Strollerderby : activities

Is It OK to Hate Your Kid's Sport?

Miriam Axel-Lute — Thu, 28 May 2009 15:30:00 GMT

Don't mess with the soccer moms. It might be a bit of a hackneyed sentiment in this post-Palin era, but as Sarah Rain from Delmar, NY, found out when she wrote a post titled "At Least It's Only 8 Weeks Long" on the local paper's blog for her town discussing her dislike of soccer season, the vicious soccer mom isn't gone.

You'd think from the vituperative comments that she'd said she hated her kid or couldn't be bothered to want to do anything with him at all. What she actually said, quite clearly, is that she believes that kids develop better social skills and autonomy from informal pick-up games, but since that's not really happening for her son she's dragging herself through soccer season because she thinks the benefits outweigh the costs, though all the while she's quietly hoping he doesn't fall in love with the sport.

"Mustering up the interest in something your child does is a challenge? How self absorbed can one person be?" writes one person, deriding informal games as "a can babysitting your child."

"The writer’s desire for 'informal games with their friends' means 'I don’t have to be there' . . . they are only young and “ours” for too short a period of time . . . relish the moment!" writes another. (Or, you know, she could actually believe that informal games and time not being hovered over by adults are better for children's development, an argument that has a lot going for it and is distinctly less selfish than trying to soak up the time kids are "ours".)

Another rhapsodizes about how much she loves dragging herself out of bed on Saturday mornings to pack snacks for games, clearly implying that this is the proper attitude of motherhood.

I happen to know that the writer was much amused by all the kerfuffle (and probably courted it on purpose), but what she wrote was hardly extreme. If these are the attitudes of the people she has to hang out with when her son's at soccer practice, I don't wonder that she dreads it. Is this level of martyrdom-to-the-planned-activity-gods attitude really so pervasive? It makes me scared to consider organized sports for my kids.

Photo CC by Chip Griffin via Flickr.

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Bored games

Brett Singer — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 20:30:00 GMT

They're meant for kids, but sometimes I wonder if even they enjoy these dull gaming concoctions.

	Clue Jr.: When I was young, I played regular Clue. (My mother used to torture me with the cards in a way that has scarred me for life, but that's another story.) Clue Jr. is actually more complicated, and also less satisfying.
	The Game of Life: If actual life were as dull as the Game of Life, our nation's suicide rate would quadruple. You spin. You move. You do what the space says. You spin. You move. You do what the space says…Hm. Maybe it is like real life. Only much more boring.
	Candy Land: With little children, this is fine. But once they can string a sentence together – "Candy Land sucks, can we play something else?" for example – it should be time to move on.
	Monopoly Jr.: What, pray tell, is wrong with regular Monopoly? They even make different versions now in order to satisfy even the most media-addled brain: Star Wars Monopoly, Your-Favorite-Sports-Team Monopoly, Marvel Super Heroes Monopoly. In Monopoly Jr., you build lemonade stands, presumably because hotels are too complex a concept for young minds. In our house, my youngest seems to have lost the game board for this one, so he and his older brother were "making rain" with the lemonade stand pieces. That seems like a better use of them. (I skipped an explanation that in the rap world, "making it rain" has a slightly different meaning.)

There are probably more, but I have to get back to a marathon 'Clue Jr.' session. Isn't it time for school to start?

images: theair1morningshow, Amazon.com

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Summer Dread: What To Do (And What Not To)

Amy Kuras — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 16:03:00 GMT

I can't possibly be the only person staring down the end of the school year (Friday! Crap!) with a good bit of anxiety, right?
I'm pretty much selling a kidney to get her in the summer program at her preschool, so three days a week she'll be with her friends and letting Mama work instead of wandering into my office nook every three minutes informing me "It's a hard time to wait," luckily. But my friends with older kids are dreading the inevitable "I'm bored" whining that comes with summer.

"Parenting expert" Michelle Borba answered iVillage readers' questions about how to handle their kids come summer. Unsurprisingly, it seems the type of parent who overschedules their kids half to death during the school year don’t really know what to do with them come summer, nor do the kids have any idea what to do with themselves.
Borba, however, criticizes that parenting style on the one hand, cautioning parents not to become their kids' social directors all summer long, and then proceeds to give parents a laundry list of, you guessed it, parent-directed activities to try. Sigh.

