Something about the changing light this past couple of days really hammered home how close winter is now. The early evenings and chilly mornings made me remember a November from years ago, they made me crave hot chocolate, but not just any kind. . . A native of Colorado, I’m no stranger to cold weather, but the winter I spent in Italy was of a different sort altogether. I was used to dry snow and icy sunshine. This was grey and damp with the chill that only a 4’ thick fourteenth century stone wall can provide. Don’t get me wrong,... Continue reading

The season of make-believe is upon us, and to celebrate, we're giving away beautiful costumes! And the winner is Andi! Who thinks her grandson would love these costumes. Thank you to everyone who participated! Happy trick or treating and make believing! To enter to win, simply leave a comment on this post, and if your comment is selected by the lovely random number generator, You'll win this lovely gift set: 1 Earth Playsilk Cape (Color of Your Choice) 1 Felt Crown (Standard or Flower) 1 copy of Midnight Creatures Giveaway ends 10/7/19 at 11:59pm MST P.S. Make sure to check... Continue reading

Now that it is officially autumn, we just had to share a few of our favorite apple recipes from our kitchen and beyond: 10 Amazing Apple Recipes: 1. Cinnamon Apple Crumb Bars 2. Apple Tartlets with Salted Caramel 3. Cheddar Apple Muffins 4. Fall Harvest Freekeh Salad 5. Fresh Apple Doughnuts 6. Cardamom Apple Cider Butter (plus a few extra apple recipes) 7. Crisp Apple Cucumber Salad 8. Tangy Apple Brussels Sprout Salad 9. Baked Apple Chips 10. Decadent Baked Apple 11. Mom's Applesauce Happy Cooking! xoxo ~i.c. Continue reading

It's that time of year again, it's time for our: Back to School Giveaway! Enter to win: Olive Fox Backpack Olive Fox Lunch Cooler Klean Kanteen Water Bottle Nature Card Set (5 Cards) Wooden Magnifying Glass Audubon Bird Whistle The Imagine Childhood Book (Signed by the Author) Gift Set Valued at over $150!! And the winner is... Ren! of @RaisingWildKeikis. Thank you to everyone who participated, the response was AMAZING! From all of us at Imagine Childhood, here's wishing each and every kiddo out there a safe, happy, healthy, and adventurous school year! To enter to win the lovely collection... Continue reading

A whole new batch of school supplies means a whole new batch of things to keep track of. With this fun activity, we took the chore of labeling and turned it into a wonderful afternoon of family connection and creativity! Using a DIY Stamp Kit from the shop. . . . . . we tried our hands at making our own personalized stamp identity! This project was easy, fun and our little helpers loved putting their own personal stamp on just about everything ink would adhere to. Going into the school year, a stamp identity is a great way to... Continue reading

The 4th of July is just around the corner and we've come up with a list of our favorite holiday fun just for you, from our blog and beyond: 4th of July Fun! 1. Free Downloadable Cake Toppers 2. Red White and Blue Mini Pavlova 3. Bubble Painting in red white and blue is a great way to spend the afternoon! 4. 10 Minute DIY Movie Theater 5. Tin Can Lawn Bowling 6. Free Printable Pinwheels 7. Homemade S'mores Recipe 8. Cute Burlap Garland Tutorial 9. Star Lantern Tutorial (scroll to the bottom for the tutorial) 10. DIY Fishing Pole... Continue reading

Tomorrow is the summer solstice, and what's a good solstice without a few fairy tents and enchanted celebrations? This might just be one of our favorite activities to do with children. You can do it whenever the inspiration strikes, with whatever materials you have on hand. Happy Summer Solstice! With a few quick stitches and some string, our fairies and elves can now choose between. . . . . . a simple shelter. . . . . . a circus tent. . . . . . and a classic Tipi made for the bumblebees. Which would you choose? Fairy Tents... Continue reading

There is nothing. . . . . . better than. . . . . playing outside. . . . . . on a beautiful afternoon. . . . . . with your favorite. . . . . . little adventurer. Just a little sneak peek at some new DIY Flower Crow kits for the shop. . . lots of new styles coming soon!! xox ~i.c. Continue reading

