Kid Baltimore | Family Activities with Children in Baltimore, Maryland

The Maryland Zoo at Baltimore

One of our last hurrahs of summer was to take the kids to the Maryland Zoo. The day was perfect. The crowd surprisingly light. And I can't quite figure out why we don't do this more often. Everyone knows what the Maryland Zoo is all about, so I won't dwell on all the great animals or lovely paths to stroll on, just a few quick comments on how to get in and out and leave without tears.

• Always take the tram down (and back up) the hill. The walk is long, and little feet will need to save their energy.
  
  
• Always pack a lunch. There are plenty of shady picnic tables, and it will leave more time for hanging out with the animals.
  
  
• Stop to feed the giraffes. Totally worth the $2 to have a giraffe lick your fingers.
  
  
• Wait... for the polar bear. He does an amazing back float/swim back maneuver, again, and again, and again. On a day full of nice surprises, he was the perfect finale.

 

 

410-369-7102

The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore
Druid Hill Park
Baltimore, MD 21217
(Please note: They do not have a street address)

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Learning Apps by Montessorium

I usually stay pretty lo-tech on this blog. On purpose. In real life I love my hi-tech gadgets, but on Kid Baltimore I usually focus on real life stuff. I'm also one of those mean moms, who limits screen time and absolutely refuses to break down and get a dvd player for the minivan. That said, sometimes teaching with technology just plain old works, and I am at a point where I could use a little help.

Math and reading are coming perfectly easily for one of my twins. And perfectly not for the other. I know, I know, I'm not supposed to compare them, kids learn at different rates, blah, blah, blah, but I also know that if someone (okay, fine, he), if he falls behind now, it will be harder to catch up later. He loves listening to stories, but absolutely digs in his heels when it comes to reading and math. They are a chore for him and I want them to be engaging, maybe even fun. I know he's smart, he's just not interested.

 

Enter, my latest gadget, my ipad. I love my ipad and many of the apps. None stand out as much for learning though as the ones by Montessorium. Their fist app Intro to Math, which is also available for iphones, won me over instantly with its clean interface. The activities are designed for kids from age 2-6, and focus on basic math skills like ordering, identifying numbers, and counting to 10.

I loved it so much, I was giddy when Montessorium agreed to let me test drive their next product Intro to Letters, before it hit the app store. Intro to Letters starts by introducing letter sounds, not names (that comes later) – a Montessori approach, which I think makes a lot of sense. It also has a section that focuses on phonograms, a great pre-reading skill. Last, but not least, a section where kids can record their own voice, repeating back the letter sounds, letter names, or phonograms. And hurray for Montessorium, as of now, Intro to Letters is available in the app store.

So is my little guy making progress? Yes, I think he is, slowly and surely. And having a bit more fun along the way.

My New Book!

When Skinner House contacted me to illustrate A Child's Book of Animal Poems and Blessings, I couldn't resist. 32 pages of animal pictures? Sure!

The publisher's description:

These poems, prayers and blessings about our animal brethren are drawn from around the world and throughout history. Speaks to a child’s sense of connection with the animal kingdom. By turns amusing and reverential, Blanchard weaves together a collection that inspires gratitude and joy for a world rich in diversity and wonder. Sources include the Bible, African and Native American cultures, Lewis Carroll, William Wordsworth and Christina Rosetti. Full-color illustrations by Joyce Hesselberth. Ages 5-7.

And while this project was months in the making, it flew by incredibly fast. Here are a few of my favorite spreads:

 

It is available directly from the publisher, and I'll update soon, when it's available via Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Homemade Yogurt

Growing up, my parents frequently made yogurt from scratch...cultured in handmade porcelain cups... and served with homemade preserves.

Not going to happen for my kids. For one thing, my family can go through a full quart of yogurt in one breakfast. As for the lovely porcelain cups. Nope. Mason jars with screw on lids for my crew. Homemade preserves? Maybe someday.

But why make yogurt from scratch? Oh, so many reasons.

1. It's cheaper. I gallon of milk makes 1 gallon of yogurt (actually a little more).
2. You can control the sugar. I'm pro adding a nice helping of honey (but never for babies), but not so convinced that my kids need more high fructose corn syrup.
3. It's a really entertaining science project. Who knew bacteria could do so many good things?
4. It's alive. All those live yogurt cultures are, well, alive.
5. It tastes amazing. Maybe that one should be first on the list.

The thing I like about this recipe is that you probably have all the equipment you need:

mason jars with lids
instant read thermometer
large heavy bottomed pot
insulated cooler

And the ingredients are simple:

1 gallon whole milk
1 cup plain yogurt as starter

You can make yogurt with lower fat milk, but this is a nice place to splurge. If you do use lower fat milk, you will need to a some powdered milk to act as a thickener. As for sweeteners, I keep it plain and let the kids add it later, along with nuts, or granola, or fresh fruit. For babies, try it plain. They might like it just fine that way. Mine did.

Here is the recipe:

1. Wash jars and lids in dishwasher to sterilize.
2. Pour 1 gallon of milk in heavy-bottomed pot. Heat on low until temperature reaches 190 degrees. Check temperature frequently and stir gently. You want to make sure the milk does not scorch on the bottom.
   
   
   
   
3. Remove pot from heat and place it in a cold water bath in the sink. Monitor temperature until it goes down to 120 degrees.
   
