[Spotlight: Eco] Reusable tarp bags + give away

We made these cute tarp bags to give away at one of our trade shows last year. We have some left over and the kids have been taking them to put their toys and books in. They're great for little lunch bags too. The tote dimensions are 12 by 14 inches, have grosgrain ribbon for handles, and we letterpressed the label on chipboard and sewed everything together.

First 10 readers to send me an email to smuppykids@9spotmonk.com will receive one! Please include your name and address. We'll let you know via email when it's in the mail!

[Spotlight: Creative] Play food with Model Magic

Little ravioli made with Model Magic for the kids' play kitchen.

Model Magic is made by Crayola, a soft air dry clay that is so easy to mold with little hands and dries to a nice rubbery hard surface in about 24 hours. Once dry, it can even be coloured in with markers or paint.

We recently went to the Crayola Factory in Easton, PA. The kids had loads of fun there and we brought back Model Magic in all the colours to experiment with. Making food was our first order of business. We made ravioli, string beans and peas. Before I could even take a picture of the veggies, they were already swallowed by 'a mysterious bear who wandered in the play kitchen' - or reading between the lines - mamma, I can't remember where I hid them.

I heart you

King and Queen of Hearts Stamps from the USPS

These are the nicest stamps I've seen in a long time! It's time to get out our letterpress stationery and send our friends some letters.

[Spotlight: Educational Play] Wooden Puzzles

Number Snail from ImagiPlay, available at Oompa.com

Lately, nothing can hold our little guy Sandro's attention like a puzzle can. He can sit still and stay quiet (for 10 minutes) to put these 3D wooden puzzles together by ImagiPlay. I love that some of their puzzles have numbers and letters so after the puzzle is finished, we can learn the them as well.

Counting Octopus Puzzle from ImagiPLAY, available at Oompa.com

Butterfly Alphabet Puzzle from ImagiPLAY, available from Oompa.com

[photos: Oompa.com]

[Spotlight: Toys] Green Eggs and Ham

Lily Bean Play Food, Green Eggs and Ham from Mayhar Dry Goods

I found the the neatest play food breakfast made by Lily Bean Market. All of their play food is made by hand using wool felt made especially for kids. Some of our favorites...

Lily Bean Big Box o' Food by Lily Bean Market

The Original Brown Bag Lunch by Lily Bean Market

Make it Yourself Sushi Kit by Lily Bean Market

Feeling a little DIY? You can make your own food too with their kits! We're getting the sushi kit for sure. Kasie loves sushi so she will have so much fun pretending we're at the sushi bar eating her favorite cuisine.

[all photos: Lily Bean, green eggs and ham photo: Mayhar Dry Goods]

[Spotlight: Creative] Thank you card

The cutest thank you card we ever received! Made by Harlan and Hudson (with a little help from their mom), our friends from Brooklyn, NY.

[Spotlight: Creative] Keeping a Sketch Book

Animal & Friends Sketchbook from 9SpotMonk

We make these sketchbooks at the studio. They're 100% recycled and letterpress printed. I keep one in my handbag for Kasie when we go out so she can have a place to draw. She draws constantly, in the car, at restaurants, even while walking outside sometimes. We have quite a few that are filled with doodles, numbers and letters. It's a great idea for traveling too. Take one on a road trip and have your little ones fill it up. Date the sketchbook and keep them together. Later on, you'll have a great visual log of what your child sees through his/her eyes while on your trips as well as seeing at a glance the progress of their drawings.

[Spotlight: Eco Toys] Let's Recycle

Recycling Truck by Green Toys

Green Toys recently added a new vehicle to their line of four wheelers. My other job besides being a mom is running a eco friendly letterpress printing studio. We also try and be environmentally conscious whenever we can (all our energy usage is even powered by wind, through purchasing wind energy offset credits). It will be easier to teach our two year old recycling with this awesome looking truck. We have most of the products from Green Toys. I love their design and love they're made in the USA.

Sand Play Set by Green Toys

I purchased the Sand Play Set last summer at Kidding Around in NYC. It was the first time I had seen the Green Toys brand and I've been hooked ever since. The design is great, the toys are extremely sturdy and substantial. Our kids don't play gentle, it's really nice to have something that stands up to active playing.

[photos: Green Toys]

[Spotlight: Educational Toys] Hickory, Dickory, Dock

Slate Clock from Haba, available from Mini Jake

This summer we're going to teach our little 4yr old how to tell time. She can read numbers on a digital clock, but when we say 'half past seven', she didn't quite understand. The Slate Clock from Haba Toys, a German company, is just the neatest thing around. Comes with chalk you can write your own digits, serif or san-serif, let the future David Carson decide. Plus, when the kids finally learn to tell time, you can draw your own designs on the clock.

[photo: Haba]

[Spotlight: Creative] Seeing it through your own eyes

Build Your Own Kaleidoscope Kit available from Giggle

We love toys that let kids get creative. When it's something they've created on their own, it's so much more fun. There's lots of brain activity and experimentation and everyone here at Smuppy Kids loves that!

It's a great afternoon project - using found objects and seeing them in a different way. Kids can use the beads enclosed with the kit or add elements of their own to make something really special. The outer chamber can be coloured in to further personalize the kaleidoscope.

This would make a great gift for Father's Day! Mix in your little one's favorite objects and add some of Dad's too in the chambers and everytime he looks in the kaleidoscope, he'll be reminded of what a lucky Dad he is!

[photo: giggle]

[Spotlight: Apparel] Dopie Naked Shoes for Kids

Dopie Sandals for Kids

I have been wearing my orange Dopies for two summers now, and they are just the most comfortable sandals ever. They have good arch support, unlike most flip flops. Sure, I look like I'm from outer space when I wear them but they're comfy so it's worth the interesting stares I get in town.

So happy they've launched them in kids sizes too!

Terra Plana is having a 30% off Father's Day sale. Just punch in the code "FATHERSDAY". Dopie for kids and other great shoes can be ordered directly online. Sale ends June 20, 2009.

[photo: terra plana]

Hello, hello, hello!

Hello and welcome to Smuppy Kids. Our goal is to explore the world as it applies to kids, babies and their parents. Our interests lie in all things educational and fun. We will explore the coolest places to go and most yummy places to eat and the best book for reading under a shady tree.

We look forward to bringing useful information to parents to share and we welcome comments and suggestions or an email just to say hello! Please send emails to smuppykids@9spotmonk.com, we look forward to hearing from you!