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Paczki Day, with Kids

3/5/2019

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We started out in Hamtramck, ground zero for Paczki Day. We drove past old Martha Washington Bakery and although the line was shorter than usual-- it was because the windchill was 10 below zero-- yeah no thanks, so we decided to skip that spot this year.

Drove by the place where we used to get our paczki, which shut its doors a year or two ago. We rolled through the streets to the bakery where found our first batch of paczki— Bozek’s Market. 

We pulled up, strolled in, and made our way to the paczki. We picked out all the flavors they had, one of each & made note of the flavors they didn’t have so we could track them down.

On the search for chocolate paczki, we set out to try Donut Villa in Southwest Detroit. We had stopped in last week to grab some doughnuts and they were really fresh and tasted good so we thought we’d give them a try.

The place was filled with regulars, but the display case was filled with newcomers-- paczki instead of doughnuts today. 

We asked about the chocolate paczki and were told that that’s the first flavor they sold out of this morning! They said we could try back later this afternoon because they were going to try to make more. We opted for the custard filled paczki instead.

We had to get the kids to school because although Paczki Day is a holiday in our family, I don’t like the missing more than a half day off for this excursion.

We dropped one of the girls off at school and on the way to drop the second one off-  we had an idea. So we turned around and drove to another store nearby in the hopes they would have done remaining chocolate custard paczki before dropping her off. 

Success! They had chocolate packzki so we threw some in a bag and made our way, once again, back to the school. 

And then we came home and ate some packzki. (Well, the ones we didn’t eat in the car) 

The kids came home later and the smell of fresh paczki greeted them at the door. Then they sat down & stuffed their sweet faces with one of every flavor. We usually cut them so we can try all the flavors but y’know— everyone has their favorite. There was rose paczki, lemon, blueberry, prune, apple, raspberry, strawberry— any flavor you can imagine. The list goes on & on. 

We ate our entire haul of paczki by the afternoon. Not joking. The bags and boxes are piled up-- a stack of deflated bags and empty boxes. 

​And then there were none. 

PictureThe line in front of New Marth Washington Bakery on Paczki Day in Hamtramck.

PictureThis is what it looks like when your favorite paczki flavor is sold out everywhere. Image: Nicole Wrona

Related: 
Field Trip | The Flower House 
Field Trip | The Notorious P.A.C.zki Day in Hamtramck 
Field Trip | Hamtramck Disneyland 

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Turkey Cookies | Thanksgiving Holiday

11/22/2018

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Keep in mind this is the guerrilla way to make iced sugar cookies bc I have no idea what I’m doing, hahahahaha. 

Use your favorite Sugar Cookie recipe, mix or pre-made dough. 
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I don't have a Turkey cookie cutter, so I made my own. I used the winning combination of: A Chrysanthymum Flower, the Number "8" and an airplane to create a turkey. You can figure that combo out yourself, using whatever cookie cutters you have. 
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Look- I researched all the ways you can make Royal Icing and then I just made my own. Yeah, that just means: I didn’t measure, hahahahaha. I also totally winged it— for real. I’m not saying to use my method, just telling y’all what I did. 

​So to create my version of Royal Icing I just dumped some powdered sugar into a small bowl and added a few spoonfuls of warm water. Not a measuring spoon so don’t ask me how much- just a regular spoon from the silverware drawer. 


Then I kept adding powder sugar until it was the consistency of shampoo. Then I added like 18 pinches of Cream of Tartar but I was too lazy to add egg whites.(The lady online said to add 6 egg whites- ughh, really! No thanks. For as much icing as I went through I think that adds up to like 73 eggs)  I used some food coloring to turn the white icing brown. Again, I did not follow protocol, I just mixed some colors together until it kinda looked remotely like the color I wanted. 

I threw it into a plastic frosting apparatus (not sure what it’s called— it’s like a glue gun or piping bag but it’s hard plastic) Not recommended because while I wasn’t paying attention (I was admiring my work, hahahahaha) the icing seeped outta the other end— the end that was supposed to have the stopper. Whatever. I totally continued to do it this way bc it was easier for me than doing it correctly. ​
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Then I took a break. (ie: ran to the store for the 11th time bc these cookies are HUGE and use a ton of icing!) I grabbed more powdered sugar and got back to work.

I filled in the feathers with icing. then I used a toothpick to draw lines onto the icing. I stuck the toothpick into each individual feather at the top and ran it down each feather once. This created a "feathered" effect. 

Then I let them set. Gobble. Gobble. 

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Youth Day at the Michigan Science Center

9/16/2018

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Thank you to everyone who made Youth Day at the Michigan Science Center great. It was seriously the most Fun. Day. Ever. 

Monkeys & Mayhem hosted the "Stuft Animal Remix" project. We had hundreds of visitors and more than 300+ people made their own species. We nearly ran out at the end, but I had my fingers crossed--- and we just made it!

