A Child at Play

W is for Whale

2011-05-11T16:58:00.000-07:00

1. Whale worksheet

2. Shark Game:
Tell the kids that they are fish and you are a shark. Pick a safe spot (like the couch) and tell them to hide. As soon as the shark finds them, they must swim back to the safe spot before the shark gets them!

3. Learn about whales here.

4. Whale puzzle: color, cut, put together, paste.

5. Art time! Draw an oultine of a whale on contact paper. Paper punch holes in various colors (we did blue, light blue, and white). Tell the kids to put the dots inside the whale outline on the sticky contact paper. Seal the whale with another piece of contact paper.

6. Measure a whale - use measuring tape and string to measure out 100 feet (we pulled the measuring tape out to 10 feet, and measured the string 10 times).

Picasso for Kids!

2011-04-06T12:34:00.000-07:00

I started an art class once a week with my kiddies, and this week we learned about Picasso. Picasso is such a versatile artist. He's mostly known for his cubist period, but there is so much more! You can't say you dislike his artwork until you have seen it all. Like most people, my kiddies thought some of his artwork was very odd, but it was a great teaching moment. I explained how creative and innovative Picasso really was, changing the artworld forever. Sometimes it pays to think differently!

1. This website has a great info about the artist.
2. And this website was lots of fun - the kids got to create their very own Picasso head!
3.We also made our own Picasso work, using The Three Musicians for our inspiration. We used sheet music, musical instrument templates, colored paper cut in geometric shapes, and cardboard for canvas. It took a little coaxing to use triangles and squares for heads, but they were really proud of their finished masterpieces!

R is for Rainbow

2011-02-23T12:53:00.001-08:00

Wow, it's been awhile! We are still learning, just not blogging so much. But today was fun and blog-worthy!

1. Made indoor rainbows and traced them onto paper, instructions here.

2. Made rainbow flowers with leftover flowers from Valentine's Day.

3. Finished an online rainbow puzzle.

4. Played a rainbow game, found here.

5. Had a rainbow lunch with red jello, orange carrots, yellow bananas, and green lettuce. The kiddies ate all of it! And when they asked for seconds, they asked for carrots and lettuce! Apparently food art makes it taste better!

See Spot

2010-12-04T16:12:00.000-08:00

I love the spot books, probably as much as my kiddies do. I just found this website with great stories and educational games: Fun with Spot.

G is for Giraffe

2010-11-16T10:29:00.000-08:00

1. Online jigsaw puzzle, found here.
2. Learn about giraffes here.
3. Make this fun giraffe craft!

F is for Fall

2010-11-16T10:14:00.000-08:00

1. Collect fall items: leaves, acorns, pinecones
2. Sort
3. Make a fall wreath and leaf book, instructions found here.
5. Learn about falling leaves here.

E is for Elephant

2010-10-12T10:56:00.001-07:00

1. Measured the size of an elephant, instructions here
2. Learned elephant facts, found here
3. Made an elephant puppet
4. Snack: elephant biscuits

E is for Egg

2010-10-11T12:22:00.000-07:00

1. Learned about animal eggs here
2. Painted tin foil eggs, instructions found here
3. Had an Easter egg hunt without the candy
4. Snack: Sandwiches cut in the shape of eggs

D is for Dinosaur

2010-10-11T12:16:00.000-07:00

1. Read "How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight?"
2. PBS Dinosaur Train
3. Made Pipe Cleaner Dinosaurs
4. Snack: Dug for dinosaur fruit snacks in chocolate pudding

C is for cat

2010-10-11T11:58:00.000-07:00

1. Read the Cat in the Hat
2. Played Cat in the Hat online games
3. Read Three Little Kittens Nursery Rhyme
4. Played Littlest Pet Shop

B is for Bear

2010-09-15T11:42:00.000-07:00

1. Read this book
2. Read Goldilocks and the Three Bears online
3. Watched Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?
4. Played this matching game
5. Did this pattern worksheet
6. Made a hibernating bear craft, as seen here.

