Rice Sensory Bin

This has been a fun, indoor sensory activity for the winter. Just fill a large, shallow bin with rice! I'd like to try dying it different colors. I know it's super easy, but we haven't gotten around to doing it yet. We added a few cups and digging tools like scoops, forks, and spoons. Rowin likes to dig for things so I'll hide marbles or little dinosaurs and have him dig around until he finds them.

We don't pull this one out a ton, but when we do, Rowin always loves it! Have a broom ready when your child is done playing. You will definitely need it. ;)

St. Patrick's Day Activities

Since we're Irish AND I was a kindergarten teacher, we HAD to do a few crafts and activities for St. Patrick's Day! (This year it's Monday, March 17th, so you still have a week.) Whether you're Irish or not, here are a few very simple St. Patty's Day ideas. 

Shamrock:

For this one, I cut out a green shamrock and then had Rowin decorate with green stickers, fabric, and pieces of paper. (Good fine motor practice!)

Green Shaker:

We used a water bottle, emptied out some of the water, and then dyed it green. Next, we added buttons, jewels, and lots of glitter. Rowin (who is two) wasn't actually very into this one, but I think younger kiddos would like it. Our 10 month old little friend was pretty mesmerized. :) You could even use the mini water bottles so that your little one could hold it and shake it on his own.

Shamrock Hat:

For this one, you will need a large paper plate and green paint, crayons, or markers. I had Rowin decorate one side of the plate with a green dot marker. Then I drew and cut out a shamrock, leaving the stem attached to the plate. Fold the shamrock so that it sticks up and you have a hat! This is Rowin's buddy, Ellie.

Rainbow Play Mat:

I found this as a free printable on Pinterest at http://sewfantastic.blogspot.ca/2012/05/rainy-day-fun.html  Click the link to print it out. Then you just need puff balls. I keep everything in a large ziplock bag and when Rowin wants to play, he just takes it all out and matches the puff balls to the right dots on the rainbow. This is also good fine motor practice. The original source suggests putting magnets on each puff ball and then working on a metal cookie sheet so that they stick and stay in place. We didn't do that, but it's a good idea!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

Winter and Spring Outings

Well, if you live in the midwest, it doesn't look like spring is coming any time soon, so in order to keep us from all going insane, I put together a list of winter/spring outings you can take your kiddos on. I know I go crazy if I'm in the house for too many days on end, so these are some of our favorite go-to places that we visit. Some are free, many are cheap, and then I threw in a few splurges. I hope this gives you at least one or two new places to go until we get some warmer weather!

**OH, and if you live in the suburbs west of Chicago, I added some specific places that are in our area!**

Winter and Spring Outings:

• ·      Nature Center (Red Oak in North Aurora or Hickory Knolls in St. Charles-FREE)
• ·      Open gym (Excel Gymnastics in Geneva or St. Charles Gymnastics Academy in St. Charles-$5/child)
• ·      Open swim (Goldfish Swim School in St. Charles-$5/person)
• ·      Barnes and Noble-Ours has a train table, a Duplo blocks building station, story time, and obviously books!-FREE
• ·      Story time at the library-FREE
• ·      Children’s museums (Dupage Children's Museum in Naperville-$11/person)
• ·      Playplaces in restaurants like Chick Fil-A or McDonald’s-FREE
• ·      Train restaurants (The one by us just closed but there is one in Glen Ellyn called 2Toots Train Whistle Grill)
• ·      Train ride or trolley museum (Fox River Trolley Museum in Elgin-FREE)
• ·      Play and Jump Centers (Little Monkey Bizness in Wheaton-$8/child)
• ·      Museums (Most museums have free admission days during the week. Look online to find out which days are free for your specific museum.)
• ·      Zoos (Brookfield Zoo in Brookfield-$16.95/adult, $11.95/child, Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago-FREE, and Cosley Zoo in Wheaton-$5/adult, children are free!)
• ·      Malls with play areas

If you have any other places that you like to take your kids (especially in the winter), please share with the rest of us!!

Ring Toss and Egg Carton Sorting

We've had a busy past couple weeks! I didn't realize how much time had gone by since I last posted! Here are a couple new ideas for you and your littles this week!

Ring Toss:

Rowin got these jumbo fuzzy pipe cleaners for his birthday, so we decided to put them to use with this ring toss game. You could do the same thing with smaller pipe cleaners or use similar shaped objects. 

