Kid Baltimore | Family Activities with Children in Baltimore, Maryland

String Ornaments

We are a gluey mess today, making these rather pretty string ornaments. They look wonderful on our tree, but I think a bowl filled with them would also make a lovely centerpiece for the table. First inflate a balloon to the size you want, and spray it with non-stick cooking oil (this part is very important, and prevents the ornament from collapsing as it dries). We thinned our Elmer's glue (two parts glue and one part water), dunked pieces of cotton string in and wrapped them around the balloon. For younger kids, keep the pieces of string short, but when I did one myself I found it was easier to keep it as one long piece, dunking and winding in sections.

Glitter is optional, but not in our house. The more, the better. Leave the ornaments hanging to dry overnight. The next day they should feel hard to the touch. Just pop the balloon and gently pull it out with tweezers.

Mom's Notebook

A while ago, my mom gave me an old notebook of hers -- the standard Woolworth variety. My mom taught art when I was in elementary school, and the notebook is where she recorded all of her art project ideas. It is crammed full of her neat little diagrams and drawings, with pages of detailed notes on projects she did with her students. My teachers' names are recorded here and there, with notes about which projects were successful, or not.

Frequently, Mom tested projects out with my sister and me first. Her excuse was that it was better to show her students an example done by a "real kid," and that may be true, but the other part of it was that my mom has always, always had art projects going on, and if you hang around her long enough, you will find yourself gluing, weaving, dyeing or painting something. True. Even to this day.

But back to the notebook, I clearly remember making paper birds with the accordion-folded wings. Mine was a gray mourning dove which seems like a strange choice for a first grader, but I still think doves are exquisite. The woven hearts, we will save until February. Oh, and the project with the "broken chards of glass," we may just skip that one altogether.

As I go through the notebook, I hope to share a few projects. Here is the first...

Paper Christmas Ornaments

[Mom's Notebook]

Cut 6 - 2" circles of red paper (cardstock weight).
Cut 1 - 2" circle of white paper. Punch a hole on one edge for hanging.
Fold all red circles in half and cut a slit in the middle.
Place red circles around the white circle by sliding white circles into slashes.

There are so many great patterned papers to substitute for this project. Play around with anything you can find. The scrap booking section of any craft store is a good place to start, but a trip through the recycling bin would work well too. For younger kids, there are a few ways to make this easier. A circle punch makes cutting the shapes a breeze, but kids might not have enough weight to push it down. We decided to work on the floor and step on the punch. Much more effective, and fun.

 

Need something more challenging? Try this one. 20 circles. Think in groups of five. Thanks, Jess, for reminding me of this one.

Pressed Leaves with Wax Paper

I was counting on having a bad day today. It was going to start with a trip to the doctor's office for the twins' four year checkups and that meant shots. Four shots times two.  Eight shots altogether. Eight fully justified reasons to scream bloody murder. But for some reason, my bad day didn't materialize. The shots were greeted with little whimpers, but no tears, and the kids ran off to get their stickers and lollipops as rewards.

So anyway, I planned a quiet day today to give us time to nurse our wounds. No day trips, just a stay-at-home-project day. We started with a leaf hunt around the yard, which turned out to be a good excuse to run around outside. After we picked out our favorite leaves, we sandwiched them in wax paper (waxy sides together), placed a cloth on top and I ironed them flat. I knew irons must be good for something.

They look rather nice taped to the windows and maybe, just maybe, they will remind me that we really did have Fall this year. Fall always seems to creep away while I am not paying attention.

Goodbye Three

I've been looking forward to age four since practically the day my twins were born. After I discovered how hard this "twin thing" really was, I quizzed every parent of twins I found to see what the magical age was when life would get easier. The answer was almost always a solid "four". I'd double check with them, "Surely you really mean three?" But they never budged.

So here we are, standing on the edge of four, and I have to admit, they were right. In just the last few months the shift towards sanity has begun. I can reason with them. Tantrums may not be completely gone, but almost. They calmly get dressed in the morning before hop, hop, hopping down the stairs to our bedroom. They knock on the door and wait for us to tell them to come in.

Sanity.