B is for Butterfly

2010-09-14T10:19:00.000-07:00

1. We talked about the life cycle of a butterfly

2. Watched The Very Hungary Caterpillar

3. Flew like butterflies

4. Made a butterfly snack: add colorful snack food to a ziplock baggie, tie the middle with a twisty tie. Eat!

5. BBC online book: The Butterfly Trail

A is for Astronaut

2010-09-09T14:55:00.000-07:00

1. Snack: Make astronaut food! Add instant pudding mix and milk to a ziplock bag. Shake, refrigerate, eat! Snip the corner to eat right from the bag.

2. Go to the NASA Kids website

3. Make your own spaceship! Cover a laundry basket with a white sheet, add steering wheel and buttons. We had one astronaut costume and used an adult white shirt for the other space suit.

Preschool - Apple Theme

2010-09-07T20:33:00.000-07:00

Summer camp is over and school has begun! I wanted to spend more time with my little girl this year, so we are doing preschool at home. I thought I would post my lesson plans, 2 or 3 times a week.

We are starting with letters, and right from the beginning.

A is for Apple

1. Play hide and seek with an apple
2. Sample three apples (different varieties). Make a chart, writing down the name, the color, and a smile or frown depending on the taste. Gala and Golden apples were well liked, Granny Smith - not so much.
3. Cooking lesson: applesauce.
4. Art project: draw a tree and use a red ink pad and fingers to make the apples.
5. Field trip (planned for later this week): visit an apple farm.

Cooking / Science Camp

2010-08-24T09:35:00.000-07:00

We took a break from our summer camps and went on vacation. Much needed.

This week is Science/Cooking Camp!

Ideas:

Food Art
Bubbles Recipe
Rock Candy
Farmer's Market

And as many activities as we can fit in from this website:

http://pbskids.org/zoom/activities/sci/

Water Safety

2010-08-05T07:04:00.000-07:00

We are off to the pool! Found this website with a download study unit on water safety - it's 40 pages but I just printed off a few. I found the safe swimming rules and buoyancy experiment especially useful.

Grass Heads aka Homemade Chia Pets

2010-08-03T15:52:00.000-07:00

We made grass heads! A boy and girl with no names, as of yet. Here's how we did it:

1. Eat applesauce, yogurt, or pudding and wash out the containers.

2. Find an old pair of nylons, cut off feet

3. Add about 1 tsp of grass seed to nylon foot

4. Add about 1 cup soil

5. Tie a knot

6. Keep about an inch of the tail and cut off the rest.

7. Work the seeds into the soil a bit (you can see them a little on the top)

8. Fill container half way with water

9. Place grass head on top with tail submerged in the water

10. Decorate, place in a sunny location, and watch them grow!

11. They will need a hair cut from time to time.

Scout Camp

2010-08-03T15:33:00.000-07:00

This one has been a little harder for me to plan. I have no experience with scouts, except a faint memory of my brothers repeating the scout motto over and over again. None the less, here are my ideas:

1. Visit the county fair, see all the animals

2. Indoor camp in a new room each night

3. Go on a hike with a map and compass

4. Bike Safety

5. Water safety at the pool

6. Knot Tying

7. Have a Pinewood derby race

8. Geocaching

9. Fire in a can and roasting marshmallows

10. Rock Museum

The Wetlands

2010-07-31T09:01:00.000-07:00

Made a trip to the wetlands this week. All were impressed! So much wildlife in such a small area. I'd like to go back again (with a bird book), maybe in the spring?

Animal Facts

2010-07-30T07:14:00.000-07:00

The plan is to have the kiddies pick a favorite animal, do a little research and then tell us all about it at the zoo. Here are a few useful websites:

National Geographic Kids

Yahoo Kids

Scavenger Hunt

2010-07-28T20:04:00.000-07:00

It's amazing how much more you pay attention to things when you're hoping to check off a few little boxes. We had lots of fun on our outdoor scavenger hunt. We crossed a stream, found blue dragon flies, ate wild blackberries, and crossed a few things off of this list.

