Touch Twister

Toddler Activities from Familyeducation.com http://ift.tt/1pSIN9Q Choose a body part and then try to touch another part with it.

Make a Fairy Sandwich

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Give your child a special treat in their lunchbox.  Make a fairy sandwich to brighten up their day!

It’s not long after school starts that the lunchbox woes begin.   A fairy sandwich is the perfect treat to change things up in a little way, mark a special occasion, or just plan for a fun lunch!  Both my kids love the surprise of finding one in their boxes.

What You Need to Make a Fairy Sandwich:

Two slices of bread
Soft fillers (PB&J, Sunbutter, Cream Cheese & Jelly, etc)
Small cookie cutter, any shape, about an inch in diameter
Sprinkles for cookies

To make a fairy sandwich, simply use your cookie cutter once on one slice of bread.  Spread your fillings on the other slice of bread and place the top slice on.  Using a spoon, carefully pour a layer of sprinkles in the cut out area.  Press down so they stick to the filling, you just need a thin layer of the sprinkles.  Once the area is filled in and pressed down, place your sandwich in a sandwich box and refrigerate.  Don’t forget to keep it a secret till lunchtime!

These  sandwiches work best with soft and sweet fillers, as listed above, in order for the sprinkles to stick to the sandwich.  Be sure to check any allergy policies at your child’s school before using peanut butter or choose an allergy-safe alternative.

Looking for more lunchbox tips and tricks?  Check out this post on Lunch Box Tips for more great ideas for your kids’ lunches!

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Over 10 Ways to Repurpose Melissa and Doug Boxes

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I am always on a mission to repurpose Melissa and Doug boxes!

Honestly, I love the quality of these toys, but the boxes are something that I just can’t throw away.  Since I live in a small place, we don’t use the boxes for toy storage; instead, we store everything in ziploc bags so they fit in the closet nicely.  After working with dozens of containers and lots of creative juice, we’ve found over 10 ways to repurpose Melissa and Doug boxes.  You may find yourself buying the toys just to get your hands on the boxes – ha!

Over 10 Ways to Repurpose Melissa and Doug Boxes

Night Light

Make a simple night light with your kids favorite photo.  Kids will love getting to see a family photo while they fall asleep at night from Happilyevermom

Mini Clipboard

Take the top off of one of these puzzle boxes and add a clip to the top.  Tie a pen or pencil to the clip, add some paper, and you have a mini clip board for kids!  Take it to a restaurant or on a road trip and, after you’re done, you can easily use the top for the puzzle box again!

Chalkboard Box

Flip the box upside down from this unit block set and paint with chalkboard paint.  Kids can add scenes like roads, moats, or grass and flowers while they build with blocks!

Game Board

Can you believe you can actually make a Backgammon board from Melissa and Doug boxes?! I know, I had to see it for myself too… from Infarrantly Creative

Shadow Box

Use smaller boxes like the ones you can find with these adorable stamp sets, and turn them into a shadow box for children’s artwork or even a favorite photo.  Decorating the trim of the box is deceptively easy, too – just line the edges with washi tape to create a unique look!

Art Canvas

Give kids the chance to explore different painting surfaces with a container that isn’t as useful for storage from Tinkerlab

Chalkboard Doll House

Make a simple doll house that can go with you anywhere by painting melissa and doug stamp containers with chalkboard paint.  We love that you can change the scenes whenever kids want!

Doll House Tray

Not interested in using chalkboard paint?  Just grab a few doll house supplies and place them in one of melissa and doug cutting food trays.  This doll house can go anywhere, too, but you can easily revert it back to toy storage after you’re done playing!

Drawer Organizer

My daughter painted our ABC stamp collection box from Melissa and Doug and the box fit perfectly in our bathroom drawer.  It now holds all of our hair accessories, rubber bands, bows, kid’s toothpaste, and combs!  It’s so nice to not have to rummage through that drawer anymore – who knew our toy box was the best solution?!

Art Storage

Repurpose Melissa and Doug boxes into storage for art supplies that you can write on and erase with new labels from Artful Parent

Artwork Collage

Treasure your child’s artwork for years to come with this simple artwork shadow box <—psst…your kids can get in on the fun and help! from Parent Hacks

Watercolor Pens

Okay, this isn’t exactly from a toy container, but have you seen the Melissa and Doug water pens?  They are a must have when you travel with little ones (trust me), but we took the pens to a whole new level when we added a little something to the water – both my kids loved this! from Happily Ever Mom

Love these easy hacks?  Come on over to our Facebook page and tell us which one was your favorite!

 

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Silly Walks

Toddler Activities from Familyeducation.com http://ift.tt/1AZtlw2 Learn how unique a person's walk can be.

Awesome Things Every Teacher Needs

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Getting ready for the new year was always exciting when I was teaching. A fresh new start! If you are a new teacher or returning, a ready and organized class is always welcome.

Yesterday we shared some Classroom Hacks and Organization Ideas.

Here are some of the products I used in my classroom and I think every teacher needs these! Note: this post contains affiliate links.

Tips to set up your classroom

Pack of Dry Erase Markers –  or ten.  The supply closet never has enough and you will want to start the year out with a fresh stash!

Hand Bell  – These are awesome.  I used one with a dull tone (i.e. not very loud).  Kids knew to freeze and look up when the bell dinged.

An Over-sized Tote Bag. – You need a large bag for the homework you will inevitably bring home.

Cart Organizer – Go vertical with your organization.  Love the colors!  Be sure to label the trays.

