Frozen Treasures

((**The photos were taken last week BEFORE the big weather chill.

It was 80+ degrees when we did this.**)) I'm not sure why, really, but ice is apparently very fun for kids. The texture and temperature? Something to break apart? At any rate, we froze some little "treasures" the other day for the kids to whack at.

My Little Lad is 4-years old now, so there are no worries of him sticking dice in his mouth. Of course, for ittier bittier kids, you'd want to give them a wooden spoon rather than a fork, and watch them closely as they retrieve their treasures.

Outdoor Winter Fun

Yes, I know it hasn't actually snowed yet. But it will. Oh, yes, it will!

In fact, we may very well get an inch of ice and upwards of 8" of snow. I'm totally fine with that, as long as my power stays on.

Anyway, seeing as how everybody and their dog is heading to WMart today, I'm posting our Winter Fun Checklist, so you can go ahead and buy necessary items.

1. Snow Paint, using water bottles and food coloring

2. Blow bubbles and let them freeze. Then you can carefully pick them up!

3. Play with cars outside, in a mini blizzard

4. Make a Fun Bucket for snow, including sand shovels, little laundry scoopers, playdough toys, plastic silverware (not white, unless you want to lose it!)

5. Winter Picnic & Firepit Night-- yes, outside in the snow. We're covering our wood, so it will stay dry, and planning to bring hot foods outside to eat by the fire.

6. Ice Hockey on the driveway, using a roll of duct tape (or electrical tape, if I can find it.)

7. Snow obstacle course-- this pretty much describes my front yard anyway! ;)

8. Photo Expedition and scavenger hunt, for things like pinecones, a green leaf... etc

9. And maybe, just maybe, we'll try snowshoes! I have tennis rackets... heehee

And, of course, the standard sledding, snowman making, snowball fights, forts, angels!

Share any other ideas you have!

Let the fun begin!!

**weather update** 3pm Blizzard Warning for our neighboring counties!

I guess this storm was more than just hype. ;)

Better prepare fast, if you haven't already. Stay safe, stay warm, stay home!

Sensory Board and Texture Pictures

Yesterday afternoon, the kids and I made a sensory board, based on this kind of board.

This can be used for *toddlers, who are learning to explore with their hands (not just mouths,) or for pre-K and kindergartners, who are paying attention to senses and textures, and learning to describe their environments more precisely.

*obviously with supervision, as objects could get loose and become choking hazards.

1. bubble wrap, pictured below

2. prickly (okay, what do you actually call this thing? I should know that!)

3. burlap

4. stone

5. coarse feather

6. rough side of velcro

7. soft boa feathers
8. soft, smooth side of velcro

9. wax

10. sandpaper

11. wire brush (not glued on yet)

12. fake fur, pictured below

I kept duplicates of each texture aside in a small box, so the kids can match the textures. Of course, this is easy even for my LittleLad, but he still enjoys it! For his age and older (3+) you can blindfold the kids and have them match textures. :) This is a good empathy exercise, too.

(okay, so the glue wasn't even dry under the bubble wrap when I took the pictures. ;) Go ahead, Call me impatient.)

Next up: Texture Pictures.

We were inspired after reading this book.

Just give your kiddos a lot of textures to choose from. I put feathers, bubble wrap, sandpaper, fake fur, foil, etc on the table, along with a stapler, glue and scissors.

Here is NatureMan's picture: Close-up:

And Dash's pictures:

Sensory Bowl

Fill a container with beans, rice, corn kernels, beads... whatever you have, or a mixture of these.

Gather little objects/ toys to "bury." Either take a picture or write down what you are hiding.

I hid 10 objects.

(Note: My objects are small, and could be choking hazards. I used them simply because I was sitting next to him the entire time. Luckily, this child does not have a habit of putting things in his mouth. Please use your own judgment on this one.)

Toys out:

Toys buried:

Right away, it became obvious that either my bowl was too full, or we needed a larger one!

I love love love this picture, of his precious little hand reaching for the bowl, with his toddler toes curled up in anticipation. Oh my goodness, I am in love with these kids.

This kiddo, like his brother Dash, goes 90+mph until he crashes.

They are hands-on, rough-and-tumble, loud little boys. Nature Man and the Artist have very different personalities; They are usually calm and pretty quiet, so I rarely had to focus on finding ways to settle them down.

(Nature Man was a rascally, stubborn little 2-year old, but that is different than a non-stop-activity child!)

At any rate, I've put myself "back in school" to find ways of successfully teaching, calming, and helping my two little ones learn. I want them to be active and able to express themselves, but have calming activities available when they need help settling down.

By the way, do you see that puzzle next to him? By numbering the pieces and corresponding spaces, Little Lad was easily able to put together 25+ piece puzzles when he was 2-years old. It worked for my little niece, too.