Camp Wild Things

2010-07-27T14:43:00.000-07:00

Here is my list of fun things to do this week:

1. Go to the zoo
2. Go to nature park, bird watch and make nature bracelets
3. Outdoor scavenger hunt
4. Bug catching
5. Make grass seed heads
6. Make plant cuttings

Art Camp Wrap-up

2010-07-26T19:19:00.001-07:00

So much for posting every day. Turns out my art camp aspirations were a little high, but we did get two more projects in:

Sock Beanies

Materials:
Small Socks
Glue
Sharpee Marker
Beans or Lentils
Googly Eyes

1. Fill a small sock with beans or lentils (used a funnel from a magazine).
2. Tie a knot in the end
3. Glue on eyes and color in face
4. Done!

Rock Pets

1. Paint rock
2. Dry
3. Decorate! We used pom poms, googly eyes, rick rack, flower lace, & cross stitch floss (made excellent hair and a mustache).

Art Camp - Day 1

2010-07-19T16:37:00.000-07:00

So, I looked really hard for shrinky dinks (actually, I just went to one store) and could not find them. Perhaps they are not as popular as they were in the 80's. Anyways, I found these instead:

I found them at JoAnn's in the dollar section. The kits came with a metal frame, crystals that melt in the oven, and a suction cup. The kiddies loved them, but I used the tweezers a bit more than I care to.

We also made creature collages, cutting out random heads, legs, and arms from magazines.

Art camp has already been declared a success! So far, so good.

Summer Camp

2010-07-15T15:05:00.000-07:00

I took a long break, but I'm ready to go again! This summer, to entertain and educate the kiddies, I am setting up camp. Each week will have a different camp theme:

Week 1: Art Camp
Week 2: Camp Wild Things
Week 3: Scout Camp (a suggestion from my not-yet-old-enough-for-scouts child)
Week 4: Sports Camp
Week 5: Cooking/Science Camp
Week 6: Pioneer Camp

The plan is to have 2 activities (one for morning & one for afternoon). I will start posting results next week. Wish me luck!

If you want a little preview, this is the master list for Art Camp:

Twig name plate
Watercolor in nature
Collage of creatures
Friendship bracelets
Apple heads
Crayon scratching
Log cabins
Rock buddies
Sock beanies
Shrinky dinks

Word Games

2010-02-26T15:52:00.000-08:00

My preschooler has recently taken to sounding out words. I have found a few effective teaching tools for this reading stage:

1. Word Wheels

2. Upwords

3. And for the more advanced readers, my first grader loves this one.

Chore Charts

2010-02-15T15:51:00.000-08:00

Chores are a bit of a struggle around here, even I struggle with my chores - every day in fact. I often change my routine, just to keep myself motivated, and one day I realized that my children probably need a change of pace as well. Here are a few ideas to keep everyone moving:

Chore Dice

Chore Chart

To Do List Jars

A House of Cardboard

2010-01-06T07:02:00.000-08:00

I'm a big fan of cardboard, and the creativity involved with it. The possibilities are endless! I have made a castle from scratch before (inspired by this, but in a much more simple form). This time around, I took the lazy approach and bought a pre-made cardboard house. The house had white walls, so we took the opportunity to add a few decorative touches, namely a flower and vegetable garden.

Want to make your own? Try this: Makebabystuff.com.

Truck Obsession?

2009-11-13T15:38:00.000-08:00

My little one has a truck obsession, just like his older brother. I remember driving to construction sites just for a half hour of sweet silence. Now I don't have to leave the comforts of home. This website has it all - truck pictures with labeling for all the parts (handy to have for those of with little construction vehicle knowledge). And the best part, short videos with the trucks in action.

Salt Dough Ghosts

2009-10-27T16:19:00.000-07:00

We do these every year! They're easy, fun to do, and make great tabletop decorations. Click here for instructions.

Printable Halloween Fun

2009-10-10T04:17:00.000-07:00

Click on over to Oliebollen for some Halloween fun. They have printables for a Halloween party, with invitations, iron on decals, and my personal favorite - Dress the Candy Corn activity.

Halloween at the Dollar Store

2009-10-06T21:45:00.001-07:00

It's been awhile, but Halloween has inspired me once again! I went to the dollar store (The Dollar Tree to be exact), and came home very pleased. What did I buy, you ask?

