Archive: Activities

Animal Themed Snacks

Teaching your kids about animals? There’s no better way than using tasty treats. Check out these fun, animal themed snacks:

Bear S’mores

Put a fun twist on s’mores by making them into little bears. Break the graham cracker in half so that you have a square. This will be the head. Take two mini marshmallows and melt them so that you have two gooey dots in the two upper corners of the square. These are the ears. Then take a regular sized marshmallow and melt it near the bottom center of the square. Add a chocolate chip on top for the nose and use chocolate syrup to draw the mouth on the big marshmallow. Place two chocolate chips under the ears to represent the eyes. Then chow down on your bear-themed s’mores.

Animal Pancakes

You can create virtually any animal from giraffes to bees out of pancake batter. All you need is a squirty tube to help you create intricate designs on the pan (think the dressing squirters at Subway) and your regular old pancake batter. If you want to get super creative, add a few drops of food coloring to the batter to make peacocks blue and green or ladybugs red. Check out JimsPancakes.com for ideas!

Fruit Frogs

Make a healthy snack by turning apples and grapes into green fruit frogs. Use a core-remover to get rid of the center of a green apple. Then, cut the apple into fourths. Using a couple dabs of cream cheese to prop two of the pieces on top of each other horizontally. This is the frog’s body. Then take three green grapes and chop them in half. Cut slits that represent toes in four of them. Use cream cheese to stick two feet near the center and two feet on either side of the body, underneath the plain-sliced grape halves. Next, use a little cream cheese to glue two mini marshmallows on top of the body with a chocolate chip inside of each one for the eyeballs. Ribbit!

Sources:

-“Traceee Young” Pinterest

-“Apple Frogs” Clean and Sentsible

-Photo courtesy of Feelart/freedigitalphotos.net

Easy Crafts: Make an Educational Felt Board

Looking for some easy crafts to keep you and your little one busy? Check out this felt board that’s both educational and fun. You can use it to teach colors, shapes, letters and more.

What you need:

-Different colored pieces of felt

-Large picture frame

-One plain piece of adhesive felt about one inch l inch larger than the frame

-Scissors

-2 pieces of cardboard board the ½ inch smaller than the frame

-Duct tape

-Kraft paper

Instructions:

1. Remove and discard of the glass from the frame.

2. Cut about 1 inch of the corners off of the large piece of adhesive felt.

3. Tape the felt around the cardboard.

4. Place the felt-covered board within the frame.

5. Add a second piece of cardboard to the back for extra support.

6. Secure with kraft paper and duct tape.

7. Cut fun shapes out of the different colored pieces of felt. Here are a few ideas:

-Letters

-Numbers

-Basic shapes

-Animals

Sources:

-“Felt Board for Kids.” Martha Stewart

-Photo courtesy of Grant Cochrane/freedigitalphotos.net

Homemade Valentines for Kids

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, it’s time to start crafting cards. Looking for cute ideas for homemade valentines? Look no further! MomTrusted found some of the most creative card crafts for little ones:

Tissue Paper Valentines

Load up on pink, red and white sheets of tissue paper, construction paper and some glue. Cut big hearts out of the construction paper and cut the tissue paper into small squares- anywhere from two to four-inch squares will work perfectly. Then scrunch up each square one by one, dip it in glue and stick it onto the construction paper heart.

*Tip: To avoid a gooey mess, soak a sponge in glue and set it in plastic Tupperware. That way, children just have to press paper on the sponge, instead of aiming the sticky stream of glue.

Lollipop Butterfly Valentines

Cut the four wings of a simply shaped butterfly out of pink, purple or red construction paper. Fold the butterfly in half and tape a sucker along the crease so that the round part pops out over the paper (this part will be the butterfly’s head). Then glue two googly eyes onto the butterfly’s head. Encourage your kids to decorate the wings and help them write Valentine’s Day messages.

*Tip: If you plan on letting your little one do the cutting, make a stencil for them to follow for difficult shapes like the butterfly wings.

Candy Pillow Valentines

Staple two paper hearts together and stuff the paper pillow with a handful of candy like sweethearts, Skittles or M&Ms. Before you stuff the hearts, have your little ones decorate the outside with paint, markers and even glitter. Just remember to let the art dry before you start stapling and stuffing them.

