Joyce H. posted an article on Kid Baltimore | Family Activities with Children in Baltimore, Maryland - Jan 28, 2012, 7:00 am
I've been working on this project, secretly, for months now. I am so excited to finally be able to share it. PrestoBingo SHAPES is our new ipad app for kids, ages 2-6. This project started with a simple idea: the world is full of shapes. In my illustration work, simple shapes are my focus more often...
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Joyce H. posted an article on Kid Baltimore | Family Activities with Children in Baltimore, Maryland - Jan 21, 2012, 11:14 am
I've been threatening to get chickens for many years now. But this is the year. It just didn't seem practical until now, given that with three kids, and a busy studio, our plates were pretty full. But I've decided I'm over-thinking the whole thing. First of all, the kids are older now. They handle a...
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Joyce H. posted an article on Kid Baltimore | Family Activities with Children in Baltimore, Maryland - Jan 4, 2012, 7:17 am
Every year I try and fit in a project for the kids to make as Christmas gifts. Here's what some (I think rather lucky) family members got this year — hand-decorated dishes. I bought a stack of serving trays from Target. Mugs work well too. And some Porcelaine Paint Markers from Dick Blick. After c...
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Joyce H. posted an article on Kid Baltimore | Family Activities with Children in Baltimore, Maryland - Dec 7, 2011, 7:12 am
I've been having entirely too much fun at work lately. I've been illustrating a project for McGraw-Hill publishing and I am thrilled to share the first part of the series, The Little Red Hen. Over the years, I find my illustrations have become less and less serious, so children's publishing has beco...
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Joyce H. posted an article on Kid Baltimore | Family Activities with Children in Baltimore, Maryland - Nov 15, 2011, 10:14 pm
More things-to-do keep filling up my in-box. I wish I had time to do them all, but here are a few that sound particularly appealing. If you have a kid-friendly event, or favorite place to share, I encourage you to post on the Kid Baltimore Facebook page. I love seeing how many people are posting eve...
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Joyce H. posted an article on Kid Baltimore | Family Activities with Children in Baltimore, Maryland - Nov 4, 2011, 10:54 am
Longwood Gardens is every bit as beautiful as I remembered. I lived nearby as a teenager, but I haven't been back there for way too many years, so recently, on a visit to see family, we stopped by. I am amazed that at this time of year, just a couple of weeks ago, the gardens were so lush. This wate...
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Joyce H. posted an article on Kid Baltimore | Family Activities with Children in Baltimore, Maryland - Oct 25, 2011, 6:06 pm
Starting this fall, School 33 is offering art classes for kids! The first two are listed below, but more winter classes are coming soon. School 33 has been providing classes, gallery shows and studio spaces to artists since 1979. They also offer adult classes for both experienced artists and beginne...
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Joyce H. posted an article on Kid Baltimore | Family Activities with Children in Baltimore, Maryland - Oct 12, 2011, 10:01 pm
Look what I found being assembled on my driveway the other day. It kept getting bigger. Thanks to this guy... Until it was standing tall (with a little help from Dave)... Happy Halloween.
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Joyce H. posted an article on Kid Baltimore | Family Activities with Children in Baltimore, Maryland - Oct 8, 2011, 9:12 am
What? You haven't heard of it yet? I remember making up clubs as a kid. Usually they had some pure and noble purpose, but fell apart when our 25 cent dues failed to add up to anything useful. Or maybe we just plain old lost interest. Mostly though, I think our clubs fell short because we kept them t...
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Joyce H. posted an article on Kid Baltimore | Family Activities with Children in Baltimore, Maryland - Sep 26, 2011, 8:32 pm
... -5pm WHERE: Rash Field at the Inner Harbor ADMISSION: Free photos courtesy of The Ultimate Block Party Even though we make a concerted effort to minimize scheduled activities, they keep sneaking ... playtime kids get has steadily decreased over the years. For this very reason, the Ultimate Bl...
