Lego Mania!

The Lewisville library has a special event for little builders.  It’s called Lego Mania!  We recently stopped by to check it out. We were a little late so everyone was already absorbed in their creations but Nicholas quickly found the table with the cool Star Wars Lego pieces and went to work building.

It was neat watching the boys at the table. None of the boys seem to know each other and they were each building their own ships yet for the most part they would help each other find particular pieces that each other needed. It was a great experience in teamwork.

Lego Mania! is held on the fourth Sunday of each month at 2:00.  There are tons of Legos as well as Duplo blocks from younger children.  And best of all – it’s FREE!  The Lewisville Library is located at 1197 West Main in Lewisville and their phone number is 972-219-3570.

Homemade Butter

Cold and rainy days mean staying indoors. Unfortunately, that makes some of us a little stir crazy. So I’m always on the lookout for fun activities for my little ones that might just happen to also provide a little teaching along the way. Recently we made homemade butter. Stuart looked at me funny when I told him this. “You did what?” Yep, homemade butter.

I talked to Nicholas a little bit about how butter is made. I explained that basically you start with heavy cream and mix it up until it becomes butter. The cream is full of little fat globules but they are all separate and lonely. Once the mixing starts, fat globule Bob bumps into fat globule Joe and they become friends so they stick together. As more mixing happens, they bump into fat globule Mike and fat globule Tom and they all decide to stick together. The little group of friends keep bumping into more fat globules until everyone is stuck together and they have a big party. And then you have butter. Nicholas loved the story and couldn’t wait to start mixing up some cream.

We do have this cool antique churn that we could have used.

But it just sits on top of our kitchen cabinets. It’s gotten a bit dirty and dusty over the years and I don’t really know if I could ever clean those wooden paddles enough to feel good about eating anything made with them. However, it was neat to be able to show this to Nicholas and explain how it was used in olden days.

Our project was a bit different. All we used were some clean baby food jars, a few glass marbles, heavy whipping cream, music, and manpower.

Nicholas started with filling the jars about 3/4 full of cream.

He added two marbles to help with mixing and put the lid on. I double checked to make sure that the lid was on REALLY tight. Then we put on some fun music and we danced around while we shaking the jars. It doesn’t really matter how you shake them or how hard you shake them but you need to keep them moving.

It’s best to do this with two people so you can trade off and let your arm rest. After 5 minutes, he had a nice whipped topping.

Then around 10 minutes, we could hear a more distinct “thud” sound as a ball of butter was now shaking around in the jar. There was still a lot of liquid that we drained off but in the end we had real butter. It tasted fine right out of the jar but we added a pinch of salt just to make it better.

It was yummy on crackers for an after school snack. Nicholas suggested that we should have repeated our homemade cracker project so we could have had homemade butter AND homemade crackers. Great idea but I recall that I wasn’t too impressed with our homemade crackers. I think I’ll stick with store bought crackers but the homemade butter is a winner.

Melt My Heart

Fort Worth Museum of Science and History

We spent the day at the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History. What a fun way to learn about science with your friends! But you can’t learn on an empty stomach, right? We headed to Fort Worth a little early so we could have breakfast at Ol’ South Pancake House which my friend Holly over at June Cleaver Nirvana recommended a while back.

Nicholas ordered from the kid’s menu…french toast with scrambled eggs and sausage. Good choice. Hmm, would you like a little french toast with that powdered sugar and syrup?

Rachel enjoyed bits and pieces of my breakfast while flirting with everyone around her. She’s quite a little social butterfly.

Finally, we were off to the museum. They have been closed for what seems like forever while doing a total $80 million redesign of the museum. Let me tell you, the wait was worth it!

We found some great activities for kids at the museum. We found a station on generating electricity. The staff person let Nicholas hook up some wires to what looks like a fishing reel and let him spin away. Look at Nicholas’ face as he realizes that he is manually generating the electricty to turn on the little light bulb that the staff person is holding.

Next we went to a station on aerodynamics. There was a table with lots of crafty-type supplies such as scissors, tape, pipe cleaners, paper cups, coffee filters, etc. The children made their own creations and then floated them in an air tube to see how well their design floated up in the air.

Nicholas loved this station and he made several different designs.

Art Museums in DFW with Kids

The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex has some distinguished art museums.  They are often discounted as a place for children, but here are some reasons why you SHOULD be taking your kids with you.  These museums have gone out of their way to be family friendly and offer fun and education to “artists” of all ages.

Dallas Museum of Art

The Dallas Museum of Art has three different Family Audio Tours.  Arturo, the Museum’s Mascot leads the tour geared for 5-11 year old children.  The tours are available at the Visitor Services desk and are free.

DMA hosts Late Nights, (We)ekends at the Museum and Family Films.  For the younger children, The Dallas Museum of Art offers Arturo & Me.  3–5 year olds and a favorite grown-up will work together to look at works of art, read a related story in the galleries, and do an art-making activity in the museum studio.  For the even younger kids they offer Toddler Art.  2 and 3 year olds and a favorite grown-up will participate in art-related activities and play in Arturo’s Nest, the Museum’s kid-friendly space.

