With a big cardboard box, the possibilities are endless.

If you don’t want to wait until the next time you need a new dishwasher, TV or large object delivered to your house in a cardboard box, visit your local appliance shop and they will be happy to supply you with one. Cut a door opening in the box and you can make a clubhouse. Turn it over to make a boat or car. Do a little more cutting and you can make a puppet theater. Or let your kids’ imaginations run wild.

DIY
This blue submarine is made from the two boxes our new toilet was shipped in. We cut holes in each box, matched the holes up and taped the boxes together. We cut another hole in the top. The box already had a front flap for the boys to get into the submarine. In about twenty minutes they were off on their submarine adventures. The submarine got moved around from room to room for days afterward.

The boys did not tire of playing in it but I confess I got a little tired of looking at the brown cardboard toilet box. The next nice day, we brought the box outside and found old paint in the basement from their bedroom walls. The boys and I had a blast painting the box. It dried quickly in the sun. Their favorite part was decorating it with paint and their handprints.

In the end, the boys’ adventures are just as fun in plain cardboard or a blue submarine. Since I am a visual person, I personally like the blue submarine best.

Ready-Made
• Pop-up a ready-made cardboard house. My Very Own House available at Target.

more
• Cool Moon Rocket Playhouse shown is designed by Isa Pini.
• Rockets, houses and more at Paperpod Cardboard Creations.
• Search Flickr.com for more cardboard inspirations.

by Janice O’Donnell, Executive Director, Providence Children’s Museum

I couldn’t have been more than five or six, yet I remember vividly the night my mother roused me from bed to see the kittens being born. Crouching in that dark closet, whispering, we watched mama cat lick clean those tiny bundles of fur and marveled at the miracle of birth. Another childhood memory involves finding some interesting looking cocoons on a ramble through the woods and bringing them home to add to my “nature collection.” They hatched some days later and my room swarmed with miniscule praying mantises. (I thought that was pretty cool, but my mother was not pleased.) I remember digging up earthworms in the garden, watching hermit crab masquerade balls in tide pools, keeping tadpoles in jars until they grew legs and turned into frogs. And there was the summer we rescued baby bunnies whose nest was exposed after the haying. We made them a cozy bed of rags, grass and cotton and used an eyedropper to feed them warm milk. Two died, but one grew big and strong enough to be returned to the wild.

(more…)

Summer is only half over-that means there’s still plenty of time for more great beach days! Have some fun while you’re there with beach games from Katy Killilea. See more of her games posted earlier. Kidoinfo would love to hear about your favorite beach games-improvised or otherwise!

SOFT SERVE
Equipment: none
Players: one adult, one child (or as many as you have).
How to: The children get in a line ten or so yards away from the adult. One at a time, they call out their “flavor” and race with all their might toward the Soft Serve Machine (the adult) who spins them around until everyone is excessively dizzy. If the child adds “with hot fudge” to their flavor, the spinning end with a toss into the water.

OCTOPUS
Equipment: no equipment
Players: one adult (The Octopus) and some kids.
How to: Perpendicular to the edge of the sea, draw two parallel lines with your toe in the sand. This is the Octopus Swamp. All children start on one side of the Swamp and run across together. The Octopus must stay in the swamp. Any child the Octopus can catch gets dunked in the water.

SLEIGH RIDE
Equipment: beach towel
Players: one mighty adult puller, one rider.
How to: Have the rider sit at one end of the towel & scoot a little toward the center. The puller holds the long end of the towel by the corners and runs like crazy. This is esprecially fun if you have space to do lots of twists and turns and figure 8s.

Until recently I only knew Beatrix Potter (1866-1943) as the author of one of my favorite childhood books, The Tale of Peter Rabbit. This classic story about Peter Rabbit leading his three sisters, Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cotton-tail on a mischievous adventure, their encounters with Farmer McGregor, and finally their safe return home captivated me as a child.

As I learned more about the author, I find her talent and determination to follow her passion inspiring. After receiving many rejections from publishers, Beatrix decided to print The Tale of Peter Rabbit herself, and it first appeared in 1902. This much-beloved book has since become one of the most famous children’s stories ever written, and it has certainly become bigger than life when you consider all the merchandise it has spawned. Whether you like it or not, you can find Peter Rabbit on everything from clothing to switch-plate covers.

