Lava Lamps: An Oily Exploration

I know it totally bites that I'm posting Chanukah activities after the holiday festivities have ended, but I was so not used to my new big-city life that I really couldn't keep up over holiday break!! And some crafts and activities were too fun not to share - even if you wait until next year to utilize them! Freida had her first little chemistry lesson this week: water vs. oil. She was mesmerized!

I initially made these "lava lamps" for Babyccino, and while those little guys sure enjoyed shaking the bajeebers out of these contrasting elements, there was another slightly-larger part of the lesson waiting to be explored by a little lady at home: add alka seltzer to the mix!

To make these lava lamps you'll need a water bottle with the label removed, oil, water, food coloring, and alka seltzer tablets. Fill the bottle with 3 part oil/1 part water. Add 10 drops food coloring (and point out the balls of color as they slowly go from floating in oil to bursting in the water at the bottom - way cool!!). Once the water is fully colored, break an alka seltzer tablet in four pieces and slowly drop them in one at a time (wait until each piece stops bubbling) - then watch the magic!!

Afterwards, keep the bottles around for the kids to manipulate and discover the properties by shaking, straightening, and observing.

Freida took this whole thing very seriously, and I was blown away by how long she explored the whole thing!! Definitely a great way to teach the properties of oil/water to a kid around Chanukah time, but would make a fantastic rainy-day activity for any ol' time of the year!

Paper + Tape

Just wanted to share this gift packaging epiphany that has been blowing up all over the blogesphere this holiday season: paper + tape. I nixed the gift wrap this Chanukah in leu of some butcher paper (always on hand for painting and crafting anyways) and some Happy Tape. Voila! Minimalist, modern, and still fun! :)

Book of the Week: Maccabee! The Story of Hanukkah

This little family has instituted a new activity as part of our weekly routine: on Tuesday evenings before dinner, the 3 of us take a walk at dusk to the Los Angeles Fairfax Branch Public Library to take out 2 books for the week. We started the first week we moved here. Well, to be quite honest, Manasseh started the tradition. As I was cooking dinner one Tuesday, he said he is taking Freida out for a walk (mind you, she was in flour-covered leggings and fuzzy bear houseslippers) - and came home 45 minutes lady with a bright faced little girl carrying her very own library card! Her excitement over the whole event (application form, her name - in bold, black letters - on the card, and the 2 new books she excitedly shared at the dinner table) was insanely adorable! Since then we've been taking these lovely walks each Tuesday once dinner is in the oven, and it's quickly become one of my favorite times of the week. This week we've been reading a charmingly illustrated Chanukah title: Maccabee! The Story of Hanukkah.

I thought the author and illustrator did a lovely job at conveying the actual message of the Chanukah miracle in it's time.

It's humorous and heartwarming, and definitely depicts the images I would have liked to relate to Freida...

I won't lie, her favorite parts are the quirky illustrations :)

Check it out if you're looking for a new Chanukah book - we've really been enjoying it!!

Board of Cheese

Looking for something fun and useful to gift a special friend this Chanukah? My Brooklyn Slate Co. cheese board just arrived last week (thank you Fab.com!!), and can't wait to put it to some party-hard use!! I couldn't even resist trying it out right after opening, and whipped out some soft cheese from the fridge to experiment the chalk use on the well-oiled slate. The effect was positively lovely, and it even brought about some Camembert taste-testing from my cheese-loving 3 year old!

Check out the Brooklyn Slate Co. lookbook for serious slate inspiration. Their boards lend just the right amount of rustic warmth to liven up any festivities via cheese, fruit, or anything at all! Perfect addition to a Chanukah latke layout - nothing like some specialty cheeses to really get the party started!

P.S. It's still available on Fab from $16 - $20!! Check it here.

Now I just need some of this to care for it, and one of these to really have fun with it. :)

Fab.ulous!

My brother (thanks Yossi!!) recently signed me up to a flash-sale website that is by far my favorite of the pack!! Fab.com doesn't just feature whatever gimmicks or gear company is looking to sell out overstocked or underbought items at reduced prices, they get only the hippest and most happening items on the market! Meaning, it's all art over there. Forget browsing through lists of companies being featured on a daily flash-sale (and then googling them to see if they're any good), at Fab they only get the fabulous - and at cheap rates, to boot! This morning I've been ogling over some of their home goods (pregnancy nesting + new space.... let's not go there :)). They have some serious goodies going on right now in the 100+ Best Gifts Under $100 category... check it out! Here's an invite for you all to enjoy, click here to sign on up!

They also happen to have a totally awesome slew of colorful, natural, artistic, and mathematically-charged toys for little hands: