Building with unit blocks

My parents got our children a wonderful set of blocks for Christmas and they've been in almost constant use since. I'm always amazed at the uniqueness of each structure they design. They've built car washes, race tracks, parking lots, houses with furniture and people, elevators, grocery stores, towers with well-concealed hiding places and tunnels, walls, giant people, windows, castles, random abstract structures, and on and on. Most often other toys are involved, which I totally understand. Someone small enough has to have the pleasure of being inside these awesome buildings.
The pictures I have don't demonstrate much variety, but I'm not always standing at the ready with my camera when the kids exhibit their genius. And, actually, I was contracted building help on a couple of those.
If you're on the hunt for a high quality set of blocks, I highly recommend Barclay Blocks. Their website is very informative, their blocks are excellent quality, come in a great variety of shapes, are offered in sets for school and home, and are made in our backyard (Indiana). You can purchase blocks by the set or individually, which means you can always add to what you've got. I'm looking forward to supplementing our set in the future! We also got their recommended Block Building for Children and have had fun duplicating projects inside and have been inspired by the examples pictured.
Some benefits of having a well-made set of unit blocks (besides being so much fun) are that the pieces are standardized and made uniformly which makes them great for educational purposes and allows for sturdy and dependable construction.
As a parent, I really enjoy creating and building with my kids and our blocks. I prefer it over most other toy-play that happens in our home. These blocks are great for kids and entire families since the play varies and will continue to be interesting as the kids grow older (and the blocks stand up to all the wear!) I did happen to see that Barclay Woods is currently having a sale, which is another point for their company.
Check back here tomorrow for one more block picture. Surprise for our Nanna.

Back-to-School Scavenger Hunt and Eco-friendly school supplies

My daughter starts kindergarten this year. We have decided to homeschool. This year. Just meaning I have no earthly idea if either one of us will take to it so I have no expectations whatsoever of what we'll do next year. But since we are doing it this year, I'm needing to get things in order around here.
I've been caught up in researching our teaching/learning materials and haven't thought much about preparing my daughter for the event. She's never been to preschool so the whole concept of school (except, of course, for her experience in our one-morning-a-week co-op last year) is still foreign to her. And homeschool is foreign to me. I think we both need something special to kick off the new year.
I prepared the idea for this back-to-school scavenger hunt for the Celebrations radio show, but didn't have a chance to share it. I've decided to use it with my daughter, whom I expect will be thrilled. Ours will, of course, be the start-of-school version.
Here you go....

Collect some of the items your child will need for school: pencils, crayons, glue, scissors, maps, book (on a topic they've chosen to study or one you know they'd enjoy reading), homemade reusable sandwich/snack bags, lunch bag, thermos or water bottle, interesting ribbon or key chain for house key, favorite snack, bracelet, socks, tiny tissue pack, markers, clay, paint, etc .
Find a school-related image (books, bus, globe, crayons, map, school building, etc.) online or scan one into your computer then print out several small copies onto cardstock. Cut them out and fold like cards or leave them flat like postcards. Use these for your scavenger hunt clues.
Hide the supplies/gifts around your house or outdoors and create clues to lead your child on a hunt for each item. Provide your child with something for collecting her goodies or lead her 1st to a new school bag or box.
Print or write your clues inside or on the back of your clue cards. Be cute and simple.
Example: I'll carry water or milk for you to drink. Look for me under your kitchen sink. (New drinking bottle in the play kitchen).
Monster, bug or bike. Sculpt me how you'd like. Stretch me, roll me, push me, pull me. Find me next to your blanket that's woolly. (New clay hiding on the bed).
After your child has collected all her new items, help her open them and prepare them for school, putting in her bag or arranging in her home study space.

If you're thinking of going green this school year, here's a short list of resources.

Stylish and eco-friendly snack bags, boxes, and bottles
Betz White's sandwich wrap
LunchSkins Reusable Sandwich Bag
Fresh Snack Pack
Stainless steel lunch box
Stainless steel lunch bowl and boxes
Not your plastic Strawberry Shortcake thermos

Eco-art and school supplies
Smencils and more at Stubby Pencil Studio
Recycled newspaper colored pencils and cute stuff
Adhesive paste
Binders, notebooks, and paper

Oh yeah, cotton balls

Recently, during one of my rounds of nursery duty at co-op, I brought along a bag of cotton balls. The babies (one and two year olds) enjoyed emptying out the bag and using the cotton balls to fill containers, in this case the seats of little riding cars. I counted to see how many they could squeeze in and they found that amusing. We lined up the cotton balls in rows, balanced them on our heads, stuffed them in our shirts, etc.
Then one day at home, while the baby was a bit fussy and I was trying to work in the kitchen, I pulled out the same bag of cotton balls and let her use them with my pots and big plastic utensils. She had a ball transferring them from pot to pot with the big spoons. She was having so much fun that the big kids had to join in.
They're still using the same cotton balls but they've traveled to the kiddie kitchen. Pretty soon they'll be too gross to use anymore, but we've gotten quite a bit of fun out of them. Sometimes I just forget about these simple activities.

