If you do not live in the local area and would like to create a fish print, here are the instructions!

Gyotaku (Japanese 魚拓, from gyo “fish” + taku “rubbing”) is a traditional form of Japanese fish printing, dating from the mid 1800s, a form of nature printing used by fishermen to record their catches. Gyotaku is also practiced as a form of art, and is very popular among young children both in Japan and Western countries.

What You’ll Need:
Thin paper (real rice paper is best, but newsprint will work)
Fish with heavy scales
Pan
Brush
Water-based ink or tempura paint

Fish Prints
How to Create Fish Prints:
Step 1: Select a fish with large scales for the best prints. Lay it in a pan, and wipe it clean.
Step 2: Using a brush, cover the fish with a very thin coat of water-based ink or paint. You can make the whole fish one color, or use different colors on the fins, make stripes — or whatever you like.
Step 3: Lay the paper on top of the fish. Gently press the paper onto the fish, using your fingers to shape it around the curves of the fish’s body.
Step 4: Slowly peel back the paper and look at your print. Try printing again without adding more ink. Sometimes the second print is better. You can make fishy T-shirts and bandannas if you use fabric paint instead of ink or tempera paint. Place T-shirt front side down on inked fish and pat in place. Carefully lift T-shirt and lay front side up to dry

Email pictures of your fish prints to info@creativekidstuff.com and we’ll post them on Facebook!

One of the major aspects of Earth Day is promoting small ways to save energy and resources. If each person makes a few small changes, it will have a big impact! Here are a few small ways you can try:

*Use a low-flow shower head and take shorter showers. It takes 15 to 30 gallons to take a bath versus 5 gallons for a one-minute shower. Low-flow showerheads deliver 2.5 gallons of water or less per minute and are relatively inexpensive. Older showerheads use 5 to 7 gallons per minute!

* Use reusable bags or skip the bag when shopping. Coming soon: Creative Kidstuff reusable bags!

*On a nice day, hang your clothes outside to dry!

* Unplug your appliances when not in use. Many home electronics aren’t actually “off” unless unplugged. One great tip is to plug home electronics and office equipment into a single power strip with an on/off switch. This will allow you to turn off all power to the devices in one easy step.

*Plant a garden and/or purchase locally grown produce. For the average American, the food on their plates has traveled at least 1,500 miles. If you purchase local produce, you support the local economy AND lower your carbon footprint.

We are all familiar with paper, plastic and glass recycling but one of the largest wastes is organic wastes. Here is a great project to get your kids involved and create some wonderful soil for your plants and gardens.

How to Make a Compost Bin!

Equipment:
* 1 Plastic Bin (with lid). Surface area is more important than depth, but you’ll probably want something small enough to fit underneath your sink.
* Shredded Newspaper (no color), 2 Sunday editions worth. Best to use a paper shredder, but using your hands will work too!
* Worms! The best worms for composting are red worms, either Eisenia foetida or Lumbricus rubellus. You can contact your local bait shop or you can order worms online at unclejimswormfarm.com
* Compostables. You can compost fruit and vegetable scraps and peels, coffee grounds, tea bags and rinsed out, crushed up egg shells. Avoiding meats, dairy products and oily foods will help prevent against odors, flies and other pests.

Process:
Drill about 12 – 16 holes in the plastic bin, about two thirds of the way up from the bottom. This will provide oxygen to aid in the compost process. Some people also puncture holes in the bottom to allow for drainage, though if you’re keeping this under your sink you may prefer to skip this and avoid dealing with a drainage system altogether.

Run the shredded newspaper under water until it is thoroughly soaked, and then ring it out so that it is moist, but not dripping. Spread about half of this newspaper evenly along the bottom of your bin, and then dump your worms over the paper, distributing them in a similar manner. Finally, cover your worms with the remainder of the shredded, damp newspaper.

