In Review: Play All Day

Photocredit

I think I first saw mention of Play all Day: Design for Children (R. Klanten, etc.) on the Bkids childrens' design website. I remember the teaser had a line about Arounna Khounnoraj (click to see their amazing designs & store) and I was already signing myself up for a copy from InterLibraryLoan.
* (She did a weekly kids' craft project on her website, and although a few of them were too hard for a toddler, a lot of them could be scaled down to a small child's learning curve. I even 'favorited' a few of her projects because I wanted to do them for myself! Find them here.)*
When I received Play All Day, I couldn't wait to sit down and look at the pictures, finding inspiration at every turn. A lot of the products were made by small companies, but a few were made by parents, and there was an entire section dedicated to futuristic & naturalistic parks/play areas, which is something close to my heart! I loved having this resource around for a few weeks before I had to give it back, but was a little sorry to see there were no tutorials in the book. I misunderstood that this wasn't a 'how-to' book, simply a nice art book that focused on design purely for children. Oh well, I got my fill of eye candy from it, and if you can grab this for a month or so from your local library, I say snag it!
Here is another great review from Ohdeedoh, also some sneak peak pictures if you're interested!

Comments

How To: DIY Sand/Water Table

How To: Build A Sand/Water Table for Under $30 ! Sorry this took me so long to blog, but I had to have a tool list and full instructions before I could do so. A little history on my love for the sand/water table . I love the idea behind tools for tiny hands, i.e. the Montessori Method , and like to have Lukka 'figure things out for himself', even when he is playing. I try to have the most simple and basic toys available for 3 reasons: a) simple toys generally have less parts, which means less of a hassle for me b) simple toys inspire way more creativity and imagination than do 'exact replica' toys c) they are much more aesthetically pleasing to look at, therefore, not making every nook and cranny of our house an eyesore! I know the last reason is just for me, but it's true. Plastic things don't generally last 1/2 as long as wooden or fabric toys, and they are unattractive. For this reason, I started to look for a wooden sand/water table as opposed to a pl...

Home School Activities: Board Games We Love

My children have recently become enthralled in the world of board games. I was never a board game player. Sure, I remember long summer hours (days? it seemed like it..) spent around a Monopoly board, but I was never one to suggest to get out the cards, or a game. As my children have grown and they are now able to do activities with me, I started noticing that they really took to puzzles (when done all together) and the one or two board games I happened to have kept in the storage room. They were always asking to play Candy Land and so I figured I should branch off a bit. Over the course of the last year, I have found GREAT games, even ones that I love to play alongside them. The amount of 'teaching' they have gotten through games is jaw-dropping. Counting, team-playing, math related patterning, are just some of the skills I've watched develop. I asked before Christmas on facebook what my friends and their own kids loved and I was thrilled with the response. We have found ov...

November - December Titles // 2024

a moody December scene at Glen Valley I am just squeaking into the final few days for this post, and I am so glad I had Christmas break to boost a few more books into this somewhat meagre offering for Fall of 2024! What did you read that you loved? No Bootstraps When You're Barefoot by Wes Hall - This was a memoir I read for my bookclub, and although I found the first part very interesting, I read at least 75+ pages of his job (working his way up the 'wall street of Toronto') and I still don't know what he does. This author grew up in Jamaica and honestly his ingenuity, quick learning ability, and resourcefulness helped him achieve amazing things, but it did feel a bit hollow toward the end. I don't think that was the intention, I just didn't overly love it. The Hotel Balzaar by Kate DiCamillo - Again, I will read anything DiCamillo writes and be the first to have it ordered to my library! This lovely, nostalgic, and somewhat dour (at times) little middle...

Our House in the Middle of Our Street

Search This Blog