Celebrate Life! ( for December 23 - 30)

To our family, this is one of the most celebrated weeks of the year, the week of Christmas. Had to have a little reminder chat with my youngest today as she went on about all of the presents she would get. I asked her what she thought Christmas was all about and she sighed, "Giving." I had to chuckle, because to a six year old at Christmas, it's not REALLY about giving to them. However, I asked her why she thought it was about giving and she came through. "Well, 'cause God gave us Jesus and he's the best gift of all!" (Feeling better about my parenting right now... LOL)

 

Merriest Christmas wishes from our family to yours this week.

A Cardboard Box

 

A cardboard box has been the topic of many a commercial (and conversation) when it comes to the creativity of children. How many times have we seen kids discard the toy that was in the box and play for days with it's container?  Never underestimate the power of a cardboard box!

There is a kid under there!

 Last week, I gave my children 84 cardboard boxes to play with so that I could observe. My kids are 6 and 12, so my experiment was powerful to watch as even my tween was entranced by stacking, building, and crashing.  They were both excited with the multiple ways they could use them.

The holidays are here and you will soon find your home with cardboard boxes... I challenge you to gift them to your kids and see what creativity blooms. It's pretty cool to watch.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Celebrating Life... one day at a time.

I aplogize for the lack of posts this last week. I was practically bedridden due to a supplicated rib in the back. MISERY with a capital M and sadly, everything hurt... including blogging. Thanks to my hero husband, I recieved excellent treatment and chircopractic care and am on the mend. I am just taking it one day at a time.

With the tragedy at Sandy Hood Elementary this last week, it brought to light for me the importance of celebrating every day with those we cherish. Kisses and cuddles and "Love You's" should be given in abundance and so should celebrating everyday. Even if it's a silly.... maybe especially because it is silly.

With that, here is the upcoming week of little reasons to laugh and spoil eachother followed by some suggestions from your Kaleidoscape Play Studio crew. God Bless. <3

December 17th - National Bake Cookies Day!
Could this day come at a better time of year? What a great little way to spend the evening with you Littles than baking (and eating) cookies! And... if you make too many... GREAT! Give them away as gifts! LOL ! Did you know that the English word "cookie" is derived from the Dutch word "koekje," which means little cake? Turns out that Dutch bakers used to test oven temperatures on small amounts of batter so that they would not waste the entire cake mix if the temperature wasn't right.

December 18th - National Oatmeal Muffin Day!
Whole lotta bakin' going on this week! Now I personally LOVE oatmeal raisin cookies the best of all; how far off can and oatmeal raisin muffin be? HMMMMM. With cream cheese? I'm just making suggestions here...

 

OR... you could make these: Winning Recipe Oatmeal-Raisin Cupcakes, Orange Cream Cheese Icing and share some with us! LOL

 

 

 

December 20th - Go Caroling Day!It doesn't matter if you remember all the words or not. Just bundle up, take a themos of hot cocoa for the kids (more for the adults if you choose) and go sing as much as you can to the neighbors and call it good. It's not done as much as it was in my childhood or even teenage hood... (is that a word?!) but I still think that carol singing has a place in our cultural and social psyche. Not sure what to sing? Click HERE!

 

 

December 21st - National Flashlight Day!How FUN is this?! We plan to turn out all the lights and play hide and seek with flashlights!

In case you didn't know, the flashlight was invented in 1898, and the biblical quote of "Let There Be Light" was on the cover of the 1899 Eveready catalog, advertising the new flashlight! A flashlight by definition is a small portable lamp usually powered by batteries. Hmmph. Who knew?

Build It Tuesday - Hanukkah Inspired!

One aspect of my job is checking on Pinterest for inspiration and I must confess, I have been WAITING for months for this day! One of the best Duplo builds I found was this idea to create a menorah for Hanukkah. I must give credit where credit is due though! Click here to find the dreidel lego ideas as well!

On a side note... I am not Jewish, but to me the Holy Days of Judaism make a lot fsense and I've always been intersted in them. (Well... and kugel!)

In Honor of the festival of lights and the miracle of the oil Happy Hanukkah

Ways to Celebrate Being Alive This Week!

