Growing Up Creative

Giveaway announcement

Thank you for all your comments, It was a lot of fun and truly inspiring reading them.

Congratulations Cynthia I have some markers going your way.
Cynthis’a comment: “My kids like to use them for t-shirts. And using them to make pendants the coating them with Mod Podge. Love them!”

I am sure you and your kids will have fun using them

Tali

How-to: a dreidel from an Acorn

When Zoe came home from school last Friday she was super exited. She rushed and opened her bag to show me a dreidel she made in class. Once she pulled it out I was as existed as she was. I am not sure what made me more existed the fact that Zoe understood the brilliance of this dreidel and wanted to share it with me so I can share it with you, or the simplicity, natural, easy to make, clean looking, and super spinning dreidel Zoe just showed me.
So here I am sharing this super easy tutorial with you.

You will need:

1. Acorn shells (smaller ones work better)
2. Modeling clay, you can find in any craft store. You could probably replace it with self hardening clay but I haven’t tried it.
3. Matches (the ones with the square section that come in a drawer box)

Yes, that’s it.

How to:

• Break a small piece of the modeling clay and shape it to an elongated ball.
• Stuff the clay into the acorn shell; give it a little shape at the top.
• Place a match in the center of the modeling clay. Face down. 
• spin, spin, spin

 
What do you think?
I hope you have acorns in your area. Enjoy this.

tali

Spinning tops - Bits and pieces from around the web

 

spinning tops made of skateboards

Japanese spinning tops via notcot
 

The biggest and finest selection of wodden tops I found at puccimanuli via elephantine

The drawing top


KleinReid for Herman Miller spinning set (for the designers in you)
optical mixer tops Designed by Ludwig Hirschfeld-Mack
 

The Spinning Top & Yo-Yo Museum of Tops


Texas dreidel

I think I can see you smile...
Enjoy
tb

Give away - oil based Sharpie paint

One of the simplest ways to spark creativity is a new box of paints.
In our case it was a box of sharpies, I should be more precise and say a BIG box of oil base paint sharpies, which are permanent markers that can be applied onto almost any surface, yes...you heard read me right.
this box kept us drawing and going the entire afternoon and more... 

As promised, some of it is going to one of you:
Medium Sharpie Paint markers (oil base) in red, yellow, white, black, blue
Fine Sharpie Paint markers (oil base) in red, yellow, white, black, blue, orange, purple
Medium poster paint (water base) in fluorescence orange yellow and green

I would love to read your ideas for using the markers, so please leave a comment. I will draw a name for the giveaway on Monday, November 29th.

Good luck
tali

at this moment

It is 10pm,
all my girls are sleeping, even Oren is sleeping.
Q u i e t… I love it, I can actually hear my self think.
The second part of my day is about to begin: Making some coffee, going over emails, finding a wonderful email from Bubbie (one of my readers). Thinking of the package I got from sharpie (more details about that tomorrow), getting ready to start the day night.

Good night
tali

The Chanukah story animated - 'like'

I found this via modern tribe.

G-dcast Spins Chanukah! from G-dcast.com

More Torah cartoons at www.g-dcast.com

tali

Chop chop – using scissors

I printed a photo of the girls to give as a present to their great grandfather, he is 84 today.
Ori jumped immediately asking to trim around the picture so it would fit in the frame. I had a very long day, and my energy level where very low (the 5 o’clock crash), so my first response was ‘NO’; because it’s easier to do it my self rather than reprint the photo. Ori insisted and I snapped out of my ’NO’ mode and was happy to watch her cut straight lines so well. I admit, I forgot how well she can cut. When she was much younger she used to cut things all the time, chop chop paper into tiny little pieces. After mastering paper she focused on her hair as some of you may remember.

Cutting is an important skill, when kids can’t cut it can lead to major frustrations which can lead to tantrums, something we all try to avoid.
If your child can’t cut very well, or is at the beginning phases of cutting here are some tips of helping them master their cutting skills:

1. Start by using the appropriate size scissors
2. Make sure your child holds the scissors properly
3. At first have the child practice on cutting play dough
4. Cut some drinking straws (you may use the cut pieces as beads and string them into a necklace) 
5. Move to heavy weight paper, empty cereal boxes are great for that.
6. Ask the child to cut along straight lines or large shapes.

An important note:
Allow your child to advance at their own pace.

Make sure to explain how to use scissors safely:

• When passing scissors make sure you hand the handle part to the other person and not the blade.
• When walking with scissors hold the closed blade with a feast 
• Never run with a pair of scissors

tali

The Chanukah box

Last week I pulled it out. A bit early I admit, 4 weeks before its time, I needed it for a post I was writing for kveller.com. On the outside its nothing fancy, a little beat-up shoe box, held together with a rubber band. But on the inside….a bundle of family memories. This will be the third year we have it, so I guess it is ok to call it a ritual - our Chanukah family box.
 

In this box I collect all the holiday chuchkes that we have been playing with or making over the 8 days of Chanukah (well…almost all of them).
Every year there is more going into the box, every year it is more exiting to open it.

1. 2 clay menorahs
2. holiday cards
3. stained glass window decor
4. the dreidel game sack (a favorite) with some chocolate Gelt
5. the hovering experiment
6. the foil ornaments
7. paper strip dreidles

Chanukah is only 3 weeks away; you may click on any of the links above for a detailed tutorial.

tali