A Johnny-cake is a small flat cake (akin to a little pancake) made out of cornmeal, water and salt. They were widely eaten in the U.S. in the 19th century.  Johnny-cakes are called hoecakes in the South. The folk tale "Johnny-cake" is almost the same story as "The Gingerbread Man" except that a Johnny-cake is the...

Cinnamon Ornaments smell great!  They’re very easy to make and are a nice early Christmas gift to give.  I made ours in somewhat neutral shapes so people could keep them hanging around the house for the yummy smell after Christmas.  We made stars, crescent moons, hearts and trees.  Below you can find the recipe for...

MP3 of Twinkling Bugs  (Recording of 1st & 3rd Verses) Twinkling Bugs When the sun sinks under the world’s red rim, And the river fades till its shores are dim. And the trees are dark where the shadows lie,   Then they go by, ...

"Little Snowflake" is a poem about Christmas by Hannah More Kahaus (1745-1833).  You can listen to an mp3 recording of it below and read along with the poem. MP3 of Little Snowflake Little Snowflake Little snow-flake, soft and white, Drops down in the silent night ; ...

This is cool… Radial symmetry is where an organism has almost identical looking parts if cut into a pie.  Only the top and bottom look different.   The sea anemones in this print display radial symmetry. The video below shows how to create radial symmetry artwork.  It helps teach kids this scientific concept. Check out how cool it is! Image...

Here’s the colorful poem "The Sky Was" by E. E. Cummings (1894 – 1962) with an mp3 recording… MP3 of The Sky Was The Sky Was the      sky            was can    dy    lu minous...

This French song about a church bell ringer is amusing! I guess it’s because we’ve all been in the situation where someone around us was making noise that we had no control over.  Below you can listen to the mp3 recording of the song, read the original French lyrics along with an English translation… MP3 of...

Here’s a fun illustration called "A Tour in the Toy Country" by British illustrator Randolph Caldecott (1846 – 1886).  Caldecott illustrated many books for children.

There’s a sense of joy in making a Halloween costume for your child… not to mention the pride you feel when you see them wear it. The site No Twiddle Twaddle has links to 50+ easy to make Halloween costumes for kids that you don’t have to sew! Enjoy!  Mama Lisa

MoMA Unadulterated is an unofficial audio tour created by kids about modern art at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. "Each piece of art is analyzed by experts aged 3-10, as they share their unique, unfiltered perspective on such things as composition, the art’s deeper meaning, and why some stuff’s so weird looking." Here’s...

Dav Pilkey is the author of the Captain Underpants series… which gave both my son and daughter (and my husband) hours of pleasure.  In the video below, you can see him drawing Captain Underpants while explaining how reading gives you superpowers!

"A line is a dot that went for a walk." –Paul Klee (Artist) What a great quote! Here are some videos based on that concept… Here’s an animated one… Here’s one where the dot goes from one kids drawing to another… Enjoy! Mama Lisa

One way to teach children about both art and nature is to bring them on a trip outdoors and create Land Art.  Monique from France chaperoned a trip last year and sent these ideas and photos of land art to create with children… How to create land art: 1,  Use stones and dead wood to create...

The poem My Bed is a Boat reminds me of being a kid and playing with my friends on the couch pretending it was a rowboat.  What fun! You can read the poem below and listen along on YouTube videos.  There are 3 renditions: the 1st is recited, the 2nd is sung as a lullaby, and...

In the past we’ve posted many versions of The Hearse Song that our readers have sent in.  Recently we received two versions that somewhat differ from the others.  They were sent by Richard Smith.  Here they are: My mother taught me this approximately 1954…   Did you ever think when a hearse went by That someday it may be...

Cocoon above! Cocoon below! is a poem by Emily Dickinson. Below you can listen to it while reading along… MP3 of Cocoon above! Cocoon below! Cocoon Above! Cocoon Below! Cocoon above! Cocoon below! Stealthy Cocoon, why hide you so What all the world suspect? An hour,...

Recently, we talked about the French good luck charm dolls called Nénette and Rintintin that are made out of yarn.  In a second post we explained how to make the yarn dolls.  Here we present a 2nd way to make them. This version of the Nénette and Rintintin dolls won’t have a tuft of hair at...

Recently, we talked about the French good luck charm dolls called Nénette and Rintintin that are made out of yarn.  Here you can learn how to make them. Supplies Some Yarn (including a piece of red or pink yarn for the mouth)  5 inch...

Nénette et Rintintin were originally toy dolls for children that were first produced in France in 1913.  The boy doll is Nénette and the girl doll is Rintintin. In the tradition of romance in France, they’re seen as a couple! When WWI came, people started making little Nénette et Rintintin dolls out of yarn.  They were...