There are a lot of ways to show your family that you love them and celebrating the little things is one of those ways. We try to give you assistance here on the blog-o-rama to do that.
Okay, so, let's serve up silliness for the week of December 3 - December 9th!

 

 

December 4th is an fun day!
Santa's List Day AND Wear Brown Shoes Day. Well, well, well!
Regardless of your thoughts on using the Naughty List to bring on better behavior, some days just call for an emergency "Santa probably wouldn't care for that" reminder! Here is a great tool you can use or not... http://www.portablenorthpole.com/home

As for brown shoes.. you are on  your own... but fortunately, you still have tomorrow to pick up a pair if you need!

 

December 5th is Bathtub Party Day

This is bound to be a hit for your kids, so consider carefully. Will you do bubbles, make faux-hawks with shampoo, create bathtub paints with this recipe from Pepper Paints or... fill the tub with as many rubber duckies as you can find!

December 6th is Mitten Tree Day
Odd? Yes. But... consier the book The Mitten Tree by Candace Christiansen about a lady who sews mittens for kids who don't have them. She leaves them on a tree and donates them anonymously to those in need until she runs out of yarn.

Hmmm.... do I feel a mitten giving mission coming on?



December 7th is Letter Writing Day
We double dog dare you to actually WRITE a letter and mail it today. <3 Sure... it can be to Santa.


December 8th is National Brownie Day

Hooray!!!! What a GREAT day!!!
Whether you make them with the kids, or they get made in secret, the key here is to EAT them!

And just so we are all on the same page...
no one really cares if you make 'em from a box.

 
  December 9th is Christmas Card Day, so we are thinking... this is a pretty great day to send 'em out if you haven't already! Here is ours! Merry Christmas to your family from ours. <3

 
 

Build It Tuesday - A Bridge to Creativity

 

Creating towers and buildings with legos and blocks is a timeless pastime. Adults and kids alike can't resist stacking at least a few together. Have you wondered how your child SEES their creations?

 

 
Are they simply creating a miniature world,
or do they see something...

BIGGER?

If you consider how crushed they get when it's time to dismantle and put the toys away, you might be seeing evidence to that. 
I'm not suggesting that we leave every Lego tower standing,


but it does give us pause to admire their work a little more closely. Just food for thought...

Feel like reading more about building with Legos... Right or Left Brain Lego Builders  is a good read too! Build on families... build on!

And Toy Tuesday: Lego Learning!

Now, armed with all that brick knowledge...
let's build a bridge!

Celebrating Life from Nov 26 - Dec 2

All the ways you can just celebrate the fact that you are alive for the upcoming week and a few humble suggestions as to how you might do that. Enjoy the little things... they ARE the big things.

 

Monday the 26th - Mustache Monday AND Shopping Reminder Day

It is your last chance to don a mustache and recieve 10% off your dinner at any Don Jose's in Alaska for Mustache Monday! This applies all day and statewide. If you don't have a mustache, just ask your server and they'll hook you up!

In addition... just a friendly remider to shop... and shop local.

Tuesday the 27th - Pins and Needles Day

Interesting to find out that this day actually has two meanings, when so many of these random holidays have no history on their origin! So, you can tuck one meaning into your random bit of knowledge pocket and then celebrate with us by giving a holiday gift hint to someone so that they are on pins and needles! Or... create something using pins and needles.

 

Wednesday the 28th - Make Your Own Head Day

This is a perfect sculpture project for you and your kids. Try papier' mache, draw a picture or sculpt out of Play-dough and remember... there is no wrong in art.

Friday the 30th - Stay at Home Because You Are Well Day

Here you go... a bona fide reason to play hooky! We don't know if it will fly at work, but if you have the opportunity to take the day off for some much needed family fun, we highly recommend it!

Saturday the 1st - Eat a Red Apple Day
Apples are delicious. Apples are nutritious. That's a great combination. It is really easy to participate in this special day. Your mission today, is to pick an apple among the many varieties, and eat it.

A little apple trivia: The science of growing apples is called pomology.  

