The Laurie Berkner Band Blog

Happy Earth Day!

Happy Earth Day, everyone! 

We are thrilled to celebrate our wonderful Earth today (and everyday!)

One of the great things about being a kid is all the fun things you can do to help the environment AND have a great time doing it.

Here are some fun, Earth-friendly activities:

1) Go for a walk and pick up litter.  Don't forget to sort between recyclable material and landfill garbage - you can even drop off compostable things at your local compost drop-off! You can play games while you do it, too - try "I Spy" or see who can pick up the most litter!

2) Make an eco-friendly snack. Go to your local Farmer's Market and pick out local and organic foods, then go home and start cookin'. 

3) Use those old bottles or egg cartons to make planters! First, get some seeds (we like Seeds of Change). If you're using a plastic soda bottle, have a grownup help cut the top off so you are left with the bottom 5-6". Next, decorate your bottle bottom with such recycled things as cardboard from cereal boxes (color or paint it!), pieces of cloth from old clothing, pictures from magazines or catalogues, etc. Poke small holes in the bottom.  Then, fill your planter with dirt and plant your seeds! Egg cartons make excellent herb gardens :)

4) Have old CD's and records lying around?  Make this clock!

5) Take some time to talk about nature, why it's important, why we are thankful for it, and ways we can help make it strong and healthy.  Read books, tell stories, and think about what would life be like without trees and nature. It feels good to give thanks!

6) Listen to this song!

Can You Imagine?

7) Next time you want to buy a toy, think about going home and making one, instead!  It's really fun to figure out what you love about a toy, and then recreate it for yourself. You can make trucks out of toilet paper rolls and dolls out of old clothing.

8) Reuse old baby food jars to make beautiful candle holders for your home or gifts!

Enjoy, and let us know what you do today!

Lullaby CD

We get a lot of requests from fans for a lullaby CD.  As of now, we're working on some other great things, so a lullaby CD isn't in the very close future.  However, we thought we would compile a list of lullaby-CD worthy songs that you can make yourself!

See the bottom of this post for info on making your own CD.

 

If you click on any song, it will link to the song on the iTunes store in case you don't have a CD!

Rocketship Run:

1) My Blue Sailboat

2) Winter Lullaby*

3) Nona*

4) Fly Me To The Moon

Under a Shady Tree: 

5) Mahalo

6) After it Rains*

Victor Vito:

7) Moon Moon Moon*

8) The Story of My Feelings

9) Goodnight*

10) White Coral Bells*

Whaddaya Think of That:

11) What Falls in the Fall?

12) These are my Glasses

13) I Love My Rooster

14) All the Pretty Little Horses

15) The Great Big Dog*

16) 123

Buzz Buzz:

17) In The Clouds

Make a CD using iTunes!

1) Load all the songs you are interested in into iTunes.

2) Create a playlist by clicking the bottom left corner's "+" - name the playlist ("Laurie Berkner Lullaby") by double clicking on it.

3) Click on "Music" and drag all your desired songs onto the playlist name

4) When you've finished dragging, arrange your songs within the playlist (we suggest putting the songs with *'s at the beginning and end)

5) Once you're satisfied with the order (ask your kids for help!), insert a blank CD and click "Burn Disk" at the bottom right of your playlist page.  (See photo above)

6) Burn the CD, label it, and enjoy!  Make sure you recycle old jewel cases for your new CD!

Quick Recycling Craft

We asked our Facebook Fanpage for some quick and fun ideas for crafts that recycle old materials - and the ideas are inspiring, fun, and very entertaining!

Check out our Fanpage for more great ideas!

Marlena Taylor Beltrame

Take a water bottle, fill it with water, put all kinds of things inside, buttons, marbles, glitter, whatever, GLUE the cap on, and hand it to a child, they are amazing and entertain for a long time. Also if you mix water and cornstarch together, it makes fun slime type stuff, turns back into powder when it dries

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Jenifer Tolman Sims

Cut the bottom off a plastic soda bottle (single size or larger) put a nylon stocking over the large opening. Pull the stocking up enough to be tight across the open bottom end then use a rubber band to secure in place. Voila a million bub...ble blower! It will either make millions of tiny bubbles or a blowing foam depending on how tight the weave is on the stocking. You can use an old margarine container or similar to hold your bubble solution or a pie plate for a larger bubble blower. If you want your bubble solution to have super bubble power add a little glycerin to your bubble solution.

