In The Dough

We sat down with Alexis to learn all about her family, her PJ business and how she balances it all! About Alexis Ross:  Alexis is a working mom (Physician Assistant in Gynecology) who founded a pajama company with her sister and husband- who also have day jobs!  They live in Los Angeles with their two kids – Maddie, 8 and James, 3. The idea for Lovey&Grink came about because when their daughter was a toddler, she was particularly sensitive to material. At bedtime, she would constantly complain that her PJs were "itchy" or made her hot at night.  When they...

For those of you celebrating Rosh Hashanah, this week, your homes are probably filled with the smells of fresh honey cake and crisp apples! (Our favorite part!) Get your littles in on the fun by lending your apple slicer to the playdough table!  1. Prep ahead - playdough apples aka balls of dough!  2. Place them in a bowl, next to a tray with an apple slicer if you have or a plastic / kid-safe knife.  3. While you slice apples (and prep the rest of your holiday feast), invite your children to play side by side.  Maybe you even...

Earlier this month, we teamed up with some friends at Rose & Rex and Amber Waves Farm to host a garden party, and Oh My Goodness, what a special day it was.  Utilizing the tools and materials from our Garden Project, mixed with fresh flowers from the farm, we created the perfect planting provocation-   Inspired? Play how we played! This activity can be recreated all throughout the year, even when outdoor summer days are a distant memory.  Scoop a Garden Project from us!  1. Pick some fresh flowers or grab some cheap ones from your local deli (Insider tip: tell the bodega you're using...

We can’t say we’re ready to head back to school, but we are kind of excited!  Here are some of our favorite tips and tricks for using play for school readiness.  How to Use Dough for School Tip #1: Use dough to support early literacy + math skills. Dough is an awesome learning tool and can be used to support growth in nearly every subject! Forming Letters & Numbers:  Roll dough into long snakes to shape letters and numbers. This can be extended for older children by spelling out words from the shaped letters. Draw letters on a chalk board...

This month, we spoke with Abbie Marshall, a NYC mama and big dough fan! Abbie works in public relations specializing in travel, hospitality and lifestyle. She lives in Manhattan with her husband and toddler, and has baby #2 on the way. We asked her to share a little about how she utilizes play with dough in her busy home.  - Tell Us Briefly About Your Family and How You Guys Play in Your Home We live in NYC with our two year old. Our son enjoys his independent playtime early in the morning, and we play together pretty much all throughout the...

Summer is in full effect, and we are here for it!  One of our favorite things to do is turn our real life experiences into play - to give our kiddos more chances to relive the fun and make it their own.  Inspired by our best summer memories, we created some summer fun play ideas.  How to "Roast" Play Dough Marshmallows:  1. Gather some dough + skewers (can be sticks, straws or even real skewers from last night's BBQ) 2. Mold rounded cube shapes out of natural dough from your 9 pack. These will be your marshmallows.  3. Shape your graham crackers. First...

The Beach Project is filled with loose parts and awesome beach themed gems for unlimited beach fun.  One of our favorite ways to play with dough, especially when utilizing natural materials is print making.  Here's how to easily discover the joy and magic of prints with the Beach Project. 4 Easy Steps for Print Making on Dough 1. Roll out your dough so it's nice and flat on a tray or table. You can use your rolling pin, or a dough jar to make the dough into a smooth surface. 2. Pull out your jar of sea shells and make...

Every Month, we'll be interviewing experts in their field to share tips and tricks with our community. This month, we're starting with Tanya, mother of 2 little girls,  licensed speech-language pathologist, and the founder and owner of Therapy Buddies, Inc., a pediatric speech and language practice in Chicago.  Read below for the full interview and some amazing tips for encouraging speech and language development in your home.   What Are Some Favorite Activities You Suggest to Facilitate Early Speech and Language?  Open ended toys (or activities) are by far my favorite and always recommended to facilitate early speech and language skills. An open-ended...

3 Easter Bunny Approved Ways to play!  Now that the Easter bunny has delivered all the baskets, it's time to play with your dough! Try these fun ideas to keep the Easter fun going long after Sunday! White Board Easter Eggs:  Use a white board to draw oval/egg shapes with a dry-erase marker. Then use dough to create small shapes to decorate your eggs by rolling snakes, balls and other little shapes to make a design. Playdough Easter Egg Cookies Roll out dough so you have a wide flat pancake, and using an oval shaped cookie cutter cut out your playdough eggs. ...

Prep for the big afikomen search with dough matzah!   Here’s our how to:  Open a jar of natural colored dough (or any color, really).  Roll your dough flat (you can use your jar) and use a small knife to cut 4 edges that make a square shape. Using different tools and loose parts (like straws, keys, forks) make holes and marks in the dough - like the bumps and bubbles in real matzah.  Wrap your dough matzah in a small fabric or cloth, and hide it around your home with your little one to go on an afk-dough-men hunt! Chag...

