Valentine's Day Sensory Bin

Valentine's Day Sensory Bin- learning through play

For each new holiday that comes up I try to set up a themed sensory bin.  Sensory bins are great for kids to learn while playing.  The simple touch, sight, and sounds in a sensory bin is great for kids to explore.  Depending on what you add you can expand the learning in many directions.  My kids love these sensory bins and have lots of fun playing and learning.   I have fun setting them up and then watch them as they play.  I never know what they will do once I set out a bin in front of them.  Knowing I wanted to set up a Valentine's Day sensory bin I started going through what we had in the house to make one.  I had a lot of stuff to add but it was missing something.  Then a family member sent us a package and in it was these packing peanuts.  We were excited to receive some very yummy treats in this box and I was pretty excited about these pink packing peanuts too!  Yes, its the little things that make me smile.  Once I added these to the sensory bin it was complete.   At the time I didn't realize what a learning experience the packing peanuts would add.  

Beach Time Sensory Sink

A few weeks ago my oldest son grabbed his stool and started playing in the sink.  He was playing with a bucket, a few noodles that were stuck in it(from something else we had played in that day), and some soapy water.  He went and grabbed a spoon and spent quite a bit of time playing.  Since he had such a good time I knew I would have to set him up some sensory sinks to play in.  My mind went to thinking of what to do for him.  I have come up with several ideas.  However this one I am sharing with you today I did on a whim.  It is winter here and even though are weather is no where near as cold as others I have been long for the weather to go back to the beach.  So with the beach on my mind I pulled together a beach theme sink for the kids.  I let both my boys try out a sensory sink theme.  I must say it was a hit with both of them.

Beach Time Sensory Sink

What I used:  

I added sea animal toys, blue fizzy tablets for the bath(we buy these at walmart), coconut extract for scent, plastic ice cubes(I got these at The Dollar Tree), and a little cup of rice( I called this sea animal food for them to feed the animals).

What I did:  

I add the toys and fizzy tablet to the sink.  Then I filled with water.  ext added the coconut scent to the water(about a tsp).  I then placed the ice cubes and rice on the sink for them to add to the sink.  

Both my 4yr and 1.5yr got their own sink to play in.  This was my tots first time playing in the sink.  Since he is shorter even with the stool it was hard for him to reach.  However, this did not stop him from having a really good time.  His laughter and smiles during playtime was continues.  My oldest had fun adding the rice and playing with the ice cubes and toys too.  My tot did get excited with the water splashing and it did get all over the sink and floor.  Big brother though seemed to keep his mess to a minimum.  I have already come up with a better way for little brother to play next time.  And when I say mess it was just splashed water and all you do is wipe it up, easy considering some of the messes we make.  They got to have a great sensory experience while they played and that is what counts to me.  We hope you and your kids might have some fun with a sensory sink too.   

Since my son first got into sink play I have seen a sensory sink by My Nearest and Dearest. We have since been in touch and will be bringing you a fun Sensory Sink series soon.  Check back for more information in a few weeks.  I can't wait to team up with her!

Here is a link to the intro of sensory sink sunday a new series 

Please do come and visit us again. We would love to have you back.

All kids are different and only you can decide how you let your kids play. And with what materials you let them play with. My children are supervised when playing. Please keep this in mind with any post you read of mine!

Check us out on Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter,Google+,

and our G+ community, All Things Kids.

Other post you may like: Bath Time Fun

     

We linked up at:

 

DIY Laundy Soap- special guest post

I am super stoked to have my big sis guest post for me today.  She may not be a blogger but she is one crafty mom that I have been looking up to for years.  A special thank you to her for coming to share with us today.  I must say I made this after she shared it with me and love it.  As always I hope you might enjoy it too.

DIY/Homemade Laundry Soap

DIY laundry soap seems to be a big buzz on facebook and Pinterest lately. With the economy where it is today people are looking for ways to save money. So I thought I'd give DIY laundry soap a try. After reading about the different recipes between the liquid and the powder I went with the powder. It was less time consuming to make and everywhere I read the liquid comes out lumpy, never as smooth as the liquid laundry soap in the stores. *When you use the bar soap that is.

