Ideals to Life

My kids play with Play-doh…a lot. It is a creative, hands-on activity that they love and a craft that requires very little preparation from me. However, it is messy enough of an activity that it requires a certain level of commitment and some days I’m just not up to it.

Imagine my excitement, then, when I discovered Play Foam! It is not sticky, messy (no Play-doh crumbs!), doesn’t dry out or turn brown when colors are mixed. The substance of Play Foam reminds me of Rice Krispies treats without being sticky. The only downside is that it is harder to create detail than with Play-doh, but my kids still love it. It is a perfect 30-minute, no clean-up craft. Try it out!

*Tip - Play Foam can be purchased at most craft stores, but I have frequently found it at greatly discounted at stores like TJ Maxx, Ross, and Marshalls.

Our lives are made up of happenings, big and small. Event the smallest events can be significant and defining.

Many events have some sort of token associated with them: bulletins, newspaper clippings, ticket stubs, pictures, keys, a lock of baby’s hair, a hospital band, or a small piece of brick from the new house you built. These small tokens can hold big memories.

Designate a special box to hold these little treasures from the life of your family. At the end of the year, make it a special family event to go through your little Treasure Box and relive some of the defining moments of your year. What events were significant to your family? Where were your happiest memories? What tokens do you hope to be adding next year?

There is magic in the Treasure Box. It can turn simple tokens into priceless treasures.

Tip - At the end of the year, transfer your year’s treasures into a year-labeled box (see box system) and repeat.

My grandmother used to play a game with me that she called “Hide the Thimble”. The concept was simple - she took a thimble from her sewing desk and hid it in a specified room. The kids were then sent on the mission to find it.

Not being much of a seamstress myself, I don’t have a thimble in my house, but I play this game with my kids using other small objects. The kids pick a small toy or trinket from around the house and we take turns hiding and finding it. It is a fun and simple game (requiring very little energy output from you!) that kids love.

Tip: Younger kids can play too! Simply pick a bigger object to hide!

I must have drooled over the idea of play silks for several years. I love the concept and the endless creative play possibilities that they offer. But the standard size silks (35″x35″) sell for $10-12/each, making a small set cost a small fortune. That didn’t even account for my dream of a bigger play silk collection that included multiple sizes.

I began to toy with the idea of dying my own silks after learning that a friend successfully did it, but she used real dye and I was intimidated by that. I like to keep my creative ventures simple….and clean. And then I discovered that you can dye silks with Kool-Aid! Not only was it cheaper, but it sounded fun! I mean, how many people can say that they have hand-dyed toys with Kool-Aid!? So, I ordered my silks and made some for Kaelynn’s Christmas present. It took a little bit of work (it took time more than anything) and mine have some imperfections, but my kids love them and I’m really pleased with the finished product. Here’s how I did it:

1. Order play silks in the sizes you want. I chose a half dozen 35″x35″ silks this time, but I have plans to expand our collection someday with various sizes. I bought mine from Dharma Trading Company for $3.75/each.

2. Bring a pot of water to boiling. Add a cup of vinegar and remove from heat. Soak all the silks for about an hour before dying.

3. Put on a pair of plastic gloves. Mix 3 cups of hot water, 1/2 c vinegar, and 2-3 packets of Kool-Aid (see the note at the bottom of post for a Kool-Aid color guide). Immerse a silk in the colored water and stir slightly until fully immersed. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave for 3 minutes. Remove and stir again. Cover and microwave for 3 more minutes. Repeat the cycle a third time.

(Note: If you increased the amount of water and vinegar and did the dying on a stove top instead of the microwave, stirring continually, you would probably end up with more solidly colored silks. Mine are slightly blotchy, but I kind of like them that way.)

4. Remove silk from the bowl and rinse with soap and water until the water runs clear.

Keep dyed, wet silks separate until they are dry. They can bleed onto each other (voice of experience speaking).

