When I committed to the idea of creating characters for Porter’s Blue’s Clues birthday party, I wasn’t totally sure how I was going to create all of the characters.  I had a pretty good idea, but nothing was set in stone.  I was familiar with certain materials and I was up for the challenge of figuring out as I went along.

I knew that I wanted to make some of the items out of Crayola Model Magic.  It is relatively easy to use and it air dries–no need for a kiln or oven.  So I picked up some of that and I also picked up some Crayola Air Dry Clay which also air dries.  Model Magic isn’t paintable, but the clay is so I wasn’t sure what would be easier to use for this project.

I wanted to start with Slippery Soap, a pretty easy rectangular shape.

I used the Crayola clay because it was just like using traditional clay, something I am familiar with but haven’t really used in years.  In about an hour I was able to sculpt that lump of clay into a Slippery shape using water to smooth the shape out as needed.  However I had a feeling that ultimately this wouldn’t work out.  Why?  Because it is just like traditional clay–meaning it is heavy.  Although I was happy with the sculpture, I decided to make the final decision about weather this was going to work when it was dry.

And when it was dry, it was as hard as a rock.  It looked good, but NOT toddler friendly.  I had visions of Porter dropping it and Slippery Soap shattering into pieces…

…so Model Magic wins!

A few things about using Model Magic:

- It is like spongy Play-doh but without that Play-doh smell.

- It isn’t really paintable, so if you want/need different colors you need to buy them and mix them together as needed.  Say you want to make light purple–you take a lump of white, a tiny bit of blue and a tiny bit of red and knead them together.  You knead, twist and pull (like taffy) until the color is uniform throughout the lump of modeling compound.

- You need to plan and then commit.  If you need to stick one piece to another, say an eye to a face, you have to be really sure about where you want to put it and then leave it there.  Once two pieces touch, they are friends FOREVAH!

- Though the package says it will dry in about 24 hours, I would give it at least three days for it to firm up.

- Once dry, the piece is light, but solid.  It won’t shatter if dropped.

Here is the final Slippery Soap:

Final Slippery Soap is actually Slippery number three.  Number one was the clay one.  Number two?  Was great until I got distracted talking to Aaron and stuck a piece on without thinking it through and stuck it in the wrong spot.  Then I had to start all over.  And truthfully, I’m not happy with the Final Slippery.  It looked good at first, but gravity took over and as he dried he started to slouch and get all blobby on the bottom.  Eh, but it did the job.  Porter didn’t care!

For the record, it took four colors to make Slippery Soap: white, black, red and blue.

Mr. Salt, Mrs. Pepper, Paprika and Cinnamon are all out of Model Magic.  Colors used: white, black, grey, terra cotta and red.  If you look closely, you can see that Mr. Salt is a little Frankenstein-y?  That’s because I built him first and I wasn’t thinking things through.  I accidentally got some black on the white, tried to pick the black off and cover it with white.  Unfortunately, it made him look a little patchy.  The rest came out nicely though, I think.  You know what was a HUGE help making these guys?  Toothpicks!  I used them to help me attach the little eyes, arms and tiny mouths.

Snail is made out of white, red and black Model Magic.  Since a thin piece of Model Magic wasn’t rigid enough to stand up and stay up, I coated toothpicks in black Model Magic and used them for the antenna.

I set out to create a bunch of characters that Porter could play with at the party and afterward and I think I did just that.  He really loves these little guys and is still playing with them–now five days later!

Total cost for all the Model Magic I used (and I used at least three packages of white): $22.50 plus tax.  I did use a lot of white, and then I needed only bits of the other colors–red, blue, terra cotta–so I have plenty leftover for additional play/use.

Time spent sculpting: About four hours.

Next up:  Tickety Tock!

Making characters for Porter’s Blue’s Clues Birthday Party was pretty straightforward, mostly because the characters are all based on rather simple household objects.  In a series of posts, I am going to talk you through how I made each item and what worked and what didn’t.

