Peek-a-BOO Ghost Match

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We are right in the middle of moving to a new house. With all of the craziness that comes with buying, selling, packing, and moving with two little ones, I haven't been making a lot of activities for Skyler and we have been relying more on finding new ways to play with all of our toys. That got a little harder when we started packing up as many toys as possible in preparation for our move. When trying to think of some simple activities we could do with what we still have at home, this match game came to mind.

We have been reading and playing a lot with the theme of Halloween and Skyler is very interested in ghosts lately. I decided to have a fun little number match and scavenger hunt. This could easily be done after Halloween with pumpkins for fall, ornaments for a Christmas tree, Easter eggs, etc.

I had already packed up all of our construction paper, contact paper, and other crafty items I usually use to make games for Skyler, but then I remembered we had our easel still. To make this craft game, I cut out one ghost shape and then traced and cut ten ghosts out of one piece of easel paper, then traced ten more onto a new piece.

I happened to make each one a different color, but this was definitely more of a number match for Skyler. If your little one is younger, you could use less numbers or just have it as a color match!

I hid the ten ghosts around our living room with pieces of tape and Skyler had so much fun running around and collecting his ghosts. I thought he would have to work a little harder to match the numbers, but he would look at it while he ran to the easel and by the time he made it there, he already knew exactly where to put it. I might have to go up to 15 or 20 on our next number match!

This face when he found the last one hiding behind the couch just makes me smile!

Even though I just used tape, we have been able to use the ghosts a few times! To make the game last longer, you could laminate or cover the ghosts in contact paper, or use velcro in place of tape.

Non-Edible Halloween Treat

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Last year around Halloween, Skyler and I made play dough Halloween treats for his ECFE class. I used baby food jars and they were really cute. We were in class with the parents, so I just handed each of them a jar. This year in his preschool class, they put them in a bag and then send the bag home. I didn't want any bags getting dropped with glass jars in them, so I chose a more safe (and much less time consuming) way to package our play dough.

I have been wanting to make this awesome microwave play dough from Fun at Home with Kids since the first time I saw the video on their Facebook page, and I can't believe I waited almost six months to try it! When I heard Skyler's preschool was having a Halloween dress up and treat day (non-edible items allowed only), I jumped at the opportunity to make some fun homemade play dough "treats."

Skyler and I followed the play dough recipe, adding yellow and red food coloring and pumpkin pie spice to make ours into little scented Jack-o-lanterns. Skyler is a great helper when we make play dough. He loves to measure, pour, mix, and especially knead the finished dough. This recipe is so simple and makes a great play dough to explore with! Skyler enjoyed playing with his Halloween cookie cutters while I put our treat bags together.  

All you need to make these non-edible Halloween treat bags are:

Orange microwave play dough (add the pumpkin pie spice for extra fun!)

Snack baggies

Black and green sharpies

(Optional) Stickers for a gift tag

I made the dough into sixteen little balls, stuck one ball in each snack bag, smashed it down into a puck and closed the bag. Then I drew a simple jack-o-lantern face and green stem on the bag. You could just leave it at that, but I had some cute stickers too, so I cut them into strips and wrote on the back as a gift tag.

From start to finish including making the play dough, this only took about half an hour and we doubled the play dough recipe, so we have a lot of dough to play with at home too! We had a lot of fun putting these together, and Skyler can't wait to give a bag to each of his friends at school!

Simple Bowling Game

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Wow! I didn't think that after Emerson's arrival I would be taking such a long break. Being the single parent of a toddler (/preschooler) and newborn (/baby) is no joke, and while my boys make it as easy on me as possible, unfortunately I have not had time to create and blog as I would have liked! Even though I had many ideas, they just never ended up being written about, and although I would like to say that I have a bunch of stuff coming up soon, I'm not sure when I will be getting back to regular posting. I have been thinking about it more and more lately. I think the deployment has been a big part of my lack of motivation here, and it is very possible that Joe's homecoming will be just what I need to get back into it.

But...this bowling game! I am almost embarrassed to share, it is that simple. Skyler has absolutely loved this lately though! All you need to play is a chunky wood puzzle (we have done it with this Melissa & Doug Farm Wooden Chunky Puzzle, and also with the Melissa & Doug Vehicles Chunky Wooden Puzzle) with semi-smooth bottoms on the pieces and a ball (or ball and bat as Skyler preferred). A little hockey set would work to (We love this hockey stick and ball set!)

