Let's Play!

March 2nd is a special day, as today we say “Happy Birthday” to Theodor Geisel, or as he as better remembered, Dr. Seuss! In his honor, Random House and the National Education Association (NEA) have recognized March 2nd as “Read Across America Day,” encouraging all to take time to read to a child.

The friendly reminder to adults to read to children emphasizes that we all need to find time to “unplug,” relax, and read, every day! Naturally, though, there are new, technology-savvy ways to learn. You’ll be impressed by this collection of Dr. Seuss-themed apps that are fittingly on sale today!

Here at Growing Tree Toys, we have a fun variety of books from soft baby books to Klutz books that will encourage your kids (and you!) to take a break to read and learn. Kids can even become “authors” themselves with our Create Your Own 3 Bitty Books Kit!

For more about Read Across America Day and reading in general, visit the NEA Read Across America website or see more about the fun of Dr. Seuss at Seussville.com.

Have a computer? is your sound on? Then check out these awesome, free tools from around the web to help teach the fun of music at home, or anytime!

Now, I think any age group would find this quite exciting! From the Exploratorium in San Francisco is the Science of Music Dot Mixer, where anyone can become a DJ! You literally drag and drop colored dots onto the screen, the more you drag, the more beats that are mixed together. They recommend using headphones for the full effect!

More from San Francisco – their Symphony also wants kids to have fun with music on their SFS Kids site. There you can find their Music Lab that teaches the basics (literally, the staff and the notes), harmony, rhythm, tempo and so on. When you’re all set, you can use the “Composerizer” to put together all you’ve learned! Very neat.

We see why this interactive opera of Hansel & Gretel won a “Best In Class” Interactive Media Award! Before you customize your opera, you can go “backstage” and learn more about opera and its terminology, fairy tales, different vocal ranges, and more. They do such a great job in relating to what kids understand, like equating the “melody” to “happy kids jumping.” Your child’s name will even be customized on the program!

Technology is well-utilized in this collection of children’s singalong songs. For each song, say Row, Row, Row Your Boat there are videos that demonstrate the song in action. You can also view the song’s lyrics (gently down the what?) and even download the sheet music in several keys.

For more fun with music that can be had at any time, browse our Musical Toys!

Hansel & Gretel images are from the Classical KUSC Kids site, while you can see (and more importantly, hear!) the whole Dot Mixer experience courtesy of the Exploratorium site.

Stuck inside because of less-than-ideal weather? Or just looking for new ways to play? Check out some ideas to get kids to love cooking and hanging out in the kitchen.

We obviously love food and fun around here – having talked about the benefits of pretend play food, and highlighting seasonal cuisine like summer barbecues and festive holiday treats. But it’s worth talking about – kids have a better understanding of what foods are good for them and why if they have hands-on experience with it!

Search “kitchen” at our website and you’ll see dozens of options – from the Complete Kitchen Set from Alex Toys,
to close-to-real-life kitchens that come in just the right size, like the Educo Gourmet Chef Kitchen Play Set.

Now how about some kid-friendly recipes? Here are a few favorite spots to get kids cooking.

Kids Health: This section of this site, geared towards kids, conveniently points out where adult help is needed. They even have recipe sections for different dietary needs, from celiac disease and lactose intolerance to vegetarian and diabetic-friendly options. The familiar Nutrition Facts label and a photo are included for each recipe.
Try it now: Confetti Quinoa

Nick Jr.: Nickelodeon fans will love this collection, you can even search for recipes based on favorite Nick Jr. shows! There is a thoughtful “difficulty” search option, including easy kids recipes for little ones just getting started in the kitchen.
Try it now: Fruit Kabobs with Yogurt Dip (pictured)

San Diego Zoo: A unique spot to find culinary ideas for kids is from one of the best zoos in the world, the San Diego Zoo! Roadrunner Robin shares some favorites on a list of animal-inspired recipes.
Try it now: Warthog Waffles

Be sure to come back to our blog as we are sure to feature other recipes and new ways to have fun in the kitchen throughout the year.

