Tag

outdoor

Outdoor Ice Play

Painting ice is perfect fot a hot summer's day - painted ice flower kid's arts & crafts

I don’t know how the weather has been where you are, but the past few days here have been hot, like really hot. I love the outdoors, but am not a fan of the heat. We made some simple sidewalk paint out of cornstarch & water & were eager to play with it. Because of the heat, I packed a big bowl of ice just to help keep us cool. It turned out that that giant bowl of ice turned into a day of icy fun. I took a few cubes out & put my bare feet on top of them to keep cool, but my daughter grabbed some cubes out of the bowl & started creating.

IMG_6300 (1)

She formed a flower with some ice cubes & then grabbed our sidewalk paint and painted the cubes. She was very excited about how pretty her flower was. I grabbed a couple of leaves & a stem to finish it off. She loved it.

 

Painting ice is perfect fot a hot summer's day - painted ice flower kid's arts & crafts .

She continued to form designs with the cubes. She dipped the cubes in the paint, she painted them with her brush & we even had ice cubes races to see which colored cubes would melt the farthest.

IMG_8375 IMG_8383IMG_8380

IMG_8374

We went through many bowls of ice cubes. Since my daughter loves vinegar & baking soda, we added some into the mix & made icy baking soda eruptions.

IMG_8419

Vinegar & baking soda volcanoes on ice. Fun & messy outdoor science play for kids

After we used up our last bowl of ice & all of our baking soda, we finally used our paints for a few sidewalk designs.

IMG_8378 IMG_6320

Thank you as always for stopping by. Please follow us on Facebook as well.

Painting ice is perfect fot a hot summer's day - painted ice flower kid's arts & crafts

Toddler Car Wash

Carwash

It has been a busy few weeks. We are getting ready to put our house on the market. There is so much to do & seems like not enough time to do it in. This week we started to get our house packed & tried to fix up some areas that need work. Today’s project was going to be for me to tackle our landscaping. I had a lot of weeding & pruning to do. I thought Mai could help me do some gardening. She did, but got bored with it quicker than I needed to complete my project.

IMG_3954

She wanted me to push her to the park in her push car. She pushed it over to me & said “C’mon Mama, Let’s go!” Before I had a chance to protest & tell her that we would go in a little bit, I noticed how filthy her car was. I remembered a brilliant idea from my friend over at P Is For Preschooler. I asked my little girl if she wanted to have a car wash to clean up all her dirty cars. She shouting yes & ran immediately for the hose.

We filled up her kiddie pool with water & bubble bath. She was very excited to see all of the bubbles. I brought out all her bikes & push cars. I thought this would be a great opportunity to clean up all of her trucks & other outside toys that have gotten pretty dirty, so I brought those over too. I gave her a sponge & let her go.

“Don’t worry Miss Mama, I will clean your cars really nice for you. I am a really good car washer.”

She scrubbed all of her little cars & trucks first & then put them in the sun to let them dry.

IMG_3931 IMG_3936

IMG_3941

Next she moved on to her bigger car. “Ewwwww, this car is disgusting.” She sponged it down.

IMG_3949

Then rinsed it off with the hose.

IMG_3951

She did such a great job that she had two more customers waiting to be washed.

IMG_3953

This kept her busy for a long time & I was able to get my gardening finished.

Thank you as always for stopping by. Please follow us on Facebook as well.

 

Toddler Car Wash

30 Holiday Season Activities For Your Family

IMG_7615The first snow fall of the season inspired a fun snow-filled weekend. We had a fun family day yesterday complete with more snow angels & snowmen. Even though the temperatures have dropped there are still a lot of fun things that we can enjoy with the family through the winter & holiday season. Whether it means bundling up & hitting the outdoors or keeping warm & cozy in the house there is a long list of things that you can do together with your children.

Outdoor Play

1. Build a snowman– Building snowmen has been a winter favorite long before Frozen ever came out. Do you want to build a snowman? You bet I do.

2. Go sledding

3. Make snow castles

4. Have a snowball fight – It turns out that my daughter loves snowball fights. I threw one at daddy & that was enough to have her sold. She laughed & jumped in excitement at each ball thrown.

img_7625

5. Paint the snow- Put food coloring & water in a squirt or spray bottle & have a little bit of artistic fun in the snow.

6. Make snow angels

7. Build a snow fort

8. Use beach toys in the snow- Keep those sand pails & shovels out for the winter. They are wonderful for snowy days.

9. Go for a hike

10. Ice skating

11. Have a snowy photo shoot– A camera with a timer & a tripod are my family’s best friend. Most of our family photos are shot this way. Don’t forget to capture each of these moments while you can.

img_7594

In Home Activities

1. Drink cocoa around the fireplace-  What is better than snuggling up with your family around a warm fire on a cold day?