Hand Pointers – They are fun!  Be sure to label it so it does not walk off to point at another board!

Birthday Bands –  Make the birthday kiddo feel super special for the day.  Gift them with a birthday band.

Answer Buzzers – Competition can add a level of fun to what could be an otherwise monotonous review.  Add a buzzer.

Giant Chart Ring Set – A set of these, a hole punch and a stack of cardstock sheets and you have your own giant flip board.

Cart Tote on Wheels – I never had one and boy did I miss it.  Next time I am in a classroom I am getting a solid cart!

Inflatable Globe  – When kids get done early, let them explore the world with a globe.

Magnetic Pocket Pouches – Stick these to the board, the back of your door, to the sides of desks.  THey are great for the odds and ends.

Desk Caddies – Do your kids work in groups or teams?  These stacking caddies are a good way to portion resources to a group.

Large Pom-Poms – Toss pom-poms to kids in a pop quiz.  Ask them for a question.  The person who recieves the ball answers, then pass it back.  Or play hot potato questions.

Magazine holders – These are perfect for organizing papers, supplies and books.

Giant Roll Dice. – I used these with test prep.  Write the questions on the dice.  Roll and answer.  You can use them with prompts too!

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If you are a teacher, we would love to see a photo of your classroom set-up.  Stop by our facebook page and upload a photo for us!!

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DIY Ping-Pong Ball Cactuses

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Cactuses are such popular decorations this year and kids can easily make them with this fun DIY Ping-Pong-Ball Cactuses craft!

Great as gifts for friends or teachers, this craft is so adorable, parents will want to make them too! Simply paint some Ping-Pong balls then glue them into tiny pots and you are all set! It’s that easy!

DIY Ping-Pong Ball Cactuses

Here’s what you need to make DIY Ping-Pong Ball Cactuses:

• Ping-Pong Balls
• Acrylic Paint (we used a light, cactus-green type color for the base and black for the thorns)
• Hot Glue Gun and Glue Sticks
• Mini Terra Cotta Pots
• Paintbrushes

Use mini dabs of hot glue to temporarily affix a your ping-pong balls to some paper. This helps while you are painting. Otherwise the ping-pong balls will just roll all around!

Paint your ping pong balls in a cactus-green type color giving the balls several coats (and letting the paint dry between each coat) if need be.

Set aside to dry completely once the balls are well painted. Don’t worry about painting the very bottom of the balls, as these will be hidden and glued down inside the tiny pots.

Once the green paint is completely dry, paint tiny “X” marks all over each ping-pong ball with black paint. These will be the cactus thorns!

Remove the ping-pong balls from the paper once the paint is completely dry. Just pull them and tear the bottoms away. It’s okay if the dab of glue and a little paper stick. You won’t be able to see this once the ball is glued into the pot.

Using your hot glue, glue around the lower portion of the ball all the way around and then stick inside the tiny pot. The glue will stick to the edge of the pot and secure the ball!

Great job! You are all set! Your DIY Ping-Pong Ball Cactuses look so cool and amazing! Decorate tables for a Western-themed party, give out as party favors at a Cowboy Birthday Party, or give to family, teachers and friends as a thoughtful little gift!

 

 

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Edible Mud Sensory Play

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Do you have tactile children who love to explore? This edible mud sensory play activity will give them the experiences they crave, but it is a safe experience for kids of all ages because all the ingredients are edible…and delicious I might add. You should have all the ingredients in your kitchen pantry. If you are looking for more sensory experiences, you must see our post with over 200 sensory bin ideas.

Edible Mud Sensory Play

I am a huge proponent of getting kids into the kitchen. They learn so much by “helping” prepare food. This is the perfect opportunity for your kids to explore dumping and pouring with you. None of the measurements need to be exact. There’s a huge container for the mixing, so kids have a less likely chance of spilling. I simply bought a dollar store foil tin so that I could throw it all away in the end. Easy clean-up is always a bonus. Time to get the kids mixing up the “mud” for our activity.

Edible Mud Recipe

• 3 Cups Flour
• 1 Cup Cocoa Power
• 1 Cup Brown Sugar
• 1 Cup White Sugar
• 1/4 Cup Hershey Syrup (optional)
• 3 cups water

* Note: These were the proportions we used. This is a very flexible recipe. You can really estimate these ingredients as you are working. If the mixture starts to solidify, just add a touch more water.

Mix all ingredients together and stir to create mud.

It is fun to add worms to your mud. I used udon noodles, boiled in water with black food coloring added. I also added gummy worms, which were all eaten. I chose Japanese udon noodles because of their thickness, but you could use spaghetti or yakisoba noodles also.

The kids will love squishing their hands in the muddy mixture. Get some disposable foil pie pans if they want to make mud pies. The little ones won’t be able to resist licking their hands, and that is allowed in this sensory play activity.

Parenting Tip for Easy Clean Up: Use a disposable roasting pan from the Dollar Store. Use a Dollar Store plastic table cloth underneath your kids and the pan. Wear large old t-shirts that can get messy. When play is done, wrap the plastic table cloth around the disposable roasting pan and tie a knot to seal in the mess. Dispose. Strip the kids down and hose them off.

If you are wanting more great play recipes to try with your kids, we suggest these great ideas: Super Soft Play Dough, Fizzy Sidewalk Paint, Glitter Glop, Best Homemade Puffy Paints, Borax-Free Gak or Cloud Dough.

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