Amanda Soule of SouleMama shares advice, Etsy Finds, and a placemat project How-To for you and your kids to explore food and life creatively.

Please introduce yourself and talk a bit about your blog and book.
Hello! I'm Amanda of SouleMama, and author of The Creative Family: How to Encourage Imagination and Nurture Family Connections. Most of all, I'm Mama to three (soon to be four!) little ones. We live near Portland, Maine, where in the midst of the busyness and sometimes-chaos of daily family life, we try our best to do lots of playing, creating, making, adventure-seeking and loving.

You craft at home and you are unschooling your kids.  Can you talk a bit about integrating creativity and learning into your everyday life?
Much of the sewing I do happens at night when my little ones are in bed. It's my unwinding, quiet and super important to me: creative "Mama" time at the end of our busy days. Nearly every evening, I write or make something.

But during the days, there's a lot of "making," too. Making things — whether it be costumes, art, a meal or a garden — is one of the primary ways we learn as a family of unschoolers. "Creating" literally brings something to life — and so it becomes a powerful, natural and very real way to reflect and really experience what we're learning about.

What's the best part about getting your hands dirty?
I think for most adults — myself included — our impulse is of course to avoid the dirt. We think about the "adult" consequences — the mess, and the cleanup namely. But there's something really powerful that happens when we are able to just "get dirty." There's a moment of release — for me, anyway — of letting go, when I give in to the task or the creative project at hand. It's incredibly freeing, creatively and spiritually…and good things always ensue.

Sometimes when I'm the most worked up or stressed, I can look to my kids — fully absorbed in what they're doing with every ounce of their body and spirit — and that becomes a powerful reminder to me that we all need a bit of that freedom and exploration in our everyday — however old we may be.

What's your philosophy of food and how does it relate to your kids?
I'm fairly certain — with three growing little ones — that 90% of my day is spent in about a 2 foot square spot in my kitchen! For something that we spend so much of our lives doing, it feels important to me that it be a mindful experience, and that we're as connected to our food as we can be. We do some vegetable gardening at home, and rely on a local community farm for what we can't produce ourselves as much as is seasonally possible. The farm is also where we get an amazing education in local food, agriculture and farming.

Besides the growing, we spend a lot of time making food as a family. The kids are fairly involved in the day-to-day baking and cooking for the family. As they age, and different interests emerge, what that looks like changes. Right now, I have one that is passionate about creating his own recipes — dreaming up different combinations of foods and testing them out; another who is quick to run for an apron to be a "helper" whenever I'm in the kitchen; and one who would be happy to skip the daily food prep, but is extremely passionate about farming food, in addition to being a super adventurous and passionate eater of the food we make!

Can you share with us a story of when your kids inspired you to create something new?
Most of the things I make have been somehow inspired by the kids — things for them, or things that somehow make our days easier, or help our house run more smoothly. My favorite things to make, I think, are those things we use every day. Quilts, aprons, napkins. Simple things, but things that have a presence in our daily lives.

But my favorite crafting projects are those that we collaborate on as a family. Our bird calendar we created for holiday gifts last year might be my favorite thus far. After a year spent really interested in birds, the children had piles of bird drawings that I scanned, and edited into calendar pages, with commentary about each bird from the kids. Every time I look at that calendar, I am reminded of how much fun we had looking for birds, making the drawings, and the joy and pride they had in sharing the gift with friends and family they loved.

What do your kids like to make?
Anything! And they fully believe they can make anything, which is both thrilling to me and logistically challenging! Shoes? A plane (one in which you could actually fly)?  The requests always amaze me.

But they do make lots of things — each of them in their own way, and reflective of whatever they might be interested in at the moment. Today, for example: an over-the-door basketball hoop was constructed out of cardboard and fabric; a smoothie was concocted with all manner of surprising things from the fridge; and a farmhouse 'chicken coop' was constructed out of felt, wood and duct tape.

I must say, for a home that is so full of creative materials, do you know what their favorite craft supply is? Cardboard. Endless creations are made each day from the cardboard in our recyling bin — animal cages, houses, traps, masks, swords and so many other things they dream up.

Have you cooked something recently with your family?
Let's see. We've been doing all the regular baking (bread, granola, muffins), and meal cooking. But there's been a big flurry of the fun seasonal stuff that's coming in right now. Strawberries are just about finished up around here, and we've been making loads of jam, smoothies, pies, tarts, and freezing as much as we can for the winter. Next, we're eagerly anticipating the blueberries!

You seem to really live life intentionally, enjoying the little things. Have you always been grounded in this lifestyle?  When did you start making things and seeing things through an artist's eye?
I certainly try to live my life with intention, but it's also a practice I work hard at every single day. Some days it flows smoothly and feels easy, and other times, it's much more of a practice and work to stay mindful and present. Meditating, creating, writing — they're all important tools to me in the process.

It was only after becoming a mother that I began to embrace creativity as an important part of my life. I think a part of me came alive through the process of giving birth for the first time, and working my way into the role of Mama. Imagining the world through my children's eyes, I began to see things much differently than I ever had before. The little moments, the small and real connections, the wonders of nature, the everyday living — for me, that's really what this life is all about, and where true beauty lies. Simply by being children, they remind me of this, and inspire me to stay focused on the path each and every day.

Below, I've gathered some of my favorite "food and family" finds right now on Etsy. Amazing and beautiful handmade things that encourage imaginative play, messy play, food-making, growing, eating, and yes — even some food art!

Enjoy!


Toast Print by StephanieDosReis, $18.


Wool Play Food by woolcomesalive, $24.


Patchwork Bib by ScissorStitch, $14.


Crochet Free Range Eggs by annamadeit, $12.


Itsy Bitsy Dishes by rmesdag, $14.


Kids Reversible Apron by whiterabbit21, $26.


Natural Wooden Baby Spoon by canadianwoodcrafts, $26.


Heirloom Linen Bib by bronwenhandcrafted, $25.


Clay Baby Cup by jillsoriginals, $24.


Child Chef Hat by TomKitten, $9.



Breakfast Bunny Print by sarahjanestudios, $24.


Lastly, here's a placemat project from my book, The Creative Family, to get kids excited about art and food!