Every TOY or GAME has a STORY… a WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, WHY & HOW to share with kids. Today, it’s the JUMP ROPE’s turn to tell its story (with a little help from Grandma Sharon)… WHO invented the Jump Rope:  The first “Jump Ropes” were, in fact, flexible bamboo and vines. WHAT is a Jump Rope:  A Jump Rope [...]

When I was a little girl living in North Hampton, NH, summer meant lots of things… the town beach with its icy cold water and big waves, Hampton Beach boardwalk and arcade, cotton candy, back yard BBQs with my family, riding my bike just about everywhere imaginable, adventure treks through the woods to the pond with the tadpoles and frogs, [...]

Every TOY or GAME has a STORY… a WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, WHY & HOW to share with kids. Today, it’s the TOP’s turn to tell its story (with a little help from Grandma Sharon)… WHO invented the Top:  Let’s just say that from the beginning of time, people of all cultures and across the world have been fascinated with [...]

Every TOY or GAME has a STORY… a WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, WHY & HOW to share with kids. Today, it’s the Game of Hop Scotch’s turn to tell its story (with a little help from Grandma Sharon)…   WHO invented Hop Scotch:  There are a couple of theories regarding the invention of the Game of Hop Scotch, and these [...]

Every TOY or GAME has a STORY… a WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, WHY & HOW to share with kids. Today, it’s the SQUIRT GUN’s turn to tell its story (with a little help from Grandma Sharon)… WHO invented the Squirt Gun:  Metal Squirt Guns have been around for a very long time (some date back to the late 1800′s), and [...]

Every TOY or GAME has a STORY… a WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, WHY & HOW to share with kids. Today, it’s the BARBIE DOLL’S turn to tell her story (with a little help from Grandma Sharon)… WHO invented the Barbie Doll:  The Barbie Doll was invented by Ruth Handler, a co-founder of Mattel, and named for Ruth’s daughter, Barbara.  (Barbie’s [...]

Every TOY or GAME has a STORY… a WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, WHY & HOW to share with kids. Today, it’s the HULA HOOP’s turn to tell its story (with a little help from Grandma Sharon)… WHO invented the Hula Hoop:  Richard Knerr and Arthur “Spud” Melin, founders of WHAM-O toy and sporting goods company,  trademarked this ancient form of [...]

Every TOY or GAME has a STORY… a WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, WHY & HOW to share with kids. Today, it’s the POGO STICK’s turn to tell its story (with a little help from Grandma Sharon)… WHO invented the Pogo Stick:  The first American-made Pogo Stick was designed and patented by George Hansburg, a toy maker from Illinois. WHAT makes [...]

Kids have a natural curiosity about words and ideas and things that begs to be satisfied… TOYS & GAMES are no exceptions.  This is why JULY will be TOY STORIES month on 365 Days of Literacy for Kids! On my 365 Days of Literacy for Kids – Fun, Easy & Completely Doable Project, I’ve talked about poems, letters, flowers, bugs [...]

Let’s have a little fun, a little learning and a little YIKES! today with the LOVEBUG: The Lovebug lives up to its name in the black fly world… but not in the human world. Let’s begin in the black fly world. The Lovebug, Plecia nearctica, is a small black fly with a red thorax (the area behind the head).  The [...]