Like our grandparents we are once again falling in love with the idea of having fewer great things. See how your family can be happier with fewer, better toys.
Our house is tiny, so we strive to only keep a few toys with that magical combination of educational value and fun! Here's what we look for...
Ask any first-grader and they'll tell you that learning to read English can be really tough! This brilliant poem by Gerard N. Trenité shows us why.
Independent, creative play doesn't always come easily to kids. Set the stage for pretend play with a few simple steps and they will be on their way!
There's something magical about snow, don't you think?
Creativity is a powerful tool that doesn’t always get enough credit.
In New England the winters are long, why not hibernate?
Create a fun at-home maker space for your kids!
Giraffes are the tallest mammals on earth with legs that can be up to six feet tall! Now you try putting your dancing shoes on when your legs are that long. This project is based on the book Giraffes Can't Dance by Giles Andreae about Gerald the giraffe who wants to dance but is too shy until...he finds his own rhythm with the help of a friend. Build your own giraffe and have fun making him dance on his wobbly legs!
We adore Laura Numeroff's "If You Give..." books about a Mouse, Moose and Pig who ask for favors and keep wanting more and more!It's so much fun to think about what would happen if you gave a mouse a cookie, took him to the movies, or even to school! Make this delicious-looking sandwich that can be built, rebuilt, and rearranged and have a fun sandwich-building experience again and again.
Make Way for Ducklings, by Robert McCloskey is one of my all time favorite books for many reasons. The illustrations are nostalgic and sweet and they show Boston landmarks like the Public Garden and the Charles River the way they looked almost 75 years ago! As a child I loved going to visit the Public Garden and seeing the bronze statues dedicated to the book - they made the story feel so alive. To make story come alive at home, try making these duckling magnets.
Do your children have a favorite book? Have you ever noticed that some special books begin to take on a life of their own? When my 5 year old daughter latches on to a book, she wants to act out the story, she imagines what happens to the characters after the story ends and sometimes she even wants to build or make something based on the book. That what this blog - Playing off the Page - is all about! We've picked our favorite children's books and put together really cool building projects based on those books.
