The 413 Mom

ENTER TO WIN: Grinchmas Activity Box from The Springfield Museums #craftingwithkids

Merry Grinchmas! Have you been able to enjoy the holiday activities at The Springfield Museums? If not, you can experience a little bit of the fun right in your own home with the Grinchmas Activity Kit. Project boxes are available for purchase at the museums or you can enter to win one of your own -- keep reading to find out how! 

The kit includes over a dozen holiday-themed craft projects with all required supplies. It's like holiday staycation fun in a box. The activities are geared toward kids in grades PK-5 and include:

• Grinch Doorknob Hanger
• Grinch Snow Globe
• Grinch, Cindy Lou, and Max Color Your Own Keychains
• A Grinch Medal
• Stuffable Ornaments
• Block Print Your Own Christmas Cards
• Mt. Crumpit Derby At Home
• Layered Heart Garland
• Felt Gingerbread Ornament
• Gingerbread Door Decoration
• Grinch Storybook

All project instructions are included. There's hours of unplugged fun offered here.

The Grinchmas Activity Box is $35, and you can add on enough supplies for a second child to complete the projects for an additional $10. While $35 might seem like a lot of money for crafting supplies just one or two of the projects in this box would retail for $10 alone at a store. With this kit you're getting 14 complete projects, plus leftover supplies the kids can be extra creative with. There's enough in here to keep them busy throughout holiday break. If you had to purchase all of the items in these kits separately the price would be north of $100. Plus -- by purchasing from The Springfield Museums you're supporting a local institution during this trying time. 

You can order the Grinchmas Activity Kit here. Flat rate shipping is $8.50 or you can pick up the kit for free in person at the Welcome Center at the Springfield Museums. Merry Grinchmas! 

ENTER TO WIN a Grinchmas Activity kit of your own by using the comments field below to share a story about how your own heart grew three sizes one day or you can share a tip on how NOT to be Grinchy during the holidays. One winner will be chosen at random from all eligible entries. Winner will need to pick up the prize from the Welcome Center at The Springfield Museums. Entry period ends on December 15, 2020 at 11:59 p.m. Good Luck!

Gotta Try: Celebrate the holidays with DIY Diamond Art Club #craftingwithkids #diamondartclub

While Halloween is going to look and feel different this year there are still lots of ways to make it memorable. I'm grateful to have teamed up with Diamond Art Club to try out their Halloween themed DIY Diamond Art Kit. What is Diamond Art? Think Gemstones By Number. A cross between a jigsaw puzzle and cross-stich. A relaxing and satisfying craft that the whole family can work on together. 

Diamond Art Club has some great Halloween themed art kits that are fun and easy to work on for adults and kids. Diamond painting is a combination of cross-stitch and paint-by-numbers and has become a hot quarantine activity. You simply apply colorful resin rhinestones to pigmented canvas paintings. The result? A mosaic diamond artwork that sparkles, shimmers and shines.

We received our Diamond Art Kit last week and jumped right in. You don't need any special skill or knowledge to get started. Simply pick a color of diamond gem to start with, pour it into the holding tray (we overfilled ours here in the photo -- you should only pour a small amount into the tray), dip the applicator pen in a bit of the wax provided, pick up one gem with the pen and place it on a corresponding square. Continue until you want to work on a different color. It's very Zen. 

Everyone in the whole family can contribute to the finished product. Faith, age 8, loves to pop in a few diamonds each day. I love to work on the canvas before bed at night. And I love having a project that anyone who stops in to visit can contribute to as well. It's laid out on our dining room table (the side that's not being used for remote learning) so it's available to anyone at anytime. A real family project. 

While Halloween is my favorite, there are tons of designs to choose from. Including lots of other holiday themes that maybe if you ordered now you could finish by New Years. We will keep working on ours for a while. It's such a soothing project if you can't sleep or need a destressing activity throughout the day. If you purchase more than one drill pen applicator the whole family can work on it together. When you want to take a break or reclaim your dining room table, you can simply roll up the canvas and store it in the box it came in. Always be sure to recover the canvas with the clear plastic cover sheet to protect the canvas. 

