Looking for an easy craft for kids this Earth Day? Then try this upcycled pencil holder made from supplies you can find in your recycling bin! How to Make an Upcycled Pencil Holder: 1. Look through your recycling bin or craft stash for a plastic or glass jar and a newspaper, magazine, or catalog. 2. Cut the catalog into small pieces. 3. Apply the paper pieces to the jar with watered down glue and a paint brush. Brush a layer on the jar, … [Read more...]
No Bake Dog Treats Book and Cook Activity
This month's Virtual Book Club for Kids author, David Shannon, was completely new to us so we went to the library to check out of bunch of his books. Good Boy, Fergus! was the house favorite and we had a lot of fun doing a dog themed kids activity to go along with it. The kids really enjoyed Fergus, the canine main character, because he reminded them of our dogs and how they sometimes act...especially out in public! We love book and cook … [Read more...]
How to Host a Busy Bag Swap
Busy bags are awesome! They can be used to help kids practice new skills, follow directions, and learn to work independently. Busy bags also give moms a chance to step back and not be the main source of stimulation, which is important for both moms and kids. So, what's the downside? They can be time consuming to put together and for moms and teachers time is something we never have enough of. That's why a bunch of mom friends and I have … [Read more...]
Egg Shakers and Song for Preschoolers
My kids LOVE playing with egg shakers! They're so much fun, easy to make, and (surprisingly) last for a long time. I was just making a bunch for my son's preschool class and realized that not everyone has made them before! So here's a quick "how to" along with our favorite preschool song to shake to... Affiliate links included below How to Make Egg Shakers: Put a scoop of rice, pebbles, granola, etc in the bottom of a plastic egg Line … [Read more...]
Chalkboard Easter Eggs
I have been loving all of the fun egg decorating ideas for kids I've seen this year! One of my favorites was this idea from Super Mommy where she dipped her eggs in chalkboard paint. I wanted to try it with my kiddos, but I was worried that we wouldn't remember to get them back into the refrigerator. So instead of chalkboard painting eggs we used egg-shaped rocks! Genius, right? Now they can stay out year round and be used in any way the kids can … [Read more...]
Kindness Challenge: Love the Environment
Today is the first day of Toddler Approved's 100 Acts of Kindness Project! We are doing 52 Weeks of Kindness this year and are super excited to spend the next 4 weeks participating in the Kindness Project. It's a fantastic family activity and I was thrilled when Kristina asked me if I wanted to give the first challenge! Week 1 Challenge: Show some love to your environment! This week we are challenging you to perform an act of kindness that helps … [Read more...]
Picasso for Kids: Cubist Portraits
We love doing kids art projects in the style of great artists for the bimonthly Kids Get Arty series. This month we had fun doing an easy Picasso for kids activity-- cubist-style portraits! We went online and studied lots of different portraits that Picasso had done. We talked about the differences between his work and portraits done by other artists and looked at other cubist style portaits to find similiarities. The 4 year old, 6 year old and I … [Read more...]
Fun Kids Craft: Upcycled Gingerbread House
This month's author for the Virtual Book Club for Kids is Jan Brett! We checked out a bunch of her books from our library and have had lots of fun reading them. My littlest one turns 3 on Saturday and is having a gingerbread themed party so, of course, the two Jan Brett books that got the most love were Gingerbread Baby and Gingerbread Friends! In Gingerbread Baby, Matti is a little boy who uses a special recipe to make his own Gingerbread Baby who … [Read more...]
