Story making games for kids

When my daughter was young, she and I started to play a game of Memory following the original instructions. I enjoyed playtime with my daughter, but I really didn't want to play Memory again, at least not at that time. So I told her, let's make a story with the pictures. So we laid out all the Memory pieces, face down, and took turns turning them over and making up a story as we turned over each card. We were both hooked.

Sometimes we made a short story with a few cards, sometimes we made individual stories with a few cards. Sometimes we made a super long story with all of the cards!

We both enjoyed the story making game so much, that I started making story cards just for our story making creations. I even shared the game with her second grade class. Talk about a continuing story story and trying to get kids to build on what was already said, may have been a bit much for a class full of second graders; however, it did work much better in small groups and perhaps less cards. I had some story games printed up and called it StoryMaker and gave them out to friends to play with their kids. Most of them really enjoyed it and their kids creativity flourished.

One mom reported back that, that StoryMaker was the only game her kids wanted to play anymore. Another mom said that her daughter became more expressive and used creative thinking skills more.

If you're looking for a game to encourage creativity and fun, try creating stories with Memory cards. They have fun pictures to create a story with. And when you're done making up stories, you can always play a game of Memory!

All the best to you with making stories.

Here are some Memory game possibilities for you to consider.




Cheryl Paton
CherylsArt on Zazzle

Armarkat Cat Tower Tree Condo

I had made a Cat Climbing Toy, which I had positioned in front of our dining room window. Since then, the cat that we had passed on, and we got two more rather active cats. I wanted to be able to see them enjoy watching outdoors more. The window in our living room sits higher, and looks out on bushes that borders our neighbors yard. The birds love hanging out there. I knew our new cats would be more intrigued with this view.

After shopping around for awhile, I decided on the Armarkat Cat Tower. It had a pretty substantial base, and if I left off the top tower piece, it would line up perfectly with our living room window. One cat could lay on the top perch and the other could easily lay or sit on the condo part.

When either one is feeling frisky, they also enjoy playing with the yarn balls. The cat tower actually came with five levels, but I only used four; the base and three more levels. It fits better by the window for us, with just the four levels.

The cats love it and couldn't wait for us to get it built. I think they knew it was for them. They were especially excited while I laid out the pieces on the floor.

This is the model that we purchased. We left off the upper post and top bed, as we didn't need or want the extra height.

Amarkat Cat Tree, 57" Cat Tree Ivory, on Amazon

There are other Armarkat Cat Tree models to choose from on Amazon. They come in varying height options, colors, and styles.

Update: The yarn balls have since come off, but the tower still stands sturdy and our cats still use it. I've since purchased little pet pads (kind of like a cover for a pet bed) and laid one on each of the top levels. Then I can easily launder those as needed to keep the unit cleaner and more fur free.

Cheryl Paton

Color in Aprons can be a fun birthday party activity for kids

As a kid, I loved to paint; pictures, walls, you name it, I loved to paint it. Most kids love to paint, especially when they're painting something that is either theirs and/or that they can give as a gift.

For a while, I was the hostess for birthday parties at a local arts and craft store. One of the most popular activities was painting something. Each kid was intrigued with designing their own creation, and everyone looked forward to taking their masterpiece home, whether it was a picture frame, a wooden box, a tee shirt, their painting on a canvas, etc.

Another thing about kids, is that they also love to wear their creations, if it's clothing of some sort. So I invite you to consider Outline Drawings on Aprons as the canvas for their next creativity session.

Why aprons? The material that aprons are made of isn't stretchy like tshirts, making them easy to control as the coloring process proceeds.

There are many aprons that can be ordered with outlines already printed on them. Kids can paint them in, add to the design, and then get to wear them! They can wear their aprons when they help out in the kitchen, do a messy project, and/or for more painting. It's a win win.

I ordered aprons from Zazzle, with pre-printed outlines on them, to test them out. They are made of sturdy cotton, and lay nice when painting on them. A piece of solid cardboard placed under them is best to keep the paint from bleeding through to the underneath surface. The cardboard can also be taped to the back of the apron, to help keep it in place, while painting.

