How to Amaze Your Daughter: Crafts, Recipes and Other Creative Experiences to Teach Her 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

DOLLS made of Popsicle sticks
BALLERINAS made from paper doilies
PEBBLE PEOPLE made with mix-and-match bodies and heads
AN ARCHEOLOGISTS' ICE FLOE with frozen animals
CANDLEHOLDERS made of wax balloons
MONOCHROMATIC PHOTOS of odds and ends
THE ART OF KOKEDAMA hanging Japanese gardens
A KITCHEN SAND PAN to use for writing practice
SHAVING CREAM PAINT to create random imprints
LITTLE DRESSES made of origami

DECORATIONS AND OTHER LITTLE PRECIOUS THINGS

MINIATURE VASE NECKLACES a bouquet around your neck
REPOSITIONABLE WINDOW DECORATIONS made of white glue
A SNOW GLOBE with a recycled toy inside
COLORED VASES made with cut balloons
A KEEPSAKE BOX made from a dried clementine
WALLPAPER PATCHWORK pretty and inexpensive
A MINIATURE TREASURE CHEST made from a pillbox
SMALL FAIRY HOUSES found in the forest
ANGEL WINGS made from doilies

FOR PLAYING

DOLL CANOES made from water bottles
A TABLE TENT that's both a tablecloth and a hideout
BEACH CHAIRS FOR DOLLS made from chopsticks
A RECYCLED SHEET TEEPEE that's easy to fold and store
THE CLEANEST HOUSE IN TOWN made from a laundry detergent jug
A CARDBOARD HOUSE foldable in a flash
MINIATURE SHOPS made from small matchboxes
A MERMAID COSTUME with a detachable tail

EXPERIMENTS AND MAGIC TRICKS

THE MAGIC MILK that draws by itself
AN EFFERVESCENT EXPERIMENT like a lava lamp from the 70s
COLORFUL CRACKED EGGS that you can eat
A JELLYFISH in a bottle
A MAGIC FLOWER that opens on water
A VERY STRANGE SUBSTANCE solid when you move it, liquid when it's still
A RUBBERY EGG with its shell dissolved in vinegar
THE MAGICAL GLASS FULL OF WATER that doesn't spill when it's upside down

AND YOU CAN EAT IT!

FAKE MUSHROOMS made of mozzarella and tomatoes
SPAGHETTI NESTS baked in a muffin pan
ADORABLE RADISH MICE with long tails
MINIATURE GARDENS made of mushrooms
AN APPLE SPIRAL dazzling in minutes
MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO made of lychees
A TEDDY BEAR PANCAKE or how to draw in a pan
A MELON CAGE with a pear-fennel bird
AN ORIGAMI CAKE baked in folded parchment paper
AN ALPHABET NOODLE STAMP and a heart-shaped cookie cutter
A PINATA CAKE with candy hidden inside
AN ANGEL HAIR NEST to top a cake
A SWARM OF EDIBLE BUTTERFLIES to decorate a cake
A CAROUSEL CAKE with hazelnuts and lollipops
PINECONE SYRUP that tastes like maple syrup
THE PHASES OF THE MOON made from sandwich cookies

What you'll discover in How To Amaze Your Son

Index