Valentine Crafts for Toddlers – Scissorless!
Don’t get caught thinking that Valentine’s crafts are just about cutting hearts out. Kids of all ages can get involved in the celebration. Toddlers are too young to use scissors safely on their own, but they can still participate in craft making with the family.
Here are some ideas for Valentine’s Day crafts that don’t require using scissors.
PAINT: Toddlers love to paint (all ages actually!). If they are in preschool, they have likely learned that it is safe and fun to paint. Give them some finger paints in red and white and let them create just about anything!
With finger paints, you have to have an area prepared to contain the mess. Dress the kids in play clothes so that they can get messy without ruining their good clothes.
Show them how to use their little hands to make a heart shape out of their prints. You can have them alternate between red and white… or they can mix the white and red to make a nice pink for more hearts. I think it is absolutely adorable to have them paint on poster board… Guide their hands to write ‘I Love You’ and you will have a beautiful masterpiece to hang on the wall for the holiday!
Toddlers can give the gift of flowers out of tissue paper as well. Give them a variety of colors and sizes of tissue paper so they can make different kinds of flowers for their loved ones.
Kids Valentine’s Crafts with Construction Paper
Crafts are so much fun for kids… and Valentine’s Day is the perfect time to let them go at it! Construction paper is one of the most versatile tools for Valentine’s Day crafts that kids will enjoy creating and family members will enjoy receiving.
First things first – start with a simple pad of construction paper. You’ll want to be sure the pad has white, red and pink sheets… as well as other colors too. The local craft store or even the dollar stare should have just what you need for the job.
Obviously the first project would be paper hearts… like I mentioned in my last post. Kids can use safety scissors to cut out heart tracings on a folded piece of paper. Let your kids draw big and small hearts out of red and white sheets of construction paper. You can even let them use those fancy craft scissors to give the hearts a unique edged design.
Red, white and pink are the usual Valentine’s Day colors… but, if your kids want to use other colors as well – let them! They are being creative… this is a great time to encourage their creativity. A blue or purple heart will be made with just as much love as a red one.
Get Your Tickets Here!
Tickets are so great for young children…
We started a new chore system for our almost 10 year old(called Accountable Kids… I’ll share more about it later – love it and it deserves its own post!)… and it is ticket based. Basically, our son can earn tickets for doing morning chores, afternoon chores, good behavior, etc… and the tickets can be exchanged for privileges (mostly screen time). We started the system with just our oldest… and it has worked so well that now my younger two (ages 6 and 4) are always asking if they can earn tickets. What is funny about it… they don’t even know what the tickets are for!
I love it when children are still in the stage where a ticket is enough of a prize! 
So, I was thrilled to find these tickets that Gingham Cherry is giving away – so cute!
Just think about the possibilities…
tickets for potty training
tickets to buy stuff from the ’store’
tickets for obeying
tickets for kindness
tickets for chores
tickets for game pieces
tickets for learning to count/math
… so many possibilities!
You can even let your kids set up all their stuffed animals in the living room for a zoo exhibit… and sell tickets to the zoo
What would you use these tickets for?
Does Your Kid Kitchen Have Menus?
This is the coolest idea… can’t wait to do this with my kids next week!
My younger 2 spend a lot of time preparing all sorts of concoctions in their little kitchen… it is pretty funny the different ‘teas’ they serve… or appetizers (which IRL would not be all that appetizing!)… their creativity is amazing — and this idea over at Money Saving Mom takes it a new level!
Money Saving Mom posted the cutest idea to make little menus for your kids kitchen — the kind THEY make Isn’t this a great exercise for them? They get to pick out foods they want to eat and include on their menu, layout the design, and set the prices. You could laminate the project for them too so they stand up over time.
What’s in your beach bag?
- Image by shell belle via Flickr
Every summer I get out a huge bag and pack it with summer time essentials. I love heading to the beach… or to the park with sand… just being outside!! And, having a bag all ready to go lets us leave in on a whim.
Here is what I have in my bag:
- sunglasses for the kids
- sunhats for the kids
- 2 towels and a smaller hand towel
- powder (amazing for getting that wet sand off!)
- sunscreen
- water bottles with water
- granola bars (or other non perishable snacks)
- extra shorts for my 4 year old
- diapers/pull-ups
- antibacterial gel and/or wipes
- a few small sand toys (shovel, truck)
My bag is always hanging on the hook by the front door… and every few days, I’ll make sure the water is fresh so it is ready to go.
