My 6 year old loves playing card games and prefers cards over toys or any other stationary activity at the moment.  Thanks to Debbie from The Village Toy Shop, we’ve recently discovered THE BEST card game ever and my entire family is more than slightly addicted.  If you have a child with an interest in numbers, memory, and logic…this game is a perfect choice.  The brand is Gamewright and they have great card, board, dice and party games. Rat A Tat Cat won the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Best Toy Award and I can see why.  The age on the front of the box says it’s from ages 6 and up.  My 4 year old can play, so has a good range for different ages, although 5 - 7 years old is probably the perfect age to introduce the game.  Okay..here’s how you play.

There are 54 rat and cat cards, mixed with a few ‘peek’, ’swap’ and ‘take two’ cards which add a fun twist.  The goal of the game is to have your cards add up to the lowest number. You are dealt 4 cards and only initially can you peek at the two end cards, then you draw from the discard or draw pile and have to use your memory to replace cards with lower numbers.  The high cards are the rats and the low cards are the cats.  Obviously 0 and 1 cards are the best to get and when you’re confident you have the lowest number of cards, you tap the table and crow “Rat A Tat Cat”!  The other player goes one last time then you flip your cards over and determine who has the lowest number after you add up the 4 cards.  Francesco is so good at this game now - he’s tough to beat!  I’m a big fan of the card game Uno, but Rat A Tat Cat is hands down the best card game I’ve played with my boys.  Locally they can be found at The Village Toy Shop or online via Amazon.

The boys (and some special friends) conducted a cool science experiment today.  Francesco makes me so proud when he suddenly remembers something interesting that he learned months ago in Kindergarten.  His teacher was amazing so it’s no surprise that he remembered something fun he was taught! 

Also handy for this imprompto activity are the main ingredients already reside in most households (vinegar and baking soda) and you end up with a cleaning agent after the experiment is over.  The ages that helped with the experiment ranged from 2 - 6 years old. Really, what child won’t enjoy watching a balloon blow up and mixing ingredients that fizzle?  Sound interesting?  Read on…

Blow Up Balloon Activity

What do the kid’s learn?
When baking soda and vinegar are combined, they produce a gas called carbon dioxide.  The gas created blows up the balloon when it runs out of room in the bottle.

What do you need?
~ A balloon
~ A funnel & spoon
~ Baking soda (although we used baking powder and it still worked)
~ Vinegar
~ A small plastic bottle

Here we go!
↔ Stretch out the balloon to prepare it to blow up.
↔ Insert the funnel into the mouth of the balloon and scoop in 2 large tablespoons of baking soda.
↔ Fill up your bottle half way with vinegar.
↔ Pinch the upper neck of the balloon so that the baking soda doesn’t fall into the vinegar and stretch the bottom neck of the balloon over top of the bottle
↔ Now slowly hold up the balloon and let the baking soda drop into the vinegar/bottle.  Wait until the balloon starts to fill with air, let go, and watch the gas fill up the balloon.

Children can walk away from this experiment learning 4 new science terms.

A solid - which is the baking soda
A liquid - which is the vinegar
A gas - the carbon dioxide that is produced when the two are combined

I love activities that are this much fun and the kids learn at the same time.  A great afternoon.

Never have I seen a door look so good!  These safety door designs are by the amazing creators at Kidtropolis.  Their unique kid’s rooms are amazing.  A site to surf with a coffee or glass of wine.  Sit back and let our your adult mind enjoy the creativity. 

Imagine the room of fairies that lead from this door…

Or into the castle for a boy?

Timing is everything right?  With parents concerned about plasticizers, chemicals, and just a little paranoid about their children mouthing plastic toys, along comes a company called Green Toys. Being a toy company, the words that describe their adorable product line are music to concerned parent’s ears:

“Made in the USA”
“Made from 100% recycled products”
“Contains no BPA”
“Contains no phthalates”
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Holy Etsy! This newly found store (thank you Leah!) makes me want to decorate another nursery or carve out a section of my toy room dedicated only to the creation of art.  The hand crafted wonders at this store are amazing. This Canadian (love saying that) store Petit Flaneur has a very artistic website….full of inspiration for any art lovers. They also have an Etsy store that displays their child minded signature items. Check out their wall decals and room decor! Honestly, what better message to start in a child’s nursery or play area than this beautiful garden decal for the wall? They have incorporated Amy Butler fabric and wood veneer on canvas. Non-commercial, natural products, nature inspired. Love it and there’s more….but first, a few visuals. 

Picture source: Petit Flaneur Etsy Store

and don’t forget the tomatoes!
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