I know this sounds curmudgeonly, but when I was a kid the only structured activities we had were maybe swimming lessons here or a week of daycamp there. And both my parents worked. Even our awesome teen babysitter sort of let us free-range all summer long. No parent was dreaming up fun little activities for us – we came up with our own ideas and negotiated with our friends on our own. I learned to enjoy my own company and to be a self-starter as a result. I hope today's kids can learn the same.

Best. Activity. Ever. Bury a Pirate Chest

Mike Adamick (Cry It Out!) — Wed, 07 May 2008 22:03:00 GMT

William F. Buckley may have seemed like a stodgy, erudite old professor, but dude had mad parenting skilz, at least when it came to making up elaborate activities that were clearly cherished forever.

The Geekdad blog over at Wired passes on a tale from Buckley's son, Christopher, who said the old man one day filled an old chest with silver dollars and jewelry, sailed across the Long Island sound and buried it on Eaton's Neck. The next day, the conservative writer gave his son compass coordinates and they spent the day digging up "half of Eaton's Neck" in search of the treasure. Awesome. Just freaking awesome.

Sure, it takes a lot of work and sure, it sounds time-consuming as all get out. But I am champing at the bit for my daughter to age just a little bit more before I pull the activity out of the hat. Buried pirate treasure -- what kid wouldn't love that?

Should We Let Our Kids Be "Free Range"?

Kelly Mills — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 13:32:00 GMT

You might recall the controversy that got kicked up by a New York Sun reporter's account of allowing her nine-year-old to ride the subway alone. She was both pilloried by people who compared her behavior to child abuse, and praised by people who want more freedom for their kids. In response to the whole thing, she started a blog called "Free Range Kids," to promote the idea that kids need the same independence and freedom previous generations enjoyed.

While this gets hyped as a battle between helicoptor parents and free range parents, it is true that many kids are not allowed to do the same things their parents did at the same age, like walk or bike to school or go to the park without an adult. And as the free range advocates point out, a good deal of this may just be due to the increased media attention on abductions and crime, while crime has actually dropped in most instances. I tend to fall more on the free range side, though putting theory into practice is always a different matter when my six-year-old is involved. What do you think: Are we basically stalking our kids out of their independence? Or are the risks of allowing solo activities not worth it?

Chuck E. Cheese Is Hotbed of Crime

Kelly Mills — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 20:01:00 GMT

So what exactly is it about Chuck E. Cheese, um, entertainment centers that inspires violence and crime? Perhaps it's the infernal noise of fifty video games beeping wildly. Maybe it's the fact that there's a giant mouse walking around and everyone pretends that's normal, just like they do at Disneyland--and someday I'll tell you about the time the guy in the mouse costume actually groped me. It could be the animotronic creatures that line the walls, punctuating the din with even noisier singing and clacking (though to be honest, I don't even know if they have those animals anymore, this is a childhood memory we are mining here.) Could be the wretched pizza, the sticky floors, the crying and the ultimate frustraton that is skeeball.

What the hell am I talking about? Well, a Pennsylvania Chuck E. Cheese has seen 18 calls to police in a year, including one for a 20-person brawl. And no one can exactly pinpoint whether it's the older kids or the parents who are causing all the ruckus. Plus, this isn't an isolated incident by any means. All I'm saying is that when folks are afraid to go to a kid party joint without an escort, something has gne terribly, horribly wrong.

Girl Scout Cookies--Now With Calorie Burning Tips!

Kelly Mills — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 21:06:00 GMT

Hey, guess what? The Girl Scouts are going to start putting out cookies in 100 calorie packs. That's okay, right? I mean, that's like one Samoa per package... Oh, but wait: The 5 Resolutions Blog just alerted us that the packs are also going to have tips for girls to burn calories. Well, thank god, because I so want my daughter to know exactly how to obliterate the potential weight she might put on from those Thin Mints. Never to young to start counting calories, right?

