The Write Start

Mudpies on the Menu

Inspired by this amazing article, we set up a mudpie kitchen in a shady spot in the backyard. To tell you the truth, my kids really don't need to be enticed to play in the mud (I call them the "Muddy Buddies"), but I thought a kitchen would be a natural extension of their daily muddy mayhem. Not to mention that the kitchen made me all sorts of nostalgic for summer afternoons with my childhood best friend Jenni W. (She was Jenni W., I was Jenny H. -- which had the potential to be confusing, but we always knew who we were, so it didn't bother us a bit.) Our best mudpies featured dried azalea topping, a dirty delicacy we dubbed "gramble," and the occasional worm. Oh, and crab apples. I can't forget the crab apples.

We don't have any azaleas here, so I dried out some hydrangeas for garnish. And while there isn't a crab apple to be found, we have no shortage of stinky crab claws. I set that stuff out in buckets, along with a basket of basic cooking tools, and a big bucket of water as a sink. I turned over a large galvanized bin (that we usually keeps our sports balls in) and free-handed some spiral-shaped squiggles on the underside to suggest stove burners.

Then, the fun part. Making mud. We turned the spinkers right on to our kitchen (and Jack helped them along with buckets of water) and kept testing the mud until we achieved the perfect consistancy. Once mud perfection was achieved, the cooking commenced.

Mmmmmm. Mud!

Greetings from Camp Mom

Dear Parents,

I'm writing to you from CAMP MOM. Wish you were here! The activities are super fun, the drinks are ice cold, and, at the end the day, the kids always wind up covered in mud from head to toe. Lots and lots of mud. But isn't that precisely why garden hoses were invented?

Here's a list of some of the classic summertime activities on our CAMP MOM itinerary:

* backyard camping (with tents)

* picnics (love 'em!)

* lemonade stands

* fishing

* skipping rocks

* little red wagon rides

* sprinklers

* sidewalk chalk

* bubbles

* squirt toys

* kite-flying

* impromptu parades (complete with marching, flag-waving, and musical instruments)

* swinging on the swings

* art al fresco

* sandbox

* spraying our fire/garden hose

* bike riding

* scooter riding

* swimming

* catching (and releasing) fireflies

* outdoor movie nights

* campfires in our fire pit

* sunrise (aka 8 AM) yoga

* practicing cartwheels

* hula-hooping

* jumping rope

* playing leap frog

* playing hopscotch

* playing go-to games (like: red light, green light; what time is it mr. shark?; red rover; mother may i?; freeze tag; hide and seek; steal the bacon; SPUD; ringalario)

* whiffle ball

* badminton

* horseshoes

* obstacle courses

* harvesting our backyard garden

* beach combing

* sandcastles

* hanging wash on our child-sized clothesline

* playing pick-up games of basketball & soccer

* tossing a football

* relay races

* sack races

* three-legged races

* egg-and-spoon races

* drinking "bug juice"

* making s'mores

* eating fresh berries with homemade, hand-shaken whipped cream

* playing tin-can-telephone

* renovating a cardboard box

* building a clubhouse

* building a fort

* playing marbles

* playing jacks

* scavenger hunts

* treasure hunts (bury a treasure. mark it with an X. draw a map. say AARGH.)

* writing postcards

* tucking messages into bottles

* writing in the sand

* "painting" the fence with brushes and buckets of water

* water balloons

* making dandelion wishes

* making daisy chains

* making (more) mudpies

* nature walks

* birdwatching

* cloud-watching

* star-gazing

* sleeping bags

* a good, old-fashioned hootenanny (aka sing-a-long)

* family dance parties

* (surprise) ice cream runs (in pajamas)

* bedtime stories by flashlight

*** sweet dreams of an endless summer ***

I'm sure I forgot something... what's on your summer itinerary?

Keep in touch,

Jen

Go Fish

We recently did a kid-friendly little project for my Dad's birthday that might also make a great Father's Day gift. That is, if the Dad (or Grandpa) in your life loves fishing even half as much as my Dad does.