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Joyce H. posted an article on Kid Baltimore | Family Activities with Children in Baltimore, Maryland - Sep 14, 2011, 9:04 am
I've always loved dill. Every year, my dad used to make a big crock of dill pickles and they were my favorite after-school snack. I ate them by the bowlful. My parents joked that someday I would walk down the aisle carrying a bouquet of dill, and one day (true story) I did. Dad's recipe seemed to ev...
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Joyce H. posted an article on Kid Baltimore | Family Activities with Children in Baltimore, Maryland - Sep 1, 2011, 7:56 pm
I'm not quite ready to end summer, but it's leaving, with or without me. We managed to sneak in some, but not all of our summer goals, and many things of course that weren't on the list. The garden did okay, but just okay. There were a few distinct wins though, like my first home-grown artichoke (ab...
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Joyce H. posted an article on Kid Baltimore | Family Activities with Children in Baltimore, Maryland - Sep 1, 2011, 7:55 pm
Recently, while visiting my parents at the beach, I found Velvlet placed on my bed. Velvlet is special. My very favorite doll from when I loved dolls. Her real name was supposed to be "Velvet", but at age 4, I got it wrong and it stuck. She came with a big sister named Crissy that my big sister rece...
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Joyce H. posted an article on Kid Baltimore | Family Activities with Children in Baltimore, Maryland - Aug 7, 2011, 7:38 pm
Our guilty pleasure this summer has been homemade ice cream. It's even better, because the kids can make it almost, almost by themselves. All kid-powered. Here is the recipe: 1 cup milk 1 cup half and half 1/4 cup sugar 1 tsp. vanilla 1 quart plastic zip bag (the kind without the zipper works best) ...
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Joyce H. posted an article on Kid Baltimore | Family Activities with Children in Baltimore, Maryland - Jul 14, 2011, 6:14 pm
Dutch Wonderland is one of those authentic amusement parks that I just can't help but love. There is a history here that goes back to 1963, when potato farmer, Earl Clark started the place. Our first stop was the carousel. A classic. Admission to the park includes most, but not all, of the activitie...
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Joyce H. posted an article on Kid Baltimore | Family Activities with Children in Baltimore, Maryland - Jul 14, 2011, 6:12 pm
Matt Shearin! Matt, please contact me and we will send your family four-pack of tickets to Dutch Wonderland right away. I hope you have a great time!
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Joyce H. posted an article on Kid Baltimore | Family Activities with Children in Baltimore, Maryland - Jul 3, 2011, 10:12 pm
In honor of the 4th of July, I'm really excited to announce our next giveaway. Dutch Wonderland has generously offered a family 4-pack of tickets to one lucky Kid Baltimore reader. We went to Dutch Wonderland years ago, before twins, and I have to say that I am really looking forward to going back (...
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Joyce H. posted an article on Kid Baltimore | Family Activities with Children in Baltimore, Maryland - Jun 23, 2011, 8:29 pm
Just when you think you have the tech part figured out on this whole "blog thing," they change the rules. Our Facebook Group needed to change to a Facebook Page. Why? I'm not exactly sure, but it is now here. If you would like to post your events, or share your ideas about fun activities in the Balt...
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Joyce H. posted an article on Kid Baltimore | Family Activities with Children in Baltimore, Maryland - Jun 23, 2011, 8:46 am
I think it's becoming a tradition to make our summer list. Sharing it here makes it more permanant. A few items are left over from previous year's lists, and a few are repeats that are becoming traditions in their own right. Here goes: Make ice cream. We'll share our new recipe soon. It's really fun...
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Joyce H. posted an article on Kid Baltimore | Family Activities with Children in Baltimore, Maryland - May 31, 2011, 10:37 pm
WHEN: Saturday, June 4, 2011 WHERE: Boordy Vineyards We've been busy getting ready for the 2nd annual Gunpowder River Artfest. This year, it's moving to Boordy Vineyards, and adult admission includes a winetasting. There will be lots of kid-friendly activities too. This is an event that our studio i...
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Joyce H. posted an article on Kid Baltimore | Family Activities with Children in Baltimore, Maryland - May 2, 2011, 11:47 am
The area surrounding our campsite offers lots to do for families. My very favorite place we stopped was the Crystal Grottoes, a cavern that has been owned by the same family for 3 generations and offers daily tours. We pulled up to a picturesque old storefront. Cows were grazing across a stream. Whi...
