Making a Pinewood Derby car is a Cub Scout tradition. Our boys received their official Boy Scouts of America Pinewood Derby kit from their den leader and it included of block a wood, wheels, and specs. You can purchase additional kits at a local scout shop or buy an unofficial kit (meaning NOT approved for use at the Pinewood Derby race) from A.C. Moore and Michael’s craft stores. The scouts have a few weeks to make a car that will race on derby night.

The goal is for kids to learn about tool use and safety, collaborating on a project with a parent (or other adult), and to have fun. There is definitely a competitive edge to the event (for good or bad depending on how you look at it) since there are prizes and ranking involved. Depending on egos and kid involvement, I think the competition is driven more by some of the parents than the children.

Lots of good memories. I remember watching my brother race his car when he was a Webelo scout, and my husband was able to share the Pinewood Derby car he made with his dad with our sons. Although our boys would usually rather be behind or in front of a movie camera or planing/making props for their next show or film, they enjoyed designing their cars and learning about and working with power tools.

Having two derby cars to make and finding the time to work with each child to plan and construct the car was more of a challenge. And although our boys liked the idea of a speedy car, they seemed more into how they looked in the end. Their finished cars (see above) show their individuality.

Online you can find a staggering amount about Pinewood Derby car making and races, including videos and websites showing you how to make the fastest cars around. It seems an obsession for some.

Helpful tips when working on derby car (or any project for that matter):

• Plan to work on project in small chunks. Depending on the child or their expertise with tools, they might not have the stamina to work on a project as long as a parent does.
• Have the child involved in as much of the process as possible. They can look at their toys, online, or magazines for inspiration.
• Have them draw or draft what they want their car to look like and decide how to make the design work with the wood provided.
• Teach them about the tools they will use – what each one does and how to use it safely.
• Leave time to weigh the car. You may need to buy and embed weights in the bottom or top of car. To make your derby car the correct weight for the official scout race, you can purchase small weights at a scout or hooby shop. My husband bought sheets of lead from Home Depot, which turned out to be a cool decorative as well as functional element for one my son’s cars.
• Paint the car with acrylic craft paint and seal with a clear lacquer. Write your child’s name on the bottom and the year with a Sharpie – whether they make any more cars in future years or this is their only one, it will be a great keepsake.

Kidoinfo is partnering with Rag & Bone Bindery & Soul at Work on May 1 for a day full of fun.

• Bookbinding workshops for children
• Rag & Bone Bindery’s Spring Open Studio
• Have your portrait taken by a professional
• Buy tickets for the next KidoConversation

DETAILS

Rag & Bone Bindery Spring Open Studio and Children’s Bookbinding Workshops
Saturday, May 1 from 10 AM – 2 PM.
Workshop sessions at 11 AM and 1 PM.
Join us before you shop for a cafe style May breakfast with delicious muffins, scones, coffee and juice.
Location: 1088 Main Street Pawtucket, RI 02860 (more…)

I would like to welcome Anika Denise as a new regular contributer to Kidoinfo. The author of “Pigs Love Potatoes” and the forthcoming “Bella And Stella Come Home”  will review children’s books; new ones, well-loved classics, and overlooked gems. Anika lives in Barrington, Rhode Island with her husband, Christopher and their two daughters, ages 8 and 5.  You might know her from Barrington Books where she hosts the Thursday morning story hour.  You can read more of her children’s book reviews and story hour suggestions at www.bookmarks-ri.blogspot.com and at www.anikadenise.blogspot.com.

Today: Story Corner Friday: Lions-to-Lambs

March “comes in like a lion, and goes out like a lamb,” the saying goes, and here in Rhode Island, it seems to be doing just that. For a fun way to celebrate the month of March and the first day of spring with your children, try these seasonal story hour selections.

“Little Cloud and Lady Wind,” – Toni Morrison (Author) Slade Morrison (Illustrator)
A beautiful story by famous novelist Toni Morrison (illustrated by her son) about a little girl cloud who at first, does not want to join the other clouds in making storms that rain down on the earth. Then, Lady Wind explains that she does not always have to be stormy—she can be whatever kind of cloud she’d like. Children will appreciate the dreamy, blue-hued illustrations as well as the story’s gentle message about the connectedness of all things in nature.

“Birds,” – Kevin Henkes (Author), Laura Dronzek (Illustrator)
“If birds made marks with their tail feathers when they flew, think what the sky would look like,” says the narrator in Henkes’s lovely book about birds. With charming text and colorful paintings of birds in all their variety and splendor, it’s a perfect choice for springtime-themed reading.

