Fun In The Sun Natty Kids Style

Check out what the Natty Kids were up to this weekend. What fun things did you and your own natural kids do? We'd love to hear about it!

Whether it be tending the garden

Or admiring the year's crop.

Bubbles are always a favorite, as is a healthy snack (just not at the same time!)

How about a quiet walk in the woods to spy some fairies?

 

No fun in the sun is complete without water of course.

Braving something new,

Some sensory play,

Or just the thrill of cooling off.

Fun in the sun is calling, what will you do?

Nature Table, The Sounds of Spring

On Sunday morning you would think it was Christmas here in our house as the sounds of 4 excited children ring out of our rafters. The night before, the Nature Table will be cleared of all signs of Winter and we will clean and pack our items away. Once the children are asleep the Spring decorations will be brought out and a few new items will be left by the Spring Fairies to add to our table this year.

This year, my mother and niece will be joining us for our celebration. Since this has not happened yet, I will share with you today our Spring Ad from the NaturalKids Team. As with the Nature Table, our ad changes with the seasons. This lovely collection of handmade items can be found in out team members shops. There are so many delightful items in our shops you may need 2 tables.

Rocks and Pond by http://www.etsy.com/shop/MuddyFeet
Mushroom House by http://www.etsy.com/shop/cutelittlething
Bendy Princess by http://www.etsy.com/shop/dannielle
Green Play Silk by http://www.etsy.com/shop/birchleafdesigns
Bunny by http://www.etsy.com/shop/fairiesnest
Pink Felt Doll by http://www.etsy.com/shop/alkelda
Hedgehog by http://www.etsy.com/shop/dayanra
Trees, Wooden Fairy Doll, and Shy Playsilk by http://www.etsy.com/shop/theenchantedcupboard

There are other great items from our team members on the NaturalKids Team website:
http://www.naturalkidsstore.com/cat_tables.html

Please leave a comment and share with us some ways you celebrate spring!

Article by Beccijo, The Enchanted Cupboard

Nature Table, Adding Nature

I like to change our Nature Table each week. It is so important during the long winter days that the children have something to look forward to at the beginning of the week. Sometimes it may be to bring out a few new items to add to the table or it could be a complete change of scenery. This week I did a more natural look to the table with our little bears coming out of their stacker den.

Another thing that we love to do is add bits of nature to our scenes. The boys have been gathering items from our yard to add to the table. Before we moved to the country we use to go to a large park that had nature trails to collect our items. We added to our basket sticks, rocks, pine cones, and pine branches.

The kids love to get on the floor and just play with these or add them to the table. Many times I find them just sorting the natural items into piles, sometimes by item, sometimes by size. Kids just really love to touch and feel thing from nature, it "grounds" their spirit!

Here is our final table this week the kids have added a few of each of the items even using the pine branch as a tree. I hope you have enjoyed our table this week and will share with us a link to your blog showing your winter table or a favorite memory.

Article by Beccijo, The Enchanted Cupboard

Need some new items to add to your winter Nature Table check out these items:

JustHatched

DadsWoodenToys

chimera

Nature Table, Let's Begin

Landscape Playsilks & Sky Playsilks by The Enchanted Cupboard

Nature Tables are used to celebrate the seasons and the rhythms of the year. As nature goes through its cycle of birth, growth, harvest, and sleep, so do we on our Nature Tables. Using a nature table is a wonderful way to decorate your home and include your children in the seasons. Spring is on our doorsteps and just around the bend but it is still winter on our Nature Table.

Before we leap into Spring, let's look at some fun ways to celebrate these last few moments of winter. Any table will do as your Nature Table, either beside a wall or in a corner of a room. The size of your table will be determined by the amount of room you have to spare. The table you see here I got for $10 at a Junk Shop. I picked it for its size and that it had a nice shelf underneath to hold extra toys. This table is low for the kids and fits nicely on the second floor landing. Nature tables are a great way to keep a little play place for the kids without having toys cluttering up the grown-up places.

Winter Playset by Muddyfeet

Playsilks are great from ground cover or backdrops. Some soft wool also make a nice snow covering. Adding some winter landscape toys will add to the scene. A lovely collection of winter theme toy like woodland animal, felted toys,and bendy dolls add just the right touch. Having a lovely decorated table will make you get excited for the season.