We stuck several of the jumbo pipe cleaners under the cushions on the couch so that they stuck out about four inches. We shaped the rest of the pipe cleaners into rings and then Rowin stood back and tried to toss the rings onto the pipe cleaners. He thought it was quite a thrill! ;)

Egg Carton Sorting:

If you've been following my blog, you've noticed that I have my son do a lot of sorting, whether it's by color, shape, size, etc. This is a perfect developmentally appropriate skill for 2-4 year olds to work on. I just try to change the objects and format so that it seems like a whole new game to him every time.

Still in love with his puff balls, we went with those this time. I cut the top off of an egg carton and gave him several different colored puff balls to sort by color in each section of the carton. He would sort them, jump up and down a few times-proud of his success, then dump them all out and start over again.

If you don't have puff balls, try using multi-colored paper clips, candy (like Skittles, M&M's, or candy hearts), or marbles.

Number Run

We've been cooped up quite a bit lately, due to the constant blizzard, leaving me with a toddler with a lot of energy to burn. I wanted to do a game or activity that would let him run around and get some energy out so I came up with this "Number Run" game, which also serves as an introduction to number identification.

Rowin really doesn't recognize numbers yet, so I thought we'd just start with 1, 2, and 3. I wrote the numbers on different pieces of construction paper and since he doesn't know which is which yet, I also drew big dots under the numbers to help him identify them.

I taped the numbers up all around the room, far enough apart that he'd have room to run in between. We went over the three numbers and I modeled how to play. I would call out a number and he had to run and touch it. Then I'd call out another number and he'd have to run and touch that one...and so on...

Since this is a new concept for him, he got caught up in the running and just started running to whichever one he wanted and touching it. :) Haha, we'll keep practicing. At least he got some energy out!

Depending on your child's age, you could easily adapt this to practice letters, colors, shapes, or words. You could even combine two concepts (which is what I ended up doing since he needed a little help), by saying, "Touch the BLUE number 2" or "Touch the GREEN TRIANGLE". Adapt it to work on the concepts your child is learning right now.

Fun with Cardboard Boxes

I'm all about free entertainment, and with a two year old, we still go through a lot of diapers, so we always end up with big diaper boxes around the house. Here are a few things we've done with our boxes. I've found that the simplest things are usually the most fun!

Decorate:

We've decorated boxes several different ways. Sometimes I'll just give him markers, lay the box flat, and let him have at it. Other times, we've tried painting with random household items like plastic forks and spoons and bottle caps/tops. He thought both were fun!

Roads or Race Tracks for Cars:

Rowin could play with cars all day, every day. Well, not really....but he loves them! With one diaper box, I drew roads all over it for him to drive his cars on. He also likes to tuck part of the box under the couch cushion so that it makes a big ramp for all of the cars to drive down. Endless fun! :)

Make a Fort:

Once we had several flattened boxes, we taped them together with thick masking tape, threw some pillows in the middle and called it a fort! Actually, Rowin called it his house. 

He even got Daddy to read him some books in his house!

Valentine's Day Crafts

Yay!! We made it through January! Throw yourself a little party! :) With Valentine's Day around the corner, we've been busy working on lots of little Valentine crafts. These were all ideas I found on Pinterest, so I'll be sure to include the link with each one...

Tie Dye Hearts

These were super simple and really cute! Here's what you'll need:

If you don't already have these dot markers, go get some!! They're great for little hands still learning to hold markers and paint brushes. My son asks to use them all the time.

SO...fold the coffee filter in half and cut out a heart. Fold the heart a few more times (I honestly don't think it matters how you fold it. We tried a few different ways.) Use the dot markers to create a pattern, making sure to push hard so that it soaks through. Then flip it over and color the other side too. Open them up and TADA! Aren't they cute?

Here is the original link: http://www.momto2poshlildivas.com/2012/01/valentine-craft-tie-dye-hearts.html 

Toilet Paper Roll Hearts

These turned out cute too. Take an empty toilet paper roll and bend it so that the end makes a heart shape. Once you like the shape of the heart, rubber band it to hold it in place.

Dip the end in paint and use it as a stamper. Rowin made a bunch of hearts and then we cut them out to make some little valentine's for his buddies.

Original link: http://www.kiwicrate.com/projects/Paper-Roll-Heart-Stamp/1342

Celery Flower Stamps

This is a really cool idea that could POTENTIALLY be adorable. You'll see how ours turned out. :)

You just need celery and paint! Cut off the end of the celery, dip it in your paint, and stamp away!

I made one to show you what it SHOULD look like. :) You could add leaves, stems, or a little message if you wanted. 

Rowin tried it and then decided that painting with his entire hand sounded like more fun. So we went with that instead. :)

Original link: http://www.growingajeweledrose.com/2013/01/valentine-activities-for-kids.html 

I hope yours turn out cute! And even if they don't, I hope you have fun!