Diamond Painting done by Auntie Andi

You can choose canvas projects in small, medium or large sizes. Prices start at about $15. You can purchase online at Diamond Art Club or visit Hobby Lobby or Joanne's Fabrics to purchase in person.  If you sign up to receive emails at Diamond Art Club.com you can receive a discount on your first order. Happy Crafting! 

Gotta Try: Hooray for Heroes Activity Kit from Springfield Museums

Running out of socially distanced summer fun ideas? Me too. Which is why we're so grateful the Springfield Museums asked us to check out their new Hooray for Heroes Activity Kit. 

This kit is geared towards kids in grades preschool through fifth and is available for purchase for $35. It includes enough activities to keep the kids busy for the rest of this very quiet summer:

• Color-Your-Own Superhero half-masks
• Magnetic slime ingredients
• Scratch art cars and banners
• Primary paint strips
• Build your own solar system sticker set
• Markers
• Mini shields
• Hero nomination form
• Create your own superhero ID
• Write a mystery message (puzzle)
• A selection of hero themed reading materials and books
• Invent a gadget with Wikki Stix
• Create a 3D star
• Decoding secret messages
• And more! 

From the Springfield Museums: 

Blast off into adventure with our Hooray for Heroes kit!  Let us help keep your children busy at home with art, culture, and science activities for children, featuring both super and real-life heroes.  Kits are a perfect way to experience the museums from home or extend your in-person visit, combining education and entertainment to keep them actively engaged and learning while having fun!

Kids in grades PreK-5 can look forward to science experiments and demos, art-making, picture books, ideas for outdoor play, and other fun surprises!  Our detailed instructions and complete kit will make it easy to have fun and keep learning all summer long.

Additional materials for more than one child available and include additional sets of the consumable supplies in each kit for $10 per child.  (Photo above shows one full kit plus one additional consumable set). You can order for your entire family or even your daycare or camp setting.

Of course, Faith's favorite activity was the magnetic slime:

And mine was the teeny, tiny zine we created about the life of Supreme Court Justice Sona Sotomayor:

You can purchase a Hooray for Heroes Activity Kit for your own little superhero here. Not only is it a great selection of uplugged, sneaky learning activities, it helps benefit one of our most beloved local institutions. 

The kit coincides nicely with this Saturday's Virtual Family Fun Day (August 15, 2020) highlighting their new Hall of Heroes exhibit. The Virtual Day's activities include:

• Downloadable activity sheets that explore art, science, and culture, using materials easily found at home
• Videos, including one that features David White, illustrator of children’s books for Scholastic and comics for LEGO Magazine
• An opportunity to ask questions via the Super Hero Hotline!
• Chances to win prizes by posting your art work using #AtTheMuseums and #HoorayForHeroes

Follow along with all the fun at SpringfieldMuseums.org. 

#AtTheMuseums #HoorayforHeroes #SpringfieldMuseums #ChildhoodUnplugged 

Repurpose/Upcycle ideas to create FREE family fun AT HOME! As seen on WWLP's Mass Appeal show.

Two weeks deep in social isolation -- how many times have you heard 'I'm BORED!' I'm sharing a few tips here for repurposing items from around the house to give 'boring' toys a new life. See all the ideas on this link from WWLP's Mass Appeal show. So proud of my segment assistant -- her first time helping me out! I hope these ideas help stem the boredom for a bit and give you a little break. 

Gotta Visit: The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art (Amherst)

If you haven't been to The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in a while, it's time to put it on your Gotta Visit list. This Amherst hot spot has become much more interactive in recent years and is one of the best museums around that is geared toward self-paced discovery for the littlest museum goers.  As the name suggests, this museum celebrates the artwork of famed children's author and illustrator Eric Carle and others like him. There are many hands-on activities for the kids that encourage them to explore the arts (including drawing).

