Why should you play Tangrams with your children? They look so simple! A bunch of shapes assembled and reassembled to form newer ones! But don’t be fooled, they are not easy. Tangrams offer children an excellent opportunity to test out different geometric manipulations and become familiar with the properties of the shapes they use. ********** This… Read More
When we tinker … we think with our hands. A Life Made By Hand “An artist is not special. An artist is an ordinary person who can take ordinary things and make them special.” Ruth Asawa “In Ruth Asawa’s hands, simple wire turned into graceful sculptures as light as air.” Inspired by the world around her, … Read More
It seems like the perfect time to embrace the lost art of letter writing. This charming story is centered around the Jolly Postman who has to deliver mail for popular fairy-tale characters. His mail route includes the Three Bears, the Wicked Witch, the Giant from Jack and the Beanstalk, Cinderella, the Big Bad Wolf and Goldilocks. The… Read More
“Children have such vibrant minds. They need to play. They need to be creative. They need to imagine. It’s so important for their sense of self discovery.” Such wisdom from Jan Brett, American illustrator and author of beautiful children’s picture books. ************** “Where the Sidewalk Ends” by Shel Silverstein is just the beginning. Let’s get out on… Read More
One of the important skills that children need to master is their ability to become independent thinkers and problem solvers. The foundation of all future learning lies in the ability to break down a problem until a solution is determined. Building children’s abilities as well as their confidence, is vital to producing children who are challenged,… Read More
“There are always flowers for those who want to see them.” – Henri Matisse Matisse said that he was never truly expressing himself until he started to work with collages. Samantha Friedman – Author Cristina Amodeo – Illustrator One day, the artist Henri Matisse cut a small bird from a piece of white paper. It was… Read More
One of the valuable ways to support your children’s healthy development is as easy as opening the door and going outside. There is no question that regular, frequent opportunities to play outdoors help support the development our children’s cognitive, social and physical development. Going outdoors, in the fresh air—whether on a windy, cold winter day or a balmy… Read More
When we take an idea from our imagination and turn it into something real, the result is a real sense of pride. Let’s celebrate bringing things to life with our hands. “I am different because I brought something new to life in my hands.” With My Hands book trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXdNMD_kOC0 ************************* Amy Ludwig VanDerwater has written 26 poems celebrating… Read More
The women of Gee’s Bend, in a small and remote black community in Alabama, have created hundreds of quilt masterpieces dating back to the early twentieth century. These quilters started by painstakingly taking apart old clothes by hand so as to use the ENTIRE piece of fabric. They didn’t use MOST of it to make something… Read More
