Developmental Stage

DIY Baby Fabric Bucket Toy

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The following post is from the archives. It originally appeared in April, 2011. If you’re looking for ways to mix up your baby play time routine, you might enjoy trying this simple activity with materials you may already have in the closet and recycling can. I often wax poetic about my preschooler’s creative pursuits while my little [...]

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Drawing over Old Photographs

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The following post is from the archives. It originally appeared in August, 2011. Drawing over over old photographs is a fun way to turn old images into new treasures. Not only is the process totally enjoyable, but the product can be turned into postcards that are fun to mail to family and friends. Old photos [...]

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Scanner Art Experiments

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The following post is from the archives. It originally appeared in February, 2011. This low-mess project kept my preschooler busy for a whole morning. Lots of fun for curious kids! Not too long ago we had a big print job in our home, which peaked my daughter’s interest in the printer. The noises, lights, and [...]

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Messy Art: Splat Paint Olympics

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Today I’m over on the Melissa and Doug blog, writing about our experience making Splat Paint Olympic Rings with household sponges. Painting with non-traditional materials does wonders for helping children look at the world with fresh eyes. And throwing paint-soaked sponges? Well, that’s just silly fun.   While we did this with the end-game of [...]

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Washi Tape and Found Paper Collage

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                        “Above all, we are coming to understand that the arts incarnate the creativity of a free people. When the creative impulse cannot flourish, when it cannot freely select its methods and objects, when it is deprived of spontaneity, then society severs”   ~ John F. Kennedy Do [...]

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Invisible Ink: A Citrus Painting Experiment

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Can you tell me what you think? I’m playing around with my header design (procrastinating away from other important things, no doubt) and would love to hear your opinion on it. Do you like it? Is it legible? Does it need anything? What do you think about the sub-heading? When you think about Tinkerlab, what [...]

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Explore Modern Artists: Painting with Edward Hopper

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Welcome to the first project in our newest series: Explore Modern Artists. Today we’ll take a look at one of my favorite American Artists, Edward Hopper, with a preschool-friendly painting technique. The Q-tip painting technique that we used could be applied to the work of just about any 2-D artist, so definitely take this as [...]

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How to Make a One-minute Bubble Solution

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I’ve been so busy with all sorts of parenting/household/traveling/social things lately, and love to find easy projects that make my kids happy. This is one of those things. My daughter’s preschool has a big bubble table set up all summer long, and it’s a magical place where the kids can chill out and regroup while [...]

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DIY Paper Tape Roads

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Sometimes we have to push our kids outside their comfort zones to help them take on new perspectives, face and overcome challenges, and confront their biases. I have a growing collection of diecast vehicles that I keep in a nice, inviting basket. And do you know who plays with these cars, trucks, and airplanes? Boys who [...]

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