Sunday the 2nd - National Fritters Day

If you live in Anchorage, I fully believe that a lunch or dinner date at the Sourdough Mining Company is in order. That way you can celebrate by eating the BEST corn fritters in town with honey butter! YUM!

 

If not... give the recipe a whirl!

Ingredients:	3 eggs 3/4 c. creamed corn 1/2 c. canned corn, drained 1 3/4 c. flour 3/4 c. sugar 1/4 c. half-n-half 3 tsp baking powder
Directions:	Mix all ingredients, then drop by large spoonfuls into deep fat fryer. Fry until golden brown. Serve with honey butter. Mmmm!
	Personal Notes: We devised this recipe after a night at "The Sourdough Mining Company" restaurant in Anchorage. They serve what they call "world famous korn fritters". I think we came pretty close! If you're ever in Anchorage, this is an Alaska experience and food worth stopping for!



Build It Tuesday - Thanksgiving Style

I love to create... with all sorts of stuff. I always have. Today my job was extra fun, because we are introducing a new element to our online programming with Kaleidoscape Play Studio...

Whether bricks or blocks, it is my belief that building is experimenting with three dimensional art. Plus, it's satisfying! 

 

So, Builder K and Builder J set to work this morning to come up with some fantastic Thanksgiving creations for you and your kids to build. Of course, OUR kids were at school while WE built these!  Happiest of Thanksgiving to you and your family from Kaleidoscape Play Studio.

 

Mmmmmmmm! A golden Thanksgiving turkey!
(Hey, use your imagination here and admittedly, I need more brown legos.)

 

Turkeys - Still Life
(Before and after)

 

Mayflower & Pilgrim
(Notice the rough water!)

Ways to Celebrate November 19 - 25th

We love to celebrate life at Kaleidoscape Play Studio and one way we have been doing that is to post the upcoming week's random holidays. In order to truly celebrate them, we feel a little more notice might be needed on your end AND... perhaps some suggestions. We know life if busy with finding mates to socks, figuring out what's for dinner (those kids like to eat every single day!), and just fulfiling your purpose in life - whatever that may be.

So, we've taken next week's list of wacky holidays and searched out fun ways to celebrate them. <3

 

 

Monday

Kick of the week by headed over to any Don Jose's in Alaska for Mustache Monday! If you live in Anchorage, you can meet us at 6pm for dinner and if you wear a mustache... you get 10% off! This applies all day and statewide. Just tell them Kaleidoscape Play Studio sent you!

 

Tuesday the 20thUniversal Children's Day is a real day! Even Wikipedia says so! (giggling) This day is filled with history and meaning, but we feel it's a day to really celebrate and appreciate the kids in your life. You know them best, but these are some sure fire ways to make them feel loved.

 

• Wake them up in a special way today. Confetti and a sign is our suggestion!
• Let them pick the dinner place today. Buck up if it's Chuck E. Cheese, or some equally obnoxious place; it's one day.
• Do something silly just for them... have a nerf gun war, have a dance party, wear mustaches to dinner, paint with your feet, etc.
• Don't underestimate the power of your undivided attention. Children crave attention, so whether you snuggle, read them a book, play a game or just goof off, this is a #1 way to celebrate your kids.

Wednesday the 21st

World Hello Day It’s the perfect excuse to make your office, school or bus journey a little bit friendlier and you can join in simply by greeting ten people. If you wanted to take it a step further, you could make little Hello cards and hand them out or learn to say hello in diferent languages.

 

Thursday the 22ndTwo ways to celebrate in one. It's obviously Thanksgiving, but also Go For a Ride Day! Will you go for a ride to Grandma's for dinner? Ride your bike? Take your dog for a ride? (Ours loves that!) After dinner, celebrate by whizzing by as the wind blows in your hair. Get up, get out and go for a ride!

 

Friday the 23rd

You're Welcome Day! We think it only makes sense to have a You’re Welcome Day after a day of Thanksgiving! You’re welcome is a polite way to respond to thanks and implies that the other person is welcome to request additional favors.  This is a great way to practice manners!

