Squirt Bottle Fun

Need an easy entertainment option for a bored toddler?

Grab a squirt bottle, fill it, and turn them loose on the yard! It works for me!
Luke can spend over half an hour just wandering the yard squirting things. It's great fun for him and gives me a chance to work on something or just sit and read a book for a little while!

Simple Joys

Lately we've been enjoying the little (and easy) things that children love!

Things like bubbles, sidewalk chalk, coloring, play dough and lots of books and time learning about numbers, shapes, and letters! It's so much fun for us all when we have more time to play with little preparation.

Our days have actually needed to become a little more structured lately to avoid meltdowns. We're switching rooms and activities more frequently. We have outside time and "school time." We go upstairs and downstairs. We do "work time" where we do chores... we have potty time and movie time too!

I hope you've been remembering to take time for these little joyful moments too!

Gift idea for a budding artist

If you're looking for a fun gift idea for a young toddler an Aquadoodle Paint & Color Mat makes toddlers (and Mom!) happy! It is a great mess free activity!

Macaroni Fun

Leftover elbow macaroni makes for a fun activity!

Cookie sheets help contain the mess though close parental supervision is recommended.

Brown Paper Packages

Brown wrapping paper provides a cheap wrapping alternative, plus extra coloring time for little ones!

I love that it helps a toddler get involved in the giving as well! For the tiniest ones they can have their hand prints or foot prints traced on by a parent or older sibling as well!

Ice Cube Tray Lunch

"If your child is a fussy eater, try putting small bits of food in an ice cube tray. The creative approach makes meals more fun, and getting little amounts in each space may seem less overwhelming. Fruit bits, cheese cubes, pieces of cooked pasta, cereal, croutons, and cooked veggies all work well."

Tip from Pampers Parenting.

Toys Worth Buying

Today at Rocks in My Dryer, Shannon is discussing what toys are actually worth buying!

Here are two of our current favorites:



Krinkle building sets - also known as Bristle blocks, great for toddlers and up. I imagine that these will be played with for many more years at our house.

Bathtub Crayons - these are such a hit at our house! They extend bath time and allow Mom to clean up the bathroom while the little guy is playing.




What are the favorites at your house?

Free Entertainment for Little Boys

On multiple occasions we've taken Luke (20 months) to see construction equipment and it has been a huge hit each and every time!

Of course, the best time was when he got to explore lots of equipment at his uncle's construction site, but even if it is just watching from a distance this is always a hit for us. Try it the next time you need a free activity!

Pinwheels

If you've been looking for something simple and fun for your baby or toddler try a pinwheel! Baby's love to watch them go around and around. See if your little one can blow and move the pinwheel, if not do it for them! Or better yet, try taking the pinwheel outside on a windy day.

Do make sure to supervise closely as some pinwheels have sharp edges!

Off Season Zoo

My husband recently started a new job that affords us the luxury of actually having a couple of Saturdays each month to spend as a family! This past weekend we had the whole weekend to spend together and decided last minute to visit Brookfield Zoo in Chicago. We had a wonderful time and let me tell you, visiting the zoo off season is a great idea! It was a gorgeous fall day and this major zoo was practically empty during the morning!

Keep it in mind for a fun fall activity. But don't forget to check your zoo's hours, because it is about this time of year that most zoos cut back a bit on their schedules!

Mirror Games

My local library shared some cute and simple games to play in the mirror with baby! These games help babies to learn to recognize themselves.

- In front of an unbreakable mirror hold up a cloth or your hands to make baby "disappear," then remove...your classic "Peek-a-boo!"

- For older babies, make faces in the mirror to illustrate emotions. Try happy, scared, surprised, sad, etc. Ask your child to imitate you!

Free Paper for Coloring

My 19 month old has recently taken an interest in coloring. A quick tip for coloring with these little ones is to use the blank cardboard from cereal boxes and other packaging items. It's a great way to recycle, plus it's extra big so you have less chance of having crayon markings where you don't want them!

Successful experiment of the day

Yesterday's experiment of the day was playing with dried beans! And oh boy did we have fun with this! I happened to have some dried pinto beans on hand (frugal experiment ditched for convenience of canned) so we headed out to the deck with some bowls, spoons, and measuring cups. My 18-month old had an absolute blast with this super easy activity. By playing with the beans outside we avoided having a major clean up session too! We will definitely be doing this activity again sometime soon!

If you want to try this inside check out extraordinary mommy's post and give her tablecloth idea a try! Let me know how it works for you!

Simple Water Activity

Pour The Water

- Find different size containers in which to pour water. You and your child experiment with pouring the water and stopping before it overflows!

From It Takes Two to Talk.

