Kids’ Activities

Homemade Indoor “Sandbox” Kits

My three-year-old son couldn’t tear himself away from a miniature sandbox set he saw at a local toy store the other day. The set, called My Little Sandbox, is a box about ten inches square, filled with fine sand and a variety of themed toys. The one on display was a little farm, with animals, […]

Recipe: Monkey Bread Redux

My first attempt at monkey bread was a traditional herbed loaf based on a white-bread recipe (but with a little whole-wheat flour added because I like it that way). Not willing to leave well enough alone, however, I then decided to try it with a challah dough. Challah, as you may know, is a Jewish

Recipe: Herbed Monkey Bread

Here’s a recipe for a simple yet festive bread that’s both fun to make with kids and suitable for company. It comes out in a cake-like shape that makes a great centerpiece for a dinner party—a nice alternative to a basket of rolls. Its pull-apart sections are easy for little monkey fingers to grab, too.

Girls and Science: More Than Just Nail Polish

Several bloggers, including Mike the Mad Biologist, Shakespeare’s Sister, and Amanda at Pandagon, have written about the Discovery Channel Store’s appalling choices in science gifts for girls. The top boys’ gifts include things like the Discovery Whodunit? Forensics Lab and the Discovery Speed Detector, while the girls have the Discovery Deluxe Nail Salon and the

Kids’ Gender-Exploration Kit

The fine folks at PG Toys contacted me and asked if I would write about their first kids’ toy project, The Gender-Play-Doh Kit. The kit includes: A convertible bag Lipstick Nail Polish Clip-on Earrings Make your own bracelet! Black makeup for drawing on facial hair Suspenders A Bow-Tie A set of flash cards with fun

Holiday Gift Pairings for Kids

When I give gifts, I like to create a theme by matching several items—and I don’t mean buying multiple products with the same branded character. An “action item” and a book or CD can allow kids to have fun with a subject from a variety of angles. Here are a few ideas for those (like

“Gingerbread Houses”: Martha Strikes First

I was all set to write about making “gingerbread” houses from graham crackers, an easy, clever project my son did in art class this weekend. Turns out Martha Stewart beat me to it. (Thanks to Blogging Baby for the sighting.) I’m including, nevertheless, a photo of the house my son decorated, to prove that one

LEGOs and Lesbians

LEGO Bricks were one of the favorite toys of my childhood. I can’t wait until my son is old enough for the gear-filled LEGO Technic sets. I therefore enjoyed reading Business Week’s recent article on The Making of a LEGO Brick (thanks, Slashdot), which details the precise production process (“only 18 out of 1 million

History and Geography of the Island of Sodor

As both the mother of a train-obsessed child and a refugee from grad school in history, I was delighted to find a Wikipedia article on the history and geography of the Island of Sodor, home of Thomas the Tank Engine. It’s not quite world-building on the Tolkien scale, but it’s a step in that direction,

Thanksgiving Emergency Recovery

Turkey not defrosted in time? Diaper disaster with your toddler means you won’t have time to make stuffing? Hop over to Joe Kissel’s column at Wired News and learn how to Deal With Turkey Day Disasters. Disater or no, my family always uses his trick of baking the stuffing in a pan, not in the

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