DIY Word Searches

A mandatory word search brought sighs of boredom. But when I suggested that the kids make their own grid on line, they got excited. Followed up by an episode of TOP DESIGN featuring children's rooms, the puzzle-generator added to another great Tuesday night at home.

Fuzzy Penguin

These adorable penguins are based on a basic design created by Ruby, age 8. In essence, each penguin is fat little pillow with features like wings, feet, and beak sewn or glued on. They're easy to make; build a nest-full!

Ruby's brother Jay, age 12, likes the design, too, and he created these instructions so everyone can follow along. (The only difference between Ruby's design and Jay's is that Ruby attaches the wings with hot glue, and Jay sews them into the seam that makes the penguin's body.) We photographed the penguins in a real snow storm. The little birds loved it!

Building the Brand, Trader Joe's style

Last summer, Hannah entered a drawing contest at our local Trader Joe's supermarket. This weekend, the store called to notify Hannah that she was a winner. TJs in-house artist Ashley Fenderson had transformed Hannah's drawing into a cool shelf label. Hannah got to slip the new graphic into its slot on the salsa shelf. She left the store with a ten-dollar gift card and a million-dollar smile.

We posted Hannah's original drawing this summer; look for it in our July archive.