So here's the simple how-to:

We took an empty jar with a lid, and cut a piece of burlap to fit around it. The kids had fun pulling off the strings of burlap around the edges to create a fringe. (OT Tip: have a couple of extra pieces of burlap on hand, because the string-pulling part becomes quite addictive, and it's a great fine motor activity.) I then cut a piece of canvas, repurposed from one of the many, many freebie canvas tool belts we get at the lumberyard and paint store. I set up our favorite alphabet stamps to spell out the words "BAIT BUCKS" and Jack and Gracie took turns stamping. We used four eyelets to attach both pieces of fabric together (which my kids loved -- yet another excuse to hammer something!) but you can certainly sew them together as well. Then I used a little hot glue to attach the fabric to the jar at the back seam.

We gave the jar a little pizazz, and some sentimental appeal, by attaching the first fly that Jack and my Dad tied together. You see, there's a reason that fisherman tell so many stories. They're really very sentimental at heart.

Oh, so the story behind BAIT BUCKS is that it's the jar where you keep small bills that you can grab when it's time to go fish. In our town, if you need to buy bait before or after hours (because that's when the best fishing is) you go to the bait vending machine. And some crisp singles really come in handy. By the way, you know you live in a serious fishing town when there is a bait vending machine. Enough said!

Lately, I'm really getting a kick about how much Gracie (our newest fishing fan) is enjoying our projects. And fishing. Both of my kids love to fish, as do I, as does my Dad, and as did his Dad. Not to mention that fishing is another fine activity for developing hand skills. Jack was casting a traditional fishing rod by the time he was three, and Gracie is well on her way. It's actually one of our favorite ways to have some good, old-fashioned, fine-motor family fun.

Would anybody like some tips on kid fishing? I can certainly tell you what works for us in terms of teaching little hands to work a rod and reel. However, I have to warn you, we don't actually catch much. Fish don't really fear us. But we sure have a blast. Let's just say we're hooked!

Hideout Sweet Hideout

 

What is it about a blanket fort? It's like a little home away from home. This weekend, it was just the change of scene my guy needed.

He woke up Friday morning talking about vacations. He wanted to remember every detail of every vacation he has ever taken (it was a pretty short conversation... there haven't been many!) Then he started packing; dragging his belongings through the house and piling them up in front of the door.

Frustrated about it myself, I explained why we couldn't just take off and go to some faraway beachy location any time we want (heavy sigh). But then I felt bad about stomping on his wanderlust. Luckily, it occurred to me to suggest making a tent and a campsite. I was moving furniture before he even agreed (I get even more excited about this kind of thing then he does!)

We built a fort in the living room and it was okay and kind of fun. But when my husband saw it that night, he (of course) had to take it a step further. So he and Jack set to work building another one upstairs. And let's just say that Jack spent the better part of the next two days in, around, under his fort. Tons of creative play ensued: setting it up, filling it with friends (of the stuffed animal variety), making it cozy, and preparing food feasts.

As fun as that was, it somehow led to an even bigger and better fort being built downstairs on Sunday evening. Well. Monday was an adventure of epic proportions. First the fort was a ship. Then it was an airplane. Then an aircraft carrier (the best of both worlds). He ate meals in it. He took a nap in it. He wanted to sleep in it all night. On Tuesday, it still hadn't lost any of its appeal. I'll let you know what it turns into tomorrow.

It's amazing how such a simple activity can take a child from restless and agitated to creative and centered. I'm now officially a true believer in the healing power of the blanket fort.

In my experience: if you build it, they will calm.

Simple Fall Fun

Here's an activity that kept us busy on quite a few Autumn days last year.

First, take a walk around the neighborhood and collect some fallen leaves of different shapes and sizes (this is my favorite part).

  

Then, put them face down on your copy machine...

 

and print out a copy (Jack's favorite part, without a doubt).

 

Presto! You now have a leaf-matching game. It doesn't get any easier than this. And, believe it or not, this super-simple project held my boy's attention for quite a long time, on quite a few occasions. 

I put the leaves that we used in a small basket next to the "game card" we made, along with a magnifying glass to encourage inspection. I left it on a low shelf where Jack could take it out when he happened upon it and place his leaves on their double.

This matching game was the perfect match for Jack, developmentally speaking, last year (he was three). This year I think we'll add some more leaves, and maybe some small objects (I'm thinking acorns, pine needles, seed pods) to up the challenge and make it even more interesting.

How do you fall into Fall?