FunThingsToDoWithUrKidz

We had so much fun building things using legos this morning.  After we built something we liked and thought would hold water we ran our garden hose threw it and tested it out.  <We quickly realized holding the hose took away from the fun play time so we had to find a way to hold it in place.  It was very fun tested out our ideas and finding new things to do, like building the ramp below. We even built some dams and a big pool for a panda. So next time you have some legos out, add some water and let you'r little engineers play!

This is our "how to be a friend craft", teaching and helping support kids on good manners. To start fold a piece of paper into 3rd's, like below Then draw a big person on one side Make sure the feet and hands go off the edges of the paper Then cut out the person (good chance for cutting practiced if needed!) Lastly ask you'r kid/kids to come up with things that a good friends do and write them down. Keep and go over as a reminder if needed. 

need~ 1 cup of flax seed 2 cups of water Add both to a pot and bring to a boil Once the mix comes to a boil lower heat and let simmer. You will notice it starts to become like goop. For me it took about 10 mins. Once done let it cool before giving to kids to play with.  Note~ this is a messy play item but has a great feeling!! I herd of people adding food coloring to theirs and taking out the seeds, leaving just the goop...Personally I couldn't imagine how long that would really take, plus the seed give a nice texture. The brown color is also a color we don't play with much so I let it be.  Best part is this sensory play is all edible!  Have fun~

Staying organized for school with little storage bins for clothes(one for each day of the week) and a hook for book bags. will add labels once I find some

I love helping my kids realize they can both ask for help and do things on their own. This was just one more step in helping them become more independent. In our house the cups stay up high, out of reach of kids, and when they want a drink they need help getting a cup. To solve this and help them feel more independent I hot glued two magnets to two cups. (one for each kids)  Let dry and then explained to my kids they have their own cups now and instead of asking they can use one of the cups and get a drink. When done they are to dump the cup, and place it back on the refrigerator. (They do not even come close to reaching the sink yet, so it will still be mommy's job to clean) Note~ only use for kids who you know wont mess with the magnets(of course it could be a choking hazard for little kids/toddlers), and kids who all ready know how to pour a drink. 

Today we got to play with a giant sponge. (it was really a bath sponge for babies) First we put it in our water table and add just water. My daughter added her dog and started playing. I asked her to describe the sponge when it was dry and wet. We did not add a lot of water but if you do remember the sponge will float witch could make for more of a fun time mess.  Then I let her add some hand soap.  This is another teaching point. Show how to squeeze, poke, punch, and press on the sponge to create more bubbles. The more you do the more bubbles you will get! My daughter thought this was the best thing ever and worked really hard to make as many as she could.  In the end we took out the sponge and there was plenty of foam bubbles to play with.  Other things you can try on the sponge~ Different shaped containers (as they press on the soapy sponge they make different shapes.) Spoons (to scoop up the soap) add more kids (invite you'r kids friends over to play

First we did the activity to the right. For this activity you draw  a person and write both good and bad words on the person.  Then go threw each words and have you'r little one cover with a bandit the hurtful words. Talk about how you can not take back words once they are said and how hurtful words can hurt someones feelings. Teach them to have respect for everyone and to never put someone down.  This brought us to the other paper. It was the "Think before you  speak" poster  T - is it True? H - is it Helpful? I - is it Inspiring? N - is it Necessary? K - is it Kind? Go threw each and talk about what each means. This is a poster we will hang up and let it be as a reminder to my own kids. We also talked about how we may not always agree with everyone about everything but we do need to give respect for others and let them be in their own decisions. 

Today we had fun outside in the rain, finding new adventures! For my kids who love water this was a great thing. So we suited up, well mainly...my son didn't want shoes. :p and off we went. First thing we did was jump in muddy puddles!  So much fun  Next I took out their slide and let my kids discover the fun that waited. First they put the doll down to see how fast she could go and it wasn't long after that they each went down.  After that my son went right to one of our water tables and noticed its filling. I gave them some soap and off they went playing, making bubbles.  After that my kids wanted to explore all of the yard, so we went on a long walk. My son loved seeing the toads in the yard jumping. The grate is above is where they where going. We even got to see foam from water rushing down our spouts. It was tempting to add some soap and see if it would get bigger but out of moving soon I let it be.  So next time it rains get out there

Needed~ cornstarch (cornflour in the UK) water shampoo First mix the corn starch with shampoo ( we used about 1 1/2 cups of shampoo and about 1 1/2 cups of corn starch..give or take little)  Keep mixing till a soft dough forms. At first it will be sticky but as kids keep working with it, it will go away. This is the first sensory thing to play with. Very soft and smells amazing.  (note~ my daughter hands are blue cause of paint she played with before this project, not in this project should stain) Once done take the container it was mixed in a little bit of the dough and add some water and mix.  Bubbles start to form cause of the shampoo used.  This is the second sensory play thing. smelled great and leaves a bubble foam to play with. 

need~ construction paper pen glue string hole puncher  cardboard First cut out a pencil shape in the card broad. Then cut out the rest of the pieces from construction paper  (pencil body, eraser, tip of pencil) Glue everything together and punch two holes in one side of the pencil.  Add string and hang up. Don't forget to write "doing my homework"  Good for letting neighborhood kids know your kid/kids are busy, and let's you'r own kids focus.

We are going threw a move as I type and wanted to share few things that worked with helping my kids get threw this change. 1. Be honest, we always tell our kids to be honest so set the example. Let them know when you are thinking of moving, and when you know for sure you are. Last thing you want to do is throw it on the, last minute. 2. If possible let them go house hunting with you or even look threw pictures on the computer of the homes. 3. Be positive! Ask questions like what color would you make your room?, what room do you like best? Where could the tv go? computer? bed? 4. Let them help you move. My kids wanted to help pack up the car so bad, so we let them carry what ever they could. 5.If possible take a tour of the neighborhood, where they will go to school at and maybe even some local places to eat and play. 6. Map you'r move. Grab a old map and outline the route from the old house to the new home. Some times seeing how far or close you are going helps. Be op

Our under the sea play idea for today. We added a old fish tank background, blue play doh, rocks, fish tank plants(clean of course) and other small toys including a mermaid! Off my kids went making up ideas for everything. One idea was to make saltwater hermit crabs. This was how one turned out^ Not bad, my daughter long after everything else got old still carried this crab around and loved it. So that was our under the sea idea. Have fun, try this at home and put you'r own twist on it! bye!~