Kids

The Greening of Playtime

The Greening of Playtime

Okay so it's like that old joke about grandparents who look at your kids' video games and say VIDEO GAMES? Back in my day we played with twigs and rocks and we LIKED IT. But the truth is, is there really anything so bad about playing with twigs and rocks?

That's exactly what Kimberly Monaghan was thinking when she wrote Organic Crafts, a book with 75 activities that get your kid out of the house to forage for art supplies. Masks can be made from grass, puppets from pebbles, even a gourd birdhouse. Plus I like the info on stuff older kids can get into, like recycling, John Audobon's story, and plants you can use to make paints.

It's enough fun to keep the kids entertained all summer long. And you won't have spent one penny on batteries. -Liz

[thanks, rebecca] 

More in KidsView all picks →

shannon hale princess in black book and author

Q&A with children’s book author Shannon Hale

Shannon Hale is the bestselling author behind The Princess in Black series. It's a favorite early chapter book series for kids ages 5–8 and boys love it as much as girls do. Her newest book, Princess in Black and the Trick or Treating Trouble, comes out just in time for Halloween. We talked with her about it as part of our Q&A author series and asked about a few of her favorite things too.

Explore Build-a-Bear

Some Not-So-Spooky Fun this Halloween

How can Build-A-Bear be used for Halloween costumes? Let kids create a spooky Build-A-Bear sidekick to incorporate into their costume, which can help the costume be enjoyed beyond Halloween.

Q&A with children's author Sophie Blackall

Q&A with children's author Sophie Blackall

Cool Mom Picks readers, we are so excited to launch a new series for you. We are obsessed book lovers over here at the CMP headquarters, and we have a particular soft spot for children's books (even though we're moving our kids into coll…