Holiday Gift Guide - Arts/Crafts Kits & Supplies

I love to have things that can occupy my children that do not involve any type of a screen. Certainly, they get outside to play, but I like to have indoor activities too. One thing that we enjoy doing inside is arts and crafts projects.

I love to have both structured kits that are designed to make a specific project and assorted craft supplies to make whatever suits their fancy. Since I think that kids learn best when they can both observe and participate, I like to embody creativity myself in the form of cake decorating, creating memory boards and making things like Tinkerbell Shoes.

Here are some ideas I have for gifts for Art and Crafts:

Crayons, Paint, Scissors, Glue, Paper, etc. - For basic art projects, a good collection of school supplies can be a great starting point. I like to stock up when the back to school sales are on. Then, you can take this collection of random items and add to it to create a 'kit' of supplies.

Pipe cleaners, PomPoms, Sparkles, Glitter, Tissue Paper, Scrapbook paper and embellishments, etc. - Wander down the craft row and you will find a collection of miscellaneous things that with the addition of some creativity quickly turns into a fun-filled afternoon of crafting.

Stencils - Sometimes, the help that stencils can provide in creating a project is a great boost, especially for younger kids that are not as adept at drawing or coming up with ideas. A card is quickly made filled with flowers and hearts and more.

Learn to Draw Books - A simple to follow learn to draw book can help a child feel more confident in their ability to draw - even freestyle. There are books for all levels - from complete a drawing to recreating familiar characters.

Creativity for Kids kits - They offer such a wide array of projects and price ranges. Many of their products hearken back to my childhood - like Shrinky Dinks and Pot Holder Looms. They have kits for boys and kits for girls. Kits for the young and the old (in fact, most say they are for kids from a certain age to 99). They offer crafts that the kids can make for themselves (jewelry, bags, headbands) and gifts to give (pot holders, garden stones).

Latch hook, Needlework, Cross-Stitch, Crocheting/Knitting, etc - Whether a book or a kit, introducing the child to these activities can help them fill many hours and encourage fine motor skill development. I remember spending hours as a child, much with my cousin, creating latch hook rugs, some of which became wall hangings and others pillows. I know that (when I had time), I loved to do cross-stitch - I even cross-stitched the gifts for the parents at our wedding - a verse from a card that I recreated in a cross stitch and that we framed with a picture of us with the parents. I can remember doing cross-stitch guest bath towels and baby bibs, to give as gifts, too.

Classes - Why not give your aspiring artist/crafter a gift of enrollment in a class. Locally, there is both community education, courses at Joann or Michaels, Kids College and other groups that offer classes on different topics. There are card making classes and watercolor and photography and many more.

Not sure what the young crafter in your life might need or like, a gift card to Joann or Michaels Stores is a good option - let them choose their craft or supplies.

Holiday Gift Guide - Dress Up

Whether a Princess, a Doctor, a Pirate, a Clone Trooper, a Dancer, a Construction Worker or Superman, playing dress up is a great activity for children. There is something that is simply magical, almost transforming when a child puts on dress up clothes. It gives them license to be someone or something completely different than who they are. Sure, children can pretend without dress up clothes, but dressing up takes it to the next level.

My kids love to play dress-up. On any random day, it is not completely uncommon for them to decide it is time to dress-up. I think this is a great way for them to be creative. Plus, it is a great way to entertain them on a cold or rainy afternoon, where playing outside just isn't an option.

You don't need to have fancy stuff for dress-up. Before we had dress up clothes, I can remember tucking a baby blanket into the back of my son's shirt so that he could be transformed into a super hero. He would fly around the house and return regularly to be re-tucked. Or using a hat and a handkerchief tied around the neck to create a cowboy, who of course rode off on our rocking horse. Hats can be a great dress up accessory - plastic fire fighter hats, a Diego adventurer hat, a cowboy hat.

Then, we started our collection of dress-up clothes a few years ago at Halloween. After the events were all over (we try to maximize the number of events where the kids can dress up), we hung the costumes in their closets. We now have a Fairy Princess, a Tinker Bell, a Superman, a Darth Vader and a Clone Trooper in our former Halloween collection of dress-up clothes.

Sometimes though, we buy things specifically for dress-up play. One of my favorite places to buy dress up clothes is My Princess Party to Go. I found them a few years ago, when I was looking to get some additional dress-up clothes for my daughter. We had been to my niece's house for her birthday party and the two girls had so much fun dressing up as princesses, complete with shoes, jewelry and crowns. After watching them play, I simply had to get some princess wear for our house too!

My Princess Party to Go has always impressed me with the quality value of the product and the quality of their courteous customer service. The dresses they offer cost less than what I had been seeing at the store and the quality of the dresses have been completely satisfactory. They offer princess dresses, tutus, tiaras, wands, boas and more for girls. For my son, we have purchased prince capes and crowns and a pirate ensemble. Unfortunately, my daughter is starting to reach the top end of the princess dress sizes (for the most part they go up to a size 7) that are available at My Princess Party to Go, but she can still wear the tutus and fairy wings.

My kids enjoy dressing up and I am glad that we have a full assortment of random dress up clothes and accessories to foster their imagination. Sometimes, they will pull out a full outfit, other times it will simply be some of the accessories. I enjoy listening to the tales, describing what they are doing, "pretend that..." as they play in their dress-up clothes. Even my son, who has mostly moved beyond dress up play, still will on occasion turn into a clone trooper for a little while.

My daughter and her friends and cousins, love putting on shows for us. Whether in a Sunday dress, a princess dress, a tutu, or a dance leotard, they will come down, announce their show, asking us to sit down and will come out singing and dancing. This is another reason I am glad that we have a good collection of dress up clothes - so that there are enough for the kids and their friends.

As a mom, I like that dress-up clothes allow them to be creative and imagine. I think that pretend play and imagination are important in their development and that is part of why I recommend dress-up clothes as a holiday gift (or really, anytime).

No compensation was received for this post. All opinions expressed are my own or that of my family.

Holiday Gift Guide - Books

I think books are absolutely one of my favorite things to give to just about anybody on my list. I love to read and I am sure that is largely a contributing factor. When my son was a toddler, my friend, who is a teacher, would give me the Scholastic Book order forms for her class. I started purchasing many of their $1 and $2 special offer books each month, even though my toddler was not ready for chapter books. Over a matter of a few years, I built up a collection of books that I go to for gifting needs or when my kids just need a new book.

I could spend hours just browsing through the stacks at the bookstore, checking out the books. When it comes to selecting books for kids, I like to stick to the classics, series that I have heard of or characters that are familiar.

My daughter and I are reading the Ramona series currently. It is hard to believe that those books were available when my mom was learning to read. What's nice is that my daughter was also able to watch the movie that was out a year ago, further helping to bring the characters to life.

When she was younger, we read the My First Little House Series, which I thoroughly enjoyed. The series takes the story of Laura Ingalls Wilder and sets it into a short, illustrated story appropriate for reading to toddlers (and for early readers to read themselves). Now that she is 5, I plan to start reading the original Little House Series (after we finish with Ramona). I loved that series as a child, even dressing up as Laura one year for Halloween.

In addition to the classics, some other books that we have read and enjoyed are the Curious George books, the Fancy Nancy books, the Madeline books and of course, Disney Princesses. She also enjoys Cam Jansen and other early chapter books.

For my son, we are currently on hiatus from reading the 39 Clues books. We had been enjoying the books, but he was ready to take a break and read some other stories. We have read classics like Encyclopedia Brown and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. We have read more recent books like the Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane and the Magical Treehouse Series. One thing that I find really enjoyable about the Magical Treehouse Series is the accompanying non-fiction books. It is great to take the stuff found in the stories and allow the child to expand on their knowledge of the subject, whether it be the Titanic or Space. For school, he has been reading The Strange Case of Origami Yoda and Darth Paper Strikes Back. Recently, he also started reading some of the books by RL Stine, although not those in the Goosebumps series.

When he was younger, he really enjoyed Curious George. In fact, my daughter still borrows his books, as he is not ready to give them up and when he is asked to read for a few minutes, sometimes he will still pull out a Curious George book. The Flat Stanley series was another series that we read many books from. He has started to read the Harry Potter series, but I think that those might still best be fit for us reading together.