“Forever Friends,” – Carin Berger (Author, Illustrator)
A simple, quiet story about a little brown bunny and a bluebird, this book contains paintings that feel like gorgeously designed wallpaper. Children and parents will find it a lovely book to see, hear and hold.

“Here Comes Gosling!” – Sandy Asher (Author), Keith Graves (Illustrator)
Froggie can’t wait to meet Goose and Gander’s new baby Gosling. But when baby Gosling “Hoooooooooonnks” endlessly, his excitement diminishes considerably. In the end, it’s Froggie who figures out how to soothe Gosling, to everyone’s delight. Any kid who’s had to contend with the noisy cries of of a new baby will relate to this sweet and funny tale.

For a fun craft to go with your springtime-themed story hour try:
“Baby Birds in a Nest”
(Ages: 3 and Up)

Thanks to the folks at Busy Bee Kids Crafts this super-cute craft project is a snap!

materials:

• Plastic egg (one half for each bird)
• Construction paper
• Paper plate
• Brown paint
• Paint brush
• Scissors
• Glue

how-to:

1. Paint your paper plate brown. If your plate has a waxy finish on it you may need to put on 2 coats of paint.

2. Now you will make your baby birds. Fold a small piece of orange construction paper, cut out a triangle on the fold, this will make the bird’s beak.

3. From construction paper cut out two wings for each of your birds. Make a small fold at the bottom of each wing, this will give your a place to put the glue.

4. Glue your beak and wings onto your birds. Most plastic eggs have air holes on them, which will look great as your bird’s eyes. If your eggs don’t have air hole, you can draw some on with a permanent marker.

5. Put some glue on the bottom of your eggs and glue your birds into their nest.

6. Cut some brown strips of paper.

7. Glue the brown strips around the lip of the paper plate.

By Mary Scott Hackman, Early Childhood Program Developer, Providence Children’s Museum

Clay and dough are sensational media for children.  It always surprises me how all-involving they can be, that a child can poke them, pick them up, push things into them for hours.  I recently made a few batches of dough for the Museum’s Preschool Friday class.  Once I placed it on the table and put out a few tools, the children were off and running.  They rolled it, squeezed it through their fingers, pressed it with the palm of their hand.  In short, they savored the experience.

What is it about these materials that grabs their interest almost immediately?  I think it’s because clay and dough are malleable and children can control them quite easily.  Each goes where it’s pushed and moves according to how soft or hard it is pressed.  The act of manipulating clay and dough feels good.  Children can play with it endlessly or they can actually form it into something.  And if they don’t like what they make… voilà, with a push or a poke, they can change it!

Last fall, in Preschool Friday, we read a story about a bear who warned his animal friends that winter was coming.  Then the children and I went to work forming critters from clay and creating an environment for their hibernation nest.  I was amazed at the preschoolers’ agility as they used toothpicks to poke in the eyes and mouths, rolled tails, and pressed into the clay to make ears.  Each creature was different!  What an amazing process – you start with a clump and you finish with a critter.  Or you start with a clump and you end with a bunch of clumps.  It doesn’t matter; it’s the journey, not the destination.

Not only can children play with clay, they can help you make dough, color it and make it smell good by adding a scent.  Follow the simple recipes below and you will be amazed at the inspiring and absorbing experiences your children will enjoy.  Using the salt dough, they can make something that, when hardened, can be painted or colored with markers.  Try the cooked dough and you can store it for up to two months to be enjoyed over and over again.  Get out a few rolling pins and plastic forks and you have a preschooler’s dream activity at their fingertips…literally!

Salt Dough
Make this dough in a cool, dry room, otherwise it becomes too soft and sticky.  If you have to store it, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and keep at room temperature.  Keep all unused portions covered.  To harden, you can let it air dry or bake it in a slow oven.

Recipe:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup salt
1 cup water

To color, add food coloring to water

Cooked Dough
This dough is a pleasure to work with – smooth and just the right consistency.

Recipe:
1 cup flour
½ cup salt
2 tsp cream of tartar
2 Tbsp oil
1 cup water
Food coloring

Mix dry ingredients in a pot.  Mix oil, water and food coloring and add to dry ingredients.  Heat on stovetop and stir until dough begins to form.  Dough will be ready in 5 – 7 minutes.  Place on cutting board and knead when warm to the touch.

The next six-week series of Preschool Friday classes at Providence Children’s Museum begin Friday, March 5.  Children will cuddle with bunnies, explore magnetism, welcome the April showers and much more. Register today!  Click here for details, including registration information and a full schedule of activities.