While you chow down on nachos, oops I mean, while you watch the game this Sunday, set your kiddos up with this game-day inspired invitation to play.   What We Need For this Game? Dough Rolling pin Tray Plastic knife Cheese Grater Large Plate Some loose parts Step 1: Chips! Roll out the playdough so it’s nice and thin and flat.  Use your butter knife to cut triangle shapes (or use a cookie cutter if you have).  Arrange the triangles on a plate - these will be your chips!  Step 2: Extra Guac! Use your green dough and add some loose...

Stuck inside? Us too. Need some play inspo? You’ve come to the right place. Try this super easy activity to keep the littles busy inside so you can stay warm and cozy (and sane!). How Many Ways Can You Play With a Fork? All you need for this insanely easy invitation to play is 1 jar of playdough and a few forks.  Display the materials on a clean, surface or tray and ask them, “What can we create with a fork?”  Then, wait. Remember, when the littles are given open-ended materials and the time and space to create, children will...

We all have been spending more time at home, but throw in a rainy, snowy or cold day, and going outside for a quick walk or play sesh is virtually impossible. Ugh, that means one less activity for the kids to do. Well, that’s our cue! To get the kids engaged, do a simple activity that extends playtime AND can be used as a means to support transitions or other tasks that need to get done. Here’s an easy one that lets the littles engage in messy play (that’s not actually messy) and can help with the transition to bath...

Today, we remember a great man and honor the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. It’s important for us to talk to the littles about the meaning and importance behind MLK Day and explain the impact of his perseverance and work in the Civil Rights Movement. For the extra young ones, it can be tricky to explain, but a great way to start is by talking to them about diversity. In addition to having them play with inclusive toys and reading diverse books, you can use playdough to help explain diversity. Get all of your different dough colors, and make...

It’s been a year, and we’re all ready to welcome 2021 with open arms (and hands!). Include your littles in the New Year’s celebration by using playdough to sculpt the numbers of the year everyone can’t wait for. Plus, it’s a quick and easy way to teach them about numbers! How to Sculpt the Numbers With Play Dough Break your ball of dough up into 4 pieces. This part also helps littles learn early math concepts, like counting & what’s “a little” and “a lot.” Roll the dough into 4 long snakes. For the # 2’s, help the kiddos place...

One of our favorite parts about the holidays is all the baking! From cookies with vibrant frosting to ones dusted with sprinkles, we love it all. So while you’re busy whipping up the real batch of cookies, set up this play provocation for the littles so they can “bake” and decorate alongside you. Tips to Bake Dough Cookies Set out some fresh jars of playdough. Our favorites to use for this are the holiday gift sets that come in festive packs of Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa colors! Grab your mini rolling pin, kid-safe cookie cutters and lay them out with...

 So it’s snowing outside and it’s magical, but the only thing you can think about is “WTF am I going to do with the kids all day?!” That’s our cue! Bad weather days are the perfect time to get cozy and have fun in the kitchen.  Whip out some DIY Mix and make homemade playdough with the kids (don’t worry, it comes with easy step-by-step instructions and all the ingredients you’ll need)! For double the fun, have them build a doughman with your fresh dough. Pro Tips for Building a Doughman Before you whip up a fresh batch of dough,...

To celebrate the Hanukkah miracle of a little bit of oil lasting for 8 whole nights, we eat lots of oil-fried food! Potato latkes and doughnuts (aka sufganiyot) are our favorites.  How to Create Potato Latkes and Doughnuts Set up some fresh dough, along with some fun toppings like sprinkles. Roll the dough to make a thin, snake shape. Then, connect the sides to form a ring.  To add icing, you can mix orange dough and purple dough together to make chocolate (brown) icing.  Add your toppings! Top off your (play)doughnuts with your icing and sprinkles. More of a munchkin...

What’s the first thing you think of when you hear the word, “Thanksgiving”? For me and my family, it's the food!  I love the thought of families coming together in the kitchen to prepare a meal and enjoy it with each other. I spend most of Thanksgiving day (and the days leading up to it) in the kitchen, my favorite place in the house!    So, of course, when it came to setting up a Thanksgiving-themed play provocation, I had to do something that features a feast! Here’s What You’ll Need For a “Thanksgiving Cook Off” Fresh dough. I like to use...

Fall is one of our absolute favorite times of year to create invitations to play. From the beautiful foliage to the seasonal smells of cinnamon and pumpkin spice, the inspiration is everywhere. Here’s a super easy activity for incorporating the season into play:

We know 2020 has been spooky enough already, so we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to do a super easy, silly craft for Halloween. 

One easy way to play (especially when you have to get right back to work) is to plan ahead with a tinker tray.

Children learn and develop critical skills while playing with dough.

Easy tips to get your kids moving during virtual learning breaks.

4 tips to make the DIY experience 100% stress-free!