Oooh Kiddley finds all the best stuff… Here’s a film clip of Jim Henson on Iowa Public Television giving a workshop on puppet making. Totally simple puppets anyone can make. This is in the pre-Sesame Street days, but I defy you to listen to Henson’s voice and not think of Kermit..
Jim Henson: How to Make Puppets (1969)
10 Jun 2013 Leave a comment
in Just Fun Stuff Tags: crafts, puppets
NFB Children’s Films Celebrate Cultural Diversity
21 Feb 2013 Leave a comment
I just love sending people to the National Film Board of Canada site – they are a national treasure and thankfully seem very keen to provide online access to their vast collection. (Their Christmas Advent Calendar app – a film a day – is always a big hit in our house.)
Here, in one handy spot, are a serious of animated shorts reflecting the cultural diversity of Canadians. We haven’t watched them all yet, but The Girl Who Hated Books is a true gem, and my daughter watched Asthma Tech about twenty times.
Polish Children’s Book Illustrations
09 Jan 2013 Leave a comment
in Illustrators, Just Fun Stuff
On the blog 50 Watts, check out 3 marvellous collections of vintage illustrations:
and from the 1970s.
Gorgeous stuff. (Warning, once you visit this site, you may never leave! An incredible image archive.)
Illus. by Jan Marcin Szancer for Gulliver’s Travels, 1958
From the collection of Hipopotam
Illus. by Zdzisław Witwicki for Z przygód krasnala Hałabały, 1960
From the collection of Hipopotam
Illus. by Maria Szymańska for Dar Królowej Róż, 1971
From the collection of Hipopotam
Make Your Own Tutu!
27 Nov 2012 Leave a comment
in Just Fun Stuff, Parenting Tags: ballet, fairies, Princess
Thanks to Different Solutions on Facebook, here’s a no-sew tutu I think even I could make!
Just for fun… Lego birds!
14 Jun 2012 Leave a comment
in Just Fun Stuff Tags: birds, crafts
I love this, and it opens up the delicious possibilities for Lego projects beyond Stars Wars…
via. treehugger.com – Gardener Hopes to Teach Kids About Birds Using Legos
p.s. If you’ve never done a Lego kit with your child, it’s fun, satisfying, and (I found) strangely soothing as well. (Instructions are brilliantly simple – a cut above ikea!) Can a zen state be achieved through Lego? Discuss.
Websites and Apps for Kids – Recommendations
02 Jun 2012 Leave a comment
in Just Fun Stuff, Parenting, Technology
Here’s a grab bag of recommended sites for the technologically inclined parent and child.
ALA Recommendations
Some really interesting sites here on the American Library Association recommended websites for kids.
Commonsense Media
The Commonsense Media site covers a lot of ground, but I’ve just been checking out (and appreciating) its great listing of apps, complete with reviews, that is searchable by genre, age level, etc. Get the low-down on some of those ultra-popular games and find out if they are really age appropriate for your child…
Khan Academy
Math Topics, Grade 1 to Adult – Here’s one that a friend recommended for math practice, with topics well organized, and linked so you can do them in a logical order. From the main page, click on Practice and you will see this chart of topics. (Site also has videos on many topics for adults as well. As the website says, its goal is to provide a “A free world-class education for anyone anywhere.”)
Poisson Rouge
Preschool and up, all topics – I’ve never plugged this website on this blog (that I can remember), but it’s been my favourite of the many we’ve checked out since my daughter first went online. Poisson Rouge is a non-profit educational site that is beautifully intuitive to navigate, has alphabets and vocabulary in several languages, as well as all kinds of learning games and entertaining animations and puzzles. I always loved it because she didn’t have to know how to read to explore it, and there are tons of surprises and oddities woven into the site. The games are lovely and stress-free (no points to earn, no high scores, no obsessive replaying). PLUS the art, music, and sound effects are beautiful and well-done. There’s something interesting here for any age of child. Some website games really wind kids up – I find this site to be more hypnotically transfixing…
Peep and the Big Wide World
Preschool Science and Math – If you’ve seen this PBS show you’ll know it covers basic science topics for the very young and inquisitive. The site has very simple games and is quite entertaining.
Keeping it Simple with Toddlers!
01 Jun 2012 Leave a comment
in Advertising and Consumerism, Infant Learning - 1st Three Years, Issues, Just Fun Stuff, Parenting
The next time you are tempted by expensive toys for toddlers (especially those posh developmental toys!), here’s an excellent reminder of the beauty of simple pleasures:
“Remember these 4 words and you’ll always have Things to Do with a Toddler”
Keep it simple!
Changing “Famous Five” Book Covers
28 Mar 2012 Leave a comment
I’m not so familiar with these books, but I imagine them comparable to the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys books in North America, which have also undergone extensive rewrites, redesigns and upgradings over the years.
It’s always interesting to see what adults think will appeal to ‘modern’ children…
(This link thanks to bundleofbooks on Twitter…)
Oscar-Winning Animated Short
10 Mar 2012 Leave a comment
in Just Fun Stuff, Movies
Here’s a link to watch the animated short film which won the Oscar this year – The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore. A wordless hymn to the romance of books, with a distinct nod to Buster Keaton.
Sing a song. Seriously. Right now!
14 Feb 2012 Leave a comment
in Classical Music, Introduction to..., Just Fun Stuff, Parenting Tags: music
Here’s an interesting article about the many benefits of singing: “It sounds and feels good” by Hema Vijay.
What particularly interested me was how “MOP” performs –
In his concerts, he simplifies a classical song, breaking it up into phrases, so that even lay persons can pick up the melody and sing it.
I would love to go to a concert like that!
As a related tidbit, when my daughter was a mere baby I remember singing everything as I carried her around, ie. “Now we’re going downstairs” or “Oh the phone is ringing” etc. Now I’m thinking it was doing me as much good as it was entertaining her. (Or maybe I’m overestimating the entertainment properties of my voice…)
Rarest Kind of Best 