Children | Crayons and Croissants

BeginAgain’s Shark Tank Bathtub Ball and How to Clean Bath Toys

October 23, 2013 by crayonsandcroissants

BeginAgain’s Shark Tank Bathtub Ball is a fun, colorful and – most importantly – non-toxic bath toy that is sure to appeal to kids of all ages! Water, bubbles, splashing – what’s not to like about bath time? Brace yourself and read on because, unfortunately, many children’s bath toys can harbor mold and bacteria! You see, water gets trapped inside the bath toys (especially the ones with small holes), which allows the bacteria and mold to grow and fester. If […]

Categories: Play • Tags: Bath Toys, Children, Eco-conscious, PVC and phthalate free

Picture Day Perfection – Book Review

October 8, 2013 by crayonsandcroissants

It’s picture day at school, but the day is anything but perfect in Picture Day Perfection, written by Deborah Diesen and illustrated by Dan Santat. This funny picture book, complete with vibrant images and hilarious “outtake photos” walks us through the narrator’s experience of picture day at his school. Despite his best intentions for a “perfect picture day” his plans are thwarted by everything from bedhead to a maple syrup incident to a paint splatter mess during art class! Of course, […]

Categories: Read • Tags: books, Children, Picture Book, School

Homemade Versions of Kids’ Favorite Snacks

October 7, 2013 by crayonsandcroissants

Whether your kids love goldfish crackers, pop tarts, fig newtons, oreos or fruit roll ups, chances are you are paying (a lot) for questionable ingredients every time you pick up these snacks in the grocery store. Fear not, we have tracked down easy (I promise) and delicious recipes so that you can whip up these snacks at home. The little effort that is required to make these treats is worth it. Not only will you save some dough but you […]

Categories: Bites • Tags: Children, Cookbook, Healthy Snacks for Kids, Snacks

Put the BOO in Books With These Halloween Reads

September 30, 2013 by crayonsandcroissants

Get your kids into the Halloween spirit with these spooky, funny and adorable picture books! Little M and I are reading these now that it is October and Halloween is (finally) right around the corner! Ollie’s Halloween by Olivier Dunrea See how Gossie&Friends celebrate halloween in this adorable book filled with hooting, howling, creeping, and prowling goslings. Gossie is a wizard, Gertie is a chicken, Peedi is a dragon, Booboo is a bunny and Ollie, well Ollie is a mummy […]

Categories: Book Lists, Read • Tags: books, Children, Halloween, Holidays, Picture Book

Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band

September 27, 2013 by crayonsandcroissants

A couple of weekends ago, Little M, the hubby and I had the opportunity to attend a concert starring children’s indie-pop music sensation Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band! They featured songs from their upcoming album ‘Lishy Lou and Lucky Too‘ (available on October 1st). We loved watching the performance – complete with the entire cast, costumes and dance parties – and listening to the music with so many other families. Is there anything cuter than little ones dancing in the […]

Categories: Play • Tags: Children, Family, Music

Read Me a Story, Stella

September 24, 2013 by crayonsandcroissants

Stella introduces her little brother Sam to the wonders of reading in Read Me a Story, Stella, written and illustrated by Marie-Louise Gay. In this beautiful picture book – the first new Stella book in four years – Stella guides Sam through his day while reading her books and slowly introducing him to the stories. Sam is busy gathering branches and when he asks Stella if her book can tell him how to build a doghouse, she answers “no, but I can […]

Categories: Read • Tags: books, Children, Family, Picture Book

Ella’s Kitchen: The Cookbook

September 19, 2013 by crayonsandcroissants

This new cookbook from the folks at Ella’s Kitchen (you may know them for their popular baby food pouches) is sure to inspire you, and your little ones, to get creative in the kitchen! Ella’s Kitchen: The Cookbook is one of the few cookbooks that I have come across that truly gets kids involved in every step of the cooking process. This book provides over 100 recipes that adults and kids will enjoy, with simple ideas for allowing little ones to help out. […]

Categories: Bites, Read • Tags: books, Children, Cookbook, Family, Family Dinner, Recipe

Our Favorite Eco-Friendly Art Supplies for Kids

September 17, 2013 by crayonsandcroissants

Got a budding Picasso at home? Check out our list of favorite art supplies to stock in your arts and crafts cupboard! Little M loves art projects – he enjoys painting, drawing, coloring and sculpting so we have slowly started building up a small collection of art supplies. Here are some of the essentials that we stock in our arts and crafts cupboard. Paints: Oh, how we love to paint! You don’t really need an easel, although we just bought […]

Categories: Craft, Play • Tags: Activities, Art, Arts and Crafts, Children, Crafts, Eco-conscious, Paint, Toddler

B is for Bulldozer – A Construction ABC and our Favorite Green Toys

September 12, 2013 by crayonsandcroissants

A is for Asphalt and C is for Crane in the construction themed alphabet book, B is for Bulldozer written by June Sobel and illustrated by Melissa Iwai. Like many of his friends, Little M is fascinated with all things related to construction: cranes, dump trucks, forklifts and, of course, bulldozers. Which probably explains why we have been reading B is for Bulldozer almost non-stop since we picked it up last week. The story begins with two young children standing outside a […]