What about you?
Do you have a beach bag ready to go?
What’s in it?
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Free Cultural Passes… Get Out Of The House!
Has the economy put a damper on your plans for getting to the zoo or a local museum with the kids?
Is heading to the park every few days getting a little old… but, the budget is just too tight to pay for $15+ tickets to visit a local museum for kids?
Did you know that you might be able to get FREE passes to all kinds of great places to bring kids?
We recently found out that our local library offers free passes (you actually check them out) to quite a few museums and other places with activities for kids… it’s worth checking into your local library too – I’m always amazed at how many resources libraries have!
Our library (Washington County in Oregon) offers cultural passes for:
* A.C. Gilbert’s Discovery Village
* Chinese Classical Garden
* Pittock Mansion
* Portland Art Museum
* Portland Children’s Museum
* Portland Japanese Garden
* Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals
* Washington County Museum
The EASIEST way to get your kids OUTDOORS
Do you have trouble getting your kids outdoors?
Okay – maybe that is a silly question… but, the other day, I was suggesting to my kids that they head out back to play. I couldn’t believe it when they said they didn’t want to. What I realized is that they just needed a little help with ideas for what to DO out back… I’ve put together a scavenger hunt list of things for them to find out back… I recommended different roll-play ideas they can do (pretend play like Indiana Jones, Dino Hunter, GI Joe, FairyLand, etc…) But, this time they needed something different.
Check this out…
This kept my kids entertained (and getting along!) for hours out back… a win-win-win!!
There are all sorts of digging adventures you can pick up at Marshalls, Ross and TJMaxx… here are some available at Amazon just so you can see what I’m talking about.
I’m pretty sure we have done all of them at this point…
We started with a dino-dig like this one
There is one set where you dig out pieces of armor and then put it together on a stand…
There are digs you can do for beautiful rocks and gems (my daughter loved this one!)
There are digs you can do where you dig out pirate treasure and then they are actually pieces of a game…
In fact, these are great to bring if you are camping! We did that last year when our church went camping for the weekend – all the kids ended up at our campsite to help with the dig going on… lots of fun for everyone!
Boredom Buster #4
We are still going strong with our Boredom Buster’s!! Help us stamp out boredom this summer with your own tips to keep kids busy in the comments!
- Image by esagor via Flickr
Boredom Buster #4
Sidewalk Chalk: This is always a great boredom buster! There are all sorts of different accessories for sidewalk chalk these days too… but, the best is just letting the kids get creative.
You can help by giving them a sort of game to play… or have them make up a game with their chalk drawings… or, they can draw a story… build hopscotch… draw a desert island and boats to get there on… let their imagination go wild at a park sidewalk or in your driveway.
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Boredom Buster #3
We are still on a roll here… cutting boredom from the summer of 2009! Here is boredom buster number 3…
Boredom Buster #3
- Image by plien via Flickr
March In A Parade: This is perfect for right around 4th of July – let the kids decorate their bikes, trikes or wagon and put on a parade! There doesn’t really have to be a special occassion – they can just have a summer parade too!
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Boredom Buster #2
We are continuing our series to help fight BOREDOM this summer… No more hearing ‘I’m Bored Mom!’ this summer with these fantastic tips. Do you have something add? Leave a comment and we’ll be sure to feature it in a future post.
Boredom Buster #2
Arts and Crafts Bin: Set a budget and hit the dollar store or craft store to build a bin of craft supplies. Take the kids with you and give them $5-10 to add to the bin things that interest them. Once a week, pull out the arts and crafts bin for them to create.
A few things to consider including:
- pipe cleaners
- wooden craft sticks
- stickers
- puffy paints
- fabric swatches
- felt pieces
- yarn
- ribbons
- scissors, glue, tape, etc.
- paper plates
- foil
- pretty papers (scrapbooking paper?)
Fight Boredom With Fun At Home This Summer
We are starting a series to help fight boredom this summer!
Tired of hearing, “I’m Bored Mom”? All it takes is a little bit of preparation and planning… and we are here to help!
Over the next week we will be highlighting some fun ways to keep your kids from being bored this summer. If you have something to add – please share, and I’ll feature it in a future post.
