![]() I am so in love with how the rice color came out! I have made colored rice before using alcohol and it was awfully stinky and... not the best for kids. I followed this easy, mess free and simple recipe from Happy Hooligans and in just over an hour we were ready to play! He loved it! We loved it! I did purchase a 5'7 tarp from Amazon after this activity as rice was everywhere! The best part about this activity is that I can just stick a top on the container and get it out any time we need a little something different to play with. Give it a go and let me know your results!
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![]() Jack O Lantern season may be over but we are still not even to Thanksgiving! We are still in full fledged pumpkin world in our home. In fact, we have a whole bunch of pumpkins that are starting to go soft from being indoors so this activity came at just the right time! It provided over an hour of entertainment- no joke- I cooked dinner in peace. He played with the slimy pumpkin 'guts", picked out the tiny seeds, practiced taking the top on and off the pumpkin and worked hard at using the spoon to scoop out and put back in the innards of the pumpkin. I put packing paper from an amazon box on the floor and clean up was a breeze! Check out this activity this week before everyone gets full fledge into the Christmas theme... it's chocked full of learning and totally a hit! Happy Baby= Happy Momma!
![]() Ugh... I am so behind on posting our fun projects! This fall tree project was a hit! Parker took the leaves on and off for weeks until i was so sick of all the leaf crumbles throughout my house that I threw them out and bought paper cut out leaves from the dollar store This was a three day project: Day 1. paint the tree trunks- I did a rough sketch on butcher paper and hung on the walls. I had Parker sit on my lap while we painted together. He dipped the paint brush into the paint and I helped guide his hands. He was really surprisingly good at this part and did not mind that I was " helping". Day 2: collect leaves! This is still very possible! I know that I am posting later in the season that I would have liked but I am still seeing some many beautiful trees and leaves outside! Go collect! It's very therapeutic for adults as well! Touch nature- look at the colors and the intricate designs- it's refreshing. Day 3: I taped up contact paper and let Parker work at placing the leaves on the tree! While I absolutely hate the blue painters tape for aesthetic reasons also love it so it does not damage the wall. Happy Baby= Happy Mama!
![]() For those that follow me and feel like I disappeared from my Baby Learn And Play blog... I did! Motherhood is a tricky balance and some times you have to just cut out the nonsense to do what is important! While we were still doing lots of fun activities it was more about playing in the grass, dirt and leaves! But tonight as I was cutting Bok Choy for my curry I couldn't help but see a beautiful rose stamp in the stem! So we got out some paint, used some painters tape to secure the paper and made a master piece! It was a messy masterpiece.... and I have learned that we should always have the bath water run in advance before starting project so clean up was easy peasy! This project would be fantastic with older toddlers! Give it a try! ![]() Pinterest fail! Or is it?! I mean... to any normal adult this would appear to be an absolute fail! Parker however felt it was very, very successful! The learning activity was sensory- cornstarch and water! Cornstarch is such a cool substance that has the ability to gel in your hand firm then turn it up-side-down and it is back to liquid. I knew the activity would be messy... I had the child naked, in smock, and my floors needs mopped regardless. However it was a disaster area! We all needed bathes! I had to put the camera down because we were in a flood of cornstarch water. We laughed... we played... we experienced cornstarch....It was marvelous! We will try this activity again when he is older... in the bathtub! Mommy was tired after this clean up... naps for all. Happy Baby=Happy Mamma!
Colorful and soft pompoms from the craft store along with a mini cupcake pan was how we spent an hour of our time one rainy afternoon. I planned what I thought would be a great fine motor skill activity but instead it was very gross motor- flip the pan and throw the pompoms like balls! We may have come out of this activity with a little bump on the head. Parker preferred the cupcake pan upside down and putting the pompoms in the slots. We talked about the colors in English and Portuguese. Mommy lined the colors up "Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue and Purple on top ... our rainbow is through!" and matched the colors "red with red; blue with blue". We put the pompoms on our "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes". This is a simple activity when the toys are boring and you need new materials to explore! Happy Baby= Happy Mamma!
Shelling a small quart of peas with a 9 month old is NOT for the faint of heart nor for the busy mom that needs to get supper on the stove... however it was a great learning activity that lasted about 30 minutes! I have such great memories of picking and shelling peas with my grandma at our family farm! I really want Parker to know and understand where our food comes from.... we picked up these delicious sugar peas from on weekly farms market and had them later for dinner. Just like candy! It takes a lot of find motor skills to not only shell peas but also to eat them! We still may have a few rolling around our kitchen floor for later -ha!
Happy Baby= Happy Mamma!
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Who doesn't love play dough?! Well Parker and I had fun! I made my own dough using this recipe- with just salt, flour, water and a plant based food coloring. I loved how it turned out except I did not use enough of the non-toxic food coloring powder so the blue was quite dull.
I used an ikea non-shatter mirror, a few shape cups and we played with the dough for almost an hour! Of course Parker did a little taste testing but it was so salty that he didn't try that more than once! I love to watch him figure out how things work! After showing him to cut the dough with the shape cups, he would place the shapes on the dough and try the same way.... clapping for himself as he was very proud of his accomplishments. It's amazing how much a child learns in just a 9 month period of time!
Happy Baby= Happy Mamma!
![]() Who knew an old box and some string could be so entertaining? I am behind on uploading activities to my Baby Learn And Play blog so I made this box almost a month ago and we have been playing with it ever since. I poked holes in the sides of the boxes and knotted different textured and colored strings, ribbons, material through the holes connecting them so that when he pulled on one side the other side disappears inside the box. It is such an simple and cheap activity but is great for developing fine motor skills! I keep this box up and bring it down when Parker seems boarded with his toys. I find that he is much less interested in adult made toys these days and much more intrigued by objects that I prefer he not touch - the garbage can, a hot coffee mug, a tv remote, a sharp corner,etc. I can't turn my head these days so I am always looking for safe objects to keep him occupied in my vision while I made dinner, washes dishes, etc. I would love to see photos of your discovery box! Let me know how it goes! ![]() So in case you are all wondering... this is what is called a "Pinterest fail"! I found this great pin of a baby painting mess free with some plastic wrap around a baking sheet with some paper and paint globs for exploration. Mess free they said! My 8 month old took one look at that nonsense and said... "I have a better idea!"! I will not lie. We made a big mess but he had so much fun that it was worth it. I have the beautiful artwork hanging on my fridge as as memory and I promise the Pinterest original idea was not near as great! He mixed colors, giggled as he fell from the slippy wet paint, worked to control his body parts to make his master piece! I love it! |
AuthorHolly Flanders- I am an educational professional with a career that has been focused on infants - 3year old curriculum development as well as the quality vetting and training of childcare professionals. I am a new mommy on a mission to 'practice what I have preached' with my baby boy while helping new mammas and childcare professionals come up with easy and fun activities to help the babies they love learn and grow! Archives
September 2017
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