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Dana Gordon

Not exactly a craft but I have taken a large box and turned it into an "Oven" and then used old containers cleaned out (Oatmeal, egg carton, Empty honey containers etc to play kitchen). We also use egg cartons to hold paints in. The foam ones are great because you can wash them out.

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Tracy Cooper

Tie long ribbons to shower curtain rings or anything roundand kids can hold on to them as they dance to LBB songs!

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Karri Cross

When I finish a crocheting project, instead of throwing out the bits of loose yarn that get trimmed off, if they are 6-8 inches, the kids and I use them for stringing cheerios or fruit loops. They get the same fine motor practice they would get with beads; and I don't have to dive across the table every time they stick one on their mouths! Tie a knot in the ends and they make great bracelets; and very convenient take-and-go snacks for the car too! :-)

Make a Valentines (or Anytime) Mailbox!

We will be filming a brand new Valentine's Day Musical Nightlight Webcast tomorrow, and what better time than to create a Magical Mailbox for all those lovely Valentine's Day letters?!

Fun mailboxes are great for the whole family - Make one for the whole family, or create a different one for each family member.  Then, leave each other special notes and little goodies to say "I love you" or "I'm thinking about you!"

What you'll need:

• Several pieces of craft foam - These usually come in packs of 6 or more, but you can get individual sheets.  Your mailbox will be the size of one sheet of foam folded into a "U" shape. We used several colors.
• Foam glue
• Foam Glue gun (these are very cheap, but you'll need a grownup to do the gluing - you can use other kinds of glue, but the project will take longer)
• Decorative foam pieces or scrapbooking supplies (to decorate the outside of the mailbox)
• Stick-on letter - to write your name, etc
• One brad (the little metal things you stick through paper)
• A marker or pen

Step 1: Cut your shapes

See the shapes in the picture above. This is less complicated than it sound if you follow the photos, we promise!

You will need the following:

• One piece of solid craft foam for the "body" of the mailbox (purple) - cut a slit it it for mail to go in!
• 
• 2 "U-shaped" pieces - make these by tracing the outline of the large piece folded into the mailbox body shape.  Trace the second from the first.
• 2 1/2" strips to go around the U-shaped pieces
• A "flag" - you can make this any way you want!
• The bottom of the mailbox - the width of the body and the length of the bottom of the U-shaped pieces

Step 2: Glue together

You will need to glue the pieces together to make the body

1) Glue the 1/2" strips (yellow in our mailbox) to the U-shaped pieces (aqua) so they form a "lip"

2) Glue one of the U-shaped pieces to the bottom piece (aqua/aqua)

3) Place the body piece (purple) on your U-shaped/bottom piece and be sure it fits - trim if necessary, and then glue the sides down, forming the entire mailbox except for the last U-shaped/lip

4) Glue the bottom of the U-shaped piece to the end of the mailbox, making sure it fits - trim if necessary

5) Glue the back U-shaped piece to the body so it is completely shut (in smaller mailboxes, you can skip this step - this is to keep the shape from flopping)

Step 3: Decorate it!

• Add trim to cover up any rough patches (red in ours)
• If yours feels floppy, cut a few 1/2" strips of foam or cardboard and glue to the inside, forming "struts"
• Use your brad to attach your flag to the side of the mailbox
• Add letters, color, or glue shapes.  Most craft stores sell fun foam cut outs, or you can use your scraps and make your own!

Step 4: Deliver your letters!

Now, write fun letters or draw pictures, and place them in the mailbox for your friends and family!  Make sure you put the flag up when you put mail inside so everyone knows a letter is awaiting them!

And... stay tuned for our Valentine's Day Musical Nightlight on our website on  February 10th, where the Magical Mailbox will make it's first appearance, filled with FAN MAIL for Laurie to read!

Sock Puppet Rock Show!

Have you noticed how your socks sometimes seems to disappear?  Got a bunch of lonely socks lying around?  Don't throw them out!

Give your lonely socks another shot at life by turning them into ROCK STARS!

Making sock puppets is fun and simple - you can get as creative as you want by adding eyes, hair, nose, and even a tongue!  Or, if you're ready to rock RIGHT NOW, just grab a plain sock and give it life by putting your hand in and making it move - no crafting required!

Step 1:  Make your sock puppet - or just grab a sock!