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Joyce H. posted an article on Kid Baltimore | Family Activities with Children in Baltimore, Maryland - Apr 26, 2011, 10:33 pm
In general, we like our creature comforts, but we decided to ditch technology recently and do a little camping. Alright, I admit I brought my ipad... and my cell phone... and my GPS... and my camera. But in all honesty the ipad was mostly used to read Grimm's Fairy Tales so that doesn't count, right...
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Joyce H. posted an article on Kid Baltimore | Family Activities with Children in Baltimore, Maryland - Apr 11, 2011, 10:08 pm
This hurts. I'm a mom. I share everything. But this may just go too far. When I had one actual kid (and two babies who weren't quite actual kids yet) I didn't plan well. I gave my daughter part of the garden by the house. What could go wrong? This small child wanted to plant some seeds, watch someth...
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Joyce H. posted an article on Kid Baltimore | Family Activities with Children in Baltimore, Maryland - Mar 6, 2011, 9:42 pm
It's tough to change the world when you are a kid. Big plans. Good plans. But no one lets you pitch in. My daughter has been on a mission ever since we brought Reggie home. She wants to volunteer at an animal shelter. There's lots to be done, but most of the shelters don't have jobs for kids. After ...
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Joyce H. posted an article on Kid Baltimore | Family Activities with Children in Baltimore, Maryland - Feb 19, 2011, 1:24 pm
During the recent snow, my kids decided to whip up a batch of cupcakes for the birds. My daughter got the idea from Birds and Blooms and before I knew what was happening, the ingredients were being pulled from the pantry shelves and all three were up to their elbows in peanut butter. Som...
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Joyce H. posted an article on Kid Baltimore | Family Activities with Children in Baltimore, Maryland - Feb 7, 2011, 10:05 pm
I'm in love. Meet Reggie, the newest member of our family. I think he may have the best purr in the entire world. We have always been cat-people, and when out last cat died, at the ripe old age of 17, we took a few months to be cat free. It wasn't good. But probably necessary...
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Joyce H. posted an article on Kid Baltimore | Family Activities with Children in Baltimore, Maryland - Feb 1, 2011, 9:38 pm
WHERE: Ram’s Head Live, 20 Market Place, Baltimore, MD 21202 WHEN: Sunday, February 13th – concert at 2pm  (doors open 1pm) TICKETS: $15. Under age two, free. Family four pack: $50 Lisa Mathews, from the band Milkshate, just sent me this lovely re...
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Joyce H. posted an article on Kid Baltimore | Family Activities with Children in Baltimore, Maryland - Jan 20, 2011, 10:52 pm
Note: I'm taking a bit of time off and handing the reigns over to my very capable daughter, a.k.a anonymous, this week. She's sharing (for the first time ever) one of her favorite recipes — lasagna. I hope "recipe writing" becomes a regular feature because, for one thing, the kid can cook. And for...
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Joyce H. posted an article on Kid Baltimore | Family Activities with Children in Baltimore, Maryland - Jan 7, 2011, 8:32 pm
How's that for a title? I've been on the lookout for good activities. Not just fun stuff. Fun is good. Fun is great. But I'd like to throw in a few educational things too. Here are a few recent submissions that might just fit the bill. WHEN: January 14-16, 2011 (see show times below) ...
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Joyce H. posted an article on Kid Baltimore | Family Activities with Children in Baltimore, Maryland - Dec 23, 2010, 8:51 am
Best Baltimore tradition ever? The lights at Christmas on 34th street in Hampden. Dave and I used to stroll down from our apartment when we lived in the neighborhood. Now, it's a bit of a drive, but totally worth it. I parked two blocks away on Keswick and made the kids close their eyes as we rounde...
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Joyce H. posted an article on Kid Baltimore | Family Activities with Children in Baltimore, Maryland - Dec 20, 2010, 10:00 am
  My inbox has been filling up lately with lots of good ideas of things to do/buy/make and I wanted to share just a few with you. 123 Baltimore: A Cool Counting Book by Puck is a counting board book for the toddler set. It takes little ones on a cool trip through Charm City. An...