All of the children on my Christmas list receive a book from me each year. But, books are also great gifts for adults. I love to share my favorite books with my friends and family. When I find an author that I enjoy, I tend to read my way through their collection and then find myself waiting for them to release a new book. So, I am always looking for new authors (with limited reading time, this can be a challenge - but I am willing) to help fill in those gaps. You can check out some of the books that I have read recently on my Reading List page. This is not a comprehensive list of recent books, but does include many that I have read lately (some even have links to reviews).

Books are a great gift to share with others. I even try to make a point of purchasing a book for those in need when I am at the bookstore browsing and doing my own holiday shopping. Like I said, I love to read and want to share that with others.

Holiday Gift Guide - Building Toys and Tracks

I'm not sure what it is, but building blocks, Legos, K'nex, Lincoln Logs and the like can occupy kids for hours.

There obviously are sets out there that have an objective of building a specific item, which is a great way for them to build an item and learn to work through directions. Actually, have you ever had something built and had it break...it can be quite a challenge to rebuild it without unbuilding it first. (Another great problem solving exercise.) Building something according to directions can be a great starting point for a child that is not as familiar with the products. Once they see what you can do with Legos, K'nex or Lincoln Logs, it gives them a great spring board from which to launch their very own creations.

For our Legos and K'nex, we have both types of sets. We have those that were designed to build something and those that are meant to build anything. I love seeing the creations that the kids come up with on their own. Each child has their own set of Legos and 2 base boards, one large and one small, on which they can build houses and more. As they build, they learn a little about stability, balance and building a sturdy base - lessons that I hope will someday make the concepts learned in advanced science classes easier for them to visualize.

After starting this post, I also added Tracks to this category. We have several tracks in our house. We have Thomas the Train plastic tracks, we have a Darden Car Track (including upside down loops), we have a Hot Wheels race track and a DaGeDar Track. At first, we build things "as expected", but with time, the kids have turned many of them into their own creations (race track aside - it only goes together one way).

Last night, by way of example, my son took a portion of the DaGeDar track and used it as a launch point to activate the Toy Story Action Links and then to topple some dominoes. The set up involved a lot of problem solving. At first, the dominoes were in front of the Action Links, but quickly my son learned that the domino falling wouldn't activate the Action Links. Then, he rearranged them placing the Action Links first. Of course, this required the DaGeDar to land more precisely and we had to adjust the angle of the track a couple of times to find just the right trajectory to kick off the chain. Again, he had a target in mind when he started and used a lot of discovery in the form of trial and error and problem solving to do what he wanted to.

When it comes to our Thomas the Train tracks, we started with a basic set or two and then have purchased additional track pieces overtime, allowing the kids to make longer and more complex tracks. The kids have used the dishes from the toy kitchen to create tracks that cross over top of one another. There were bridges that came with the set, but they weren't tall enough to allow the train to run on a track underneath. I thought this was a great creative problem solving on their part to find a way to make the track high enough to allow another track to run underneath.

Building toys and tracks allow for hours of entertainment, as well as an opportunity to be creative, solve problems and stretch their minds.

Crayola High-Tech Holidays

When it comes to selecting toys for my kids, I like to try to find things that will spark their creativity. Creativity, in my opinion, is one of those things that you have to really exercise to have. Creativity really allows you to think outside of the box and is a definite assist when you are trying to solve problems. Creativity can come in many forms, it can be artistry, storytelling, problem solving, decorating, and more.

I am excited to give my children some two new Crayola products this Christmas. The first is the Crayola ColorStudio HD app and Crayola iMarker digital drawing tool from Griffin. This app turns your iPad into a coloring book. I like the idea that they have a "marker" to color with and can't wait to check it out. The other is Crayola Story Studio. With Crayola Story Studio, you can scan a photo of your child and turn them into a comic book character. You can also use your computers camera or simply create your own comic book character (think Mii). Your new comic book character will join the pages of the story alongside Spiderman, Princesses or Lightning McQueen. Once your story is done, you can save it, share it and print it. The printed pages can be colored and bound to be a book. Having watched my children as they spend time on the SuperWhy site, creating their own silly stories, I am expecting that they will both get a kick out of creating their own story, especially since they can star in it.