I have been using the powder laundry soap for a week now and I love it! I researched a lot of different recipes and the two ingredients you will find in every recipe is Borax ( not to be confused with boric acid ) and Arm & Hammer Super Washing soda (not to be confused with regular Arm & Hammer baking soda)

This is the recipe I went with and I followed from Liz Marie Blog  to start my ideas tweaking it a little.

Ingredients: ( everything can be found on the laundry soap isle )

*1 four lb. box of Borax

*3 bars of Fels-Naptha soap ( you can use Ivory bar soap and a few other brands but I went with Fels-Naptha because it's also good on stains)

*4 lb. of Arm & Hammer Baking Soda

*1 3lb. box Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda

The items above cost about $13.00 if you add the Oxy and Purex Crystals add another $33.00

Optional 4 lb. of Oxy Clean You can add this to the mix or I just use it as an extra boost to the loads that need it.

Optional (2) 55 oz. bottles of Purex Crystals for a bolder scent. I just use this as needed I did not mix it in my laundry soap.

This was really easy to make!

(Makes about 3 to 4 gallons depending if you add the Oxy and Purex Crystals and you use less of this soap so it last longer. An estimate of about 256 loads when using 3 tbsp. per load )

Directions:

*Grate the Fels-Naptha soap with a cheese grater or in your food processor

*Line your bucket with a trash liner ( I used a 4 gallon pink bucket from Lowes )

*Dump your grated soap and dry ingredients in the bucket.

*Start mixing. I used my hands. Caution it will make some smoke so wear a face mask or turn your head. Then I pull the trash liner out and give it a good toss to mix it up.

*Then place it into a container of your choice. I used a glass jar from Wal-Mart and had my sister use her chalk board paint to make me a label on front.

*I use 1-3 TBS per load. 3 TBS = just under 1/4 cup so I have a measuring cup I use on a normal size load. Use less if a smaller load.

My laundry comes out fresh and clean smelling. If you want the more bold smell add the Purex Crystals. I have sensitive skin and I have not had any issues with this soap. Our clothes, even our towels come out soft. This soap does not make a lot of suds so it is safe in the HE washers. I just toss a scoop in with my clothes. I normally buy liquid soap in the store so I wasn't sure I'd like the powder but so far so good and no worries the grated bar soap dissolves nicely in warm or cold water.

What do you think of DIY laundry soap? Have you tried it before? If so, what recipe do you like? I'd love to hear your comments.

My name is Melissa W. I am married to my best friend, Doug and we have two lovely children. Tyler 17 & Brianna 11. I’m a house wife and I own my own cleaning business. I’m a lover of Pinterest, new ideas, and mocha coffee.

NOTE:

Ok, so here it is September and I just made a new batch of this soap.  It lasted forever!  I wash on average twice a day.  Some days more.  We haven't had any problems with the soap.  I do keep tide boost and color safe bleach for those loads that need it.  I did this with regular store bought soap too.  I do use the gain scented pellets to give it a better smell.

Please do come and visit us again. We would love to have you back.

Other post you may like: DIY Cleaner

All kids are different and only you can decide how you let your kids play. And with what materials you let them play with. My children are supervised when playing. Please keep this in mind with any post you read of mine!

Check us out on Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter,Google+,

and our G+ community, All Things Kids.

We linked up at: 

Q-tip Heart Paintings

Q-tip Painted Hearts

I have been wanting to let the boys paint with q-tips for some time now and I am so glad we finally got around to it.  If you are like me you have a thousand projects you want to do but never enough time to do them all.  I guess that could be a good thing because it leaves us something new to try.  We had a lot of fun with these and I love how they came out.

