Imagine Childhood : Magic & Memories That Last a Lifetime

. . . 5 reasons to love trees!

5 Reasons to Love Trees!

Environmental Heroes:  Captain Planet has nothing on trees. It's safe to say that trees are the juggernaut of environmental heroes. From their amazing CO2 into O2 converting abilities, to muffling of pollution and dust, to their cooling properties, and ecosystem mainstays, there are more than a few reasons to hug a tree today!

Time Keepers: Trees are the time keepers, our leafy historians. From tree rings, to petrified forests, to insects encased in amber, trees are remarkably good at keeping track of where we've been.  Which in turn gives us valuable insight into where we might be heading. How neat is that? 

Good for the Body and Soul: Countless research studies have proven that contact with trees, even being able to just see them out a hospital window improves healing and over all health. Time spent outside with trees has shown to improve concentration in children with ADHD, and lift the mood of people suffering from depression. I don't know about you, but there isn't much a few minutes spent in the forest can't fix.

Seasons Greetings: Trees are the ambassadors of the four seasons. Nothing says fall or spring quite like the changing or budding of tree leaves. In summer they shade us from the broiling heat, and in winter they dazzle us with their glittering branches. Oh and that crunching sound! Childhood in a soundbite, that's what that is.

Connection: Have you ever looked at a tree in winter and noticed the pattern among the branches? Those are fractals, ever smaller replications of the original branch pattern. Now take a look at the veins of a leaf, root systems of other plants, and finally the human vascular system... all fractals. We are all connected!

Free DIY Crafting Activity!

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A few of our Favorite Supplies:

Tree Leaf Poster

Rubber Leaf Stamps

Branch Blocks

The Naturalist's Notebook

Maple Leaf Fairy

Wooden Craft Rounds

and more. . .

xox

~i.c.

. . . 5 reasons to fall in love with handwork!

5 Reasons to Love Handwork!

Develops Social Skills:  Handwork has always been a social endevour. From knitting/sewing circles, to needle pointing with friends, trading sewing patterns, and even button swaps, handwork is made for sharing. And when kids share ideas, emotions, and jokes everyone's life gets a little better. Go ahead, start a kid centered neighborhood knitting circle (and let us know about it, we'd be delighted to join you!). 

Creativity: Some kids are two dimensional wizards, creating real life records and imaginary visions through painting and drawing, and that's great! But for the those of us (ahem... me) who are a bit challenged in the 2-D world, the world of 3-D and handwork opens up miles of possibilities to exercise those creative muscles. From knitting, to crochet, to sewing and needlepoint, there are endless ways to express yourself.

Cause and Effect/Visualization: If you drop a stitch and don't go back to fix it, there will be a hole in your scarf. Cause and effect folks, cause and effect. As kiddos grow up it's important to give them softer versions of these life lessons. Why? So that when the hard ones come along, they have the skill set to step back, take a look at the situation, figure out whats wrong, and fix it. Handwork is a gloriously fun and soft way to teach this valuable life skill. Not only that, but you get two-for-one life skill points by learning to visualize as well. Creating/recognizing patterns and pieces from nothing will go a long way in life on so many levels. 

Self Confidence: There is nothing more satisfying than learning a challenging skill and mastering it. Not to mention seeing a problem like a broken zipper, and knowing you can fix that. Working with your mind to train your hands to do just what you want them to do builds confidence on so many levels. Belief in ability, belief in creativity, belief in follow through. All these wonderful aspects of confidence are found in handwork, and we love it! 

Coordination: Fine motor skills, improved hand-eye coordination, newly firing synapses, oh my! Yes indeed my friends, learning handwork does all those things, and more.... yes more. Add improved ability in math, reading, comprehension, and critical thinking to that list, and you have one sweet (and usually quiet) activity that kids love. So what are you waiting for? Teach those kiddos a handcraft today!

 

Free DIY Crafting Activity!

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 A few of our Favorite Supplies:

Children's Sewing Kit

Vegetable Felting Kit

Knitting Kit

Beginners Weaving Loom

Flower Crown Kit

Needlework Kit

and more. . .

xox

~i.c.

. . . 5 reasons to love music

5 Reasons to Love Music!

A Helping Hand: Music education supports learning in pretty much all other areas of education.  The spacial temporal development in the brain that music opens up helps students to visualize a problem space. A skill incredibly important for math and science education. Music also helps with memorization, which is great for history, theater, and language arts!

Brain Work Out: Did you know that musicians use more of their brains than the average human? Studies have shown that music activates areas of the brain that you otherwise do not use day to day. In fact one study found that just 6 months of music instruction raised the IQ of the participating children by 2 points. Not only that, but learning to read and play music facilitates development in the brain, especially in the language department.

Cultural Literacy: Humans are innately musical. We have been tapping our toes, bouncing, dancing, singing, and clapping since before recorded history. Music is a very central part of how we interpret, sustain, and protect our differing cultures. And honestly, I can't think of a better way to learn about the world than through music. Art may come in a close second, but music is who we are and how we relate to one another. And that's one very powerful ability.  

Learning a Skill: As technology invades all aspects of our life, making it hard to focus and making attention spans shorter, why not let music come to the rescue? Learning to play an instrument is hard. For most humans out there, learning to play in instrument takes time and dedication. It also takes a lot of patience. So learning to play an instrument not only teaches the skill of making music, it teaches a host of other important life skill our little ones will need down the road. 

Creative Expression: Last but certainly not least, music is a sonically stunning way to express creativity. Emotions and ideas find a home in music like no other place. Only in music can each aspect of a song have it's own vibrancy and personality. Think about it this way, no song can ever be sung the exact same way, and that's beautiful and so so freeing. Let the creativity begin!!!

Free DIY Crafting Activity!

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 A few of our Favorite Supplies:

Fair Trade Musical Instrument Pak

Chord Cubes

Glockenspiel

Make Your Own Music Box Kit

Train Whistle

Spring Lyre

and more...

xox

~i.c.