Kid Baltimore | Family Activities with Children in Baltimore, Maryland

Our Very Own App

I've been working on this project, secretly, for months now. I am so excited to finally be able to share it. PrestoBingo SHAPES is our new ipad app for kids, ages 2-6. This project started with a simple idea: the world is full of shapes. In my illustration work, simple shapes are my focus more often than not, so it made perfect sense to make an app that played with that idea. This app teaches kids to identify basic forms of geometry: circles, ovals, diamonds, semi-circles, squares, trapezoids, triangles, and rectangles.

I'm very lucky to have a small, but dedicated team that helped put this together — from animations, to code, to voice-overs and sound effects, to general cheerleading in the background. We had so much fun that I hope there are more apps in our future!

You can download it from the app store here.

Why We Are Getting Chickens

I've been threatening to get chickens for many years now. But this is the year.

It just didn't seem practical until now, given that with three kids, and a busy studio, our plates were pretty full. But I've decided I'm over-thinking the whole thing. First of all, the kids are older now. They handle a lot more responsibilities. And second, we are talking about a handful of chickens. People used to have chickens around all the time. When did we get so removed from this part of living? And third. I just like chickens.

Look at these gorgeous eggs my kids and I gathered while visiting my sister. She lives on a farm.

 

So, a few ground rules.

1. All kids will help with the chores. (They are pretty excited about this and our son has volunteered to sleep in the coop to protect the chickens from wolves. Really.)

2. There will be fewer chickens than people. I don't like to be out-numbered, and how many eggs do we need anyway?

3. The chickens are not pets. I realize, however, that they will live out their chicken-years long past their egg-laying days.

We've been spending the last few months considering coops, and trying to decide on breeds. Any suggestions?

Kid-Decorated Dishes

Every year I try and fit in a project for the kids to make as Christmas gifts. Here's what some (I think rather lucky) family members got this year — hand-decorated dishes. I bought a stack of serving trays from Target. Mugs work well too. And some Porcelaine Paint Markers from Dick Blick. After cooking, the drawings will be permanent and, fingers crossed, dishwasher-safe.

1. Wipe down the surface of the dish with rubbing alcohol.

2. Draw on the dishes to your hearts content. These are paint markers, and they take a little gentle coaxing to get them started. I had one or two that wouldn't flow, but generally, they were very easy to work with. The manufacturer of the markers does recommend keeping your design from areas that will touch the food, so while I did not let them draw on the inside of the mug, I'm not too concerned about a serving tray that will be used for cookies, etc.

The kids picked a theme for each piece (cats, kites, flowers, whatever), which I think helped keep them entertained. The other rule we decided on was to limit the number of colors on each plate. We used two colors plus black. Hey, it's never too soon to discuss color theory. Am I right?

3. Place the dishes in a cold oven, and set the temperature to 300 degrees. Once the oven reaches full temperature, bake for 30 minutes.

And don't forget to make an extra one to keep. Enjoy!

Why I Love Work

I've been having entirely too much fun at work lately. I've been illustrating a project for McGraw-Hill publishing and I am thrilled to share the first part of the series, The Little Red Hen.

Over the years, I find my illustrations have become less and less serious, so children's publishing has become a wonderful match. And who can be stressed when your work-day consists of drawing farm animals?

I also love that my work is extremely portable. I can (and have) put together illustrations in the carpool line, at swim lessons, or on stay-at-home sick days with the kids. When I have a few quiet hours at the studio sans kids, that's good too. But in the real world of balancing work and kids, flexibility is key. And hard work is required — not just for the grown-ups, but for the kids too. Everyone needs to pitch-in and help. Working together is not optional.

As for the little red hen, some stories are eternal. She does the work alone, she eats the bread alone. I like my way better.

Good Things from my In-box

More things-to-do keep filling up my in-box. I wish I had time to do them all, but here are a few that sound particularly appealing. If you have a kid-friendly event, or favorite place to share, I  encourage you to post on the Kid Baltimore Facebook page. I love seeing how many people are posting events there and hope it becomes a good resource for what is happening around town.

On to my in-box...

Charm City Kids
Charm City Kids Club is a new children's enrichment center that recently opened in Lutherville. They not only have a play town area with miniature Whole Foods Market, diner, theater and soft play area for little ones, but they also offer classes — everything from yoga to cooking to handwriting.

photos courtesy of Charm City Kids

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New Friends at the Maryland Zoo
There are two new okapi at the Maryland Zoo. They are hanging out at the giraffe house (nice of the giraffes to share because they are the okapi's closest relatives) until their 30 days of quarantine are over. Okapi are that crazy mix of beautiful and weird that I can't help but love.

 
video courtesy of the Maryland Zoo

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Dickens at the BSO
Every year I love to take the whole family to a holiday show. At the BSO, you can see a new version of "A Christmas Carol." This one has a twist. It's the first and only version of the classic Dickens tale performed as a concert with a full symphony orchestra, a rock/pop rhythm section, choir, a narrator and three soloists. Performances are December 16th and 17th, 2011 at 7:30 p.m. More details are posted on their website.

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Family fun day at the BMA
Inspired by the exhibition Hand Held: Personal Arts from Africa, the BMA hosts its 15th annual Kwanzaa Family Day on Wednesday, December 28, 2012.  This year’s FREE celebration of community and family features a special performance by Keur Khaleyi African Dance Company and art-making projects inspired by the exhibition.  In addition, Baltimore actress and storyteller Maria Broom will be on hand to perform never-before-heard tales about the personal treasures in our lives. For more information, contact 443-573-1832 or visit www.artbma.org

 photo courtesy of Keur Khaleyi African Dance Company

 

Longwood Gardens

Longwood Gardens is every bit as beautiful as I remembered. I lived nearby as a teenager, but I haven't been back there for way too many years, so recently, on a visit to see family, we stopped by.

I am amazed that at this time of year, just a couple of weeks ago, the gardens were so lush.

This waterfall caught me by surprise.

The conservatories are my favorite part. They look like postcards. My photo doesn't do it justice, but trust me.

I foolishly tried to get the kids to pose for a photo.

I'm pretty sure Rapunzel lives here. But really, it's a chimes tower built by Pierre duPont. The carrilon was replaced with electronic chimes in 1956, but with the 2001 rennovation authentic chimes were re-installed. The carrilon rings every 15 minutes, from 9:00 - 5:00.

The vegetable garden is one of my favorite places, if for no other reason than walking through a garden like this reminds me how beautiful the most practical of plants can be. Swiss chard is tucked in everywhere, part function, part beauty. I need to stop planting Swiss Chard in rows.

As we headed to the gates, my kids weren't quite ready to go, so we stopped by the rose garden. There is a topiary pruned into the shape of a chicken. What more could we ask for?

The kids also tried to figure out exactly which rose smelled the best. I think it was this one.

 

Longwood Gardens
1001 Longwood Road
Kennett Square, PA 19348

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