Boredom Buster #1
Backyard Camp Out: Set up your tent right in your backyard for an overnight stay… If camping outside is just a little too much for your little ones, you can still have a camp-out by having a fun campfire (check out this campfire in a box for your backyard – too cool!) and then you can make your own s’mores! If the camp fire in the box is a bit much – there are these little s’more grills you can get. We have one and it works great! The point is to get outside and have a great time creating yummy treats over a fire.
What you might need:
- Basic S’more Ingredients – graham crackers, chocolate squares, large marshmellows
- Skews for cooking marshmellows
- campfire in a box
- or, smaller s’more grill
- want something more gourmet? Check out this s’more cookbook!
Do you have a favorite Boredom Buster? Leave a comment sharing your tip and we’ll feature it later – giving you full credit, of course!
Get Ready For Summer Boredom Busters!
Here they come… Tomorrow we start a series of Boredom Busters so you never have to hear “I’m Bored Mom” during the summer of 2009! Ahhh… doesn’t that sound nice?
If you want to participate – be sure to share your favorite boredom buster and we will include it as a post. I’m going to try to get Mr. Linky to work – but, I’ve never done that before… so, we’ll have to just see if it coorperates. In the mean time, feel free to leave a comment sharing your tip for keeping summer sane with little ones.
See you tomorrow!
Fitness For Kids
I have a feeling I’ll be mentioning this again once the rain sets in later this year… but, it is on my mind and even though it’s summer (YAY!) and warm (DOUBLE YAY!) and I really want my kids to be outside as much as possible… this is a great way to get kids moving when they are indoors.
The library is one of our favorite places… (no this isn’t about going to the library) and we stumbled on this video that is so cool! I love Denise Austin – and she has a Fit Kids video that is loads of fun. My kids are 9, 6 and 4 and all three of them could have done this all afternoon. Denise does an amazing job with motivating the kids and getting them moving… all I did was stick it in the DVD player and the kids started moving on their own In fact, my 6 year old was determined to not watch the movie I was putting on… she was sitting in the rocking chair pretending not to watch. My 9 year old and 4 year old were starting to get into it and pretty soon, I heard my 6 year old say, “Hey, you’re in my way!” heehee! Love it… within minutes she was up doing all the moves too and having a great time!
Fun and educational toddler activities
Toddlers, ever going, never tiring and ultimately chaotic… so just how do you find enough activities to keep them entertained?
Toddlers aren’t old enough to entertain themselves or get involved in pretend play (without a little help), which means it’s up to you to keep them entertained and happy. The best activities for toddlers are fun-filled while still fully helping them developmentally.
So what are some fun but also educational activities for your toddler? The good news is that toddlers are fairly easy to entertain so there’s no need to go out and spend a fortune or turn your house into an amusement park.
Here are a few fun ideas:
Go for a nature walk – Educational yet lots of fun. Your toddler will love exploring and collecting different treasures to bring home. Point out big leaves to him or different colored plants or flowers. Collect opposites such as a small leaf and a big leaf or a small stick and a big stick.
Take your time and have fun. Don’t worry if you don’t live near a nature reserve or park. A simple walk around your neighborhood will be sufficient. Your toddler won’t mind and there will still be lots for him to see.
Road Trips and Kids – Tips To Help You Survive
Are we there yet? Road trips with kids are definitely one of life’s experiences. If you’re traveling by road this summer with a car full of kids or even one, these tips will help you keep the kids entertained while helping you keep your sanity in the process.
Make Comfort a Priority – Again, making your kids comfortable should be on top of your checklist for road travel. Take along travel blankets and pillows. If the weather is hot place a light shade on the windows to avoid the bright sunlight. If it’s cold out make sure your kids have plenty of layers on and don’t forget their favorite stuffed animal or teddy bear.
Pack Their Favorites – Let each child pack a little back pack with their favorite toys, books or even snacks. It’s exciting for them to pack their own special bag and it’s nice for them to have their favorite things close at hand. This also helps you avoid them wanting to bring along their whole room. The rule is if it fits in their bags they can bring it, if it doesn’t then it has to stay.
Make Plenty of Stops – If you are going to drive for several hours, remember children don’t have the same patience as adults, so make sure you take plenty of rest breaks along the way. You can stop at rest stations but also playgrounds or parks, where you can all stretch, or alternatively visit a fast food restaurant which has a separate play area for the kids.