You can use craft supplies like pom-poms, buttons, or just cut circles out of an old cereal box to make eyes. We used a knotted piece of ribbon for hair, and cut a cardboard mouth out of an old postcard.  Use glue, or sew your pieces on!

Grab a Sock!

Make it come alive!

 

Snazz it up!

Step 2: Pick a song.

We used "I Love My Rooster"

Step 3: Set up your stage!

You can make a puppet show stage out of old boxes, or just set yourself up behind a couch!

Step 4: Invite your audience

Invite your family and friends to come watch your Rockin' Sockin' Rock Show! You can tell people, make signs and invitations, or film yourself for later!

Step 5: Perform!

Turn on the music and begin rockin'! If you have more than one performer, make the socks sing to each other, or make a dance piece with them! Get creative and have a blast!

See below for a short example, performed by our brand new Sock Puppet, Sockerella:

 

 

Obstacle Course

Throw on some music and get ready to race!

It's easy to make a fun obstacle course at home, and it's a great way to create an exciting indoor activity for these chilly months!

Here's what you need to do:

1) Pick a space

The bigger, the better!  Living rooms and playrooms are perfect.  Make sure you clear away any items that could be bumped or stepped on before you start, and be sure the space is safe!  Setting up pillows near corners or couch feet is a good idea.

2) Gather supplies!  Some good obstacle course items include:

• couch pillows
• hula hoops
• trampolines (the small ones!)
• batons/hockey sticks/baseball bats/other types of long sticks
• small tables
• jump rope
• several pieces of newspaper
• beanbags or stuffed animals
• Stop watch

3) Set up the events!

You can get VERY creative with your course, but here are a few suggestions:

• Stagger 4-5 couch pillows in front of each other, and jump from one to the other.  You can make special rules like if you fall off or touch the ground, you have to start over.
  
• You can also use couch pillows to make a tunnel - use 3 pillows to make 2 walls and a roof, and try to go under it without knocking it over - if you do, you have to set it back up and start over!
  
• Hula hoops can either be placed on the floor in front of each other, and the course-runner can jump into each, or a helper can hold them sideways and the course-runner can crawl through them.
• Trampolines - have the course-runner jump 15 times on the trampoline (try it on one leg, or alternating!)
• Have a helper hold your hockey stick (or other long stick) low to the ground, and have the course-runner either jump over it or LIMBO under it.
• The course runner should shimmy/army-crawl under the table - for more fun, cover it with a blanket to make an enclosed tunnel.
• Have the course runner walk a short distance using the 3 pieces of newspaper - he or she must always step on a piece of newspaper, so to move forward, he or she must pick up the last paper stepped on and place it in front of his or her feet.  (This one can get VERY silly!)
• Place beanbags or soft stuffed animals in a line, and have the course runner weave in and out!

4) Explain the rules to everyone playing, and be sure to have a grown-up around to make sure everything is safe.  You can have your grown-up time you to see how long it takes, or just practice using your body in different ways.

5) Make it a more fun team-effort by creating a relay (when one course-runner is done, pass a "baton" to the next person.  You even can have your grown-up time you and try to beat your collective time!)

Last week, Laurie's daughter Lucy made a course for her doll using things like straws, measuring cups, and rubber bands.  You can try this with stuffed animals or action figures - why not even try mimicking your own course in miniature?

Have fun, and remember to be sure everything is safe before you start!

Trail Mixes

Need a simple snack that doubles as a musical instrument?  Trail Mix is the answer!

Trail mix is easy to make, totally customizable, makes a great shaker (just put it in a takeout container!), and the best part? Everyone in the family, no matter how small, can help make it!

We asked our Facebook page for some suggestions, and here's a handful of the tasty answers:

Elaine McNeal: Melvin Any simple trail mix is always good. :) Mix together cereals, nuts, candies, pretzels, whatever everyone likes.

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Marcie Ochoa: Jacob's Popcorn: Your favorite popcorn, craisins and some plain cinnamon (no sugar added)- mix and enjoy. super easy and super yummy (and pretty healthy:-) )

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Melissa Jeter Ramirez: Reindeer poo!!! Crispix cereal or rice chex, honeycombs, pretzels, mixed nuts, peanuts....mix it all up. Melt almond bark(dark or white) and pour all over. Mix up again. Cools in less than 10mins. EAT and ENJOY!!!

