Let's Explore - Creative Activities for Preschoolers

Hello!

Hello, hello, hello!  We've just returned from a really fun girls' trip to Disneyland with my mom, my sister, and her two girls.  I am working on unpacking and laundry and all that stuff that comes with returning from a trip.

In case you missed it, I posted over at Blissful Kids yesterday - a fun book and project exploring clouds!

Be back soon with more fun! :)

Purr-fect Kitty Valentines

Delaney made some sweet and simple kitty Valentines for her preschool friends.  Get all the how-to details over at Blissful Kids today!

Happy Valentine-Making!

Kitchen Gadget Painting

 

We're painting with potato mashers, cookie cutters, sponges and more!  Head over to Blissful Kids to read all about painting and printing with kitchen gadgets.

Happy playing!

Watercolor Initials

The girls and I made some new personalized artwork for their bedroom.  You can see the step-by-step and finished product over at Blissful Kids today! :)

Have a great day!

Happy Inauguration Day!

The kindergartners in Natalie's class were all excited about today's events.  What fun it was to watch them color pictures of President Obama and to listen to their conversations!  Since we're feeling a little extra-patriotic today, we'll be snacking on some red, white and blue parfaits this evening.  Check out Blissful Kids for all the yummy instructions!

Have a great evening!

File Folder Games

I've written about these before, but we love making our own board games out of file folders.  You can check out my ideas and examples for these easy DIY games over at Blissful Kids today! :)

Happy playing!

New Year's Interviews

This is our third year "interviewing" the girls at the start of a new year.  One of the questions we ask the girls is, "If you could change your name, what would you choose?"  Delaney chose Milk and Frosting the last two years, but strayed away from food names with Mulan this year -- so cute!  You can check out our whole list of questions, and how we're documenting them this year, over at Blissful Kids.  :)

Also, speaking of traditions, I really enjoyed a post at The Wondershop blog on creating rituals that nurture family connection.  Enjoy!

Have a lovely evening! :)

Idea Cards and The Junk Box

Hello there!  We are fully relishing our winter break around here - there have been a lot of pajama days!  While the girls are enjoying all their new goodies, I have been busy sorting, rearranging, and tidying toys, clothes, art supplies, etc.  It always feels so good to freshen things up.

I tend to rotate the toys from the closet to the more visible shelves in the playroom and back again.  It's amazing how fun something is when you haven't played with it for a month.  Still, I notice the girls often playing with the same toys and forgetting about lots of other treasures around the house.  I decided to basically take inventory, and write down all our toys (and some lesser-used art supplies) on cut-up index cards.  I'm calling them Idea Cards.

I put all the cards in a bucket.  When the girls are looking for something to do, or when I hear more squabbling than playing, they can choose a card from the bucket.  

Even better, they can choose 2 cards and then come up with a way to play with those 2 items together.  I think they will love the challenge of finding new ways to explore their toys.  Wood blocks + playdough?  Playsilks and puzzles?  Such fun! :)

I'd love to hear your ideas on managing toys and making them accessible for your kiddos, too.

One of the Idea Cards in our bucket is our Junk Box.  It's a great go-to place for sparking creativity, plus I have a place to put all those cardboard rolls and plastic lids.  You can read more about what I put in our Junk Box over at Blissful Kids today!

Happy Playing!

Paper Bag Gingerbread Garland

Pull out your brown grocery bags and make a fun gingerbread garland today!  All the details are over at Blissful Kids...

Stay Warm & Happy Playing!

Glittery Initial Ornaments

We love a little sparkle on our Christmas tree!  All the glittery directions are posted over at Blissful Kids today.

I know it's late in the day, but you still have time to check out the Deal of the Day over at the Let's Explore Shop!  It will be available until tomorrow at 6 am (PST), when I post a new deal! :)

Have a great evening!