We are starting with the easiest items: Pail and Shovel

My initial idea was to use a plastic pail and shovel that Porter already had, spray paint them the appropriate colors and draw on the faces using markers and a digital image for reference.  However one day while strolling through Michaels I discovered that two brand new plastic pail and shovel sets would be less expensive than buying two cans of plastic-friendly spray paint (not to mention less toxic too.)

I detached the shovels and got the red pail and yellow shovel together so I could draw on their faces.  Using a digital image for a guide (I did a search for Blue’s Clues Pail and Shovel in Google Images) I drew on their faces with Sharpie markers, using a traditional red and black Sharpie for Shovel.  For Pail I used black Sharpie and this new Waterbased Paint Pen Sharpie for the yellow of Pail’s smile.  I knew that a regular yellow Sharpie wouldn’t show up like I needed it to, but the waterbased paint Sharpie did the trick!

Total cost: Two pail and shovel sets @ $1 a set, plus the cost of the waterbased Sharpie paint pen which was around $3.00…around $5.00.

Total time spent on project: 15-30 minutes (doesn’t include shopping for supplies.)

Helpful hints: Lightly draw out the faces in pencil first.  This will help to insure that you have the placement, size and shape of the features correct.  I learned this the hard way–I got so excited and jumped right in, making Pail’s eyes too large and in the wrong spot.  Using hairspray, I was able to get 90% of the ink off (FYI: the alcohol in the hairspray helps to remove permanent marker.)  I then tried a Magic Eraser, but that left this weird film on the plastic.

Oops.  I think the hairspray would have done the trick if the pail didn’t have a matte finish in that area….but anyway, I ended up just turning the pail to the other side and starting over.  Even with that set back, the whole project was a breeze!

Next up I will tell you why I should have had Crayola Model Magic sponsor Porter’s party.

You guys, I have to say that Porter’s party was the most fun we have had in a long, long time.

It really marks our first big get-together at our house here in Pittsburgh, it was my mom and brother’s first visit here and it was the first official party we have ever thrown for Porter!

Going into the weekend, I was feeling very behind.  Porter and I were sick the week prior so I had very little energy to prep for the party.  I chose napping myself at naptime instead of crafting Blue’s Clues stuff, which meant that I was scrambling at the last minute.  But at least I was well enough to scramble!

Once Porter went down for a nap on Saturday, we quickly got the house ready for the party.  When he woke up, we put on his very own “Steve” shirt (thanks, eBay!) and let him wander into the living room to see what was in store.

He noticed that Pail and Shovel were there with their pal, Slippery Soap.

Tickety Tock was there too!  And soon Porter started to get what was happening.  I told him that maybe he should check inside Sidetable Drawer…

Inside was Porter’s very own Handy Dandy Notebook!  Porter got VERY excited about this.  We told him to go to his Thinking Chair and he immediately went and sat in his red chair and started scribbling “clues” in his notebook.

Porter had other Blue’s Clues friends around too, like:

Snail!

And…

Mr. Salt, Mrs. Pepper, Paprika and Cinnamon!

We also put paw print “clues” around the house for Porter to find.  They didn’t lead to anything or need figuring out–just little paw prints for Porter to collect…

Porter was very excited about the clues, “Two clues, two clues!”

Naturally, Porter’s big gift from Mommy and Daddy was his very own Blue (thanks again, eBay!)

We had a great time mingling with friends and family at the party.  My family members drove about 500 miles from central New York state on Friday to be with us on Saturday.  Our friend Steven drove up from West Virginia for the party and some other friends came from all over town to spend this special time with Porter.  It was a small party, but it was relaxed and fun.

Soon, it was time for cake!  Porter wanted nothing to do with his booster seat and didn’t want the cupcake, but he really liked people singing to him and he blew out his own candle!

All in all, a really, really wonderful afternoon!

