Welcome to the August Carnival of Natural Parenting: Creating With Kids
This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Hobo Mama and Code Name: Mama. This month our participants have shared how they make messes and masterpieces with children. Please read to the end to find a list of links to the other carnival participants.
I do not consider myself to be an especially crafty person. Once I'm in the middle of a craft, I enjoy it. I just don't ever make the time to do it these days. I scrapbooked years ago, but I didn't do much of it with my daughter. I'm such a perfectionist that I didn't have the patience for it. I think I'm more patient now... but I don't guess I make the time for doing things that I would consider "crafts."
I totally think that we underestimate what kids can do, too. I know I have! I actually got inspired a while back by this post on Natural Parents Network.
So now we go into the kitchen. Sasha will just not accept no for an answer when I'm cooking. Mommy MUST hold her! So I started setting her on the counter pretty young. She is happy there, too, most of the time. And I discovered a few ways that Sasha could help cook, even at a young 16 months old.
I like to break spaghetti noodles in half and put them in a small glass until I'm ready to put them into the water. She loves to put them into the glass for me! She also loves to put them into the water, but I don't always have the patience for that. In fact, she likes to put any part of any food into whatever dish required!
(no sound required, nothing to hear)
If she sits next to me while I chop veggies, she tries them, too... even raw zucchini!
So now even when she isn't actually getting to help with food prep, she often likes to play cook with Mommy.
What do you create with your children?
Do you have a hard time creating with them?
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Visit Hobo Mama and Code Name: Mama to find out how you can participate in the next Carnival of Natural Parenting!
Please take time to read the submissions by the other carnival participants:
- Family Draw Time Art Show — Kate Wicker shares art (and inspiration!) from her family's cherished tradition of family draw time.
- The Rules of Creativity: Learning to Create with the "Non-Creative" — Zoe at Give an Earthly shares how she learned to accept her "non-creative" child and claims that anyone, child or adult, can be creative given the right handling and environment.
- Creating With Kids: 4 Ways That Work For Us — See how Kristin at Intrepid Murmurings nurtures creativity with her kids through craft projects, outdoor creative play, celebrating the creative process, and setting up "little spaces of beauty."
- Creating memories, not things — Mrs. Green from Little Green Blog reflects on life with a ten year old and how 'creating together' has evolved from 'things' to memories.
- The Gift of Creation — It may be hot, but Kellie at Our Mindful Life is already thinking about winter.
- Hidden Talents — Sylvia at MaMammalia describes how providing the opportunity for creativity sometimes means learning to look for hidden talents in unusual places.
- Creating Joy — CatholicMommy at Working to be Worthy shares how she and her one year-old son create joy for their community.
- How to do Crafts with Kids — Gaby from Tmuffin guest posts at Natural Parents Network and describes how to keep things simple when doing crafts with kids for magical (easy-to-clean, and tantrum-free) results.
- Sugar & Spice & Baking on the Kitchen Floor — Carrie at Love Notes Mama enjoys making a mess in the kitchen with her daughter.
- Young Scientist Makes Purple Potion — Hannah at Wild Parenting loves being a lab assistant for the young scientist in her life.
- Making a butterfly house — Lauren at Hobo Mama demonstrates the proper way to build a wooden butterfly house with a preschooler.
- Nurturing Creativity — Amyables at Toddler In Tow shares the enjoyment she feels in nurturing the creativity of her children.
- Home School Music - Sparking A New Generation Of Musicians — Based on her musical background, Chante at My Natural Motherhood Journey talks about how she creates with and teaches music to her children.
- Creating (im)perfectly Together — Mudpiemama shares some of the highlights of a summer spent building everything from ships to hoops but most of a lesson on letting go of perfection.
- Family Soccer Kick Around — When her children wanted to play soccer, Mandy at Living Peacefully with Children helped organize something that would work for her family.
- Creating Memories Together on Skype — Deb Chitwood at Living Montessori Now tells how you can create memories online with adult children or anyone who lives in another city or country.
- We'll always have Halloween: Creating costumes for kids — Jessica Claire at Crunchy-Chewy Mama is not the craftiest mom on the block, but she does make a mean homemade Halloween costume.
- Let's Make Juice! — Wendylori at High Needs Attachment shares about the benefits of juicing with kids, as well as a quick recipe.
- Everything's Better When It's Homemade — Amanda at Let's Take the Metro praises the art of homemade goods.
- Creating the Opportunity for Art — Jenn at Monkey Butt Junction shares how her family has created an environment conducive to art.
- 10 Easy and Functional Crafts Preschoolers Can Do with Minimal Assistance — Dionna at Code Name: Mama offers ten easy crafts preschoolers can do while sitting near parents — but they don't need a lot of parental help. Added bonus: all of these ten ideas double as something functional (gifts, decor, educational).