Bendy Dolls by Princess Nimble Thimble, Snowman by Chimera

If you don't have a Natural Table but would like to start this wonderful tradition in your home, then follow along with me every other week. We will be exploring some traditional and modern ways of sharing the seasons with your family.

Here are a few great items for a Winter Nature Table from The NaturalKids Team:

Snowflake - Winter Fairy

Felted Kitty

Wooden Winter Trees

Winter King

Blue Heart Queen Doll

Article by Beccijo, The Enchanted Cupboard

Interview with DoSiDough

Today's interview is with Cynthia of DoSiDough who makes the coolest colored chalks and play time doughs I've ever seen. Check out her natural and safe alternatives to the national brands!

Tell us a little bit about yourself and how and when did you get started with arts and crafts?
I am in sunny Phoenix, AZ. As I write this, I am feeling a little warm in short sleeves. We usually have Thanksgiving outside. I was born into arts and crafts. My maternal grandmother was an accomplished oil painter. My paternal grandmother did ceramics. My paternal grandfather painted as well. My mother (http://tapestry316.etsy.com) worked in an art gallery while pregnant with me. I think somehow art got into my umbilical cord. She currently is part-owner of picture framing, gallery and art supply stores in Prescott, AZ (of which I managed the art store for several years). My mother also crafted all the time. She spent hours a day making and creating stuff. She can sew anything, and has had magazines feature her beautiful work. She sewed my wedding gown! So, that's how I got started in the arts and crafts: I was born.

What is the main thing you make and sell in your store? What else do you make and/or sell?
The main thing I sell is play dough. Sidewalk chalk and watercolor paints are the only other things currently, but keep an eye out for additional art supplies in the future. Other than that, I've made a couple of babies (but I had a little help in the beginning).

Who if anyone has been instrumental in helping you hone your craft?
My husband puts up with an awful lot of DoSiDough stuff. I have hundreds of tins, stacks of chalk and watercolors, boxes of play dough, papers, supplies and miscellaneous boxes of glitter and glue and labels! Other than him, I must give credit to Stacey of http://staceyrebecca.etsy.com for forcing me to sign up on Etsy.

Where do you get your inspiration?
Inspiration for my store is largely based on color. I peruse the color charts and start envisioning mashing colors together and swirling stuff and adding glitter. It all starts with color. Aside from color, it's motivating to provide safer art/creative products for the hands of children whose bodies are more vulnerable to environmental toxins. My inspiration for life? We'll save that for another time.



What are your favorite materials?
It would be a lie to say play dough is a favorite material of mine. I like to attempt sewing, but I'm terrible at it. I like to cook and bake, so maybe food is my favorite material...?

What advice would you give other Etsy sellers and those interested in opening up a shop?
My advice to potential/new sellers: List often, take phenomenal photos, and at least spend a few minutes a day exploring the other features of Etsy (forums, chat, treasuries, Storque, pounce, gift guides, etc.). Also, it just makes sense to be aware of what (for lack of a better word) "competition" you have. On Etsy, it's not about competing, but I think a basic knowledge of other similar products on the site is beneficial.

What advice would you give to beginners in your main craft?
Invest in good sneakers for standing in, buy a medium sized spoonula (spoon+spatula), wear a mask when mixing up the chalk and have fun!

What is your Etsy shop address and name? Where else can we find you?
Etsy: http://dosidough.etsy.com
I'm in a congo on Hyena Cart: http://hyenacart.com/CrunchyCongo
I'm also somewhere on Dawanda, but apparently play dough isn't a big deal there.

Friday Interview with Mamakopp

Hi all! Here's another interview with a member of the NaturalKids team. Meet Mamakopp whose wonderful shop is full of amazing woodwork toys, fun stamps, and way cool robot arm bands! Come and get to know her...

What is the main thing you make and sell in your store? What else do you make and/or sell?
The main things I sell in my shop are wooden toys. I started wood working long ago. Four years, but got into making things with a scroll saw over two years ago. When I discovered nature tables, I couldn't afford the sweet wooden animals from the German companies so I asked for a scroll saw for my birthday and received it! I have been making the fox, raccoon, skunk and mole with the same template I hand drew then. I make all my own templates. Drawing is something I do in my spare time. I hope to soon to share some of my drawings on Etsy too. I also knit and make stamps. I make books for my kids and sew.

