Backyard Adventures

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Thu, 02 Feb 2012 01:00:06 -0500

Where Art Is Child's Play -- Children's Museum of Arts

Fri, 21 Oct 2011 21:07:36 -0400

Children’s Museum of Arts in the South Village focuses on making art, not just drawing and sculpture but also sound and stop-motion animation. It is also the only institution in New York City collecting international children’s artwork which includes 40 pieces from Harlem in 1963, children’s paintings made during the Works Progress Administration, and art from African villages.

The opening exhibition “Make Art (in) Public consists of mostly adult works — sketches, photos, models and actual pieces by artist such as Keith Haring, Christo and Jeanne-Claude, and and Tranqui Yanqui, who makes wearable art from cardboard. Not only is the art fun and is trying to raise public conscience about issues. Child’s play — this sounds like lots of fun for adults too.

October -- National Popcorn Month

Sat, 01 Oct 2011 00:36:05 -0400

Considering that Americans consume 16 billion quarts of popped popcorn annually it is no wonder there is a National Popcorn Month. Even though popcorn month has been celebrated for more than 25 years, it was not until 1999, Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman proclaimed October as National Popcorn Poppin’ Month. Popcorn harvest takes place each fall in the Midwest so what better time to celebrate popcorn.

Amazingly 70 percent is eaten in the home while the other 30 percent is outside the home (theaters, stadiums, schools, etc.). While popcorn is consumed world-wide, most of the corn is grown and consumed in the United States. The average American eats about 54 quarts each year.

Popcorn has a long history. The oldest ears of popcorn dated at about 4,000 years were discovered in a cave in New Mexico in 1948. Aztec Indian ceremonies included a popcorn dance in which young women wore popcorn garlands.

Popcorn is a great between meal snack low in fat and calories and it satisfies but doesn’t spoil the appetite. Popcorn has no artificial additives or preservatives, and is sugar-free.

Get poppin’ and enjoy October as National Popcorn Month.

Resources:

Popcorn http://www.popcorn.org/

Popcorn Poppin’ Month http://www.popcorn.org/AboutUs/PopcornPoppinMonth/tabid/72/Default.aspx

Popcorn Trivia http://www.popcorn.org/EncyclopediaPopcornica/Trivia/tabid/69/Default.aspx

What Makes Popcorn Pop? http://www.popcorn.org/EncyclopediaPopcornica/WelcometoPopcornica/WhatMakesPopcornPop/tabid/105/Default.aspx

Photo courtesy of Popcorn Board. This link will also take you to a list of unique recipes using popcorn.

September - National Honey Month

Thu, 01 Sep 2011 00:00:06 -0400

In celebration of National Honey Month, I thought some interesting facts about honey bees might be in order -

To make one pound of honey, the bees in the colony must visit 2 million flowers, fly over 55,000 miles and will be the lifetime work of approximately 300 bees.
Honey bees never sleep!
Honey bees will visit between 50-100 flowers during one nectar collection trip
The honey bee is the only insect that produces a food eaten by man.
The ‘waggle dance’ is performed by a honey bee to inform the rest of the workers about the location, quantity and quality of nectar.
Honey stored in air tight containers never spoils. Sealed honey vats found in King Tut’s tomb still contained edible honey, despite over 2,000 years beneath the sands.

Resources

Honey Bees http://www.squidoo.com/Honey-honeybees

Honey Bee Facts http://www.buzzaboutbees.net/honey-bee-facts.html

Sometimes he will need very loud hands indeed

Sat, 27 Aug 2011 13:56:54 -0400

a mother talking about her son: "He isn't taught "quiet hands" as I am sure there will be times in his life when he will need very loud hands...."
me: I just think it's beautiful
Zoe: I really like that
That is real empathy to me
me: yes
and the idea of
of very loud hands
is doing things to my brain
Zoe: good things?
me: good things, yes
along with which readers got the "I am autism" reference in my essay and which didn't
and what it means to be able to forget that
and then to tell me that I should, too
and the larger implications
"mom and dad love you"
doing the best they can
etc
and something amanda said about how a parent can always take a break
but not the kid
not the disabled person, we never get breaks
and what that means
and it means that sometimes you need very loud hands
(so they teach you to have quiet ones instead)

black-wolves: (by KeepYouKimi) What a great photo!

Fri, 26 Aug 2011 23:49:26 -0400

black-wolves:

(by KeepYouKimi)

What a great photo!

shitmykidsruined: My 4 year-old decided to super glue the...