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Betsy Arndt: Sophie's Snack mix- scoop of pretzels (any shape & size or a varitey), scoop of goldfish, scoop of chex cereal, scoop of nuts if not allergic. Thow it all in a bag and let your child shake, shake, shake to mix it up. :) You can also add animal crackers, cheeze its, pretzel goldfish, raisins, or any thing your heart desires. :)

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Jennifer Liss Diffley Honey graham cereal, mini marshmallows and mini chocolate chips...s'mores mix!

Pumpkintivities!

Mmmm... pumpkins.  We really love pumpkins.  There are so many things you can do with them!  They smell good (don't they remind you of all the yummy things about autumn?!), they taste good (Pumpkin pie... need we say more?), they look good, and they even FEEL good (that pulp is pretty fun, huh?)

Below are some of our favorite pumpkin activities that we'd love to share with you this Autumn!  We hope you enjoy them, and please tell us about YOUR great pumpkin ideas!

Decorating

If carving a pumpkin is a little too much for little hands, you can substitute a knife for:

1) A paintbrush and paints

Make a face, a landscape, or a spooky Halloween picture.  You can also simply paint the pumpkin a different color - a purple pumpkin? WOW!

2) Toothpicks and veggies

Make a "Mr. Potatohead"-like pumpkin by skewering different fruits and veggies into a fun face.  Use baby carrots for a nose, radish disks with grapes in the middle for eyes, or make a mouth with some bok-choy!  You can also make a fun veggie-platter by sticking dip-able favorites into a fun pattern on pumpkins for your guests to enjoy.  Who says you can't play with your food?

3) Glue and sparkles, felt, foam shapes, googly eyes, or even construction paper!

Even the smallest pumpkin-enthusiasts can put together a beautiful pumpkin masterpiece with some household craft supplies.  Practice making shapes, seeing how the pumpkin's shape affects placement, and working on spatial relations!  Then, proudly display your masterpiece for all to see!

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Playing

1) Pulp

If you've carved a pumpkin, you probably have a big bowl of squishy, seedy pulp waiting to be used.  Simply spread out a layer of newspapers on the ground or table and dig in!  Feel the way it squishes between your fingers.  Use scrap paper and a scoop of pulp to "paint" orangey pictures with using your fingers.  Try slopping the pulp into your hands to make funny noises.

2) Seeds

Pick out the seeds from the pulp and arrange them into fun shapes on scrap paper.  Notice how they leave a little orange mark, and experiment with making pictures this way.  If you are outside, try squeezing the seeds between two fingers and shooting them  into a cup or bowl (like pumpkin Tiddly-winks!)

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Eating

1) Pumpkin Seeds

When you're finished playing with the seeds (assuming they haven't traveled too far from the bowl or gotten too dirty!), wash them and remove all the pulp from them.  Preheat the oven at 350 degrees and dry the seeds on a paper towel.  Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray or sprinkle with olive oil or vegetable oil in an even layer.  Spread the seeds on the sheet in one layer, and bake for 10-20 minutes, or until the seeds are golden brown. Sprinkle with a little salt or other spices and serve!

2) Pumpkin Gnocchi

Cut the shell of your pumpkin into medium-sized chunks, sprinkle with a little olive oil, and bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes, until the meat is tender.  Remove from oven and cool.  Scrape the meat from the skin and mash together into a smooth pulp.  In a large bowl, mix 1 cup flour, 1 egg, 1/2 cup pumpkin meat, a sprinkle of nutmeg, and a pinch of salt into a dough (add flour if it is too sticky).  Roll 1/4"-1/2" logs of the dough onto a floured surface, and cut into gnocchi-sized dough balls (about the size of a quarter).  Boil water in a pot and add salt.  Add gnocchi. In a pan, heat your sauce (fresh sage and butter/olive oil is delicious, but you can use any favorite pasta sauce!).  Gnocchi is finished boiling when it floats to the top.  Add to saucepan as gnocchi finishes cooking.  Serve and enjoy!

 

 

Homemade Toys

Making homemade toys saves money, reuses resources, teaches kids about how good it feels to make something yourself, and leaves you with a totally cool product! Your responses were awesome, and we hope you all can use some of these ideas to get inspired to make your own toys!

Wilhelmina Indigo Dooley
my mommy made mussels one night and she washed the shells and broke them apart and i painted them white and made them into little ghosts. i took them to show and tell at school and gave one to every one in my class!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i was born on hallows eve so i was born a day after halloween. :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :)

Amy Otto
we made an "i spy" bottle that has been used often for 2 years! just put some little toys or silly shaped beads into an empty plastic water bottle. (i found a set of colorful animal shaped beads for under $1 at my craft store) fill it the rest of the way with rice or bird seed, seal the lid with glue, and attach a list of all the items to find. i took a picture of all the items, printed it, then cut it apart and glued onto an index card for non-readers.

