Toddler Tuesday: Mud Pies

There's nothing fancy about this weeks fun!

Ayden and I were going to hang out at the building site yesterday and I decided to spice things up a bit for him.  If you've been on a construction zone then you know that there is no shortage of dirt.  We have huge dirt mounds from the basement excavation and then all of the grass around the site has been killed from all of the equipment and foot traffic.  We always have to change into clothes that can get stained and shoes that can be sprayed off easily because we usually get pretty messy. Ayden likes to dig in the dirt, throw clumps of it around, climb the dirt "mountains" and sit to throw more dirt clumps or blow bubbles.  He has so much fun out there!  

We keep some dirt playing and building toys over there but yesterday I packed a few kitchen items that never get used: A big metal pot, an ice cream scoop, some measuring cups/spoons, a cake pan, a whisk, a cup, a couple of bowls, and a potato masher.  I also tossed in Ayden's watering can, his second bucket (we keep one at the cottage and one at the building site), some towels and wash cloths for cleanup and packed it all in a big plastic bag. 

When we first got there and picked our spot, we went around collecting our "ingredients."  He helped me fill one of his buckets with dirt and the other with water. Then I told him we were going to pretend to cook.  I got him started and let him take it from there.  We put some dirt into the pot and he stirred it just like he does when he helps me cook at home.  

Then he added some water.

And stirred it some more.  

I encouraged him to touch it.  When he did we talked about how it felt.  Texture, temperature, consistency, etc.  At one point he had added so much water that it was really runny so I encouraged him to add more dirt to see what would happen.  Then we talked about how adding more dry dirt to soak up some of the water made it thick again.  Dirt pie definitely make for a great vocabulary building exercise!

When he seemed to be done exploring it, I asked him what we made and he said, "A birthday cake for Daddy!"  (only he says detday cake).  I guess he thought it looked like chocolate cake batter. That's when we pulled out the cake pan and had him scrape his batter in.  

Then I asked what else it needed.  He was going to pretend there were candles so I took a couple of little sticks and put them in.  He took over the decorating from there.  He used the cup to collect some rocks and added some weeds. 

He was really proud of the finished product and couldn't wait to show David.

We were walking over to the house to show him when Ayden said, "Oh, we almost forgot spoons!" ("We almost forgot  ____" is a new frequent saying of his.) So he went back and grabbed the measuring spoons. 

He sang happy birthday to David and everything.  

(For some reason the video cut of the cutest part at the end when he pretended to blow out all of the candles.)  Ayden was sure to warn David, as he scooped up a spoonful of mud, that "We just pretend to eat it.  We don't really eat dirt."  David was so glad to have that warning!  Haha.  As Ayden gets older and his imagination grows it is getting to be so much fun to set up pretend play activities.  He was really engaged and was actually really sad when it was time to clean up and go home.  This activity was FREE and held his attention so much longer than any toy we've ever purchased for him.  It just goes to show that all a kid needs is a little dirt and imagination and they really have everything they need!

When was the last time you made mud pies?  I remember my aunt making them with us when we were little and those memories are some of the best from my time with her.  Getting dirty is just so much fun for kids!

~Sarah

Flashback!  Here's what we were up to one year ago today: "Happy July {Goal Time}"

And two years ago today: "Feeling Crafty"

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Toddler Tuesday: Cork Sail Boats

It's been a while since I have made a Toddler Tuesday post so I thought I'd put forth a little effort and bring them back to life!  This week we made cork sail boats. 

These were something I saw on Pinterest forever ago and tucked it away in the back of my mind.  When I went back to find how these Pinterest folks made these, my pin went to the image address rather than an actual post or website with instructions so I went by the picture and winged it.  I haven't had wine since before I was pregnant with Ayden, and David doesn't really like it, so we don't any have corks lying around.  My parents on the other hand have quite the collection (see the gift I made for my mom out of some of her special occasion corks in this post).  Once I remembered to grab a few during a visit, I was pretty sure we had everything we needed for making this fun activity:

corks (3 per boat)
wooden kabob skewer
rubber bands (2 per boat)
foam sheets (I used foam eggs leftover from Easter crafts)

scissors
utility cutters (something that will cut the wooden skewers)

Once I had all of the supplies gathered these seriously took less than 10 minutes to assemble.

Rubber band your corks together.

Cut out your sail(s)

Cut your mast 

Pike your mast through your sail.
In one side and out the other, leaving a slight curve.

Poke the mast through the middle cork and you're done!

Easy peasy and FREE!

We made three.

We had plans to go to my parents house this evening while they were babysitting my niece and nephew so I thought we could take these along and have enough for all three kids.  We ended up staying home instead but Ayden didn't mind!

It was a win!

He really liked it when I would gently blow on the sails and make the boats coast across the water.  He was a little young to get the concept of where to blow to make them move but that means I can put these into our toy rotation and soon enough when they make it back out he'll be able to play with them in a whole new way.  Tonight his exploration was more about sink/float and how the corks needed to be lined up with the sails straight up for them to stay upright.  He's always loved any kind of water play so these may make it into our bath toy collection as well. 

