Color Finder

There are so very many ideas floating around the blog world for using paint chips from your local paint store. I came across one I had to try, and it's been a huge hit. I just grabbed a rainbow assortment of paint chips, hole-punched one corner for a ring binder clip, and hole-punched the opposite corner of each to use as a see-through hole for color matching. I tossed it into our library book bucket, and the kids have used it to match colors in their library books, magazines and catalogs, and even their toys. It's provided hours of fun and learning in one simple, free project. I'd highly recommend this for your little ones.

Buried Treasure

I've shared that we have a sand table and a big tub of uncooked rice that we play in often. Well, the other day my daughter was doing one of those packaged art projects from Hobby Lobby, and she had a handful of sequins left over. I tossed them into the rice tub and let her dig for her buried treasure. She had a blast, and my mind started spinning with all of the things you could bury. You could definitely suit this to skill level burying larger items for smaller kids and smaller items for larger kids. If you're looking for a good 30-minutes of sensory fun, throw a handful of something into a tub of rice. Cheap and easy!

[Ideas: rhinestones, Matchbox cars, marker caps, bouncy balls, marbles, sequins, rocks, paper clips...]

Pretzel Sticks and Marshmallows

A bowl of assorted marshmallows (gingerbread men, french vanilla snowmen, mini marshmallows, and jumbo marshmallows - all leftover from Christmas baking) and pretzel sticks turned into an entire day's worth of activity.
We used these to build all sorts of things from animal corrals, fences, houses, a mailbox, etc. The activity ended only when Miss Priss asked this mama to make a kangaroo...out of pretzels and marshmallows. Oh boy. I failed miserably, and we took a break.
Thankfully Daddy is extremely creative and resourceful, and he pulled through for her that evening.
Ta-da! A kangaroo made of pretzel sticks and marshmallows. Unreal!Clearly she was thrilled.

If you're looking to escape the doldrums of winter indoors, this was a cheap, easy way to entertain for the day!

Rainy/Snowy Day Fun

The Texas weather has been CRAZY this winter leaving us guessing at times as to when we can leave the house again. We've had to pull out all the stops to keep these kids busy, and when something occupies this almost three-year-old's time for more than a few minutes, I like to share. One morning I grabbed some foam paintbrushes, a bottle of shaving cream, and filled up the bathtub. This little lady painted to her heart's content. You can mix a drop of food coloring into the shaving cream for another sensory element, but make sure to do so in a bowl and not in the tub. When the food coloring is completely mixed into the shaving cream, it should not stain your tub or grout.

Itty Bitty Crafting

I just saw this craft idea on Craft Gossip, and I can't wait to try it. My experience as far as crafting with kids goes is mainly with kindergarten-aged kids and up. I love crafting with my 2-year-old, but I feel like I rarely have good ideas that stimulate her. Also, I find that I spend 30 minutes putting together a project for her that she ends up spending 30 seconds completing. I think a more detailed version of this box would be so much fun for her. I'm thinking I'll decorate it like a flower box and let her create flowers on pipe cleaners to "plant" inside. She is going to love this! Hope it inspires you too.

Dying Pasta

It is HOT here in Texas, so I'm always looking for fun, creative, open-ended activities to while away our time in the air conditioning. Gluing seems to be a huge hit around here. I've been cutting paper scraps for her to glue. I also have used dried beans, lentils, and pasta. I ran across this idea for coloring pasta and thought I'd share.

What you'll need: pasta, food coloring, rubbing alcohol, and Ziploc bags.
Fill a Ziploc bag with pasta. Then add 1 tsp of rubbing alcohol and a half dozen (or so) drops of food coloring. Close the bag, and shake it until the color is well-distributed. This is a great step to have the kids help with.Let the pasta sit in the bags for 15-30 minutes for the pasta to absorb the color. Then spread the pasta onto a cookie sheet to dry overnight.
I was skeptical because it seemed like the color would rub off onto our hands, but it hasn't at all. The rubbing alcohol wets the pasta just enough for it to absorb the food coloring, then it evaporates leaving the pasta completely dried and colored. This is an easy, cheap, and fun activity! We've used these for sorting, gluing, and as a sensory activity in a tub with scoops and measuring cups.

Sorting

Here's a fun cheap/free activity for your little busybody to use up some of the hot afternoon indoor time this summer. Grab a handful of different-colored objects and a muffin tin, and let them sort by color. I used my button stash, and my 26-month-old sat for a solid HOUR sorting buttons! She's begged daily for a week to play with them again. With a newborn, I'm always looking for ways to keep her busy having fun while I'm tending to him. This was a HUGE hit. Other ideas for sorting: coins by type, spools of thread, crayons, milk jug caps, or even colored scrapbook paper cut into squares or punched with a hole punch. Happy sorting!

Sick and Tired

I've been under the weather for what seems like an eternity. I think I'm finally on the mend, but I thought I'd do a little post along the lines of feeling crummy.

1) Handwashing Ideas: I am really surprised by how few kids know proper handwashing techniques...especially when this is the only way to prevent certain germs from spreading. Here is a great idea for teaching kids good techniques. Here is a great product made for teaching kids. When I taught school, there were certain times throughout the day when all of the kids would wash hands (i.e. before lunch or snack, after recess, after art projects). I would line the kids up, give each child a squirt, then they'd scrub while we sang "Twinkle, twinkle little star" or another song that's about 20 seconds long. Then everyone would rinse. It was cute to hear them sing a song on their own when they'd wash hands.

2) Sick Day Activities: Fill a bucket with all of the McDonald's Happy Meal toys, birthday party favors, etc. and keep it in a closet. Pull it out only on days when the kids are sick. For meals, serve store-bought or homemade chicken noodle soup, and add alphabet pasta. Let the kids play with their food by pulling out letters and spelling words on a paper plate. Then let them slurp the broth with a straw. Another idea is to do a floor puzzle on the bathroom floor with the shower running super hot to create a steam-room to relieve coughs. Or have the kids draw on the mirror with their fingers in the steam from the shower.

Hope these ideas help to relieve a little bit of the stress associated with sick days!