Summer Fun Mini Themes: Hogwarts MiniCamp Part 3

I think it's pretty safe to say that we are ALL (adults included) having a great time at Hogwarts MiniCamp! We've entered into our second week here and the young wizards have been very busy. (So has Professor McGonagall, aka: your's truly, who sometimes must also take on the dual role of House Elf and tend to tasks in the home, kitchen and across campus.) We've had a lot of imaginative play and free exploration and some more organized "lessons" as well. Potions Class has been a favorite here by far. Here's a peek at some of our latest concoctions:

Bubble Bubble, Toil & Trouble: You really can't go wrong with baking soda and vinegar here. Add in some color (we used red, yellow and orange liquid watercolor in our vinegar), some glitter (because, why not?), and some unique containers and tools (we used plastic cauldrons, "stirring wands" [chopsticks], various glass bottles and jars, pipettes, glass flasks and dessert cups, tiny dessert spoons and various pieces from a metal tea set I use in our dramatic play area here) and you've got yourself the perfect setup for Potions Class. It's the perfect backyard adventure for any wizard in training or budding scientist. We called this Potions Practice Class since I really just let the boys have at it in their own way rather than giving any formal instruction. It was colorful. It was bubbly. It was messy. It was fun!

 Polyjuice Potions: We love the magical feel of Hogwarts and we also love science. Especially on a Monday. A friend of mine told me about her kids' lava lamp experiment at a virtual camp last week and I decided I had to try it. I've heard that if you take an alka seltzer, you'll feel better fast. Other than that, I had no idea what that stuff is used for. (Antacid and pain relief, apparently...) But here, it's used for polyjuice potion lamps and in today's Potions Class, the boys made their very own. You can see a variety of ways to make a polyjuice potion lamp (aka: lava lamp) here from STEAM Powered Family. We made the glow in the dark version using tonic water, vegetable oil, food coloring (each of the boys chose two colors) and alka seltzer tablets broken into pieces. We first set up and tested the polyjuice potions in daylight at our dining room table. Next, we took them, along with a UV flashlight into our dark bathroom with the door closed. 

Disclaimer: If you are the parent of boys, you may not want to take a UV flashlight into your dark bathroom. I'm going to need therapy. Bleach and therapy.

But the glow in the dark Polyjuice Potions were so cool!

Meanwhile in the kitchen...
S has an incredible eye (and memory) for details--especially edible details. He has truly been the inspiration and brilliance behind much of our curriculum here at Hogwarts MiniCamp. Among his contributions to the agenda were "a feast" and "the cake Hagrid makes for Harry Potter that he doesn't get to eat." So last week, I conjured my inner House Elf and cooked up a feast for dinner. It was a pretty kid friendly and low maintenance feast of homemade pizza, cut up fruits and veggies and soda for a special treat (enjoyed inside a Harry Potter cup with a swirly straw, of course). We used the "nice" dishes, set out some place cards and even had a special dessert of "butter beer pudding and biscuits" and some "Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans" (butterscotch pudding and jelly beans).

There may have also been some chocolate frogs... You can see below a scene that never quite made it into any of the Harry Potter movies:

There certainly isn't any doing things half way here. Y takes the "school" component of Hogwarts so seriously (as he so misses school right now) that he often wears his backpack and Gryffindor tie all day! And everyone was particularly diligent about eating our themed Shabbos dessert this past week. As someone who really stinks at decorating cakes, I relished the opportunity to recreate this one!

We'll be back with more BIG adventures from our mini camp soon! Until then...

Happy Playing!

A Day for Play, the Fairy Tea Party Way

What do you get when you mix your finest dishes, a porcelain teapot full of apple cider, toys across a dining room table, four sets of fairy wing costumes, playdough and three kids ages 5 and under? A disaster waiting to happen.  The perfect Fairy Tea Party!

And indeed, last Thursday we participated in the International Fairy Tea Party, an annual event held worldwide each year around the time of the Autumn equinox to celebrate the wonder of play. I first heard about this a couple of years ago during a conference and this year I decided we would participate in our own little way. This sounds like the kind of thing I could totally get carried away with, but since it is a busy time of year with school, pending holidays and the start of my new outdoor Storytime playgroup (which also got to celebrate a bit with some traveling mud-kitchen play last week), I needed to keep it short and simple. So instead of having an elaborate spread and 368 activities to go along with it, I set out what we had in the house along with some little fairy toys for small world play at the table (yes, at the table!) and a couple of simple activities. And you know what? It wasn't the most planned and prepared party I've ever thrown here, but it was just perfect for us and for the occasion.

My children understand that fairies are "made up" and "pretend." Most children do differentiate between real creatures and fictional ones. It is still so much fun for them to play and wonder about. Perhaps it is because they are so small and children can feel so big. Perhaps it is because you can't see them. Even adults have taken a liking to fairy gardens and houses and here we have little spaces indoors and outside to imagine, wonder and play. In some ways, leaving little setups for the boys to discover (and C when she's a bit older) and for them to alter and rearrange is like passing little love notes between one another. And now that our days are filled by school and other activities, having a little celebration on a Thursday is another lovely way to say "I love you" on an otherwise ordinary day.