"Imagine your child morphing into a coloring book character and starring in a story with a Disney Princess or Spider-Man with Crayola Story Studio or turning an iPad into an interactive coloring book with the Crayola ColorStudio HD app and Crayola iMarker digital drawing tool. When kids unwrap one of these high-tech Crayola gifts this holiday, they’ll have fun, new ways to express all that inspires them!

For the child who craves action and adventure, Crayola Story Studio: Spider-Man lets kids upload a photo and transform themselves into a superhero that stars with Spider-Man in personalized comic book they create and color. A free access code inside the kit unlocks the Story Studio application at Crayola.com/storystudio. Kids can choose a super power, story-line, and one of six villains to battle alongside Spider-Man in their own web-slinging adventure. When they finish their story, they can save it, share it or print and color it. The kit includes paper, glossy cover sheets for printing comic book-style covers, binding strips and 15 Twistables® colored pencils to create three complete books. For the child who loves fairytales and wonderment, Story Studio: Disney Princesses lets kids star in a fairytale with a Disney Princess. Crayola Story Studio™: Disney Princess lets kids create fairytales starring them and a Disney Princess! Kids upload a photo to transform themselves into a character, then create a story with their character and a Disney Princess! Story Studio includes everything kids need to create personalized storybooks and unlimited coloring pages – just print, color and bind the pages. They can choose storylines from Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, the Little Mermaid, Tangled, Sleeping Beauty, and Princess and the Frog. With the free on-line access code that comes inside, Pip-Squeaks® markers and glitter glue, blank sheets and binding strips, kids create three complete story books! For the child who likes creative adventures, the Story Studio Adventure Maker: Cars 2 lets kids join the pages of a story with Lightning McQueen, Mator and the Cars 2 characters form Disney Pixar. The set includes 10 Pip-Squeak Skinnies markers, 3 Pip Squeak broad line markers, 2 Pip-Squeak glitter glue tubes, 30 story sheets, 6 glossy cover sheets and 3 comic binding strips to make three complete story books. At $9.99 for each kit, Crayola Story Studio proves that high-tech doesn’t have to mean high cost!

Remember how cool it was to receive the Crayola 64 Box with the built-in sharper as a holiday gift when you were growing up? Just imagine how excited your kids will be to turn an iPad into an interactive coloring book using burnt sienna, carnation pink and a rainbow of Crayola colors from the Crayola digital 64 Box! The Crayola ColorStudio HD app and iMarker let kids’ imaginations run wild as they color moving, animated scenes that come alive with music, sound effects and hidden surprises. The app is free on iTunes App Store with the purchase of the iMarker for $29.99 at Toys R Us, Best Buy, the Apple Store and www.griffintechnology.com. Kids can select from 64 colors in the digital Crayola 64 Box and then use the iMarker to create the look of Crayola crayons, markers, paints and colored pencils as the stylus interacts with an iPad. The digital coloring pages respond with movement and sound as the pages come alive as kids color. Animated images stop moving on the screen so kids can easily color them in without going outside of the lines, so objects look picture perfect when they start moving again. Tidy up your page with an eraser function or an “undo” arrow that removes larger areas of color. In addition, kids can save their work in a gallery to be emailed, printed or uploaded to Facebook (mom’s account, and with her permission and help of course!), and also free draw, play interactive games and create their own customized coloring pages they can print and color off-line. Recommended for children ages 3+, the Crayola iMarker includes, a set of AA batteries, and free download of the ColorStudio HD app."

You can find more holiday gift ideas from Crayola. You can connect with Crayola on Facebook and Twitter. You can also find Griffin Technology on Facebook.

Giveaway!
Thanks to Crayola and MyBlogSpark, one lucky A Busy Mom of Two reader will win a Crayola High-Tech Holiday prize pack.

The Crayola High-Tech Holiday prize pack contains:
(1) Crayola Story Studio Comic Maker:
Spider-Man
(1) Crayola Story Studio Fairy Tale Maker: Disney Princesses
(1) Crayola Story Studio Adventure Maker: Disney/Pixar Cars
(1) Crayola iMarker to use with the ColorStudio HD app for iPad
(1) Free download of the ColorStudio HD app





Giveaway will remain open through December 8. Giveaway is open to residents of the US only. One winner will be selected through Rafflecopter. The winner will be contacted by e-mail (be sure to leave one!) and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be selected.

