(Image: IMDB)

“Encanto”

Disney’s newest movie follows the Madrigal family from a beautiful mountain town called Encanto. The town’s magic has given each member of the Madrigal family powers, except Mirabel. Watch as this wide-eyed, curly-haired, colorful character finds her special talent — just what she needs to save her town when the magic becomes dangerous! With music by award-winning singer and songwriter Lin-Manuel Miranda, you’ll be singing the songs for days after. In theaters and streaming on Disney+; also available for purchase on DVD.

(Image courtesy Walkt Disney Pictures_

“E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial”

Who doesn’t remember this 80s classic line: “E.T. … phone home?!” Grab a bowl of Reese’s pieces (trust me, you’ll be glad you did) and watch as Elliott, a young boy from a suburban town, invites a lost alien into his home. Passing this off as one of his siblings results in plenty of silliness and adventure. One of Steven Spielberg’s greatest hits, it’s also a tear-jerker. Will E.T. ever get home? You’ll have to see it to find out!

(Image courtesy Amazon)

“Gnomeo & Juliet”

A wonderful take on Shakespeare’s classic “Romeo & Juliet,” the movie takes us through the feud of two families: the Montagues vs. the Capulets, except they’re all gnomes! Love-struck gnomes from opposite sides, Juliet and Romeo, find ways to meet each other when trouble strikes. Will they be together in the end? Lawnmowers, flowers, and pink flamingos take on unusual roles, making this a humorous story with a thrilling plot.

(Image courtesy Walt Disney Pictures)

“Lady and the Tramp”

A classic Valentine’s movie, this Disney selection follows the romantic adventures of Lady, a pampered cocker spaniel who runs away from home. She meets a mutt named Tramp who has a heart of gold. Kids of all ages will enjoy this movie for the sweet characters, lovely songs, and funny scenes. Pro tip: Have a plate of spaghetti on hand in case your kids want to slurp up noodles as these two pups do!

(Image courtesy Walt Disney Productions)

“Mary Poppins Returns”

“Mary Poppins Returns” is a new film exploring family relationships and friendships. With a combination of real-life characters with animation, nanny Mary Poppins and the Banks family go through many adventures to save their home from foreclosure. Don’t miss the original “Mary Poppins” movie, too! Song and dance will take you through this classic, having you singing the catchy tunes and leaving you with a warm and fuzzy feeling!

(Image courtesy Walt Disney Productions)

“Shrek”

An ogre, a princess and a lord … sounds like the set-up for a bad joke, but this movie is anything but bad! The kingdom is overseen by an evil Lord who banishes people to the swamp, the home of Shrek, the ogre. In order to regain peace and solitude, he must rescue the princess and deliver her to the villain. With action, drama and comedy, this movie is an entertainer! Find out if it’s also a romance.

(Image courtesy DreamWorks)

“Trolls”

These candy-colored bright creatures with wavy hair are a delight to watch! Your family will be wiggling toes and having a full-on dance party because the music is catchy and that good! The story is about a happy-go-lucky troll, Princess Poppy and her polar opposite friend, Branch, who try to keep their village safe from the evil Bergens. The Bergens believe the only way to get happiness is by eating the trolls! Will they save their friends? Watch and see.

(Image courtesy Walt Disney Pictures_

“WALL-E”

WALL-E is a robot, programmed to clean up all the trash on Earth, but he has a bigger purpose. He meets another robot, EVE, and they discover how to save the planet. You’ll fall in love with WALL-E and his big expressive eyes. The relationship these two robots share is endearing, and the message about humans on Earth is a lesson worth learning.

More Valentine’s Day family fun:

• 5 sweet, non-romantic ways to celebrate with kids
• The Playlist: Dozens of love- and kindness-themed home activities

The post Movies to watch as a family for Valentine’s Day appeared first on Seattle's Child.

He lumbered back home in defeat. The object of his affection had laughed at his beautiful Valentine. Her friends had snickered.

“I hate Valentine’s,” he cried. “Nobody loves me!”

“Well that’s a bunch of bunk,” I told him. “I love you. Let’s celebrate that.” That night we made a pact not to give up on a holiday that’s about opening your heart, but to take back the night on it. We vowed to find fun and nonromantic ways to celebrate all the love we do have in our lives instead of dwelling on the loves we might not have.

Here are the five ideas for Valentine’s Day with kids, not one of which requires a crush.

Read a book about love to your child

Our favorites in this arena are Sam McBratney and Anita Jeram’s “Guess How Much I Love You,” and “Love You Forever,” written by Robert Munsch and illustrated by Sheila McGraw. Whether your child is a toddler or a teenager, sit him down on the couch with a cuddly blanket and remind him, “I love you to the moon and back.”