Their personalities, which I have no doubt were there from day one, actually before day one, are now beaming through. They are eternally opposite. She is loony, mischievous, determined. He is solid, true-blue, concerned. As they run into the room being chased by aliens he stops to tell me that they are "just pretend" so I won't be afraid.

I will miss three. There have been so many new accomplishments. It was the year he decided it was not okay for Mommy to pick his Halloween costume; the year he built great monuments around the house and declared them untouchable; the year I realized there was plenty of stuff going on in that big head.

And it was the year she professed her love for a slug; the year she decided to read big kid books, page by page, even though she can't read yet; the year she elevated making funny voices to an art form.

So goodbye three. I will miss you. You have been a challenge and a joy.

Hello four...

Tomato Canning

 

We've been in squirrel mode lately. I'm determined to be ready for winter this year. I grew up canning. My special job when I was little was stuffing the jars because I had the littlest hands. Eventually I was promoted, to chief-tomato-peeler and a few other odd jobs, but I was never in charge because I am, after all, still the baby of the family. Of course, now I am in charge (more or less) and I try to pretend like I know what I am doing as I hand out the jobs. It's okay though, because Mom is just a phone call away if I blow it.

But here is the best part. Now that my youngest ones have reached the ripe old age of 3, I've realized something that my mom probably discovered ages ago. I have my very own assembly line.

Keepsake Frames

Like all families, mine is weird. Recently 14 of us gathered to spend a few days at the beach. I arrived with my 3 kids, and within 15 minutes I was handed a paring knife and was "volunteered" to pit apricots. That's when I knew I was home. No, it's not the house I grew up in, but I'm home.

And, like always, there were projects to do. My mom's art teacher background was in full gear. She and my sister had spray painted frames ahead of time. Everyone rummaged through the collection of sea glass, shells, and polished rocks to decorate their frames. Some spent hours arranging and rearranging. Others were done in a few minutes. But everyone, from age 3 on up made something uniquely their own.

Next came the messy part. It's not a real project unless there is a messy part. We spread pre-mixed adhesive and grout on the frames and, one side at a time, pressed in our treasures. Some sprinkled the grout with sand afterwards and some left them plain.

The hardest part? Getting everyone to hold still for the family photo. Smile!

Note: The Keepsake Décor Frames were purchused from Michaels. They are not available online.

Bring on the Chores

I'm a firm believer in chores. Helping out the family (without eyerolls and shoulder slumps) is a skill that can take years to master, so today was wood stacking day. We've had a few trees come down lately and many hands make light work, right? Actually, sometimes the chores take a bit longer with "help", but I am determined not to let that stand in my way. As always, there were a few neat things to see along the way: a log covered in ants, a lichen holding tight to a tree, and a creepy crawly centipede. The kids took turns loading the wheelbarrow. For my oldest, it's a lesson about using our resources (we rely on wood for a fair amount of our heat in the winter) and for the younger ones, it's a chance to show Mom and Dad what big muscles they have.

Fresh Mozzarella Cheese

My sister beat me to it. The story of my life. But maybe it doesn't matter, because after all, I still get to savor the spoils. I had no idea how easy making homemade cheese could be until my sister showed me during our most recent cousin get-together. We had seven kids gathered around the stove waiting for turns to separate curds from whey. And yes, for good measure we had to repeat the nursery rhyme. For mozzarella, the temperature stays pretty low, so while there are a few parts that require a grown-up to take over, there are many parts for kids to help too. The whole process takes about 30 minutes and involves only a handful of ingredients: milk (the fresher the better), citric acid, rennet, and non-iodized salt.

Mother Earth News had a great article this month and you can see the recipe on their site. The supplies are available from the New England Cheesemaking Supply Company.

Pizza Night

Growing up, Sundays at my house were sacred, but not for the usual reason. Sunday night was pizza night. It was my dad's night to cook and that almost always meant pizza. But not just any old pizza -- pizza from scratch with a homemade crust, homemade tomato sauce and all the toppings. Dad would toss it in the oven and I would camp out by the oven door waiting... waiting... drooling. It was a ritual that has grown into one of those fond childhood memories that I'll never be able to live up to. But why not try?