- Creating with Kids: Singing Together — Ana at Pandamoly details the important role music takes in her household and provides a quick (and easy!) tutorial for creating fun songs to sing together!
- Create This — jessica at instead of institutions considers different aspects of creativity including those without an end product.
- Make Your Own Pocket Bib — A tutorial from Amy at Anktangle on how to make two simple and quick bibs to keep your little one clean at the table.
- Creating Together in the Kitchen — Despite not feeling "crafty," Momma Jorje finds a way to create and connect with her toddler.
- An Artist-Mama's Perspective — In this post, Shannon at The Artful Mama discusses the differences between her choice of artistic outlet and her son's, and how they embrace those differences together.
- Heart of the Home — Jona at Life, Intertwined shares some highlights of cooking with kids.
- Getting creative with kids — Isil at Smiling like Sunshine shares how much she enjoys watching her daughter getting creative.
- Creating with Children - The Nature/Seasonal Table — Jennifer at Hybrid Rasta Mama celebrates the rhythm of the natural world with her toddler through the creation of a seasonal nature table.
- How Involving My Kid Saves My Sanity — The Happy Hippie Homemaker explains how involving her toddler in projects allows her to get more done, while providing valuable opportunities to teach and to bond (added bonus: amazing oatmeal raisin cookie recipe!).
- In the Kitchen with Kids — Cooking with Real and Pretend Food — Terri from Child of the Nature Isle engages her kids in the kitchen with culinary creations of both real and pretend food.
Kieran has always loved being in the kitchen with me. One of our best purchases *ever* was a learning tower - I highly recommend one to any budding chef :) I've recently begun working on restraining myself from coaching him on how not to make a mess while cooking. Oy.
ReplyDeleteI love how much fun Sasha has in the kitchen! It really is a great way to get them involved in our daily tasks and in tasting new foods. Mikko's been cooking since he was a baby, too, and he still loves it. I also have to weigh his enthusiasm against my patience…
ReplyDeleteI love how Sasha helps you. Being with mummy in the kitchen is such joy for them and they learn lots of things,too. A bonus point is tasting lots of food. My boy loves raw fennel :)
ReplyDeleteI'm glad I'm not the only one who sits my little one on the counter when I'm cooking! They're so much happier that way though!!
ReplyDeleteA homeschool blog I subscribe to had a great idea for fine motor skills... wash an empty parmesan container (the kind that has 3 holes in the top) and then have your child stick the dried spaghetti in the holes. It's very entertaining for little ones :)
Loved seeing the photos of your little chef. You've given me inspiration to let my 22mo be more of a help in the kitchen!
ReplyDeleteA. I love her hair in the video.
ReplyDeleteB. I love how meticulous she is with putting one piece of pasta in at a time.
C. You rock.
@Dionna - it is definitely an effort to not flip about messes... just let them happen... and then let them help clean them, too! :-) (So much easier said than done!)
ReplyDeleteOh, and I love the learning towers, especially the one that folds away! I always have to keep in mind "will this fit in with our RV lifestyle?"
@Lauren - I definitely think it is a great way to get kids to try new foods, especially if you can't grow your own garden. Though Sasha is still interested in new foods so far.
@ The HHH - It used to make my husband paranoid! She gets too close to the edge occasionally, but she hasn't fallen yet! We also have a tall stool that folds away. Sometimes she sits on that instead.
@Terri - Great! That is wonderful! Have fun!
@Ahmet - it was during our lice-combing phase. lol Her hair was looking awesome like that often back then. :-)
And thanks!
I'm loving all of the kids in the kitchen today! It's so fun to watch them participate in their own ways. We do a lot of mixing/stirring as ways to get the kiddos involved - and I'm looking forward to even more participation.
ReplyDeleteLove this post! I have been putting my daughter on the counter and in her learning tower to "help" in the kitchen for about a year. Yes, it does slow things down but boy do children love to do anything mama is doing. Plus, licking spoons and making messes is such a right of passage! :)
ReplyDeleteFYI - my little one fell off the counter a few days ago for the first time. So, that ended that! She has to use her learning tower or a stool from now on!
Awesome! My creativity comes in the kitchen too and it's lovely to get our kids involved - such as life skill too! Thanks for sharing your precious photos :)
ReplyDeleteCute video! I can see what you mean about it requiring some patience. I haven't yet braved putting my toddler up on the counter. He's a reacher-grabber and moves quickly so I've always been afraid to try it. However, he loves to be involved and we now have a learning tower for him so that works for us. Maybe I'll get brave and try the counter one day when I'm not using the burners! Thanks for the inspiration!
ReplyDeleteI think if you have a tower and its working for you, that's great. We don't have anything the right height, though she sometimes sits on a tall stool next to the counter.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely, though... branch out and see if you can come up with an easy (patience-wise) task (or play) for your LO. I once just gave my older daughter a paper bowl of rice and a paper bowl of pasta. It was great texture play!