One minute science experiment

After reading my daughter's National Geographic Little Kids magazine with her yesterday, we decided to try the featured science experiment. I can't find the magazine now, of course, nor do they have this exact experiment online, so I'll attempt to explain it by memory. Hopefully, I can handle that since I'm 32 and the magazine is written for 3-6 year olds.
You fold a piece of construction paper in half and stand it up like a tent. Take in a big breath, then blow it out pretty forcefully through the tent. The paper should fall flat onto the table. The scientific explanation for why the tent falls is this: It requires a certain amount of air pressure to stand. When you force a burst of air through the tent, you change the pressure causing it to fall.
Simple but educational.
I really like reading a project idea with my kids that we can jump up and try that minute instead of having to prep for an hour only to see them interested and occupied for 5 minutes. Granted, this one only took about 1 minute to complete, but it was a satisfying process to be able to read it, suggest we try it and actually do it.
I wasn't fast enough to snap pictures of my daughter conducting the experiment, but I got my son. After he blew the tent down, he swiftly grabbed the nearest truck and conducted his own experiment by running over it.

Family Tea Party

Today I have a post up at Blissful Kids on hosting a family tea party. I included links to some yummy recipes, so go check it out and head to the grocery store. Enjoy a fun and delicious tea party with your family this weekend!

The Scrambled States of America

This is one of our favorite books. So fun and surprisingly educational. I've shared our experience with this book over at Blissful Kids today. Come and see!

Child-directed cutting exercise

My daughter initiated this project the other day and I was happy to follow along with her. She requested some of my colored paper, markers, and scissors. Her idea was to draw a window or X shape onto the full-size sheet of paper; then, follow the lines with scissors and cut through the X. I suggested she put the pieces together like a puzzle. This part was more difficult for her versus my son as her cutting skills are more advanced and her pieces were more similar in shape.
After cutting the full-size paper into quarters, she proceeded to draw another window on one of the 4 squares and cut along those lines, while directing me to do the same. She continued drawing windows and cutting squares until the smallest was less than 1/2" big.
Lastly, we got out a glue stick and glued the pieces together, starting with the biggest square and layering each smaller square on top.
Such a simple project, but so wonderful that it was her idea. It was a refreshing change to have my daughter leading me in a craft project.

Cereal box matching game

Make your own Memory matching game with brightly colored cereal boxes. Find boxes with enough solid color surface area to cut out multiple same-size matching pieces. I used 6 boxes and cut out 4 circles from each. Having two matches in each color makes the game move a little faster.
After playing Memory, use your cut-outs for other games. We made letters and stone walking paths for our animals. My daughter invented a kind of reverse matching game, but left the table in a huff when my son wouldn't cooperate. I'm sure your children will enjoy inventing their own practically-impossible-to-follow-the-rules games, as well.

Snap! The job's a game!

I don't particularly enjoy washing dishes, but there's really no way around it. My kids, on the other hand, think it's a great activity. Thank goodness, too, because I'm hard pressed to find too many other activities that the kids enjoy which result in me feeling better about the condition of our home. This activity doesn't require much besides two willing sets of hands, but I do have to prep a bit. Clean dishes have to be put away, the number of dirty dishes must be limited in order that the kids can actually maneuver in the sink, and the baby needs to be occupied so I can give full attention to what's happening here (I do usually participate in the washing so I'm confident about the cleanliness of the dishes). Good rainy day activity. Perhaps when my kids are a little older it will be an everyday activity (for one of us, at least!)

Black opal mining

This morning we studied Australia with our one-morning-a-week preschool friends. Aside from the anticipated "G'day, mate!" greetings, Kookaburra singing, and kangaroo races, we mined for black opals. Although it was mentioned, mining certainly wasn't a prevalent theme in our reading, which is one reason I thought it would be fun to try an activity related to it. You know, it can't be kangaroos for two hours.
Here's the lowdown.
Since I didn't want to send the kids home with a project that needed to be baked, and since I wanted them to have the mining experience, I created our "gems" at home prior to our meeting.
First, I rolled several balls (little bigger than rounded teaspoons, I think) of black or blue Sculpey. Then I pinched off tiny, thin pieces (odd rough-edged shapes, dots, snakes, etc.), of varying bright colors and pressed them to the balls.
Alternatively, you could sandwich your colors together. I used both methods.

Next, I rolled the balls in the palm of my hands, adding more bits of Sculpey if I thought it was needed, and formed each ball into a unique shape, suitable to be worn as a pendant or bead on a necklace.