Currently on exhibit through May 31, 2020 is the awesome Under the Sea with Eric Carle exhibit which features a story boat that you can take high seas adventures in, a "shellphone" where you can place important calls, and and under the sea puppet theater where you can act out your favorite stories and of course admire the captivating illustrations from Carle's books. 

Through April 5, 2020 you can enjoy The Pursuit of Everything: Maira Kalman's Books for Children -- an exhibition that allows you to try out different larger-than-life props from her illustrations, and encourages you to create your own sketches.  

My very favorite part of this museum is the art studio -- a beautiful, light-filled classroom where visitors are invited to create a guided art project. During one visit (a special Meet the Very Hungry Caterpillar Day) we were invited to create our own Very Hungry Caterpillar out of a cool array of recycled materials and also to create large, wearable butterfly wings out of craft paper. On our most recent visit we made letter collages out of a variety of materials -- we each picked our first initial and made lovely keepsakes. All ages are welcome in the art studio and support staff is on hand if you need inspiration or guidance for your project. But it's also important to note that nobody hovers -- it's a delightfully welcoming space where anyone can feel encouraged to create. 

The Eric Carle Museum also boasts a beautiful library full of the best picture books available. There are regular storytimes here, free choice worksheets, toys and puzzles for the little ones, and lots of comfy chairs and couches to curl up and enjoy the books. There is also a movie theater where family friendly films are shown. Bring a picnic -- there is a large cafeteria available to visitors, and lots of beautiful lawn space and a patio to enjoy a during the good weather. (If you don't want to pack your own, Atkins Market is right around the corner). The cafeteria also offers complimentary coffee. 

We love to visit the museum during the winter months as a remedy for cabin fever (that sun-filled art studio can warm up the dreariest day). But it is also a fabulous day trip in the warmer months -- there is a huge lawn space where the kids can run and play. The Carle hosts many unique programs throughout the year, some of which require an additional ticket purchase. You can find a calendar of their events here. 

The Carle does a great job of appealing to the whole family. As mentioned, all ages are welcome in the art studio; however, if one member of the family is too young or is just not interested in creating a project there is a corner filled with blocks, picture books and small games. Same with the library, there are plenty of quiet toys to play with if someone is not in the mood to read. Parents can feel safe bringing several children to the museum knowing that everyone can be happily occupied in the same room. Hovering is not required. Another advantage is that the Carle is quiet and relaxing. It is a very peaceful place, which is helpful for children with sensory sensitivities. 

If you love to watch your little one freely explore a safe space, The Carle is for you. If you love to let your teen rekindle their childhood through a creative art project, The Carle is for you. If you love kids' books, The Carle is for you -- afterall, their mission is "to inspire a love of art and reading through picture books."

The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art is located at 125 West Bay Road in Amherst. The museum is open Tuesday-Friday 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., and Sunday noon - 5 p.m. During July and August, the museum is open 7 days. Admission is $9/adult, $6/youth (ages 1-18). Admission for a family of four (two adults, two children) is capped at $22.50. 

Experiences, Not Things Holiday Gift Guide 2019

It's here! It's here! The 2019 edition of The413Mom's "Experiences, Not Things Holiday Gift Guide." We all have enough stuff -- why not add a few local experiences to your gift giving list this year. 

Here we have a selection of some of the best experience gift ideas in the area: museum memberships, fitness opportunities, art and music lessons, educational programs and more for all ages. I hope you'll find a gift giving experience here that will strengthen and enrich your family or help a loved one discover a new passion -- because memories are so much better than things.

Link: Experiences, Not Things Holiday Gift Guide 2019

DIY Spray Chalk Recipe as seen on Mass Appeal #diy #craftingwithkids

I had too much fun making a crafty mess today on Mass Appeal sharing a DIY Spray Chalk recipe. Don't pay for costly refills when the spray bottles run dry -- make your own! Check out all the fun here! 