*Safety tip: Leave the stapling to the grownups.

Sources:

-“7 Super Creative Valentine Ideas for Kids.” Momtastic

-“Valentine’s Day Craft for Kids.” Social Moms

-“Printable Valentines.” Skip to my Lou

-Photo courtesy of luigi diamanti/freedigitalphotos.net

Martin Luther King Jr. Day with Kids

Celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day with kids. Appreciate the changes he made in society by explaining them to your little ones and organizing some fun activities. Here are some ways that you can celebrate Dr. King’s birthday with your child:

Bake a diverse dinner.

Explain to your child that Martin Luther King Jr. appreciated diversity. To celebrate, have your little one help you make a diverse dinner spread. Include an African appetizer, a German entrée, a Greek salad and an Iranian dessert. Not only will your little one be learning about all kinds of important cultures, but they’ll also be expanding their taste palette.

Visit a house of worship.

Dr. King was a minister so celebrate his birthday by appreciating his love of religion.  Even if you’re not religious. If you do practice a faith, trying attending a service that believes in a different one than your own. If you’re Jewish, head to a Catholic service. If you’re Lutheran, visit a Baptist church.

I have a dream.

Tell your child about how Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream that his children would one day live in a nation that would not judge them by the color of their skin. Then ask about his or her own dream. Make the activity more fun by drawing pictures of these dreams.

Create your own parade.

Reenact a peace parade in your neighborhood. Have your children decorate their bikes and make peace posters. Encourage them to invite their friends and march through the neighborhood in the name of peace, diversity and Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday.

Sources:

-“Martin Luther King Jr. Day: Activities for Celebrating with Your Kids.” Family Education

-“Martin Luther Kind Jr. Day.” Primary Games

-“Educate and Celebrate Martin Luther King Jr.” She Knows Parenting.

-Photo courtesy of Salvatore Vuono/freedigitalphotos.net

10 Snow Activities for Toddlers

1. Snow painting:

Grab some empty spray or water bottles. Fill each with water and a few drops of food coloring then head out into the fluffy stuff. Let your toddler spray the snow, making rainbow pictures. But remember that food coloring stains so get down their old, tattered jacket from the attic for this activity.

2. Pick up pinecones

And pine tree branches and any other wintery craft supplies. Then, head home to sip coco and make wreathes or table centerpieces with them.

3. Build a snowman

Keep it classic. Snowmen never go out of style. Recreate your whole family and have a frozen flock of them in your front yard. Let your little one create the faces with buttons, carrots, candy or anything else you have lying around the house.

4. Roll around in the snow

Snow’s best quality is its fluffiness. Let your kiddo run wild and rejoice in the fact that the soft snow will work as a cushion and eliminate any bumps, bruises and scrapes that rough housing would usually result in.

5. Tracking

If you live in the suburbs or a more remote area, try tracking. Your little ones will be fascinated by the different marks of birds, bunnies and deer. Plus, this is a great learning activity to spark interest in basic science.

6. Snow Sketching

Think of your backyard as a giant sketchpad. Show your tot how to use their creativity to traces pictures in the snow. Then, use your whole body to add to the pictures. There’s nothing like a classic snow angel.

7. Blow bubbles

Take bubbles into below freezing temperatures and see if they freeze.

8. Footprint Tag

This game is for kids on the older end. The person who’s “It” isn’t allowed to make footprints of their own. They can only follow in other people’s tracks. This simple game is fun and a great way to even the playing field between older and younger children.

9. Sledding

When in doubt, stick to the basics. Sledding never gets old.

10. Snow Castles

Imagine your own tropical vacation by pretending the snow if sand. Take a break from building snowmen and build a snow castle instead. Scoop the snow into buckets, pack it tight and flip it over to make towers or bricks for the castle. Grab some of the leftover snow paint from activity #1 and add a splash of color to the castle.

SOURCES:

-Lindermans, Candace. “Snow Day! 10 activities for toddlers.” January 10, 2010.

-Wilson, Laura. “Winter Snow Activities for Toddlers.” 

