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Anyone who knows me, knows I love to compartmentalize things! I absolutely adore organization, especially when it's done in a creative manner! My warehouse if full of innovative ways to hang, display, and store all the various props, toys, and supplies that we use every day. And although there are many days when our workshop looks like Thing One and Thing Two have been set loose, at the heart of it all is an organized system. And most of it made from recycled and repurposed materials.
For about 4 years now, I've been exploring the joys of duct tape. It's a great craft supply that my older clients, aged 10 to 16, find as intriguing as my younger ones. That is terrific for a party planner who is always trying to find something to entertain all ages. A few years ago I was doing a summer picnic and four of the girls decided they wanted to make duct tape flip flops. I was happy to oblige, we had an amazing time making them and the young women made some amazing footwear. I never had the opportunity to turn that experience into a craft project or blog.
Whenever I'm asked to entertain younger children, meaning under the age of 3, I like to set up "stations". I find that most little ones just don't have the attention span to follow a birthday party schedule. Instead, I've developed a more free form approach where the children roam from activity to activity at their own pace and comfort level.
Road trips can be brutal on kids. I remember trips to my grandmother's house when I was young, sitting in the back of my parents VW Bug repeating the words - "are we there yet" - so often that my father threatened to turn around and drive directly back home! This was in the days before portable DVD players and iPads, but even those get dull after a while, and batteries do run low.
I am a huge fan of the marshmallow! I love playing games with them, making edible art with them, and of course roasting them. There are still a few weeks of Summer left, which is plenty of time to find yourself a campfire and cook up a bunch of ooey-gooey-toasty goodness!