2. Write a Christmas list to Santa

3. Watch Christmas movies

4. Bake holiday cookies– I adore baking with my daughter. She is baking up pure joy.

img_7215

5. Decorate the Christmas tree

6. Elf on the shelf- – That sneaky little elf is back. You better watch out. He tells Santa all.

7. Bake a gingerbread house

8. Make homemade Christmas cards

9. Make winter & holiday crafts– I will be honest, this is one of my favorite parts of the holidays. I love holiday crafting with my daughter. Here was our latest over the weekend… Mini muffin liners strung up around a pipe cleaner & topped off with a pipe cleaner bow.

cupcakelinerwreath

10. Read Christmas stories

Family Outings

1. Go Christmas light peeping– I love the twinkling lights during the holidays. They are beautiful. There is always that street that is filled with the best Christmas lights in town.

2. Pick out a real Christmas tree

3. See a Christmas show

4. Go on a sleigh ride– There are places that do this. If you are lucky enough to find one, grab your family a blanket and some cocoa and go.

5. Go caroling

6. Visit a winter/Christmas bazaar

7. Visit Santa– My daughter is still pretty skeptical about the big guy in person, but she stepped up & asked for that train set that she wanted.

img_65141

8. Donate toys or gifts – Teach your children that it is better to give than receive. Help those less fortunate than you.

9. Go Christmas shopping

I hope everyone embraces all that the holiday season brings this year.

IMG_75681

 

20 Outdoor Toddler Activities

outdooractivities.jpgSpring is here & so is the beautiful weather. There is something about the spring and the summer that just makes you happier. Anyone that has ever had the winter blues knows what I am talking about. The warmth of the season brings calm and contentment. Being outdoors has proven to relieve stress and aid in sleep. This is not just the case for us adults, but also for our little ones.

One of my daughter’s favorite sayings is “Mama, I’m so busy.”. She really is. Toddler’s days are so jam packed with learning, exploring, playing & creating. My kiddo has a lot of energy. After being cooped up in the house all winter she is ready to get out and burn some of it off.

There are so many outdoor activities to occupy their active minds and bodies & most you can do without ever leaving your backyard…

1. Go for a walk or a hike – This is not only great exercise for your child, but for you. A nice family walk after dinner is a great way to bond. Bring your furry baby too if you have one.

2. Have a picnic – Pack up your lunch or dinner and bring it outside and enjoy it in the sunshine.

3. Have a scavenger hunt – Scavenger hunts aren’t just for eggs at Easter. Give your child a list of things in nature to find. Have her find and gather a pine cone, acorns, sticks or place some inside objects outside to find.

3131 IMG_20140419_150454956

4. Do some outside art – Sidewalk paint or chalk, squirt gun painting on a sheet..there are many outdoor mess-worthy activities for your little artists.

5. Play tag – Or as my daughter calls it “Mama, chase me.” 3271

6. Make an obstacle course – One of my daughter’s favorite things are her fabric tunnels. Make a course with tunnels, slides, hurdles, cones and other fun obstacles.

7. Play ball – Kick around a soccer ball, throw a baseball or shoot hoops if you have one. This will help with hand-eye coordination.

36631 36671

8. Ride bikes – Don’t forget their helmet.

9. Play hopscotch – I don’t know about your toddler, but mine loves to jump. This also aids in coordination.

10. Fly a kite – I have actually never flown one, but Mai talks about flying a kite often. We will have to make one & give it a try.

11. Gardening – Toddlers love to emulate and help us. They also like to dig. Combine all three and that spells happiness.

3561 3661

12. Go swimming – What is more refreshing or fun on a hot day.

13. Toss water balloons – SPLAT!

14. Take the books outside – Seat on your porch or swing on a hammock and read to each other out into the fresh air.

15. Have a nature lesson – Thanks to Nanna, Mai has learned a lot about different flowers. She can differentiate and name the different flowers in our yard.

36801 36791

16. Pick flowers – My daughter proudly picked some violets for me. They reside in a small shot glass in our kitchen. “Mama, smell the violets that Mai Mai pick.” They smell beautiful.

368571

17. Wash your cars – Sudsy soap and a hose = fun. If they have a little push car of their own, let them clean their own car, while you do yours.

18. Run through the sprinkler – This was one of my favorite things to do when I was little.

19. Blow bubbles – Kids love bubbles. They love blowing them, chasing them & popping them.

3491

20. Play on the swings – Swing on the swings, slide down the slide. Both are so free & liberating. Enjoy the season & be safe. Be sure to use sunscreen and bug spray. Explore, learn, play & just have fun.

36741

What outdoor activities do your children enjoy?