It’s the first rainy day we’ve had in weeks, and somehow, it’s oddly comforting. Staying indoors practically forces me to hunker down, brew a cup of tea and watch the raindrops fall. And yet, when you add kids to that equation, it suddenly becomes a different story. Lucky for us, my 6-year-old had a puppet-making class at our local library this morning that helped save the day. On our way out, we stopped by a table of books featuring kids’ crafts, an ideal way to extend the creative experience back at home. While we perused several noteworthy recommendations, nothing comes close to the recent book I received for review. The Complete Book of Activities, Games, Stories, Props, Recipes and Dances for Young Children is teeming with ideas and suggestions for keeping imaginative kids actively engaged and entertained: a whopping 600+ selections are sure to impress even the most finicky kid (the one who even knows how to make his own playdough). My 10-year-old and her younger sister got a hold of the book one recent morning and got down to work. Having been bitten by the theater bug, the older one was really into the “Old Brass Wagon” dance and within a short time, I was treated to a live performance of their routine. Her sister also got in on the fun with “Ginny’s Box,” a combination treasure hunt/storytelling game that let both girls’ imaginations run wild. From this mom’s perspective, I’m all for anything that balances out screen time with creative play. This is one book we’ll be holding on to for a while.
In a Nutshell: Creative kids looking to expand their repertoire can’t go wrong with this massive tome. A bona fide treasure trove of activities for rainy days, sick days and more.
