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?"