Red dinner

This year we are celebrating the day of love with the color of love – red. Everything on the dinner table has to have red in it. Everyone in the family is responsible for making one item. Here’s what is on the menu so far: spaghetti with red sauce, strawberry salad, pink milk, radishes, baked peppers, and red velvet cake with strawberry ice cream. Each one is also responsible for decorating someone else’s place setting, but the rule is that no one can spend more than $5 to decorate. Hershey’s kisses anyone?

A mailbox full of love

Speaking of kisses, we stole this idea from one of my daughter’s suitors. On Valentine’s night, he crept over to our house and filled the mailbox with Hershey’s kisses. When my daughter went out to check the mail, she turned as red as the foil on the candy. This year, we are going to anonymously fill our neighbor’s mailbox with a note that says, “Share the love!”

Let’s talk about love

I came up with this one: Use Valentine’s Day with kids as an opportunity to talk about love, loving relationships and sex with your child. Yes, give ’em the talk!

With all the focus on couples and romance, what a perfect time to invite your kids to ask you any questions they want about love. One way to start the conversation: Give your children a sheet of paper and ask them to write five questions they have about love, sex, relationships, marriage, etc. Assure them that you will answer their questions in private and that you will not laugh at any question. Then take your children out (separately) to a special coffee shop and answer their queries.

You may also ask them if they’d rather have you answer back in writing. If so, write up your answers and slip the envelopes discreetly under their bedroom doors. Include in the notes an invitation to a fun and informative face-to-face chat when they are ready.

The day we met

Every kid revels in the story of how her parents met. Use Valentine’s Day as an excuse to share your story. It doesn’t matter if you are married, divorced, single, straight, gay, or celibate now; hearken back to the moment you met your child’s other parent, pulling out the warmest memories for your child to hold. My kids’ father and I are divorced, but as part of our Red Dinner this year, they will hear again how we met as young newspaper reporters both sent to cover a tragic murder. And so will my companion. If he’s going to be around the family on Valentine’s, he’s going to hear the story. Luckily, my kids like hearing about how we met, too.

When my ex-husband and I met, it was my first day on the paper and the editors did not realize they had sent two of us out on the same story. We each thought the other was the news competition and were each knocking ourselves out to get better quotes than the other. When we returned to the newsroom, we were required to write the story together.

My daughter, who has heard this story every Valentine’s Day for 12 years, likes to tell her friends, “My parents met over a dead body.”

Ah, the romance!

More Valentine’s Day with kids:

• 6 sweet and savory ways to celebrate Valentine’s Day
• The Playlist: At-home activities focused on love and kindness

The post 5 sweet ideas for celebrating Valentine’s Day with kids appeared first on Seattle's Child.

1) Put your holiday decorations. Lights, candy canes, reindeer, large blowup snowmen, a turkey! Put them all out and make your yard look extra festive. Keep your decorations up through March!

2) Decorate the inside of your home and display your tree. Kids will love lights in their room or garland around their doors. Have them make a paper garland to count down the your special holiday or the new year! 

3) Start reserving your holiday books from the library or pull out the ones that you already have. Let your kids read about your own holiday celebrations and explore other holidays of the season too (Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, the Dongzhi Festival and Christmas).

4) Start your day off with holiday music. Have a daily dance party or wiggle it out to your favorite holiday song at bedtime. Get your group together to sing carols!

5) Cartoons, movies and the Hallmark Channel! Indulge in weekly (or daily – no judgment!) movies. For the kids or for yourself, holiday movies can lift your mood and put you in the holiday spirit.

6) Communicate with extended family. With family members not always able to meet for the holidays — use a digital platform to stay in touch with Grandma and Grandpa, aunts, uncles and cousins. Friends too! Have a loved one read a picture book to your little one remotely. They’ll cherish these moments for years to come.

7) Bake! Bread, cookies, cake, candy – just bake. A stress reliever for some, baking lets you get creative, while the kids get to have fun mixing, cracking eggs and decorating. Too many cookies? Wrap them up and drop them off at a friend’s house. 

8) If you love the theater, but can’t make a show … make a day of it at home and watch the play with a streaming option: PNB’s “The Nutcracker“offers digital access for a fee.

9) Make a holiday bucket list: What would you and your family like to do this holiday season? Start crossing things off the list.

10) Advent calendars: A plethora of options are out there to purchase. You can buy one for each family member and choose a time to reveal the little treat inside for each day. Or create your own advent calendar for your family to use year after year.

11) Along with having lights and holiday decorations up, keep your house smelling like hot apple cider, candy canes or pine!

12) Craft with kids. Choose a craft to do with your child each day of the week. Holiday tip: Send homemade ornaments, cards, collages and more to friends and family! Make a wreath out of collected greens and pine cones. 

13) Pass on a tradition: Share and teach someone your favorite holiday recipe. Need some ideas? Here are some traditions that we’ve shared in the past.

