DIY owl pinata

made from a large paper grocery bag and tissue paper glued on! The kids loved hitting it and watching the candy fall out!

first birthday portrait ideas

first birthday portrait ideas!

lunch time learning

Counting backwards from 10 is easily teachable when there is juice involved. We use measuring cups to drink from and Daylan was admiring how much juice was in his cup. He saw all the numbers and read from 10 down. Teaching him math has never been so easy! Now he can count backwards!

Lunch Time learning

During lunch today we had an enlightening moment. Daylan was eating some chips and doupe doupe when he screamed "STOP; its a stop sign." He recognized the shape of the chips to the shape of the stop sign. Lunch time can be an educational time too!

apple pancakes

 saute apples with a little butter

 put apples in batter

 put on the griddle

 flip and enjoy

Its getting to be the season for apples. We went apple picking at a local farm last week. Now what to do with all these apples. This morning we made apple pancakes. On the wholefoods app I found a great recipe for apple pancakes. I used to shred in the apples or just cut them raw and throw them in, but this recipe had me saute them first. So much better!  I always use applesauce instead of butter and try for whole wheat flour, we don't have any gluten issues, whenever possible. We also added a bit of oatmeal for added texture.

http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/318

metal stamping

 First washer without the black ink in the names 

Tools needed

 washers without ink, be careful of letter placement(the E is backwards)

 ink stamped (some letters could have been stamped a little harder)

 Simple pendant of my baby girl

My first try at metal stamping was a success. I bought a metal stamping kit online. While waiting for it to arrive I gathered some washers for practice in my dads work bench.

So to metal stamp washers you need a hard surface, hammer, stamping kit and permant black marker.



I picked out which letters I wanted and simple hammered them onto the washers. Then I traced over the letter and wiped off the excess quickly with a baby wipe.

I think they look pretty good for first try samples!
I was looking around the house for other things to stamp since it was so easy and fun. I think the next project will be spoons....

kids lounger refurbished

I refurbished my old lounger chair my dad gave me from the garage this summer. Its so comfy and Daylan loved to relax in it after the summer festivities. The canvas was old and stained with garage goo, so I bought a half a yard of super cute fabric at hobby lobby and went to work. 2 screws out, replacing the old fabric and stitching it up by matching the old over the new; super easy! What do you think?

home made place mats

We made some place mats for meal time.  Daylan colored on a piece of paper and then I ran it through the laminator. Easy as pie. The doodles are endless; focus on school with numbers, letters, colors, etc. Kids pictures. Any other ideas to brighten up meal time?

First try success

I tried glass etching for the first time! What success! I cut out what I wanted from the cricuit using vinyl( bought martha stewart shelf liner at michael's $2) and armour etch (with a 40% off coupon, $8)! Simply peel backing off vinyl and stick on to surface. Then paint on the cream and 5 minutes later wash off and voila etched glass. I want to etch every glass surface! What's your favorite thing to etch?

We finally got a SUNFLOWER

Daylan has been watering and checking his sunflower almost every day since we planted them in the back yard and it finally popped open! He was so excited! Next year I think we will plant some more so they aren't so lonely.

Shadow City at night

A shadow city at night! A fun craft project that involves chalk and cut outs. We cut out a city scape then traced the outline with chalk. Then we placed the cut out on a piece of black paper and smeared the edge onto the black; peeled off the cut out and viola, A CITY! Daylan added some windows and doors with a yellow pencil. This would be perfect for preschool talk of community, city lesson. The cut outs could be endless and be incorporated into any activity. I loved the crisp results here.

swing sun tamer

There isn't much my baby can do at the park, but swing on the swing because shes strictly a crawler. So when the sun is beating on them her I creating this contraption using a beach blanket fastened into the chains to block her from the sun! It worked wonders. She could have sat there for an hour if we let her, but Daylan wanted to explore the pond and ducks!

Black glue

We tried out Pink and Green Mamas Black glue and color resits project with great success. We dyed the glue black and then created an outlined imagine. When it dried we colored with craypas, then we painted on some baby oil so the craypas blended together. Daylan didn't lick the blended of his colors. Hes very strict about his colors not mixing, so we left his without the oil. Thanks for the idea Marylea, it worked great.

flower dying

As seen on The Chocolate Muffin Tree

We explored with dying Queen Annes Lace flowers. We picked them before bed and let them drink up their colored water. Daylan has a hard time staying interested when there isn't immediate change, so we went to bed and woke up to beautiful, colored flowers.

We wrote our predictions and findings in our science notebook. I like to use a notebook for science exploration because its a way to have evidence of the experiments and a way to chart the findings. Its great practice exploration with a purpose.

cork structures

At State Fair we created a cork structure. It was a nice break from the heat, animals, and fried food to relax and create. Daylan loves to make towers tall. He learns about balance and stability when they fall over. Creating and exploring is learning.

Double Rainbows

While taking a trip up North we spotted a double rainbow! It was so bright, beautiful and clear! We could clearly see each strip of color. I couldn't help myself but to have a little lesson in the car about the colors of a rainbow. We got a little education in during our car ride. What are some car games that you play with your preschoolers?

Fishing

Fishing for the first time with Grandpa was a success. Daylan caught 4 fish. He learned some fish types; blue gill and pumpkin seed.  What a better way to spend a 60th birthday, than fishing with your grandson! He did however have a little accident and got this thumb caught on the hook. Nothing a bandaid can't fix though.

water balloons

Water balloons are more fun than just getting wet.
You could make targets on the driveway out of chalk and try to hit them. For more educational ways, try to hit letters or numbers.
You could try to make them into baskets. Its fun for kids to play with other things than just balls.
What else could you do with water balloons?

Art Easels

Yet another great activity at the Arts Festival. Painted at the easel. Its great for kids development to paint and create at an easel. It helps build their confidence, strengthens their fine motor skills, and allows them to feel like a real artist with all their tools with in reach.

Create a House

At the Sheboygan Arts Festival. We always stop in to the kids tent and create a craft. Each year they have something different to create out of recycled objects. The first year we created a totem pole out of coffee cans and beach wood. Last year we made life size butterflies. This year the project was creating homes. I love to let Daylan gather the materials and dictate where items belong. He made a wonderful house.

Boys will be Boys

After a rainy day, we headed to the Jackson Splash park; little did I know that he would be splashing in the puddles on the volleyball court instead of the actual park. Sometimes you have to let your kids explore their curiosity and let them wander; who knows how much fun your kids will have when they travel off the beaten path.

Whirly Bird Paintings

We are exploring with different found objects to paint with. Today we tried whirly bird paint brushes. The strokes were fun to make and even more fun to slap on the paper. A simple art project with a touch of nature. Whats your favorite found object to paint with?

Huge Bubbles

Fun for all ages; BUBBLES. At the Kohler Arts Center in Sheboygan, we explored the huge bubble maker. One person lifts the wand and the others blows the bubbles. Great team work and turn taking going on.  Simply a great art, bubbles!

Moving and Grooving out of control

What do we do with our babies when they are moving and grooving everywhere including; wood chips, pavement, cement, driveway? All things will hurt their chubby knees. We try to lay out a blanket and she moves in the opposite direction. Any suggestions?

Pretend Birthdays

Spice up meal time with a little dress up. This morning Daylan found some old birthday hats in the pantry. What's more fun than dressing up to eat. I couldn't get over how cute the kids were in the hats. I think we should dress up everyday, don't you? Its a great way for the kids to use their imagination. Play is such an important aspect in a child's development.