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We were playing in the living room during Emerson's nap one morning and as we were playing and talking I started to stand the puzzle pieces up. Skyler asked what I was doing and happened to have the ball and bat in his hands and voila! Our new favorite game was created. We have been playing frequently in our free time (not that we have had much of it lately, we are pretty much always out of the house! Soaking up as much of the sun as we can this summer.)

King of the bowling game!

And one more, because the tongue just makes me laugh! Every picture - tongue hanging out!

Depending on the puzzle you use (shapes, colors, etc.), you can easily make this more of a learning activity and not just a game by calling out "try to knock down the animal that says "moo" or "knock down the piece that is red." Or when several pieces come down, ask the child the question then. "Which animal sounds do those make?" or "What colors (shapes, animals) did you knock down?"

Little brother didn't get to play the bowling game, but we did have fun with blocks on the same day. He sure has changed a lot in the past seven months! 

We moved Emerson's crib into Skyler's room and they have been sleeping in the same room together since Sunday! First two days were not so good, but each day has gotten better! If I get it more organized/cute I may have to do another room post, since I love taking pictures of it (Like here, here, here, here, and here!) My favorite room in the house! We are taking up every single inch of our tiny space, but I just love our home.

Even though I haven't been posting here, I post frequently on Instagram. You can find me here. 

If you want more bowling fun, you can find our homemade bowling game here.

He's Here!

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It has been a whirlwind of a week since the arrival of baby boy #2. Emerson Leo arrived very early in the morning on December 11, with daddy there via FaceTime for the entire labor and delivery. We have been home since Friday afternoon and are getting quickly back to our normal routine after taking a weekend to acclimate. Music class on Tuesday, a trip to Minneapolis on the train to see Santa Wednesday, and ECFE this morning! Skyler is such a proud big brother and it has been so fun to watch him interact with his baby brother. He loves to hold the baby while giving him a lots of hugs and kisses. He is so helpful with everything I do from changing to burping and soothing, he is such a doting brother and it makes me cry almost everyday, it is just so sweet! I am completely smitten with my little Emerson and have been enjoying a ton of new baby cuddles and smells. He is so yummy! Some favorite pictures from the past few days. 

Talking to Daddy on FaceTime

Leaving the hospital!

Feathered Turkey Play

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This simple feathered turkey contact paper play is a perfect last minute Thanksgiving activity. If you need some time for final preparations and are looking for something fun to occupy your little one, give this a try! All you need is colored construction paper (or you could draw the turkey shape onto a piece of white paper), contact paper, tape, and feathers (which could also be made out of paper). 

 

To make this fun activity for Skyler, I cut the turkey pieces out of construction paper, quickly used a glue stick to put him together and taped him straight onto our glass door. Then I taped the non-stick side of a small piece of contact paper over him, peeled off the backing to reveal the sticky side, and we were ready to play in just a few minutes!

150+ Screen-Free Activities for Kids (Plus a Giveaway!)

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Between the snow that started earlier this week (and the extremely cold temps we will be having in Minnesota for the next several months) and the upcoming arrival of baby boy #2 any day now, I am more concerned about keeping Skyler well entertained and not plopping him down in front of a screen to pass the time. We love the occasional episode of Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood and some educational iPad apps, but I want to make sure that I am still providing Skyler with a variety of learning activities at a time where we will be cooped up at home and with a new baby that will require a lot of attention. The timing could not be more perfect for the book I am reviewing today!

When I found out that Asia of Fun at Home with Kids was working on her first book, I couldn't wait to get my hands on it!! I have been a huge fan of Asia and her incredible blog since she started and have been so happy to get to know her since starting Minne-Mama. Her simple hands-on activities are appealing to kids of all ages and every single thing she posts is SO fun! Skyler and I frequently do the activities and crafts that she posts, and I have many of her other posts on my must-try list (my Pinterest is proof of that!) Well, the wait is over, the book is out and it is AMAZING!

Many of the activities I have been dying to try are included such as Moonsand, Baked Cotton Balls, Crystallizing Watercolors, Soap Foam, Dirt and Worms, and every single small world activity. You have got to check them all out - the coolest! 

Skyler and I have happily been going through and trying some activities from the book. I had everything for the following activities at home already which is one of my favorite things about this book. You can buy almost everything at the grocery store or superstore that you are probably stopping at at least once a week (if you don't have it stocked in your pantry already!)