14) Been wanting to add to your traditions? Maybe this is the year to try out an Elf on the Shelf – or to forget about all the gifts and do a family outing or local trip instead.

15) Get outdoors! Plan an outdoor adventure for each week until the end of the year. Hiking? Biking? Snowshoeing? There are plenty of places open for outdoor activities.

16) Can’t get out to see Santa this year? Probably not time to tell your kids the truth, either. Instead, rent a suit and play the role. Your kids just can’t miss a visit with the big guy!

17) Take a family photo and record this time in your family’s journey. Here are some tips on how to take the perfect pic. 

18) Volunteer. Some options: Adopt a family. Donate food. Make packs of essentials for people experiencing homelessness. Pack a Thanksgiving meal for a person in need. 

19) Snowstorm a neighbor’s house! Make it festive by cutting out snowflakes and taping them to a friend’s door.

20) Visit a light show! Woodland Park Zoo’s WildLanterns, Zoolights at Point Defiance Zoo, Evergreen Lights and several neighborhood light shows make it a special treat to get into the holiday spirit. See our complete list of holiday light shows.

21) Gingerbread houses. Make your own gingerbread or purchase a village at your local grocery store. Start building!

22) Puzzled? Choose a 500- or 1,000-piece puzzle and have the family help put it together. It’s a great way to catch up with older kids and check in from time to time as the puzzle gets built.

23) Make it a fancy dinner! Kids love to dress up and it doesn’t have to be for a holiday. Get dressed up and cook your favorite foods, or shop local and purchase a meal. Holiday tip: Put on some fancy music and have fun with the idea of going out — while staying in.

24) Game night: Turn one day of the week into game night. Play charades with a holiday theme or make up a game of your own. You can also just play board games.

25) Listen to your kids and find out what they really want. Sometimes, it may not be the hottest toy around, it may be watching a favorite show with popcorn to snack on, or snuggling up for a story before bed. Gifts don’t have to be expensive or bought at a store/online it may be something straight from the heart that fills your child’s with love and joy.

The post 25 fun ways to make the holidays extra special for kids appeared first on Seattle's Child.

Maybe you’ve already been working on this (in which case, do tell us what’s on your agenda!) but if not, here are some ideas for New Year’s Eve 2025:

Fun food. I’m planning fondue at my house, but you could make your own pizza, put out an appetizer buffet or introduce everyone to something new, like an array of interesting cheeses, for instance.

Festive drinks. While bubbly is definitely an adult tradition, there are fizzy options for kids, too. Sparkling juices, ginger ale (with add-ins!) and maybe this is the time to introduce kids to the grand traditions of the Shirley Temple or the Roy Rogers.

Music and dance. Have a family karaoke party. (If you aren’t already familiar with this, YouTube is full of karaoke tracks for your favorite songs.) Or just put on tunes and dance. Parents can introduce kids to the hits of their era and vice versa.

Crafts. Why not? I know plenty of kids who love to engage in DIY projects as we ring in the new year. Make party hats, streamers, silly New Year’s jewelry, and new art for the walls. Make a bit of a mess!

Games. Get out some of your favorites, or try something new.  Ideas from our game expert:

• 7 great ideas for a family game night
• 11 cool games to play with your kids

Reflect, at least a bit. It’s been a year, hasn’t it? We don’t need to dwell on the negative, but the turning of the calendar feels like a natural time to talk about what has passed and what is to come. What did we learn? What lessons do we carry forward? How will we strive to improve ourselves and our community in 2026? Pro tip: Attempt these discussions before everyone gets too tired.

Have a happy and safe New Year. Here’s to 2026!

More Fun to Celebrate the New Year:

• Polar bear plunges to start the New Year 
• Tips for creating New Year’s resolutions with kids
• 11 great Seattle area state parks to visit in fall and winter 

The post 7 ideas for a fun New Year’s Eve at home appeared first on Seattle's Child.

Winter is approaching, and so is the cozy time when holidays are near, and we have a warm feeling of appreciation in our hearts. Read on for ways to appreciate our bodies and minds through exercise, mindfulness practice, crafts, learning through play, and other activities that foster gratitude.

Teaching Gratitude Through Sensory Play & Games

Use this month to incorporate gratitude into many things you’re already doing with your kids. Playing games? Try out a gratitude game! Need a little outdoor “recess?” How about a gratitude hunt? Do you need to calm your little one down with some sensory activities? Try incorporating mindfulness into the activity and talk about appreciating our environment, surroundings, or even our calm minds and bodies. Here are some great ideas: 

I love this list of gratitude activities for kids, and I have a couple of favorites. The “Gratitude Grab” is like picking up sticks, but you pick a category from the basket (grateful to a friend, neighbor, etc.), and depending on how many sticks you pick up, you name a few appreciations. The “Gratitude Hunt” gets the family outside for a hike, where we write down everything we appreciate in nature. Afterward, come home and share.

