Do you know the origin of the Advent calendar? Advent calendars originated in Germany. Their goal was to help children wait for Christmas day. Advent calendars have changed quite a bit over the years. In the 19th century, in certain protestant families, children would receive a religious image every morning during the 24 days leading …

Austrian jumper Felix Baumgartner may soon be setting a record by jumping 23 miles down from a stratospheric balloon. This balloon jump would make him the first person to descend in free-fall at the speed of sound. Stratospheric balloons are filled with helium. Baumgartner’s balloon, the Red Bull Stratos, is an impressive 55 stories high …

Last week Neil Armstrong died. The children of today have never seen him walk on the Moon. In fact, they have never seen any astronaut taking mankind such a giant leap forward. But there have been other momentous events in space exploration. Most recently, the pictures of Mars sent back by the rover Curiosity are …

Yesterday, I gave a workshop on the theme my dream pet pal to a group of 20 children in Ottawa’s largest recreation centre. We stayed away from cats, dogs, hamsters and rabbits! When you dream, you might as well dream big.  We chose wild animals such as tigers, jaguars, leopards, bears and monkeys, that the …

Today was the first of my two days of workshops at the Museum of Science and Technology in Ottawa.  And what a wonderful day I had, helping young and not so young to create the lighthouse of their dreams. (You too can make the Animaplates lighthouse craft !) I have seen all kinds of colours, striped, squared, …

Earth Day should not only be in April, but all year long! For instructions on how to make this project, see our free video and printable worksheet.

Do you think that you can’t do art with very young children?  I don’t! I think that you just have to choose an appropriate activity and, if necessary, adapt it yo their age. But that theory was put to the test when I was asked to make Woofie the dog puppet with a group of …

Who would have thought that you can combine arts and sport? With Animaplates, you can make your own frisbee, hoop, and even a ring toss game. And these games actually work! It’s an ideal solution for summer camp. At home as well, if the weather is not so nice you can spend the morning making …

Did you know that Mother’s Day is the busiest day for telephone exchanges all over the world?  More calls are made on Mother’s Day than on any other day of the year.  The day’s call volume even exceeds by 8% that on New Year’s Day. But what makes mothers happier? A telephone call? A card? …

Periodically I am drawn to jig-saw puzzles. When puzzle fever hits me, I make one or two complete puzzles, down to the last piece. That makes me so proud that I would like to frame them. I have never actually framed a finished puzzle, but maybe this helps you understand why I don’t like to …

It is important to make children aware of the importance of environmental issues and a very good way to achieve this is through concrete activities that they can participate in. An art activity can be an opportunity for a relaxed discussion and learning will often be more effective in this way because the children are …

Decorating Easter eggs can be a challenge for young children because they have not yet fully developed their fine motor skills. Painting on a slippery curvy surface requires a bit of practice and one does not always have the time to help young children paint Easter eggs. One solution is to make giant eggs with paper …