2 strings of garland, separated to make ornaments for my Halloween tree (branches cut down from my Mimosa tree)
1 bag of spider web stuff

2 creepy crows (Chad asked if they were real - love it)
1 bag of peat moss
1 string of bat garland

A few fake pumpkins and 1 glittery squash

1 blow-up spider

1 mummy tree wrap

Just have to work on my giggly gravestones, and I am ready for the little trick-or-treaters. I'm tempted to do the talking pumpkin trick (using a baby monitor). Would that be too scary for innocent little children? Maybe I should try it out on my own first.

Camping In

2009-09-08T06:27:00.001-07:00

We have a Labor Day tradition that allows the kids to camp, while I sleep blissfully in my own bed.

Play Equipment:

1. Play huts and blankets
2. Flashlights
3. Marshmallows, chocolate, and graham crackers
4. Toilet paper wick heater

Set up your tent in an adventurous location (like the family room), draping blankets over play huts (or make your own fort). Use your flashlights to make shadow puppets and tell ghost stories (not too scary, you do want them to sleep tonight). Head for the backyard and use the heater to roast marshmallows and make smores.

Optional: get up in the morning and find the closest wildlife area. We went hiking, caught tadpoles, picked wild blackberries, and got plenty dirty. All the benefits of camping, with all the comforts of home!

Lunch Box Suggestions

2009-08-26T06:58:00.000-07:00

School days are upon me, and I'm having a hard time forking over $2.30 a day for my child to consistently eat chicken nuggets. With a little research, I found a few great lunch box ideas:

Kraft Foods Lunchbox Ideas

Family Education's Top 10 Packable Lunches

I just ordered the Pampered Chef Cut N' Seal so I can make my own Uncrustables. I plan on mass producing a bunch and then throwing them in the freezer. Anything to save a little time in the morning.

I also like the idea of Bento Boxes, I just may have to get a few.

And for a little extra something to slip in the box:

Familyfun Lunch Box Jokes

Happy lunch making!

Hot Wheels Birthday Party

2009-08-15T08:04:00.000-07:00

Decorations:

- Weaved black and white poster board for racing flags

- Race car posters

Food:

- Tire Cupcakes

Activities:

- Giant race track using garden edging and electric tape to secure it to the railing. The cars didn't stay on the track for long, but the boys loved it when they crashed. It was also a challenge to see how far they could get their car to stay on the track.

- All the hot wheels toys I could find

- Hot Wheels race using this fun track:

The track tells you who won 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place - we raced all the hot wheels, and then had a champions race. Definitely the favorite event.

- Homemade Pinatas. I used this for inspiration. I also used the flour and paste recipe, but painted it with white glue, just to be sure. We used streamers to decorate. Note: very messy activity (do it outside, if possible). It was worth the mess, my kids loved making them. We will definitely do it again! And just so you know, making straight stripes on a round object is harder than it looks. Now that I think about it, drawing lines before decorating would have solved that dilemma.

- Wet Head Game. It had nothing to do with the party theme, but very entertaining.

Activities we never got to: a game of Red Light Green Light and pin the tires on the car. Better to overly prepared, right?

Better than Paper Boats

2009-08-10T21:26:00.000-07:00

Play Equipment

1. Wax paper
2. Aluminum foil
3. Paper boat instructions
4. Sticks to push the boats along

My 5 year old adores origami transportation. Many, many times I have crafted a piece of copy paper into an airplane or boat. The airplanes seemed worth my time, providing at least a half hour of entertainment. But the paper boats always left a bit to be desired, sinking much too soon. Their untimely demise made Chad wonder what we could use instead of paper, and our alternative paper boat experiment began.

Using these instructions, I folded one boat with wax paper and another with aluminum foil. Chad chose the foil, asking me first which one was the hardest to fold (it was the foil). He thought the resistance would make it stronger - and he was right.

The wax paper boat immediately fell apart, but the foil boat lasted for at least an hour! Even when it sank, we just picked it up, drained it, reformed it, and set sail! The foil boat was very popular, Chad even gained a few spectators. After rolling down a grassy hill and poking sticks into the pond, we considered the afternoon well spent.