We Love Crocs! And The Kid's Co-op

Do you and your family have a brand shoe that you ALL love?  Well we do and its Crocs!  Having been in the medical field standing on my feet all day I tried tons of different brand shoes trying to find the best one.  When Crocs came out lots of my fellow co-works ran out and bought them and swore they were the best shoe.  I was not in impressed with the look of them so I never got my own pair to see what all the hype was about.  I later left my medical career behind me to start a family and become a stay at home mom and forgot about Crocs.  It wasn't until my first son was about 1.5yr that he was given a pair of Crocs to wear that I ever thought of them again.  My son grew to love these shoes and once he grew out of them he just had to have a new pair.  I set out on my Google quest to price and compare sites for locations on stores for Crocs.  I of course found the Crocs official home page during my search and started to look around.  I was amazed at the variety of shoes they had for the WHOLE family.  I found myself not only wanting to get my son a new pair of Crocs but I wanted a pair too.  I ordered my son a new pair of clogs and ended up deciding on a pair of Crocband flats for myself.  I must admit my Crocs are now the only shoe I ever wear.  They are comfortable and light weight.  My feet breath a little in them more than other shoes.  Easy to wipe off spilled juices from them.  And I can wear them with almost anything.  After purchasing these 2 pair of shoes my husband who did have a pair of clogs for outside use did take a look at the website too.  He found that he also liked many different styles of their shoes.  He purchased a pair of leather boots.  He also enjoys his Crocs and the style and comfort they bring.  We have since had a second son and as he has gotten bigger has become a Croc fan too.  Seeing that big brother loves his Crocs still, little brother just had to have  pair as well.  We all now have  a few pair of Crocs a piece.   I think Crocs are a perfect fit for my family and I know I will be buying more in the future.

Please do come and visit us again. We would love to have you back.

All kids are different and only you can decide how you let your kids play. And with what materials you let them play with. My children are supervised when playing. Please keep this in mind with any post you read of mine!

Check out our pinterest board, Fb page, twitter page, Google+,
and All Things Kids

DIY Microwavable Popcorn

DIY Microwavable Popcorn

Am I the only one left that had no idea you could make your own microwavable popcorn?  I am starting to think I might be.  While looking on pinterest one night I came across a pin for diy microwavable popcorn and  I was intrigued.  I thought, wow, I need to read this.  Popcorn has always been a favorite snack of mine and my kids love it too. I couldn't wait to see how I could make it for myself.  So I followed the link to Squawkfox.com and got the 411 on diy popcorn.  It turns out all you need is a brown paper bag, popcorn kernels and a microwave!  Now this is my diy project,simple!  I found one of the fun things about making it myself was that I could get the kids involved and let them help open the bag and fill it.  My boys love to help out in the kitchen so including them was a plus for me.  Once the popcorn is ready you can add your favorite toppings.  We added butter and salt.  I would love to try cinnamon sugar next time.  The possibilities for toppings are endless.  Well, if there is someone else out there in the dark like I was, I hope you too can enjoy diy microwaveable popcorn too!

Message in a Bottle- kid valentine's day craft

 During one of my late night feedings with my youngest I was wondering what new valentine crafts to try with the kids this year.  I know. Who thinks about crafts half asleep at 3 am?  Well, obviously I do,lol.  I have had pirates on the brain too for another project I am brainstorming for my boys and I guess half asleep thinking about both I got the idea to try a valentine message in a bottle.  I couldn't wait to start gathering supplies or maybe I could wait til I had a few more hours of sleep.  When I did start my morning I went through the recycling bin to find 2 bottles.  Now to prep.  I had 2 different bottles one glass and one plastic.  I had to remove a label with goo gone and I spray painted the lids black.

After preparing the bottles I was now ready to get the kids to come craft with me.  It worked out great for us to do this on a boring rainy day.  All 3 of us had fun creating the message in a bottle valentine's day craft. 

Beef stew and cornbread muffins

I love my crock pot as many people do.  How great is it to dump everything in and walk away.  One of our favorites is beef stew and cornbread.

Valentine's Day Tic Tac Toe-fun game for kids

Valentine's Day Tic Tac Toe

My oldest son 4yr has been learning to play tic tac toe.  Since he is getting older I have been trying to find new ways to entertain him and games have been one.  We both have fun playing tic tac toe.  He may not quite play "fair" every time but that's ok with me.  The fun we have makes up for that.

