"In" and "Out"

"In" the egg carton

"Out" of the egg carton

I just attended a wonderful workshop that encouraged open-ended materials for your children. I could not agree more. I believe strongly in providing materials that will stimulate a child's imagination. 

J was very interested in this activity and it was so easy to provide. He liked putting the stones inside the egg carton and taking them out again.  With the proper supervision a baby is capable of handling these objects and it allows for creative expression and fosters a sense of imagination. I also think it builds pre-math skills as the child starts to categorize and sort the objects.

Here is how:

White blanket

Large stones (Dollarama)

Clear egg carton

Homemade Kitchen

This is a work in progress and I plan to add more as we (the boys and I) brainstorm more ideas. Right now M loves to pretend play “Your house and my house” as he calls it. This game consists of making all kinds of food, which he delivers and serves you at "your house". It is also complimented by costumes, which are usually a hat, scarf and sunglasses.  I thought it was time to create a space that the boys could pretend in. Baby J loves to help in the kitchen so I thought he would also love this idea.

Again, it is a work in progress and, as with all play areas, it is likely to evolve.

Toy shelf turned stove top. 

Here is J tapping the lime with his spoon (lol).
Just making supper, I guess!
Who loves limes?



More supper. Mmm!

 Just sticks, stones, lemons and limes!

I believe that this encourages imagination and helps develop creative thinking. It is so easy to provide a rich learning environment without breaking your bank. I love including our children in all aspects of life and connecting them to each experience through play.

All the items were already in our home.

Here is how:

• I had a low wooden shelf that we used for toys and placed baskets on the shelves. Inside the baskets are jugs, containers, cups, plates, spoons, a colander and yogurt containers with lids.
• I cut spirals of black construction paper and circles of tin foil. I placed the tin foil and the spirals on top of each other then used contact paper to hold them in place.
• The black and white canvases on the wall are from Dollarama - $2 each.
• I used a pasta sauce jar as a centre piece vase and placed pinecones and a pine tree branch inside for a natural homey touch.
• Lemons and limes in clear container
• Glass stones (Dollarama) on black tray.
• Sticks from our backyard, which M collected himself.

Potato Heart Stamps

 A Valentine for Mommy!

I have the best husband who loves me dearly. He is so thoughtful and gets full credit for this piece.

On Valentines Day he made a carving of a heart from a potato, added paint, and had the boys make me a Valentine. It's an activity he remembers his mom doing for him and now he is doing it with his children. He had M hand deilver it to me as I came home from work. It made my day. This little Valentine will be in a frame as it is my first from my true loves, my boys.

I guess I am not the only nifty thrifty parent in our household!  

Materials needed:

Knife for carving (Adults only please)

Potato

Paint

Paper



Crayon Explosion

I asked M if he wanted to do an experiment with Crayons. He responded “Yes, my am!”

Here is the story:



Sorting the colours.



Plugging his ears from the sound of the hairdryer.

Too curious to let the loud noise bother him for long.

I did help as his attention drifted,
however he watched in fascination as the colours melted and blended.

We hung it in our playroom after it was finished.
M: "It's wonderful!"

This was such a neat and easy experiment to do with my toddler. Plus, it is a great piece of art to hang on the wall. I found the idea on pinterest! All the materials were purchased at Dollarama.

All you need:
Two packs of crayons
Large canvas
Hot glue gun to glue the crayons in place
Hairdryer

Total Cost: $5.00

Surprise Smoothie!

The art of hiding vegetables in food is one that many mothers abroad have mastered.

My children love this smoothie and so do I because it is packed with bone building nutrients.

Here is the recipe:

Frozen spinach cubes

Blueberries

Banana

Milk or unsweetened almond milk

Blend in food processor and serve immediately.

Make enough for the entire family to enjoy.

You can add anything to a smoothie. I have had cucumber, carrots and apples as well.

~ Enjoy!

Ice Skating

I love that as a young child my uncle taught me how to rollerblade and ice skate. I have wonderful memories of him taking the time to teach me these skills. He always demonstrated patience and offered helpful tips like making the letter “C” when skating backwards. He would also attend skating field trips and always brought so much humor and fun to the activity that most of the class would surround him and beckon for silliness. I have now had the pleasure to enjoy this wonderful past-time with my lovely aunt who also shares a love for skating and who was also taught by her husband, my uncle. I am truly thankful for this as I have built beautiful memories of sharing this experience together.