Need more ideas? Head on over to Ramblings of a Crazy Woman.

Blueberry Fields

2009-08-03T13:02:00.000-07:00

I was a little worried this morning, when I realized blueberry season is just about over. As soon as we could get ready, we headed for the blueberry fields.

My little one was a bit of a handful, eating a berry whenever he pleased.

My older two kiddies were much more helpful, gathering about a gallon (most of my berries will be frozen for smoothies or just for eating frozen right out of the bag).

All the while, I dreamed of this.

And on the way out, we paid for our berries with a little blue box.

It's kind of nice to know that there is at least one place that still believes in the honesty of others.

Find a u pick farm near you here.

More Mo Willems

2009-07-31T08:01:00.000-07:00

I love reading to my kids, but I love it even more when I am entertained as well. And Mo Willems entertains with the best of them! Who thinks of a name like Reginald Von Hoobie Doobie? Mo does.

Our librarian was kind enough to tell us about the Pigeon Presents! website. It has great stuff: coloring pages, recipes, word searches, online games. Try the Elephant and Piggie Dance Game. Oh, we laughed and laughed.

Pop-up Cards

2009-07-28T16:37:00.000-07:00

I may be showing my inexperience in craftiness, but before today, I had never made a pop-up card. We found it quite enjoyable. Here's a quick tutorial:

1. Draw an object on cardstock. We used the 1-2-3 Draw Cartoon Aircraft for a little help. Then cut out the object.

2. Cut out a rectangle, keeping in mind the size of card you would like.

3. Fold rectangle in half.

4. Make two parallel cuts on the fold.

5. Pull out the area in between the two cuts so the area pops.

6. Glue object to pop-out area.

7. Done!

Handwriting

2009-07-23T17:04:00.000-07:00

I have a five year old that needed practice writing his letters in the correct direction and a three year old that needed help tracing her letters. Why not do it all at the same time? Using the Aquadoodle Wall Poster, one wrote and one traced. I love it when they help each other.

Then all three got in on the action.

Something tells me my baby is not ready for painting quite yet (and really thirsty). As far as art mediums go, I suppose water is as non-toxic as you can get. Mess-free, toxic-free, whoever invented the Aquadoodle is a genius.

Don't Eat Pete!

2009-07-20T20:25:00.000-07:00

Oh, how we love this game. We just played it tonight, and this time I laminated it. We love it that much. Sparkle Power has a charming printable version with instructions.

What's on the menu?

2009-07-16T15:14:00.000-07:00

Not really a fan of grocery shopping, or any activity that goes along with it (planning the monthly menu or putting away groceries). So I enlisted a little help (not with the shopping part, I go that alone). Today I pulled out a few cookbooks, and asked each child to go through and find a few meal ideas. And they came up with some good ones! As an additional benefit, they got in 20 minutes of reading stamina without even realizing it. I was very pleased with myself.

Road Travel Games

2009-07-09T14:25:00.000-07:00

While planning our long trek, I found these websites useful:

Wonder Time Travel Board

Family Fun Puzzles & Games

Moms Minivan Printable Car Activities

Crayola Traveling Games

Scholastic Travel-Time Activities

Nick Jr. Travel

May your road trip miles pass quickly!

On the Road

2009-07-06T22:33:00.001-07:00

We just got back from a 1600 mile road trip that was not entirely unsuccessful. The kids did much better than I expected. A few of my favorite items:

1. Printable map: we checked off each state as we found the corresponding license plates. Educational and fun.

2. Chicken Socks Totally Tape: hours of entertainment (hours!) for my 3 and 5 year old. My 3 year old needed help tearing, but had lots of fun applying the tape.

More road trip ideas to come!

Free Movies!

2009-06-24T14:10:00.000-07:00

Regal Cinema has a Free Family Film Festival with free admission for the entire family! Every Tuesday and Wednesday they run two different movies (one rated G and one PG). Click here to see if you have a theater near you.