We did two activities from the book on Monday when we had our first snowfall. We started with the recipe for Magic Expanding Paint and it was a HUGE hit with Skyler. He started off by making small dots, but after I mentioned the word "squeeze" he filled page after page with awesome puddles of paint. His favorite way to create was by making a circle with one color, filling the center with another color, and switching off until his page was full.

Seriously, this recipe was so quick to put together and we spent the next half hour talking, laughing, and creating some beautiful pieces of art! This activity is going to become very popular at our house - just look at the joy on Skyler's face!

We also tried Oobleck for the first time! Going along with our snowy morning, we kept with the Plain Oobleck from the book, and then Skyler added snowflake sequins to play with. I wasn't sure how this would go since Skyler is not really into slimy sensory play.

At first he touched it and said "I don't like this!" I sat and played with it, talking about how cool it was (seriously this stuff is incredible to touch - I have never felt anything like it!)

With some manipulation, the sequins started dropping down into the Oobleck, so I told Skyler we had to play peek-a-boo for them. That caught his attention, and my little man who is not a fan of gooey stuff was on a mission to find snowflakes! He still didn't love it, but it was a start. There were smiles :) I will definitely continue to use this activity with Skyler.

We also made the PomPom Shooter from the book which was a ton of fun! The next two up for us are the Flax Goo from the slimes section and the Banana Playdough. Both things we have all the ingredients for at home and I think Skyler will love them both!

I am planning on buying a stockpile of 150+ Screen-Free Activities for Kidsto give as Christmas, birthday, and 'just because' gifts for everyone I know that has a child baby to school-aged. For an extra special gift to give, check out Asia's post for including the book with this DIY sensory kit!

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I could keep gushing about the book - how great it describes ways to manage messy play (something I thought I would avoid as a mom because I hate to make a mess!), how clearly labeled each activity is with any potential allergens, or the huge amount of variations included - but really, you have to check it out for yourself!

150+ Screen-Free Activities for Kidsis available worldwide and can be purchased through the following links. If you don't see a link for your country, email Asia at and she will be able to help you track one down! (funathomewithkids@gmail.com)

Amazon US
Amazon UK
Amazon CA
Barnes and Noble
From your local US bookstore
Book Depository
Fishpond AU

Asia has a super fun giveaway going on and you can enter here to win a handmade activity from the book (made by the author herself)! I would be thrilled to win any of her amazing creations!! Enter to win below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I was asked by Asia to be a part of her online book tour and was given a copy of the book 150+ Screen-Free Activities for Kids by the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Toddler Decorated Care Package

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Care package two was successfully shipped and received! We found out that Joe got approved for leave and will be home for Thanksgiving before returning to his stateside training. I chose to do a Thanksgiving theme and had a lot of fun making this package.

I wanted to include Skyler in the decorating of the package as much as possible. We had a lot of fun making sticker turkeys, hand print turkeys, and a big feathered turkey to decorate the inside, flaps, and top of Joe's care package. Skyler loved feeling involved not only in making the care package, but helping me pick out the things that went inside of it. 

Similar to our last package, I mostly just sent snacks for Joe (with plenty to share!) since he didn't really need anything yet. I also included a letter, and on the morning I was going to send it, Joe asked me to send the arm band for his phone, so luckily I was able to send it to him that day!

My main goal with this care package was trying out mason jar pies. Joe's dad has a recipe he loves at Thanksgiving for sweet potato pecan pie. Following their recipe for the pie filling and modifying the cooking temp and time using a canned pie recipe I looked up, I ended up with three little pies that can be shipped safely because of the canning process! The recipe usually has the nuts on top, but I found a candied pecan recipe and sent them separately instead. Joe said they were amazing and I can't wait to try this method out for all sorts of baked goods!

I included tons of snacks and treats like jelly cranberries (Joe loves them - sticking with the Thanksgiving theme), almonds and trail mix, granola bars, chips and salsa, candy corn and M&M's, beef jerky, and flavored pretzels. We'll see if they can actually finish it all before Thanksgiving - I went a little overboard!

Skyler's favorite part was decorating this feathered turkey for Joe. Skyler put on the eyes, beak, and feet of the turkey on his own, colored the turkey a little bit and then we turned it over and added the feathers. I handed Skyler pieces of tape and we worked together to fill the back of the turkey. He talked about sending daddy that turkey for days and was excited to find out that Joe has it hanging by his bed.

The final product - so much fun to put together and send! Now time to prepare his next package :)