The Hapee Teepee 3:55 PM

Camilo is having a lot of fun playing in his Teeppe. Nana made it from pieces of fabric collected through the years, some from mommy's childhood.
Thank you Nana, we will treasure it always.

Tepees (also spelled Teepees or Tipis) are tent-like American Indian houses used by Plains tribes. A tepee is made of a cone-shaped wooden frame with a covering of buffalo hide. Like modern tents, tepees are carefully designed to set up and break down quickly. As a tribe moved from place to place, each family would bring their tipi poles and hide tent along with them. Originally, tepees were about 12 feet high, but once the Plains Indian tribes acquired horses, they began building them twice as high.
Tepees are good houses for people who are always on the move. Plains Indians migrated frequently to follow the movements of the buffalo herds. An entire Plains Indian village could have their tepees packed up and ready to move within an hour. There were fewer trees on the Great Plains than in the Woodlands, so it was important for Plains tribes to carry their long poles with them whenever they traveled instead of trying to find new ones each time they moved.

BIRDSCAPES by Miyoko Chu 10:37 PM

Amazon.com Review
Product Description
Get ready for the most groundbreaking entry to date in the bestselling Birdsongs series (more than 400,000 copies sold!). Birdscapes delivers an immersive birding experience never before seen--or heard--in any book. For the eyes: seven elaborately engineered full-color pop-ups portraying dozens of bird species in diverse North American habitats from the Alaskan Tundra to a Southeast swamp. For the ears: extended recordings of the birds' calls and songs in stereo from the collection of the world-renowned Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. For the serious birder: scientifically accurate illustrations of the birds and moving text about their fragile ecosystems. This beautifully crafted volume is a visual and audio delight!

"Pop-up books aren't just for kids anymore! This multimedia experience transports you to seven natural habitats in North America and immerses you in the birds and their songs. --Greg Butcher, director of bird conservation, National Audubon Society

"Birdscapes is a delight for the eyes and the ears--a tour of North America's bird-rich ecosystems, rendered as seven lavishly detailed, three-dimensional landscapes, and brimming with choruses of authentic bird songs and calls." --Scott Weidensaul, author of Living on the Wind and Of a Feather

Creature 11:40 PM

The strikingly detailed nature of Andrew Zuckerman's animal portraiture comes to bold life in this beautiful large-format floor puzzle for children. This keepsake package includes four 16-piece puzzles (2 double-sided puzzles)—the durable puzzle pieces and gorgeous imagery merge as a perfect way for children to explore the true wonders of the natural world. Parents will love the great value (4 puzzles for under $30!) and the sleek, easy-to-store briefcase-style package.
Buy it here

"They can because they think they can. - Virgil" 9:48 PM

I just stumbled upon this great short film, it is called "The little Frog" ( http://spiritclips.com/films/thelittlefrog ) and it is part of a series of short films by spirit clips, don't know much about them, but I like what I see, the inspiration theme applied within the cartoons is what I like the most, "the Cracked Pot"(http://spiritclips.com/films/tcp) is another great example.

"Every individual has a role to play. Every individual makes a difference." - Jane Goodall

Don't F with The Ladybug 1:07 PM

“Miniscule revolves around the daily lives of insects….You might call it a cross between Tex Avery and Microcosmos…”

from cechols at ectotechnica

"Watching these shorts is pure joy for me. The CG work is gorgeous, and expertly integrated with live action footage. The stories are wholly without words, so they’re universally understandable. These tiny characters tell the best kinds of stories, and they are simply amazing to watch. Funny, touching, sometimes a little mean-spirited - but always a delight."

After submerging ourselves in this wonderful animation, Camilo has been asking for the ladybug over and over, there are plenty of videos on youtube for your entertainment, and you can only buy the dvd set from France(Region 2 Europe), I was able to snatch on Ebay a set coming from Malaysia, so there you go, who said that parenting was easy, now I have to break the code(Shhhh don't tell anyone)of my $29.99 DVD player to convert it to Region Free. Ok, got to go now, let me leave you with, what it is so far, my favorite Video, the Catapult grasshopper, and remember, don't F with the ladybug.

