Pop Rocks

My son picked "try a new candy" for one of our summer fun things this summer.

So Pop Rocks was it! I had never had them, and the kids had never had them either.

 After we had them we put them in water and then in a small amount of soda.  The kids went wild!

Just a fun weird activity to do in the afternoon. :)

3D Chalk!

We used these awhile ago and they are still a summer staple around here...

The kids got this for Christmas, and we love them.

 There are different things you can do with them. There is an info packet inside like how to layer colors etc..

 Then you put the glasses on!

 I tried it and it really WORKS!

They are hard to break since they are big which is nice.  Everyone asks to pull them out and play with them!

Love this for the summer!

Community Helpers - 7

I have a son who is OBSESSED with community helpers.  So of course we have dress ups AND vehicles for each job.

So we talked about the vehicles and who uses them and what they do.  Luckily we have all of the toold and gear for each vehicle.

Thanks to Imaginext - the coolest boy toys EVER!!

Not pictured is the mail truck, police motorcycle and trash truck.

Love this unit!

Handmade/Kidmade Flowers - Tulips 1

I love tulips, they aren't my favorite flowers but I do love them. I especially love that the previous owners of my house planted over 50 bulbs 6 years ago and ever since we moved in (6 years ago) They keep on keepin on!

So lets learn about Tulips. :)

Now the Prang Watercolors I got at the dollar store and I like them better than Crayola's...I will show you why later...

 Start by painting the entire paper.

 Then let dry.  The colors from the crayola set are in the middle.  MUCH more watery looking.

 Then using a thick card stock (I used index cards cut out a leaf shape.

 Have the kids use this as a pattern to trace.

 Sticking out your tongue is not a requirement! LOL

 Then cut out leaf shapes.

 then glue together.

  It is so very fun.

 Ta Da!

 They all look different and pretty...just like the real thing!

Schedule for Toddlers - 6

7-8               Breakfast, practicing letters and morning review of the day.

8-9               Morning Task Sheet, get ready basically tidy up and morning chores.

9-10             Free Play w/Mom - No chore time slot...you will be amazed how much your kids will love this!

10-11           Quiet Activities

11-11:30       Clean Up

11:30-12       Lunch

12:00-12:30  TV/Show

My kids have a few favorite shows that they like to watch like Super Why, Tom and Jerry...really anything that is 30 minutes is perfect for this particular time slot.  Plus I use it as a schedule filler so I can clean up lunch or get them ready for other activities later in the day.

"After this show it's time for nap"

I never get fights if I let them watch something right before nap.  

I also rotate who gets to pick the show although if there is a fight on the show I usually pick for them.

Arthur is EVERYONE's favorite show!

After the show we head up the stairs and take a nap.

12:30-3:00 Nap

All of my kids even the 4 year old take a nap.  Granted his isn't as long as everyone else's but he knows that he needs to take a rest for at least 1 hour.  

If he wakes up early he uses this time to read or play his Leapster basically he knows that he needs to be in his room doing quiet things until 3pm.

During this time I usually get my stuff done, or read a book, or take a shower. :)

This time is my "me time" my "get the laundry running and folded" catch up on a book, sew whatever I want to do.

I know that a lot of kids don't nap anymore so I would suggest getting a timer and starting out small - 45 minutes of quiet time then move it up to an hour then an hour and a half.

Give them things that they have to do in a secluded area so they themselves can wind down and relax. 

Hope this helps!

Schedule for Toddlers - 1

On Mondays I am going to have tips on what has worked for me with my many kids.  I have received emails about my daily schedule and so I am going to go in order every Monday.  Please comment with anything that you do or don't do or if this has helped you so we all can benefit from everyone's experiences.

I used to nanny so this particular item works on school agers as well.

-BREAKFAST-

V - My kids usually get up around 7 and eat right when they wake up.

The Question: What do they do while you make breakfast?

I have a schedule for breakfast.

Shocking I know right?  I try and alternate between hot and cold and grab and go.

So, if I am making eggs (which takes some time) everyone is ...

Practicing their writing.  Its a quiet activity, they are in my line of sight and they are not running around trashing the house.  It is also nice because they aren't watching television and during breakfast we can review what they have done.  This is what my kids get to use in the morning.

They are dry erase, write and wipe workbooks. I bought 8 different ones so each day they get a different one and there is no fighting.  I love this system and even though my almost 2 year old isn't exactly "writing" she is following the routine so when she is actually ready to learn that she knows when we practice.

What has worked for you?  Does this sound like something you might try?

We have been doing it for the past year and now when Daddy makes breakfast on Sunday and forgets he gets an earful from the kids! Haha. 

Peg-A-Lite

Our second item in...cheap and fun weird toy week

These were a dollar at Michaels and they do have small parts so I would make sure that you are sitting with the kids while they are playing with these.

L and B were so into this they sat for 45 minutes making the designs.  It was perfect for small motor skills!

L was being so silly!

I mean they sat there quietly and worked hard on their peg-a-lites!

Pop and Catch

This week is cheap and fun weird toy week.  Yup you read right.  We are going to start with...

The Pop and Catch...a $2.50 toy found in the easter section at Walmart.

You shoot the trigger and the ball comes out.

Let's do it!

Woah!

Nice Catch!

This is what we do when it was 65 all week and then we get hit with 9 inches of snow the next day.  Gottta love Colorado!

My first Uno

I bought this a while ago and have been dying to break it open for a while!

So this is our RECTANGLE for the week! :)

It says for 3 and up, but my 2 year old had no problem playing this game.

It was fun and at Target it was only $2.50.

It was also nice to break up the projects with a game.  We played several rounds.

Look and Learn Dinosaurs

My nephew got this for Christmas last year and my son couldn't keep his hands off of it, so with an extra gift card that I had I went to Target and bought one for him. It is from National Wildlife Federation here is the LINK.

It is a view master too, so you buy the little books with the cards in it and let them explore. The best part is that they are 3D and they come with an information booklet with several disks in them.

If you have a little one who loves stuff like this I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this product. They even have a disney set of cartridges too!

Oh did I mention that if you didn't want it to be a view master it has a switch on it so it becomes actual binoculars? SWEET!

I LOVE this thing!

Magnetic Puzzles

Melissa and Doug have a series of magnetic puzzles. For Christmas I usually pick out a cool one for my kids. These two have poles to fish with and my kids love them. Here is L and K having a good time with them. Here is their site to look for others that you may like for your children...

MELISSA AND DOUG

Splash Out

This is a product test post. Since there are only a few days of summer left we decided to take this baby out and try it out. You fill the balloons up and then stick it in the ball and turn the timer and pass it. When the timer stops a pin inside pokes the balloons and gets you wet.

My kids liked it, and when we ran out of balloons they wanted to play with the hose - this was a fun little afternoon of water play! Thanks to Auntie S who gave this to L for his 3rd birthday. Summer Birthdays ROCK!

Model Magic

I am adding a Label to this blog and it will be product testing. My oldest received this as a birthday present and I was curious to see how it worked and what it felt like and so here is our review.It is stretchy, and plastic-y and is easy to use. It hardens in about 24 hours, and It doesn't stick to your hands or the table like play doh.My kids liked it okay but it wasn't the same as play doh and maybe it isn't supposed to be, but I think it is for older kids who need to make something specific. I saved the other 5 pieces of it, because it comes individually wrapped which is a plus, but I need to come up with something specific to do with it, because once it is open it starts to really dry out. I am glad he got this as a present because I was dying to try it! :)He made a ladder and then made a caterpillar. We will draw the face on it once it is dry. :)

I give this a C+ for toddlers.
Which is fine because you never know unless you try right?