I did make one little investment for our fairy tea party and that was a family set of "fairy wing" costumes from our local Dollar Tree store. Once we returned from picking up S at his school, everyone arrived home to find the table set for tea! The "tea" of choice was apple cider, a perfect way to welcome Autumn on a rare but welcome cooler day here.

Even C got in on the fun!

The "spread" was simply some tea biscuits we had on hand, strawberries and some pound cake we also had at home, cut into flower shapes with cookie cutters (which, incidentally was a lot harder than it sounds). The boys are always ready for a snack when S gets home from school and although I do set out a platter each day for them to help themselves, it's not usually full of sweet treats and served on our nicer dishes. This day was definitely special.

And every little fairy needs a home. I thought it might be fun since we were already playing at the table to make some simple edible fairy houses using the tea biscuits and some frosting. Oh, and sprinkles. Definitely sprinkles...

S got quite into this and took some creative license...

Y was mostly interested in eating his fairy house before much building could be completed!

S built a boat house for his fairy!

When everyone was done eating, playing and building (and eating again), there was a fun and simple playdough invitation set up at the kids' table. I took advantage of a major discount on playdough after all the back to school items went on sale in a local grocery store. At 30 cents each, this was a good investment since I did not have time to make playdough that day. I set out some wooden peg dolls with eyes drawn on that we'd used for another activity at one point, the playdough I had and some cookie cutters, plastic knives and rolling pins. I made a little "sample" fairy and the boys had so much fun using the materials to dress and undress and dress their fairies again. Then they began to make their fairies snacks and cakes and other tasty treats.

S has already asked to do this activity again for Purim. And great minds do think alike--I had thought the very same thing as I was setting this up!

I like to think that play is something we celebrate here every day. I am quite lucky that each of the boys have teachers and schools who value this as well. They don't come home play-deprived and having sat at a desk all day at their young ages. They do come home pleasantly exhausted! And home needs to be a place to settle into after a long and fun-filled school day. It's a place where they can let their guards down a bit (and they do) and also a place where they can determine the pace. I feel like (at least for now) we all need a bit of a slower pace in the evenings and some time to connect and unwind. This was such a fun and simple way to do that.

And while I would like to say that I always have our afternoon calendar blocked out only for play, sometimes it's overfilled and there just aren't enough hours in a day. There are afternoons here where I can only describe S's behavior as "frantically playing." He loves kindergarten. He is also so eager to be home and play with his toys. He is also aware that there are only a few hours left before bedtime and there is so much still he wants to do. He is busy from the moment he comes in until he crashes in a heap of snuggles in his bed. Y has a bit more time at home for now, so he tends to be a bit more evenly paced. He also tends to be really tired and grumpy by time 4:00PM hits. C is quite alert in the afternoons and evenings and will eventually fight tooth and nail to stay awake before succumbing to slumber sometime between 8 and 10PM... And having a day blocked off on my calendar, International Fairy Tea Party Day, means that I consciously made time and space for each of the kids' energy levels and play needs. It means that I designated this time to connect with them and play along as well rather than pacing in and out of the room as I tried to unpack backpacks and repack lunch boxes... And I realize that I, too, am in need of that time to play. In fact, I hope I will make the decision to block off an afternoon on our calendar a bit more often!

Happy Playing!

Play With Your Food: Our Family's Return to the Dinner Table

I will admit it. I have had it up to here with my resident particular eater. Not because I don't fully resonate with it--I was a notorious "picky" eater growing up and so was my husband. And not because I have concerns for his nutritional intake overall. My resident particular eater is the epitome of one of my own favorite childhood storybook characters, Francis in Bread and Jam for Francis. He will settle on one or a few foods for his meals and eat them daily until he grows sick of them. And that is where my feelings came in--empathy for the struggle he must feel when his relationship with yogurt for lunch every single day goes sour or his once beloved cheese toast loses its appeal. It's not anything particularly sensory related. It is somewhat of a control desire. And it probably also is somewhat related to anxiety over trying new foods, although he is not averse to trying other new things in life. Nonetheless, I want to meet his needs around food--both nutritional and emotional. So I decided to make some changes here and start playing with our food.

And by changes, I don't mean a complete diet overhaul. Heck, even I couldn't stomach that. And by playing with our food, I don't necessarily mean tossing mashed potatoes across the room. But in this house, we view food as fuel for energy and healthy growth and we also view food as enjoyment. In order to maintain both, it is important to us that we don't battle at the table and that we are kind and gentle with our own nutrition and with each other's. And then there is my darling son, S. He won't eat a hot dog. He won't eat a chicken nugget. He won't eat any meat right now at all, actually. He will eat a raw basil leaf. He will drink kombucha with seeds floating in it. He does not love chocolate. He does love lollipops. He enjoys helping in the kitchen and cooking and baking together. That does not mean he will eat or even try what we make. He loves to garden and grow our own food. He does not want to try any tomatoes this year. He does want to try a spinach leaf.

