Things to Make - Land of Nod's Rainy Day Art Kit and GIVEAWAY!!!

I was pretty psyched when Land of Nod sent us their Rainy Day Art Kit to review, as it includes SO MANY projects - two "felt friends" to sew, two tissue paper art projects, a needlepoint kit, and animal molds with play clay. F insisted we wait until an actual rainy day to open the box (she's very literal). When the first rainy day finally arrived we had the girls' cousin, C, over for a playdate; this made me a little nervous as all the projects come in packs of two, but I figured that the box included enough projects that we could make it work. F and C quickly gravitated to the tissue paper art, which was wonderful - lots of fun with little adult supervision. But P decided she wanted to try the needlepoint kit. Um, I can't sew. At all. Zip. Zilch. Nada. So we tried to learn together and it was a mess. F tried too. No success. Luckily, the "felt friends" project saved the day. On the downside, I had to help P sew her dog, as she struggled with finding the holes and keeping the stitching consistent. On the upside, this was P's favorite art project ever. She carries her new "homemade" doll ("pinkie pie") with her everywhere, explaining to everyone that she made it herself.

Finally, all three kids decided to spend thirty minutes or so sculpting animals with the play clay and cut out shapes. When I looked at the clock a whole hour and a half had gone by since we opened the box. A great morning. Even if we couldn't master the sewing.

All in all I think this is a really wonderful project box, with 1-2 kids it could last a whole day. If you want to win one for your family please either (1) like me on facebook and leave a message on my facebook wall saying hi OR (2) leave a message in the comments section listing your favorite winter activity with kids, MAKE SURE TO include your email address in parentheses at the end of the message (so I can contact you). The contest ends at 8 pm eastern time on Monday December 12. Winners will be chosen on December 13th via random drawing (T picks names out of a bowl).

Things to Make - Project Ideas for Sick/Snow/Rain Days

In case anyone needs some inspiration for the sick/snow/rain days of February, here are some ideas of projects to do with kids:

For Toddlers (and Big Kids too)

1. Goo - is it a liquid? is it a solid? Always a surefire hit in our house, plus really easy to make (you only need two ingredients).

2. Homemade playdough - Obvious but fun, nonetheless. This recipe is super easy and uses ingredients you already have around the house.

3. Water painting - If you don't want to deal with too much mess, you can't go wrong with water, paintbrushes, and construction paper.

4. Never underestimate the recycling bin - toilet paper rolls and old boxes (you can stack them on top of each other) can occupy toddlers for long periods of time.

For Kids 3 and Up - Craft Projects

1. Craft table ideas- you can't go wrong with just putting scissors, different types of paper, glue sticks, markers, and stencils on a table and seeing what happens. Kids like to create. For more of a specific, focused craft construction paper ice cream cones are pretty easy.

2. Teepees and pueblo villages - A great opportunity to have fun while learning about native americans. Make some paper dolls to go in the new homes.

3. Shrinky Dinks - Timeless.

4. Cook something together - we like making oatmeal blondies, sorghum cookies, and popsicles. What's your favorite kid-friendly recipe?

5. Make some marbleized paper with household ingredients - using either oil or shaving cream. Or use watercolors/food coloring with salt and glue to create lovely designs.

For everyone:

1. Dance parties

2. Homemade forts out of couch cushions

3. Try a board game or card game (War and Crazy 8s)- my kids love Candyland, Feed The Kitty, and Briarpatch Madeline In Paris.

4. And if TV is in the plans, make it a "special occasion" with popcorn and dimmed lighting.

Places to Go - The National Building Museum (Washington D.C.)

Today's predicted high is 38 degrees and snow covers the ground - not exactly park weather. So what to do? A few months ago, I wrote a post summarizing some great indoor playareas and museums in the DC area (click here to view it), of the places listed one of my absolute favorites is the National Building Museum. First of all, it's free. Second of all, it's beautiful. And third of all, against all odds, it is kid-friendly, extremely kid-friendly. The museum hosts a playspace called the Building Zone, full of all types of blocks and building toys. Plus a playhouse. On weekends, lines for entry often form. Luckily, on days when the Building Zone exceeds capacity, the museum usually fills the lobby with tons of kids' building toys. So you can enjoy the fountains and the scenery and the kids can play and play (even toddlers love it). If you want to bond as a family, the museum has activity kits, one of which includes huge blocks to build an arch. A pretty high arch (almost 7 feet). For young kids, the arch's highlight resides in their ability to knock it down. The premises also include a great gift store and a small cafe (think snacks, not meals). And, of course, the museum hosts rotating exhibits about buildings and architecture, which I've never managed to see (though hope to visit one day). The location, down the street from the Verizon center, can make street parking difficult, but there are several paid garages in the area. For more information, click here.