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.

water walls

 

The Supplies

We got this idea from The chocolate muffin tree. We had been saving water bottles for a while and came across their idea and were hooked!
Tools needed: water bottles with the bottoms cut off, pipe cleaners, baby gate and of course water
Daylan helped me design a path for the water to flow down. Then the rest was exploring how the water went down the bottles! We tried sand too!
Pictures to follow.

Catapult

Using the shovel to clean the driveway this morning turned into an hour of catapulting fun for the boys. Daylan discovered that placing a stick on the handle and then jumping on the shovel made the stick go flying. What fun for boys shovels and flying sticks? We added a little measuring and graphing by putting the number of inches in a line from 0 to 300. The boys circled where their stick landed and wrote their initials. Finding out whose stick when the farthest was the boys favorite thing. This was good exposure for Daylan with numbers greater than 20 and good practice writing letters! I always try to sneak a little education into his daily play. This activity was so engaging to the boys be austere initiated the play and I just added to it. Play is always more fun for the kids when it's explored through their big minds first! Pictures to follow.