How to Amaze Your Son: Crafts, Recipes and Other Creative Experiences to Teach Him to See the Extraordinary in the Ordinary

Raphaele Vidaling has published two novels and many illustrated books. She is the author of How to Amaze Your Toddler.

Introduction

"All children are artists. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up." This sentence is Picasso's. But what is an artist? Someone who looks at the world with a curious eye, gifted with a creativity that transforms raw material into poetry? Yes, children have this talent, this perpetual wonder that makes them enthusiastic for new experiences, capable of investing themselves in a little project with as much enthusiasm and seriousness as they would if their life depended on it: making soap bubbles or paper airplanes, tying a remote-control motor to a stuffed animal on wheels, or making a skirt of flowers to put around a little doll. Playing is about inventing, testing, letting your imagination and concrete experiences rub up against one another. And, in the end, it's about growing as well. Only while growing up, we sometimes lose our open mind. We throw out bottle caps without seeing the possibility of them being wheels: we no longer pick up feathers on the sidewalk. Sometimes, even, we forget to sculpt volcanoes in our mashed potatoes! That is, we forget unless we have the chance to have children of our own, who remind us not to neglect the most important things: play, fantasy and making wonderful things for the sake of making something wonderful!

This book is a helping hand for parents who haven't lost their inner child, for those who, between the "brush your teeth" and "don't forget to say thank you" will add the essential insight: "Never forget to see the extraordinary in the ordinary!"

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction

ACTIVITIES TO DO TOGETHER

A 3D HAND that's easy to draw
LITTLE MEN made from sprouted potatoes
A STAR BOX made from a cola bottle
TURNING A WALK INTO ART simple and free
RETOUCHED PHOTOS or what if we drew on my little brother?
THE ART OF KOKEDAMA hanging Japanese gardens
AN ALPHABETICAL SHELF made from yogurt containers
BALLS OF ICE lit from the inside

DECORATIONS AND OTHER LITTLE PRECIOUS THINGS

A SMALL, MYSTERIOUS DOOR that hides an electrical outlet
A FLYING FISH made from a sprouted onion
A BOOK WITH A SECRET HIDING PLACE that dates back to a time of real treasures
A PEANUT TROPHY for vegetarian hunters
A FRUIT CRATE TREE HOUSE perched in a stalk of broccoli
A SHARK PENCIL CASE with metal teeth
MINIATURE CHAIRS made from champagne caps
A DRUM KIT made from small tin cans
A DREAM CATCHER personalized
TWO KINDS OF SURPRISE BOXES the disguised cans/a box of chocolates with no chocolate
A GHOST made from starched fabric

FOR PLAYING

A MUMMY contortionist
A TREE HOUSE made of cardboard
MULTICOLORED MADELEINES made from wax crayon ends
A TEEPEE made from an old sheet
AN ICE WREATH from prehistoric times
A BALLOON ROCKET with a secret message
A HOUSE UNDER THE TABLE made with paper tablecloths
A TINY HOUSE made from a grapefruit
THE GAME OF MOLKKY a cross between bowling and bocce
A CATAPULT made from Popsicle sticks
A JUNGLE CAVE made with rock paper

EXPERIMENTS AND MAGIC TRICKS

A LITTLE CHEMIST'S CRATERS an experiment with baking soda
AN ICEBERG made of microwaved soap
A MAGICAL MERRY-GO-ROUND of matches that rise by themselves
FIRE THAT DRINKS WATER or an experiment that reveals submerged treasure
FAKE SNOW made from shaving cream and corn starch
BETTER THAN CANDLES for a birthday cake
AN EXPERIMENT WHERE A CABBAGE LEAF changes color
SEPARATING THE YOLK FROM THE WHITE with the help of a bottle
A CANDLE MADE FROM A CLEMENTINE with no wick or wax and it smells great

AND YOU CAN EAT IT!

PLAYMOBIL ICE POPS that can stand up
HONEY PANCAKES shaped like bees
CHOCOLATE CROISSANTS rolled in 5 minutes
COCKTAIL DECORATIONS made of apples for the kids' happy hour
A BALL FOREST with surprises inside
A LANDSCAPE CRACKER you're allowed to break
CHEESE LOLLIPOPS guaranteed to be sugar-free
A MOBILE MADE OF CHEESE DOILIES to eat with no hands
A BABYBEL FAMILY or sculptures you can eat
SPAGHETTI HOT DOGS a food experiment
A FORTIFIED CASTLE CAKE made almost entirely of chocolate
A MOON CAKE with lychee craters
A CAMPFIRE CAKE with marshmallow embers
CAGES MADE OF SPUN SUGAR to decorate a cake
A MOUNTAIN CAKE and its climbers
THE PHASES OF THE MOON made from sandwich cookies

What you'll discover in How To Amaze Your Daughter

Index