A Treasure Chest for your child
I don’t remember how it started… but, when our oldest (now 
was about 2, we got him a wooden box that has a cool metal lock on the front… we told him it was his special “treasure box”. We have never told him what to put in it… only that it was for his special treasures… and at 8, it is jam packed! In fact, our youngest (3) came across it the other day on the floor (it is suppose to be on his tall dresser.. Hmmm…)… and was SO fascinated with what was inside – some coins, rocks, cool little action figure dudes, a few things my hubby has given him…
Once my oldest started putting things inside his treasure box, we realized what a cool idea this was – and that it was something extra special we could give each of our kids. So, about three years ago, we bought one for our daughter. We shopped all over the place for the perfect wooden box – and finally found it at TJMaxx. It was dark wood shaped a bit like a heart… with the perfect locking clasp too! Now, my daughter has her own treasure chest… only hers is a bit different inside. Hers is filled with jewelry, gems, rocks, coins, and lots of pink things!
Last year, we gave our youngest (who I mentioned enjoys his older brother’s box) a special treasure chest… and it sits in the family room… empty.
Save your Kid’s Handwriting… FOREVER!
This is the coolest!
I just stumbled on this little site that lets you create a font from your handwriting… it’s fun for us grown ups – think Christmas letters, Thank you cards… and no more tired hands from writing… But, what a cool idea to use this to capture your kids handwriting!! I wish I could take credit for this idea – but, read about it on Zoom In Design.
To create the font, check out Fontifier at www.fontifier.com
List of free or VERY inexpensive toys for your little ones
A friend of mine recently told me about a site that I have fell in love with… Simple Mom. I’m using some of her techniques to get things in order before school starts and can’t wait to report how they work for me. (In fact, if you have used some of her stuff – let me know how it is working for you!)…
Anyhow, the other day Simple Mom posted a great list of toys for kids that hardly cost a thing – and many are free!
Check it out here… you’ll be surprised of some of the great ideas an egg carton can be used for!
Free Movies This Summer At Regal
I don’t know why I didn’t think of posting about this earlier… but, better late than never!
Every summer Regal Cinemas offers a Free Family Film Festival where they have free family friendly movies on Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s at 10am. I took my 8 year old son to see Happily N’Ever After this morning and we had such a great time. As we were walking out of the theater, he grabbed my hand and said, “That was a lot of fun mom!” Makes me happy to know I’m making memories for him…
There are some great movies this year – although they probably are different depending on your location – but, in the Portland area we have the Water Horse, Veggie Tales: The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything, Doogle, The Arctic Tale and many, many more!
Here is a link to find out what is playing in your area…
Enjoy!
Jenni
Forget WebKinz… Check Out HandiPoints – Chores Earn HandiPoints
I am always looking for a new chore system for my kids… I have implemented a few and they have all worked well – but, after a while they seem to fizzle. Can you relate?
Well – that is until I stumbled on HandiPoints.
This site is SO cool and, in my opinion, blows WebKinz out of the park. I know – chores and WebKinz don’t really have much to do with each other… but, the online WebKinz world is what ‘HandiLand’ reminded me of… only, the difference is that kids EARN time (and Handi Money for clothes, games, etc.) in HandiLand! And, they earn it by doing chores.
The site has great chore charts and does all the tracking for you. You can print them out – or let your child login and check their online chart. Each chore has a point value added to it (by you) and it is all tracked automatically!
I haven’t seen anything like this online… in fact, they should really be charging for the service… but, it is FREE! (Told you it was better than Webkinz! 
Looking for ideas to keep your kids busy this summer?
We’ve all heard it… and, honestly, it only takes about two days into summer before it starts…
“MOM… I’m Bored!”
This is the last week of school for my oldest who is in the second grade… and even though it is barely 60 degrees outside (will summer weather EVER hit the northwest?!?)… I’m already anticipating those days when my kids are wondering what in the world they can do to fight the incredible amount of boredom they are faced with.
I have a couple of ideas… we are going to strictly enforce daily chores (WHOOHOO!!) – and, of course, balance it with play time outside and inside… and I’m planning on taking lots of trips to the library to keep those reading skills growing. But, I still know I’m going to run out of ideas… so, a couple of years ago, I put together a list of things your kids can do this summer to keep the boredom from settling in.
You can check it out here…
www.ImBoredMom.com
And, if you have an idea that keeps your kids from being bored, please comment below – I’d love to hear about it…
5 Tips to Help Prevent Your Toddler From Getting Overwhelmed
Having a toddler often means having a ton of toys in your house, it may even look like Toys’R’Us exploded in your living room. This may be a cool thing for her when she has fun new toys but looking and trying to decide what to play with can be a daunting task for a young one. Just like us when we have a long to do list we don’t know where to start or what to tackle first.