A while ago, when my husband was working later and the boys were melting down each evening waiting for him to get home, I instituted a separate dinner for them. Yes, I am a short order cook. Most of our dinners catered to S's particular tastes and Y, who's quite a bit more diverse in his nutritional approach, would eat what I made. That being said, the two or three meals that are favorites of S are not favorites of Y. He would end up eating a second dinner with the grownups! And I kind of missed the cue that we'd outgrown this method working for us until I asked my sister for some advice. In fact, the boys, although they are hungry in the afternoon when they wake up from nap, were not really needing to gobble up dinner so early. And with school beginning next month, our schedule will be running toward a later meal anyway. Moreover, when my husband does get home now, the boys would love to have both of our attention and connect, but we are busy eating our dinner. It was time to reinstate family dinner here and not just on Shabbos or holidays!

It will likely be an adjustment for all and we are not rigidly adhering to it if there is a day we need some family members to eat earlier or we grab our lunch boxes and picnic at the park. But bringing back the family dinner has helped us to reconnect at the end of the day and there's something at the table for everyone even if it's not one person's favorite every night. I'm not overwhelming anyone with all new recipes, in fact, my husband does almost all of the cooking here right now. [Last time I did all the cooking, I went into labor with C, so I think I'll enjoy this break for a while...] We are setting the table with one [more or less] cohesive meal. There is guaranteed to be something that everyone likes; it is not going to be the same food every single night.

And I recognize that for my little S, that is a huge shift in his feeling of being in control over his meals--exactly the feeling he is trying to assert. So I mitigate that with some playfulness and fun as he and the rest of us join on our journey back to the family table. Among his favorite dinnertime activities so far was an evening of playing with our food and making edible art!

Inspired by the cookbook Salad People by Mollie Katzen (a great cookbook author for kids), I set a platter of cut fruits, veggies, dried fruit, cheese and a bowl of pasta. The boys both had fun designing and eating their way through dinner. S created his own unique combinations of things to try and although I would not necessarily praise them for protein content, the bigger picture was getting him eager to engage with a variety of foods and feeling that he still had comfort and control in that. So did he eat any cheese that night? Nope. Did he eat a sandwich of kiwi on a multigrain rice cake. Yes. And Y was utterly thrilled to have more options at the table, particularly some of his favorites like hummus, cheese and noodles. 

And the fun was not over yet. After we cleared the table, the boys discovered it was still set--for art, Hevre Tullet style, per his book Doodle Cook. You can check out some of our other activities inspired by Hevre Tullet here and here.

We whipped up a batch of Colorful Shape Pasta that's still hanging on the wall across from the dining room table! There are a lot of approaches to family and child nutrition. There are a lot of ways to view food. Is it just fuel? Is it enjoyment? Is it both? I am clear in my own experience with eating and nutrition that I want that to be something my children explore and develop within healthy boundaries at their own pace.

Certainly there are foods that are more nutritionally dense than others. And there are foods that more enjoyable to us than others. We do not say no to sweets and treats here but we do have boundaries around them. We offer desserts on Shabbos and holidays and special occasions and once in a while for no reason at all. And still, there are tears here about treats. In seeing a nutritionist respond to this subject, she shared the one plate approach where everything, dessert included, is set on the same plate at the same time. Out of curiosity, I tried this one afternoon at lunchtime...

S loves to come up with recipe ideas and one day he came up with the idea to make pretzels and put icing on them to "glue" them together into shapes. He was so surprised when I said we could do that after dinner and a little disappointed when he ran out of his portion of icing. The next day at lunch, I heated up a few leftover soft pretzels we'd baked the night before. I put lunch and a pretzel and a small spoonful of icing on each of the boys' plates. S ate his yogurt and all of his pretzel and icing. He came into the kitchen and saw a pretzel still on a plate with some icing on top. He asked what it was. I told him it was my pretzel that I had not eaten yet.
"Oh," he said. "Can I have another pita with cheese?"
I was actually quite shocked he didn't cry and ask for another pretzel and icing!

And while I am not going to shift into providing and offering sweets and treats with every meal, I am reminded that children have a natural intuition with food and nutrition. We do have some strict boundaries around foods in this house when it comes to kashrut or to food allergies/sensitivities. We do set boundaries around appropriate portions and times for eating. But I don't label foods as "good" or "bad." We do talk about foods that are healthier and "give more energy" or help build strong muscles and bones, etc.

The world is full of don'ts and while we've all heard it at one point or another, today I'm taking the don't right out of don't play with your food. If separate dinners work for you; do it. If serving one meal and one table at one time works for you; do it. If making a poodle or a choo choo train or a kiwi sandwich on a multigrain rice cake works for you, do it. And if coloring on your placemat sounds like a great way to spend time at the dinner table, do that, too!

Bon Appetit and Happy Playing!