With Valentine's Day coming up I thought it would be fun to make him a themed tic tac toe game.  That is how we got Valentine's Day Tic Tac Toe.  It has been a big hit with him and I hope it can be for you too.

Winter Bath for Kids-easy yet so much fun

 

Winter Bath for Kids

I found these foam snowflakes at Target and knew I would use them for a winter bath.  I got 10 foam snowflakes for a $1.  I love to have fun with my kids but I love it more when it's cheap.  You could cut snowflakes out of foam sheets you can buy at dollar stores.  Now, I had to decide what else to use in the bath.  I chose to fill sauce bottles with blue food coloring, peppermint scent, and water.  Then I made puffy peppermint paint for them.  To do this add 1/2 c flour, 1/2 c salt, and water together and mix.  Also add peppermint extract.  

Now all I had to do was set up the tub.  I wet the foam snowflakes and stuck them to the side of the tub.  Then I sat the colored water and paint in the center of the tub for them to play.  Both the boys had lots of messy fun in their winter bath. When they were through we washed it out.  Then we filled the tub with water and added blue fizzy tabs, which we get at walmart, to the water and a little peppermint scent.  I bathed them and they continued to play with the snowflakes for a while before they got out.  My kids are 1.5yr and 4yr and both had a good time.  We hope your kids can have fun too in a winter bath.

Scented puffy paint & colored water for play.

we linked up at saturday show & tell

Please do come and visit us again. We would love to have you back.

All kids are different and only you can decide how you let your kids play. And with what materials you let them play with. My children are supervised when playing. Please keep this in mind with any post you read of mine!

Follow along with us and be inspired to play on
 Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter,  Google+,

and our G+ community, All Things Kids.

I am happy to be taking part in the Winter Wonderland Blog Hop today.  If you want more fab ideas on how to get through the winter blues check out the creator( The Iowa Farmer's Wife) landing page here with the list.  It started Jan. 13th and goes to Feb. 13th.

 

The Iowa Farmer's Wife - B-Inspired Mama - Kid World Citizen - Love Play Learn - 

Home Learning Journey - KC Edventures - Frogs and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails -
Milk and Cuddles - Putti's World - Nurture Store - Creative Playhouse - Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas - Teach Preschool - This Reading Mama - Housing A Forest - Royal Baloo - Two Big Two Little - Ready Set Read - CraftoArt - The Outlaw Mom Blog - JDaniel4s Mom - Creative Family Fun -
Kitchen Counter Chronicles - Caution! Twins at Play - Enchanted Homeschooling Mom Blog Me Mom - Mama Miss - Living Montessori Now - Ingles 360 - Glittering Muffins -
The Pleasantest Thing - Here Come the Girls - 3 Dinosaurs - Train Up a Child - Little Artists -
The Chirping Moms - My Nearest and Dearest

Snowflake Bulls Eye-winter game

Snowflake Bulls Eye- fun winter game

Homemade Peppermint Hand Scrub & The Kids Co-op

We love making homemade gifts for teachers, family, and friends.  This homemade hand scrub is easy to make and so wonderful to use.  It leaves your hands feeling nice and moisturized with a nice minty scent.  We wrote this post for The Studio follow this link to read how we made homemade hand scrub.  Hope you and your kids can have fun making this too.

Please do come and visit us again. We would love to have you back.

All kids are different and only you can decide how you let your kids play. And with what materials you let them play with. My children are supervised when playing. Please keep this in mind with any post you read of mine!

Check out our pinterest board, Fb page, twitter page,  Google+,
and All Things Kids

The Studio Store- arts and craft supplies for kids activities

The Kiwi Crate Studio, the place to find hundreds of creative kids craft ideas, just launched their kids craft materials pop-up shop! The shop is filled with top-quality materials, hand-picked by the kids art experts at award-winning Kiwi Crate. Find a fun project you want to try, then have the materials shipped right to your door! Explore interesting new materials from glittery clay to liquid watercolor and eco-friendly options.  Follow this link to see all the information.

