Backyard Construction Truck Birthday

I recently discovered Mr. McGroovy's Box Rivets, which is this wonderful site that sells rivets and building plans for elaborate cardboard box creations - from princess castles to pirate ships.  They are surprisingly easy to build (according to the friends that built one), look amazing, and kids LOVE them.

I'm already thinking what I could do for my kids for their birthdays this year.  My son loves all things cars and trucks, so here's my list of what I might do if I have time:

1.  Make some Cardboard Construction Trucks from Mr. McGroovy's Box Rivets.

2.  Make some Traffic Light Treat Bags.

3.  Buy some Construction Sign Cutouts and Caution Party Tape.

4.  If my son were younger, I would certainly go for the Traffic Cone Party Hats, which are just too cute.  But he'll be five and wouldn't wear them.  So I think I'll go for Construction Hats instead.

5.  I'll get one of those great road cupcake cakes from Publix and top it off with some toy construction vehicles and these super cute Traffic Cone Candles.

6.  Then all I need are some Construction Themed Paper Plates, plain napkins, and a lot of balloons.

Thanks to the Cardboard Construction Trucks, I don't even need to plan a lot of entertainment, just let them play and have a great time.  Now, for the bigger question - how many grocery stores do I have to canvas for used cardboard boxes?

Kindle for Kids

I admit it - I am completely in love with my Kindle.  The ability of having an entire library in my purse is almost more joy than I can contain.

However, the chance of my children using my Kindle never crossed my mind until a recent trip.  My daughter was certifiably bored as we sat at one of those never-ending European lunches with friends.  She ended up playing Jewels on my Nexus One Phone, but I couldn't help but wish I had something more enriching for her to do instead.

So when I switched on my Kindle later that night, I had a look.  Did Kindle have books for kids?  Indeed, they do, and quite a decent selection at that.


Lots of books from the popular Magic Tree House Series are available as Kindle editions as are Junie B. Jones (though I haven't ever introduced my daughter to these as I think it might be helpful to learn good grammar and spelling before being exposed to the bad).  Horrible Harry and Cam Jansen: The Mystery of the Stolen Diamonds #1 are also on the list.

There are dozens of other chapter books as well as books for younger kids like Curious George's ABCs and The Poky Little Puppy.

But the absolutely best thing about Kindle are the number of books you can download  ridiculously cheap.  A few examples - Anne of Green Gables, HEIDI - Uncut Original, and Alice in Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass; A Lewis Carroll Collection.

There are also a number of titles for free, particularly classics, though be warned that most free editions do not include illustrations which may be important for younger children.

In any case, I think Kindle is a great way to always have a book for yourself, and thanks to a great selection, for your kids as well.

5 Great (mostly) Educational Shows for Kids 3-7

Yesterday I blogged about essential items to take on a trip with your kids.  Before I go any further, though, I did want to add in Liz's great comment about the Apple iPod touch 8 GB (2nd Generation--with iPhone OS 3.1 Software Installed) [NEWEST MODEL] which can seriously lighten your load by having the multi-function capacity of games, music, and movies.  It never crossed my mind and I think I'm already sold.  Thanks Liz!  For long trips, you might want to take along a rechargeable battery pack like the Maxell P-2 2-G Rechargeable Back-Up Battery Pack.

Well, anyway, as much as I would like to pretend that my kids never watched TV, never ate at McDonald's, and never ever ate candy - it's just not all that realistic.  So today I'm going through some of my favorite DVDs (some are also downloadable on iTunes as well) for kids.

My kids are really liking all things Martha Speaks.  The main character is a dog that talks and every episode centers around new related vocabulary.  One episode talked about voting, petitions, and protesting - all concepts that are not easily explained to a 6-year-old but Martha does it effortlessly and age-appropriately.  My husband thinks the dog's voice is annoying, but I suppose that's just a personal thing.

Though my daughter should technically be ready to outgrow it, she still loves Peep and the Big Wide World.  This funny, clever show teaches kids simple physics and science concepts and gets lots of laughs from the whole family.  The show is narrated by Joan Cusack, whose voice is a perfect fit for the show.

