Creative Kidstuff

Fun fall crafts!

September 25, 2008 on 4:00 pm | In Uncategorized | 2 Comments

The first chill of fall weather is finally in the air, the leaves are starting to change, and the days are getting shorter. With more time spent indoors, here are some fun crafts with an autumn theme.

One of the coolest fall crafts is make-your-own Pumpkin Pie Playdough. Sue at our Internet location makes it every year with her children and it’s a definite kid favorite! Here are the directions for making your own batch:

Ingredients:
5 1/2 cups of flour
2 cups of salt
8 teaspoons of cream of tartar
1 container of pumpkin pie spice (1.12 ounces)
3/4 cup of vegetable oil
4 cups of water
orange food coloring (or 2 parts yellow dye to 1 part red dye)

Directions:
Start by getting a big bowl, the bigger the better, and either a large spoon or sturdy plastic spatula. Combine dry ingredients in the bowl. Add the water and vegetable oil, and stir. Last, put in the food coloring, stirring and adding until you get the desired color.

Transfer mixture into a large pot. Turn on medium heat, and start stirring. Continue to stir, and scrape the bottom of the pot continuously. The dough will start globbing together, and will start to come off of the side of the pot. Once the dough seems to be stuck together as much as possible, turn off heat.

Another classic, simple fall craft is leaf rubbings. Just collect fall leaves of all shapes, position leaves vein side up in a pattern that you find pleasing. Lay another sheet of plain white paper over the top of the leaves. Choose a crayon, remove the wrapper, and gently rub over the top sheet of paper. The leaf images will magically appear on the paper! Experiment with different crayon colors and leaf arrangements and see what you can create!

If you create any amazing fall crafts at home, post a comment or email directions and/or images to amcintosh@creativekidstuff.com and they may appear in the comments!

…the smallest one was Madeline.

September 18, 2008 on 3:02 pm | In Uncategorized | No Comments

On Tuesday, September 23rd, our Galleria location will be hosting a book signing for author John Bemelmans Marciano, the grandson of the Madeline creator Ludwig Bemelmans. He will be signing copies of his newest title in the Madeline series, Madeline and the Cats of Rome.

The Madeline series began in 1939, after original author Ludwig Bemelmans was hospitalized after being hit by a car. In the bed next to him, a little girl was recovering from an appendectomy. He was inspired by the girl’s attitude about the surgery and decided to write a story about a girl experiencing a similar adventure for his daughter, Barbara, who was age 3 at the time. The character Madeline is a combination of the little girl in the hospital and Bemelmans’ own daughter, with a touch of Bemelmans’ own spunky personality thrown in the mix.

Madeline has been adapted in both film and television versions, making the twelve little girls in two straight lines come to life. She is just as beloved by children and adults now as she was in 1939, the original year of publication (he original book cost only $2!). Perhaps the reason Madeline has stood the test of time is because Bemelmans was careful never to insult his young audience. “We are writing for children, but not for idiots,” he once stated. Children around the world have been inspired by Madeline’s individuality, even if that meant being a tad disobedient. She gave children the courage to speak their mind and demonstrated there is nothing wrong with being smart and strong.

The current author of the series, John Bemelmans Marciano, has continued writing about Madeline after discovering an unfinished manuscript, Madeline’s Christmas in Texas among his grandfather’s belongings. Since completing that first manuscript in 1999, Marciano has written other original titles in the series including Madeline Says Merci: The Always-Be-Polite Book and most recently, Madeline and the Cats of Rome. Marciano also has written original characters in his own books, including Harold’s Tail, about a Manhattan-dwelling squirrel who learns what life is like for the less fortunate when he takes a dare; There’s a Dolphin in the Grand Canal!, about a boy living in Venice, Italy, discovers a dolphin frolicking in the waters of the city’s canal but has a difficult time convincing his parents; and Delilah, about a little unschooled lamb befriending fast friends with her owner, Red.

We invite families to spend an evening at the Galleria location to meet with John Bemelmans Marciano, the author of the newest Madeline title, Madeline and the Cats of Rome. If you are unable to attend, we’ll be happy to have your books autographed. In the comments section of the online checkout form, simply list the name of the child that you would like Mr. Marciano to use when he signs the book. We kindly request orders be placed by noon CST on September 22nd.

What are your favorite Madeline stories? Tell us about favorite scenes or moments in the comments!

“That’s all there is, there isn’t any more.”

Fun Organizational Tips

September 10, 2008 on 3:17 pm | In Uncategorized | No Comments

There are two upcoming organizational events being hosted at Creative Kidstuff stores. On September 16th, Absolutely Alice will be speaking at the Galleria store, and on September 23rd Tammy from Organized by Tammy will be presenting at the St. Paul location. Both speakers are sure to provide you with great insights on how to get organized and stay organized!

Here are some great tips on how to keep your children and family organized:

• Stacey at our Galleria location says her family “lives by the Plan It Organizer. All of us have our own row so that we know on a daily and weekly basis what EVERYONE has for each day.
• A great rule for keeping toys picked up is to have toys separated into bins, and a picture(s) of the toy(s) on the outside of the bin. This method is used in schools, and is an especially great way to teach pre-readers how to clean up!
• Joyce at the Minneapolis store prints 3 sets of pictures whenever they went on vacation and immediately puts them into 3 different photo albums for her 3 children. This way they would each have albums from all of their different family vacations! What a great way to avoid shoe boxes full of photos!
• The Box4Blox has been a staff favorite since we started to carry it! Sue at our Internet location purchased one and is amazed at how well it keeps all those LEGO pieces organized.

We’re sure you all have great organization tips too, so please share in the comments! Be sure to check out our great organization speakers: Absolutely Alice on September 16th at the Galleria and Organized by Tammy September 23rd at St. Paul!