I’m going to do another post to tell you all about how I made all of these Blue’s Clues characters and the notebook.  I am still really sad that I ran out of time to make Mailbox and some letters (stupid cold) but Porter didn’t seem to mind.  He seemed to enjoy his special day just fine!

Today Porter turned 21 months old.  That’s a mere three months away from turning two years old.  I don’t know if I am ready!

Today also marked the first time Porter got to play in the snow.  We have had snow here and there for the last few months, but today Porter was actually well enough to play in it!  Poor kid has had at least one cold a month since we moved here.

What Porter is wearing:

• Still in size 4 diapers (over a year now, I think.)
• Still in size 5 shoes.
• Size 24 months or 2T in shirts.  Size 18-24 months in pants.  Size 24 months in pajamas.
• He wore his first snow suit today!

What Porter is eating:

• You know, we had the picky eating thing under control for a while but now it is back.  Not all of the time–it comes and goes…
• Use to LOVE chicken, now he barely touches it.
• Really loving any meat the is cured or processed unfortunately–bacon, hot dogs, sausage.

What Porter is saying:

• It is hard to keep up with all of Porter’s new words; there are more every day.  When we get him from his crib in the morning, he spouts off words as he points to various items and pictures in his room: toes, book, zip, ‘raffe (that’s giraffe), turtle, eye, Mommy…
• He is using names more.  He knows Mommy and Daddy, of course, but he now knows Ro-see and Kee-ko (Rosie and Neko, our cats) and Law-rah (Miss Laura, his daycare teacher.)  He even said his own name today, but I wasn’t there to hear it.
• Porter has decided that even though he knows how to say grapes, he would rather call them apples.  This is new for us.

What Porter likes these days:

• Blue’s Clues
• Cat in the Hat Knows A Lot About That
• Shaun the Sheep
• Books and books and books…
• Trains
• Singing
• Babies.  He will see one while we are out or just see a photo of one and suddenly it is “Baby!  Baby!  Baby!”

What Porter doesn’t like these days:

• Not sure I have an answer for this one–which is good!

What Porter is doing:

• He “tickles” us now which is really funny!
• Gives hugs and kisses without being prompted.
• Roars like a lion or tiger.
• Crows like a rooster.
• Actively finds “clues” and “paw-pwint” while watching Blue’s Clues.  He mimics some of Steve’s actions and will identify various things throughout the episode: lamp, chair, butterfly, sun, table, Pepper, etc.

What Porter is NOT doing:

This Tuesday we will be two weeks pacifier free!  He will occasionally ask for it, especially when we are out and he is getting whiny, but we are staying strong!

What we are working on:

• Porter isn’t into using utensils.  I think this is because he sometimes gets easily frustrated.  Anyone got any tips?
• We bought Porter a potty for Christmas.  He knows what it is and will occasionally sit on it while clothed, but other than that–no interest.  I don’t think he is ready yet.

Can’t wait to report back next month!

Although Porter is OBSESSED with trains these days, you might be surprised to learn that Thomas And Friends is not his favorite television program.

Nope.

It’s Blue’s Clues.

Oh as Porter says: Bluths Cluths.

After we reinstated our Netflix account last month (we cancelled in the summer to save money–same reason why we don’t have cable) I found the show on Netflix streaming through our Wii.  I hadn’t ever really watched it since it originally came on the air as I was graduating from high school, but I knew the premise:  A guy (a live action dude who lives in an animated world) and his dog (animated) search for clues to solve a mystery of some sort.  Learning ensues.

I turned it on one afternoon and Porter was hooked.  He started asking to watch it.  Not only that, but he would hand me the Wii remote so I could put it on.

Netflix streaming–I love you and hate you.  Porter seems to know there is an endless supply of children’s programming in that little white box.

But anyway…

Blue’s Clues is about Steve and his dog Blue.  They play a game in which Blue leaves clues around the house about whatever that day’s theme is such as “Where does Blue want to have her snack today?” and “What animal does Blue want to learn about today?”

