Save on shipping this weekend! From 4pm ET today through 6pm ET on Super Bowl Sunday, all Step2 items on Step2.com, shipping to the 48 contiguous US states,  ship for just $0.46. Plus, some even ship for free!

No promo code necessary. Shipping sale not valid on Infantino items. Regular shipping prices resume at 6:01pm ET on , February 5, 2012.

Art does not have to be a sedentary activity. Kids need to be inspired to create art and this can come from all different sources. If you have a large yard with lots of plant and animal life, these can be great materials for art projects. Your children or grandchildren can find leaves, sticks, or even bugs to make unique pictures or sculpture. Depending on the age of the children, you can allow them to paint, cut and glue all of these materials to make all kinds of creative projects.

Another way to encourage children to use their creativity is to provide art easels for kids. If you are planning a birthday party for boys or girls, consider setting up several easels and provide paint, chalk and other art supplies. You could ask the children to create portraits of themselves or each other to give to the birthday girl. Kids love to create and the more encouragement you give them, the more likely they are to seek out creative art projects on their own.

As a grandparent, you may not have a lot of space in your home to keep toys when the grand-kids come for a visit. You do not need a lot of room for art supplies and these activities will keep the kids entertained for hours. You can store a folding art easel in the closet and all of the art supplies in a plastic container. When the grandchildren show up and start complaining they are bored, instead of sending them into the den to watch television, watch their eyes light up when you bring out art easels for kids and all of the supplies they need. Not only will they have a great time creating beautiful pictures, you will have something to put up on the fridge or wall to remind you of the grand-kids once they return home.

If left to their own devices, children are more likely to sit in front of the t.v. or spend much of their time playing video games. It is important to encourage kids to stay physically active and explore the world around them. Not only will the children sleep better if they are able to use up their energy and breathe in the fresh air outside, art projects can be inspired from almost anything. Take a field trip and let your child’s imagination do the rest.

What is a Puppet?

A puppet is a representation of an animal, person or other entity that is manipulated either by hand, string or by stick. There are over thirty types of puppets, the most famous including:

• Sock
• Cloth
• Wooden
• Finger
• String (Marionettes)

Ancient History to Modern Popular Culture

Puppet theater traces its history back to the very early origins of civilized man. While puppetry has been used for everything from rituals and ceremonies to creative expression, puppets are often thought of currently as providers of children’s entertainment.

Puppets base their origination in ancient India, where they told beloved stories to the people. They found their way to Asia with the Bunraku puppets of Japan. From there, they made their way to Europe, developing into the well-known puppets on a string – the marionettes. The history of puppetry continued right up to today, where it is still both an esteemed art form and form of children’s entertainment.

And while we love to look back at favorites like the puppets featured in Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood, or on Jim Henson’s Muppet Show, children are keeping the art of puppetry alive and well in their own homes.

Requiring little more than puppets, a puppet theater and a little imagination, children are keeping the spirit of puppetry alive. Don’t have any puppets on hand? Make some! Allow your child’s creativity and imagination to soar by creating puppets out of paper, fabric and other supplies. The only limitation is their own creativity.

Children today observe their parents watching television, playing video games and spending time on the computer. If you are hoping to entice your toddlers to spend time with imaginative play instead of TV and technology, consider purchasing an activity table. Toddlers love to get their hands dirty and create using their imagination. There are many different activities to choose from including sand tables, water tables and game tables.

If you cannot take your grand-kids to the beach every weekend, or if you live in a cooler climate, the next best thing is a sand activity table for toddlers. This table can be placed inside or outside depending on how much mess you are willing to deal with. The children will love making castles, creating roads and building mountains all within the table. If you enjoy getting your hands dirty along with the kids, you will love the elevated structure so you don’t have to get up and down off of the floor. The activity table is at a perfect height for your toddler and she will love spending hours playing in the sand instead of watching television or playing video games.