Sat, 20 Aug 2011 10:18:05 -0400

shitmykidsruined:

My 4 year-old decided to super glue the charger into my iPhone. We had to literally rip out the charger from the bottom on the phone. You can see in the picture all the missing prongs from the now ruined phone.

Submitted by: Trinity

Original Article

Sounds of a Summer Night

Sat, 20 Aug 2011 10:14:26 -0400

Sounds of a Summer Night:

A great Backyard Adventure — listening to and identifying the sounds of a summer night. One last adventure before heading back to school and early bedtimes.

International Clown Week

Mon, 01 Aug 2011 00:00:05 -0400

Click Here For Images &
Clowns Pictures - Pictures

On August 2, 1971, President Richard Nixon signed into law a joint resolution proclaiming the first week in August as National Clown Week. It is now celebrated world-wide as International Clown Week.

The celebration is a way to call public attention to and recognize “…the charitable activities of clowns and the wholesome entertainment they provide for all our citizens… “

Plan your own celebrations for Clown Week. Find out all about the art of clowning, clown names, and answers to 101 Questions About Clowns. There’s even a registry of clown faces painted on goose eggs. You can view some of these on a Flickr slide show.

Have you got the right stuff to be a clown? There are numerous clowning schools that you can attend — maybe one near you!

Read the proclamation and let the clowning begin.

Resources:

International Clown Week http://www.internationalclownweek.org/

Art of Clowning http://artofclowning.com/

The Clown Egg Register Flickr slideshow http://www.flickr.com/photos/lukestephenson/sets/72157606703952187/show/

Clown Schools http://clown-school.com/

How it’s made — Glass Marbles. Fascinating video....

Thu, 14 Jul 2011 22:18:23 -0400

How it’s made — Glass Marbles. Fascinating video. Enjoy!

evilmadlinks: Social Change and Richard Scarry’s Best Word Book...

Sat, 09 Jul 2011 11:54:07 -0400

evilmadlinks:

Social Change and Richard Scarry’s Best Word Book Ever, between 1963 and 1991 (@ Sociological Images)

Kinetic Wind Sculpture

Sun, 24 Apr 2011 19:05:00 -0400

Kinetic Wind Sculpture:

So cool! You have to see to believe!

Can't get away for spring break? Check out these ideas for a themed vacation in your backyard.

Wed, 09 Mar 2011 21:54:34 -0500

Can't get away for spring break? Check out these ideas for a themed vacation in your backyard.

Hikaru Dorodango -- Shiny mud balls

Wed, 29 Dec 2010 18:46:09 -0500

Hikaru Dorodango -- Shiny mud balls:

Okay, so most of the country has snow and plenty of snowmen and snowballs to keep the kids busy during the holiday break. For those of us getting rain or just cold, here’s a inexpensive Japanese kid’s craft. Shiny mud balls! Check it out. Maybe something the kids will want to try when “there’s nothing to do!”

Here is a video link showing the process.

Enjoy!

Wrap It Up With Customized Gift Wrap

Sun, 05 Dec 2010 15:49:00 -0500

Packrat that I am, and by good graces – my mother still has my first grade papers — I rescue gift wrap, old maps, interesting calendars, brown paper bags, tissue papers stuffed in my shopping bags – you get the picture. All of this paper is then transformed in wonderful and very inexpensive gift wrap. Here’s how.

Rescue discarded gift wrap, maps, outdated calendars, brown paper grocery bags, tissue papers, and don’t overlook the possibilities of using thin corrugated cardboard sheets, graph paper, want-ads, funnies, or stock quotes from newspapers, or some of those numerous art projects – you know the ones that need to move off the fridge to make room for more. Why buy expensive wrapping paper when you can recycle? Don’t forget to save the ribbons as well. Collect colored rubber bands, hang onto left over ends of craft ribbons or fancy needlework threads, lengths of copper or colorful plastic coated wires. For a few dollars, add a ball of jute twine, a twist of raffia, a skein of colorful yarn from the craft store. Now you are ready to wrap up a gift for any occasion.

Before adding to your stash, carefully remove any bits of tape, and then just tuck your paper in a storage box until you need it. You can easily press creases out of gift wrap and old maps using a warm steam iron. If, it’s tissue paper, crumple it up into a ball then gently smooth it out, giving it a more exotic look. Photo and art calendars are great for wrapping small boxes. Spend a rainy day livening up your brown paper bags. Just cut down one side, remove the bottom and flatten out. Remove the creases with a warm steam iron. Splash on acrylic paint or stamp with colorful inks and create your own custom-designed gift wrap. Now you have the perfect wrap for any occasion.

