I like projects.
Grace likes projects, too.

She likes when I give her instructions; she likes to press-press the pieces down.
Predictable. Structured. Comfortable.
Grace learns valuable skills like cutting with scissors, color schemes, shapes, and has a lot of fun doing it.
But Grace doesn’t do anything creative. She follows the directions and makes a great finished product.

That’s not all there is to art.
But I’m not so good at art. Crafts, yes. Art, not so much.
I intended to do a project with Grace last week. It was to become a flowery tree with pink …

You know that I’m a teacher, right? Books and learning are important to me.
Two weeks ago, I attended a friend’s book party. She told me in advance that it was a home party, like The Pampered Chef, except that the company sold books and games for kids. When I arrived at the party, I perused books about Volcanoes and Princesses and Cooking. I’d never heard of Usborne Books before, but I liked the books that were on display.

By the end of the demonstration, I had a long wishlist.
A very, very …

I like projects.

Grace likes projects, too.

Even Joe gets in on the project-making.

Sometimes, Grace’s projects turn out better than my own.

We spent the whole day today in Washington, DC with our friends from Washington.

All five of us had an amazing day. There’s definitely an art to creating a fun day for a two-year-old, a three-year-old, and three nerdy adults in a place as enriching as Washington, DC.

The only sour part of our day was driving home. Grace and I were sad that we won’t be seeing Allie and her son, the Philosopher, again tomorrow.

Such is life.

A few weeks ago, Grace and I stumbled upon the free Make and Take craft at our local Michael’s craft store. It was really fun for Grace and for me, and we came home with a great-looking picture frame that Grace painted to give to Joe for Valentine’s Day.
I started looking into more free activities at local stores, and I’ve found quite a few. Each has a suggested age range.
These are nationwide programs. Some require preregistration, others don’t. Make sure you check the website or your local store for …