Meadows Museum at SMU

The Meadows Museum hosts Family Days which include gallery games, hands-on activities, and performances highlighting the temporary exhibitions at the Meadows Museum.  There is also a series of Drop-In Art experiences on select Saturdays from 11:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m.  More information about both these Meadows Museum events can be found on their website.

Kimbell Art Museum

The Kimbell Art Museum has new family gallery guides focusing on masterpieces in the Kimbell’s permanent collection. Picture cards for each artwork provide fun facts and discussion questions that encourage children and adults to explore new ideas together. This free Kimbell family resource at the Information Desk to enrich your next Museum visit.

The Kimbell also hosts summer camps, school break camps and workshops for kids along with Family Festivals that include hands-on activities and film programs, along with storytelling and other performances.

Amon Carter Museum

The Amon Carter Museum has a series of guided tours for all levels of participants.  Advance reservations are required for a specialized tour.  The other thing that this museum provides is quite a few online learning resources.  These might come in handy for school projects or at home adventures.

Fort Worth Museum of Modern Art

The Fort Worth Museum of Modern Art offers Wonderful Wednesdays which is a free gallery program for families is designed as an informal introduction to the collection and special exhibitions.  It is offered once a month and consists of a focused tour and is accompanied by a gallery project designed by the Modern’s education staff.  Admission is free for participants of the program.

Due to popular demand, the Modern is starting a new series this spring for teens age 12 to 16 age of 12 about Andy Warhol.   Andy Warhol:The Last Decade,  is designed and led by the collaborative efforts of the Modern education staff. The program includes tours, group discussions, and gallery projects and concludes with a studio project.

The Modern will again host summer camps in 2010 for young artists – ages 5 through 13.  These camps emphasize learning through direct observation of art and thoughtful art activities inspired by the current exhibition. This introduces students to some of the complex and challenging concepts and practices behind modern and contemporary art.  Activities will include everything from art making in the traditional sense to interdisciplinary exploration.

More information on all these programs can be found on each museum’s website.

Have I missed anything fun? Please add it to the comments below and I will update the article.

Bowling 101

Nicholas went to a friend’s birthday party at Main Event in Lewisville and he tried bowling for the first time. He got some pointers from Daddy. The lanes had the bumpers up to keep the kid’s balls from going straight into the gutter. I don’t think anyone kept score. It was just a lot of fun!

After bowling, the kids enjoyed Spider-man cupcakes and some video games.

Over The Rainbow

We woke up to a rainy day. From what I’ve heard it will probably be rainy most of the week. We like playing in the rain but sunshine is definitely more fun. We decided to talk about rainbows in hopes that the rain would go away soon.

We talked about the color of light. Is it really white? No, light is made up of wavelengths of colored light, specifically 7 colors – red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet – the same colors seen in a rainbow. Nicholas was having a hard time remembering the colors so I started writing out “ROYGBIV” on a sheet of paper to show him a trick to remembering them. I was about half way through writing this and he asked, “Why are you writing the first letter of each color?” I was surprised that he had caught that. We talked about how to use this to help him figure out the colors in order. I didn’t think it would really help him but I wanted to at least introduce it to him so it would be familiar to him. However, he did use it later to help him recall the colors in order.

We talked about what is needed in order to see a rainbow – light and something like water or a prism to separate the colors. After a storm, the sun comes out while there are still raindrops in the sky. The raindrops reflect the sunlight and separate the individual colors. Since the rain drops are curved, the rainbow appears curved in the sky.

We used a flashlight and a prism to reflect the light on a white piece of paper so we could see all 7 colors in light. Then we each made our own simple rainbows with styrofoam, pipe cleaners, and craft beads. I tried to neatly lay out all of our supplies but that didn’t last long. How can a 5 year old possibly resist not sticking pipe cleaners into styrofoam?

The project was super easy and we had fun. I cut each pipe cleaner in half and we each arranged the pipe cleaners in order of the rainbow. Then we each counted out 10 craft beads in each color, strung them on the coordinating pipe cleaners and slid them into the styrofoam.

I love projects like this that work the fine motor skills in his fingers. Great exercises for developing better writing skills.

Well, it’s still drizzly outside with no rainbows in sight. I think we’ll just make the best of it and go splash in some puddles!

Surviving a Snow Day (or Arctic Blast) 101

As a child I used to beg, beg, BEG the newscaster to issue those glorious words on snowy days…”School is CLOSED!”

Even as a teacher, I used to silently pray that I would see the name of my district appear in the list of closings due to inclement weather. I am not too proud to admit that even as an adult I did a dance of victory when school was canceled on those snowy days.

Now, as a parent to two active children, I am starting to understand the bittersweet nature of a snow day.

Sure, on such days we do not have to hurry out the door to preschool. There are no lunches to pack or carpool lines to navigate. No one will notice if the family lives in their PJs for the entire day.

