My kids have always preferred "open-ended" coloring-and-activity books like Fotoplay! or Let's Make Some Great Art over ones that ask them to just stay within the lines. So it's no wonder they're roaring for an imaginative new kids' acti…
First thing each morning my kids usually plop themselves down at our kitchen table and proceed to sketch, color, and print until they're practically late for school. I love how focused they are on their little projects. I also love that …
I've never let go of my love of paper dolls, ever since I played with them myself. (No, not last week with my kids; I mean a loooong time ago.) While our paper dolls apps on my iPhone get a ton of play, so do the regular old paper variet…
If you don't know Elizabeth Mitchell's music, you're missing something special. She invokes a vibe of simple joy that's been part of our daily soundtrack as a family for the past few years. Daniel, Elizabeth's husband, and Storey, her be…
I'm smitten with kittens--of the fox and rabbit variety. And piglets, too. If you like open-ended, simple, beautiful activity books that leave plenty of room for imagination and fun, then you'll want to buy all three. That's a total of 9…
I've made it pretty clear that I'm a huge Ryan Gosling fan. I own the Ryan Gosling dish towel we recently found. (Enough said?) So if you love Ryan as much as I do, here's an excuse to stare at him a little more. The Ryan Gosling colorin…
We're about to head on one of our annual summer road trips , which means packing plenty of toys for the car. We try to avoid the DVD--and generally succeed if we've planned ahead. Here, some of my favorite toys for the car for toddlers a…
From the moment they could successfully maneuver a crayon, my kids have loved open-ended coloring books like Taro Gomi's finish-the-picture Scribbles book. So, it's no surprise that they adore a new rules-free coloring book with an inter…
A little bit Shel Silverstein, a little bit Mo Willems, a little bit Seuss, a little bit Lemony Snicket, and a little bit Taro Gomi. If those names--especially together--sound like your idea of heaven on paper, then you're going to love …
Black History Month is rolling to a close, but it's never to late to share new learning resources with your kids. Along with some great books, movies and music picks that honor African American culture and history, I have recently come u…
I've tried to encourage my tween's intense love of all things art since she was a wee thing. To fuel her fire, we have loads of art books from "open-ended" coloring books like Rosie Flo's and those by Taro Gomi, to more academic tomes wi…
Maybe it's because I am so lacking in the artistic/crafty gene, but I've always preferred arts-and-craft kits that call for a heavy dose of imagination. In other words, I could never get my final product to look anything like the picture…
We're installing a hook-and-eye on my daughter's closet today because she's desperately convinced that the Gremlins live in there and come out to mess up her room each night. I don't buy it. But here's a book of monsters that I'm pretty …
My daughter's first finger paintings brought tears to my eyes. "My God, she's talented!" I told my husband. I knew I was being that stereotypical overly proud parent, but her use of color was so unexpected. Really! There is something so …
Every Hanukkah, in addition to the loooong lists of requested items (i.e. toys) we always make sure to include several books as gifts . And guess what--long after my son is bored with the video game he received, he's still reading and re…
I'm not going to lie to you: When I opened the Morph-O-Scopes Kit box my daughter received for her birthday one year, I was unimpressed. Some crayons. A shiny cup. And a bunch of coloring pages with a hole in the center, the images all s…
The mom and pop team behind Smiling Planet has a line of totally adorable melamine-free tableware for kids that we've already introduced you to, that are pretty, safe and eco-positive. And now from The Deane family comes something just a…
Even though I realize that the amazing Charley Harper Coloring Book is intended for younger audiences, it's so sophisticated that I can't help but want to save a couple of pages for me. American illustrator Charley Harper's "minimal real…
My nephew was hospitalized at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia when he was around two and I am forever grateful to the amazing staff who helped cure him -- and to all of the special facilities that help children. I guess that's wh…
Of course every parent thinks every scribble their child does is a collectible masterpiece, but in the case of the Coloring Can Be Funny coloring book, I think it's kinda true. Talented, ?ber-hip artist, S. Britt, turned a bunch of his w…
When the airport gift shop coloring book choices "for girls" range from princesses to uh, princesses (and maybe the occasional princess) I'm reminded of how easily 21st century gender stereotypes are reinforced pretty much everywhere we …
Open ended coloring books are simply divine. They give children (and adults--I admit, I love to color!) just enough of a prompt to get things going. The finished pages from your kids are pure magic. In the case of My Beastly Book of Sill…