Has anyone else made these?  Were they a win in your house too??

~Sarah

Flashback!  Here's what we were up to one year ago today: "Head Over Heels"

And two years ago today: "Pajama Day"

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Easy DIY Bird Feeders

Today was SO much better than yesterday for Ayden.  A complete 180 for sure.  He had been restless and waking up a lot while he was sick and last night he slept the whole night through.  I think the better rest and the reason for it (just feeling better overall) got him back to his old cheery self.  

I had this post ready to go up yesterday for a Toddler Tuesday but the ground breaking for our new house definitely took precedence so I pushed it to today.  Last week, Ayden and I made bird feeders for all of our feathered friends that are moving back after a long, cold Winter.  I used to make these particular feeders with my students at school and they were always a big hit.

The supplies you'll need:

- bird seed

- pine cones

- peanut butter 

- a spreader (kid knife, popsicle stick, etc.)

- wire for hanging

- if inside, a table cloth or drop cloth of some sort

1) Spread your peanut butter onto your pine cone.
Be sure to get into all of the nooks and crannies!

2) Roll your pine cone in the bird seed
(This is Ayden's little hand hard at work)

3) Make sure all of your peanut butter is coated with seed
(This one was mine)

4) Wrap wire around the top row of scales and hang!

We hung ours on a tree outside a side of the house where we could see them from windows in several rooms in the house.  We checked on them a few times a day and they were a hit!  We got to see all kinds of birds, our favorite being a little bluebird of happiness.

My new favorite bird.  So cute!
{via}

Have you ever made homemade bird feeders?  We also made a couple of class sets of egg carton feeders to put out on our playground one year.  Those worked really well too!  I think we are going to try this one next:

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*Small pregnancy update: I felt the baby more than ever today!  So exciting... *

*House Progress: They finished digging our basement!*

~Sarah

Flashback!  Here's what we were up to one year ago today: "Owning The Day"

And two years ago today: "Three's Company"

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Toddler Tuesday {Fine Motor: Tweezers}

Fine motor skills are when the eyes and fingers work together to accomplish a task.  Buttoning buttons, hold a writing utensil, threading a needle, picking a piece of lint off of your sleeve, we use fine motor skills all the time.  Strengthening the muscles that allow such coordination can start at a very early age.  The pincer grasp (using your thumb and forefinger to pick up a small object) is typically mastered by 9 months of age and that is when you can begin working with your child on strengthening those little muscles in their hands.  Giving small finger foods for snack for instance.  It takes hand eye coordination and challenges those fine motor muscles.  As your child gets a little more mature the fun with fine motor tuning can really begin.  

Our most recent fine motor adventure involved tweezers!

The blue pair you see above were given to me when I was a teacher but you can easily get a large, made for children, set from Amazon or your local parent-teacher store.  For this activity I just got out some green and yellow pom poms for the upcoming St. Patrick's Day, a plastic deviled egg platter that I purchased years ago from a dollar store and said tweezers.  I showed him how to do it once, being sure to explain exactly where he needed to squeeze the tweezers to make them work, and set him free.

Love how he uses his tongue to help himself concentrate!

I wasn't sure if he'd even be interested in this activity but he wanted to do it over and over.  It was challenging but not enough to frustrate him and it held his attention very well.  He even wanted to show David how to do it when he got home from work.  

Placing pom poms into the egg cups one by one using only the tweezers.

Along with the fine motor challenges that this activity offers, we also counted the pom poms, talked about the colors, even touched on patterns a bit. A lot of pre-mathematics going on! It is never too early to expose children to concepts and vocabulary.  Even if they are too young to do something independently, they will still benefit from hearing the vocabulary for concepts they will master in the future.  It's all part of building that strong foundation on which they will be able to place all of their future education!

Don't have a nifty egg platter?  This activity can also be done with an ice cube tray or an egg carton.  You could also use cotton balls instead of pom poms.  As always, they sky is the limit here but I would recommend starting with large, soft objects and gradually move toward smaller, harder objects like pasta or beans as they gain better coordination.  

Some other great fine motor strengthening activities:

- play-doh (or any other kind of dough)

- lacing (lacing shapes, lacing beads, pony beads or pasta on pipe cleaners, etc)

- coloring/writing/drawing (try using broken jumbo crayons.  That will encourage tripod grasp)

- dropping coins in slots

- matching lids to bottles

- painting with small objects (thin brushes, Q-tips, etc.)

- pulling corn kernels off a cob for old fashioned pop corn

- hammering golf tees into styrofoam, pumpkins, etc.
- squeezing clothes pins
- hole punches
- cutting with scissors
- squirting a water gun
- garlic press sponge squeezing
- Mr. Potato Head
- latch board
- spray bottles
- eye droppers
- nuts and bolts
- pin pushing

I could go on and on.  If you have tried all of these and need some more, Pinterest has an infinite number of ideas there. These are a lot of the ones I used to use in my preschool classroom. The best part is that you probably have everything you need for fine motor strengthening activities right in your home already.  Lets get those little fingers moving!