Who if anyone has been instrumental in helping you hone your craft? Where do you get your inspiration?
My children. Often a new design comes from those eager little voices asking for mommy to make this or that. The griffin and phoenix were a request from my son Lucas. My children always get the first of anything I make. Also inspiration comes from the natural world and my innate desire to always create and always challenge myself to take it a step further. It helps to be selling as well :) This always keeps me going, knowing that my work is appreciated and loved. I love being a part of heirloom toy making. I think often about all the neat toys my grandchildren will have that my children played with and loved. Some I made and some they made. I enjoy doing this for other families as well.

What are your favorite materials?
I LOVE to work with wood. My drawing abilities come shining through in a three dimensional work. That's neat. I also like to knit and sew.

What advice would you give other Etsy sellers and those interested in opening up a shop?
Take it slow and enjoy the process. It's a wonderful feeling to find yourself through art, if you are true to the process.

What advice would you give to beginners in your main craft?
Take it slow. Don't let the scroll saw intimidate you. Buy the good stuff.

What is your Etsy shop address and name? Where else can we find you?
www.mamakopp.etsy.com
www.livenlearnnow.com

Waldorf Wednesday is Back! Or why Boys need dolls!

It's been a while since we had our Wednesday blog entry. From what I understand the original idea was to talk about Waldorf education, natural toys, and living a natural lifestyle. I will try to keep that in mind as I ramble on about my views and perspective of life as a German immigrant in the US. I have lived here for about 12 years now. Scary. I cannot believe it has been this long. But please, forgive occasional spelling mistakes, grammatical errors, and a little bit of an accent bleeding through at times. I am still very much German at heart...

The subject I want to talk about today is: Why do boys need dolls?

It is really important to me, and I want to tell a little anecdote to explain why that is. A few of years ago I had a rather strange encounter. I believe it was on a sunny fall day when I took the kids to the park to play at the playground. As usual when I go out, I had one of my projects with me. I am always crocheting, sewing, or have something with me to keep my fingers busy. As I sat there on a park bench a young woman approached me. People are always curious when they see an artist at work. So of course, I end up telling them that I make dolls. The young woman had her 4-year-old son with her. As we got to talking she sighed and told me about her dilemma. A couple of weeks ago a toy catalogue had arrived in the mail, and her son saw a dollhouse in it. Now whenever she asked him what he wanted for Christmas he'd say: I want that cool dollhouse from the catalogue. To which I responded: So, why don't you get him a dollhouse? She said her husband would have an absolute fit. He thinks boys should play with trucks and "manly" toys and that "Dolls are for girls"!



I was totally stunned and maybe even annoyed. After taking a moment I told her that her husband was so wrong. That there was no reason why her son should not have a dollhouse to play with. Role play with dolls is very important for children. Why would we assign boys to play with inanimate objects such as cars, trucks, and building blocks only? Maybe we throw in an occasional plastic soldier or a plastic superhero. But why not give them a soft cuddly baby? Or a doll family? Some day this little boy will be a dad, have a family, and a real house. I told her to ignore her husband and get the boy the dollhouse anyway!

I get so frustrated when I hear such stories. Often I hear boys, big and small, talk derisively about the "Pink Aisle" in the stores and dolls being "for girls" only.

I think this world would be a much better place if we gave boys dolls and allowed them grow up in a more loving and nurturing environment. Both boys and girls need to learn how to nurture and cuddle a doll because some day they will be a parent. I feel sad for this dad in my story who did not want to give his son the gift he so much desired. It made me wonder how he grew up...

Foto by JustynRebecca, a dear etsy customer of mine

I really wish more people bought dolls for their sons. I always keep one or two boy dolls in my store. Sadly they sit around the "virtual store shelf" much longer than the girl dolls...Sprinkled throughout the text please find some examples of sweet dolls that have found a loving home - nurtured by a boy who will, no doubt, become a great dad!

The boy doll below was made my dear friend and fellow doll artisan Rebecca. Steve is still available if you are looking for a cool boy doll to give to a boy you love.

Steve, a boy doll with spunk, available at Toys From Nature

Take Care! And see you next Wednesday!

Ulla, the German Dollmaker