Another great way to set limits on TV and technology time is with a water activity table for toddlers. If you already have the sand table or you are worried about a mess, the water table will be great. If your son or grandson loves to float toy boats in the bathtub, you will love the convenience of a simple water activity set in the playroom or in the backyard. Children love to spend time outside when the sun is shinning and weather is warm. Give the kids hours of fun with a durable water table and shut down the computer for the rest of the day.

To lure the children away from the television, putting a fun game table inside or outside will do a great job. If you have two or three toddlers who enjoy playing simple board games, pretending to have a tea party, or working on art projects, a large activity table will be a good use of space. Not everyone wants to have the kids’ toys all over the family room or dining room, with a small activity table you will be able to entertain the little ones without making your house look like a daycare.

Setting limits on technology and television time is important to keep children active and using their creativity. There is a time and a place for television and technology and children should be allowed a small amount of time with electronics. As a mother or grandmother, you will want to encourage the kids to play outside with sand, water or art supplies and let their imagination run wild.

Choosing the best picnic tables for kids may be more difficult than you think. There are many great choices and sizes and you will need to carefully consider who will be using the furniture. You may have several grandchildren who love to have picnics when they come to visit grandma and grandpa. If so, you need to purchase a large picnic table with an umbrella. Even if you plan to use the table in the basement during the winter months, when the kids are playing outside for long hours, an umbrella over the picnic table will give them some shade. Kids will improvise when they need specific furniture for their playtime. If you do not want them using the expensive coffee table in the formal living room or the flimsy t.v. tray in backyard, choose colorful picnic tables to provide the space they need.

Kids love a cool bedroom and finding a safe bed is important. If your son is into NASCAR he would love the stock car convertible bed. Once your children move out of their crib into a regular bed, you may worry about safety and making sure they don’t fall off the bed. Instead of putting just a regular twin size bed in the room, find a fun safe piece of furniture that will appeal to your child’s imagination. Affordability may also be a key concern when looking for children’s bedroom furniture. Although you may be tempted to use the old daybed in the spare room, you will feel much better when putting your child to sleep in a Lifestyle or a Princess Palace twin bed.

Toddler beds come in all different shapes and sizes. Once your child begins to climb out of the crib, it will be much safer to give her a toddler bed. You can find safe beds that use a crib size mattress and will be comfortable and cozy for your daughter or granddaughter. Give the kids a safe place to sleep and endless hours of fun.

Furniture made especially for kids is key to keeping them safe during the day and the night. You will find creative and colorful picnic tables and kids and toddlers beds. If you want to make the children happy for years to come, make their space fun and imaginative.

When you sign up, you’ll receive special offers, sales, new product details and promotional coupon codes via email. You’ll also receive an email with a special offer the calendar month before your little one’s birthday (to ensure you receive your birthday email, please provide your child’s birthday month and year in your Subscription Profile at least 60 days before his or her birthday).

Toddlers are by definition, on the go and toddling around. You know all about it, since you’re one step behind them, keeping them safe. While many toddlers have mastered getting around, how do you know if they’re ready for a ride on toy? The best way to determine if your child is ready is by assessing the physical development of your child and also being aware of the age appropriate guidelines of the toy.

After your child has reached certain developmental milestones, they are likely ready to play with ride on toys. The American Academy of Pediatrics lists several movement milestones for toddlers, including:

- He / she can walk unassisted
- He / she can kick a ball
- He / she can climb on furniture and other objects
- He/ she can climb stairs
- He / she is beginning to run

The other important factor in determining if a ride on toy is appropriate for your toddler is to understand the age appropriateness of the toy. Pay special attention to the age guidelines listed on the packaging of toys and evaluate every toy’s compatibility with your own child’s development. By making sure your child is old enough to play with a certain toy and meets the developmental readiness of toys, you will help avoid injury.