For some amazing ideas on how to incorporate mindfulness into sensory activities, head to Lemon Lime Adventures. This page discusses how mindfulness involves engaging all of our senses, providing a perfect introduction to little ones on how to appreciate their surroundings and physical abilities fully. You can teach your youngsters to make Calm Down Jars (Image source: Lemon Lime Adventures), or simply give them materials to play with and ask questions like, “Do you enjoy the way this feels in your hands?” ​

This Gratitude Game (Image source: Teach Beside Me) involves a mini pack of Skittles and a small, printed card for each kiddo that has a list of prompts. On their turn, the child picks a prompt and says an appreciation, and then eats a Skittle. This game can be played with a group and the beauty is that they are sharing their appreciations out loud and hearing one another’s. What a neat idea for siblings, cousins, or friends!

This M&M Thankful Game uses the colors of the M&Ms to prompt different kinds of appreciations, like food, people, and places. This one can be played after a meal or on the go, and is quick and easy.

Gratitude Bingo (and a super cute, free printable). I like this game as an earlier activity in the month, because the little Bingo icons get everyone thinking about all we have to be grateful for in our lives, and it’s as simple as that. Plus, who doesn’t love a game of Bingo?

Books, Movies & Podcasts That Inspire Gratitude

Books! Here is a variety of books recommended by the local bookstore, Third Place Books.

• “The Thank You Book” by Mo Willems – For kids of all ages, a great book about not taking those closest to you for granted.
• “Last Stop on Market Street” by Matt de la Pena – For kids of all ages, this book helps us focus on the beauty in everyday things.
• “Thanku” edited by Miranda Paul – Beautifully illustrated, this diverse collection of poems celebrates gratitude in all parts of our life.
• “We are Grateful : Otsaliheliga” by Traci Sorell – From a citizen of Cherokee Nation, a book showing the tradition of gratitude in Cherokee Nation.
• “Thank you, Omu” by Oge Mora – A gorgeous book on the power of giving and receiving.

Film! Family Movie Night, gratitude-style. 

From the classic “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving” to the more modern “Up“, there is something for everyone. Many movies help us put ourselves in someone else’s shoes, empathize with others, and be more appreciative of our own lives. Watching a few of these films is a sure way to get our warm n’ fuzzies on as we enter the holiday season. Must see: “It’s a Wonderful Life”, “Oliver”, “Coco”, “Mary Poppins”, “Annie”, and “How the Grinch Stole Christmas”.

Podcasts! Getting appreciative in the car or on the go. 

To tie into the theme of mindfulness and stopping to appreciate our surroundings in the present moment, this lovely podcast called “Peace Out” is a series of short stories that help children calm down and relax. As they travel through space, children are guided through visualization and breathing exercises. Great for parents, too!

This silly podcast, “5 Minutes with Dad”, fosters appreciation for caregivers and family members, as this silly dad gets on the mic with his two kids to discuss various topics. Here is a ten-minute Thanksgiving Special. Here is another specifically about Gratitude. Super sweet and cute.

Food Traditions That Encourage Thankfulness

As we all know, November is the month of the biggest food celebration of the year. There are ways to tie food into learning about gratitude, and hopefully, these ideas will inspire you to come up with some of your own. Maybe you and your kids will even discover some new Thanksgiving traditions! 

Bring a Thanksgiving dish or a small treat to share with your neighbor. Have your child help with the preparations, and talk about why you appreciate the recipient. Add a homemade card, and you’ve made someone’s day!

Here is a fabulous list of 15 Thanksgiving Snacks for Kids that will make you the coolest parent in town. My favorites are the adorable Turkey Pretzels and the healthier Fruit Turkey Platter. Check out our Pinterest page on Gratitude for Kids for lots more delicious ideas. Gobble gobble!

Art Projects That Celebrate Gratitude

Start the month off with a homemade Gratitude Journal. Decorate the cover, sew or staple the pages together, and then carve out time each day for age-appropriate journaling. This can look like a kiddo telling Mom or Dad what to write, making scribbles, or spending a few minutes writing about all of the day’s appreciations.

Paper Bag Gratitude Tree. There are many ways to display individual appreciations beautifully, and this tree accomplishes just that. It is fun for kids to twist and shape the paper into a 3-D tree trunk with branches, and cut out the leaves themselves.

For older kids, try this Gratitude Mobile (Image source: mericherry.com), made with beads and string, and requiring the trial and error of achieving balance (STEM integration, perhaps?). Both result in lovely, visual representations of your kids’ appreciations for all to enjoy and reflect on.

