Dinosaur stamples for paper decoration

As dinosaurs are a favorite theme in this house, we decided to make gift wrapping using our dinosaur stamples. And it happens that the gift in this case was dinosaur pyjamas, so the paper we wrapped them in was a great success.

These are amazing stamples by the way! You can use them on any kind of paper or wood. My daughter paints them afterwards or uses some glitter to get a more 'girly' result.

And when our crafty morning was over, we went for a little walk to the playground, dresses as.. what else.. DINOSAURS!
 

Angry birds-themed birthday party!

My daughter's long time-anticipated birthday party finally took place yesterday!

She has been into Angry Birds lately.. Here are some pics!  

 

Not being used to work with sugarpaste, I found the making of the angry bird at the top of the cake a little bit challenging - the kids on the other hand, found it pretty cool,

so mission accomplished!

Check out our video and make the most delicious
and The easiest chocolate croissant braid ever!

Dinosauria Park in Crete

We visited Dinosauria Park (Ο Κόσμος των Δεινοσαύρων), an amazing dinosaur park located near Heraklion, Crete. The park features some fossil replicas and several dinosaur models. If you haven't been there, this park definitely worths a visit! The park offers a family card with 50% off!
Join us in a tour around the park!

 

At Dinosauria Park, there is even a General Hospital for Dinosaurs!

 

 

 

Hope you enjoyed the tour! Please, visit our Facebook page!

Knitting leg warmers for ballet

Knitting leg warmers

The last three days I have been knitting some cute leg warmers for my older daughter, who has started ballet and dance lessons. And it is really cool! And relaxing I might add.. And getting me off the hook, like 'honey, can you change the baby's diaper? - I need to finish this, not to make a mistake..'

Sewing the endings

Knitting pattern

 

Basic knitting pattern

Do you want to start knitting? Here you can find free knitting samples and ideas! Have fun!

 

Three simple ways to raise creative children - Πώς να μεγαλώνουμε δημιουργικά παιδιά

I love seeing my children covered in colors, playing, laughing, creating. I get so inspired just by watching them.. But can I help them? Can I boost their creativity even more? And what is the best way to raise creative children? Read all about it in my guest post at Sugar Mama! Should you have problem translating into english, please ask me for a copy in english!

 

 

 

Τρεις απλοί τρόποι να μεγαλώνουμε δημιουργικά παιδιά! Διαβάστε το άρθρο μου στα ελληνικά στο Sugar Mama!

 

February activities for kids

Just because it is cold and dark, it doesn't mean that we are turning all lazy and screen addicts! We have been playing and experimenting and present to you some of our favorite activities for February!

 

Making colourful ice candle holders

 

Easy to make and fun activity in two steps:

1. Mix water color with water and pour it in an old ice cube mold to make colorful ice cubes

2. Put the ice cubes with cold water in a plastic bowl sparing the middle with the help of another smaller bowl or glass and let it freeze

 

Cooking chocolate croissants for Valentine's Day

 

That is fun and the kids love cooking and then eating the chocolate left in the bowl:

1. Use either home-made or ready-to-use croissant dough

2. Cut it in triangles

3. Cover with chocolate/nutella filling and fold to shape a crescent form

4. Some egg on the top for nice color

5. In the oven for around 20 min 

 

Drawing winter activities

 

Ask your child: 'What do you like doing in winter? - Can you draw it?' and you will be more than surprised.. Their imagination and skills can really help put together some amazing drawing while at the same time, reveal what makes them more excited and happy. What a creative way to help your kids express their emotions other than drawing? 

 

'Do you want to build a snowman?'

 

 

Recycling

We recycled milk cartons to cute doll light houses, perfect for the kids' playroom and bedroom. We used the the napkin technique which we learned watching a video at the amazing blog aneraida. You may find all our recycling projects for kids, here.

 

Recycling milk cartons to light doll houses

 

Check out our visit at the Nobel Museum and get inspired!

Book vs iPad - Who wins?