A recent find for us has been the extremely reasonable Animal Stories: The Complete 52 Episode Series.  Produced in England and winner of a BAFTA award, these cartoons retell Aesop's Fables through animals.  My children have watched it five times straight so far (which is normal for a four year old, but more rare for an almost seven year old).  The stories are great for teaching character and honestly, this is a LOT of DVD for $5.99.


Though my kids have past these, we loved the Leap Frog series of phonics and math concepts.  My son learned all his letters and sounds at 3 without having to work on them from Leap Frog - Letter Factory.  My daughter, who preferred sight reading, finally started sounding out more often from Leap Frog - Talking Words Factory.  Take that, camp that says TV can never be educational!  They also liked Leap Frog - Learn to Read at the Storybook Factory, Leap Frog - Talking Words Factory 2 - Code Word Caper, and Leap Frog - Math Circus.  Some of these DVDs are currently selling for under $5 so they are a great bargain as well.

Last on my list isn't all that educational but it is fun and involves one of my favorite childhood storybook characters - Huckle Cat.  My children adored Hurray for Huckle: Zooming Around Busytown and watched it over 5 days of driving across country (all the grain fields they missed in Kansas!).  The series has several other titles as well.

All this said, that's not to say my children never watch Bakugan or Ben10.  But I try to limit it.  Oh, shoot, I left it on the kitchen counter! and that sort of limitation.  I figure banning things outright will only make them more exciting.

Now to my real dilemma, and I'd like to hear from readers.  What are your favorite educational shows for kids 7 to 10?

Checklist for traveling with kids

I've traveled with my kids a lot (14 international flights, 1 cross-country trip, + countless smaller trips), and by now I have a list of must haves for the plane:

1.  Food.  Plane food is never good, but add a picky eater and a long flight and it's a recipe for trouble.  I always try to buy snacks that can hold up to temperature changes and squished overhead compartments (forget chocolate and fig newtons).

2.  Game system.  For the younger set, the LeapFrog Leapster 2 Learning Game System - Green and for older kids, the Nintendo DS Lite Cobalt / Black is a great system since there are actually some educational/brain games available for purchase.

3.  DVD player.  I really love the 9" SONY Multi Region Code Free Portable DVD Player ALL ZONE DVD. DVD Region 123456 PAL/NTSC 100~240V 50/60Hz 6 Hour Long Lasting Battery, DIVX, XVID, AVI Multi System PAL/NTSC/SECAM because it is dual voltage and multi-region (which is great for expat families).  You can use it on the plane, in the hotel, buy DVDs in France while you're there and still use them when you get home, for example.

4.  Activity books.  My kids' favorites are the wonderful Doodles series, like Oodles of Doodles: Over 200 Pictures to Complete and Create, which adds a creative element to the standard coloring book and Best Travel Activity Book Ever (Backseat Books) by Rand McNally, which is a great value for money at $3.95.

5. Books.  The secret with books I think, is to buy a really great one and get your kids to read a chapter or two before you travel.  Sometimes it is hard to get into a book until you pass the first couple of chapters and the ants-in-the-pants syndrome that usually accompanies kids on planes doesn't help.  So buy something fun like A Mouse Called Wolf or Maybelle in the Soup and get them started on it before traveling.

6.  For Really Little Kids.  When my son was very small, he was terribly hard to entertain on the plane.  He would watch some movies, but at 2 he was too little for the Leapster and has never liked to color.  For kids like him I'd suggest pop-up-books and books with activity like Inside Freight Train   [INSIDE FREIGHT TRAIN-BOARD] [Board Books] and Trucks Go Pop! (Pop Up Books).  Sets like the Matchbox Handy Manny Worksite Pop Up Adventure PlaySet are lifesavers too and easy to pack.  My kids never had the LeapFrog Tag Junior Book Pal but it looks like it might be a fun travel tool as well.

What are your favorite travel tools and tricks?