I am also intrigued by the secret code Beatrix developed so that her diary writing would remain private. It was not until years after her death that her code was cracked, revealing her strong opinions on various artists and politicians of her day. I also tried to keep my diary hidden as a kid, for fear my brother or someone else would find it and reveal all my inner thoughts.

Today is Beatrix Potter’s birthday. Celebrate this wonderful author by sharing Peter Rabbit and his friends with your kids.

• Read stories by Beatrix Potter.
• Learn more about Beatrix Potter’s storybook characters on the official Beatrix Potter website.
• See Beatrix Potter’s artwork. It might inspire your kids to draw their own pictures, or take a hike afterwards and try to identify the nature outside.

My boys and I recently took the day to explore Warren, RI. I love this town and don’t get there as often as I’d like. Although there are many great places to explore with or without kids, here are few highlights from our adventure.

We met up with Katy (Kidoinfo’s Grocery News and contributing writer) and her two boys and had a picnic at the Warren Town Beach. This is a great spot – a bit of sand and water for castle building and swimming (when allowed), lifeguards, restrooms, picnic tables, and a playground with more seesaws than I have ever seen in one park. Parking is $5 for non-residents.

Katy, the master of improvised beach games, came up with another great game. She picked an obstacle course for the kids to follow (e.g. run across the plank, touch the tree, spin around on the swing while saying the alphabet and come back). She timed all our kids and a few others that joined the fun. Each kid got a number of turns and had a blast. After Katy left to take her kids to a birthday party, my boys and I checked out the town of Warren.

Blount Seafood Market (406 Water Street). Check out their bargain bin. Large bags of extra soups left from special orders sell for $4 (usually $9-$14 a bag) – what a deal!

Ship Playground (corner of Water and Baker Street) next to the Wharf Tavern. This tiny tucked away park is shady and a great place for pirate adventures. My boys were happy captains!

Imagine - Ice Cream, Gift and Toy shop (corner of Main and Miller Street). I call it the purple cow because of the building color and the cow theme. You can’t miss the restored historic Lyric Theatre, as you head down Main Street into Warren. Great selection of ice cream and toppings. I like that you can order a kiddy size. Be warned the ice cream bar is surrounded by shelves of candy. For me, seeing all the candy was a nostalgic trip down memory lane but some kids may go into overdrive. I was tempted to buy myself the pop rocks candy and an atomic fireball – maybe next trip. There’s a great toy selection upstairs, but be warned you have to pass by many fragile gift items to get there—not so easy to access if you have young kids in tow. Parking out front is reserved for Dunkin Donuts customers. Parking is available on the street and in the church parking lot off Miller Street.

While on Main Street you may also want to check out some shoes, food or coffee. Jamiels has a great selection of kids shoes. Feast or Famine offers fabulous pasta and wood-grilled pizzas in a casual kid-friendly atmosphere. The Coffee Depot is large and comfortable and mellow – perfect for sipping cocoa while reading and/or doing a puzzle.

On Thursday Nights (4-8pm), check out the Warren Farmers Market - food, fine art and festivities at the Cutler Mills (corner of Cutler & Child Street).

Kidoinfo’s new contest is for the mom who’s looking to get her groove back and for the baby who will groove along with her. Mom gets a fabulous workout by trying Stroller Strides free for a week.

And when she’s not strolling with other moms and their babes, she can groove to and read along with the Whole World CD and book from Barefoot Books. Plus her baby will look hip and colorful in a Kidoinfo onesie. Finally, show that your family is part of our Kidoinfo family with a bumper sticker! Click here to register.

Eric Carle recently celebrated the 40th anniversary of his first illustrated picture book, Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? On National Public Radio, he discussed the sources of his inspiration and his passions for color, life, and book making. Listen to the author and artist talk about his work while viewing a slide show of his art on NPR.org. And read more about Eric Carle on his birthday.

Preorder your copy of Eric Carle’s last book, Baby Bear, Baby Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr. and Illustrated by Eric Carle from The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art. Release date is August 21, 2007.

My six-month-old is very distracted during nursing. We can’t seem to make it through a feeding; what can I do?

This is a common concern for parents. Beginning around five to six months, babies can become very distracted while nursing. As your child is more aware of his/her surroundings it can become more difficult to figure out whether they are done nursing, or just interested in a little bird outside the window.

