Saturday, July 18, 2009

Weekend Sale at Barefoot Threads

This weekend, we are having a storewide 20% Off Yart Sale at Barefoot Threads (faeriedust3.etsy.com). Please join us for this short summer sale for great deals on children's toys and apparel. Hurry, it ends tomorrow evening!! Click on the faeriedust3 link just to the left of the page to see all items currently in stock or directly on an item of interest. You can also click on "Mother Earth Family - Barefoot Threads" on the top left to get a full page view of about 25 of our store's items. Enjoy!!

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Rice Bags on Etsy

Even though these rice bags do not coincide with the previously mentioned ACA standards, you can sure still bend the rules at home or at the park, and create your own rice bag tossing game. Friends and family of all ages can participate in this fun kick-back game! Take a look at some of these items from Etsy and feel free to click on the links below.


Bean Bag Tossing Games - Fun for Everyone

Great though they are, the ultra-mod kids of today are unlikely to have heard of the bean bag toss games. It would require a little effort on your part to create this particular fun outdoor game on the horizon of the kids of today. It is well nigh the combination of good points of several games, without the inclusion of bad points. For instance it is an outdoor game but not at all strenuous, hence it is suitable for people of all ages.

To spice up your weekends, make sure bean bag toss games or washer toss games are a part of the menu. The game may be played easily in one’s backyard if an outing is not on the cards. Bean bag toss games are pretty similar to the cornhole game or corn toss game - only difference is in the stuffing - the latter utilize kernels of corns while the former use poly-beads.

All that is required is 8 bean bags fabricated out of cotton or duck cloth and a pair of raised platforms kept 27 feet apart. The platforms are usually of wood or plastic and have a 6-inch hole on their surfaces. The usual size of the platform is 24" x 48" or 24" x 36". Bean bags contain plastic pellets and weigh 14-16 oz. the size of the pellet is near 6" x 6".

Just like the washer toss games, 2 or 4 players forms opposing teams and throw bean bags at the game board. In single play, both players pitch bean bags at same playing board. When there are 4 players, two playing boards placed at opposite ends are utilized. The aim of the players is to make the bean bags land into the hoes of the playing surface. Each player or team throws 4 bean bags each.

A bean bag in the hole earns 3 points, one that lands on the board is worth 1 point while one that does not touch the platform at all is worth no points. At the end of each round, the score of losing team is deducted from score of winning team and the difference is the actual score. For instance, if the two teams score equally, the final score is 0 for both. The game continues till one team gets 21 points.

When there is some altercation as to who would begin the game, toss a coin and call out heads or tails to decide who can go first. Between rounds, the winning team starts the tossing first.

The washer toss games make use of washers instead of bean bags and these are tossed at the washer boards placed some distance away. The players try to aim the washer at any one of the three holes in the board. The scoring is similar to the bean bag toss games – the difference is that a score of 5, 3 and 1 points is given as the washer ends up in third (farthest), middle and first(nearest) holes respectively.

The game easily complements entertaining weekends and holidays. Even for picnics, bean bag toss game equipments may be carried in a bag and the game set up and played with friends and family anywhere. Monotony can be counteracted effectively by this game of frolic. The game even has professional involvement - the American Cornhole Association (ACA) ensures this. The ACA fixes the rues and incorporates the game into our routine life by organizing regular tournaments and competitions.

By Dave ThreadcraftPublished: 7/1/2009

Saturday, July 4, 2009

Start BAKING with your CHILDREN

There is nothing like spending a little (or a lot of) time in the kitchen with your little ones. There is such a sense of accomplishment and pleasure when a child is given the tools and guidance in the kitchen while baking a warm, moist creation. It doesn't matter whether you help your child make brownies, cookies, cake, pie, bread, crackers... they will love it! Here are a few items to help your child get started in the kitchen!