This is so cool to be able to order the arts ad craft supplies you need to work on those kids projects you see on The Studio.  I see several arts and craft supplies I would love to order.  If you haven't been over to see my design profile on The Studio here it is.  I always love to share fun activities and recipes for the kids over there.  Follow along so you don't miss out on the fun we have.

Please do come and visit us again. We would love to have you back.

All kids are different and only you can decide how you let your kids play. And with what materials you let them play with. My children are supervised when playing. Please keep this in mind with any post you read of mine!

Check out our pinterest board, Fb page, twitter page,  Google+,
and All Things Kids

S'mores ready in Seconds- with peep marshmallows

We love s'mores at my house but we don't have the time or place to start a fire to roast marshmallows.  So, what is the next best way to make a s'mores? You guessed it, microwave!  It is super fast and still yummy. 

Snowman Bowling with sock snowballs

I have been wanting to make a themed bowling set for my boys.  With winter coming what better than snowman bowling.  I had fun making these for the kids and they have been having fun playing with them.  I had a lot of fun ideas for decorating these containers but had to keep it simple because of my tot.  My oldest could have gotten in on making these but chose to do something else at the time I made them.  Both kids have had lots of fun playing with the Snowman Bowling Set over and over.

20+ Winter Activities Kids Love

It's time again for another 10 things Kids Love.  For this one I wanted to share 20+ winter  activities kids love.  Not only winter themed but ideas to keep the kids busy when they can not get outside as much during the winter months. Here are some sensational winter activities for the kids from around the web.

About Me

I once worked in the medical field working long hours taking care of people and have now traded that in for being a full time wife and mommy.  I still work long hours taking care of people but it pays me so much more than my last job.  I have the best pay check, lots of hugs, kisses, and laughs from my boys.  I wouldn't trade it for the world, even on days I want to pull my hair and hide in the bathroom,lol.  Yes, I have those days too.  My husband(when home) and I love making lasting memories with our boys no matter if it is just sitting in the floor with them playing cars, creating a new playdough creation, or taking them out on new adventures.  Family is very important to us.

I love finding new and fun way to spend time with my boys.  After sharing pictures of some of the things we would do on my personal FB page, I had request for directions, instructions etc... from family and friends.  I thought an improved way to share with them would be a blog.  I had no idea when I created this blog it would turn in to a love of mine.  I truly enjoy sharing the things we have found delight in with others.  I do not need fame and fortune( although the fortune wouldn't hurt) from my blog.  I do hope that the family, friends, and other great readers like you can find at least one idea to enjoy with your family.  That makes it worth it for me.
                                                                                                   Jaime

Fruit Snowman Snack- And The Kid's Co-op

We got to share a fun snack over at The Studio (follow link to see full directions).  We had so much fun making and eating these. Hope you can too.

Please do come and visit us again. We would love to have you back.

All kids are different and only you can decide how you let your kids play. And with what materials you let them play with. My children are supervised when playing. Please keep this in mind with any post you read of mine!

Check us out on Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, Google+,

and our G+ community, All Things Kids.

12 of Our Most Loved Activities/Crafts of 2012

2012 was the beggining of my blogging days.  It has been a fun way for me to share our fun with others in hopes they may find something fun too.  I wanted to put together 12 of our most loved posts from last year.  This is not all of our loved post.  I didn't include our most viewed single activity post which is Apple Playdough.  You can see that in my best of the best post I did as part of a blog hop. Also I didn't include my 10 Things Kids Love series that has been enjoyed by others.  I must say it was hard to pick 12 post but I tried to pick ones we loved and others did too.  So here is what I came up with.  Thanks for following along and letting me share my ideas with you.  I hope to continue to share fun ideas with you in 2013.

Letter S: snowman craft & coloring sheets

We have been going over a new letter each month.  This month it is the letter S for snowman and snowflake.  I love finding crafts and activities to go with the letter we are going over.  Finding fun ways to reinforce what they are learning has been key for me.  Today I will share what we did forth letter S.

The Very Best Kid Activities from 2012

What an exciting time to be able to see all the best of the best kid post from last year in one spot.  I am honored to be a part of The Very Best Kids Activities from 2012 blog hop.  Here bloggers will link up their most loved or most popular post from last year.  What post would you link up?