Summer 2019 List 10: FREE Swim Lessons and Pool Time

For those in the 413 without backyard pools, there are plenty of FREE ways to swim this summer. Here is a list of our local state owned public pools, which traditionally offer FREE swim lessons each summer.  **I have not yet heard back from the facilities regarding swim lessons for this year -- I will update this post as soon as I have solid information to share.** 

Agawam: Gerald J. Mason Memorial Swimming Pool, Armory Street, Agawam, Public Swim Monday - Sunday, 11:15 a.m. - 6:45 p.m. Open June 22 - August 22. FREE.

Chicopee: Sara Jane Sherman Memorial Swimming Pool, Meadow Street, Chicopee, Public Swim Monday - Sunday, 11:15 a.m. - 6:45 p.m., Thursdays in July until 7:45 p.m., Thursdays in August until 7:30 p.m. Open June 22 - August 22. FREE. 

Springfield: John H. Thomas Memorial Swimming Pool, Roosevelt Avenue (on Blunt Park Road), Public Swim, Monday - Sunday 11:15 a.m. - 6:45 p.m. Open June 22 - August 22. FREE. 

If one of these programs is too far for you, check with your town's Parks & Recreation Department (this link will get you to your town's website, you can find the Parks & Rec link from there) or local YMCA. Many communities have clean and lovely town pools open for public swim for a small fee (our local pool charges $1/person per day). Also, many towns host YMCA sponsored swim lessons at their local pool for a fee (about $65). 

Wishing you many cool afternoons at the pool this summer!

Summer 2019 List 9: Children's Theater (Live Performance)

There are so many terrific kids entertainment series with scheduled performances this summer. Some are FREE. Others have a reasonable admission fee. Here's a rundown of the ones you don't want to miss. Use the links for performance information. 

• Franklin King Memorial Children's Series: Tuesday mornings, 10 a.m., June 25-August 6. Puppet shows, musicians, magic shows. Admission: $5/adults, $4/children, under 2 FREE. This park also has a daily parking fee of $7 on weekdays, 300 North Main Street, Florence.
• Friday Mornings for Children: Fridays from 10-11 a.m., July 5 - August 9, Stanley Park, 400 Western Ave., Westfield. Some seating available, bring your own if you don't want to sit on the cement floor. FREE.
• Jacob's Pillow Inside/Out performances: Wed. - Sat. evenings at 6:15 - 7 p.m., June 19-August 24. While not child-specific, these FREE dance performances at the outdoor stage are family friendly. An excellent opportunity to expose your child to different styles of dance. Claim a seat on the benches or bring a chair from home, BYO picnic dinner or purchase food on site. 
• KidsFest: July 10, July 24, August 14 at 11 a.m., Veteran's Green, corner of School and Main streets in Agawam, FREE. Bring your own chair or blanket.  
• Majestic Children's Theater: performances in July and August, morning, afternoon, and evening showtimes. Admission: $9.50/person. This year's lineup includes: Disney's Mulan, The Cat in the Hat and Charlotte's Web. See link for dates and times, 131 Elm St., West Springfield.
• Paintbox Theater: performances in June, July, and August morning and afternoon. Admission: $10/person. This year's lineup includes: Mary Poppins, Everybody Wants to be a Pirate, and How Do Dinosaurs Go To School?. See link for dates and times, Williston, 18 Payson Ave., Easthampton. 

*Don't forget -- we'll resurrect our "What to do with the kids tomorrow" posts beginning on June 24 to help you plan FREE and low cost summer fun all season long.*

Summer 2019 List 8: Playgrounds in the shade #getoutsideandplay

Nothing ruins a playground date faster in the summer than having no place to escape the sun. In that light, here is a list of some of the best shady playgrounds in the 413 (park admission is FREE unless otherwise noted):