I didn't want to bother drilling holes through the baked Sculpey, so I created holes, through which I could later string cord or ribbon, in each gem with a toothpick. Finally, I baked them in the oven at 275 degrees for about 20 minutes. (Follow Sculpey's box instructions if you do this at home).
That part of the project was relaxing and fun for me. I, sadly, don't have pictures of the kids' fun part, but here's what we did.
I filled a very large bowl with a mixture of soil, stones, and, since the soil came out of my friend's yard, some bits of weeds and a bonus worm. I tossed in a few of our black opals. The kids took turns sifting through the mixture with toy trowels, garden forks, and sieves.
After unearthing all the opals, we set them in our little beach sieve and took turns washing them in the sink. Each child chose their opal to "polish" with a washcloth or paper towel. Lastly, we strung our gems on ribbon and proudly wore them around our necks.
The kids really enjoyed this activity and, of course, the pretty take-home prize.

Chinese Moon Festival

Sunday marked the Chinese holiday of Mid-Autumn. This is traditionally celebrated in China, and Chinatowns around the world, through the Mid-Autumn Festival. (Also apparently referred to as the Moon Festival or Mooncake Festival, depending on where you look or with whom you speak). I found it timely that we happened to be studying China this week with our homeschool co-op and took the opportunity to make mooncakes, fortune cookies, and learn a bit about the Festival along with the culture.
I'm not intending a lecture here, but thought I'd share a few basic internet resources (for someone like me who doesn't want to take 3 small kids to the library to participate in group research):
A basic explanation of the Mid-Autumn Festival with links to related articles.
General info on China. Includes population, capital city, history, geography, travel and shopping tips, culture, and how to say "that tickles," in case you end up getting a massage while visiting China.
Super simplified recipe for mooncakes. These look nothing like mooncakes, really, but can be made quickly with pantry ingredients (I don't keep lotus bean paste around here). Preschoolers probably won't be concerned about the cookie's authenticity.
Really tasty sounding mooncake recipe. (I have made other dishes by Nina Simonds with success.)
Great read-aloud Chinese folktale: Tikki Tikki Tembo.
Colorful rhyming book of shapes and Chinese culture: Round is a Mooncake.
Almond fortune cookie recipe (pictured above).

To make fortune cookies a fun and educational experience, insert a combination of messages like the silly and sweet ones pictured below and these informational (and possibly interactive) ones:
1.2 billion people live in China.
Ni hao! Hello!
Let's build a Great Wall. (Easy to do with pillows, beanbags, cardboard boxes, etc. on the floor).
Beijing is the capital city of China.

Rainy day with shaving cream

We couldn't get out this afternoon like I had planned (I really should check the forecast now and then), so we pulled out a can of shaving cream and smeared (I mean painted) it all over the table. I added just a little bit of washable paint (I was afraid food coloring would stain my table or require extra effort to clean up), some brushes, toy cars, old socks and it kept the kids entertained for about as long as I needed it to. Thank goodness that, at one point in time, I actually read some blogs of other creative moms and stored away some easy ideas. Sometimes you just can't (or won't) get to your books, you know?

Vintage nesting blocks

You may recall my affinity for wooden blocks and bright colors. These are no exception. A friend gave me these nesting blocks before I had my first baby because she had a feeling I'd like them. Good call! Knowing, though, that we wouldn't need them for at least a few months, I arranged them on a cute little shelf in her bedroom and there they've sat collecting dust since. I decided it was time to dust them off, show them off, and actually play with them.
The decal images are fun and have retained their bright color. I would love to showcase each individual image but that would require too many pictures, even for me. I detailed of couple of the quirkiest ones above: the gnome (he appears in at least 4 of the decals) medicating a sick bird and a smoking hedgehog.

Rice play

This is one of those activities you have most likely seen on every blog or read in every child's activity book, but there's a good reason for that. Besides all the actual learning that can be achieved through this activity, it happens to just be fun. And it's super easy to throw together, so it's great for rainy or stressful days.
I filled two big, lidded, aluminum baking pans with rice, then hid some small toys in each. I set out some digging toys, rubbermaid dishes, and funnels. My kids enjoyed digging for the treasures repeatedly. They enjoyed scooping, filling, pouring, and then, inevitably, spilling or throwing. For some reason, I wasn't expecting as much mess as it made, but it was easy to clean up and worth the effort. I think I may transfer the rice to a bigger container that may, theoretically, reduce spills and store more easily.
For benefits of and variations on this type of play, try googling rice box, rice tables, colored rice, etc. I apologize for my laziness in not wanting to take the time to link to several of the great articles on rice play myself. Or maybe I'll just blame the Olympics.