Here's one of the samples of designs that you can find at my CherylsArt store on Zazzle:

Coloring Apron - Pizza Dough with Toppings
by CherylsArt

You can use acrylic fabric paint, acrylic paint with fabric medium already mixed in, and or acrylic paint markers. The acrylic paints do a great job for painting on fabric; and there are lots of colors to choose from. You may need to heat set the painting once it is dry, so check the labels on the medium that you choose for the recommended method.

Do test the paint markers on a scrap fabric piece or at least some scrap cardboard to make sure that the paint flow is working. If it isn't coming out yet, press the paint tip down on the scrap material a few times, and then try drawing with it on the scrap material first before painting on the apron.

Check out more outline aprons in my CherylsArt store on Zazzle:

Outline Drawings on Aprons for Kids to Color
by CherylsArt

Happy Creating.

Cheryl Paton

Affirmation Stickers are Helpful for Kids and Adults

When my daughter was young, she loved receiving stickers for a job well done, for a lesson learned, for encouragement, and more. I thought that she had perhaps outgrown it, but maybe not.

I had read a comment on an earlier affirmation article of mine, that a lab technician and dietitian uses them in their work place, and that they work. I love that they're being used in work places too.

I guess we really don't outgrow liking signs of appreciation. Sometimes I even give myself some appreciation, by giving myself a compliment in the mirror. I still give my daughter appreciation, but perhaps I'll give her some in the form of some stickers too.

How about you?

These Bright Idea and Great Job stickers are a great way to reward the recipients. They are printed by Zazzle, a print on demand company. The stickers are peel and stick, and come in a choice of two sizes. They have a glossy finish and stick well.

That's a bright idea, Yellow Light Bulb stickers
by CherylsArt

Great job!, stickers, circles of colorful stars
by CherylsArt

Happy Rewarding.

Cheryl Paton

Use watercolor pencils for a color drawing, before painting with acrylic paint

Watercolor pencils work great for making a base drawing, for when you want to paint it in with acrylics and/or watercolors. A big plus is that you can now have your base drawing be in color, making the drawing so much easier to paint in. This comes in especially handy when making a rather large and/or intricate drawing.

The watercolor pencil markings will blend right in with the acrylic and watercolor paint. Any exposed watercolor pencils markings, can be wiped off with a damp paper towel after the paint has dried (when painting on a canvas or such surface with acrylic paint,) giving your painting a nice clean and blended look when finished. No more dark pencil marks showing through or smearing in with the paint!

I've used black drawing pencils before, and it had blended in the dark of the pencil with the acrylic paint, which I then had to go back over again and touch up. Using the watercolor pencils alleviated that extra step.

If you're looking for a watercolor pencil with a good grip, I recommend The Ergosoft watercolor pencils, by Staedtler; this link goes to Amazon. These watercolor pencils have a thin rubber type coating on the outer layer of the pencil. The body of these pencils have a rounded triangular shape, which I also find pretty comfortable to hold.

I just use a regular sized pencil sharpener to sharpen them.

Cheryl Paton

Check out this idea for bringing gerbils home from the pet store

Over the years we have owned several sets of gerbils; they are such cute little pets. However, one time we purchased a pair from a local pet store that was only ten minutes away. We didn't think to bring our little plastic insect cage with us. The sales clerk placed each one in a little cardboard box.

By the time we had gotten home, the one gerbil had nearly chewed a hole big enough to get out. Luckily we all made it into the house safely. Lesson learned, bring a container that the gerbils can't chew their way out of, at least before getting home.

For one or two gerbils, an insect cage works fine for transporting them. The lids are ventilated, allowing them to breathe. The container we used was made of plastic, making it a bit harder for them to chew their way out in a short amount of time.

If you need a cage or two for bringing your gerbils home from the pet store, you can purchase them online. Here is a cute one made for small rodents that also includes a water bottle. That's a good idea as they little critters might feel more secure with being able to get a drink.

Small Animal Carrier Cage on Amazon
The small carriers also come in handy for when their larger home is being cleaned.

Enjoy your pet gerbils.

Cheryl Paton