 

 

Saturday the 25th
Yummy... National Parfait Day! Did you know that the word "parfait" means "perfect" in French? It’s no wonder that this dish makes a perfect snack, meal, or dessert! American parfaits are made by layering ice cream or yogurt with granola, nuts, yogurt, fresh fruits, and whip cream. Whip up your own version to celebrate National Parfait Day!



Busy Busy Busy!

We have just been crazy busy with bringing Kaleidoscape Play Studio to fruition. There is paint on our walls, the floor is about to be demolished and so much more! Sadly, all of these great improvments to the space have left the blog un-manned. So... that said, we need to get a handle on things here!

We saw this today from our FB friends at Anchorage Macaroni Kid and HAD TO SHARE!
Enjoy the giggle and we'll talk soon! MUAH!

Family Fun Friday - The GREAT Pumpkin

Starting something new here... I usually post some family friendly on the Kaleidoscape Play Studio Facebook page on Fridays, but I want to take that a step further. I want to help you have some family fun and give you a list for next week too! That way, you'll be ready to make some family fun a week early. (In theory)

Fortnuately, today's Family Fun Friday project is rather timely and you may need to do it anyway! Let's talk pumpkins! Whether or not you celebrate Halloween, finding joy in a pumpkin is easy. They are round, orange and super tasty in a pie! That said, this article does feature how to DECORATE a pumpkin.

So, first things first! If you decide you want to do some traditional pumpkin carving, PLEASE take the time to click here and read some Pumpkin Carving Safety Tips! But we are thinking after reading this... you may opt out of knife weilding with your kiddos and take one of these fun ideas instead.

First up... yes, I'm going there. MUSTACHE PUMPKIN!

Super simple tutorial here!

 

Next on the No-Carve-Menu, RAINBOW PUMPKINS!  

 

Neon + rainbow = amazing.

 

These pumpkins are also very kid-friendly, as all that's involved is acrylic paint (no hot glue or spray paint).

 

An egg carton served as our paint holder, with different colors in each compartment. Using a different brush for each color will keep them from mixing.

White Artist's Loft brushes worked well. The square brush gives you a straight edge.





A few coats of paint will probably be necessary to get good, thick color. When you're putting one color next to another, wait for the first to dry before starting the second.

One way to easily get in all the shades of the rainbow is simply to paint small pumpkins in different colors. This looks great, and is super simple to do.

Rainbow Pumpkin Ideas from here! Best Hallwoeen Ever!

Nine More No Carve Ideas!

1. Use hot glue or stickers
2. Masking tape
3. Glue cardboard words and spray paint
4. Duct Tape
5. GLITTER!!!
6. Patterned pantyhose
7. Pushpins
8. Decopage and add ribbon
9. Use Mr. Potatoe Head accessories



We LOVE this toy! (Like, REALLY!)

Part of our goal at Kaleidoscape Play Studio is to bring play elements that everyone wants to play with. We fell in love with the Perplexus mazes and actually have all four! Although they were purcahsed for the Play Studio, we couldn't resist them and opened them up!

 

There must be something pretty special about a man who can come up with a toy that appeals to so many age groups, that is durable and visually stimulating as well as completely addictive. Michael McGinnis is the inventor and developer of exactly that; the Perplexus. Michael is not only a sensational toy-builder-man, but also a sculptor, painter, art installation-er, and a host of other things…our kind of guy for sure! Michael has said how the development of the Perplexus was something of a dream, as he developed his long term passion of creating beautiful designs into something practical that could be enjoyed by numerous people, and thus a great business venture.

 

With eleven siblings and thirty-three nieces and nephews, as well as two children of his own, all of whom are cut from the same creative cloth that he is, the development of his invention may have been partly a result of creating something for the people he loves.

The Perplexus (formerly known as Superplexus) is a 3-D ball-in-a-maze puzzle or labyrinth game enclosed in a transparent plastic sphere. By twisting and turning the sphere, players attempt to maneuver a small steel ball through an intricate maze composed of 100 steps along narrow plastic tracks. Additionally, some of the steps involve dropping the ball into a cup or through a small rim to take advantage of its three-dimensional nature. There are obstacles of varying difficulty that must be navigated in order to reach the end.

