July 2010

Finding Nature with Kids

Outdoor Abacus. Tot Spot, Children’s Discovery Museum, Sausalito Although I grew up in the culturally-rich and naturally-poor concrete jungle of Los Angeles, I had the good fortune of having a wild backyard at my imaginative disposal. On the hillside of our rough-and-tumble yard, my parents thoughtfully installed a playhouse filled with nooks and crannies for [...]

Read the full article →

Off the Grid

We’re off the grid in the land of coconuts for a few days, but we’ll be back with more creativity-boosting ideas by the end of the week.  Check back soon!

Read the full article →

Wonderful Whiteboarding

If you’ve been following me, you probably know that I love introducing my daughter to a variety of media.  When I went on maternity leave a couple years ago, this little dry erase board came home from the office with me, and it’s now a spot where N can freely draw while we brew our [...]

Read the full article →

Fairy Doors

Have you ever spotted a fairy door? Once you see one, your radar will be attuned to them like it might be for ice cream on a hot summer day or your favorite jeans at a basement sale. We’re blessed to live near the a fantastic children’s library,and my daughter and I made a trip there [...]

Read the full article →

Itty-Bitty Airplane Art Kit

We’re on the road!  Well, truly, we were on the road, in the sky, on the ground, in the sky, on the road again, on a boat, and finally, finally, finally grounded on a rustic island in Mexico. Sweet summer!  I didn’t think I’d have internet access, but low-and-behold, we live in a w-ifi world [...]

Read the full article →

The Creativity Crisis

Newsweek just published a must-read article, The Creativity Crisis, co-written by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman (both well-known for their best seller, Nurture Shock). In the article, the authors make a great argument for infusing childhood experiences and school curricula with creative-thinking methodologies, stating that children who are stronger creative thinkers will fare better when [...]

Read the full article →

Fairy Garden

After a loooooong day of visiting the doctor, driving 90 miles to San Francisco for an expedited passport, a trip to the garden store, and an active playdate with friends, we treated ourselves to a relaxing evening of Fairy Garden Planting. Because, ya know, that’s what some people do after a marathon day. We just [...]

Read the full article →

Cerebral Dishwashing

At face value, dishwashing probably doesn’t scream out as a  creative thinking or problem solving activity, but for young children, washing dishes can be full of opportunities to play act, test new ideas, experiment, explore, and think creatively. Personally, I’m not too fond of washing dishes, a problem further compounded by the fact that we [...]

Read the full article →

Drawing on Doilies

Thumbnail image for Drawing on Doilies

Do you have any doilies in the back of a cabinet that could use a little marker and sticker beautification? Why limit yourself to plain ol’ 8.5 x 11 paper when there are so many paper options out there? We’ve been experimenting with drawing on teeny-tiny paper, gigantic rolls of paper, coffee filters, post-its, tape, [...]

Read the full article →

← Previous Entries

UA-19454188-1