Gratitude Stones. This is new to me, but I am completely obsessed. The way it works is this- collect small, flat stones, paint them with a simple design (I like using paint pens), hide them around the house, and each time you see one, you must think of something you are grateful for! It’s simply wonderful.

For getting into the Thanksgiving spirit, here are a couple of ways to incorporate pumpkins into the art-making. These Gratitude Paper Pumpkins are made from strips of green and orange paper, and your littles will love how they can see their appreciations on this 3-D form. Or, your family could buy a pumpkin (on sale after Halloween?) and each night at dinner, add a phrase or a drawing in Sharpie that speaks to gratitude. Here is an example.

I love this preschool lesson that is messy, crafty, and meaningful. This Leaf Garland uses shaving cream and paint to marbelize paper, cut the dried artworks into leaves, and add gratitudes in writing before stringing them together to make a garland.

Here is a list of 10 Drawing Prompts (Image source: Lasso the Moon) that help us think about gratitude, from “draw someone who helps you” to “draw something that makes you laugh.” These drawings can be quick or Pictionary-style, or you can break out the paints or colored pencils and go deeper.

For more ideas on themed learning from gardening to construction to ocean life and much more, check out my blog at creativehomeeducation.com.

The post A Month of Gratitude: Activities for kids and families appeared first on Seattle's Child.

Seattle author Sanae Ishida’s book “Animal Friends to Sew: Simple Handmade Decor, Toys, and Gifts for Kids” has templates and patterns galore for simple but elegant gifts for kids (and for stuffy-loving adults who are kids at heart). 

These are great DIY gift projects for kids who want to learn to sew — and for adults who might also want to learn. The bonus is you can get gift hunting out of the way and engage your child in an entertaining, crafty project in one fell swoop. With the permission of Sasquatch Books, we are reprinting the templates and instructions for making two DIY gifts: a lion pillow and a panda bath puppet. Get started here. Happy sewing!

How to make the lion pillow

© 2020 By Sanae Ishida. All rights reserved. Excerpted from Animal Friends to Sew by permission of Sasquatch Books.

NOT ONLY CAN THESE CRITTERS scrub all the grubbiness off, but they might also inspire an impromptu bath time puppet show! 

Supplies & Materials

• 1/3 yard mustard or light brown fabric for mane
• ¼ yard beige fabric for face and ears
• Scrap of black wool felt for nose
• Stuffing (cotton, wool, or fiberfill)
• Marking tool such as chalk
• Embroidery floss: black, cream, pink, and mustard
• Embroidery needle
• Hand-sewing needle
• Coordinating thread 
• Drafting kit 
• Buttons for eyes (optional)

Recommended Fabrics

Linen, linen/cotton blend, cotton

Finished Dimensions

Approximately 11 inches wide by 10 inches high

Pattern Pieces

• Mane (cut 2) — draft 
• Face (cut 2) — template 
• Ears (cut 4) — template
• Nose (cut 1) — template

Construction Steps (Illustrated below)

1. Draft the mane. Start by folding a 12-inch by 11-inch piece of paper in half vertically. Draw a perpendicular line from the vertical center point (A). At about a 45-degree angle above and below the perpendicular line, plot 6-inch marks from point A. Using these points as a guide, draw curvy lines for the mane outline. Don’t worry too much about symmetry or precision; you can always adjust the mane shape later. Draw an almost straight edge of about 3 inches near the bottom of the mane, where you can leave an opening that can later be closed easily with a slip stitch. Cut out the template.
2. Trace the templates for the mane, face, ears, and nose onto the appropriate fabric and cut out the pieces.
3. Make the ears. Sew each set of earpieces with right sides together, using a ¼-inch seam allowance along the curved edge. Do not sew the bottom edge. Trim the curved edges to about ⅛ inch. Turn the right side out and press. Topstitch ¼ inch from the curved edge, if desired. Align the raw edges and baste the ears to the right side of one of the face pieces, as marked. Ensure the earpieces are centered at the markings.
4. Make the face. Sew the front and back face pieces with right sides together, using a ¼-inch seam allowance, and leave an opening of approximately 2 inches along one of the straighter edges. Clip along the curved edge, ensuring that you do not cut into the seam. Turn the right side out and press.
5. Make the nose, eyes, and mouth. Pin and satin/zigzag-stitch the nose onto the right side of the face piece with the basted ears (see the template for placement of the facial elements). Because of the small size, feel free to hand-stitch the nose if it feels easier. Use a marking tool to indicate the general positions of the eyes and mouth on the face piece. Embroider the eyes using a satin stitch (black floss) and the mouth using a backstitch (pink floss). You could also use buttons for eyes instead. With cream floss, add other decorative embroidery, such as more nose definition and detailing on the forehead and whiskers, if desired.
6. Appliqué the face to the right side of one of the mane pieces by hand-stitching or using a machine satin/zigzag stitch. Press.
7. Make the mane. Embroider decorative running stitches that radiate outward from the face to the outer edge of the mane with mustard embroidery floss if desired. With right sides together, sew the front and back mane pieces with a ⅜-inch seam allowance, leaving an opening of about 3 inches at the bottom. Clip along the curved edge, ensuring that you do not cut into the seam. Turn the right side out and press.
8. Stuff the pillow with small tufts of stuffing to avoid future bunching. Use plenty of stuffing until you get a nice, rounded shape without straining the seams. I find a tool like a chopstick helpful for getting the stuffing into all the nooks and crannies. Slip-stitch opening closed.

