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!

 

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.

Gunpowder River Artfest at Boordy Vineyards

WHEN: Saturday, June 4, 2011

WHERE: Boordy Vineyards

We've been busy getting ready for the 2nd annual Gunpowder River Artfest. This year, it's moving to Boordy Vineyards, and adult admission includes a winetasting. There will be lots of kid-friendly activities too. This is an event that our studio is happy to sponsor for the second year. Stop by our booth and say "hello."

Science-y Music-y Stuff

How's that for a title? I've been on the lookout for good activities. Not just fun stuff. Fun is good. Fun is great. But I'd like to throw in a few educational things too. Here are a few recent submissions that might just fit the bill.

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WHEN: January 14-16, 2011 (see show times below)

WHERE: The Music Center at Strathmore in Bethesda, or Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall in Baltimore

Icarus at the Edge of Time – The World Science Festival has partnered with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra to present the family-friendly orchestral work and accompanying film "Icarus at the Edge of Time" based on the book by noted physicist Brian Greene. The program also includes music from "Star Wars." The BSO will present three concerts in the DC area - an evening performance at The Music Center at Strathmore in Bethesda on Saturday, January 15 @ 8 pm, and an evening performance and matinee in Baltimore on January 14th @ 8 pm and January 16th @ 3 pm at Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. Children 6-18 are half price for non-premium seating!

Physicist and author Brian Greene will be on hand to introduce the piece at each performance.

 

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 Towson University's Saturday Morning Science covers everything from rainforests to fireworks to space travel. Presentations are (most) Saturdays at 10:00 and noon. No reservations are required. All ages are welcome. FREE!

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WHEN: Monday, January 17, 2011

WHERE: American Visionary Arts Museum

AVAM Celebrates MLK, JR. Day A celebration in honor of the life and dreams of one of the greatest visionaries in recent history. Join us for guided tours, birthday cake, special performances by Abu the Flutemaker and Batala (all female percussion ensemble) & other fun stuff (like AVAM's popular Shrinky Dink Bar!) at a FREE day at the museum! Museum is open 10AM-6PM. A special invitation extended to educators and all the wonderful people who help to empower the next generation! Teachers, come pick up our educational materials and discover the opportunities available for you and your students.

MLK DAY SCHEDULE:

11:00am – 3:00pm: DIY "I Have a Dream" Shrinky Dink pins and magnets in the AVAM's classroom
12:00pm: Happy Birthday MLK cake cutting
1:00pm: Abu the Flutemaker performs
3:00pm: Batala Washington - All women's Brazilian percussion band performs

No advance registration required, Museum is FREE & OPEN to the public, 10am – 6pm! For questions, call the museum at (410) 244-1900.

 

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Photo by: Patrick Kolts

WHEN: Sunday, February 13, 2011

WHERE: Gordon Center

SteveSongs at Gordon Center. Ages 2 - 10.  3PM.  Come sing and dance along with SteveSongs, a.k.a. "Mr. Steve," cohost of the PBS KIDS preschool destination.  Shows will include award-winning favorites as well as songs from the band's upcoming album.  Gordon Center, 3506 Gwynnbrook Avenue, Owings Mills, MD, 410.356.SHOW.

Good Things From My Inbox

 

My inbox has been filling up lately with lots of good ideas of things to do/buy/make and I wanted to share just a few with you.

123 Baltimore: A Cool Counting Book by Puck is a counting board book for the toddler set. It takes little ones on a cool trip through Charm City. And while your little ones may not yet fully understand the significance of pink flamingos or blue crabs, or all things Baltimore, Hon, it's never too soon to start.

I really appreciate the simple san-serif type and clean design.

 

 

 

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Here's a great offer from the American Visionary Art Museum for free admission to the museum if you donate clean jars. This offer is good through September 2011. You can email to arrange for your free passes. If you haven't taken your kids to AVAM, it is positively one of my favorite art places to go, and worth every penny. But free is even better. Here is a letter from their Education Assistant, Beka:

I am writing to ask if you could possibly assist us in collecting jars for our Educational programs. In exchange for your readers donating 10 jars, we can give them 2 passes to the museum. We are looking for jars to use in a workshop we currently offer for students coming to the museum on field trips called "Wire Whimsies" ( I have attached a photo !) Any jars with a lid work for this project, including jam jars, baby food jars, salsa jars etc.

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Baltimore International College has some wonderful sounding Food Enthusiast Classes. These are non-credit (in other words, no pressure) continuing education cooking and baking classes that are taught by experienced chefs at the Culinary Arts Center in Little Italy.

You can get gift certificates too, which might make a pretty nice Christmas present, hint, hint.

In the meantime, they sent this delicious looking gingerbread house recipe. I'm slightly terrified that it calls for 13 cups of flour. Am I building a city? I'm tempted to cut it in half, but I might just go for it because I really don't think there is such a thing as too much gingerbread.

Gingerbread House or Cookies

Ingredients:
6 cups Sugar
4 cups Butter (soft)
3/4 cup Molasses
4 Eggs
1/2 cup Milk
13 cups Flour
3 tbsp Baking Soda
2 tsp Salt
3 tbsp Cinnamon
2 tbsp Ginger
2 tsp Allspice
2 tsp Cloves


Procedure:
1. Beat the sugar, butter, and molasses together.
2. Add the eggs and beat until incorporated.
3. Add the milk and continue beating.
4. Mix the dry ingredients together (flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and cloves). Add to the creamed mixture and mix well.
5. Bake at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes.

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And finally, Faces iMake, an app developed in conjunction with Hancoch Piven. I've been familiar with Hanoch's illustration work for many years, and I think this app is a fantastic adaptation of his playful style.

The app comes with a collection of collage objects that include musical instruments, food, hardware, letters and tools. You can combine them to make just about any face you can imagine. There is a lite version available for free, but for the full collection of 2000+ objects, I would recommend the premium version.