Let's Explore - Creative Activities for Preschoolers

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!

Happy New Year!

This year, it's New Year's cards instead of Christmas cards.  Loved incorporating some of the girls' writing to make these - Natalie wants everyone to have a happy and exciting New Year, and Delaney is wishing you a year full of silly and fun! :)

Happy New Year!

Jingle Bell Necklaces

Happy Monday!  I hope you are finding some bits of peace and relaxation during this exciting and busy time of year.  I wanted to share one more Christmas activity with you before signing off for a few days to enjoy all our family activities.

Tonight, we'll be reading The Polar Express.  To be honest, my girls have not really been interested in this story in past years, but I think this year they will love it.  In the morning, they will find this little tin on the front porch:

I will leave it outside all night, so it can get very cold -- just like you would expect from a North Pole delivery.  (Another option is to put it in your freezer all night...)

Inside, the girls will find:

Two very cold and shiny jingle bell necklaces.  The fanciest thing I had at home to string them on was some silver embroidery floss.

There's even a special label on the bottom:

I have had this tin forever, waiting for something to do with it.  You could also wrap them in a small box, a paper lunch bag, etc.  Leave the bells on the front porch, in your mailbox, on your child's pillow, etc.  Have fun!

Back again soon -- Merry Christmas! :)

Amy

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!

Chocolate Letters

Last night I experimented with making chocolate letters in the Letter Ice silicone molds.  They turned out so cute!  I just used milk chocolate chips, which I melted in the microwave.  I filled the molds almost to the top, then topped them off with some festive sprinkles.  I let them set-up in the fridge for 20 minutes or so, then easily popped them out of the molds.  

They look great on a plate:

...or individually packaged to hand out to friends or tie on top of some special gifts:

My family has been enjoying them, so I'll have to make another batch for giving! :)

On a side note, if you are planning to make any gift purchases from the Let's Explore Shop, I am recommending you place your order by tomorrow (12/16/08), so your items can reach you in a timely manner.  Thanks!  

Happy playing and gifting!

Oh, Christmas Tree...

I think this is my favorite piece of artwork so far this holiday season.  I didn't know Delaney could draw such awesome trees!  We've had a stack of watercolor paper, pastels, watercolors, and sequins sitting out for whenever the mood strikes.  I had to cut out this tree and mount it to show off its adorable shape!

This weekend we are looking forward to Delaney's first ballet recital, Babes in Toyland.  There are also plans to drive around looking at lights, and do some wrapping and teacher gift-making.  Should be a lovely weekend!

And, if you need something furry and super-cute poking out of a stocking, all our Folkmanis finger puppets are 25% off this weekend (Friday-Sunday 12/12-12/14).  We have owls, chipmunks, penguins, pandas, black bears, porcupines, hedgehogs, and so many more!

Have a playful weekend!

Christmas Card Puzzle Game

I have saved stacks and stacks of Christmas cards, which we have enjoyed using for collages, ornament-making, etc.  A few nights ago, I pulled out my square craft punch and made this simple puzzle/game.

I punched a square out of each card and put the cards and squares in ziploc bags.  I put around 10-12 cards in a bag, but you could do more or less depending on your child's age.  The girls loved this - it was quite easy for my six-year-old, but it was perfect for my four-year-old.  She did all 3 sets of cards twice last night. :)

Happy Playing!

P.S.  Don't forget to check out today's Deal of the Day at the Let's Explore Shop.  We're offering a special set of something... :)

Gingerbread Playdough

Our advent calendar activity yesterday was making holiday playdough.  We decided to try making gingerbread playdough.  So easy and smells soooo good! :)

We used our standard homemade playdough recipe.  Instead of adding food coloring, we stirred some spices into the flour before adding it to the pot.  We used ginger, cinnamon, allspice, and cloves.  I did not measure any of it -- I basically just let the girls shake, shake, shake till they thought they were done.  Our flour didn't look very brown, but once I started cooking the playdough, it looked perfectly gingerbread-y.

Add a few rolling pins and cookie cutters, and the girls were set for a good, long playdough session.  I'm thinking some small containers of this dough paired with a cookie cutter would be great Christmas gifts for the girls' friends.

Have a wonderful weekend!

P.S.  Don't forget to check out the Deal of the Day at the Let's Explore Shop -- this one is running all weekend.  Hint:  It's not just one product, but a whole group of products... :)

More Fun With Window Crayons

I featured the Lyra Wax-O-Glas Window Crayons a while back.  They are a really fun drawing tool, and they do wipe easily from glass.  We decorated our bathroom mirror, closet door mirrors, and a couple windows around Halloween time.  Today, we'll pull them out again and do some Christmas decorating.  Daddy drew each of the girls a big Christmas tree, and I know they will be busy today adding ornaments and lights and gifts.

I'm going to break my own rule and reveal the Deal of the Day item right here:  it's these wonderful Window Crayons!  We have been patiently waiting for a new shipment, and they are finally here!  They are on sale for $8.99 today only -- a $3.00 savings.  Maybe you'd like to use them for holiday decorating or as a stocking stuffer.

Happy Playing!

Hello, December!

The holiday spirit is buzzing all around this house -- how about yours?  As the decorations start to trickle out into the house, I can feel the girls' getting more and more excited!  The girls were quite busy over the weekend revisiting our Christmas and winter books that have been hidden away.  Here's a few of our favorites:

If you have some recommendations for nice picture books about Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and even Christmas around the world, I would love it!  Natalie's kindergarten is going to be learning about winter holidays around the world, and I'd love to have a stack of books at home for us to look at together.

And a quick Let's Explore Shop update...

December 1 through December 15, I will be featuring a Deal of the Day over at my online shop.  The special sale price will be good for one day only and is limited to stock on hand.  I won't be revealing the daily specials ahead of time, so you'll have to head over to the shop to check them out.  I will be featuring some of my very favorite items from the store. :)

Have a wonderful first day of December!