On the other hand I have two young children to keep entertained indoors without losing my mind. That is no easy feat some days, my friends.

When frigid temperatures and cold winter weather strike, be prepared with indoor actives that will keep children occupied and parents sane.

• Host a birthday party. Have children plan a birthday party for their favorite stuffed animal or toy. They can draw invitations, create party decorations and then cook (with a parent’s help) a tasty treat for everyone to enjoy at the animal’s party. Be sure to sing “Happy Birthday” and have a candle for everyone to blow out!

• Bring the sandbox indoors. Playing in the sandbox is not merely limited to the summer months. Place sand in a small plastic tub, toss in a few cups and small toys and let children dig for buried treasures. Turn this into a math lesson by measuring out sand in different increments, seeing how much sand it takes to fill various containers.

• “Wash” the dishes. Fill the kitchen sink with warm water and bubbles and have kids wash their play dishes. Water play is enjoyed by all children, especially when they are assigned an “adult” task like doing the dishes. Keep safety in mind with this activity. Be sure to place towels on stools where kids are standing to keep them from slipping. Also, remind them never to turn on the faucet themselves as they might get scalded by the hot water.

• Draw a map. Roll out a large piece of butcher paper (the backside of wrapping paper works great for this activity) and have kids draw roads and buildings on it, creating a map they can use for toy cars or small toys. Perhaps create a map of a town, the zoo or even Disney World. Children will love making their own map and then will have great fun playing on it.

• Hallway relay races. Even when provided with a variety of indoor activities, children still need the chance to run and play. Host a family relay race down a long hall or in a large room. Have different themes for the races, such as having to wear large shoes while running or running backward. Time each race and see who can run the fastest and the slowest.

• Get ready for Hollywood. Help children make a homemade movie by acting out a favorite book or even creating their own screenplay. Film these stories on the family video camera, download to the computer and send to family and friends to enjoy!

• Write a book. Staple a few pieces of construction paper together to make a blank book children can use to write a story about their life. Have them trace their hand, draw a picture of a favorite activity and attempt a self-portrait.

• Pull out the reserve. Hopefully there are a few Christmas presents or small trinkets tucked away that children have yet to enjoy. Pull out these new things and let children experience them for the first time.

• Go craft crazy. Rather than sitting down for a structured craft, let kids create their own. Pull out the glue, scissors, paper, string, and any other odds-and-ends and let kids put their creativity to work. Little ones can improve their scissor skills by cutting everything possible while older kids can create a host of inventions by using the materials provided.

• Make a play date. Remember that other parents are stuck at home with kids as well. If road conditions allow, call up some friends and invite them over for a winter play date. Encourage them to come dressed in their PJs, serve pancakes and hot chocolate and make paper snowflakes together. Let the children entertain each other for a bit while adults enjoy some quality conversation.

• Finger-paint with shaving cream. Pour a good amount of shaving cream onto a large cookie sheet and add a few drops of food coloring. Let kids finger paint, creating a masterpiece of peaks and valleys out of the colored shaving cream. This is a great way to help toddlers learn their colors.

• Have a dance-off. Dig through the family music stash and put on some fun dance tunes for the family to enjoy. See which family member has the best moves. This is a great activity everyone will enjoy and it (hopefully) will burn off some of the pent-up energy.

• Step into the kitchen. Having to stay indoors is a great time to bake or cook with children. Children learn about measurements, practice their stirring skills and have to demonstrate patience when helping in the kitchen with mom or dad. Baking bread is a great kitchen activity for children to enjoy alongside a parent.

How do you keep kids entertained while stuck inside during the winter months? Leave a comment and share your ideas!

Krispy Kreme

Krispy Kreme has the best donuts in the world. They melt in your mouth and have the sweetest taste around.  Of course, everything tastes better when you get to watch it being made.

We watched the batter being loaded into a hopper then squirted into the hot oil. It runs on a conveyor belt to the flipper which flips the donuts to the other side for even browning.

Then comes the best part…the glazing. The donuts go under a waterfall of glaze and continue down the conveyor to the cooling and boxing area.

Nicholas got into this crazy pose with this silly grin. We asked him what he was doing. He said that he was a statue pointing the way to the counter where people place their orders. Such a helpful little guy! I can’t believe Krispy Kreme didn’t hire his services on the spot.

Then it was time to place our order and bite into those awesome donuts that just melt in your mouth! Nicholas put on his Krispy Kreme hat and said, “Chow down!” He ate his donut then washed it down with some chocolate milk. Yum!

Spaghetti and Eyeballs…Oops, I Mean Meatballs

I made spaghetti and eyeballs for dinner. Take your basic meatball recipe and add pimento-stuffed olives for eyeballs before baking.

Arrange on a plate and add a sliver of carrot for a tongue. Shriek!!

Spaghetti and meatballs has always been one of Nicholas’ most favorite foods so he had lots of fun eating this

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