I do so many activities with the boys that we really enjoy (and those few they don't) it is hard to pick one we loved the most.  So I am choosing one that was very popular, and we had a great time with, to link as our best post of 2012.  It is our Apple Cinnamon Playdough.  I was so excited to use our apple scent we made soap with in a new playdough creation for the kids.  The smell was awesome.  We had so much fun making apples with it. My sons favorite part was the last minute "caterpillar"  I made out of straws for him to stick in the apples.  My favorite part of the playdough was the color and smell. We still play with it today and hope to find new ideas for it in the future. 

Please take a minute to look through the linky below to see all the other great posts shared by fellow fab bloggers.

 Co-hosts for the blog hop are:

52 Brand New ~ Adventures in Mommydom ~ angeliquefelix.com - The Magic Of Play ~ At home with Ali B-Inspired Mama ~ Blog Me Mom ~Boy Mama Teacher Mama ~ Busy Kids = Happy Mom Carrots Are Orange ~ Caution! Twins at Play ~ Coffee Cups and Crayons ~ Confessions of a Montessori Mom Craft To Art ~ Creative Family Fun ~ Creative Kid Snacks ~ Creative Learning Fun ~ Creative Playhouse Creative with Kids ~ Cute and Peculiar ~ De tout et de rien: Activités pour le Préscolaire ~ Dirt And Boogers Edventures with Kids ~ Enchanted Homeschooling Mom ~ The Good Long Road ~ Frogs and snails and puppy dog tails Glittering Muffins ~ Go Kid Yourself ~ Growing A Jeweled Rose ~ hands on : as we grow ~ Here Come the Girls Home Learning Journey ~ Housing A Forest ~ Mama Smiles ~ In Lieu of Preschool ~ Inspiration Laboratories Inspired by Family ~ It's A Long Story ~ JDaniel4's Mom ~ Kids Creative Chaos ~ Kid World Citizen Kindergarten & Preschool for Parents & Teachers ~ Kitchen Counter Chronicles ~ Laughing Kids Learn ~ Learn with Play at home Lessons Learnt Journal ~ Life At The Zoo ~ Little Artists ~ Living Life Intentionally ~ Living Montessori Now ~ Love, Play, Learn Loving My Nest ~ Mama Pea Pod ~ mama miss ~ Mamas Like Me ~ Mess For Less ~ Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas ~ Momma's Fun World Montessori Tidbits ~ My Buddies and I ~ My Little Bookcase ~ My Nearest and Dearest ~ No Twiddle Twaddle ~ Nurturestore Octavia and Vicky ~ One Perfect Day ~ ourfeminist{play}school ~ Picklebums ~ Play Activities ~ Playdough to Plato PlayDrMom ~ playful learners ~ playing with words 365 ~ PragmaticMom ~ Putti'sWorld ~ RainbowsWithinReach Rainy Day Mum ~ Raising Playful Tots ~ Reading Confetti ~ Red Ted Art ~ Royal Baloo ~ Science Sparks ~ Scribble Doodle and Draw Small Potatoes ~ Smiling like Sunshine ~ Sun Hats & Wellie Boots ~ Sun Scholars ~ Teach Preschool ~ The Educators' Spin On It The Fairy and The Frog ~ The Freckled Homeschooler ~ The Golden Gleam ~ The Imagination Tree ~ The Iowa Farmer's Wife The Outlaw Mom Blog ~ The Pleasantest Thing ~ This Reading Mama ~ Toddler Approved ~ Train Up a Child ~ True Aim Two Big Two Little ~ What Do We Do All Day? ~ Connecting Family and Seoul

Please do come and visit us again. We would love to have you back.

All kids are different and only you can decide how you let your kids play. And with what materials you let them play with. My children are supervised when playing. Please keep this in mind with any post you read of mine!

Check out our pinterest board, Fb page, twitter page,  Google+,
and All Things Kids

If you have a blog please link up your most popular post of 2012 below.  Can not wait to see all the great post added.