Pizza Restaurant Dramatic Play

"Going out for lunch" at Whole Foods

It's not delivery, it's dramatic play! Welcome the our area's first kosher pizza joint! Living in an area with no kosher restaurants means that eating out is pretty much an experience my family has only by bringing our own foods or consuming packaged kosher items in public dining areas or when we are vacationing at or visiting a location with kosher eateries. In fact, S and Y had never been to a pizza restaurant at all until earlier this year! We've been out for pizza a total of two times ever and S has recently been asking about having a pizza restaurant dramatic play center at home. Both of the boys have been particularly interested in pizza baking and pizza eating since we got our hands on a copy of Melissa Iwai's Pizza Day and began growing our own pizza garden.
Our play area had been set up as an ice cream shop for a while around Shavuos and that was so much fun that I moved a portion of the toys to the kids' sandbox out back. Meanwhile, inside, I gathered some materials and resources from Pocket of Preschool's Pizza Restaurant Dramatic Play bundle and set up shop! This set is full of ideas and materials to print and use at home or in your classroom. I paired that along with some of my own ingenuity as I created movable and reusable parts for building, baking, eating and delivering pizzas with sauce, cheese and toppings.

We've been really building on dramatic play at home for some time now. Partly because the boys are older now and partly because I've picked up a few tips of the trade along the way, we've had extended interest in and use out of dramatic play themes and setups here. It was often a gamble at first when I would spend sometimes upward of 3 hours setting up a play theme. Sometimes the boys would engage right away. Sometimes not. Sometimes they would use things as I'd imagined; sometimes not. Sometimes they would stick with a theme for weeks, sometimes just a few days. Our ice skating rink earlier this year was a huge hit. Our Fairy Tale Land was a bit of a flop. Our pet and vet center and fire station were super successful and our Flower Shop kind of withered and wilted away after one or two days.

When you put a lot of time and effort as an adult into setting up a play activity in your home or your classroom, it can leave you scratching your head when the children involved don't take to the space as you'd imagined. Why were some of our themes successful while others were not? And how am I measuring "success" in the children's play and experience? Here are a few things to consider:

First off, what is "success?"
I look first and foremost for interest and engagement. That doesn't necessarily mean that the children are playing with the materials as I would imagine, but rather that they are playing and expanding on their own ideas. We've had some themes that were immediately inviting (usually anything new and novel has that effect) and some that even while new and novel didn't necessarily draw my kids right in. Sometimes that was a case of materials being so new and novel that the boys didn't know what they were or what to do. If you've never eaten in a restaurant, you probably won't know what a menu is for or why a table is set or how an order form is used. If you're not a pet owner, you probably haven't been to a veterinarian and perhaps you've never seen an x-ray. And even familiar themes like fairy tales and fire stations might have new ideas and materials to explore.

Join 'em. That's right, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. Take your kids or students on a tour of a new play theme. Use resources like books, videos, songs, community field trips and more to introduce themes that might be new and even ones that are familiar.

S and Y are busy decorating pizza boxes to use for delivery
and takeout options in their restaurant.

Too much grownup stuff. A lot of dramatic play is pretending about the world of grown ups. Our world is fascinating to children. They spend much of their time wanting to be grown up and practicing being grown up and playing about being grown up. That said, a world of play created by grown ups alone is still a grown up world and not one that is necessarily representative of the children it was intended for. I found early on that when I spent so many hours printing, laminating, setting up and designing their play space it still lacked something and that was not their interest alone--it was their hand and participation in its design and creation. Sure, everything needs its place and space and I do have some structure around that to assist with organization, but the boys can also help decide where things "belong" and create art and props for our play together.

I still print and laminate and prepare. But I do less. If we want and need to add more, we can. Now, the boys also design and contribute to props. I printed and stapled some menus into these file folders. The boys colored in and decorated some pictures of pizza slices. S cut them out and we glued them to the front of the menus.

A little goes a long way: I used to spend a lot of time, effort and even $$$ preparing everything we could possibly imagine in our imaginary play themes before introducing it to the kids. And this is what I noticed: some things would be played with and explored right away. Some would get repeated use over time. Some would never be touched at all or merely looked at once. It seemed that when I had more out, less got used and often times, interest would wane rather quickly; not the other way around. This time I really encouraged myself to follow my own advice:

• Less is more: I have three kids and only two of them are really utilizing the materials: we don't need enough to make and serve 28 pizzas!
• Use what you have: this one is always such a challenge for me. I could buy a toy pizza set in a store or even online. Or I could make one out of laminated cardstock, felt, velcro, pipe cleaners and yarn all of which I had on hand. If you are like me and it's very tempting to run to the craft store or Dollar Tree (hey, it's only a dollar--if you buy ONE thing), the Target dollar spot (where it's rarely a dollar even IF you buy only one thing) or Amazon Prime (it can even be there in 2 hours...)...challenge yourself like I did to stick to what you have on hand or even a set budget. This time I only bought a set of cardboard pizza boxes. If I was really thrifty, I might have found a way to finagle these for free from an actual pizza restaurant, although I found that to be a bit more challenging since I can't eat in any of those establishments where I live..
• Timing is everything: Sometimes our dramatic play themes are a flop because timing is off. Our fairy tale land emerged alongside Purim and Y's birthday and an influx of other toys and treats. It was easy to overlook the play area in those days. The flower shop opened at the very end of my pregnancy with C and right before Pesach. We were so busy and I was so unable to move around a lot and engage with the boys that it's not so surprising that they played for a few days and then moved on to something else.
• Layers make the cake: I LOVE layers. Layers in cakes, layers in clothing, even layers in onions. Rather than deal with the stress and overwhelm of having "everything" set up before you start a new play theme, be OK with having it started and adding to it later. In fact, this is even a useful tactic in gauging what is interesting to your little players and what needs to be added, what could be changed or removed...
• Give it its own space: I don't just mean physical space here, though that, too, is important. But having a space and time to designate to opening up shop when you're starting a new play theme is important. You want to be able to introduce it when there's time to play and explore and when you are available to join in and support. You also want to make sure it doesn't coincide with a massive overhaul and shift in other play areas as well. Here, if I am changing up our STEAM drawers, I don't do that on the same day as changing up our dramatic play area.  I also tend to set things up that are new right before Shabbos so the boys will have plenty of time to play and explore without rushing off to an event or other activity. Alternatively, when I am changing up art or writing materials, I do NOT do this right before Shabbos or a holiday when they can't immediately make use of the area.
• Revisit or revamp: Sometimes for whatever reason, a play theme doesn't play out. In these cases, it's OK to shut it down or take it to another space. We brought the flower shop outside and introduced a pop up potting shed one afternoon. When the ice cream shop got a bit stale, we added new life to it by setting up scoops, cones, dishes and toys in the sandbox. The costumes and props of Fairy Tale Land have long since been packed and stored, but I guarantee you I'll bring them out again--probably not at the same time as I bring out a lot of blocks and materials to build castles, graggers and toys for Purim and new presents from a birthday celebrated in the same week. And even themes we've loved that are stored for now will return again for repeated play and expansion. Who knows what will become of our Ice Skating Rink by next December?

Use it or lose it: When you do shut down one play theme and store it for future use, it's a good time to take inventory. Save what you liked and what you'll use in the future. Toss/donate what you won't. I do like to save some of what the boys have created to contribute, especially since it is fun for them to look back on their old artwork at a later date. I also use a lot of my materials across a variety of play themes. The same trays we use for pizza are used for our bakery shop and small world play. Our zamboni also functions as a delivery truck. Our garden hose has also been used in a grooming shop and as a fire hose on a fire truck and even as a gas station for filling up a car. It can be useful as well to consider this if you are making purchases for a play theme.

So, if you're looking around your house and preparing to set up your own pizza restaurant, here are some things you might include:

• metal "pizza" trays with velcro dots corresponding to "slices" of laminated cardstock pizza dough 
• some toys and tools from our play kitchen for baking, mixing dough, measuring ingredients, serving, etc.
• build your own pizza set:

• dough made from laminated cardstock with a velcro dot on the bottom to attach to the tray
• yarn cheese
• felt sauce
• felt mushrooms
• felt carrots
• felt basil leaves
• pipe cleaner onions
• pipe cleaner peppers
• a sealed salt shaker with rice for Parmesan cheese--you could also include recycled spice containers

*You can create your own favorite toppings with whatever you have on hand. Felt, paper, cardboard, cardstock, pompoms, cotton balls, yarn, string, beads, recycled loose parts, etc., could all be used.

• pizza boxes for takeout/delivery
• a riding toy or toy shopping cart or cardboard box for a deliver truck
• a salad bar with a big plastic bowl, tongs and green crepe paper or tissue paper "lettuce" (pizza toppings can be added as well)
• bread or bread sticks made from salt dough or model magic
• menus printed from the set above or created by you and your kids
• order forms and clipboards
• costumes and props like aprons, chef's coats (we actually use kids' lab coats), chefs hats, potholders
• materials for writing/drawing orders
• a cash register, play money
• props for cleaning

As an extension to your activity, you might want to make and build your own actual pizza to eat at home--especially if, like us, you do not live near a real pizza shop you can eat in. We love this simple recipe for pizza dough. I use all purpose flour rather than bread flour and it freezes well if you wish to stock up or don't use it all in one sitting. I usually break it up into four equal balls. One makes a perfect individual pizza so each of the boys makes one to eat and we freeze the other two for another time. We've been able to add in some fresh herbs from the Pizza Garden as we away for the peppers and tomatoes to grow bigger and ripen.

This has been one of our more successful dramatic play themes. A good portion of that has to do with following the tips above. Overall, the boys are most eager to play when we join in their world of wonder. My husband and I are their favorite customers! S has somehow combined the words "baker" and "chef" into "cheffer," and he is the busiest and eagerest pizza cheffer I know. I'm off to go make some actual dinner and we will be back soon.

Until then...

Happy Playing!

8 Great Chanukah Activities: Day 2 Melt and Pour Beeswax Candles

Happy Second Day of Chanukah! I'll keep today's post short and sweet as honey. This activity is the bee's knees--we're making our own melt and pour beeswax candles! We tried it for the first time late in the summer before Rosh Hashanah and decided then and there that we would do it again over Chanukah. This is an activity that requires some supplies and ingredients you may not already have at home. I'm introducing it early in the holiday in case you want to gift the results, but it's a great one to do on a snowy (or rainy day) or even store in the vault for another year or holiday. I love the idea of candle-making for Chanukah since it is definitely a holiday with a lot of candles involved and even after the menorahs have gone out, these lovely scented keepsakes will bring light and warmth to your home (or to someone else's).