Fun fact: My husband worked with Steve a couple of years ago.  I never did get a chance to meet him since Aaron and I were working in different states that summer, but he assures me he was a good guy.  And no, he wasn’t doing anything children’s entertainment related if you were wondering.  Steve has range.

We started watching Season 1 episode 1.  Now we are in the middle of Season 3.  I have to say, I don’t mind watching the show.  It is bright, clever, fun, expertly geared for kids ages 2-4 and I find Steve really likable.  This is the first show we have watched with Porter during which Porter will actually participate with the characters.  He will say, “clue!” when he sees a clue.  He will say, “baby!” when he sees Mr. Salt and Mrs. Pepper’s baby, Paprika.  He will say “think, think, thiiiink” when Steve sings the song about how to play Blue’s Clues.  Porter will mirror some of  Steve’s hand motions during the songs too.  The show doesn’t make him glow like Thomas does, but it actually will make him sit, think and watch.

I like watching this show with Porter.  It is like a game that we all can play together.  And it is perfect for his age right now.

I’m not sure what is going to happen when we get to the episode when Steve leaves the show.  I hear that Steve leaves for college on a hopscotch scholarship and his brother Joe comes to take care of Blue, Tickety Tock, Slippery Soap and the rest of the gang.  Some friends of ours told me while we were in NY that their daughter has a preference and specifically will ask for “Blue’s Clues: Joe.”  I guess we will find out if Porter has a preference when we get through a few more seasons of the show.

Which will probably be in a week and a half.

Oh and the title of this post doesn’t come from Blue’s Clue’s, but from this:

A few weeks ago, Porter and I were playing in his room on a Saturday morning.  The television was on in the living room tuned to PBS.  The theme song to Thomas the Tank Engine started and as soon as Porter heard the whistle blow, he looked at me wide-eyed and said “Choo choo!” and ran into the living room.  He had the biggest grin on his face while listening and watching the opening sequence.

Seemingly overnight, Porter had become obsessed with Thomas.

And “choo-choos.”

Sure, we had seen the show before but never had he reacted with such excitement before.  He obviously really enjoys the show.

But it isn’t just the show.  Last week we got a pamphlet in the mail from Carnegie Science Center advertising their Lionel Train Days.  I was looking through it and Porter walked over to me, pointed to the boy on the cover wearing an engineer’s cap and holding a toy train car and said, “MINE!”   Then he pointed to the train and said, “Choo-choo!”

This surprised me for two reasons:  1) He really hasn’t said “mine” before and 2) he identified the train without being prompted and that train looked nothing like Thomas.

He proceeded to sit on the floor and flip through the pamphlet, pointing out all of the trains.

The next day, we were out shopping with my dad.  We stumbled upon a really cool toy store in which there was a Porter-sized Thomas the Tank Engine play set all set up and available to try out in the store.  Man, it was like the kid just met Elmo–he was just so darned excited!

This last weekend when we were watching Thomas, he just decided to exclaim, “SODOR!”–which is the island on which Thomas and his “Really Useful Crew” have all of their wacky train shenanigans.  He said it with the same enthusiasm that He-Man has when he calls upon the power of Greyskull.

And the other day, we saw a commercial for some Thomas toy and he immediately saw it, pointed at the TV and said, “Mine!”

I’m not sure what draws kids to Thomas, or trains for that matter, but there is something about talking steam engine that Porter really loves.

Looks like it is going to be a choo-choo and Melmo Christmas at our house!

A few months ago I downloaded something called Baby Flash Cards by Baby Cortex on my iPhone.  Porter really enjoyed going through the images and last month when he started talking more, we worked on identifying the things he was seeing in the flashcards.  Dog, door, bed, nose, mouth, ear, shoes, hand…

But when we got to the image of the Christmas Tree he would say the same thing:

“Melmo!”

That’s Elmo in Porter-ese.

Over and over again, we would correct him–but it was always Elmo.