No compensation was received for this post. I received a Crayola High-Tech Holiday Prize Pack for my family and information about the products from Crayola through MyBlogSpark. All opinions are mine or that of my family.

Drawing Pad iPad App

My son likes to draw and to color. I think he has a little bit of my dad's side of the family in him. There are a number of artistic people in my family. He does a pretty good job, when he doesn't allow himself to get frustrated and give up. I feel that the more that he colors and draws and plays, the more relaxed he will be and the better that he will do.

As such, I try to find things for him to encourage him to create. We have a few varieties of stencils that can be used for both pictures and lettering. I have gotten him graph paper to help him with the different learn to draw books/kits - so he doesn't have to sketch a grid. He has an art kit that has a number of colors and variety of materials - crayons, markers, paints, oils and more. We have coloring books and blank paper tablets.

When I was asked to check out the Drawing Pad App for the iPad, I knew that it was something that would be enjoyed by him (and my daughter too). Drawing Pad is "a mobile art studio designed exclusively for tablets". It comes with a variety of materials to create art with: "photo-realistic crayons, markers, paint brushes, colored pencils, stickers, roller pens and more!"

There is a "drawer" at the bottom that holds all the tools. Select the tool you want and it takes you to another drawer that has all the colors (or varieties - in the case of things like stickers and roller pens). Simply drag the contents to the left or right to see all the color choices. You can also change your paper colors and even include photos from your iTunes account. The eraser options range from small to big and even includes a "crumple" the paper option which starts you over with a blank sheet.

Once your art is complete, you can save it, share it and print it. There are even quick buttons to take you to Facebook and Twitter to share the masterpiece. You can save to your iPhoto Library and to your Drawing Pad Album.

When I asked my son to create a drawing that used a number of tools, this is what he sent me:

Based on this, I think that he likes the stickers and the roller pens the best. Here is what he has to say: "I like how you can pick what color background . I like that there are markers and colored pencils in so many colors. I like how you can save pages."

You can learn more about the Drawing Pad App and purchase it here.


No compensation was received for this post. A free copy of the Drawing Pad App was provided for the purposes of this review. All opinions expressed are mine or that of my family.

FyrFlyz

Recently, we had the opportunity to check out a new toy called FyrFlyz.

When you look at the toy, sitting on the counter,

it doesn't seem like there is much to it. But, when you turn on the two LED lights and head into a darkened space, you can create quite a light show.

You can check out the cool light show my 8-year old did with one FyrFlyz:


Both of my kids have really enjoyed playing with these toys. I am sure there is a "technique" to create each of the many tricks that they share on the package and on their website, but we mostly just played with them and probably never did the same thing twice. That was okay with us, we had a great time just playing.

The toy is being released this summer and should retail for under $10. Select Toys'R Us are carrying them currently, but the toy is planned for national release in August.

No compensation was received for this post. We received two FlyrFlyz through MomSelect & BSM Media. In addition, my son will receive a gift card for submitting a video. All opinions expressed are my own or those of my family.

Holiday Gift Guide - Board and Card Games

We are a game family.

For me, playing games is something that I remember doing a lot as a child. At home we would play board games and card games. I remember playing games like Scrabble and Monopoly and Clue. And, if I was playing with my brothers, there was a chance it was Dukes of Hazard or some such game.

I can remember going to my Grandma and Grandpa's house to spend the night and playing games into the evening. We played mostly a dice game or Hand and Foot, but then later played a game called Give and Take and Rummikub. I remember Sunday dinners at Grandma and Grandpa's where my aunts would play Euchre, and sometimes I would get to play too.

When my husband and I started to date, and ever since really, we have enjoyed playing games together. We like to get together with friends to play games (admittedly, this is harder with a family). We have a full game closet in our basement. Long before we had children old enough to play, we had our own copy of Pay Day! and Life. I frequently would give him a game for Christmas, when we were first married. We have games based on classic television game shows and classic board games too. Sometimes, I can even convince him to play a game of Scrabble.