Making the Panda Terry Cloth Bath Puppet

© 2020 By Sanae Ishida. All rights reserved. Excerpted from Animal Friends to Sew by permission of Sasquatch Books.

NOT ONLY CAN THESE CRITTERS scrub all the grubbiness off, but they might also inspire an impromptu bath time puppet show! 

Supplies and Materials

• Approx. 20 inches by 11 inches white terry cloth fabric 
• Scrap of black terry cloth fabric (for eyes*, arms, and ears) 
• Approx. 20 inches by 11 inches lining fabric 
• Embroidery floss: black 
• Embroidery needle 
• Coordinating thread 
• Hand-sewing needle 
• Walking foot if your terry cloth is extra thick (optional) 

*Sometimes small pieces of terry cloth may be difficult to hand-sew, so you may want to use black wool felt for the eye pieces instead. 

Recommended Fabrics

Cotton terry or French terry for outer fabric, gauze or muslin for lining fabric 

Finished Dimensions

7 1⁄2 inches wide by 7 inches high 

Pattern Pieces

• Panda body (cut 2 from outer fabric, cut 2 from lining fabric)—template  
• Eyes (cut 2)—template 
• Ears (cut 4)—template
• Arms (cut 4)—template 

Construction Steps (Illustrated below)

1. Trace the templates for the panda body, lining, eyes, ears, and arms onto the appropriate fabrics and cut out all the pieces.
2. Make the ears. Sew the two sets of ears right sides together with a 1⁄4-inch seam allowance. Turn right side out, press, and baste onto the right side of one of the outer pieces.
3. Make the arms. With right sides together, baste the arms to the front and back outer pieces with a 1⁄4-inch seam allowance.
4. Attach the eye pieces. Hand-stitch the black eye pieces to the outer piece, using the basted ears as a guide.
5. Add embroidery. Refer to the template or illustration below for the placement of facial elements. Embroider the eyes and nose using a satin stitch.
6. Sew the outer puppet pieces right sides together with a 1⁄4-inch seam allowance. Trim the seam allowance to approximately 1/8 inch, turn the garment right side out, and press.
7. Sew the lining pieces right sides together with a 1⁄4-inch seam allowance, leaving an opening of 2 to 3 inches on one side. Trim the seam allowance to approximately 1/8 inch, except at the opening. Turn the garment right side out and press.
8. Assemble the puppet and lining. With the lining wrong side out, place the outer piece, right side out, inside the lining. Match the raw edges and stitch with a 1⁄4-inch seam allowance around the bottom. It’s easier to position the puppet with the presser foot on the inside of the puppet (in this case, the wrong side of the outer piece) than trying to sew from the wrong side of the lining. Turn the right side out from the opening left in the lining, slip-stitch the opening closed, push the lining inside the puppet, and press. Topstitch about 1⁄4 inch from the edge along the bottom. 

(c)2020 by Sanae Ishida. Excerpted from Animal Friends to Sew published by permission of Sasquatch Books.

The post DIY Gifts Kids Can Sew: Lion Pillow + Panda Bath Puppet appeared first on Seattle's Child.

This owl drawing is great for kids and adults alike, and works with whatever art materials you’ve got at home. Owls are perfect for using lots of the fall colors your kids see in nature, but don’t feel stuck keeping things realistic! Tons of artists use owls as a creative design, adding their own imaginative patterns and playful, bright colors. Have fun with this fall art project for kids.

Supplies for this fall art project:

• sturdy, smooth paper (like white card stock)
• permanent black pen
• markers
• optional additional supplies: colored pencils, glitter glue

Note: If you prefer to use watercolors or other paints, consider using watercolor paper instead.

Directions

1. This fall art project is about drawing yes, but also about learning! Talk with your kids a little bit about owls, if they’re curious. This can get them excited about what they’re doing, and help them think of ideas for how to decorate the drawing. Owls live in almost all parts of the world, and are nocturnal. Most can fly silently, and their large eyes help them see in the dark. Since they can’t move their eyes like we do, their heads turn really far – so far that they don’t even need to move their body to see behind them!
2. Take a little time to warm up with some scratch paper. You can practice by trying out parts of the picture, such as the eyes or feet.
3. Start by doing the curvy “V” in the owl’s head, in the top half of your paper. This will help you build the shape of the owl’s face!
4. Add little points at the ends of the “V”, then connect them with a curve for the top of the head. Use two connected curves for the bottom of the face.

