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.

And here is a preview. Enjoy!

 

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!