Now, with young kids, we get the chance to play games with them. Lately, we have been playing Monopoly Deal, Pay Day! and Life. Last weekend, my son grabbed Cribbage and Score Four out of the closet (I'm missing a couple of pieces if anyone has extra?) and I taught him how to play both. Of course, my daughter was anxious to play a game then, so after our games, we joined her on the floor for a game of Memory, which she pointed out we hadn't played in a long time. I love not only playing with them, but also observing them playing games together - a recent favorite is Horton Hears a Who, wear they don an elephant hat and following the activity required on the card, race the timer in search of clovers.

When we travel to my parent's house, the kids get a chance to play with many of the toys I played with as a child, including some of my games. My son has tried out Chinese Checkers and a few others. In addition, my mom has shown them Shut the box and Mexican Train. When anyone visits, the kids are always eager to play games with them. One of my hopes is that when they are grown, that they too will have memories of playing games with the family.

In addition to bringing families together, games can really be a learning tool for kids as well. There is a lot to be said about learning to be a good loser and a gracious winner. It can be a very difficult concept for a young child at first, but with time, it is something that will help them in life. Of course, there is also learning to follow rules. Not that this is only seen in game play, but certainly, it illustrates on another level the importance of following rules. Games like Cranium and Pictionary also involve a creative element and can help foster those skills in children - typically with much laughter ensuing. We love games that challenge the mind too, like Blokus, Masterind and Police Blockade (you can learn more about Police Blockade here). Today, my son pulled out MindTrap. I was happy to see his interest in one of my favorite games, but knew this game was in general beyond his 7 years, but we picked through the cards and found questions that he could try to solve. I love how this game challenges you to think of things differently than you normally do. (If you aren't familiar with this game here are two sample questions from the side of the box: 1. "Picture two plastic jugs filled with water. How could you put all of this water into a barrel, without adding the jugs or any divider to the barrel, and still tell which water came from which jug?" 2. "Barney Dribble left the 'Soul-Ace Hotel' and walked toward the parking lot. Without the benefit of moonlight or any artificial light, he was able to spot his black car 100 meters away. How was this possible?" I'll put the answers at the bottom, so you have some time to consider them.)

My children have a number of games on their Christmas Wish List this year - Sorry Spinners, any of the U-Build games, the Curious George Helps the Zoo Game, Diary of a Wimpy Kid game, Chinese Checkers, and probably a few more. I think games are a gift that keep on giving and know that my kids will find a game or two under the tree on Christmas morning.

In case you are playing along, here is the answer to the MindTrap questions: 1. "First you would freeze the water in one or both jugs, and then cut the plastic away from the ice." 2. "It was daylight."

Holiday Gift Guide - An Easel

A few years ago, while shopping at Ikea, my husband and I picked up an easel for my son. It has a chalkboard on one side, a whiteboard on the other side and a roll of paper on the bottom that can be threaded through to write on it on the easel (or rolled out on the floor, which is generally how we use it). The frame is constructed out of wood. If memory serves, it cost us around $15-20 and we have gotten more than our money's worth from that easel. (I wanted to share a link but when I went to Ikea's site I can still see pictures of my easel, but I can't find it listed for sale in the products?)

I have found that our easel, with the chalkboard and whiteboard provide endless entertainment for my children. They use both the chalkboard and the whiteboard, depending on their mood, to draw pictures. They will draw and redraw pictures, until they are just right. With our easel being two sided, it actually allows both of them to draw at the same time (if they can agree to each using a different side!). I've seen them use the board to "map out" their plans for playing - showing their path from the family room to the bed room to the basement.

We have used the easel to help my son learn and practice math. The easel is also a great way to write out the words for the kids to write in a card or thank you or other note. I write it on the board and then they can copy it into the note. Not only does this allow them write their own notes, making them more personal, but it also gets them in the practice of writing thank you notes and such, as well as a chance to practice their handwriting and learn spelling. (I am certain that this helped my son to get the nice handwriting he has). Now that my son is older, he uses the board to write notes to us and we write to him sometimes too.

We also will roll out the roll of paper on the bottom of our easel and use it to make long story board type stories in pictures. We have used it to paint and to draw.

From my experience, an easel with a chalkboard and a whiteboard is a great way to allow your child to be creative and to stretch their minds.