Play & Learn

Your resource for building, creating and developing your child's imagination/

Everything is a Phase

Posted by RainyDayGal
on May. 23, 2013 at 4:23 PM
The past couple of weeks, my girls have been kicking my butt. My oldest (3 ½) has been asking question after question ("Why? But why? Yeah, but why?"), not even listening to my answer before she fires off the next question. Remember those ditzy girls in high school whom you knew were smart but acted dumb to get attention? She's acting like that. Books we've read a zillion times--ones she could recite--she suddenly "doesn't get." During my best moments I'm trying to figure out where on earth s

Safe Online Play for Kids

Posted by agirlandaboy
on May. 23, 2013 at 4:23 PM
My husband and I are pretty stingy about letting our preschooler play with grown-up technology. Every time I see other parents hand their smartphones to their littles, I gasp because all I can picture is the kid losing his grip and the phone plummeting to the floor and smashing into smithereens. Maybe I'm just overly cautious, but even though I know there are a lot of cool phone apps for kids these days, I'm just not a fan of putting that much money into the care of a kid who still wears

Sort It Out

Posted by agirlandaboy
on May. 23, 2013 at 4:23 PM
This may seem like a no-brainer for some of you, but for me it was a revelation. Are you ready? Okay. *drumroll* Keep your kids' toys sorted by type!(Are you rolling your eyes, or did a little lightbulb just go on above your head?)Once upon a time we had bins and boxes full of any and all types of toys. Trucks were in with maracas were in with play food were in with little plastic zoo animals. I thought we were doing toy storage the best way, since clean-up was just a matter of sweeping up

Play with Your Old Toys

Posted by agirlandaboy
on May. 23, 2013 at 4:23 PM
Now that the holiday commercials have started in earnest, I'm getting an eyeful of all the latest must-have toys. I don't want to sound like an old lady, but I can't help looking at all that stuff and wondering why everything has to be so fancy and complicated. Whatever happened to a pack of regular old markers or a set of blocks? How come all the dolls have eighteen buttons to operate lights and sound? Why are the games either impossibly complex or mind-numbingly stupid? Say it with me: They

Giving Thanks

Posted by RainyDayGal
on May. 23, 2013 at 4:23 PM
I love Thanksgiving. Mostly because I love to cook (you can read all about my cooking adventures on my blog, including the yummy pumkin bars pictured above!), and my family and friends love to eat. There's something about preparing a meal with a theme or a set menu: it takes all the guesswork out of what should I make? I love everyone gathered around one big table, stuffing themselves silly, plotting whether or not to get a second helping or save their stomachs for dessert. It's just plain fun.
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