Public schools are taking a break, and so is Kidoinfo. You’ll find there’s more than usual going on in Rhode Island this week! Way more than what’s listed here—consider yourself lucky if you’re staying close to home.

This list is the tip of the iceberg—check our events calendar for more.

Keep in mind: many venues will be more crowded than usual. It’s wise to call ahead to confirm ticket availability or to check for cancellations.

1. In our book, number one will always be RELAXING AT HOME, with no rushing for the bus, no misplaced homework pages, and plenty of time for pancakes and coloring.

2. PROVIDENCE CHILDREN’S FILM FESTIVAL. Long films, short films, animated ones and ones with real people. None made by Disney.

3. ICE SKATE in Providence or Newport or at your neighborhood’s smoothest frozen body of water.

4. NEWPORT WINTER FESTIVAL—going on all week, with special events for children February 14th & 15th.

5. MAKE VALENTINES check the events calendar for cookie decorating and card making options or get crafty at your kitchen table.

6. INVESTIGATE BITE WEEK at Mystic Aquarium. Chomp!

7. LIVE ENTERTAINMENT all week long at Buttonwood Park Zoo—including Toe Jam Puppet Band on Monday—and it’s all FREE with zoo admission.

8. THE AUDUBON SOCIETY has richly varied special events for young naturalists all week.

9. FLIP BOOKS, STUFFED CREATURES, ARCHITECTURE and more! Classes for kids at Warren Art Spot.

10. LIBRARY TIME. Visit your favorite branch or explore a new one. Free. Many libraries have special activities planned for vacation week.

What will you and your family choose? Share your favorite places to go, things to do, and ways to enjoy a week of wintry togetherness. We love your comments and depend on them for great ideas.

By Nancy King

Do you have a system for organizing all the treasures that come home with your child from school seemingly every day? I’m not talking about the three-dimensional art work (or the 6-foot wooden plank decorated with plaster T-rex bones my daughter was “lucky” enough to walk away with after her class studied dinosaurs). No, I’m talking about the drawings, poems, photos, and other keepsakes that accumulate faster than tuition bills and late notices from the library.

My “system” thus far has been to drop everything into a paper bag from Whole Foods, with “Nursery,” “Kindergarten,” “First Grade” scrawled on the side with a Sharpie. Then these overstuffed bags get sent to the attic where they will live, in gloom and darkness, until we move to another house.

You will understand my excitement, then, when I discovered School Years: A Family Keepsake of School Memories. It’s a handy, wire-ring album that organizes your child’s school treasures for you. Starting in kindergarten and running all the way through twelfth grade, the album has pocket folders for notes, homework, report cards, etc., plus a spot on each page for inserting a photograph of your budding student-scholar and spaces to fill in names of teachers, height and weight (of your kid, not the teachers), favorite subjects, honors & awards, and my personal favorite: “When I grow up, I want to be…” (So far, my daughter has filled in “dancer” and “artist,” which means I will need to be wealthy when I grow up so I can support her.)

The questions evolve with the passing years, so instead of recording age and weight on the first day of school, the focus is “Skills I’d like to learn” and “Colleges/universities to check out.” Not so fast, please, I’d like to keep college out of the picture for me and my little dancer-artist just a bit longer…

Part journal, part filing system, and completely smart, School Years is a godsend. Now if only they’d make one that’s six feet tall for organizing dinosaur bones.

The Details
School Years: A Family Keepsake of School Memories
$19.95 Creative Toy Shop
www.creativetoyshop.com

Whether your children make valentines for their entire the class or a handful for their grandparents and best friend, giving (and receiving) a handmade valentine is super special no matter how big, small, simple, or detailed the heart is.

Making a large number of valentines for your child’s class can seem daunting, but choosing a project that is simple to oversee and appropriate for your child’s skill and age level can be fun and rewarding. When my boys were toddlers, I precut hearts out of paper or used heart-shaped doilies and let them paint or put stickers on each one.

If you need to make a large number of valentines for your child’s class, try to prep as much as possible or break down the task over several days to make it a little easier and less stressful. Depending on the size of my boys’ preschool or kindergarten class, we have had to make 40 to 60 valentines! That’s a lot of hearts!

Here’s a roundup of previous projects I’ve done with my children:

• Make a Love Box

• Colorful Hearts

• Make a Love Book

More crafty valentine project ideas and ways to celebrate:

• Make Candy cane hearts from Skip to My Lou

• Make heart-shaped potato stamps from Colorfool and use them to decorate paper for wrapping paper or a tablecloth or cut the paper into valentines. Heart-shaped cookie cutters also make great stencils for tracing hearts onto paper.