One tactic is to nurse in a dark room–no music, no chatting–just you and baby. Some women opt for making or purchasing “nursing necklaces” with large beads or charms on them. This way the baby can play with the necklace while feeding, and stay more attentive to the breast. The necklace is only used during feeding sessions.

Another option is to have an intense play session right before nursing and then retreat to a quiet place. This approach should allow the baby to have the best of both worlds. Lastly, try nursing before your baby is fully hungry. If you are used to nursing every three hours, try offering the breast at two and a half hours. It may be that the desire to eat is so intense at three hours that your baby has trouble settling down to nurse. If you are concerned that the distraction is leading to diminished eating by your baby, talk to your pediatrician about other possible causes.

Kelly LaChance-Guertin BA, CCE, CD (DONA), CLC, has been a birth and postpartum doula for the past five years. She is currently a certified birth doula through DONA (Doulas of North America) and a certified childbirth educator. As the co-owner of Bellani Maternity and the mother of two, she experiences first-hand the struggle of balancing work and family, as well as the realities of raising children. Visit to learn more about Kelly’s one-stop resource for pregnancy and parenting.

by Michelle Riggen-Ransom

Nothing tastes better than food fresh from the garden, especially when it’s grown and harvested by your own proud kids. Now is the time when summer’s bounty is reaching its peak. If you have a garden, you probably already know that little hands make the best weed pullers. And collecting the first peas, beans, and radishes of the season can make for enthusiastic, productive fun (with a delicious end result!). Kids of all ages can help with these tasks as well as watering, thinning seedlings, and as is the case with my preschooler, ensuring any found backyard earthworms or ladybugs are swiftly transferred to the garden to perform their “good bug” duties.

Some easy edibles for kids to grow in our planting zone (zone 6-7) are peas, beans, carrots, tomatoes, sunflowers, pumpkins, squash, and cucumbers. While it is a little late in the season to start most of these in a home garden, you can still use pots to grow an impressive array of herbs, peppers, and lettuces that, with proper care, will keep producing through the cooler months of fall. Sites like kidsgardening.org and eartheasy.com have some great suggestions for age-appropriate gardening projects, as well as a wealth of other information on gardening with children.

In addition to providing your family with food, nurturing a plant from seed to table teaches kids about the life cycle of plants and how they interact with their environment. “Children enjoy the whole process of gardening,” says Rey Ann Garcia-Mills, owner of the Montessori Centre in Barrington, where gardening is a popular part of the curriculum. “They like experiencing everything from preparing the soil to interacting with the insects and animals that visit the garden.” Whether started indoors and transplanted to a garden or sown directly into the soil, seeds undergo an amazing metamorphosis that should impress even the most jaded pre-teen video game junkie. Gardening can also foster an interest in cooking, as you and your kids discover new and creative ways to serve your harvest. Tomato ice cream, anyone?

Gardening connects children to their food in a way that can be challenging when shopping in today’s mega-mart grocery stores, which are filled with processed, artificially flavored and colored options. Rhode Island has a wealth of road-side produce stands, Farmers’ Markets, U-Pick berry farms, and other great places to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables. Allow kids to learn where food really comes from and encourage them to be involved in the growing process and they just may grow up to be lifelong healthy eaters.

Related Reads:
Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert (ages 2-5)
Jack’s Garden by Henry Cole (ages 3-9)
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodges Burnett (ages 9-12)
Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots: Gardening Together with Children by Sharon Lovejoy (all ages)

Nature/Nurture, written by Michelle Riggen-Ransom, is a twice-monthly column with ideas and information to help kids and their families engage with the natural world in fun, interesting ways. Share your thoughts and explorations by adding your comment below, or contact us with your story ideas.

Have you ever made green eggs and ham?

My boys (both age 5) are going through a particularly picky food phase. In our house we currently have two boys like Sam’s friend - just by the looks of some food, they decide they will not try it. When they were about 3, and eating everything in sight, my pediatrician told me not to worry about their LARGE appetites - they were storing food for later. He said there would come a time when they slow down and become more choosy. I was a bit skeptical, but then kids do change their minds daily. Now we have come to that time.

Although my boys like ham this month, I am not sure they will go for the green eggs. But Dr. Seuss certainly has a way with kids…Get creative with cooking for and with your kids. Green Eggs and Ham Cookbook by Georgeanne Brennan and illustrated by Dr. Seuss goes beyond green food coloring and makes cooking quite creative, fun and scrumpdillicious.