Father's Day Craft

2009-06-18T21:30:00.000-07:00

Play Equipment:

Tie template
Party streamers (in various colors)
Scissors
Glue stick
Ribbon or yarn

Every dad needs a new tie for Father's Day. Why buy when you can make your own? My 3 year old had lots of fun making this one (fun, easy, and helps with pattern recognition). I'm thinking she may have a future in clothes design. Snazzy tie, right?

1. Print out tie template.

2. Cut streamers in half width wise and into 3-4" strips.

3. Use a glue stick to paste strips to the template.

4. Cut out tie.

5. Punch holes and tie on ribbon or yarn.

6. Find one lucky dad to wear it!

Strawberry Harvest

2009-06-17T15:14:00.000-07:00

My favorite time of year - berry picking season. We spent two mornings picking strawberries and came home with over 13 pounds! I hope my kids have fond memories of running through the berry rows, finding the biggest and brightest strawberries. I know I do! Each year (this is only our second year) we celebrate strawberry harvest, with a strawberry dinner. On the menu:

Strawberry Soup served with graham crackers

Strawberry Muffins

Spinach and Strawberry Salad

Looking for a U Pick Farm in your area? Click here.

Homemade Ice Cream

2009-06-15T05:12:00.000-07:00

Interested in making your kids work for their dessert? Try this recipe for Ice cream in a bag. After just 5 minutes of shaking, we had homemade ice cream! Lots of possibilities with this recipe, next time we will try chopped fruit or cookies. If you want to make the activity educational, read this article for the scientific explanation.

This activity was for the unplugged project from the Unplug Your Kids blog. Head on over for more slippery ideas.

Summer Worksheets

2009-06-10T13:59:00.000-07:00

Here's a scary thought: kids lose more than two months of learning over the summer (read here)! This statistic promptly lead me to search around for some printable worksheets, and this is what I found: Family Education 's Summer Learning Guide. You can download a packet for every grade level (K-6).

Summer Loot

2009-06-09T13:40:00.000-07:00

Just doing my part to stimulate the economy by purchasing a few summer items at the dollar store (The Dollar Tree to be exact). What did I find?

1. A bug kit

2. Badminton rackets

3. Splash balls

4. Bubbles

5. Beach balls

6. Water blaster tubes

7. Swim Ring and arm floats

Did I forget anything? Perhaps a hula hoop. I plan on handing them out one day at a time, just spreading the joy a bit.

Bubble Fish

2009-06-05T05:32:00.000-07:00

Play Equipment:

Paint
Bubble Wrap
Paper
Scissors
Mini Pom Poms
Glue

1. Paint ocean on one piece of paper.

2. Draw outline of fish on another piece of paper.
3. Cut out pieces of bubble wrap, dip in paint, and use to paint scales on fish.

4. Let dry.
5. Cut out fish and glue to ocean. Glue on pom poms for eyes. Done!

Head on over to Ramblings of a Crazy Woman for more crafty ideas.

Summer Reading Programs

2009-06-02T07:19:00.001-07:00

Nothing's better than reading a good summer book, except perhaps when your child is reading a good summer book. Summer reading programs are a great way to keep those pages turning. Here are a few I found online:

Scholastic Summer Challenge

Barnes and Noble Summer Reading

H.E. Buddy Reading Club

Borders Kids Reading Challenge

Don't forget to check your local library!

Need a few ideas for fun books to read? Try the Amazon Reading Zoo, with favorite titles for every grade level.

Indoor Bean Garden

2009-05-29T06:54:00.000-07:00

Play Equipment:

Dried Beans
Bowl with Water
Paper towel (or Kleenex if you are out like I was)
Ziplock baggy
Straw (optional)
Tape

The kiddies have been very excited about gardening this year, and often remind me when it's time to tend to our modest little garden. This is the first year we started everything by seed, and we have enjoyed it so much more! So satisfying to see something sprout from the dirt (other than weeds). So when I found this activity on Learning Activities for Children (look for other great gardening activities), I knew we had to try it!

1. Dip paper towel in bowl of water and place in baggy (do not wring the water out).

2. Grab a few beans and place on top of wet paper towel.

3. Trap air inside. We used a straw to blow air in, just more fun, not necessary.

4. Close baggy.

5. Tape bag to sunny window and watch your garden grow!

Head on over to Ramblings of a Crazy Woman for more fun ideas.