Sigh. Think I'm overreacting? Well, the packages say things like, "Girls can burn calories and have fun with 30 minutes of activities like these: Ice Skating—126 calories. Gymnastics—72 calories…" Hmmm, I like gymnastics, but maybe I should take up ice skating because when you compare the caloric burn potential of each... How much would I hate it if my child thought, "Wow, skipping rope. That's worth an apple and half a pack of cookies, as long as I do it for 22 minutes." Look, I'm not against encouraging healthy eating and moderation, but good lord, we need to start doing this one differently. Do we have to turn our little girls into calorie-conscious weight-obsessed wrecks at every turn? Repeat after me: Being active and playing and participating in sports are great because they are fun and make your body feel good. Oh, and f*ck the calories. Now put that in your 100 calorie pack and eat it.

Crafty: Quickie Table Decorations

Patti — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 13:26:00 GMT

Here's a quick little project that you and your kids can make that will not only kill time, it might actually look great on your dining room table. From Courtney at Two Straight Lines, a little crepe paper flower tucked into a repurposed food can, covered with pretty fabric or paper (here, dictionary pages). With a few extra components from the craft store, you're ready to make something that might even qualify as "sophisticated".

I'm imagining a whole row of identical flowers spaced down a long table or mantle, or a grouping of "vases" of various sizes. Time to start saving empty cans.

Crafty: DIY Books Your Kids Can Make

Patti — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 18:02:00 GMT

It's all well and good to encourage your kids to read, but what about encouraging them to write? At Little Elephants, one mama did just that and ended up with a fantastic picture book (based on a kit from Klutz, truly one of the all-time great creativity-inspiring companies out there).

Younger kids could scale down a bit and work from these blank board books (found via 50 Books), and use whatever supplies you can think of to create picture books that express their innermost thoughts and dreams (innermost thoughts and dreams of a board-book aged child include but are not limited to: pooping in the potty, eating noodles, avoiding naps).

Lastly, an idea stolen from my kids' preschool: the teachers occasionally corner each individual child and, pen and paper at the ready, and ask them "How does your story start?" They furiously take dictation from the child, and at the end of the school year the parents are presented with a Kinko's-bound book of whatever thoughts spilled out of their child over the course of the school year, complete with child-designed cover. With each story dated and arranged chronologically, it's a fascinating trip through a developing brain.

Crafty: Fun Flip Flop Project for Fancy Feet

Patti — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 18:01:00 GMT

AKA "what we're doing this afternoon", this project is perfect timing: all the flip flops are on clearance. Buttons, beads, jewels, sequins, all the usual craft suspects are going to be busted out for this one, which requires minimal supervision for my 3 and 5 year olds (your mileage may vary).

But it begs the question: What do you glue onto flip flops if you have a kid who isn't so much about the feathery shoes? Please advise, parents of boys and tomboys.

Crafty: Beach Ponchos with Eco-Flair

Patti — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 16:02:00 GMT

You know how at your parents' or grandparents' house, there's a stack of towels that are like, pink with orange flowers and were probably wedding gifts, and they've been there as long as you can remember and nobody ever uses them? Time to give those undersized psychedelic vintage textiles a new lease on life. Who needs to buy cheesy bathing suit coverups from Target when you can make your own totally unique ones from repurposed fabric?

The August issue of natural parenting magazine Kiwi includes a sweet and easy craft from Vickie Howell (you may know her from the DIY Network's Knitty Gritty). You don't even need to be able to sew to put together a great, functional poncho to keep the chill off your babies after they've spent all day in the pool. A quality fabric glue (I'm absolutely crazy about E6000, which is cheap and readily available at craft stores) will let you embellish your coverup and withstand whatever abuse your kids dish out.

Crafty: Beautiful Jewelry (From Trash and Scraps)

Patti — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 13:02:00 GMT

From reading craft blogs, I know I'm not the only one who laments the demise of the old Martha Stewart Kids magazine. Fortunately, the MS website picks up a lot of the slack and is well-stocked with cute party ideas, recipes, and activities. And on a seasonal basis, Martha's empire pumps out a digest-sized "Good Things" issue devoted to all the things that made the Kids magazine so great. It's on stands now, so grab it while you can and don't mistake it for the similarly designed Everyday Food (just get both, why don't you).

Anyway, down to crafty business: the standout craft in this special Good Things issue is going to knock the socks off any kid who counts Fancy Nancy as a role model, and if you're like me and saving cardboard paper towel tubes but never thinking of a creative purpose for them other than "Hey, telescope!", this is going to be up your alley too.

