Posts Tagged ‘friends’
Spies Like Us: Secret Codes pt 1
Tuesday, February 1st, 2011
A couple months ago the kids and I surprised my husband with a birthday present: a trip to the Spy Museum in Washington, DC. There was an activity where you could crawl through duct work (we did that one SEVERAL times), a car from James Bond, a movie theater showing propaganda films (the kids loved the Walt Disney cartoons) and so much more.
Naturally, that trip inspired a great deal of spy talk for the next several weeks. This, of course, got me thinking about playing spies. The idea of clandestine meetings, being sneaky and creating a whole world is quite appealing to kids. There’s role playing, negotiating skills, planning, writing, science, problem solving—I mean it’s got the whole kit-and-kaboodle when it comes to creativity and learning through play.
So with that in mind, we came up with some kid-friendly spy related activities we think the kids will like.
First up are secret codes. The one we did today is backwards writing. This is fun for kids who have a solid foundation in letter formation and handwriting skills (so I’d say generally, about second grade on). But you could easily adapt this for younger kids by either cutting out the letters for kids or just helping them read the notes you write in the mirror.
I imagine writing a dinner menu backwards, sticking it in a tube (like an old paper towel roll) and leaving it out for the kids to find and read in the mirror. Maybe they’d eat what I make that way. Or you know, perhaps a note like, Go clean your room! Guess it’ll depend on my mood.
Oh! Oh! The kids could deliver an invitation to a spy themed party this way. How cool would that be?! Just be sure to include directions for reading.
Tags: afterschool fun, Arts & Crafts, friends, parties, Playdate
Posted in Games & Creative Play | 8 Comments »
Winter Carnival
Tuesday, January 18th, 2011
School closed? Stuck indoors? Kids driving you batty? Have them create their own Winter Carnival.
Tags: afterschool fun, childhood, friends, games, Parenting, Playdate
Posted in Games & Creative Play, Parties & Celebrations | No Comments »
Pigtail Pals Sale
Thursday, January 13th, 2011
One of our sponsors, and a Hot Cocoa for Water partner, the fabulous Pigtail Pals is turning five! And to celebrate their birthday, they’re offering all classic white tees & kids hats for $5.00! So head on over and buy a gift for girls that says you believe she can be anything.
Tags: friends
Posted in Ideas and Inspiration | No Comments »
Christmas Memories with Modern Bird Studios
Friday, December 17th, 2010
Well it’s Friday again, which means we have some more friends stopping by to share their warm and fuzzy holiday memories. Today it is my pleasure to introduce to you a couple that is not only wickedly talented but wickedly hilarious too. Meet Megan and Gregg, the brilliant couple behind Modern Bird Studios.
Tags: friends, holidays
Posted in Guest Posts | 3 Comments »
Hot Cocoa for Water
Tuesday, December 14th, 2010
A couple months ago, my husband was in India shooting footage for a series of short films. While it was difficult to have him so far away, the magic of modern technology allowed us to stay in touch via skype.
We’d spend his off time trading stories about our days. He told me of the places he visited and all the amazingly kind people he met while there.
During one of these conversations, we took a water break. He rang up the hotel service and asked for a bottled of water. Meanwhile, I grabbed a glass out of a cabinet and turned on a faucet. At that moment, I realized just how much I’ve been taking water for granted. (more…)
Tags: charity, friends, Hot Cocoa for Water
Posted in Ideas and Inspiration | 14 Comments »
Wigwams and Puppets
Wednesday, November 24th, 2010
The other day, Willow asked if we had pictures of how we incorporated our children and our friends’ children into a party. Great request Willow!
Last weekend we celebrated a pre-Thanksgiving with friends and I was tasked with creating a few activities for the kids. I came up with a two activities: one was a team exercise where we asked the kids to build and decorate a wigwam, and the other was a less structured activity where kids were given blanks to draw on to make their own puppets. Here’s how it turned out…
Trouble viewing the video? Click here to watch on youtube.
For more info on these projects and other Thanksgiving themed activities click here.
Wishing you a Very Happy Thanksgiving!
Tags: Arts & Crafts, childhood, friends, parties, thanksgiving
Posted in Ideas and Inspiration, Parties & Celebrations | No Comments »
Friends Thanksgiving
Wednesday, November 24th, 2010
All week long, we’ve invited our friends to stop by and share their Thanksgiving stories as part of our series: a Thanksgiving with Friends.
And now, my friends, it’s time for our final essay. I find this piece, written by Kirsten Nilsen (who, incidentally, inspired this series), to be a beautiful tribute to the spirit of Thanksgiving and a perfect ending to our open house.
In Friends Thanksgiving, we discover that when friends and neighbors gather together for a Thanksgiving meal, they end up sharing more than food, they share a bounty of friendship, support, stories and develop a kinship all their own. (more…)
Tags: friends, thanksgiving
Posted in Ideas and Inspiration | No Comments »
The Candy Man Can…
Tuesday, November 23rd, 2010
All week long, we’ve invited our friends to stop by and share their Thanksgiving stories as part of our series: a Thanksgiving with Friends.
Everyone welcome Heather Walsh. Heather is a local friend of mine (aww, yeah Baltimore!) and she’s been kind enough to swing by today to share a family tradition that was introduced to her when she got married. This year she’s passing the tradition on to her side of the family. What I love about this? Not only is it a fun way to kick off the holiday season, it’s a playful and creative activity that’s perfect when you have a large group of kids…or those who are kids-at-heart.
Tags: Food, friends, thanksgiving
Posted in Guest Posts, Ideas and Inspiration | 3 Comments »