It's here, it's here, it's here!! Spring is finally here!! Spring is the season of wonder and mystery and magic. It’s the season where bare branches exchange their winter lines for a bright new life. It’s the season where we open the windows and let the outdoors in again. It’s the season where we believe in the potential of small seeds to turn into great beauty. It’s the season of imagination. And to celebrate, we're hosting a giveaway!!! To enter to win, simply leave a comment on this post telling us which items you adore from our shop, and if... Continue reading

With St. Patrick's Day just around the corner, we thought we'd round up a few fun and celebratory recipes for you from our kitchen and beyond: Fun St. Patrick's Day Recipes: Lucky Soda Bread Healthy Shamrock Shake Edible Moss for Cakes Matcha Shortbread Cookies Colcannan Potatoes Lamb & Eggplant Shepherd's Pie Irish Brown Bread Green Pea, Asparagus & Parsley Soup Irish Stew Matcha Coconut Custard Tart Happy St. Patty's! ~Sarah Continue reading

This recipe was created after talking with Georgia from the Greenwood Wildlife Rehabilitation Center to getting an understanding of what our dear birds love to eat. I loved the incorporation of the whole eggs, shells and all, into the mixture... ... I remember my Great Grandmother feeding eggshells to her chickens... I had always wondered about that. I left these cookies without holes to string them up, but that certainly can be done... Instead, I choose to leave them out as extra treats in the bird feeders... isn't that what a Cookie is? Bird Cookies: Mix in a bowl by... Continue reading

Oh we love this beautiful planet so! And what a wonderful mother she has been to each and every one of us. From the tallest trees, to the deep blue oceans, to the birds, flowers, bees, and everything else under the sun, this Earth of ours is one very special place. Which is exactly why we need to show her a little love, now more than ever. So this year, give a big old Valentine to the Earth, by cultivating a love of nature in your children. It's been proven time and time again, that we take care of what... Continue reading

Even in shadow. . . . . . the light. . . . . . shines through. "Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.” ~Dr. Martin Luther King Thought we'd share a few photos that we took from our front porch last night, during the lunar eclipse. Happy MLK day... may you see and seek the light in this new year. xox ~i.c. Continue reading

Back by popular demand, our holiday cookie roundup! Now that we're officially in the holiday season, it's time to start dreaming of all the holiday cookie goodness that the coming weeks will bring. To help start the party planning, we've pulled together a list of some of our favorite Imagine Childhood recipes. There are lots of nature-themed treats along with a few classic or just plain delicious sweets! Nature Inspired Holiday Cookies! Chewy Ginger Cookies Butterfly Sandwich Cookies Ginger Leaves Constellation Meringues Animal Tracks Cookies Toffee Bark Bars Holiday Snowball Cookies Cloud Cookies Chocolate Coconut Mud Puddle Cookies Coal Cookies... Continue reading

It's been ten years since we first opened our shop. Can you believe that? We can't. Time definitely flies when you're having fun! During all of those weeks and months, we've watched our small family business grow into a big beautiful community of parents, teachers, and caregivers who share our vision and reverence for childhood. What a privilege it has been to build this space with you. Each year you inspire us to explore a little further and play a little more. You encourage us to work harder and dig deeper because the conversation we're having is an important one.... Continue reading

The season of make believe is upon us, and to celebrate, we're giving away beautiful costumes and lovely toys and tools for imaginary play! To enter to win, simply leave a comment on this post telling us which items you adore from our Dress Up and/or Dramatic Play categories, and if your comment is selected by the lovely random number generator, we'll send them to you (up to a $75 value)! Can't decide what you like best? We'll give you a $75 gift certificate instead :) Giveaway ends 10/9/18 at 4:59pm MST *Want even more chances? Follow us on Instagram,... Continue reading