   
   
   
4. Add the plain yogurt. The bacteria from the yogurt needs to be spread throughout the milk, so stir until blended.
5. Pour mixture into jars. Screw on lids. Place jars in cooler.
   
   
   
   
6. Heat 1 gallon of water to 120 degrees and pour the water into the cooler around the jars.
7. Close the cooler lid and leave undisturbed for 4-6 hours 6-8 hours. The temperature in the cooler needs to remain warm the entire time.
8. After 4 hours 6 hours, check the firmness of the yogurt. A little sloshy is okay, but I prefer mine to be fairly thick. It will continue to thicken as it cools. Place it in the refrigerator when you are satisfied with the thickness.
9. The next morning you can have a taste test. As the yogurt ages, the taste becomes more tangy and the texture more firm. Yogurt will keep up to 1 month. Remember to save a cup of yogurt as a starter for the next batch!
   
   
   
   For more yogurt info, check out one of my favorite blogs, Frugal Girl. She make yogurt weekly and has more detailed instuctions.
   

Fly, Butterflies!

Apparently, I am not so good at saying "no." One little caterpillar soon became seven little caterpillars. Hey, shouldn't they all get their own, plus maybe one or two extra just in case the first one doesn't make it. And then if an extra egg (or two or three) sneaks in on on a piece of dill, is it really their fault? We're teaching valuable science here people. Don't judge.

So anyway, after a week of eating dill, and pooping, and eating dill and pooping, our little caterpillar friends suddenly shed their skins one last time to form their chrysalises. With so many caterpillars to watch, we finally caught one in the act, and it was amazing to watch.

Things got a little quiet for a while. After day one of being a chrysalis, there is not much to do, not much to see.

Finally, one morning I heard screams from upstairs. "We have butterflies! We have butterflies!"

 

Goodbye, Zebra (and friends). You will be missed.

Stream Study

More small things this summer. Today we walked in the stream behind our house. I'm embarrassed to admit that in the twins 5 1/2 years of life, I have never brought them down here. There is something about navigating through the brambles, and down a steep slope, with two wiggly toddlers that never appealed to me. But today, I officially promoted them to jungle explorers and off we went, with my oldest leading the way. We brought a net and a jar to see what we could find.

The crayfish, now named Larry, did not come home with us. Nor did the half dozen other creatures that the kids caught in their net. I hope.

Small Things

One of my hopes for this summer is to take a few moments to savor the small things. To do nothing, but watch.

Meet Zebra, our newest little crawly friend. He (she, it?) is a Black Swallowtail caterpillar and he is currently being feed a constant supply of fresh dill from the garden, and showered daily with flowers for his home, a retired fish bowl.

Yesterday, he looked completely different, but this morning at breakfast, while the kids were trying to decide on his name and I was trying to decide if he was dead or alive, he started wiggling around and slid right out of his skin. Thus, Zebra was named.

That rather horrible thing behind him is the old skin. Isn't he lovely though, with his new outfit?

 

Gunpowder River Artfest

WHEN: Saturday, June 12, 2010 11am-8pm

WHERE: 1901 Monkton Road, Monkton, MD

COST: Suggested Donation $2 each/ $5 family

If you haven't explored Monkton, MD yet, and in particular the NCR Trail, now you have the perfect excuse. The Gunpowder River Artfest is June 12, 2010. Our studio has been working on some of the branding for the event, but work aside, this is a great, family-friendly event where you can bring a blanket and spend a day on the river. Over 60 artists will have work on display. There will be live music by Misspent Youth and Bob Wilke, artist demonstrations, food and drink.

We will be there too, with our Spur Stor prints and posters. We even have a few new items to roll out that day. So stop by and say hello!

Graduation

I've always thought preschool graduations were a bit silly. It's preschool. Not exactly the end-goal I had in mind for my kids. More like a teeny tiny step toward the incredibly long path that will make up their education. So why on earth do we need the big production?

Yet there we sat, waiting for our graduates to enter the hall, and I realized it's not silly at all. It's such a big milestone, they (and we) deserve a little pat on the back, or maybe even a walk across the stage, cheered on by the crowd as they get their diplomas. Looking back to their first day of school, I realize they've done so much growing and they are actual real live people now with real live goals and real live opinions (oh, so many opinions). The idea of them going off to elementary school next year isn't quite so daunting. I'm sure they can handle it, but I reserve the right to change my mind on the first day, when I see them climb on that big bus.

Drat, there seems to be something stuck in my eye. No, I'm not getting emotional. Yes, there is definitely something stuck in my eye. Or maybe it's allergies. Yes, allergies...

D.I.Y. Kids at aMuse Toys

WHAT: Book signing and hands-on crafting event

WHEN: Sunday, May 16th, 2010, 1-3 PM

WHERE: aMuse Toys - Quarry Lake Location

COST: Free (please rsvp@amusetoys.com with number of children and adults)

Join Ellen Lupton, co-author of D.I.Y. Kids, for a book signing and hands-on crafting event at aMuse Toys. Ellen's contributions to the design community are many: curator of contemporary design at the Cooper-Hewitt, director the the Graphic Design MFA program at MICA, author and frequent lecturer. But in this book, co-authored with her twin sister Julia Lupton, design-world and mom-world collide.

Published by Princeton Architectural Press, D.I.Y. Kids features real artwork, by real children and "aims to trigger imaginative play, without requiring fees, teams, or a minivan."