Cupcake LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD Vintage Inspired Child's Apron by gagiepagiepuddingpie

Children's Sushi Chef Hat by mudpiekids

Boys or Girls Full Length Kitchen Apron Retro Yippee Cowboy by brodyandma

Mixed Vegetable Potholders by LoveVanillaRose


To further enhance the real baking experience is to incorporate into your child's play. This is one of the most powerful learning tools - simply allowing you child to play...giving them the chance to imitate and make sense of the world around them. Here are a couple of cute handmade toys and accessories for baking. Children LOVE this, boys and girls alike!!

Friday, July 3, 2009

4th of July Kids

I thought it would be appropriate to create a collection of Patriotic children's goodies, being that we are on the eve of the 4th. There is a little something for babies, girls, and boys. Check out the links listed below for further details on each item.
1. 2. 3.
4. 5.6.

Book List - Get Started With WALDORF Education

School As a Journey: The Eight-Year Odyssey of a Waldorf Teacher and His Class (Paperback)by Torin M. Finser - School As a Journey is a lively, colorful, and absorbing account of a class teacher's journey with his class, from first grade through the eighth in a Waldorf school. Told in a straightforward humorous style, it is an excellent introduction to the inside of a Waldorf classroom. This book is written especially for parents and educators as well as anyone new to Waldorf education. It is filled with eductional tips and resources and will prove invaluable to those already teaching. It is extensively documented, for those who wish to go more deeply, including references to the works of Rudolf Steiner and others in Waldorf education.

You Are Your Child's First Teacher: What Parents Can Do With and For Their Chlldren from Birth to Age Six by Rahima Baldwin Dancy and Rahima Baldwin - Nowadays parents are bombarded by any number of approaches about how to be with their children. YOU ARE YOUR CHILD'S FIRST TEACHER introduces a new way of understanding the human being so that parents can be best equipped to serve as their own children's best teachers. Chapters include: Caring for the Newborn, Helping Your Toddler's Development, The Development of Fantasy and Creative Play, Nourishing Your Child's Imagination, Rhythm and Discipline in Home Life, Readiness for School, and more.


Understanding Waldorf Education: Teaching from the Inside Out (Paperback) by Jack Petrash - Written by a teacher with more than 25 years of experience, this book offers a jargon-free view of Waldorf schools with their philosophy of the importance of a three-dimensional education. Through learning experiences that involve all of the senses, children use a variety of intelligences to develop thought, feeling, and intentional, purposeful activity. Whether you’re a Waldorf parent or teacher, or you just want to learn more about these innovative educational concepts, this book contains important ideas on learning that you can apply today.


Beyond the Rainbow Bridge : Nurturing our children from birth to seven (Perfect Paperback) by Barbara J. Patterson - Finally, a parenting book that makes sense! In a gentle, easy, and non-threatening way this book teaches the importance of creative play, the necessity of daily routine, and the merits of creative discipline. The suggestions work and are easy to incorporate into any lifestyle.






Seven Times the Sun: Guiding Your Child Through the Rhythms of the Day (Paperback) by Shea Darian - A one-of-a-kind book--full of ideas, reflections, and practical advice offering a fresh view of daily life in the home and family. Weaving songs, stories, family rituals, and verses throughout, mother and educator Shea Darian shows how to bring joy to such daily events as mealtimes, going to bed, chores, naps, and playtime. A practical, creative, and much-needed resource for child-rearing in the '90s.

Baby Waldorf UNDER $10.00

Here is a half-dozen tribute to Waldorf Baby Stuff under $10!!! Check out these sellers for more information by clicking the links below.

Teethers -


FREE SHIPPING 4TH OF JULY WEEKEND--The GNOT Teether and Clutch Toy-- Sailing Colors--Waldorf Inspired by babus

The Original and Preferred Waldorf Maple Teether by palumba

Baby Teething Toy (Hand Carved Cherry Wood) by canadianwoodcrafts


Balls/Squishy Toys-


upcycled birdies by mosey

Small wool ball CHOOSE FROM SEVERAL COLORS for baby and toddler toy, cat toy by willyandnilly

Crisp Apple - Needle Felt Wool Play Food by PlumsPudding