Sometimes, there is really no limit to where imagination, and a certain tendency to dare, will take you. Have a look at what these architects dreamed up; it’s a series of buildings that look like they’re out of a child’s imagination, where we bet your kids would love to go.
1 – The picnic basket building
This is the Longaberger Company main office building. They are in Newark, Ohio, and you guessed it: they make baskets.
The year has hardly begun and it already looks like it will be filled with awesomeness! Let’s begin with movies. 2012 was a good year for children’s movies that grown-ups loved too, Brave and Life of Pi topping the list. It looks like 2013 will keep up the good job, as several family movies are scheduled to release this year. Here are our top 5 (in release date order), which do you think will be your favorite?
1 – Oz: The Great and Powerful
This new Disney movie tells the story of what happened before The Wizard of Oz: the cast is great, the story seems fantastic and Oz, well, there isn’t any place quite as wonderful, is there? Release date should be on March 8th.
Parenting, families and education were at the centre of many important conversations last year, that spread much beyond the community of parents or teachers: it felt like a few times the world woke up to the importance of parenting issues, and that they were discussed extensively. We want to carry those debates and conversation forward in 2013, beginning with these five important issues.
1 – Gender equality, children and parenting
From this video of a little girl questioning gender stereotypes generated by toy makers, to the dollhouse that will make girls like STEM, to the petition that got Hasbro to produce a gender-neutral Easy Bake Oven, the discussion about the importance of raising kids without enforcing gender stereotypes has been rather alive. We feel that the understanding of how important the first few years of life are in building your expectations for the future is growing, and many more initiatives have been taken lately to ensure gender stereotypes aren’t enforced on kids. Which is great, because we need more girls like this:
These days we’re all about New Year’s Resolutions. Even Facebook is keeping on asking us about them. It’s nice, because this is the time of the year when we think we can change ourselves and our habits, and become happier and healthier people. But how about kids? Should you encourage them to have New Year’s resolutions as well?
Resolutions can be good or bad for kids. [read more]
A couple of days ago, we stumbled upon an amazing series of pictures by Thierry Cohen. Like this one, of San Francisco.
By superimposing the sky outside urban spaces to the cities we know, the photographer shows us how the sky would look, at night, if it weren’t for light pollution. It’s completely mind-blowing: we bet looking at a sky like this any wish would come true! What would you ask the stars? [read more]
Merry Christmas! And HO HO HO! Today, we’re extremely excited. We met Santa Claus in person in the studios of Radio Timbuktu, and he answered the questions of 7 kids who reached us from all over the world (They’re the winners of the #interviewSanta contest!).
- Do you use conditioner for your beard?
[read more]
Christmas is the time for love, family, good food and… nostalgia. This is why we thought you’ll enjoy our list of the best vintage Christmas commercials of all times!
To get in the Christmas spirit, you can try watching these commercials, or doing some of these things (it’s not too late!).
1) Mac Donald’s gifts certificate, 1975
Do you remember Mister Imagine’s Toy Store? We told you about it a while ago. It’s a very special toy store built by the Chicago Children’s Museum. A toy store with no toys, where kids have real fun. Enjoy this beautiful video and see how great it is to build your own toys.
The holidays are near and so is your family reunion? Are you looking for ways for both children and grown-ups to have fun? Here are five fun ideas, crafts and activities to have fun with kids and family on Christmas, share yours too!
1 – Decorate the house together
There are endless options when it comes to Christmas decorations for your house, and shops are full of them. However, few ornaments will give you the joy of the ones you make yourself. We already shared the recipe to make fantastic cinnamon and appleasauce ornaments (not for eating, mind you!), but something else you can do if you don’t have much time are these colorful paper ornaments – use a stapler instead of the hole punch and thinner paper, so they are easier and the whole family will enjoy making these decorations. [read more]
Decorating the Christmas tree is one of the best parts of Christmas. You can pick a theme, or use all the decorations your family has collected during the years and, once it’s done, add a final touch by making a few new scented decorations in your kitchen.
These cinnamon applesauce ornaments, for instance (NOT to be eaten, ha!), are simple to make and will leave in your house a cozy smell of cinnamon. Plus, you can easily make them with your kids, they will love helping you out with this. Here’s the recipe:
1 – Take three cups of applesauce and three cups of ground cinnamon.
2 – Mix them together till you get a thick dough: if it’s too sticky, add a bit more cinnamon, if it’s too dry, more applesauce.
3 – Flatten the dough and cut it with Christmas cookie cutters, or let your kids cut them in the shape they prefer, just remember to make a little hole with a toothpick for the ribbon.
4 – Let the “cookies” dry for two or three days, then decorate them as you like : glitter is great, and so are buttons, ribbons, paint. And remember: they do smell good, but they are NOT eatable (make this clear to the kids too!).
5 – Hang them on the tree, and enjoy the delicious smell and cute sight.
You can make these ornaments again every year as they are a fun activity to do with your kids, but they do keep pretty well, so you can also store them for next year if you prefer. Happy decorating!
