Every now and then I come across an idea so smart it makes me go “Doh!” (think Homer Simpson) “I wish I had thought of that!” Such is the case with Thing of the Month, a site packed with subscription based clubs in an excellent (and ever growing) selection of interest areas. Take for example the 12 month Flying Objects Club - once a month for an entire year a package arrives at your doorstep containing some freekin’ fantastic flying toy, be it a bird glider, a frisbee, a kite, a rocket, an airplane - all of which can take to the air and fly. Most of the clubs are kid-focused, although I tell you there are several I would love to subscribe to. Whether your passion is crafting, science, board games, robots, paper automata models or great toys for your toddlers there is a club for you. Come on, what kid (big or little) wouldn’t love receiving mail like this every month!
Depending on the interests of the recipient and the size of your pocketbook, you can select from 4, 6 and 12 month clubs or buy the items individually. OR if you’re a little impatient and want, say, all of the kits in the 6 month Origami Club right now - there’s an express option just for you. Below is just a partial sampling of the available clubs:
To whet your appetite, the fine folks over at Thing of the Month are offering one Junior Society member the opportunity to select any one of the beautiful animal model sets seen below from their Animal Families Club free!
Simply leave a comment on this blog post by 11:59 pm this Wenesday the 22nd. I’ll select one member at random and announce the winner on Thursday. Easy, right?
Old Mother Hubbard went to the cupboard,
To fetch her poor dog a bone.
But when she got there, her cupboard was bare,
so then the poor dog had none.
She went to the baker’s to buy him some bread;
When she got back, the poor dog was dead.
She went to the joiner’s to buy him a coffin;
When she got back, the dog was a-laughing.
She took a clean dish to get him some tripe;
When she came back, he was smoking a pipe.
She went to the out-house to get him some beer;
When she came back, the dog sat in a chair.
She went to the fruiter’s to buy him some fruit;
When she came back, he was playing the flute.
She went to the tailor’s to buy him a coat;
When she came back, he was riding a goat.
She went to the hatter’s to buy him a hat;
When she came back, he was feeding the cat.
She went to the barber’s to buy him a wig;
When she came back, he was dancing a jig.
She went to the cobbler’s to buy him some shoes;
When she came back, he was reading the news.
She went to the seamstress to buy him some linen;
When she came back, the dog was a-spinning.
She went to the hosier’s to buy him some hose;
When she came back, he was dressed in his clothes.
The dame made a curtsy, the dog made a bow;
The dame said, “Your servant,” the dog said, “Bow-wow.”
Did you know that nursery rhyme had so many verses? I don’t think I ever got beyond the bare cupboard - which brings me to the topic of today’s post. What’s a kid to do with an empty wood play kitchen? Tell Old Mother Hubbard to get her car keys, it’s time to go to the green wood grocer! We found these small appliances and pantry staples at Gummy Lump, a nicely stocked store with a funny name.
I know it’s a little earlier to discuss Halloween costumes, but when you’re a kid every day is a good day to dress up. Imaginative play can turn an old skirt into a nun’s habit or a bride’s veil, throw a pair of underpants over your head and a bath towel around your shoulders and bam! you’re a luchador!
There was a great dress up feature in the old Martha Stewart Kids magazine titled 7 Grocery Getups with how-to instructions for amazing costumes made entirely of standard household materials. I really miss Kids magazine, but fortunately a good deal of its content is archived on their site. Their editorial staff had such a great way of coordinating and presenting fun and beautifully designed projects and activities.
Along the same lines, was their take on the dress-up box - an easy to assemble, economic and highly imaginative staple for the playroom.
“From the moment 2-year-olds first slide they’re tiny feet into grown-ups’ shoes, they’re stepping into the magical world of pretend. Experts will say they’re learning another person’s point of view, but to your little grown-up, it’s simply about having fun. You can help your kids enjoy the adventure even more by setting up a well-stocked dress-up box.
The best places to get clothes for a dress-up box are the closets of grown-ups. If you don’t have much to cull from your own closet, put the word out to family and friends. Or visit thrift stores, yard sales, and discount stores, which can provide a wealth of inexpensive selections. The items should strike a balance between ones that have specific uses, such as a football helmet, and those that can have many, such as a scarf. Be sure to add plenty of accessories, and choose a wide array of styles. A great way to expand your child’s options is to occasionally swap some of the box’s contents with a friend’s. There is one item you’ll want to include even though it doesn’t fit in the box: a big mirror.”
And since we’ve been discussing Ms. Martha’s magazines, hard core fans will be thrilled to know that the intensely organized folks over at craftlog have created an index of Living archived issues. Ladies and gentleman, I give you the MarthaDex (cue angel chorus).
