Play | Crayons and Croissants

Gift Guide

December 6, 2012 by crayonsandcroissants

It’s the most wonderful time of the year. Well… wonderful but also incredibly busy! There are cookies to bake, holiday crafts to create and presents to buy and wrap. Check out this gift guide, which I hope will make it easier to find perfect presents for the little ones. Wee Can Too is one of our favorite sources for eco-conscious and kid-friendly art supplies. This year they have outdone themselves with their Veggie Holiday Art Kit, which includes sculpting dough (bonus: it […]

Categories: Craft, Nest, Play, Read, Shop • Tags: books, Children, Crafts, Family, gift guide, Holidays, Organic, Toys

Chalk It Up: Homemade Chalk

December 4, 2012 by crayonsandcroissants

Learn how to make your own chalk with this crafts project from the book eco-friendly crafting with kids. When Little M and I are feeling especially creative and in the mood to be artsy, one of the first places we look for inspiration is Kate Lilley’s fabulous crafts blog, minieco. The projects are innovative and eco-friendly, the pictures are gorgeous, and the materials are, for the most part, inexpensive and easy to find. I’ve written about some of the projects we have found […]

Categories: Craft, Nest, Play • Tags: Activities, Art, Children, Crafts, Design, Eco-conscious, Family, Kids

Sleep Like a Tiger

November 19, 2012 by crayonsandcroissants

“Once there was a little girl who didn’t want to go to sleep even though the sun had gone away.” So begins the beautiful new book, Sleep Like a Tiger, written by the poet Mary Logue and illustrated by Caldecott Honor medalist Pamela Zagarenski. Sleep Like a Tiger tells the story of a little girl who just doesn’t want to go to sleep – and what parent hasn’t had first-hand experience with that dilemma? The little girl asks her parents if […]

Categories: Craft, Play, Read • Tags: Activities, books, Children, Crafts, Family

Draw Me a House

November 15, 2012 by crayonsandcroissants

I recently came across Draw Me a House, an interactive book that is perfect for budding architects, style enthusiasts and design buffs. Little M and I are having a lot of fun with this book. Although it is billed as a coloring book, I find that it offers so much more for both kids and adults. Each page presents an opportunity to draw, color, create and design on paper. Author Thibaud Herem, a French-born illustrator based in London, has filled […]

Categories: Play, Read • Tags: Activities, Architecture, Art, books, Children, Design, Family

Book Meets Art: The Game of Sculpture

November 5, 2012 by crayonsandcroissants

I first heard of Hervé Tullet when I came across his children’s book Press Here. If you haven’t seen this book yet, it is an amazingly interactive book that takes children on a magical journey through the pages, all starting with a yellow dot on the cover. The dots change color, move from left to right, grow, shrink and multiply – all using the reader’s imagination! Little M and I enjoy reading this book, we laugh as we press the dots on […]

Categories: Play, Read • Tags: Activities, Art, books, Children, Crafts, Design, Family

Mail Call: DIY Doorknob Mailbox

November 2, 2012 by crayonsandcroissants

Learn how to make this adorable doorknob mailbox from the fun and funky crafts book You Are Awesome: 21 Crafts to Make You Happy. I came across Abbey Hendrickson’s amazing blog, Aesthetic Outburst while searching for easy projects to do with Little M. The blog details Abbey’s crafts projects and life with her husband and their adorable kids. In a nutshell, they moved back to Abbey’s hometown in rural New York and she found herself at home, with two kids, struggling […]

Categories: Nest, Play, Read • Tags: Activities, books, Children, Crafts, Design, Family

Hush, Little Monster

October 26, 2012 by crayonsandcroissants

Hush, little baby, don’t say a word, Mama’s gonna buy you a mockingbird… Chances are, many of you know the rest of this popular lullaby. We used to sing it a lot around here, especially when Little M was a newborn and had trouble falling asleep. As much as I love this calming tune, there are definitely times when I think to myself, Enough! I can’t possibly sing this again! That is, until I came across the wonderful new book, […]

Categories: Jet Set, Play, Read • Tags: Activities, books, Children, Family, Food, Recipe, Travel

Hape days

October 25, 2012 by crayonsandcroissants

Think children’s blocks are one and the same? I used to think that way until I found these amazing Organeco Blocks from the toy company Hape, which by the way is one of my favorite eco-conscious brands. The beautiful blocks are big yet lightweight, made of bamboo, decorated in bright (and non-toxic) colors, and easy for Little M to hold and stack. They come in fun shapes and sizes, which inspires us to use our imagination to create unusual structures and […]

Categories: Play • Tags: Activities, Children, Design, Eco-conscious, Family, Organic, Toys

EEK-o friendly Halloween

October 17, 2012 by crayonsandcroissants

Halloween is right around the corner and we are counting down the days until October 31st. Little M has his costume all picked out. He will be an adorable – I mean very scary – skeleton! We can’t wait for all the trick-or-treaters to come to our door in their costumes. Little M and I have done some research to come up with a list of safe, stylish and spooky picks to help you have a happy and eco-conscious Halloween. […]

Categories: Play, Shop • Tags: Activities, Children, Crafts, Eco-conscious, Family, Food, Halloween, Holidays, Organic, Toys

Crayons and Croissants

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