Match the paper to the occasion and the person. Auto ads, stock quotes, graph paper have a masculine bent. Tie these up with bright ribbons, wrap with colorful rubber bands, or wind with multi-colored wire. Add contrast using delicate tissue paper tied with raffia. Last year’s desk calendar is perfect for this year’s new journal. Make it personal by using the month of the recipient’s birthday. Brown paper stamped with gold medallions and tied with fancy left over ribbon makes quite an elegant gift.

Be creative, look around you for all the possibilities available for your next gift wrapping occasion. You will be amazed by the comments and compliments you get the next time you arrive with a custom-wrapped gift. And no one need know how little it cost!

Resources:

Creative Giftwraps, Constance E. Richards, Lark Books.
Creative Rubber Stamping Techniques, Mary Jo McGraw, North Light Books.
The Crafter’s Recipe Book, Jessica Wrobel, North Light Books.
The Crafter’s Project Book, Mary Ann Hall and Sandra Salamony, North Light Books.

Saturday Afternoon Football

Sat, 11 Sep 2010 16:56:00 -0400

Living in Alabama you have to choose a team — Alabama or Auburn. In the 1960’s I married into an Alabama family. Beginning in September, Saturday afternoons were set aside for football. We all gathered in the patriarch’s family room around a small TV screen. Thank God it was in color. I flipped through magazines and observed the ritual.

College time rolled around and my oldest daughter headed off to Alabama. That year we got an early Christmas present — tickets to see the Alabama/Auburn game. That was the day I was converted.

I still find there are nuisances to the game I don’t understand. So I decided to see if there was a girls’ guide to football. And sure enough, I found several. Here are links to three —

Girls’ Guide to Football

Girls’ Guide to Understanding Football

Football 101 - Football for Girls

Football is going to be even better this year!

Roll Tide Roll!

Kinetic Sculpture

Tue, 10 Aug 2010 16:51:45 -0400

I’ve always been a big fan of wind chimes — a soft tinkle in the wind or the louder melodic sound of tuned pipes that play their own song. Here are three artists that have taken it a bit further.

When I was living in Carrboro, NC, I would often walk by Mike Roig’s house just to hear the sounds and see the sights of his huge recycled metal sculptures. Not only do they tinkle and boom in the wind, they seem to be in constant motion; sending out glints of sun light and creating all sorts of interesting shadows.

I had almost forgotten this small pleasure until recently when I stumbled on another site, Back Yard in Motion. Bill McHugh of Narberth, PA also creates outdoor sculptures. McHugh’s sculptures are moved by air, sun, water, and birds but his principal energy resource is squirrels.

Vollis Simpson took up the art of whirligigs after retirement. He just had too much time on his hands. Simpson’s work can be seen in as diverse places as his Windmill Farm in Wilson, NC to his four-story tall whirligig on display outside the American Visionary Art Museum on Baltimore’s Inner Harbor and another at the Courtland Avenue Bridge in Atlanta.

Do you have a favorite whirligig? Hope you will share the tinkle, motion, and the joy!

Earth Monkey Moms: Who came up with downward dog??? And four other things that drive real moms crazy!

Sat, 03 Jul 2010 19:56:51 -0400

Earth Monkey Moms: Who came up with downward dog??? And four other things that drive real moms crazy!:

Gena:

1. The day I was born my parents loaded me into a nice little wicker basket and threw me on the front seat of their 1968 Chevelle. In my later years, My siblings and I made tents in the back of our wood paneled station wagon as we drove down I5 to Disneyland…We survived all of…

Celebrating the 4th with Fireworks

Sat, 03 Jul 2010 14:50:33 -0400

Did you know that fireworks have been around for over 2,000 years? Originating in China, they are still widely used in many Chinese celebrations. In fact to this day, the world’s main production of fireworks is in China.

Marco Polo is generally credited with bringing the black gun powder west. The Italians are credited with the first European country to manufacture fireworks.

In Philadelphia, a year after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and with the encouragement of Congress, Philadelphia lit up the sky with a “grand exhibition of fireworks which began and concluded with thirteen rockets …” Boston also celebrated that first year with fireworks.

This weekend we are celebrating 234 years of independence. How is your family celebrating this Fourth of July?

History of Fireworks
How Fireworks Work
The First Fireworks on the 4th of July
Fourth of July Celebrations - James R. Heintze

Painting with Ice Cubes

Tue, 29 Jun 2010 10:00:00 -0400

Painting with Ice Cubes:

Kids complaining that it’s too hot and there is nothing to do? Check out craftzine.com’s blog with instructions for Painting with Ice Cubes. Cool craft in more ways than one! Be sure to come back and share your creations.