Summer Prep Idea #2

2009-05-27T19:46:00.000-07:00

Thanks to my sister, I have another action plan for summer. Pick a theme for each day of the week! Here are a few ideas:

1. Library Day

2. Arts & Crafts Day

3. Water Day (swimming pool, sprinklers)

4. Friend Day

5. Park Day (visit a new park each week)

6. Cooking Day

7. Gardening Day

The possibilities are endless. I'm going to resist structuring and scheduling, but having a vague idea of the day's events when I wake up might be a good thing.

Summer Activity Calendar

2009-05-18T06:55:00.000-07:00

School days coming to a close? Don't panic, just be prepared. I found an activity calendar at PBS Kids that is sure to entertain and educate.

Butterfly Craft

2009-05-15T11:27:00.000-07:00

Play Equipment:

Lightweight Paper (like xerox printer paper)

Scissors

Crayons

Hole Puncher

Pipe Cleaner

My kindergartner just came home with this butterfly craft, such a great idea!

1. Print out a butterfly (found a good one here)

2. Color

3. Cut out

4. Hole punch two holes

5. Thread pipe cleaner through holes (with both ends on the back side of the butterfly)

6. Place on child's finger and twist pipe cleaner.

7. Move hand up and down to make butterfly fly!

Mother's Day Cards

2009-05-06T16:50:00.000-07:00

Still looking for a homemade Mother's day card? Let's Explore has a fun idea (for the inside of the card as well). My mom and mother-in-law will be getting these beauties!

Oatmeal Painting

2009-05-04T16:46:00.000-07:00

My children are not big fans of oatmeal, a fact I take full responsibility for. So for this activity, I had an alternative motive. Not only did it sound fun to paint with oatmeal, but I also hoped a few sticky fingers would get licked, and then they would associate oatmeal with fun and want it every morning for breakfast. A bit optimistic, I realize. Moving on:

1. Make oatmeal according to the suggested directions.

2. Add more water until you have reached a desired consistency.

3. Divide into bowls (applesauce containers are perfect).

4. Add food coloring to each bowl.

5. Give each child a plate and spoon.

6. Paint!

Even my baby got into the action! I had 2 out of 3 taste test and only one wardrobe change. I'm going to call it a success. If you want more fun ideas, head on over to the Friday Showcase on The Ramblings of a Crazy Woman.

Joy List

2009-04-29T21:47:00.000-07:00

Goldfish has a new campaign, Fishful Thinking, designed to help parents nourish optimism in their children. I signed up for the newsletter and found this idea:

"A simple way to create joy in your family is to ask each person to name three or four activities or situations that bring them joy - and list them on a piece of paper. Call it your joy list and post it on the refrigerator."

"Pay attention to how often you engage in these activities and make sure you spend time doing the things that bring each of you the most happiness." - Tips from Dr. Reivich

My joy list would start with Tillamook Mudslide Ice cream and end perhaps with jumping on a trampoline. I can't wait to take a joy inventory with my kiddies. Ah, so refreshing to put happiness on a to-do list (rather than something like vacuuming the stairs).

Click on the fish for more fun ideas!

Paper Airplanes

2009-04-27T06:25:00.000-07:00

Play Equipment:

Paper
Tape
Markers
Gift wrap ribbon

I can't tell you how many paper airplanes I have folded, and yet I have only mastered a few variations. If you are in need of a good airplane tutorial, try this website: www.amazingpaperairplanes.com (if you are not skilled in origami, like my unskilled self, I highly recommend the simple designs). After the airplane has been folded, add a design with markers and tape the ribbon to the back side of the wings. If they fly the airplanes down the stairs, they will get lots of exercise and not even know it!

