly agreed to do a regular guest post with thematic recommendations for kid-friendly music, as well as ways
We always knew Google was planning to take over the universe. They come one step closer with the release of Google Sky, part of an upgrade to their very cool Google Earth software. If you or your children are into astronomy, or have to learn more about it as part of a school science project,
Yesterday I mentioned Steven Caney’s Toy Book as a great source of ideas for homemade kids’ toys. Along the same vein, but with an added bonus, is The Science Explorer by Pat Murphy, Ellen Klages, and Linda Shore of the San Francisco Exploratorium Museum. It’s chock-full of quick, craft-like projects aimed at six- to nine-year-olds,