Foam-erator

I saw this great idea from Betz White. This is my kind of project. Materials on hand, total assembly time less than 5 minutes. I don't have a picture to share of my kids using these "foam-erators" but they worked just like the ones on Betz's blog.
To make your own, slice the end of a plastic bottle off with an x-acto knife. Cut a washcloth section big enough to cover the open end of the bottle. Cinch it up with a rubber band. Dip the bottom of the bottle in water then a little bowl of bubble solution (or bubble bath or dish soap). Blow gently through the top and create a long foamy bubble trail.
Fun indoors (bath or sink) or out!

Wet chalk and Beep!

This morning (rainy) we tried a couple quick, no-fuss activities that I thought were worth sharing. I found both of these in The Preschooler's Busy Book.

Wet Chalk Drawings
6 Tbs sugar
1/4 c water
colored chalk
paper, white
Mix together sugar and water and pour over chalk; let soak for ten minutes. Use the wet chalk to draw on white paper. If you use white chalk, draw on colored paper.

What we learned: Rinse the chalks and pat dry after soaking. Creates a smooth, no-smudge line with more saturated color. We only had sidewalk chalk; regular chalk would be better for small-scale drawing. Above photo compares dry and wet chalk drawings.

Beep!
Choose a familiar story, song, or rhyme that your child has heard often. Read or recite the story, song, or rhyme, but substitute wrong words or names in obvious places. For example: "Old MacDonald had a car" or "Mary had a little dog." Have your child listen for the incorrect words and say "Beep!" when he hears one.
(This is listed in the Out and About section of the book. Great for car rides.)

What we learned: Using a Taboo buzzer (which is typically hidden away in grown-up game land) instead of saying "Beep!" was fun for the kids and because they enjoyed listening for the silly words, they actually restricted it's use to beeping in the appropriate places. We enjoyed singing familiar songs and reading a familiar book for this game. Lots of giggles. My daughter wants to play it again after naptime and "show Daddy" when he gets home.

We're growing something!

I am not a gardener. I have no experience growing anything besides a cup of grass. Which I can do well, but I think that's because it's like the easiest thing to grow ever. That being said, I'm thrilled that the kids' little plants here are shooting up. I don't even know what this is, but it's green and cheery and alive! I almost want to make terrariums now that I've been reading about them on every blog under the sun, but I need to work up some nerve yet.

Grocery list (or I need peanut butter, purple wiggly cheese, a camera, cucumbers, a shirt...

...pink wiggly cheese, a calendar, bread, milk, trains, red hot marshmallow squirters....)
I recently saw grocery list activities at Angry Chicken and Make and Takes and thought some variation of these would be great for us.
For our project, I spent some time in the evening cutting out a zillion food/household pictures from those horrible sales ads that end up all over the entryway downstairs. Then, together, we separated the cut-outs into categories: produce, meat, dairy, grains, dessert/snacks, household supplies (with a couple cell phones and toy cars thrown in). I gave the kids glue sticks and let them decide what they wanted on their grocery lists. After completing his list, my son had me label a few of his items. My daughter didn't have much space for writing on hers so she started another page where she practiced writing some of the food names.
This was a really good activity for my kids. I was impressed with how well they worked together and how engaged they were in the activity.
I have some leftover cut-outs and would be willing to spend more time cutting to repeat this project. As it is, I try to avoid doing very much grocery shopping with all 3 kids in tow, so we probably won't use these in public, but they can use them here with their grocery cart and play kitchen. It's got to be more fun than their normal routine which is dictating to me the crazy things they want on their shopping lists and watching me write for them. Next time, maybe we'll glue pics of the real items and write/illustrate the crazy ones.

Celery update

Now you can really see the color changes (see project description here). The celery in the red water turned yellow with red veins, the green turned more green (not quite as interesting), and the blue turned greenish blue with obvious blue streaks and spots. Wow, science is fun!
Not much happening with the potatoes yet.

Wonderplay and celery

So today's on-the-fly experiment: Capillary action with celery and potato plants.
Inspiration from: Wonderplay, Too! Another book that's great to just flip through and find a quick and doable project right when you need it. (Also great for bigger projects or outings when you have more planning time).
For the potato plants, take a white or sweet potato, stud it with toothpicks so it's bottom rests in a clear container of water. This one will require a few days' observance as it sprouts roots and leaves. (We'll get back to you with our results). I like the book's suggestion to have your kids draw the changes they see in the potato. Keep enough water in the container to wet the bottom of the potato.
For the celery, make a fresh cut at the base, drop the stalks in food-colored water, wait a few hours and then observe. You should be able to see that the stalks and leaves have perked up and that the water has traveled up through the veins and into the leaves. After seeing our results, you may decide to try darker water and colors other than yellow and green (I wasn't really thinking when I did it).



This bottom picture compares a blue stalk and a yellow stalk. You can actually see the yellow in person, and a marked difference between it and the blue, but not as much in the picture.