• Agawam: Borgatti Field Playground, 257 River Road. This is a smallish playground but it does have a lot of baby swings. And a lot of shade. Very close to the Agawam Bike Trail along the Connecticut River, where you can also bike or take a stroll. Makes a nice afternoon. Picnic tables make lunch easy.
• Belchertown: Jessica's Boundless Playground, 59 State St., Belchertown. Not only is this playground fully accessible, it also has nice shade canopies over the playscape. Lots of swings, unique climbing and play elements. 
• Longmeadow: Greenwood Park Playground, 231 Maple Street. A nicely shaded, two-playscape playground with elements for all ages. Nice paths for bikes or scooters. This park also has a pool available for use by non-residents, admission is $11/day. 
• Easthampton: Nonotuck Park, 1 Daley Field Road. This park also has a pool (non-resident admission $6/adult, $4/child) and splash pad, walking paths and bike trails. Lots of picnic tables. Leashed dogs welcome. Can definitely make an afternoon of it. $3 admission fee for park weekends only/FREE on weekdays. 
• Enfield, CT: Enfield Rotary Accessible Playground, 104 Middle Road, Enfield. Although this fully accessible playground does not have shade over the play structure it does offer a nice picnic pavilion where you can catch a break from the sun. This playground shares property with the Enfield Public Library which has a fun children's room with puzzles, toys and sometimes a drop-in craft going on. So you can break up the visit with some air conditioned play time. 
• Holyoke: Heritage State Park, 221 Appleton St., Holyoke. Brand new playground equipment installed for this season (suggested for ages 5-15) AND a new spray deck. Lots of shade trees surrounding the play areas. FREE with FREE parking on site at the Holyoke Merry Go Round parking lot. 
• Northampton: Look Park, 300 North Main Street, Florence. Look Park has several playgrounds scattered throughout the grounds, three of which have partial shade. Lots of swings, lots of different elements for all ages. FREE splashpad and zoo. Many other attractions available for additional fee including mini golf, train ride, bumper boats, paddle boats. Tons of bike and walking paths. Beautiful grounds to explore. Concessions available for purchase but can get pricey. Bring a good sized picnic if you plan to spend the day. Vehicle entry fee: $9/weekends, $7/weekdays. FREE vehicle entry with valid military ID. 
• Pittsfield: Common Park, First Street, Pittsfield. The playground on the Pittsfield Common has some shaded elements and is adjacent to a stand of trees so depending on which part of the day you're visiting you can catch a good amount of shade. There is also a new splash pad at this park and plenty of picnic space. 
• Springfield: Forest Park, 302 Sumner Avenue. Park includes beautiful grounds to explore, duck pond, zoo (separate admission fee), picnic spots, and two playgrounds. Both have some shade -- the one behind the zoo is the shadiest. $3 admission fee for park. 
• Westfield: Stanley Park Playground, 400 Western Avenue. Although this awesome playground itself is not shaded, it does have a shade-covered sand pit where you can get some relief from the sun. Playground is huge with tons of swings for big and little kids and several shaded picnic pavilions (available for public use unless reserved for a party). Stanley Park also offers many shaded walking paths through it's nature preserve as well as a lovely shaded duck/koi pond area. Bring a picnic, be prepared to stay the afternoon. 
• West Springfield: Mittenague Park Playground, 100 Churchill Road, (Main entrance is at 1695 Westfield Street, but the playground is on Churchill). Playground is nicely shaded, with two play scapes, and plenty of big kid and baby swings. Mittenague Park also has nice hiking spots and a lovely stream to splash in. Plenty of shaded, grassy lawn to enjoy a picnic on as well. 
• Windsor, CT: Northwest Park Playground, 145 Lang Road, has a mostly-shaded playground with two age specific playscapes, as well as a a nice set of 8 swings (two bucket swings). This park also has animals to visit, an indoor Nature Center play area with educational displays, indoor bathrooms, plenty of picnic tables and lots of hiking trails to explore. Worth the drive for those of us in the lower 413. 

Hope you get out and explore a new-to-you playground this summer. We'll see you there! 

*Don't forget -- we'll resurrect our "What to do with the kids tomorrow" posts beginning on June 24 to help you plan FREE and low cost summer fun all season long.*