Michele Made Me

Mini-Balloon Inflator with The Boy

by

 

Hey, did you notice the summer holidays are upon us?

I did.

Suddenly, I have this little human hanging around the house wondering what to do with himself. Where did he come from I wonder? I’m totally unprepared for the onslaught of “I’m-bored-s” and “Whatcha- wanna-do-s”. Dang it.

As luck would have it, Arthamay Tewartsay (I’m not supposed to use her real name here or the name of her book so I’ve resorted to pig latin but you know who I mean, right?) is on her toes and way ahead of me. As usual. Just in time, she sent her newest book for The Boy and I to check out. Nice of her, eh? I had no idea she cared… I guess this means I’ll have to send a thank you note or somethin’. Be all civilized and such?

So The Boy got right down to it. He found his first project in the “Experiment and Explore” section of the book. See, lately he’s been less interested in crafty crafts and more inclined toward sciency-type activities. The book has several of these, thank goodness. So Arthamay’s “Natural Gas Experiment” or what he called his “mini-balloon inflator” was first on the list. We collected the few supplies we needed and he was off and running. He was kept busy for 20 minutes just designing the label. Then he followed the gas-making procedure step-by-step, and it all worked like a charm. The faces he made and the running around during the whole exciting bubbly bit were just too cute! Don’t you love it when things work the way they’re supposed to? I do.

 

The book contains some 175 crafts divided into 7 big sections that include everything from character creations to science experiments to handmade games to storage solutions and more. It’s true that the book includes activities we’ve seen before, like the vinegar and baking soda experiment above. But there are many I haven’t seen too, like the soft “Beach Board Games” and the wondrous “Phenakistoscope”.

What do I like about the book? Good question. Well…

  1. It’s a handy and portable one-stop craft and activity reference for kids. 175 different things to choose from. That’s a lot of busy afternoons.
  2. The internet can be a wormhole that I don’t always want to send my child into. The fact that this is a physical book means that I have an alternative to the computer.
  3. A good portion of the projects don’t need new materials; most households have the required items. I told The Boy he had to choose a craft we had everything for in the house. With 175 choices, I wasn’t worried.
  4. If you have an older child, you could just send them to this book when they need something to do. The gorgeous photography, detailed parts lists, and straight-forward instructions might actually kick-start their autonomy. And that’s a good thing, if you know what I mean.
  5. Sometimes The Boy just likes to flip through books and dream away. I’ve already caught him doing just that with this book. Like most things by Arthamay, it is beautiful to look at.
  6. I want to make some of these things too! So not only is this a book for kids, it is a book for kids at heart. Awwww…

 

So yes, pretty much a glowing review… Shocking, I know.

 

♥M

 

Reader Interactions

Comments

  4. Nelly Kelly says

    That Martha… She knows her stuff! Thanks for the opportunity, I actually flipped through this at the library yesterday and it is amaze-balls!

  5. Lisa says

    Yay! My son would love this – and like you said – just at the right time, our summer holidays start friday!!!!

  9. Lise says

    Yes, yes, I want it! 🙂 I have 8 kids here this summer (home-based child care) and those school-aged-kids want more and more and more ideas!

  10. Patti says

    Thanks for the review. I'd love a chance to win and working with kids in & out of school, I'm always on the lookout for new and fun ideas.

  11. Dara says

    Heck yah, I want to win this book! I have 5 kids 10 and under to play all summer. I am sure some Martha genius could make this summer memorable! Thanks.

  14. Little Treasures says

    We- Europeans always get shooed away and never get to play with/ win interesting stuff!! Of course I am not serious Michele. Just joking. 😛
    I wanted to say that the book looks great and it's nice for your little guy to explore it further! Have fun, both of you!

  16. rickimoo says

    With 6 grand kids coming and going all summer long this sounds like a good book to have on hand. My grand kids all love to come to grandma's house to craft!

  19. Kathy in GA says

    Michele, this sounds perfect for my granddaughters aged 10 and 8! What fun! Wish I'd had it when I was a Girl Scout leader, but would love to win it now! Thank you for the chance! And love the Boy! (I have 2 sons)

  20. Jane LaFazio says

    I would Love a copy of this book! Sounds like some great projects for my mundo lindo kids, the after school art program that I teach. ( it's free for the kids)

  32. Jeri Niksich says

    This would be great to have for when 2 of my Grandsons come back to America from Bulgaria fr 6 months. They would always have something fun to made or do while visiting Gammy.

  33. Melissa Kojima says

    Wow! How fun to get that book! I love that the boy dove in and wanted to makes some crafts! Your photos of him are so fun! Yes, I'd love to win this book. I'd try a few of the projects and pass the book on to the kids in my live—my nieces and nephews! Have fun!

  43. spotter says

    my kiddo's birthday is coming up and he would love this. He's one of those contraption kids who always has his hands in the recycle bin. I would love some new ideas to keep him busy.

  50. Glo says

    I know a little girl who would love these crafts. This book looks great! Thank you for sharing it with us!

  51. Cindy says

    Love the crafts that Martha use to have in her magazines. Oh, yes, oh, yes, Rafe would love to do some of these exciting things.

  56. Ariane says

    Looks like its a fun book. I've always loved the Martha Stewart crafts. I have many, many of her books! Lol!!! Thanks for sharing her review!!!

  59. Pat K says

    I have a grandson and I would love to do crafts with him and his Mom is expecting a new one so this book would help tp keep him occupied.