Now, as a mother, I want to pass this same joy to my children. I believe that children learn from their experiences and when they are given time and attention they build self-confidence which enables them to take more risks and allows for more accomplishments as they learn new skills. I certainly had to help M a lot during this activity but the joy he exuded when he finally stood all by himself was worth every back breaking second. I exclaimed “You must be so happy that you are doing it.” He responded happily “Yes, my am mama.”

There are many arenas that offer free ice time and many used sporting goods stores that sell equipment at a reasonable rate. You can also ask for hand-me-downs from family or friends.

Heart Stamps

Stamping at 12 months

Heart Stamps with Your Wee One

Simple and easy! Thanks to my new love for pinterest I found this cute stamp idea for your child.  This is a great homemade valentine’s card for loved ones.

My baby J liked this activity. He also enjoyed tasting and painting on himself as well. You may want a paint shirt or clothes off if doing it with a young child.

Have fun!!

All you need is:

Toilet paper roll

Red non-toxic paint

White paper

Tray or cup for paint

Just bend the top of the roll to create a crease that forms a heart shape in the tube. Dip into red paint and stamp away.

Geo Board

Homemade Geo board.
M is learning how to create shapes.
For now we have simple shapes and lines.

I have a new-found interest in pinterest…needless to say the ideas are endless.

I saw this great idea for making your own geo board with a piece of wood, push-pins and elastics. I happened to have an old piece of wood and I painted it black. The push-pins were $2.25 for 100 pins and the elastics were $1.87 for a huge bag. On a separate piece of paper, I drew a grid the same size as the board and made each pin 2 inches apart. I hammered a pin wherever the lines crossed to give straight, even lines. (It doesn’t matter how far apart the pins are – 2 inches just worked for the size of board I had.)

There are so many learning opportunities with this activity.

Benefits for your child:

Fine motor development

Pincer grasp

Hand-eye coordination

Cognition

Creating shapes

Recognizing familiar objects  

Problem-solving skills ~ brainstorming solutions and outcomes

Language

Placing words to describe actions or objects

Emotional

Building self-concept and self-esteem

You can easily spend $20.00-$150.00 on geometric kits for your children. With a few materials and about an hour of time you can create your own. Best of all, your child gets all the learning benefits while they are playing with their new activity.

I am pleased to say that this activity cost me $4.12.  ~ Nifty and Thrifty!!!

Build-a-Snowman

Build-a-Snowman

This is a simple craft idea that is fun and cute. M is really into using glue right now and this activity was lots of fun for him. I did all the cutting and he did all the gluing. He also decided where all the pieces would go. The nice thing about this craft is every snowman you make will be original. You can also talk about the different shapes you are using or what weather you need outside to build snowmen. This gives the activity an extra element of learning as well.

All you need is:

Black, white and orange construction paper

glue

scissors

Cut out pieces for the snowman: circles for eyes and buttons, triangle for carrot nose etc.

Let you child use the glue and pieces. Let them decide how they would like their snowman to look.

YAY for PLAY

“Play relieves feelings of stress and boredom, connects us to people in a positive way, stimulates creative thinking and exploration, regulates our emotions, and boosts our ego.”
(Landreth, 2002)

As an adult it is easy to let all our responsibilities pile onto our shoulders. I find this to be truer now that I have children.  I can’t just think of myself - I have precious little lives to guide and care for. Children are wonderful gifts and they have a lovely way of reminding us what is important. They remind us to slow down, to be in the moment and to play.  This is a lesson I am learning each day. It’s hard to be child-like but when I do our relationship strengthens and I learn more about my children and myself. Let your children guide playtime for a change; you may be surprised where you end up. I bet it will free you for a short while from your burden of responsibilities. Plus, you are creating lasting memories you and your child will remember for a lifetime.

“Birds Fly. Fish Swim. Children Play.”
–Gary Landreth

Cave of Wonders

I believe that giving children open-ended play materials encourages them to imagine a world of wonders. Here we have created a “sparkle tunnel” as M calls it. He decided to make it cozy by bringing his favourite blanket inside. Our play jumped from sparkle tunnel to peek-a-boo then to a cozy place to rest. This lasted for more than an hour and all we used was a big box and a string of white lights. Good old easy fun in my opinion. Best of all it cost nothing – I just used a string of lights I had from last Christmas and an old box.

Here is how:

• Get a big box and poke holes in the top with a knife (this part should be done away from your children, for obvious reasons)
• Place individual lights inside each hole then plug into an outlet.
• Let imaginations soar!!!