• Make a valentine garland from old cards, colored paper or felt, or sew one from fabric.

• Make heart suncatchers from kids craft weekly

Today Beth Curtin shares this fabulous craft project to do with kids. This is a great use for old magazines and the pile of catalogs that seem to come daily this time of year. Find more cool crafty ideas on her blog, Acorn Pies.

Here are Beth’s easy-to-follow intructions:

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By Beth Curtin

This is an adaptation of an American Indian skill. To do your own bead weaving, you need:

• black plastic lacing (used for making lanyards,)
• black crochet thread
• pony beads
• a shoe box
• scissors

Examine how big the pony beads are. Now cut four slits in one side of the shoe box, each a little more than a pony bead wide (see photo below). Cut four more slits opposite, on the other side of the box. Make one extra slit to fasten in the knotted end of the plastic lacing.

Now make your warp. Leaving a long tail of the crochet thread, wind the thread around and around the box through the slits which face one another. Tie the ends together on the side or underneath the box.

Tie a knot about 3 inches from the end of a long piece of plastic lacing, and slide it onto the extra slit. It will be your woof thread.

Now think about your design. Do you want a random design? Do you want to make vertical, horizontal, or diagonal stripes? Do you want to make checks?

String three pony beads onto the lacing, like this girl below is doing. Push the beads down to the loom.

Put the end of the lacing UNDER your warp threads and pull it all the way through.

Look below to see the girl’s first row of beads, and the second row ready to weave. She has positioned the beads between the threads, and is holding them up with her hand.

While holding them up, go back through the beads with the lacing, OVER the warp this time. Pull the lacing all the way through the beads for a smooth edge. Keep going until it is as long as you want it.

If you are a preschooler, you can have fun stringing beads on the lacing while the big brothers and sisters are weaving.

When you have woven as much as you want, cut the warp threads under the box, and knot the ends close to the beads to keep your weaving together.

What are you going to do with your bead weaving? Make a bracelet or a key chain? Or something else?

If you are in fourth grade or older, you can do much more complex and authentic bead weaving, using small glass beads, warp and woof made of the crochet thread, and a narrow embroidery needle to push the woof through the little beads. With a parent’s help, you can make a stronger bead loom by using a saw to cut slits on a wooden clementine box. You can also put more threads in your warp, to accommodate many more beads. You can make complex geometric and pictorial designs. Look at some old photographs of American Indian clothing to see some wonderful examples of bead work.

Beth Curtin is a Providence artist, portraitist, craftswoman, and mother of three.  She recently went from being a complete technophobe to launching Acorn Pies, a blog for children and their grownups, all because she got a new MacBook.

Photo Credit: Beth Curtin

This list was so handy last year, I decided to re-use it. Here is a summary of articles from the Kidoinfo archives that may be helpful as readers plan their month. Find craft projects, local events, and books to read, along with tips and ideas to make your holidays a little easier, hopefully less stressful—and memorable for the kids. Some of you may be way ahead of me, so pick and use what you need and please share your own helpful tips and ideas below with the Kidoinfo readers.

1. Make an advent calendar to count down the days till Christmas or buy one at a local shop (probably on sale now).

2. Mark you calendar with upcoming events and parties for school, home, work, etc. Plan which local events or family traditions you plan to participate in this year. If you plan to see a show, order your tickets and put them in safe place. Subscribe to Kidoinfo and receive our newsletter list of “Weekend Picks” in your inbox every Thursday.

3. Plan your holiday card. Find an adorable photo of your child(ren) or schedule a professional or at-home photo shoot. Buy ready-made cards or make your own. Use old magazines to make collage cards for family and teachers. I organize my contacts in BatchBook so I can easily print all my addresses on mailing labels.

4. Teach your children about the many holidays celebrated at this time of year. (Christmas, Hanukkah, Eid, Kwanzaa, Winter Solstice). Read books, listen to music, and try new foods associated with the various holidays. We have an international house—our family celebrates Christmas, Eid, and Hanukkah.

5. Make paper snowflakes.

6. Plan as a family or as a class how you will thank your child’s teacher or caregiver this year. (Gift Ideas)

7. Buy and trim your Christmas tree. I find it easier—and less frustrating for my boys—to bring out all the decorations and test all the lights before announcing that it’s time to hang the ornaments on the tree. After the decorating is done, we usually celebrate with hot cocoa and popcorn or holiday treats.

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