We got our all of our Perplexus mazes at Over the Rainbow Toys and we are tickled to put the official KPLAY stamp of approval on them!
Reference Links
An Interview with the Perplexus Inventor
Wikipedia

There are NO mistakes in art.

If you get me chatting about art, I will eventually share my theory of creativity with you. Basically, I believe that everyone IS creative and that we ALL share that same gene. Now, before you argue, "Jennifer, I am so NOT creative!", let me explain.

 

As tiny children, we all color and create with abandon. Scribbling and fingerpainting to our heart's content; not worrying about the final product. Back then, we created for the fun of it. It's not until one day when you are showing your art to a "grown-up" that you heard, "Cows aren't suposed to be purple," or "Oh, you didn't stay in the lines," that you begin to second guess your self expression.

 

I dare you to challenge that way of thinking! There are no mistakes in art. NONE. If you "mess" up, just use it to embellish or start again. Trust me, you were made for this.

Create image credit: Tangram SM Store

Chairs... they are for people! Y'think?

Kaleidoscape Play Studio is currently hosting a Call to Artists for Chair PARTY, (click the title if you haven't heard about it yet and with this sudden awareness for inspired seating, I am giggling at the many ways that chairs have wriggled their way in my silly point of view.

 

Wikipedida says:
A chair is a raised surface used to sit on, commonly for use by one person. Chairs are most often supported by four legs and have a back, however, a chair can have three legs or could have a different shape. A chair without a back or arm rests is a stool, or when raised up, a bar stool. A chair with arms is an armchair and with folding action and inclining footrest, a recliner.
A permanently fixed chair in a train or theater is a seat or, in an airplane, airline seat when riding, it is a saddle and bicycle saddle, and for an automobile, a car seat or infant car seat.  With wheels it is a wheelchair and when hung from above, a swing. A chair for more than one person is a couch, sofa, settee, or "loveseat" or a bench. A separate footrest for a chair is known as an ottoman, hassock or pouffe.

Really now? Interesting...
Then, my mom sends me this little video produced by Facebook with the comment, "Chairs, lotsa chairs" and she's right... there are lots of chairs and I love it!



Who knew chairs were so interesting and for people too? (giggling)
I know... crazy girl writing here. Thanks for believing in my weirdness.

Mustache Monday Explained!

It is possible that you may have noticed on our Facebook page that we have an awful lot of silly mustache photos and particularly on a certain day of the week. You may be wondering, "What's with all the mustaches?!"

Allow me a moment to explain.

By nature, I am attracted to all this silly and I love to laugh. I all love alliteration, so when the concept of Kaleidoscape Play Studio was created (<<< example of alliteration) the idea of Mustache Monday was born. I just think it's so splendid to see all these people donning handlebars for the sake of silliness. (<<< another example of alliteration)

That's pretty much it. Turns out, there isn't a mystery or an obsession with facial hair... just one person making a difference in her corner of the world. <3

alliterational·lit·er·a·tion     noun
The use of similar consonants: a poetic or literary effect achieved by using several words that begin with the same or similar consonants, as in "Whither wilt thou wander, wayfarer?"

You're are gonna get in troooooouble!

True story:
For years I had an art studio in our house. It was a joy, full of creative mess and open space. I had eight bar stools in there for years, but one summer, on a whim I decided to alter my plain-o chairs. Now, let me set the scene for you...

So first thing, I do NO prep work at all.
I just start to paint, alter and create!

I begin painting the first chair and my oldest comes downstairs and stops in her tracks.
"What are you doing? You're are gonna get in troooooouble! Daddy's gonna be mad at you."

And I start laughing. "Honey, they are my chairs, Daddy won't mind if I paint them."
Dubious, she said "Well, I don't like them. I won't sit in them and I'm NOT helping you."

Of course, I got the giggles and continued on my project. When Daddy did come home, he liked them and then OH! Suddenly, she has a favorite! (See the pink one in the middle?)

