Trees and yarn

Tree trunks are a perfect place to stick yarn to. Who knew?

West had fun separating the strands and putting them on the tree.

He even made a nest for a bird.

He found that Lula's head was a good place for a nest too!

Felt shaped would also work really well on the tree trunk. I think we'll try that next!

How to make a light box for around $20

You need:

• A plastic container with either a flat and smooth bottom or top
• A length of rope lights (I used a 12 foot lenght)
• Black plastic friendly spray paint
• Hot glue gun and lots of hot glue sticks
• Blue painter's tape
• Piece of vellum paper to fit window (optional)

This container is great because it's not very deep and is really sturdy. I got it at Target. As you can see, the lid is not smooth and flat...

but the bottom is. This actually is better because it makes the light box more stable. The lid/top is wider than the bottom.

Tape off the inside bottom of the box. And spray paint the inside of the box and the inside of the lid.

Drill a hole in the box for the cord to go through. Hot glue the rope lights to the lid. I used a lot of glue.

Optional. tape a piece of vellum paper to the inside of the window.

Put the pieces together and you're ready to go!

What can you do with a light box?

Play with translucent toys such as blocks, sheer fabrics, hair gel ziplocks, pieces of paper, water beads etc etc

milk carton bowling

10 empty quarter gallon milk jugs and a ball

The kids had a blast with this simple activity. Sometimes entertaining a couple of toddlers can really be this easy. We will be bowling a lot this winter.

Water beads

These pictures aren't the best, the lighting was bad.

Water beads!

They bounce and slip around.

These can be found at Michaes in the floral department. They're meant for flower vases and such. You can buy them 'ready to go' or dry. Dry is much cheaper. Just add water, let them soak for a few hours and you're ready for fun! I added food coloring while they were soaking. West played with them in an enclosed shower stall because they bounce and roll and I didn't want them anywhere where Lula could get them. Also, water beads last for a long time, you just need to keep them wet.

Thanks to playathomemom3.blogspot.com for the fantastic idea!

Fun with a pvc pipe

What do you do with a spare pvc tube that's in the yard?

Prop one end up and roll some balls down!

It's fun to watch them roll down or catch them on the other side.

Add water for even more fun!

One person dumps water down the tube into the waiting truck.

So simple, yet so much fun. The kids liked to watch the water and balls roll down the tube.

Baby gate as activity center

Lula loves to stand and play.

This gate's primary purpose is to keep her off the steps,obviously, but it works great as an activity center too! She walks back and forth playing with the toys for quite a while.

Running ribbons

A link from a baby toy, some sheer ribbon and a running toddler.

West loves watching the ribbons as he runs. I love how simple it can be, sometimes, to entertain a toddler.

Contact paper frames

Old cereal box panels make great frames. Just add contact paper over the opening of the frame and add leaves, flower petals, or anything!

West's friend Marleigh, 22 months

Fynn, almost 4

It was windy, so we taped the frames to the table outside. After the works of art were finished, we put another piece of contact paper over the top to seal in the petals and leaves. They look really cool hanging in a window.

pudding paint

The tongue is a sure sign of concentration

He didn't trust me that it was edible for quite a while, but once he tasted it, he looked at me like 'wow'

For this project I just made half of a package of instant vanilla pudding, divided it up into 4 Dixie cups, added food color and let them cool. Once cool, I poured two color each in to two squeeze bottles. I really could have fit all four colors in one, that's what I'll do next time. Then I gave him some Froot Loops and let him go to town. He enjoyed covering the Froot loops in the paint, then eating them, of course. He never gets sugary snacks like this so he thought it was quite a treat to paint and snack at the same time. Next time, I think I'll do it with vanilla yougert to make it a bit more healthy.

And while he painted, Lula harassed Kip.

Mixing

Mixing pancake batter.

But he still wanted to keep mixing after the batter was done, so....

I gave him a big bowl, a little bowl, a measuring cup, a squeeze bottle of water and some parsley flakes.

Pouring is a tricky thing...

While I cooked the pancakes, West mixed water and parsley flakes and poured it from bowl to bowl. He didn't care what he was mixing, as long as he was mixing! I got all the pancakes cooked and he was getting bored and hungry by the time they were done. Perfect! I got the idea of water and spice mixing from the new book I bought yesterday, Unplugged Play.

Spray and squirt bottle painting

The squirt bottles were a hit

It was fun to watch him perfect his spraying technique

Squirting water on 'erased' the paint

I bought squirt bottles and spray bottles at Michaels today with this project in mind. First I tried to color the water with food coloring, but it would have taken a lot to get bright colors. So, I just mixed in some tempra paints and that worked well. For West, again, this wasn't about creating art, but about dumping and spraying and getting messy. The paint didn't stick to the paper anyway which made it fun to 'erase' with the water. I have a feeling we'll be doing this again soon.

Lula's excellent sensory experience

I actually made these for West when he was having some strange reactions to sensory experiences. I bought round wood cuts outs and hot glued various textured items to them. (coarse grit sand paper, fine grit sand paper, furry fabric, super soft fabric, slippery fabric, felt that feels like snake skin, the hook side of velcro, the fabric that goes on footie pajamas, cork) Lula loves them. They each go in her mouth, her prefered from of exploration. Her favorite is the coarse grit sand paper.