Maintaining Your Compost:
There is very little to do to maintaining, though after a few months you will have a buildup of finished compost that can be used as fertilizer, and most of your original bedding (newspaper) will be gone. The best way to replace the fertilizer with new bedding is to move all of the finished compost over to one side then replace the bedding on the other side and begin adding compostable scraps to that side. Gradually the worms will move from the finished compost, at which point you can remove it and dump it in your garden, your plants, or that patch of dirt outside where grass never seems to grow.

Fun websites for more information:
Recycle City Visit this imaginary town to see how you and you family can help the environment by doing simple every day changes.

Great Ideas for the Whole Family

EPA Composting Site

Earth Day Network

In September 1942, the first 12 Little Golden Book titles were published. The original stories included favorites such as The Pokey Little Puppy, The Golden Book of Fairy Tales, and The Little Red Hen. Each book sold for approximately 25 cents each! The original publisher, Simon & Schuster, had the books printed at Western Printing and Lithographing Company in Racine, Wisconsin.

Many famous authors have been involved with the creation of Little Golden Books, most notably Margaret Wise Brown (Goodnight Moon), Garth Williams (Stuart Little), and Richard Scarry (Busy, Busy Town).

Random House, the current publisher, estimates that as of 2002, over 2 billion Little Golden Books have been printed- enough to reach the moon! 15 million copies of The Pokey Little Puppy have been sold! The series is such an important part of American history, the Smithsonian Institution includes Little Golden Books and artwork in its Division of Cultural History!

You may visit the Random House website to print coloring pages featuring your favorite Little Golden Book characters!

What is your favorite Little Golden Book and why? Tell us in the comments!

A trip to the Como Park Conservatory lets you breath in the smell of tropical plants and warms your bones in the sunken gardens. Children never get tired of watching the fish or finding the plant that grows chocolate! Mark you calendars for the Spring Fling weekend beginning March 21!

The Minnesota Zoo and the warm tropics trail is a wonderful winter escape. We are patiently awaiting the arrival of Allie’s baby! Allie is a bottle nose dolphin. Click to read her pregnancy blog. A Minnesota Zoo favorite event is the arrival of the new Farm Babies- a sure sign that spring is just around the corner. Visit the Zoo on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday 10am-4pm from March 27- April 12 to visit the babies!

Minnesota is home to a wonderful collection of state parks and as the weather begins to warm up the freeze/thaw cycle helps the sap begin to flow! Visit your local state park for one of the many Maple Syrup Events.

The Minnesota landscape Arboretum is a great place to explore and see buds beginning to appear! Visit on Thursdays from Nov. 24 to April 24 and receive free admission!

A hidden Minnesota gem is the Edinborough Play Park. This park features over 1 acre of parkland to explore and one of the largest indoor play structures in the country. Give your kids a chance to run, play and explore in a beautiful enclosed sunny environment. It’s a great way to chase the winter blahs and use up some built up energy. You can purchase a season pass to use all winter long. They also cater to group outings as well as birthday parties!

Please share your “Winter Escapes” with your Creative Kidstuff friends in the comments section!

With a long President’s Day weekend ahead, you may be looking for some fun outdoor and indoor activities! Here in Minnesota sledding, snowshoeing and tubing are all great family activities. There are a ton of great places in and around the Twin Cities to play outside! Some of our favorites are the Columbia Golf Course, Theordore Wirth Park, and Carver Park.

If you’d prefer to stay inside this weekend, why not quiz each other on Presidential Trivia? Stump your family with such facts as: Which President had a pony named Macaroni? Who was the shortest President? Which President was the first to be born a US citizen? See answers below. Other fun trivia activities are What Happened Here? and Can You Name Them All?.

Don’t forget to check out the First Ever Family Game Show Night at our Galleria location. If you can’t make it, why not pick up a great game from our fabulous selection? Games are 20% off Thursday, February 12 through Sunday, February 15th. For school groups, try our Traveling Game Trunk!

Comment below with your favorite sledding spots, Presidential trivia, or favorite games!

Presidential Trivia Answers: President Kennedy (1961-1963), President Madison (1809-1817), 5 feet 4 inches, President Van Buren (1837-1841), born in 1782.