To make your own Melt and Pour Beeswax Candles, you will need:

• a crock pot and metal bowl that fits inside or a double boiler*
• beeswax (I use this product from Amazon, but you can often buy pellets or bars at craft supply stores)
• a designated jar (I like the 4oz ball jars, but you can use recycled baby food jars, a shallow tin, a glass candle holder, etc.)
• pre-tabbed candle wicks
• essential oil, scented oil, honey, cinnamon sticks or dried botanicals (optional)
• hot glue gun (optional)

*A few notes before I begin with instructions on how to melt and pour your candles: I use a small crock pot (the $10 version from Walmart) and a tin bowl I bought secondhand at the thrift store that happens to fit in the crock pot since melted beeswax does not easily come off the vessel it's melted into. Because we keep a strictly kosher kitchen, we use the crock pot and bowl only for non-food projects. (You can also use this setup for melting your own crayons, making your own lotion bars, lip balms, soaps, etc.) Pre-tabbed candle wicks are available online from Amazon or from craft supply stores. The first time we did this, I didn't have them at home and actually just took apart some Shabbos candles we had by pulling the tab from the bottom and using the wicks in our melt and pour candles. I used a hot glue gun to affix the tab of the wick to center of the bottom of each jar before we poured the wax in so that it wouldn't move when we were pouring. And now you're ready to begin!

Instructions:

1. Melt your beeswax in the Crock pot or double boiler. In a crock pot, this is a slow process, so you will want to allow for a couple of hours over low setting for the wax to melt before you're going to pour your candles. Four bricks of the beeswax above produced two 4oz candles, so you'll want to decide upon your jar size and how much wax to use accordingly.
2. Pour your melted wax into the jar. An adult should do this part and use a potholder! You may want to cover your work surface if you are concerned about wax dripping. Fill your jar leaving at least an inch of wick exposed. If your wick is particularly long, you may want to trim it at the end.
3. Add your scent before it hardens! If you are adding one scented oil to all of your candles, you could even add it directly into the pot of melted wax. When we made our Fall candles, we used a cinnamon scented oil and honey drizzled into each jar. You can also individualize your candles each with their own scent while the wax is still melted/soft. This is a part kids can help with. They will love scooping and sprinkling dried lavender buds or breaking cinnamon sticks into each jar or even shaking drops of scented oils into the jar.
4. Allow candles to harden and enjoy your handmade gift! Once the candles are completely hardened and cooled, children can even decorate and personalize the outside of the jar or tin with permanent markers or stickers.

Adult supervision and support is a definite must with this activity and with any lit candles and use of matches. We'll be back tomorrow with our next activity. Until then...

Happy Chanukah and Happy Playing!

Three Tasty Play Activities That Are [Almost] Good Enough to Eat!

This time of year can find us busy in the kitchen and kids are eager to join in, whether it's tasting, playing or offering a hindering helping hand. Some of the time I do invite the kids into the kitchen to help with cooking and sometimes I join them in play activities about cooking or baking. And sometimes, I need a really great play activity that will keep them busy while I cook and bake in the kitchen... This post has you covered for all three scenarios and more!

Growing up, I honestly thought a cranberry was something cylindrical in shape, with jellied indentations on its outside that held a remarkable resemblance to the inside of a tin can. Cranberry sauce was served only with turkey and always sliced in even circles, gently laid upon the same white Pyrex dish every single time. Ah, the memories. My mom is a great cook, so heaven only knows why she never made cranberry sauce, but I loved the canned stuff. (Maybe that's why--there was now officially ONE thing I'd eat on the Thanksgiving table...)

Well fast forward to this year, and I kept seeing photos of cranberry and water sensory bins floating around the internet. I have mixed opinions about playing with food, but it is not something I am rigidly against in my home. Y in particular loves water play, and both boys have been enjoying our Bakery Shop Dramatic Play Center. So I picked up a couple of packs of cranberries, grabbed some of our cooking/baking props (actual bowls, colanders and utensils from Dollar Tree) and added water. It was a hit! The cranberries were so much fun to scoop, smoosh, transfer and stir. The water was a perfect medium for pouring and mixing. When the day was done, I drained the water and stored the cranberries in the refrigerator for more play the next day. Meanwhile, in the kitchen I discovered how easy making your own cranberry sauce from scratch actually is! Just a batch of cranberries, a cup of orange juice and a cup of sugar, simmered on the stovetop until those cranberries POP! About ten minutes later, I had cranberry sauce...who knew?

Well, speaking of our bakery theme... The boys have really been engaged in dramatic play! They have both loved setting up and selling items from our bakery shop, taking orders, making specialty drinks in our hot beverage cups (just hot cups with lids) and creating additional play props to add to the scene. We brought out the Model Magic clay again to create some play donuts (hand shaped) and cupcakes (shaped in cupcake tins). Once the clay air dried (it took a few days here for the thicker cupcakes) we got out some tempura paint and glitter glue for decorating.

These cupcakes look almost good enough to eat and the boys love playing with props they made themselves!