Finally on the subject of dress up, I want to introduce you to the amazing quick change artist Ennio Marchetto, a comedian who has created his own theatrical language mixing mime, dance, music and costumes made out of card-board and paper. What this man does with paper (paper!) will amaze and inspire you. Following is a video montage from his stage show. If your browser doesn’t support YouTube, you can view the video here.
Grandpa Herb, or the Tire Swing Man as he prefers to be called, has set about perfecting that staple of the playground - the tire swing. He built a wooden play set for his grandson but when he went to add a swing the prices stopped him in his tracks. So he started experimenting with recycled tires and after a considerable investment of time and creativity he’s come up with a really classic, safe and affordable design worthy of the Junior Society club house. It’s a huge hit in his neighborhood and now it can make your house the most popular on the block when you purchase one from his online shop My Tire Swings!
Each tire is rescued from the landfill, thoroughly cleaned, drilled with holes for drainage and coated inside and out in your choice of twenty (20!) colors with raised white lettering. You can select from mildew resistant braided rope in four color combinations, heavy-duty silver chain, poly-coated chain in four colors or chain encased in green garden hose. There are a variety of mounting systems, you can select a horizontal or vertical format swing and options like handles or an adjustable height platform for added stability. All this for under $75.
And one aspect of Herb’s tire swings that I think is really fantastic is his focus on promoting them as a tool for children with Autistic Spectrum Disorders. The sensory input of the tire’s spinning motion can be instrumental in the development of balance and equilibrium. It’s clear this Massachusetts grandpa has a good heart and is using his retirement to bring smiles to allot of swingin’ kids.
My second post today continues my love affair with the French company Vilac. “Deep in the heart of the Jura surrounded by mountains, lakes and forests, between Champagnole and Saint-Claude, Vilac has been manufacturing wooden toys in Moirans-en-montagne for more than 80 years.” The fact that this toymaker has been around since 1911 is one of the reasons I think their work has such a vintage appeal and yet the turned, smoothed, sanded and lacquered wood has a very modern sensibility. I’ve included here a sampling of their wonderful pull toys. I love the pink dairy cow above with her straw hat, cow bell and udder that sways on a little spring. Moo!
There are several great online stores like Unica Home and Oompa Toys that carry the Vilac line. For a complete stock list click here.
Once Junior has his first fix of self-propelled mobility, you’ll find yourself playing the role of enabler to a motion junkie. The trick then becomes directing his energy in such a way that he doesn’t toddle down the steps or into traffic - which is why rocking toys and ride-on push toys have long been a staple in the playroom. New on my radar screen this week is Zac and Zoe, a mom operated small business and a very nicely curated kids shop. I was especially taken with their selection of rockers and mobile toys, a great mix of classic design and modern lines. Their duck is one of the best rockers I’ve seen and the idea of a little rickshaw just cracks me up - I envision kids everywhere attempting to juryrig the family dog to this contraption.
While a fan of mermaids and anchors and hearts that say ‘Mom,’ an elementary school teacher and a graphic designer (both moms themselves) have reworked traditional tattoo flash for the shorter set. Tattoos for Tots are safe, non-toxic and temporary and better still they’re a fun way for Junior to begin associating simple words and correlating images that he’ll recognize. Great for everyday fun, teachers in the classroom, school fairs and birthday parties. Plenty of themes/images available. Each package contains two 3″ x 4″ sheets for $3.99.
Avid birder and National Audubon Society member since the age of eight, Roberta “Bobolink” Beyer has recently launched a beautiful online shop call The Fat Finch. As I understand it, Roberta created her web store as a companion to her brick and mortar store Bobolink (a type of bird and her nickname since childhood) to reach a wider audience of birding enthusiasts. But quite honestly you don’t need to be a ‘wake up before dawn and sit in a thicket with your binoculars’ type to enjoy the offerings of The Fat Finch.
Above:
Wrapping paper resembling vintage paint-by-number birds. $2.95 per sheet.
Below:
Birding lends itself to all variety of involvement, the simplest of which may be simply setting up a birdhouse, bird feeder or bird bath with your kids. I’m awful partial to the Barnhouse Birdhouse below, and it’s functioning doors allow you to either leave them open with birdseed inside or keep them closed during nesting and then open them for easy cleaning in the off season. $64.95
Tangent that leads somewhere, I promise: When I was a kid, probably eight or nine, I decided I absolutely and irrationally needed a multi-tiered, pagoda-like bamboo birdhouse that I found in a shop or catalogue. Immediately began the Christmas campaigning, and apparently my pleading worked as I later found out my poor father was up till all hours Christmas eve assembling the crazy, complicated thing. It sounds horrible when I say it, but in retrospect the idea of having a pet bird was really secondary to owning that cage. I did select a green parakeet and named him Pistachio who was a poor housekeeper and continually generated a two foot circle of feathers and seed shells around his cage. And I confess to completely panicking when he was let out of his pagoda and flitted insanely around my room. Admittedly not the most successful pairing of pet and kid. All of this to say that the adorable motion-sensor chirping birdies might be a good test run if you’re thinking about a caged bird of your own. $14.95 each.