-Levine, Joni. “Let it Snow!” 

-Brown, Stephanie. “Readers Respond: Fun Activities for Snowy Days.” 

-Photo courtesy of Tina Phillips/freedigitalphotos.net

Combatting Cabin Fever with Activities for Toddlers

When the wind blows and temperatures drop below far freezing, forget snowmen and snow angels. You have no choice but to stay inside, even if you have a toddler. Here are a few activities to help keep both of you sane, without zoning out in front of the TV:

Go on a scavenger hunt.

Create a scavenger hunt inside your home. Hide toys that your little one is familiar with- favorite blankets, stuffed animals and trucks. Then set your little one lose to find his or her prized possessions in goofy spots.

Build a fort.

Nothing beats an old fashioned fort. Construct a castle out of cushions, pillows and blankets. The best part? Let your little one destroy his masterpiece.

Paint faces.

Lock the two of you in the bathroom and play face paint. Before you know it, both of you will be covered in tribal war paint, but never fear, the tub is just a couple steps away.

Make homemade playdough.

Spend some time concocting homemade playdough together and then playing with it. Here’s a simple recipe:

-Mix 1 cup of water, 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil, ½ cup of salt, 1 tablespoon of cream of tartar, food coloring.

-Heat the ingredients in a saucepan until warm.

-Take the mixture away from the heat and add 1 cup of flour.

-Simply stir and kneed until you have a smooth, thick texture.

-When you’re done playing with it, throw the playdough into the fridge in an airtight bag.

Buy some shower paint.

Let your little one paint rainbows all over the shower walls. Sure, it’s a bit messy, but it guaranteed easy clean up for both your toddler and your shower.

Sources:

-“Boredom Beaters.” Parenting.com

-“Homemade playdough recipe.” Family Education

-Photo courtesy of imagerymajestic/freedigitalphotos.net

New Year’s Resolution: Go Green as a Family

As 2012 comes to an end and you start brainstorming ways to improve in 2013, consider this: What if your family came together to live a greener lifestyle? Not only will many of these ideas positively impact the environment and help your family, but they’ll teach your children about the importance of the environment, eating right and keeping fit. Consider a few of these green options for a fresh start to a new year:

Choose two wheels over four.

Opt for your bike over your car whenever possible. Not only will you save on gas, reduce your carbon imprint and get some exercise, but biking as a family is just plain fun. If school or work is too far, you can still consider running errands on two wheels. Have really little ones? Purchase a bike with a seat on the back or a children’s bike trailer. Don’t forget helmets for everyone!

Garden together.

Get outside, teach your little ones some biology 101 and grow ingredients for a healthy meal in a family garden. Try letting each family member pick out his or her favorite veggie or fruit to grow. This will teach children responsibility by having at least one plant that they’re accountable for and ensure that the family garden has everyone’s favorite snack.

Start a compost pile.

What better way to add some fresh fertilizer to your new garden than by creating a mini compost pile of your own? You can purchase bins for your kitchen, but there are also backyard options that will help keep the mess out of your home.

Ask your kids to help you with recycling.

Little ones love sorting. Ask your kids to help separate paper from plastic. This is also a great time to explain the importance of being kind to the environment.

Lower your energy use.

Keep your home cool in the winter and warm in the summer. For each degree that you use AC to lower the temperature in your home, your average energy cost rises by 6%. Metro Family Magazine recommends using fans on low in the winter to spread warmth throughout the house. Make sure they rotate clockwise, which will pull rising heat from the ceiling and better disperse it.

Plant a tree.

Did you know that nearly half of our original forest habitat has been cut down in the past 60 years? We’ve all wasted our fair share of paper or secretly hoped that a new shopping mall would go up close by.  Give back to the earth a little by planting a family tree. Not only will you be bettering the environment, but you can watch the tree and your children grow together.

Sources:

-“Going Green as a Family.” Going Green

-“How to Help Your Family Go Green.” Wiki How

-“Tree Deforestation Statistics.” Statistic Brain

-“Practical Pointers for Going Green.” Metro Family Magazine

-Photo courtesy of Sujin Jetkasettakorn/freedigitalphotos.net