We’ve put together a few tips to help recognize if your toddler is ready for their very own ride on toy and ways to keep them safe while riding:

• Make sure the ride on toy is used in a safe environment – one free of stairs, streets, water and sharp hills. By noting your child’s environment while they are on an age appropriate toy, you ensure their safety while in your care.
• Read the manufacturer’s guidelines for safe use, the information there can help alert you to potentially unsafe situations.
• Make sure your child is using the ride on toy properly. By keeping your child positioned on the toy correctly, you decrease the chance of injury. Additionally, make sure your child holds on to any handles properly. The handles on Patches the Rocking Horse are a good example of this.
• If restraints are provided, as in some wagon toys, utilize them to keep your child safe while the ride on toy is in motion.
• Provide constant supervision. We all know children love to explore, and they like to do it quickly! Stay in an area where you can easily supervise your child on their ride on toy. For example, while your child is on the Extreme Coaster, make sure you are there to to help them get on the toy safely and stay on the toy until the ride’s end.

If you find that perfect toy, the one you know your child will love, make sure she’s old enough to understand how to use it safely, stay with her while she rides and enjoy the time you get to spend with your child having fun! Kids only have one childhood – celebrate it with Step2!

Family is very important to us here at Step2, so our office will be closed on Monday, January 2nd in observance of the New Year holiday so that we too can celebrate the holiday with our families. We will be back to assist you at 8am ET on Tuesday, January 3rd.

Teaching kids kitchen safety is beneficial on numerous levels. Being safe in the kitchen is important, because it keeps children from getting hurt. However, it also provides them with the opportunity to help mom, dad, grandma, and grandpa while they are cooking. It isn’t necessary to make your children afraid of the kitchen to teach them safety. There are much more fun ways to do this, such as by giving your child a play kitchen on which he or she can learn!

Having a play kitchen can teach your child about stove tops, ovens, cooking times, pots, pans, and techniques, all while teaching them appropriate kitchen safety. They’ll then be able to learn about kitchen safety through play. Because it’s fun, the information will stick better. They won’t be afraid of the grown-up kitchen, because their play kitchen will have made it a fun place for them, but they will respect it, and that’s key.

There are many kitchen sets for kids; you can even get one that resembles the layout of their own kitchen. Get some play food as well, so your child can cook while learning the proper safety measures!

Although, a child’s ability to understand and follow through with tasks can vary depending on their age, even very young children can be included on a family chore chart. It is recommended that children as young as 3-4 years old can be given tasks such as folding washcloths, matching socks, throwing items in the trash and feeding pets.

But even before that children can be taught that when they make a mess, someone needs to clean it up. It is not uncommon for parents of toddlers to pick up their kids toys when their child is asleep or busy with some other activity. When parents do this, kids learn that child play toys will magically return to where they belong. This, of course, is not true. While a two year old may not  understand when you say ”pick up your toys,” they can be taught to put one or two things away while parents put away the other kids toys. No matter how many child play toys they actually put away, his efforts should be rewarded with plenty of praise. This way even very young children feel useful and build their sense of self worth.

Of course, as children get older they’ll want more of a reward than a “good job!” and a little clapping. By making a chore chart, a child can visualize what they are supposed to do. Whatever their chore, a clear reward system should be in place, especially for younger children. Many of the chores preschoolers have are really parts of chores adults or older children have, such as matching socks or folding washcloths. It is important to continue to encourage a child even when they do a chore “wrong” because it will help them develop a sense of pride and learn responsibility for more difficult tasks later on.

Preschoolers are still developing a sense of money and its value, so rewarding them with stickers or other tokens that they can turn in for new child play toys can be a good way to introduce this concept. As a child gets older, you may decide a cash allowance is appropriate or you may want to teach your child the difference between choresdone for the family, and those that deserve special compensation. Either way, there are times when teaching a child age appropriate chores is a lot harder than doing the chore yourself. However, making the effort is important for both caregivers and children and will help them develop a strong relationship built on respect.