Same thing with the drawing of the Tree–”Melmo!”

So Aaron and I tried to figure out why he is calling these images Elmo.  Both images have red things on the tree.  The Christmas Tree has red bulbs on it and the Tree image has red apples on it–maybe those things remind Porter of Elmo?  We weren’t sure.

Friday evening we went to Target (loooong after the Black Friday craziness was over) and wondered through the Christmas section where there were plenty of trees.

“Melmo?”

“No, Porter.  That’s a Christmas Tree.”

“Melmo.”

“No, buddy–not Elmo.  Christmas Tree.”

The same thing is happening now that the tree is up in the house.  I just don’t get it.  Aaron and I have tried to figure out why he calls the tree Elmo, but we just can’t figure it out.  Maybe this is his way of telling us what he wants for Christmas.  If it is, then man, he is one smart kid!

I have to say, I don’t really remember much of the old Electric Company.  It aired on PBS from ’71-’77 and then reran from ’77-’85.  What I do remember?

This:

And this:

So really, I had very limited knowledge of The Electric Company.  I do know that Rita Moreno, Bill Cosby and Morgan Freeman were all part of the show back then, but I don’t really remember that either…

Fast forward to The Electric Company today…the reading fundamentals–learning the sounds of letters, blending them together, punctuation and vocabulary are all still there but of course the show has a much more modern twist.  Is this show a little out of my almost 17 month old son’s age range of understanding?  Sure, but he really really likes it because it is so visually and auditorily stimulating.  And I feel that the more he is exposed to letters and their sounds, the better off he will be when it comes to beginning to read.  I’m not an educator, this is just how I feel.  He actually said “s” last night and it was an amazing moment!

Here is one of Porter’s favorite clips from the show.  He really finds this little dude fascinating!

There is a lot of really great animated shorts that are not only entertaining but educational.  And the cast is really great.  Sure, some of them seem a smidge old to be playing teenagers, but hey, that’s how show biz works.  (That’s my one criticism of the show–and that’s pretty insignificant.)

Musically, the show is heavily influenced by hip hop.  Shock, the show’s beatboxer, is probably my favorite part of the show.   Like, if I were to see him on the street, I would introduce myself and gush about how awesome I think he is.  Because I am a big dork.  But you already knew that…

Here he is with Tony award winner Lin-Manuel Miranda telling us about silent e.

So pretty much thumbs up all around for The Electric Company.  Fun, educational, not anywhere near as annoying as Thomas, Barney or Super WHY.

So I have decided to make this a series here on the good ol’ blog.  Let me start by saying this: my opinions are just that, opinions.  They aren’t based on research or anything–they are just what I have observed after watching these shows over and over again.

First up in the series: Super WHY

Good things about the show:

- It encourages reading.

- It encourages at home participation.

- It helps develop skills like spelling, letter identification, rhyming.

- It shows friends working together to solve a problem.

And all of these qualities in a program are fantastic!  PBS is full of easily attainable educational programing.  I love PBS!

But here are the things that drive me batty about Super Why:

- The theme song.

- Why does Super WHY/Wyatt need an airplane to fly in when he can just fly himself?  Flying is his super power for crying out loud!

- Wyatt calls all of the Super Readers together to solve the Super Big Problem in every episode–even if there are in the next room!  Wyatt–just walk over there and tell them there is a problem.  Don’t waste your parents’ hard earned money on those cell phone minutes!

- Speaking of which, Wyatt is like 6 years old and owns a smart phone.

- Don’t Wyatt, Pig, Red and Princess Pea’s parents notice they are gone a lot?

- Aaron has all sorts of opinions about the animation that I can’t even properly explain.

- I swear that the phrase, “To the Book Club!” sounds like “To the Butt Plug!”  Couldn’t the director tell the child actors to enunciate better?

I’m sure there are things I am forgetting, but this is the gist of what annoys me about the show.  Porter loves it though and I guess that is all that really matters, right?