Follow the step-by-step guide to help kids draw their own owl. Each stage is easy to follow, making this fall art project fun for all ages. (Image: Theresa Harris)

1. Follow the steps in the picture, adding your beak, eyes, body and feet one piece at a time. Save your wings and tail for last, after you’ve outlined a branch for your owl to sit on.
2. Keep going! Consider adding some fun details to your background, if you’d like, and then fill in the colors with markers. Once you’ve filled everything in, try using colored pencils on top of the marker to add extra details, or add some sparkle with a light coat of glitter glue! Encourage older kids to add patterns and layered colors to show details like feathers and the textures of the talons, branch, etc. For younger kids, you can use a simpler version that skips the feet and focuses on more basic shapes. This fall art project is fun to adapt with patterns, glitter or bright colors.

Check out how Sophia, age 8, used this lesson concept and basic shapes to make her wonderful artwork!

(Image: Theresa Harris)

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Invite your kids to fill that positive emptiness with their imagination. There’s a whole world of fun and games in a child’s imagination. With little imagination and little to no purchasing, they can make up games, write and act out a play in the backyard or a nearby park, or create a neighborhood pet parade. Not to mention, their boredom can also benefit the house: invite them to create a contest out of who can clean and rearrange their sleeping space fastest and best, the only rules being they have to help each other, and the prize cannot cost money. Any household task can become a fun and engaging antidote to boredom.

Our grandparents were bored as kids. We were bored. You can’t fault the kids for feeling it, but shrug off any guilt you feel about entertaining them. Our grandparents survived a little lull in the summer excitement; we survived it; they will survive it, too. Instead, when your kids pull out the what-do-we-do-now whine this summer, tell them about these age-old gems — and maybe even join them to reconnect with the kid that still lives within you.

All of these fun summer ideas for kids at home use what you already have — cardboard boxes, blankets, paint, even tin cans — to unlock hours of play.

Build a fort

Build a fort indoors or outdoors using blankets, sheets, sticks, cardboard, or anything found around the house (with a parent’s approval). Get creative by giving it several rooms. Pull out the holiday lights to light it up, add stuffed animals or pillows and books, and make up a story about where or what it is. Is it a pirate’s ship? A castle? A tent in the woods? A library? A place off limits to parents?

Make a tire or rope swing

Do you have an old tire or a strong rope in the garage and some teens in your family? Making a rope or tire swing is an excellent gift for younger siblings. A swing can also be a nice spot to “hang” with friends. All you need is a strong tree branch and an old tire or sturdy rope. Be sure they Google “swing hitch,” which is the best knot for either swing.

Make a lemonade stand

For a time-honored entrepreneurial rite of passage, behold the lemonade stand. A stand can be easily created with an old moving box or other large box, cardboard for a sign, a lemon squeezer (or very strong hands), and something to put cash in (and hand back change). Of course, they can jeuje up the stand for appeal, but the basics will get the job done. Park it out on the parking strip in your neighborhood, and they’ll be open for business. The best lemonade recipe: 6 cups water, 1 cup granulated sugar, 1 cup squeezed lemon juice with seeds removed. Mix.

Create a homemade obstacle course

Grab your friends and load up your wagons with blankets, hula hoops, and other easily portable items for an obstacle course, then roll down to your local playground or park. Working together, create the course — don’t forget to include playground equipment in your challenge. Once set up, kids go through one at a time, timed on every try. The goal is to beat your first time by your third time through. Bring water and snacks.

Make a scavenger hunt

If you have older kids (10 and above), creating a scavenger hunt can be as complicated or straightforward as their imaginations want to make it, and hunts are fun for both the creators and the hunters. Just print out the instructions from “How to Create a Scavenger Hunt” and let them go.

Make old-fashioned tin can stilts and race

Back in the day… your kids may not know that when their great-grandparents were kids, they likely had few toys and had to make do with what they had. Thus, tin can stilts. But they are still fun today. All it takes is two tin cans (old paint or coffee cans work well), a hammer and nail, and string. Have them watch the video “How to Make Stilts Out of Old Cans.” They can invite their friends to make them too, and have a race across the yard or park.

Paint rock messages

Painted rocks can be found all over Seattle, and they are a great way to offer others a moment of happiness or reflection. All you need are rocks, acrylic paint, and brushes. Once you’ve painted as many as you like, walk around your neighborhood and place them in well-trafficked or surprising places to bring a little joy to others.

You don’t need fancy camps or outings to create lasting memories. These fun summer ideas for kids at home can reconnect your kids with creativity — and you with your own childhood.