I have found some these things to help not only keep her from getting overwhelmed but also keep things a little more organized.
Small Rubbermaid buckets or cubbies
With these you can group like toys like all blocks, dolly and clothes, and legos. This helps keep them from getting lost plus it helps save time when she wants to play with them. Then back in the box and put back so they are ready to play with next time.
Larger Rubbermaid buckets
Having a few only put enough toys in there to close the top that way you can rotate the boxes of toys. Rotate them out once every few weeks it’s like getting new toys she won’t get board and you don’t have a ton of toys laying around the house.
Schedules
OK this may be having you wondering why schedule something like playing with toys. It does work; if you say make different days for different toys then only pull those out. Another idea is to make it a certain type of play before lunch or nap time then something else that afternoon. This works best for stay at home moms, it can help them keep their days a little more organized.
Reading with Your Toddler
Teaching our children to read is probably one of the most important thing we can teach or little ones. Most of us begin at a very young age usually when they are babies. As your child grows in to the toddler years they begin to get restless and not want to sit for a story. However as a mom you may think well how can I get her to learn to read if she is not interested.
Bed time is the perfect time to begin the process of enjoying books. During this time they are beginning to slow down for the day and get snug for sweet dreams. Curl up with a book and begin reading, another option is to have her read the story to you by explaining what she is seeing in the pictures. Her vocabulary may not be very far along but doing this together can help with her vocabulary, show her how fun books can be and she is learning to read.
Play time is another option while she is playing with a couple small toys still read to her. It may appear that she is not listening or paying attention, keep in mind she is. Just sitting reading softly she will listen, a lot of times if your speaking softly she may stop just to listen. During play time sometimes story telling does not even have to come from a book, sharing ideas of what she is playing with can help spark that interest which can lead to wanting to hear more.
Roasting Pumpkin Seeds…
This is a tradition in our home… I love taking the seeds from the pumpkins that are carved and roasting them for a little treat. I usually just clean up the seeds by washing them, throw them on a cookie sheet, sprinkle with olive oil and some garlic and bake until they are nice and toasty… but, today I found this recipe that I might try:
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Preheat oven to 400°F. After you have cut open the pumpkin and scooped all the seeds and goo out… Separate the seeds from the stringy core. Rinse the seeds.
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In a small saucepan, add the seeds to water, about 2 cups of water to every half cup of seeds. Add a tablespoon of salt for every cup of water. Bring to a boil. Let simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and drain.
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Spread about a tablespoon of olive oil over the bottom of a roasting pan. Spread the seeds out over the roasting pan, all in one layer. Sprinkle with a little garlic powder or your favorite seasoning.
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Bake on the top rack for 20 minutes or until the seeds begin to brown. When browned to your satisfaction, remove from the oven and let the pan cool on a rack. Let the seeds cool all the way down before eating.
source
Do you have a favorite recipe for roasting pumpkin seeds? I’d love to try it!
My latest purchase: “101 Places You Gotta See Before You’re 12 Book”
I’m so excited about this book… it looks like a lot of fun.
With 3 little ones under the age of 8 – I’m always looking for great ideas for a new adventure! This book is packed with ideas… and you don’t have to travel the globe! Here is the ‘official’ book description:
“To children, the world can seem huge, filled with exciting places to visit and new things to experience. But how can they start uncovering the many treasures that await them? This fun and informative guidebook—the first in a new series—invites kids to embark on an exhilarating scavenger hunt that opens their eyes to things they’ve never imagined before. And there’s no need to go far or plan a big, expensive vacation to see this great stuff. In fact, some of the places may be quite close to home. They can take a peek at what actually goes on at their parents’ office, experience another culture’s cuisine at an ethnic restaurant, immerse themselves in the beauty of nature at a wildlife preserve, or get the inside scoop on what really happens backstage at the theater…or even in the teacher’s lounge! And the ideas are just general enough to provide a gentle push in the right direction, while allowing young dreamers to use their imagination and fill in the specifics.
In addition to tons of fun facts, lists of little-known sites, and more than 250 color photos, there’s a bonus fold-out map of North America and stickers, so youngsters can mark where they’ve been.”