These sassy little bangles are just a slice of cardboard tube (you cut that for them, now) plastered with whatever decorations you've got. Once the glue dries, cut a slit in the bracelet so it can be slipped over the wrist, and voilà, you're accessorized.

Crafty: Moo Gives You Stickers From Your Flickr

Patti — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 18:58:00 GMT

First they came along with Moo Cards, and I haven't ordered any yet, because I'm really just that lazy. Then they came along with Moo Notecards, and I keep meaning to get around to that.

Now Moo, a company devoted to the art of helping you do interesting things with the photos you've uploaded into your Flickr stream, has made me an offer I'm going to find it difficult to refuse: the chance to make a book of stickers from my personal photo collection. Can you imagine the possibilities here? Scrapbooking, collages, decorating letters to Grandma, embellishing wrapped presents...and of course what my kids will end up doing with the high-quality vinyl stickers, which is slapping them in the middle of their foreheads and running around with a picture of Daddy on waterskis up there instead of a Chiquita Banana label.

Now, seriously: what the f*** is my Flickr login?

Crafty: Found Object Mobiles

Patti — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 18:02:00 GMT

The best kind of kid crafts are the ones that use a variety of materials (see ya later, container full of random buttons), take a long time to finish, and produce something that's not just another flat piece of paper that needs wallspace to be appreciated. This mobile project from Wise Craft is all of that and more: it can also incorporate found objects from your trips to the beach, the park, the woods, Grandma's sewing room.

Get yourself a spool of monofilament fishing line, a big pile of anything stringable you've got lying around, and something pretty or interesting to use as a base—the original project uses driftwood, but I can see a lot of possibilities here. And dare I say it, but I can see making a bunch of these and wrapping them up for holiday gifts: they're actually really pretty.

Crafty: And Pipe Cleaners For All

Patti — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 12:57:00 GMT

My biggest score at the insane estate sale I went to the other day wasn't the hand-painted, eight-inch-high vintage wooden platform shoes in their original box (although those are pretty great). It was an open, half-used-up bag of pipe cleaners, also known as craft stems. I got them for pretty much free, but I think they're going to get way more use than the shoes will.

I don't think pipe cleaners are as high on the hierarchy of kid-craft supplies as they used to be, presumably because modern kids are dumber than we were and will use the pointy wires to maim themselves or others (they are pretty hurty if you poke yourself, I'll grant you). When I handed them over to my kids they were met with blank stares. Then, in a breakthrough moment, one of the kids accidentally bent one of them and it was like floodlights went on in their heads. Eventually I'll probably need to organize some more formal projects, but for now giving the kids any kind of direction would just be overkill (and experts in the field of pipecleanerology agree with me).

When my girls were in the baby/toddler stages, I never left the house without some Mardi Gras beads in my purse to get through the tough times at the grocery store, on the freeway, or in the DMV line because they were a guaranteed distraction. I think pipe cleaners may be the Mardi Gras beads of the preschool age.

Kitchenista: Lake Cake

Patti — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 16:01:00 GMT

As you read this, I'm on an airplane from San Francisco to Minneapolis, knitting something, drinking terrible wine, and changing DVDs every hour and a half or so. Then I'll ride in a minivan for two hours, at the end of which I'll tuck my kids, then myself, into bed at my in-laws' cabin in Wisconsin where I'll be spending the week. Jealous? You'll be even more so when you get a load of one of our family's favorite summer-at-the-lake traditions, the annual Lake Cake.

My sister-in-law Susan introduced this cake to the family when her daughters were just old enough to help decorate, and it's been on the menu every year since. It's just not summer until we find some new twist: Swedish fish to embed in the Jello lake, gummi inner tubes for the Teddy Grahams to float in, a replica of our floating swim dock made out of part of a candy bar, a graham cracker cabin. It's the summer version of decorating a gingerbread house, and we expect it will be something my nieces and my own girls will probably be orchestrating for their own kids in a couple of decades, when they'll hopefully be serving it on the deck at the same cabin.

The original recipe comes from Woman's Day and is presented as a layer cake, but in the interest of having more to decorate, we make it as a sheet cake. I have yet to eat a piece of "lake", but the rest of the family fights for those slices (*shudder*). It's ripe for variation—swimming pool, ocean, Mediterranean—blue Jello is incredibly versatile (*shudder again*).