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• Heart-shaped paper template
• Scrap fabric (recommended: cotton piece)
• Coordinating thread + needle
• Lavender buds (1/2 cup to 1 cup per sachet. Try to get the non-culinary kind.)
• Optional: small funnel

The post DIY Heart-Shaped Lavender Sachet: A perfect Mother’s Day gift appeared first on Seattle's Child.

Pairs

Ages: 3+

Players: 2+

Whether you play with a regular deck of cards, or you use a set made specifically for the game, the rules are simple. Spread a bunch of cards face-down on a table. Take turns picking two up and revealing what they are. If you find a pair of matching cards, you get to keep them and do a second turn. With very young kids new to the game, start with a small number of cards, say, eight, for starters. As they get better you can add more cards. Once kids master this game, they progress very rapidly to being able to beat adults at it, which makes it all the more fun.

Go Fish

Ages: 4+

Players: 3+, though it can work with 2.

Another game that can be played with a regular pack of cards or a custom deck. The rules are simple, and allow players to pluck cards out of each others’ hands. This can be a cause for hilarity or for a teachable moment about dealing with frustration and competition, depending on the time or the child.

Uno

Ages: 5+

Players: 3+

This game is mostly based on luck, but there’s enough decision-making that you can imagine your wins are due to your wily card play, while your losses are simply by chance. It doesn’t take long for packs to get worn from so much use. If you’re looking for a similar game with regular cards, do Crazy 8s.

Jenga

Ages: 5+

Players: 2+

As soon as kids have the fine motor skills to place and remove the blocks, they are easily hooked on this game of suspense, in which players take turns removing blocks from the lower parts of a tower and adding them to the top. Bonus: the blocks are useful for anything kids might want to build.

Qwirkle

Ages: 6+

Players: 2-4

A Qwirkle set consists of 108 tiles in six different colors and six different shapes. Players take turns putting down the tiles and gaining points for each sequence. It encourages pattern recognition and tactics. The longest sequence: six tiles of the same color or shape, gets 12 points and the right to say “Qwirkle!” Finding individual sequences is satisfying, and this is an absorbing and soothing game that adults can enjoy as much as kids.

Set

Ages: 6+

Players: 2+

This game gives a mind-bending challenge to sort cards into different sets by their shape, color, and shading. The official rules call for it to be a speed game, but if you have a child who isn’t interested in that kind of competition, you just take turns or even do it cooperatively. The business of sorting the cards is so absorbing that it can hold a kid’s attention (and yours) just fine without making it a contest.

Exploding Kittens

Age: 7+

Players: 2 to 5

Created by a team that includes Matthew Inman, the creator of the Oatmeal, this card game “for people who are into kittens and explosions and laser beams and sometimes goats” delivers goofy jokes with every card, and has a fun structure, in which every game ends up in a climactic battle to see who will be the last standing when the exploding kittens come out. Stay-at-home bonus: the game creators have come up with “Quarantined Kittens,” a way for people to play Exploding Kittens together through video chat.

Mancala

Age: 8+

Players: 2

You can buy a wooden mancala set with 48 glass pieces, or you can make your own board and improvise your own pieces out of rocks, beans, pennies, or whatever you have available. You can play it outside by digging the 14 holes and finding small objects to be the pieces. (The beach is a convenient place to do this.) This game is more than 2000 years old and it endures for a reason. The rules are simple, but playing is a fun exercise in strategy.

Carcassonne

Age: 7+

Players: 2-5

In this game, inspired by a gorgeous medieval fortress town in France, players lay down tiles to build walled cities, farms, monasteries and roads. What I love about this game is that even if you are well down in point totals, it is easy to stay engaged because you have the project of building smaller goals: such as finishing an individual town or road. For my family, this game was the introduction to grown-up complex board games. We’ve played many intriguing games since then, but this is still my favorite.

Point Salad

Age: 8+

Players: 2-6

This is a fast, easy-to-learn card game in which each card can be two things, a vegetable, or a way of getting points for different vegetable combinations. Fun perk: hearing your picky eater kids say things like “give me the cabbages!” For some reason, the age recommendation on the package is 14+, but there is nothing about the game that makes it unsuitable for younger kids. There’s arithmetic to do when adding up the score, but in my view, that makes it more suitable for kids learning their math facts, not less. And it is just as much fun for adults as children. Each game takes about 15 to 20 minutes, but allow more time, because nobody is going to want to stop at just one round.

Ticket to Ride

Age: 8+

Players: 2 to 5

Players compete to build railroads across the United States in this board game. It presents a fun challenge because while the rules are easy to learn, the game itself calls for some involved strategy. And with the whole family playing the roles of gilded-age-railroad magnates, things can get goofily cutthroat.

Read more:

Family game night: 7 great games we love

Easy kid-friendly fall hikes in the Seattle area

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