I used to have kind of mixed feelings about coloring pages for kids. I avoided buying the girl coloring books for a long time, feeling it was better for her to just draw what she wanted. But she finds coloring pages a lot of fun — and particularly enjoys the more “grown up” designs, which […]
The Fayetteville Public Library Needs Us as Much as We Need it
To my non-local readers: apologies for getting super local and a little political today. But we should all support our libraries, wherever we are, in whatever way we can. Even if you don’t have a library tax election coming up, maybe you can find a way to show your local library some love, too. It […]
Stitch Up Some Cuteness with Crafty Critters
I am an affiliate of Leisure Arts and was sent a review copy of this book. All opinions are my own. When I was teaching fiber arts to kids at my daughter’s school last month, I wanted to offer them a lot of potential means of entry into different crafts, and part of what I […]
The Trouble with Expectations When Making Art
Not too long ago, the girl and I were up early playing in the playroom, as we do sometimes on the weekends. She had pulled out some blocks and decided she wanted to make a sphinx (she’s very into ancient Egypt). After working on it for a while, she stepped back and determined it actually […]
Make Bad Art — It’s Good for You
I really hate the idea of calling anything you make “bad.” Things might not turn out the way you planned (so often) but that doesn’t mean it’s bad, just that it turned out differently. But “bad art” is what a lot of people feel like they make, those people who say they aren’t creative and […]
Help Your Kids Learn Letters and Numbers Through Play
Some of the most fundamental learning our kids do early on has to do with learning letters and numbers, building the foundation for reading, spelling and math. And like most early learning, the best way to teach kids these early skills is through play, incorporating learning into everyday activities that are fun for both of […]
Easy Ways to Read More Books
We recently went on vacation to Florida, and I read a whole book in less than a week. It had been a long time since I’d been able — or taken the time — to read so much so quickly, and I found that I had missed reading and wanted to keep doing it. While […]