Kitchenista: The Best Ice Cream You Ever Made In A Baggie

Patti — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 21:03:00 GMT

Go right now, put this together, shake the heck out of it, and tell me it isn't real, honest-to-goodness ice cream. I'll wait here until you come back.

See? Told you so! I didn't even have rock salt in the house, so I used the fancy, expensive sea salt in my cupboard (it's ice cream, we must sacrifice). I wrapped the baggies in a dishtowel and swung them back and forth while I walked around the house troubleshooting an internet issue over the phone, and before I'd resolved the router problem, I had myself a little bag full of ice cream. Ice cream, which I MADE BY MYSELF. And then I ate it by myself, because a half cup of ice cream isn't big enough to share with two kids (we'll make more after naptime). No fancy electric machines, no ponderous hand cranking. With an expected high of 90 today and no air conditioning, this couldn't have come on a better day.

I saved the sack full of ice and salt in the freezer to reuse, but I think I'll put the next batch of ingredients in a tightly lidded plastic container. Eating ice cream directly from a baggie feels kind of desperate, but it's too yummy to wait for a bowl.

(image credit: The Patent Pending Blog)

Ecofriendly Crafts: Turn Your Kids' Clothes into Cute Totes

Patti — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 17:27:00 GMT

It's been a week and a day since the last time I posted an idea from Craft Chi (are you saving your wine corks? I am!). If she keeps up the pace I may have to put her on my payroll, because this is another excellent idea for people with an excess of adorable clothing that's no longer wearable.

This tote is made out of a girl's dress (and includes an optional section made of quilted fabric, but you wouldn't need to bother with that). Think of it: all those dresses that you're too sentimental to part with, just gathering mildew in a box in the garage. Why the heck would you not make one or two or twelve into a handbag? She uses contrasting fabric for the binding, but you could use a sash or store-bought trim, or a piece of another item of clothing, or whatever you want.

I love that it's handmade, I love that it's an automatic keepsake, and I love that it repurposes something that may otherwise sit unused in obscurity for decades. Guess what all the grandmas and aunties are getting for the holidays this year.

(photo from Craft Chi)

Encouraging Grandparents to Get Involved in Summer Fun

Patti — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 18:39:00 GMT

If your children have grandparents in the vicinity, I certainly hope you're taking full advantage of them. Ours live far away, so we can only abuse their good natures from time to time, until the kids are old enough to fly unaccompanied.

One grandfather in England put together a list of activities that people can do with their grandchildren this summer, and it makes me want to pack my kids up, pin a note to their shirts, and ship them off to this guy to hang out for a while. Train excursions, walking and cycling tours, visits to castles and manor houses, about a jillion museums and zoos. It sounds positively fabulous.

When my kids are just a little bit older, they'll be able to spend summers chilling in the AC with Grammy in Phoenix, going to movies with their cousins and doing art projects with their great-aunt. They'll explore the Minnesota countryside with their Mimi and Papa, learning to paddle canoes and waterski. I hope their memories will be as fond as my memories of driving around the Midwest with my grandparents, hitting up farm auctions and visiting distant relatives. But I wouldn't say no to anyone who'd like to volunteer to act as an adoptive British Grandparent to my kids. Dude, castles!

Please share what your children will be doing with their grandparents as they get older, so I can decide if I need to ship mine there as well. Maybe we can work out a trade?

DIY Babylegs: So Easy, It's Barely a Craft

Patti — Thu, 31 May 2007 20:29:00 GMT

Man, sometimes an idea comes across my screen and I just want to hang my head in shame that I didn't think of it myself.

Jennifer of Z Recommends, thank goodness, is smarter than me. Want some of those cool-ass Babylegs but unwilling to spend the dough to try them out on a kid that might decide to hate them? Just make your own. Cut the feet off a pair of adult-sized kneesocks and boom, you got yourself some leg warmers.

I'm only sorry I didn't see this before this morning's Target run, or my kids would be all set for the cool evenings we're expecting this weekend without changing out of their ever-present dresses.

(photo credit: Z Recommends)

Crafty Use For Wine Corks

Patti — Tue, 29 May 2007 20:29:00 GMT

Quick, go dig through your holiday weekend trash and sift out all the wine corks, 'cause here's a way to keep your kids endlessly busy and justify your pinot noir habit at the same time: cutting the corks into ink stamps.