Experiment of the Day

Today we tried a little experiment out. The experiment entailed a toddler, a small dish pail of water, a towel, and the kitchen. Somewhere awhile back, I read about someone doing this to keep their little one occupied while in the kitchen. As I recalled it made a bit of a mess but was easily wiped up with the towels resulting in a happy baby and a clean kitchen floor!

Well our experiment ended up being somewhat of a wash...

Here's what happened:

- Happy and occupied baby lasted 10 minutes and allowed mom to get some dishes done
- Big mess of water on the floor that was easily wiped up with 2 bath towels
- Water was literally poured out of the dishpan onto the floor multiple times
- Baby ended experiment crying after slipping on wet floor :-(

Will we try it again? Perhaps, though with even closer supervision by Mom and it'll probably be back to outdoors!

Tent Camping

We just got back from a wonderful camping trip to Michigan! We were spoiled with beautiful sunny weather and had a great time at the beach. Mom and Dad had a tent and Luke slept in his own tent. We brought his pack and play which worked like a charm for naps and bedtime!




10 Tips for tent camping with a baby/toddler:

1. Bring lots of changes of clothes and outfits for hot and cold weather!
2. Bring warm clothes to sleep in! Let me repeat WARM clothes to sleep in!
3. Make sure you have kid friendly suncreen, bugspray, and of course hats for sun protection. Pick your site remembering that you will want shade to protect that delicate skin!
   
4. Bring a few familiar toys and books but don't bring everything you own. Nature will provide most of your entertainment.
   
5. If it is really hot bring a fan to plug in (assuming you get an electric site) to have blowing on the tent to help a little one nap. As a last resort, think of taking a drive in air-conditioning for a chance to get them to sleep.
6. Put up the rain fly just in case and to help keep the tent dark for naps.
7. Bring plenty of kid friendly snacks and meals. Keep in mind that your little one will be outside almost all of the time burning up lots of energy! One of those chairs that attaches to a table will work with the camp picnic table for meals and snacks.
   
8. Be considerate of your camping neighbors and do apologize the next morning if your baby cried a lot but don't feel too guilty about it. Leave plenty of baby items out so that people realize they are going to be camping next to a baby when they pick their site! :-)
9. Try to stick to the same meal, snack, and bedtimes that you follow at home to prevent unnecessary crankiness.
10. Consider putting a toddler in their own tent right next to Mom and Dads' tent. This is great if they are a light sleeper so you won't wake them crawling into the tent. Set up the pack and play right in their own tent.

Thanks to my fabulous husband for teaching me all this and much more about camping!

I Love You Through and Through

If you are the mother of a toddler perhaps you can relate to the feelings of frustration and anxiety that come over you while your little one is having their 10th tantrum of the morning?

Ok...perhaps I'm exaggerating a little with the 10 tantrums, but on the other hand maybe I'm not!

Want to know one solution to help Mom and toddler both calm down? For us, we use the wonderful book I Love You Through and Through. Kids love it and moms love it because it reminds them they love their little ones during happy and sad times!



If I'm having a particularly rough time with my little guy we like to get this book and just take a few moments to stop and relax! It works for us!

Touch a Truck Day

Today our town hosted Touch a Truck Day! We had a blast looking at and climbing on all sorts of trucks and construction equipment! Highlites included the firetruck, police car, crane, and the post office truck! A free slushie helped this sore momma keep on truckin' herself. I'm seriously sore from a cough! Is that pathetic or what? I totally regretted not bringing the stroller once it was time to head back to the car! A 5 minute walk seemed to drag on for eternity.

So if your town doesn't host Touch a Truck Day or something similar perhaps you know the mail man, fireman, a farmer, or someone with a construction job. Do a little searching and you may find a willing volunteer to host Touch a Truck Day for your kids!



Here's Luke exploring some construction equipment.

Pet Store Visit

If you need a fun, yet free activity for your little ones, consider a trip to the pet store!
While running errands today we stopped by the pet store and had a great time looking at fish, mice, rabbits, and birds. We even got to see a dog being groomed. Luke (15 months) loved everything and would have stayed as long as possible! This was an especially great activity for today because today ended up being a wet, rainy and windy day in the Midwest.

Disclaimer: This activity will eventually turn into a not so frugal idea when your kids are old enough to ask to bring a pet home!

Make sure to visit Biblical Womanhood for more frugal ideas.

Fun with Water

Here's a free and simple activity for babies or toddlers!

Just take a medium sized container outside and fill it with water. Give them some cups, smaller sized containers, and bath toys. Let them play and splash to their heart's content!

Mom can take out her favorite book and sit a little bit away and enjoy some time to read or just relax while baby is happily splashing!

For more frugal ideas visit Biblical Womanhood.