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Joyce H. posted an article on Kid Baltimore | Family Activities with Children in Baltimore, Maryland - Dec 11, 2010, 4:13 pm
I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this winter is a touch more gentle on us than last winter. I don't look forward to the mounds of snow and freezing temperatures, but there are a few things about winter that I can absolutely embrace: the excuse to make soup at least once a week, warm f...
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Joyce H. posted an article on Kid Baltimore | Family Activities with Children in Baltimore, Maryland - Nov 22, 2010, 4:59 pm
My twins have been asking for their very own pets for ages. I used the old "when you are old enough to take care of it," excuse for a while. They held firm. Asking patiently. Again and again and again. Now, while I think there is plenty to be gained by having the responsibli...
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Joyce H. posted an article on Kid Baltimore | Family Activities with Children in Baltimore, Maryland - Nov 13, 2010, 4:46 pm
WHEN: November 12-13, 18-20, 8:00 pm; November 14 and 21, 3:00 pm WHERE: Theatre Project 45 West Preston Street Baltimore, MD 21201 I'm really looking forward to seeing "Zippy the Pinhead: The Musical" which opened this week at Theatre Project. Yes, I know Zippy i...
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Joyce H. posted an article on Kid Baltimore | Family Activities with Children in Baltimore, Maryland - Oct 29, 2010, 10:16 pm
We can't stop playing in the leaves. It started at the bus stop. Too much time and nothing to play with, so we made a cow, and a tulip. Hmmm... too easy... then an angel. My daughter pointed out that we only needed a line to make the halo since we were viewing it...
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Joyce H. posted an article on Kid Baltimore | Family Activities with Children in Baltimore, Maryland - Oct 3, 2010, 11:34 am
Six is big, big, big. And while part of me is in complete denial that my babies are so grown up, the other part of me thinks, wow, they are becoming such neat little people. Definitely time to celebrate. Lucky for me, they quickly agreed on a theme: animals. And I, always ready to hand o...
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Joyce H. posted an article on Kid Baltimore | Family Activities with Children in Baltimore, Maryland - Sep 24, 2010, 1:07 pm
WHEN: Sept 19, 2010 - Jan 2, 2011 WHERE: Walters Art Museum ADMISSION: $10 Adults, $8 Seniors, $6 Students/young adults (18–25), FREE for 17 and under, FREE for Members On a Scary Scary Shelf from Can You See What I See? On A Scary Scary Night, 2007, pigmented...
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Joyce H. posted an article on Kid Baltimore | Family Activities with Children in Baltimore, Maryland - Sep 3, 2010, 5:26 pm
One of our last hurrahs of summer was to take the kids to the Maryland Zoo. The day was perfect. The crowd surprisingly light. And I can't quite figure out why we don't do this more often. Everyone knows what the Maryland Zoo is all about, so I won't dwell on all the great animals or lov...
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Joyce H. posted an article on Kid Baltimore | Family Activities with Children in Baltimore, Maryland - Aug 24, 2010, 11:21 pm
I usually stay pretty lo-tech on this blog. On purpose. In real life I love my hi-tech gadgets, but on Kid Baltimore I usually focus on real life stuff. I'm also one of those mean moms, who limits screen time and absolutely refuses to break down and get a dvd player for the min...
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Joyce H. posted an article on Kid Baltimore | Family Activities with Children in Baltimore, Maryland - Aug 13, 2010, 9:49 pm
When Skinner House contacted me to illustrate A Child's Book of Animal Poems and Blessings, I couldn't resist. 32 pages of animal pictures? Sure! The publisher's description: These poems, prayers and blessings about our animal brethren are drawn from around the world and through...
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Joyce H. posted an article on Kid Baltimore | Family Activities with Children in Baltimore, Maryland - Aug 3, 2010, 1:33 pm
Growing up, my parents frequently made yogurt from scratch...cultured in handmade porcelain cups... and served with homemade preserves. Not going to happen for my kids. For one thing, my family can go through a full quart of yogurt in one breakfast. As for the lovely porcelain cups. Nope. Mason jars...