Finally, to quote the one and only Jacques Pépin, “Happy Cooking!”

Happy New Year! We hope you had a fun holliday season and that you’re looking forward to what will come in 2011!

While you may have made a New Year’s Resolution for yourself, has your child? The American Academy of Pediatrics has a great list of healthy New Year’s Resolutions for kids, organized by age group, and we highlight a few below.

Preschoolers:
“I will clean up my toys and put them where they belong.”

Especially following an influx of new holiday toys, it can be hard for kids and parents alike to find “a place” for everything. Organize with kid-friendly Guidecraft Storage Furniture solutions!

5 to 12 years:
“I will try to find a sport (like basketball or soccer) or an activity (like playing tag, jumping rope, dancing or riding my bike) that I like and do it at least three times a week!”

Physical activity is so important for growing kids and sports sure help ensure that they get out and play multiple times a week. Not ready to purchase a whole set of lacrosse gear or sign up for a year of gymnastics lessons? Stock up on sports equipment for all ages from Franklin Sports like the Intermediate Volleyball Set so you are always set for outdoor fun.

13 years and up:
“When I feel angry or stressed out, I will take a break and find constructive ways to deal with the stress, such as exercising, reading, writing in a journal or discussing my problem with a parent or friend.”

Busy schedules and always being connected can cause a whole lot of stress for all of us. Teens and younger kids too can benefit from some unplugged “me time” with a journal.

See all the ideas for kids’ New Year’s resolutions at the American Academy of Pediatrics website.

The holidays are a perfect time to get creative and crafty. But as we all try to reduce clutter and preserve resources, isn’t it a good time too to find “fun” ways to recycle? Here are four fun, recycled craft ideas – for you AND your kids!

Martha Stewart’s Recycled Ribbon Chain utilizes ribbon from holiday packages. No special supplies needed: just glue and a stapler! This would be a fun idea for a birthday or bridal shower decoration as well!
TIP: If you want to use a particular color scheme, pick up one or two wide spools of ribbon at the craft store. Just a small amount of ribbon will make a whole lot of garland!

Have you been saving holiday cards for years, but unsure what to do with them? Repurpose them into these Recycled Ornaments! Add surprise dimension to a 2-D card with an easy globe ornament.
TIP: Consider purchasing a circle punch. You’ll be surprised at how often you use it!

Do you have any old scratched CD’s or maybe ones that were burned incorrectly? Use them to make reflective CD Photo Ornaments. As well as the CD, this is a good opportunity to use scraps of felt or paper.
TIP: See tons more uses for old CD’s here.

Now everyone has a few unpaired socks around, or at least ones that are ready to be retired! Did you ever think of making a Sock Snowman with them? This totally cute, no-sew project is even filled with rice to give the snowman its familiar round belly!
TIP: Use another sock as a hat, as illustrated in this example by Anneliese Lawerentz.

Short on supplies to make easy, recycled crafts like these? A simple way to have a variety of ribbon, felt, pom-poms, crepe paper, and other craft supplies without buying packs of each one is to pick up a Giant Art Jar Kit!

For more holiday-themed craft ideas, check out Martha Stewart’s Holiday Crafts for Kids slideshow. Also visit a whole collection of Recycled Christmas Crafts for Kids from About.com.

You might not realize how easy it is to create your own unique toys at home. It’s something that artist Joel Henriques is really good at. He shares lots of free templates for making cardboard toys, coloring pages and cute matching games on his blog, Made by Joel!

Joel’s toys aren’t complicated. He uses his children for inspiration and makes what he thinks they’ll like. In my favorite matching game of his, kids draw lines from scary Halloween cats to their matching shadows—simple, effective and cool! You can find the template here.

I recommend poking around his site. Here is a list of my personal favorite projects to get you started:

Paper Clip Finger Puppets

Miniature Zip Line Toy

Wall Hanging Cardboard Box Aquarium

Slotted Building Discs

Dress Up Drawings

All photos in this post are credited to and owned by Joel Henriques.