So, now that we are opening a play studio, I want to bring that same whimsical element to the space. While I don't doubt that I could do a whip out some chairs for the space myself, the point of Kaleidoscape is to draw our community together. Wouldn't it be more fun to feature twelve extroidinary artists as a permanant exhibit within the Play Studio as a collaborative effort?
So, I'm hosting a call to artists...

Allow yourself to be inspired by kaleidoscopes, playtime, fun, kids, birthdays, party (any of those, not nessecsarily all of them!) Artists may select a sturdy chair to "flip" and transform with the inpiration. I invite you to take a look at what style we are drawn to in my "eye candy Pinterest Collection of art chairs".

The collection here are just ideas found online, NOT to copy.

 Criteria: MUST still be a functional chair to sit at regular table height and be family friendly.



Deadline to submit: December 5th by midnight.
Submit detailed photos by email to: kplaystudioak@gmail.com subject: “Chair Party”​
12 chairs will be selected for the final project display.

Selected submissions will become the property of Kaleidoscape Play Studio.

Each artist selected will recieve:
Artist Credit for their work at Kaleidoscape Play Studio
A commerative, limited edition Chair PARTY calendar.
If you have any questions: please contact Jennifer: kplaystudioak@gmail.com 

This week, I am...

 

I'm going to play a game of checkers, read a comic book, plant an apple tree, invite my neighbor over for some breakfast, and drink a caramel mocha! What a week this will be!

In Search of Elephants

September 22 is National Elephant Appreciation day and you may or may not know, Alaska doesn't have any elephants living in the state. We used to have an elephant (two actually) at our local zoo. But after much controversy, she moved to California. We really miss her, but we understand that an elephant sized treadmill just wasn't enough. NO, I am not kidding!

So, with it being National Elephant Appreciation day and nooooo elephant to appreciate, my daughters and I set out on a mission. You guessed it... in search of elephants.

We made four stops today... and found elephants at each place!

As you can see, we stopped at Title Wave books looking for pachyderm... found a few picture books, but NOT exactly what we were looking for. All of those books are there still...just waiting for someone like you to take them home! Then, on to Barnes & Noble... as we had a specific elephant in mind. There, we found the stuffed version of Elmer... but no books!

 

 

The girls and I decide that we must bring Elmer home for adventures at our house and he has surfed the net to find that he is famous, had a princess tea party and painted.

The only place we found the actual Elmer the Patchwork Elephant book for sale in Anchorage was at Over the Rainbow toys! and they only have two! It is a treasured story at our house (we can't find our copy, thus the search!) about an elephant thinking he needs to change to fit in.

 

Amazon's Book Review:

Elmer the elephant is bright-colored patchwork all over. No wonder the other elephants laugh at him! If he were ordinary elephant color, the others might stop laughing. That would make Elmer feel better, wouldn't it? The surprising conclusion of David McKee's comical fable is a celebration of individuality and the power of laughter.

Elmer the elephant, a colorful character because of his patchwork hide and sense of humor, tries to blend in with the herd, but soon realizes that he's happiest just being himself. "McKee's gentle humor and love of irony are in full force in this celebration of individuality and laughter." -- Publisher's Weekly.



"Thank you for believing in my weirdness."

Kaleidoscape Play Studio is a dream coming true for me. I honestly believe that my whole life’s work has led me to to do this. Our name is based off of how when you look through the lens of a kaleidoscope and turn it, the picture changes. We believe that as our community changes and our children grow, how we play changes too! 

With paint in my cuticles and glue in my hair, I laugh that if I had a super-power, it would be transforming ordinary items into new forms. I have always said there are no mistakes in art – only room for more embellishment! I am a mother of two and a longtime Alaskan and I take pride in using that super-power of creativity for the betterment of our community. (Hmmm is that a real word?)



Creativity is my super power!

I have taught art classes based on literature, storywriting workshops, have been a fairy-for-hire and it thrills me to take birthday parties to impressive heights. With Kaleidoscape Play Studio, we just expanded the party to everday life.

One of my favorite quotes is from pop icon, Katy Perry and I used it to lead off this post, but I mean it from the bottom of my heart. Thank you, truly, for believing in my weirdness.