Faith Gates
I like to take empty plastic pretzel containers and cut a coin slot in the lid. I take baby food jar lids, or the metal ends of frozen juice or biscuit tins and use them as "coins." I print round circles on the computer that are the size of the lids and pop them right in. That way I can create my own custom matching game. For the metal ends, I ... Read Moredraw on them with permanent marker. It's fun to match a lid with the number "2" to a lid that has 2 dots! And the kids learn to put the lids back in the jar through the coin slot as they make each match!

Grace R. Stoddard Herman
Water bottle, fill with white corn syrup and dif types of glittery confetti and food coloring, replace the cap and tape it. Instant lava lamp minus the lamp.

Rachel Brown
Who doesn't like moon sand!?

Recipe for homemade moon sand (1 batch)
6 cups of play sand (I got a 50lb bag from Lowes, it was $4.99 plus tax)
3 cups of cornstarch (most dollar stores carry it for $1 per box...you'll need around 24 boxes for the whole 50lbs!)
1 1/2 cups of cold water
Step one: Mix the water and cornstarch together thoroughly, this will take a few minutes to get it nice and smooth.
Step two: Gradually mix in the sand, one cup at a time. You'll need to really work it in with your fingers.
Step three: Play with it!
Step four: When you're all done, pop it in an airtight container.
Step five: When you next play with it, you'll need to revive it with 2-3 tablespoons of water. Just sprinkle it over and work it in.
That's all there is to it. Very cheap, very easy and the kids will get to play with heaps of the stuff. Play sand also comes in different colors, so buy different colored bags to mix things up a little. Have fun!


Christiana 'Skidonenko' Finch
I made my daughter a magnet set. I bought a small metal lunchbox and printed out all the letters, numbers, and shapes put them on foam, then wrapped them in packing tape (for durability) and put a magnet on the back. They are all stored in her lunchbox and she can stick them on the outside to spell things and practice letters, numbers and shapes. I made this for her when she was 1 1/2 and she is now 4 and still loves it! I love it because she learns through play - she loves it because it's one of a kind!

Kammi Sommerschield Freed
I bought a plain white metal lunchbox tin from a craft store. Off the internet I downloaded free templates for paper dolls and paper doll clothes and hair-do's. I used permanent marker to draw the doll onto both sides of the lid of the lunchbox. I laminated the papers with the clothes/accessories/hairdo's using clear packing tape and then cut out all the pieces. I put put a little magnet on the back of each piece. Everything fits in the tin and it's a portable magnetic paper doll set. Perfect for the car or restaurants.

Do you have great homemade toy ideas?  We'd love to hear them!

Put "My Family" on Your Album!

We've received a bunch of requests via e-mail for a way to get "My Family" on an album.  Since Nick Jr. is in charge of the song and therefore it isn't on an album, why not burn yourself a special CD with the song on it?!  Here's a simple step-by-step on making your own album.

1) You can download "My Family" by going to iTunes or Amazon.com and searching for the song or just clicking the links!

2) (You'll need to download iTunes if you don't have it already!) First, import whichever album you'd like to add "My Family" to into iTunes.  To do this, simply pop the CD into your computer, open iTunes, and click "Import CD" (you may get a pop-up window that asks if you want to do this!)  You can also download the album (usually for less $ - see yesterday's blog) online.  We are using "Rocketship Run" as an example.

 

3) Make a Playlist by clicking the "+" on the bottom left corner.  Title it whatever makes the most sense to you.  We used "Rocketship Run plus Family"

 

4) Move all the songs from the album you are using to the playlist.  Do this by going to "Music" (top left) and then searching for the album you are looking for.  Highlight all the songs (click on the top song, hold SHIFT, and then click on the bottom song).  Then, drag the highlighted songs to your playlist on the left.

5) Find "My Family" by searching in the right-hand box - just like you did for the album.  Drag it to your playlist!  You can move it around/rearrange the album however you like.  You can also make your own "Best of" CD, or a lullaby mix (see previous blog on this topic)!

 

 

6) Insert a blank CD into your computer and click "Burn Disk" (lower right corner)

7) Enjoy!