FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Stay Busy this Summer with Melissa & Doug’s “Virtual” Camp Camp Sunny Patch begins Monday June 4, Online May 30, 2012 – Wilton, CT – To kids, the start of summer means freedom and fun! But to parents, planning summer days can be daunting. How can we give kids the adventure they [...]
Val’s Crafty Corner: Welcome to Trunki Town!
May 18, 2012 by
This creative play activity is brought to you by Melissa & Doug, written by our Blog Ambassador Valerie Deneen. Come roll with us! –Valerie Looking for a simple idea to get the kids outside this summer? This recipe for summer fun could not be any easier, yet it inspires imagination, creativity, and plenty of active [...]
Val’s Crafty Corner: Beaded Necklaces for Mom
May 11, 2012 by
This creative play craft and activity for Mother’s Day is brought to you by Melissa & Doug, written by our Blog Ambassador Valerie Deneen. Make a beautiful bracelet or necklace for Mom with this pretty bead “bouquet!” – Valerie These beaded necklaces are so much fun to make, and they would be such a special [...]
5 Pre-Writing Skill-Builders
May 3, 2012 by
Build hand, arm and shoulder strength. Encourage your child to draw, paint and create on a vertical surfaces–like an upright easel, the walls of the bathtub (try watercolors or bath crayons!), or a refrigerator or magnetic board. This position helps strengthen hand, wrist and shoulder strength, all of which are needed for writing. Strengthen fine motor [...]
(More!) Tricks for Developing Language through Play
May 2, 2012 by
This educational activity is brought to you by Melissa & Doug, written by our Blog Ambassador Amy Mascott. Playtime should be full of fun, but it’s also a super time to sneak in some language learning! Did you totally dig the last Language & Play post? Sure you did! Here are two more tricks for [...]
5 Creative Play Ideas with Stickers
March 22, 2012 by
The Neverending Story Game: All family members can participate! On a blank piece of paper, the first “player” puts a sticker down and describes the scene, beginning the story. The next “player” adds a sticker and adds to the story, continuing the general story idea. This goes on until you run out of paper, ideas [...]
3 Uplifting Bubble Games for Kids!
March 20, 2012 by
Bubble Colors: Add food coloring to bubble solution to create colorful bubbles! Bubble Painting: Using the colored bubble solution described above, blow your bubbles onto a piece of poster board or card stock to make bubble art. Bubble Races: Hold a contest to see who can get a bubble from the starting line to the finish line without [...]
Val’s Crafty Corner: Farm Blocks + Sidewalk Scenes
March 16, 2012 by
Sometimes a little change of scenery is all it takes to make an old toy seem like new again. That’s exactly what happened with our Farm Blocks Set, which the kids have had for quite some time, when we took it outside and added a bit of sidewalk chalk!
TeachMama Talks: What IS Reading?
March 13, 2012 by
This fun and educational activity is brought to you by Melissa & Doug, written by our Blog Ambassador, Amy Mascott. Learning can be fun! With Maddy in second grade, Owen in Kindergarten, and Cora in pre-K, I’m finding more and more that our time together after school is one of my favorite times of the [...]
