New Year’s Eve is the best time to dress up your kids in fancy-pants outfits, because how often do you get to do that sort of thing? Sure, there’s the occasional wedding or birthday party. But New Year’s Eve is a time when you can get away with tops hats, tiny tuxes and more sequins than you can shake a stick at.
Throughout the Winter Break, we’re rounding up some of our greatest ideas for things to do.
Winter Break is when we traditionally catch up on our movie-watching. And if you’re not sure which movie to see in the theatre or rent, let our group of pint-sized film critics and their parents break it down for you with a Big Thumb Little Thumb review.
Beth Blenz-Clucas blogs about music for kids that grownups will love too
This is the time of year to measure, count and reflect. As December rolls through, we’re fairly inundated with reviews of the year’s milestones and tabulations of the “best of” everything. It’s fun and occasionally instructive to go back through the past 12 months to see how we’ve all marked the time.
One of the most poignant songs ever written about measurement and time is Frank Loesser’s kid-friendly song “Inchworm.” Danny Kaye sang the definitive version in the 1952′s Hans Christian Andersen. It’s a deceptively simple song that can be sung as a round, which has made it a staple of children’s recordings and choir recitals ever since.
A few months ago, a kindie lullaby album called Sing Me To Sleepfeatured The Leisure Society’s lovely performance “Inchworm.” Here they are performing it live. Read more...
Previously, we got all of you Bunchlanders to reveal stories of gift fails: those horrible, awful, what-were-they-thinking presents you received as kids that were totally age-inappropriate, really boring or just plain weird. Tales of gigantic underpants, tampons and Don Ho records abounded.
In an effort to end the year on a more positive note, we recently shouted out on our Facebook and Twitter for your most treasured Christmas gift memories. As usual, you guys gave us a huge response. Here are the childhood Christmas gifts you remember the most.
“Theatre tickets from my grandma — it became a tradition. Also, when my nana bought matching pajamas for me and my Cabbage Patch doll. Amazing.” -Meghan, online editor
“Commodore 64.” -Natasha
“Probably a pair of Doc Marten boots. They were the super cool thing to have when I was about 15.” @JosiahsMommy123
Joanna Goldberg sends weekly communiqués from Kenya, where she’s living with her kid
Living abroad with my kid, I experience a clawing desire to celebrate the same holidays we cherish at home, the same way we would at home. Perhaps it’s a way for me to keep my daughter Cameron connected to her life and family back home, or to inject an element of normalcy into her daily life so it’s not all barbed wire, poverty, tortoises and matatus. In any case, I find myself going way above and beyond what I’d do back home when a familiar holiday hits our home.
Crafty projects for kids and parents from Catherine Romano
Winter holiday decorating often includes opulence: shiny red, green and gold ornaments, bright twinkle lights and sparkly garlands. All the shimmer and shine makes for an eye-catching spectacle.
Yet, this year I thought it would be fun to create more understated holiday decorations using the simplest of materials: white paper!
White paper lends itself to endless opportunities for creative experimentation (and can be easily recycled). I decided to play with white paper and create two classic paper crafts. Take a look at my materials and the results.
Paper Snowflakes
My materials:
White paper Scissors
My process:
1. Fold sheet of paper in half, and then in half again. 2. Start cutting out shapes along each edge. Play with straight edged shapes and round shapes. The more paper you cut out, the more detailed the snowflake. 3. Unfold the paper, and a beautiful snowflake appears. Read more...
