It's wonderful to have some fresh faces joining us here at Connected Through Play. We're so glad you found your way to our corner of the community. @Al Anderson is bringing creativity and storytelling to the table—crafting children's stories with heart and sharing them with grandkids ranging from 5 to 21. @Even Kate is here to learn new play ideas and connect with other families who care deeply about supporting children's growth and happiness. @K Watanabe is curious about how play fuels children's learning and development, and wants to discover meaningful ways to support that journey. @Alicia Powers, based in Las Vegas, is an aunt to 6-year-old twin girls and is working on learning to play more herself—a beautiful goal. @Andre and Jessica Anderson are excited to connect with other families through games and play, bringing their passion for intentional living to the community. @Maureen Kilbride from Aiken, SC, is here because it looked like fun—and we love that energy—as she spends time with her grand nieces and nephews. @Shaw Beaver is a proud grandparent dedicated to making learning joyful for young children, and brings a passion for literacy, creativity, and confidence-building through play. We're excited to have you all here. Dive in, share your ideas, and let's grow this community together.

Wow, what a powerful and fun day we had today. I'm still uploading presentations to the classroom but be sure to check out the following presentations from today and one of our pre-recorded sessions as well. #Newtonian Physics with Dale thanks to @Dale Cox for helping this non-sciency mom learn more about physics including the information that scissors are levels. Who knew? #Indian Cooking with Varsha then we learned how to make chapati and a simple chickpea curry with @Varsha Mistry follow along with the video- you'll be surprised how easy it is and gain tips for adjusting the spice level. #Bread as Science with Chef Henry included how to "make bread burp" and four recipes you can make at home with your kids plus a lively discussion with @Henry Hunter about yeast, the history of bread, and more. #Unplugged Coding Stories with Liz with @Elizabeth Houston showed us easy ways to prepare our kids for computer science using paper and pencil and some fun and easy games. Have you ever thought about flowcharting who makes dinner? #Parenting Teens w/o Losing Yourself w/Chanie had us dig deep to understand not only the importance of parenting our kids but also why we need to make time for ourselves. What a wonderful way to wrap up the day with @Chanie Twersky And, with two cooking sessions today, you may want to make dessert, too check out #Kitchen as Connection with Chef Krista for some great tips and delicious recipes with Chef @Krista Melanson

Thank you @Dan Mowinski for alerting me a spammer slipped through. If you received a DM from Ursula don’t respond. She has been banned and reported.

I’m writing this a little after 5:00 am on Saturday morning. The house is quiet, the tea is brewing, and while we are in different locales, I know @Sandy Chong and I are lining up ingredients and getting ready to bake. Today, @Henry Hunter has chosen Monkey Bread for our bake. I’m going classic sweet but he’s also provided four savory options. Have you ever had monkey bread? I used to make it for the kids- simple fast- yummy. A couple cans of biscuit dough, sugar, cinnamon, gooey yumminess. Today, I learn how to make it from scratch. The recipe looks pretty easy and is ideal for kids helping in the kitchen. I’m using this recipe: https://recipepantry.app/recipes/monkey-bread If you get adventurous and try it come on and share your results here. If you’re a curious baker, Henry is doing a recorded recipe session that you can use at home and then on Wednesday August 19, he’s doing a live session. Check the calendar for the time. Image from Pampered Chef. I can’t find my Bundt pan so I may use a cast iron skillet or loaf pan. Have you ever had monkey bread?