To the casual observer, Jackson Pollock’s (early/middle-twentieth century) work appears to be random paint splatters. In reality, this artist planned everything he put onto his canvases. The abstract designs are carefully dripped, or actively thrown, depending on the mood of the piece. There is no question that each of Pollock’s paintings is unique!

Materials: tempera poster paints (any 3 or 4 bright colors), neutral-colored construction paper, several small toy vehicles (hotwheels, matchbox-type). Styrofoam meat trays or plastic lids, one per color of paint, and tape. Plus, newspaper or some other material to cover your work surface, to supplement your supervision..! Read the rest »

Expose your child to the arts.  Take advantage of FREE Arts & Crafts festivals in your area.  Most festivals have Kids’ Areas set up with music, entertainment, and “make-and-take” craft areas.  Check out your local newspaper or search the web for Craft Festivals in your area.

This is the time of year when millions of people are frantically pondering what to buy for the fathers in their lives.  With this in mind, I walked into my local major department store and was bombarded with what they considered perfect gifts for my husband.  Of course there were cologne sets, ties and gadgets galore.  The thing is, my husband does not wear cologne, only wears ties when he is forced to, and does not really want or need the gadgets that they are promoting.   Read the rest »

Pop-up characters’ ears and limbs can detach when pulled.

About 9,000 Curious Buddies Children’s Books have been recalled by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) in cooperation with Simon & Schuster, according to the CPSC.

“The felt ears and limbs on the pop-up characters can detach or come apart when pulled, which may pose a choking hazard to young children,” said the CPSC. Read the rest »

A price book is simply a list of the items you use regularly and the best prices they sell for in the stores where you are willing to shop.  A price book is an excellent tool for tracking prices, sales and buying opportunities.  Prices in a price book should be listed by cost per unit so you can easily compare different size packages from different stores.  When you see a deal in the weekly flyer or in the store, you will know instantly if it is really a good deal and worth your time to go out and purchase.  Just because an item is on sale doesn’t automatically make it a good buy.  The regular price at some stores may be less than the sale price at others.  Your price book is an invaluable tool to help you determine if a sale is really a deal. Read the rest »

You’ve safety proofed your entire house: light socket plugs, locks on the kitchen cabinets, cleaning supplies are out of reach of little hands, gates block your stairs top and bottom. Good job. Now quick, your child has a bee sting, what do you do? Chances are you panic, start looking frantically through parenting books for an answer and then tear apart your medicine cabinet before calling 911. Read the rest »