It was so cool to see all the animals y'all came up with.
Some of the greatest animal configurations I've ever seen were created today right in front of our eyes! It was amazing to see the different age ranges who loved this event- big kids, little kids, toddlers, teens, parents. In fact-- I don't know who had the most fun-- the kids or their parents. Yup-- we had truckloads of parents designing their OWN species of animals to take home. It was awesome!!!  ​
We had a blast and hope you did too. If you weren't able to visit us for Youth Day-- nbd-- you can find instructions for this creative kids design project right here. 
Related:
​Kids Craft | Stuft Animal Remix 
Field Trip | Mathmatica, with Kids 
Rolling Stones Rock & Roll Circus: The Band  
Detroit Design Festival: Youth Path 
Activity: Glow Ring Toss 
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Kids Craft | Stuffed Animal Remix

9/12/2018

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Thanks for joining us at this year's Youth Day at the Michigan Science Center! We had a truly awesome day and hope you did too!

If you weren't able to make it out to the kids version of Month of Design on Saturday-- nbd-- here's a play-by-play of the children's activity we hosted using discarded stuffed animals. Have fun!


Before you donate that arsenal of stuffed animals, check out this project where they could be re-used. This project gives stuffed animals that have seen better days a new lease on life. Fun for a large group- everyone can bring a neglected animal to add to the pile.


Ingredients:
 -At least 4 Stuffed Animals
 -Hot Glue Gun
-Scissors
-Needle & Thread
-Large Safety Pins

Deconstruct all limbs, tails, heads, etc from the main body of the animal. Throw the spare parts into a box. Let the children dig through the bin. Allow the children to reconfigure their animals- the sillier the better. An adult should help smaller children with the task of assembly. Have safety pins ready as a way to temporarily attach the parts. 

Next, use your best judgment to determine which method- sewing or hot glue- will work best to secure the various parts  onto the body permanently. After the glue has cooled or the stitches completed, remove the safety pins. 

Hint: Hot glue can hold almost anything together.

One of the coolest things about this craft is that there is NO WRONG WAY to do this project. In fact- the more rules that are broken-- the better! I saw how my kids didm't want to do crafts when adults told them they were "doing it wrong." It took all the fun out of them making something THEMSELVES. When they created their own "Stuft Animal Remix" project-- they had FUN choosing their pieces and creating their animals. It was a Game-changer. 

To broaden the scope of learning, ask the children questions about the new species they have created.  What is it called? Where does it live? What sounds does it make?    ​
Related: Field Trip | Detroit Zoo 
Cooking with Kids | Horse Cupcakes 
​How to Make a Black Cow, with Kids 
Transformers Movie Set | Behind-the-Scenes, with Kids 
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Kids Craft | Animal Menagerie Shadow Puppets

9/12/2018

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​Now is when the summertime spent eating popsicles REALLY starts to pay off. Grab that wayward collection of sticks you've been saving and get ready t create your own animal menengerie. 

​Making a collection of exotic animals may seem tricky, but it's really easy! This project uses some really simple ingredients to create something that will provide kids of various age groups with entertainment.
Click 'Read More' to get Instructions                                                         ↓↓↓

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We're in the Henry Ford Museum Ad Campaign!

9/6/2018

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We finally saw the commercial we shot in May out in the wild! 

Here's the result of the ad campaign we did for the Henry Ford Museum. The director did such an amazing job! Check out those skills! There's some different versions floating around. Let me know if you catch it live. We're so excited! Our friends and family have been telling us they've seen it-- but we never caught it ourselves until now! 
​

Check us out in the Henry Ford's guide to Greenfield Village:
​Henry Ford Ad Campaign in Greenfield Village, with Kids  
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Guide to Michigan Beaches, with Kids

9/4/2018

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Here's a little run-down of the lakefront beaches we trekked out to this summer. We liked some better than others but check 'em out for yourself-- maybe you'll find one that's right up your alley. The things I dod't like may be what you'll love! There's more beaches to explore, so keep your eyes opened because just because school started doesn't mean summer's over! It's still hot and humid and 93 degrees right now & It's dinnertime. In September. 
Click "Read More" to read our list of our favorite beaches in the area. ​              ↓↓↓

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Kids Activity | Alphabet Fishing

7/25/2018

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This activity combines learning and imaginative play. Kids will love the opportunity to fish for letters while pretending they are captains of their boat Perfect for rainy days when you wish you were sailing off into the sunset.
Click 'Read More' to get Instructions                                                          ↓↓↓

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Henry Ford Ad Campaign in Greenfield Village

7/10/2018

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My cousin texted me to let me know she'd seen us in a print ad. Awesome! I asked where she saw it. She told me she saw it yesterday at Greenfield Village-- in the booklet that she was given at the Henry Ford Museum admissions counter. ​
​There's More! Click 'Read More' to get the full scoop...                                ↓↓↓

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Kids Activity | Woodland Teepee

5/30/2018

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This woodland teepee is  an old stand-by that my sister & I used to make in the summertime: A Teepee of Branches. I wanted to re-create this with my kids.
There's more! Click "Read More" for Instructions                        ​↓↓↓

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