Craft Chi is one of my favorite craft blogs, with ideas that often translate down into things the kids can do, and this is a perfect example. With nothing but an exacto knife and a little patience, you can turn your natural or synthetic corks into wee little stampy things, then set your kids loose with a few ink pads and a whole lot of paper.

Amy at Craft Chi made several different shapes, any of which would tickle my girls. I'm thinking of trying my hand at the alphabet, and I bet I could make a rockin' little kitty head. Oooh, or a tiny engine and little individual train cars! I guess this means the end of my support of the screw top wine bottle.

(photo credit: Craft Chi)

DIY Play Kitchen: Pimp Your Old Entertainment Center

Patti — Sun, 06 May 2007 16:31:00 GMT

Don't just put your old TV stand out on the corner for the scavengers to score: follow these simple instructions from Craftster user Spotlightmama, and turn it into a dream kitchen for your kids. To hell with the fancy Waldorf kitchens at $200-plus per piece, and seriously screw the plastic Toys 'R Us kitchens, this is the real deal for nothing but the cost of your time, a few inexpensive items from Home Depot, and some miscellaneous crap you probably have lying around anyway.

Here's the perfect excuse for jettisoning your old TV and buying a nice wall-mounted flat screen (and a jigsaw, too, maybe). You were waiting for a good reason to do it, right? Now you can do it and enrich your children's playtime. You'd be a bad parent if you didn't.

(via Boing Boing)

Strollerderby Playdate: Daddy Needs a Six Pack

Mike Adamick (Cry It Out!) — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 11:06:00 GMT

After a long day made longer by numerous tantrums, a leaky shopping bag and the fact that Emmeline would not go down for a nap, I needed to unwind. So I changed into my workout clothes, turned on my favorite "exercise" show and ... opened the freezer and ate an entire pint of Ben and Jerry's Americone Dream. While continuing to watch the show. From the kitchen. Floor.

Daddy needs a new workout. Although hot lesbian TV trainers would seem like adequate exercise partners, they are not helping at all. Thankfully, I found motivation elsewhere.

Montana Mama is feeling the burn. A new workout is kicking her butt, and I promised to give it a try. The workout, I mean.

Going Bananas missed her workout, too! I feel a little better.

I Got Blisters on my Blisters has an oldie but a goodie: "The No-Daddy Workout."

Bringing Home Malia has an awesome daily schedule -- including workouts! I totally need a basement.

Scott Hutcheson has my new favorite workout. Take a long walk. In search of restaurants.

There may not be smoking hot personal trainers -- but I bet there's ice cream.

Soccer Moms and Dads: Do You Have to Attend Every Game?

Sarah, Goon Squad Sarah — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 15:32:00 GMT

Your daughter has a swim meet and your son has a soccer game at the same time. You can't go to both, what do you do?

Parents feel obligated to attend every recital/game/meet/practice that their child has. This can be tricky if you have more than one kid, or a job, or a life. There is practically no way that you can go to every single event. Are we required to go to every single thing? Or is it okay every once in a while to just go to Starbucks and catch up on reading blogs? How do we juggle the responsibilities?

My kids aren't old enough to be left anywhere yet (except preschool) but the idea scares me. My kids are so different from each other I would be shocked if they chose the same after school activities. How am I going to make it to every event. It is impossible. Should I just relax when the time comes and do what I can? Sure. Will I instead stress out about playing favorites and never having any time for myself? Probably.

Mr. McGroovy's Cardboard Crafts for Families

Patti — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 19:28:00 GMT

If you've ever secretly wished you had the funds and the balls to buy one of those elaborate and expensive playhouses for ~~yourself~~ your kids, this might just be the project for you: a castle made from eight refrigerator boxes, which you can paint as you please. Not much for royalty? No problem, there are several other design ideas.

Mr. McGroovy's is a parent-owned microbusiness that sells reusable plastic rivets, similar to fasteners you might see in an Ikea flatpack, designed to hold cardboard together for children's play. You can work from McGroovy's free project ideas or come up with your own, and they even give you tips on finding sources of free cardboard. According to their website, Mr. McGroovy's is for the children--they believe in the importance of creative play, and their product is designed to help encourage that.

I know just how I'll furnish my my kids' castle, too.

(via boing boing)