List your favorite fine motor activities below!!

~Sarah

Flashback!  

Here's what we were up to one year ago today: "We Like To Eat, Eat, Eat"
And two years ago today: "A Hairy Situation"

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Toddler Tuesday: Snow Dough

The weather here has been pretty lousy.  It is cold enough to be winter but not cold enough for snow.  We've been having misty, overcast days that have been keeping us indoors aside from our chicken chores, of course.

On days like these we like to have some extra activities on hand to keep our toddler engaged for all of our sanities.  This one seemed perfect for a non-snowy winter day.

Materials you need:

-Ivory soap (HAS to be Ivory.  No other brand will work
(FYI, Ivory gets a score of 3 on environmental working group)

- 1/2 roll of toilet paper

- water

Step 1: tear toilet paper into small pieces

Step 2: let your toddler help you unwrap the soap

Step 3: microwave the soap for 1 minute
(if there is still some solid soap in the middle, keep microwaving at 15 second intervals until it is all fluffy)

Step 4: shred the fluffy soap
(it will be sort of paper-like consistency)

Step 5: Add water (about 2 cups)

Step 6: wring out any excess water and form a dough ball

Step 7: Set your toddler free!

He liked cutting it with his knife

Step 8: Don't forget to have a little fun yourself
(this was snapped just before he pulverized my snowman)

What's your favorite homemade play dough?

Flashback!  Here's what we were up to one year ago today: "My Breastfeeding Essentials"

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Toddler Tuesday: Magnetic Name Match

I've got another quick, easy and cheap activity for your toddlers today!  I already had everything on hand but if you don't, everything can be purchased at the dollar store.

The supplies you need are magnetic letters, paper, markers in colors corresponding to the magnets as well as a black one, and contact paper.

First, you trace the letters in the matching colors, this way your child can match by color if they aren't ready to match by the shape of the letter.  Then you trace them in black for a letter shape match.  I chose white paper so the colors would stand out.  Next, you write their name in normal handwriting so they are matching the magnetic letter shapes to the more common letter shapes.  Lastly, you use contact paper to seal the name cards right onto the fridge.  

If you are wanting to introduce letters to your child but aren't sure where to start, their name is always a safe bet.  Out of the 26 letters of the alphabet, those in their name are very personal and significant.  Kids seem to have some internal need to learn those (along with the letter X it seems since EVERY student I ever had learned X quickly and easily.  Perhaps it's from "X marks the spot?)  There is no need to teach a child their letters in alphabetical order.  Sing the song with them, teach them the names in the order in which they are interested in learning them and they will easily put two and two together when they are ready.  As far as Capital vs. lower case first, the jury is still out.  I, personally, taught them simultaneously and my students seemed to learn them without any problems.

Here is another fun refrigerator spelling game that I found on Pinterest today:

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A spin off on this activity would be to use photographs of your child, a few family members, pets, favorite toys, etc. The younger the child, the more basic it should be.  Just have a few letter cards and have only the letters that will fit. Older children can have an entire set of cards and the whole alphabet to choose from.  You also can use the basic magnetic letters rather than the Leap Frog letters.  Hand draw, use real photographs that your child helps you take and print, print photos from the internet or use clip art.  Anything goes!

There are so many ways to use those letter magnets!  How do you like to use them in your house??

Things are looking pretty cozy around here these days.  It's the most wonderful time of the year!

~Sarah

Flashback!  Here's what we were up to one year ago today: "Little Pretender"

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Toddler Tuesday: Play-Doh Shape Match

Ayden is finally ready to play with play-doh without trying to eat it.  Yay!!  In my classroom, I had this very table in front of a window and it was the "Play-doh Center."  Only one student at a time could sit there.  It was a place for quiet, independent play where they could gaze out the window and experience the amazing calming effects of the squishy stuff.  Needless to say, it was a favorite center.

Today, I showed Ayden how to squish the play-doh flat and use cookie cutters.  I had a shape mat that I made for my class way back when that I pulled out.  To make the mat I simply traced the cookie cutters onto construction paper with a Sharpie, labeled the shapes then laminated it.  Contact paper would work for this too if you don't have access to a laminator.

Ayden has really been into matching and puzzles and such lately so this activity went over well.  He definitely needed my assistance with flattening the dough and cutting the shapes but he tried to do it himself and was engaged with this activity for a while.  

I'm just so glad that he is ready for play-doh now!  I see it as something I'll be able to pull out when I need a few minutes of peace and all mamas need something like that in their bag of tricks!

Please share your fun play-doh ideas below!!

~Sarah

PS.  I found this speech sound development timeline helpful today and thought I'd share: 

{via}
Ayden doesn't make the /k/ very often and I wanted to make sure that was okay for his age.  Looks like that is something to be mastered in the 3rd year so his substituting it with a /p/ or /b/ sound is normal.

Flashback!  Here's what we were up to one year ago today: "Attaboy"

Thank you for stopping by Life With the Ladniers!

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