Sustainable & Creative Living
This Halloween Science Activity is one of our favorite baking soda and vinegar experiments. I love putting together fun activities that are themed around holidays and one of my 7-years-olds favorite holidays is Halloween so, of course, I had to put together a baking soda and vinegar activity.
Today we’re sharing a fun St. Patrick’s Day Puffy Paint Craft! That’s right…puffy paint you can make at home or in the classroom because it’s super easy and only needs 2 ingredients.
This is a great activity for big and little kids who love to use their imagination through sensory play. Parents and teachers will love it because it’s inexpensive to put together and loads of fun. [Read more…]
To celebrate this Memorial Day, I set the school books aside for a little bit and took some time to make this Memorial Day Wind Blower with my 5-year-old. Crafts or hands-on activities are a great way to teach your little ones about the meaning of such important holidays in a fun and creative way. This particular craft is easy for kids and [Read more…]
I recently planted my early Spring garden and can’t wait for the arrival of all my yummy goodies. I’ve always wanted to make these colorful DIY Garden Plant Markers for my garden. I think they’ll be a great way to keep track of all the different fruits, vegetables, and herbs I’m growing. Plus, they’ll add a bit of whimsy to my garden, which is always a plus.
In this post, you’ll find one of the easiest tutorials I’ve ever done. If you’re a new or even a seasoned gardener, these DIY Garden Rocks are so simple to make and they will look so cute in your garden!
One of my favorite things to create is sensory bins. I’m fascinated with a small box containing lots of little toys that can keep kids busy for long periods of time. And when they’re done you just pack everything up in the box and on the shelf it goes. This Under the Sea Sensory Bin is one of my favorites. [Read more…]
Things are about to get spooky with this super fun Spooky Halloween Scavenger Hunt for kids. It’s got everything from haunted ghosts and sweet candy corn to scary skeletons and goopy eyeballs. This is a great activity for kids of all ages. Bring it trick or treating, or on your next evening walk through the neighborhood. If you’re skipping the door to door festivities this year, plan a scavenger hunt around your home or outdoors in the yard. The first to finish can collect a treasure box full of [Read more…]
Milk cartons can be recycled, up-cycled, and reused for just about any kid’s craft. One of my favorite ways to reuse a milk carton is by turning them into a bird feeder or birdhouse. With just a little paint, twigs, and a glue gun, you can turn a tired old milk carton into a [Read more…]
When I asked my 3-year-old son what he wanted to dress up as this Halloween, he said with confidence, “A racing car driver!” So I thought, ok this should be easy. I’ll just get a costume at Target or on Amazon and we’re set. Jumpsuit—check. Helmet—check. I thought I was done but to my surprise when my little firecracker tried on his new racing car driver costume, his next question was, “Where’s my car?” I LOL’d because he was right—how could I forget the car! So, I scoured the internet for boxcar costume ideas and found this DIY Race Car Box Halloween Costume. [Read more…]
My son just turned 3 recently and I’m really starting to see this amazing personality shine through his tiny little body. He’s so lovable and outgoing—he’s the kid in Target that says hi to every single stranger that passes by. And he won’t stop saying hi until you respond! He’s also inquisitive—asking about a million questions a day about everything he sees, hears, or touches. Right now, he’s really into bugs! Most of the time, when he comes across a new insect that he’s never seen, his first reaction is, “Mommy look, it’s so cute.” Followed by “What is it?” “Can I hold it”? “Is it slimy”? And “I love it!” [Read more…]
Easy science experiments are a fun way to get your child interested in learning. They don’t have to be too detailed with a lot of steps, just a lot of fun. Actually, in my opinion, the fewer steps the better when trying to entertain a toddler. During letter O week of my alphabet lesson plan, we made Foaming Orange Volcanos with just an orange, some baking soda, and little bit of vinegar. [Read more…]
If you’re looking for some fun-filled crafts and activities for teaching your toddler the letter B, check out some of my ideas below in this Letter B Lesson Plan for preschoolers. I use the letter of week strategy to help teach my son the alphabet. Each day I follow a letter specific lesson plan, which you can print for free, and incorporate sensory and fine motor play to engage his senses. So far, it has been going great and little by little he gets more excited to learn his letters.
Reading, crafts, sensory, and fine motor play are all great ways to engage a toddler or preschooler when teaching the alphabet. [Read more…]
I first learned about sensory development when my son turned about 14 months old. This was right around the time when he started walking and getting into everything he wasn’t supposed to. His curiosity to touch, feel, and taste everything in sight prompted me to do a little research on this particular stage of his development. This is when I noticed the phrase “sensory play” became a common idea among mom bloggers, educators, and psychology blogs. It’s a phrase I think I’ve always heard but never really bothered to understand.