La Luna 12:26 PM

Sometimes, in this wonderful world of parenting you get to be surprised at any minute with the look and reaction of your child to something new that carries their imagination far beyond your expectations.
Uncle Milton Moon in My Room

How to build an awesome A 3:49 PM

W stands for WOW! It's a book, it's a game, it's a letter building kit-and best of all, it's a great way to learn the ABC's.
Each page shows you how to build a new letter with foam shapes.
Children will love Sara Midda's tiny people hauling and heaving the pieces into place, as well as the hands-on fun of bringing each letter to life.
Book comes with 11 fully safety-tested foam pieces that can be used to build all the letters of the alphabet.

Gustafer Yellowgold, a Dad's review. 4:20 PM

For the past year we have enjoyed what we consider the best kids dvd/cd, at least in our list. We have listened to several children’s music and it really does not appeal to our taste, I guess since we like The Beatle’s, 70’s rock, some alternative and everything else in between the 80’s, it is very difficult to settle for “the wiggles”.
.
One day, after searching the internet incessantly, I found this guy on an interview from a website called ironic sans, his name is Morgan Taylor, an Illustrator, songwriter and musician, he has created and incredible character called Gustafer Yellowgold,

This is the excerpt that caught my attention:

Ironic sans:
The New York Times called Gustafer Yellowgold “a cross between Yellow Submarine and Dr. Seuss.” Others have compared your music to the Beatles, and there’s definitely a surreal element to your style. So who are your musical and artistic influences?
Morgan:
I grew up listening to 70’s pop radio. I was the youngest of three kids, so there was a record collection waiting for me already when I was born. A lot of soft-rock. I’m a huge Beatles fan and I’m obsessed with KISS. I went through an 80’s cheese-metal phase until I discovered R.E.M. in 1985. I loved Marvel comics and still do collect a little bit. There are some great creators working in the comics field today that are really inspiring.

From there on we have added the rest of the Gustafer CD/DVD’s to Camilo’s collection, the best part of it is that you will not find Gustafer Yellowgold on your kids diaper or cereal bar, at least, not yet.

Now, to top it off, check this out; he has just won The John Lennon songwriting contest for 2008 on the Children’s category with the song “Mint Green Bee” , and the great thing about it is that even another one of his songs “The Bluebird Tree” was a finalist as well.

Enjoy.

Richard Scarry's Biggest Word Book Ever! 12:11 PM

This board book is as tall as Camilo, it’s his favorite book, packed with pictures of Scarry’s characters, he always wants us to sit with him on the book and look and read about all the perky creatures, it encourages sharing and cooperative play. Great for vocabulary building (there are lots of words on this book) and as usual Mommy says it in English and Daddy in Español.

Buy it Here

Easy decorating tip for Kid's room in 5 steps 12:01 PM

1st. Download several pictures from the internet of animals (cars, dinosaurs, construction vehicles, whatever your kid likes, or at least what you think he or she likes).
2nd. Print them on 8 1/2 by 11 picture paper
3rd. Run 3 or 4 or 5 lines of rope held at each corner with a hook.
4th. Get some cloths pins and hang the pictures.
5th. Sit back and enjoy your kid mesmerizing.

Last but not least, don’t forget to put a show when you describe each picture, this is Camilo’s favorite part.

Reduce Reuse Recycle 12:20 PM

we should all learn this song and sing it loud ! don't mind the s instead of c, it is still a great video

Musica Gratis for kids, Gratis as in FREE ! 10:16 AM

Kiddie Records Weekly began in 2005 as a one year project devoted to the golden age of children's records. This period spanned from the mid forties through the early fifties and produced a wealth of all-time classics. Many of these recordings were extravagant Hollywood productions on major record labels and featured big time celebrities and composers.

Over the years, these forgotten treasures slipped off the radar and it became our mission to give them a new lease on life by sharing them with today's generation of online listeners. Each week throughout the year we added a new recording and before we knew it, our one year project turned into three! Although we will not be continuing beyond 2007, Kiddie Records Weekly will remain online and we will update the Bonus Records section every now and then.

So whether you are hearing these records for the first time or reuniting with a childhood favorite from long ago, we hope you take great pleasure in your trip down memory lane!