What is best for a kid, to read a good book or to play a well-thought learning game on iPad? Does kids' needs change with age? I totally believe in old-fashioned reading of good books, this is why..

It is not only the content, but the surroundings..
Reading a book, the child appreciates the illustrations, the smell of a new or an old book, the feeling of waiting what happens next when turning a page..

Books are also interactive..
It does not have to be high-tech to allow for a child to interact during reading. When reading a book loud, the voice of the person who narrates changes and the narration gets more exciting when the child participates with his/her voice, gestures, feels how the hero feels, imagine how the characters look like and so on. Reading a book is one of the best ways to intruige the kid's imagination.

Books create emotional memories
It is easy to remember which was our favorite book as a kid or which was our favorite character. I am not sure that this will be the case when later asking 'Which was your favorite iPad game as a kid?' And would it mean something? Reading a book makes you associate the pictures with your own memories, characters get mixed up with friends in your mind and emotions get real, all in the wonderful imaginary world of books!

Good books stay in memory for ever
The story, the meanings, the ethical dilemmas, the questions and the answers raised by good books stay in memory for ever.

Visit one of the Top 10 Children's Libraries around the world and find out How to choose books for kids

Visit at the Nobel Museum in Stockholm - Amazing experience for adults and kids

We visited the Nobel Museum in Stockholm this weekend and can say for sure that this is one of the most 'cool' destinations for family trips in Sweden! The museum opened in 2001 for the centenary of the Nobel Prize. Since then, it has been attracting thousands of visitors per year from all over the world. It is located at the square Stortorget in Gamla Stan (The Old Town) in central Stockholm, Sweden.

 

 

The Museum is dedicated to share information on the Nobel Prize -from its founder Alfred Nobel (1833-1896)- and the Nobel Laureates from 1901 to present. The Museum introduces the visitor in the history of the breakthroughs in Medicine, Physics, Chemistry, Peace, Literature and Economy during the past decades in a high-tech and, at the same time, relaxing environment. There are art and science exhibitions and films on the lifes and achievements of Nobel Laureates on an every-day basis.

For younger visitors, there are two playrooms, one with a mini theatre, costumes, doll theatre and other ideas and material for imaginative play. In the other room, one wall has box columns categorized by theme 'Medicine', 'Physics', 'Chemistry', 'Peace', 'Literature' and 'Economy' to introduce the young visitors into the world of science with interactive screens and material. There is also a huge table in the middle with colors and other art material to inspire for drawing, combining colors and shapes and other forms of creative play.

 

We had the most amazing experience in the Nobel Museum and we strongly recommend it for all of you who wish to learn and get inspired from age 1 to 101 years old!

You may also like: Museums of Picture Books, Cartoon and Animation Art

7 useful data about children and their development

Here are some interesting facts that we parents, educators, caregivers and adults in general can benefit from:

1. About two years of age, toddlers learn 10 or more new words per day
2. Only 48% of parents read to their kid every day
3. 27% of 3-year old children watch a screen (tv, pc, ipad etc) more than two hours per day - this has been associated with toddlers becoming more aggressive and has a negative effect on their physical activity levels and well-being 
4. One-to-two hours is the maximum recommended time for watching a screen per day for toddlers from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) 
5. Toddlers should be physically active approximately three hours per day, in indoor and/or outdoor activities
6. Approximately 44% of 4 to 5-year old children engage in unorganized sport and physical activity each week
7. It is recommended to provide daily structural physical activity for 30 minutes to toddlers (1-3 years old) and 60 minutes to preschoolers (3-5 years old)

Source: Americal Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), Pubmed and World Health Organization (WHO)

Making gift wrapping a fun activity for kids

Preparing the gift for a little princess




 

'It's the journey that is fun, not the destination..'

So, it's party time and we are preparing the gift for a little princess, and as my daughter used to say:

 

'A gift should smile!'

Work in progress

Creative wrapping ideas

  



A box of candies to grandmom

 

  

So have some fun with wrapping gifts with your kid,

let your kid come with innovative ideas,

let his/her creativity explode!

 

Find more creative ideas here and here