Above:
There is also a small but fine selection of avian themed books, from classics like Owl Moon to more contemporary stories. Various prices.
I went hunting this past week for a set of Tinker Toys and after hitting up my third local mom and pop toy shop I resigned myself to delayed gratification and continued my search online…where of course I found them immediately at Back to Basics Toys. It really is a solid little shop with all manner of toys, games and craft kits. While in their ‘classic toys’ section I was delighted and horrified to find several of my childhood toys - delighted that they were still in production and horrified that I was old enough to have played with toys now considered classic. Regardless, I’m sentimental enough to risk dating myself so as to share some cool old school toys.
Lincoln Logs, $41.99 (As a side note, upon visiting the the north rim of the Grand Canyon for the first time I was thrilled to find that the cabins look exactly like Lincoln Log buildings!)
Purchased by my parents as a way to harmlessly release my excess energy, my Bozo Bop Bag lasted about a week before I managed to permanently deflate him. $15.99
“It walks downstairs alone or in pairs, it’s Slinky!” Always loved the sound it made, was a little less than pleased with the success rate at which we were able to make it actually descend the steps. $7.99
While a regular viewer of Family Affair and a fan of Jodi, Buffy, Cissy and Mr. French I did not have a Mrs. Beasley doll. I’m sure there are many little girls who owned and adored their own version of this 60’s television toy icon, personally I always found this little lady kind of creepy. Clearly I’m in the minority though as she’s back and sporting a collectibles price tag of $92.99.
I had the great pleasure of meeting balloon twister Addi Somekh a few years back at a preschool event where he was creating balloon hats for all of the students. We had such fun watching him work that I picked up one of his cards and decided to check out his web site. What I discovered was more than just info on a party performer, this was a guy passionate about his craft, someone who sees colors and shapes coming out of your head, and brings his visions to life in the form of elaborate sculptural balloon hats.
It was Addi’s friend Charlie Eckert, a photographer, who offhandedly suggested bringing balloon hats to random people around the world. Captivated by the idea, Addi and Charlie set out on a journey to create a photo art book drawn from their adventures and to prove their thesis: people everywhere need joy to survive, whether it be the Balkan States in the aftermath of war, the strife-ridden Middle East, or the forgotten jungles of the developing world. A sampling of images from their travels can be found below and many more can be found on Addi’s site which also includes stories and interviews with people they met along the way. I don’t use the word ‘inspirational’ often, but the manner in which Addi and Charlie executed their simple concept fits the bill in a beautiful way.
Photographic prints of several of the above images can be be purchased here.
In the midst of their world travels, Addi and Charlie met A.G. Vermouth, a documentary film maker and well, you can imagine where that might lead. Flash forward several years to June of 2005 and Balloon Hat, the documentary premieres. Learn more here.
Working with balloons on a daily basis, it only makes sense that Addi would become familiar with most every aspect of the inflatables, including the sounds they can produce. In the spring of 2004, he made 50 different balloon drums and then invited two of his favorite drummers to record a set of improvised duets. The results were more captivating than anyone could have imagined and culminated in the creation of the Balloon Drum Album. A visit to balloondrums.com also includes a tutorial on how to create your own set of drums, a great family activity.
Inspired to try your hand at a little balloon twisting? A good place to start is with The Inflatable Crown: Balloon Hat Kit. The kit comes with a 152-page book, a piston-action pump and 30 Qualatex balloons and teaches you how to make balloon hats with simple, full-color, step-by-step instructions, from simple but cool looking hats, to more complex ones.
Addi’s Top Ten Reasons to Make Balloon Hats
“The main purpose of any balloon hat is to uplift a person’s spirits.
Here are some common situations where balloon twisting can make a big (and fast) impact.”
1) Showing Gratitude
2) Celebrating Birthdays
3) Making Friends on the Road
4) Cheering up a Sick Friend
5) Procrastinating
6) Break into the Fashion Model Business
7) Earning Money
8) Rockin’ the Party
9) Becoming a Few Feet Taller
10) Spicing Up the Family Portrait
Join Addi’s mailing list to receive the Balloon Hat photo of the week. Or subscribe to Addi’s Inflatable Minute - weekly YouTube videos featuring his balloon hat adventures.