For another DIY play prop that even smells almost good enough to eat, I whipped up a batch of gingerbread salt dough to make play gingerbread cookies. Here's the recipe I concocted if you'd like to make your own. The dough is easy to work with, smells great and dries very well overnight (you may want to flip your "cookies" intermittently to ensure they dry on both sides and through the center). They can be painted and coated with a seal if you really want them to last or to use them decoratively. They are not immune to breaking when dropped, but they boys are having fun with them nonetheless, and if they end up tossed away after we close up the bakery shop this year, we definitely got good use out them. They can for sure be stored and saved if you wish.

Gingerbread Salt Dough Recipe
You will need:

• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cup salt
• 1/2 cup cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 3/4 cup warm water

Mix your ingredients well until you have a smooth dough. (The dough will be darker than the dried cookies pictured on the left.) To shape your "cookies," roll dough about 1/4 inch thick and cut in your favorite shapes with cookie cutters. Allow finished cookies to air dry until completely hardened. Paint, seal and decorate as you wish. To store leftover dough, seal in a plastic bag or container and refrigerate to prolong shelf-life.

The boys are so excited for Chanukah that I set out some Chanukah shaped cookie cutters along with our gingerbread men. And speaking of Chanukah, here's a shameless plug for my Chanukah Counting Soup available on Teachers Pay Teachers. This is a fun way to promote early math skills, great for ages 3-8 for use in your home and/or classroom. Take advantage of Cyber Monday (and Tuesday) and save 20% ! 

Whatever holidays or special events you're preparing for, I wish you a productive and playful time. Stay tuned for some exciting updates to our dramatic play theme here in the next couple of weeks and until then...

Happy playing!

(Too) Many Cooks in the Kitchen: Coping & Cooking With Tiny Sous Chefs

I took it upon myself to start cooking or baking with my kids once a week, each Thursday afternoon. I might be brave. I might be a glutton for punishment. I might be totally out of my mind. I come from a long line of women who love to be in the kitchen. Alone. I love order, cleanliness, and have a taste for perfection (or at least close to it) in my culinary adventures. I have a four year old and an 18 month old. They love full body sensory experiences. They love when our space reflects that from wall to wall, corner to corner. They have a refined taste for experience.

When I was in my early twenties, a wise friend once told me that investing time to cook with your children means having "helpers and hinderers" in the kitchen with you. I chuckled at this idea for years, but I took it to heart. On the one hand, she was clear that this was an INVESTMENT of time and effort. And on the other, she recognized with humor and empathy that the struggle of it is real. Even in my own home growing up, my kitchen was at times open to learning how to bake and cook with my mother. Early on in my life I learned to bake some favorite desserts independently. My mother likely preferred to cook and bake alone for the most part without children underfoot, and even then, she was creative in having activities to occupy us in the kitchen and out of the way, such as a chalk board wall where I could draw or wash away doodles with a wet sponge.

Of course, I imagined as a parent, creating memories with and for my children of baking together and trying new recipes or learning family favorites. I imagined fostering independence and competence in my children as they mastered kitchen skills like peeling vegetables and cutting them up for soup. I imagined my kids tasting all kinds of healthy foods and developing healthy habits as they came to understand the beautiful process of our meals evolving from garden and farm to table to tummy. And it would be peaceful and calm and warm and fuzzy. And here's the reality of our weekly cooking days: the good, the bad and the ugly (a.k.a.: my kitchen floor)...

We do the same thing again and again. Many weeks we spend our Thursdays making "Stone Soup" for Shabbos. Early in the week, my sons each pick out a vegetable from the grocery store to add to our soup. Y was quite enamored with his turnip on this week. S chose a leek that "made [his] eyes wet" when he chopped it up! We always add a secret ingredient at the beginning of our soup when I saute the onions and garlic: a peeled, chopped apple! This gives the soup a bit of extra sweetness and adds a unique layer of flavor. We do try new recipes at times, but I feel no guilt over repeating the same one week after week using whatever veggies we have on hand. The repetition and routine is as nourishing as the soup itself.

My photos look so beautiful but I'm dying a little inside! Oh. My. Goodness. This kitchen is a disaster zone. Breathe. Let go. Repeat.

This is as much an exercise for me as it is for them. For them it is an exercise in washing, peeling, cutting, collecting into a bowl, following instructions, mixing, and more... For me, it is an exercise in letting go, remaining calm and finding joy in the imperfection. Every week I have to actively engage my "calming muscles" to slow down and step back. Water is splashing everywhere as Y scrubs our apples for mini apple pie pockets. S is eager to peel and cut and he is quite competent in it, but I still panic over those tiny little fingers. S and Y are fighting over turns to do a task and suddenly I'm out of tasks to do, so guess what? We're adding some extra cinnamon! Our veggies are crinkle cut in all kinds of sizes and shapes. There's still some peel on the potato. I lost track of how much salt just got pinched and sprinkled over the soup. Y is mouthing raw challah dough and S ate all the raisins besides for one he declared as the belly button of his challah! There are a lot of dishes when we're done--way more than when I cook and bake alone. Breathe in, breathe out. It's OK. That spilled water will do a great deal to help sop up the schmutz on the kitchen floor and the numerous dish towels that will need to now be washed anyway can help dry it up on their way to the laundry pile. S is actually quite aware of where his fingers are and rather than running to interject words like "be careful!" and instilling undue anxiety, I can offer a simple statement of "be mindful of where your helping hand is." Repeating the same cooking activities has helped me to identify "jobs" each boy is particularly successful with and enjoys. Y can spend a great deal of time tending to vegetable washing and S could spend all day working with his knife and peeler. Cooking together also need not mean making the whole recipe from start to finish. Haven't you seen cooking shows on TV? They demonstrate a few aspects of a recipe and pull a beautifully made-for-TV version out of the oven minutes later. The boys are happy to contribute to part of the task and then play in the living room while I finish the next portion. No need to bite off more than we can chew! And as for the soup? It gets pureed at the end and somehow always tastes amazing. But while we're on the topic of tasting...