Ten Fun & Educational Websites

2009-04-23T15:16:00.000-07:00

1. howstuffworks

2. Crayola

3. Starfall

4. iKnowthat.com

5. Nick Jr.

6. PBS Kids

7. Scholastic

8. FamilyFun.com

9. Fun Brain

10. Encyclopedia Britannica

Hand Animals

2009-04-20T06:59:00.001-07:00

Play Equipment:

Construction Paper
Scissors
Glue Stick
Googly Eyes
Markers

1. Trace the child's hand, using various hand poses.

2. Cut and paste.

3. Look at each shape, and have the kiddies decide which animal the shape resembles.

4. Glue on the googly eyes.

5. Decorate!

Seven Reasons Why Kids Need to Play

2009-04-18T12:47:00.000-07:00

After reading an article from Scientific American (full article found here), I found some interesting facts about free time play:

1. Play time cultivates imagination. Without rules, kids can respond more creatively.

2. Playing helps develop social skills, encouraging negotiation, communication, and flexibility.

3. Kids are losing free play time to more structured activities like musical and sporting events.

4. Play is critical to emotional health, relieving stress.

5. Playing makes kids smarter!

6. Here's a shocker: fighting (in a playful way) enhances problem solving abilities! I'll think twice before breaking it up next time.

7. Play is good for everyone! Kids get all the benefits listed above and you get free time as well. Research suggests that kids benefit more from playing with other children than with adults, using more words to describe the imagined game (adults tend to speak for them). So don't feel guilty sending them off to play!

“Curiosity, imagination and creativity are like muscles: if you don’t use them, you lose them.”
- David Elkind (Tufts University child development expert, quoted in The Serious Need for Play)

Jumping Off the Jelly Beans

2009-04-16T19:44:00.000-07:00

With all of the plastic eggs cracked and the candy consumed, we had a little excess energy to burn off. Truth be known, I probably ate the most. We were all in need of some exercise. It's still raining here and will continue to rain until June, so I am always looking for indoor play equipment. One of our favorites is the Playskool Honeybee Hop. A game with a spinning stick that you jump, hop, or just run away from. My kids have yet to master the jump rope, so this is a great alternative. With motivational music and various speeds, I even like to play with this one! The best part: no one has to take turns.

Art Gallery

2009-04-14T15:20:00.000-07:00

Play Equipment: canvas, paint, q-tips, plastic forks, paint brushes, cotton balls, popsicle sticks.

I love my kids artwork, but there is just so much of it. It all gives me a bit of anxiety. What do I keep and where do I put it? My eldest loves to display his artwork all over the house, using mostly computer paper and masking tape. So I thought perhaps we could display the artwork on something a bit more substantial. They were so excited to paint on canvas! I grabbed whatever I could find to apply the paint (q-tips, plastic forks, paint brushes, cotton balls, popsicle sticks), and experimented with different techniques and textures. We also talked about naming the works of art: the top one is "The Chicken Coop", and the next (influenced by the first artist) is "The Chicken Monster." I think we will classify these as part of the abstract movement.

I saw another great idea on Mom Spark. They took pictures of the artwork and then ordered an 11 x 14 collage poster on Snapfish. All less then $10! Brilliant.

Transparent Eggs

2009-04-09T17:16:00.000-07:00

Play Equipment: clear contact paper, ribbon, hole punch, paper egg template, scissors, & scrapbook scraps.

You know all those scraps of scrapbook paper you keep around, thinking you may just find a use for them (or is that just me that does that)? Well whip them out! The kiddies had lots of fun making transparent eggs. The full tutorial can be found on 4 Crazy Kings (and featured on One Pretty Thing).

How to Start a Rock Band

2009-03-03T21:10:00.000-08:00

Play Equipment: food canisters, construction paper, tape, markers, crepe paper, balloons, scissors, cups, bowls, & musical instruments.

Today we started a family band, not unlike The Carpenters or The Jonas Brothers. We gathered all the instruments we could find: maracas, tambourines, whistles, a ukulele, and a harmonica. The one item I refuse to buy? Drums. So we made them. You know the type, oatmeal canisters fancified with markers and crepe paper. Note to self: rubber cement is not an appropriate adhesive medium for preschoolers. Come to think of it, not appropriate for someone like myself. We also found this website: http://www.balloondrums.com/howtomakeyourown.html, adding balloon drums to our array of musical instruments. And then we played. We jammed out to Hank Williams (chosen by popular vote). It was awesome.