Lively ‘Day’ Provides Gooey Fun for All

“All you need is a paper bag and a mushy apple.” With these words, a cheerful, 40-ish woman with cropped blond hair, surrounded by all manner of craft materials, introduces adults to the joys of homemade gift wrap.

No, it’s not Martha Stewart, although the comparison is a natural. This maven of mushy apples, “chocolate clay,” “gooey goo” and other arts and crafts is Donna Erickson, who makes her public-television debut Sunday in “Donna’s Day,” a lively, terrifically useful “creative parenting” series.

Erickson, a Minneapolis-based syndicated columnist and author, aims her activities, tips and encouragement at parents and caregivers of children, from toddlers to teens, to help them find togetherness in playful quality time.

Her homey set is colorfully chaotic: a refrigerator laden with kids’ art and chairs, tables and shelves stacked with papers, boxes, paints, cloth, cooking utensils and myriad other items for craft use.

In her first show, Erickson demonstrates making gift wrap with painted vegetables, fruits and toy truck tires. She offers activities for siblings suffering from the new baby blues. Juice glasses become candle holders with a stained-glass look, a fish--deceased--is painted and used to make arty prints on T-shirts, and homemade pasta is kid-friendly.

Future shows revolve around “birthday flags” for special occasions, chocolate roses, puzzles made out of children’s art and photos, snow globes, sandpaper crayon art, Swedish pancakes and, well, you get the idea.

Erickson interweaves parenting pep talk into the mix: Share what you love with your kids, remember small milestones, give yourselves credit. A sincere, cheerful presence--her anecdotes even sound spontaneous--Erickson doesn’t preach or bubble with manufactured enthusiasm. Don’t be surprised if you can’t resist slapping some paint on sliced mushrooms or squishing green goo through your fingers even if you don’t have kids.

* “Donna’s Day” premieres Sunday at 9:30 a.m. on KCET-TV Channel 28.