Just because they made it doesn't mean they'll eat it. We've all heard the experts talk about how even the pickiest eaters will try foods they have helped to prepare. Clearly they have not met my more particular eater. If your goal in cooking with your children is that they eat what you've made, prepare to potentially be disappointed. I had to reframe this goal (often repeatedly) and continue my resolve to present tasting new foods as an option but not a requirement. The soup is always offered; perhaps he will try it and perhaps he will not. It does promote an opportunity for discussion about trying new foods--even scientific ones. Just today, I spoke with S about the fact that most of your taste buds are not at the tip of your tongue (where he prefers to "touch" a new food), but rather in the back of his tongue and mouth. And that his sense of smell also works to make his food taste a certain way (which is why it tastes different when his nose is stuffy). To really taste a food, it needs an opportunity, maybe even more than one, to move through his whole mouth and be swallowed. Nonetheless, there is no pressure or argument or ultimatum about tasting and trying the food. I have decided the intent of the activity is to be together in the kitchen; not necessarily to love the fruits of our labor.

And while we are together in the kitchen... I feel less overwhelmed and less lonely, too! The challenges of functioning in a small kitchen with small sous chefs are real. My anxiety and stress about sharing my kitchen space are not necessarily gone, but I do think that repeatedly exposing myself to opportunities to overcome this are helpful for me. Perhaps most importantly, the weekly tasks of getting ready for Shabbos (and holidays this time of year as well) have often left me feeling overwhelmed and simultaneously guilty for not being able to spend time with my kids. I'm supposed to teach them that all of the work--even the mundane work--that goes into preparing our Shabbos meals and holiday celebrations is joyful work and service. How can I do this when I am a hot mess in the kitchen? How can I do this when I reserve all the tasks for the hours in which they are asleep so that they merely see the end result but none of the tasks that went into it? How can I expect them to appreciate the events that happen in a kitchen--the good, the bad and the ugly burnt honey cake that spilled over the edge of the pan to the bottom of the oven, setting off the smoke detector but still tasted so delicious in the end? I can't.

So I reduce, recycle and delegate. I reduce the menu. I recycle recipes I know we like rather than scouring the books for new things each and every time. I delegate tasks like a good portion of the cooking to my equally talented and competent in the kitchen husband. And I put on some calm music or light a scented candle or sing a song. I take deep breaths and inhale the aromas of freshly baked challahs in the oven or boiling vegetable soup. And when I happen to see that stack of dishes or stray potato peels on the floor, I also happen to see the smile across Y's face as he rinses his purple carrot one more time and the look of concentration on S's face as he masters the angle of the peeler against the thin and stubborn skin of his big honey crisp apple. Here in the kitchen, flops, messes and chaos are all contained and OK. The kids get to see what happens when things work and what happens when they don't. Lessons in nutrition barely skim the surface of the layers and layers of education on problem solving, troubleshooting, success and even failure. They feel so useful and so much a part of our family and so connected to the beauty of preparing for Shabbos and Yom Tov b'simcha (with joy)--that is truly a mitzvah in its own rite--that when I feel the pressure rise higher in my shoulders than it does in our Intsta-Pot, all I have to do is remember my little helpers and hinderers.

Perhaps the single most "efficient" thing I have done to positively impact preparing for Shabbos each week (and yom tovim this time of year) is inviting my children to do so with me. It is an investment I hope their future spouses will thank me for (and maybe that will be reflected in some dinner invitations because by then I'm going to need some time off and maybe a professional cleaning crew in my own kitchen). But their presence in my messy and disorganized and imperfect kitchen increases my own joy and theirs as well. No longer is the weekly cooking a cycle of feeling guilty for not spending time with my kids and then guilty for not feeling happy as I prepare and then worried that they will intuit those feelings of overwhelm as feelings of not actually taking joy in Shabbos or holidays, G-d forbid. My solitary kitchen existence is over for now, but truth be told, I don't miss it all that much. It may have been the most efficient way to feed our tummies, but it left our tanks on empty nonetheless. Cooking with my kids feeds our souls and it's a two bird, one stone kind of deal. That stone can go right into our pot of soup and the dishes can wait. They will still be there after Shabbos and if memory serves me correctly, washing dishes was a task I actually loved when I was their age...maybe I'll enlist some little helping hands...

Until then, happy holidays, happy cooking and, as always, happy playing!