5. Dry on low in the dryer. Iron.

Kool-Aid Flavor/Color Guide:

Red - Strawberry, Cherry, or Black Cherry (Note: I wanted more of a salmon/dark pink color, so I just used two packages of Strawberry. A combination of Cherry and Black Cherry will get you the truest red.
Orange - Orange
Yellow - Lemonade (Note: I used two packets of Lemonade plus a few drops of yellow food coloring to achieve a slightly darker yellow.)
Green - Lemon-Lime
Blue - Blue Raspberry
Purple - Grape (Note - I only used two packets.)
Pink - Pink Lemonade (not pictured)

A super hero’s cape. A play tent. A doll sling/doll carrier. A picnic blanket for a tea party. A wedding veil. A sling for a (pretend) broken arm.

What do all of these things have in common? They can be created out of a play silk: a lightweight and silky soft square of fabric dyed in vibrant colors of the rainbow. If you have not yet discovered this classic childhood toy with infinite imaginative possibilities, a quick Google search will open a new world to you.

Truly timeless, classic toys are toys that do not have a predetermined identity; the child has to create the identity. Legos, blocks and Play-doh are all great examples of classic toys that allow a child to develop a concept or vision in their mind and then watch it come to life by their own hand. This is an invaluable lesson for them to learn.

Play silks are a classic toy that hold endless possibilities for a child’s active mind. Who will they be? What adventures will they embark on? What will they create? Possibility is a beautiful thing.

Note: I will be posting later this week about a simple way to dye your own play silks…with Kool-Aid!

Brothers and sisters can sometimes be overzealous in their demonstration of affection toward their siblings. It can provide the parent with a difficult dilemma when they watch their child protest their sibling’s well-intended hug or the playful tackle. We know that it does no good to tell the recipient to just deal and it is important for the kids to learn to look for and respect the other child’s boundaries. However, when there is a positive attempt towards affection from one of the siblings, it can also be damaging to shut the giver down. Relationships grow through giving and receiving and interacting and that must be encouraged.

Alternative solutions are sometimes more obvious than others, but when you witness one of these interactions between your kids, do your best to rechannel the affection. Suggest an activity that they can participate in together, give them a common cause, or simply suggest another way that physical affection might be demonstrated. If the recipient is old enough, they could also be a part of the conversation.

Another important key in these tricky parenting situations is to keep your parenting positive. You correcting them with frustration or irritation in your voice or by using punishment will only succeed in growing resentment between the kids. Not only will their attempt at affection or interaction have been rejected by the desired recipient (their sibling), but they will have been punished by you for even attempting it. Affirm them for their desire to interact with their sibling and help them to learn how to interact in ways that they will both enjoy.

Relationships are built on conversations, whether they are big or small.

Over dinner, have each person give their high point and low point of the day. This gets conversation rolling and it also gives you a unique insight into each person. You learn about the things that are important to them and how they are affected by various situations and they learn the same things about you.

*Tip - Remember that the more transparent you are with your kids, the more transparent they will be with you.

It’s scary out there….

(Comic copyright Baby Blues Partnership)

Bring the snowy-day activities inside where it is warm with this super easy winter craft!

Supplies:

Paper
Cottonballs
Glue
Pipecleaner (or other item of your choice)
Raisins

Direction:

Draw an outline of a snowman on a piece of paper (three circles). Bend and glue the pipecleaner on the middle circle for the arms (you could also use sticks, straws, popsicle sticks, etc). Gently pull and loosen the cottonballs and then glue them onto the paper, filling in the sketch. Glue on raisins for eyes, nose (opt), mouth, and buttons.

Traditions are important to a child and the warmth of those memories carries far into adulthood. A sound, a taste, a smell…it can take us back in an instant.

Ask your spouse what some of their favorite holiday traditions were as a child. What are the details of that tradition that made it so memorable? Then find a way to work at least one of those treasured traditions into your own family’s holiday activities. It is a unique gift that you can give to both your spouse and your children. The best traditions are those with a story behind them, because it makes us all realize that we are a part of something bigger than ourselves.

Creating new family traditions is an adventure. Carrying on old traditions is enrichment.