I have a lot of little "helpers" in my kitchen and there are plenty of times when I feel the need to scoot them out as I get dinner ready, but this wasn't one of them. There were plenty of jobs to go around.

Here is my recipe. It will never be as good as my dad's, but maybe close.

For the dough you need:

3 c. flour (you can sneak in some whole wheat if you like)
1 1/2 t. yeast (or 1 packet)
pinch sugar
1/2 t. salt
1 c. warm water

Put pizza stone on the bottom rack of your oven. Preheat to 500 degrees for 1 hour.

Proof the yeast by mixing it in the warm water. Add a pinch of sugar. If you see bubbling within 5 minutes, proceed. If not, toss it and start over with fresh yeast.

Mix in flour and salt (I use the dough setting on my bread machine for this, but kneading by hand is fun too). If the dough is too sticky, add more flour. Too crumbly, add more water.

Place kneaded dough in an oiled bowl and cover. Set in a warm spot until double in size (about 45 minutes). Punch down and divide into 2 equal pieces.

Roll dough out into circles. Sprinkle cornmeal onto a baker's peel (or cookie sheet without the sides). Place dough onto baker's peel and assemble pizza.

You know this part. Sauce, cheese, toppings. This is where those little "helpers" come in. Repeat with the other piece of dough.

Now the tricky mom part. Kids stand back while Mom tries to slide this thing off of the cookie sheet and onto the pizza stone. I got lucky and only lost one olive.

Bake for about 10 minutes. Enjoy!

Naturally Dyed Easter Eggs

I spent a strangely large amount of my childhood peering into dye pots with skeins of yarn bubbling away inside. That's what happens when you have an art teacher mom. So when Kate Shatzkin at Charm City Moms mentioned naturally dyed Easter eggs, I just had to give it a try. The basics are simple:

beets = purple
tumeric = yellow
red cabbage = blue

There are lots of other things you can try to make natural dyes, but this group provided a good range of colors.

The basic idea is to grate your dye ingredient (if needed). Cover it with water and boil for a few minutes. Add a tablespoon or two of vinegar. Strain the liquid into a glass and wait for it to cool enough for those little fingers to handle. Submerge boiled eggs until you get the desired color. Oh, and if you are like me, you'll try and sneak in a few lessons about color theory while you wait.

The beets are a must and produced a strong color with lots of speckles. The tumeric and red cabbage dyes needed more time for the color to develop fully, but after 15 minutes or so, the results were good. But most importantly, the kids had fun and they are now all a lovely shade of purple.

For the complete recipe see recipetips.com.

Homemade Books

It all started with 2 sheets of cheap copier paper. How was I to know they would become works of art that I would want to keep until the end of time? Days later, my daughter handed me her first completed book. It was titled "If My Mother Were A Panda". It was brilliant (I'm sure I'm not biased at all). Unfortunately, the marker drawings bled through the cheap copier paper and I spent hours scanning and retouching the book in PhotoShop so we could print copies for every friend, relative, and teacher on earth. Hours, I tell you.

At least I learned from my mistake. No more cheap copier paper. I bought a stack of recycled 70# cover from French Paper, but any cover weight paper will do. I also "borrowed" the big long stapler from work. It's mine now and boy has it gotten a workout. "If My Mother Were a Panda" started a huge series of books. The animals kept getting more and more obscure as my daughter worked her way down the list of endangered species "If My Mother Were a Three Toed Sloth"... "If My Mother Were a  Leadbeater's Possum"... "If My Mother Were a Hispid Hare"... You get the idea. 16 books later, she decided to end the series.

We haven't retired the stapler, or the good paper though. I always have a blank book on hand for long car trips.  What I like about having kids make books is that there is an obvious beginning, middle and end. It sets a goal. 

My library of handmade books has grown and I keep it like a miser keeps gold. Hands off. It now includes cookbooks and fictional pieces, some of which she co-writes with her cousin. The non-fiction books are more detailed now with title pages, glossaries and indexes.

As for my little author, she's continues to amaze me. Now she's working on her first novel.