A few weeks ago I began to notice the inevitable shift that happens every year around this time... the days have gotten shorter and the nights progressively longer (and colder!). This rather obvious realization got me thinking though, about all the fun things I did as a kid to get ready for this increase in darkness. One of which was to create a little light of my own. So that is what I decided to do, make lanterns! As a child we used vibrant hues of tissue paper to create our works of art, but I thought it would be... Continue reading

5 Reasons to Fall in Love with Math! Universal Language: In a great big planet full of different cultures and languages, it can be hard to communicate. But what if we told you that there was a language that everyone can speak and understand no matter where your feet take you? Well that magical language is math my friends; fun, confounding, glorious math. Makes you want to become fluent huh? Explain/Interpret Relationships in the Universe: How does photosynthesis turn sunlight into food for plants? How much energy is expended when you push your shovel into the ground and dig a... Continue reading

It's that time of year again, time to begin shifting the focus from open ended wandering to more structured experiences. Time to think about new classrooms, new friends and new lessons. Time to start thinking about going back to school! To get you off on the right foot, we're giving away beautiful school supplies from our shop! Take a peak at our back to school lookbook, or wander around the shop and let us know what you would pick in the comments below (up to a $100 value. Not sure what you want? No problem, we'll give you a $100... Continue reading

With school days just around the corner, it seemed like the perfect time to share. . . . . .one of our favorite crafts. . . . . . a personalized. . . . . . eco-friendly. . . . . . lunch set. Reusable Cloth Lunch Bag and Matching Napkin Materials: Scrap fabric Needle and Thread (or sewing machine) Rubber stamps (or you could make your own potato stamps) Fabric ink pad Cut two pieces of fabric at 7" x 7-3/4". Then, cut one more piece of the same fabric at 14" x 29-3/4". Sandwich the two smaller pieces... Continue reading

This blog entry was originally posted last summer, but crafting is so important, we just had to share it again! 5 Reasons to Try New Crafts with Your Kids! 1. Learn Something New: We all get stuck in patters and routines. As as we grow these patterns can become restrictive. Sally is good at drawing, so you keep giving her crayons and pencils, and she gets even better, that's great! But, what if she happens to be a gifted sculptor, or inventor? Crafting with your kids allows them to explore a new idea or process in a fun, low stress... Continue reading

Remember when we said that picking our top 5 reasons to craft with your kids was the hardest assignment to date? Well we were wrong, so, so wrong. Forts people, forts. Our love for these wild and spontaneous structures knows no bounds. If you do one thing and one thing only with your kids (aside from loving, feeding, clothing, sheltering, and providing safety of course), build forts with them. The benefits will last a lifetime, we pinky swear on this one. So in no specific order and only broaching the tip of the iceberg on this one, here are our... Continue reading

Father, papa, pops, dad... no matter the endearment, it's time to celebrate all the wonderful fathers out there! Whether he's a lover of the great outdoors, a sportsman, a DIY wizard, or a seasoned foodie, we have crafts, recipes, and activities that will make every dad smile. Make sure dad feels the love this weekend with a homemade gift that shows him just how much you really care. 10 great gift ideas for Father's Day: 1. Camp Breakfast 2. DIY Foldable Camping Stove 3. DIY Pre-Shave Oil 4. Capture the Flag Geography Game 5. Map Coasters 6. Leather Journal 7.... Continue reading

Now that summer is officially here. . . . . . it's time to build. . . . . . a beautiful world. . . . . . full of magical. . . . . . adventures! DIY Fairy Boats Materials: Leaves Sticks or Bamboo Skewers Needle and Thread or String (you may want to bring these along on your walk) Scrap fabric (optional flag material) Scissors (optional) Flowers Imagination Instructions: Go out on a walk in your neighborhood or a park, or the woods if you live near them. Collect the natural materials listed above and begin dreaming of... Continue reading

We hope you had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend exploring this lovely world with your family! But the fun is not over just yet because we're having a sale! For the next 24 hours take 10% off everything in the shop! When you combine the discount with our free shipping for orders over $100 that's up to 25% off! Enter the code "MerryMay" during check out to receive the discount. xox ~i.c. Continue reading