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Joyce H. posted an article on Kid Baltimore | Family Activities with Children in Baltimore, Maryland - Jul 22, 2010, 9:29 pm
Apparently, I am not so good at saying "no." One little caterpillar soon became seven little caterpillars. Hey, shouldn't they all get their own, plus maybe one or two extra just in case the first one doesn't make it. And then if an extra egg (or two or three) sneaks in on on a piece of dill, is it ...
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Joyce H. posted an article on Kid Baltimore | Family Activities with Children in Baltimore, Maryland - Jul 6, 2010, 4:35 pm
More small things this summer. Today we walked in the stream behind our house. I'm embarrassed to admit that in the twins 5 1/2 years of life, I have never brought them down here. There is something about navigating through the brambles, and down a steep slope, with two wiggly toddlers that never ap...
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Joyce H. posted an article on Kid Baltimore | Family Activities with Children in Baltimore, Maryland - Jun 23, 2010, 9:22 am
One of my hopes for this summer is to take a few moments to savor the small things. To do nothing, but watch. Meet Zebra, our newest little crawly friend. He (she, it?) is a Black Swallowtail caterpillar and he is currently being feed a constant supply of fresh dill from the garden, and showered dai...
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Joyce H. posted an article on Kid Baltimore | Family Activities with Children in Baltimore, Maryland - Jun 7, 2010, 8:00 am
WHEN: Saturday, June 12, 2010 11am-8pm WHERE: 1901 Monkton Road, Monkton, MD COST: Suggested Donation $2 each/ $5 family If you haven't explored Monkton, MD yet, and in particular the NCR Trail, now you have the perfect excuse. The Gunpowder River Artfest is June 12, 2010. Our studio has been wo...
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Joyce H. posted an article on Kid Baltimore | Family Activities with Children in Baltimore, Maryland - May 30, 2010, 3:27 pm
I've always thought preschool graduations were a bit silly. It's preschool. Not exactly the end-goal I had in mind for my kids. More like a teeny tiny step toward the incredibly long path that will make up their education. So why on earth do we need the big production? Yet there we sat, wait...
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Joyce H. posted an article on Kid Baltimore | Family Activities with Children in Baltimore, Maryland - May 12, 2010, 8:44 pm
WHAT: Book signing and hands-on crafting event WHEN: Sunday, May 16th, 2010, 1-3 PM WHERE: aMuse Toys - Quarry Lake Location COST: Free (please rsvp@amusetoys.com with number of children and adults) Join Ellen Lupton, co-author of D.I.Y. Kids , for a book signing and hands-on crafting event at aMuse...
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Joyce H. posted an article on Kid Baltimore | Family Activities with Children in Baltimore, Maryland - May 10, 2010, 11:04 am
WHAT: Tooth Fairy Day WHEN: Sunday, May 16, from 1-4 p.m. WHERE: National Museum of Dentistry COST: Free with regular museum admission ($7 for adults, $5 for seniors, & $3 for children, or $1 for kids in fairy costumes) Apparently, the tooth fairy is fickle. It turns out, she doesn't show up eve...
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Joyce H. posted an article on Kid Baltimore | Family Activities with Children in Baltimore, Maryland - May 2, 2010, 10:01 pm
We were feeling rather genteel, as we strolled along the grounds of Evergreen, a Gilded Age mansion on Charles Street. And hey, that's quite an accomplishment with our entourage of kids in tow. The Evergreen's new exhibit Simultaneous Presence explores the work of 10 sculptors. Each was aske...
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Joyce H. posted an article on Kid Baltimore | Family Activities with Children in Baltimore, Maryland - Apr 18, 2010, 8:29 pm
Submitted by Dave Mom and two daughters gone on a Sunday morning. Left on my own I would probably drink a 1/2 pot of coffee and putter around the house (i.e sofa) or catch up on work. But I have The Boy who is always game for making something big. Really big... and he's not much of a coffee drin...
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