Spring Activities

Spring activities for the little ones. 

At any given time the age range of the children is roughly 21-38 months. 

All of these activities cross developmental areas but mostly focus on sensory, fine motor and discovery.

 St. Patrick's Day

 We spiced up our shaving cream in march with green washable paint and shamrock confetti. 

For a little fine motor action we poked sparkley pipe cleaners into holes cut into a 

recycled yogurt container. Cheap and easy!

 Here we filled an old apple juice container with green pom poms. Over and over and over. 

I think the best part was shaking them out. 

Weather Time

We made a chart and graphed pictures of objects in the room that we could move by blowing through a straw. We also read The Wind Blew by Pat Hutchins before this activity.  

After using the straws and testing the objects, 

the children found the pictures and glued them on the appropriate side. 

Water Transfer

Here we talked about rain clouds and transferred water from one bowl to another using cotton balls. 

Never under estimate the ability of a child to get wet- no matter how little water is involved. 

Cloud Painting

We combined shaving cream and glue to make a fluffy concoction. 

Then they created clouds on their paper. 

Like most activities with two year olds-It started out clean and ended up messy!

Brushy Brushy

Forth dental health study we brushed giant teeth using upside down ice cube trays and egg cartons, shaving cream and toothbrushes. I think I eventually added some paint to extend their interest. 

Painting a Vegetable Garden 

We read stories about gardens like Little Bunny's Lunch by JoAnne Nelson and planted flowers and vegetables in our garden on the playground.

Then we dipped a variety of vegetables into trays of different color paint to make prints and textures. 

Then it turned into a runway. 

Later that week we had to water our garden. 

And paint with some flowers too. 

Winter Activities

Winter activities for the little ones. 

At any given time the age range of the children is roughly 21-38 months. 

All of these activities cross developmental areas but mostly focus on sensory, fine motor and discovery. 

Snow Painting

We brought real snow inside for art time and painted it with water colors. 

You could always take the paint outside but we were too cold from playing in the snow. 

 Ice painting

We filled ice cube trays with water and food coloring. Then we stuck mini popsicle sticks in each cube before freezing. Once frozen we poped  Next time I'll try washable paint so it doesn't stain their hands. 

Wax Hearts for Valentines Day

 The children sprinkled red, pink and purple crayon shavings on wax paper. After they played with the shavings, I ironed them between two pieces of wax paper as they looked on. 

I cut hearts out to hang in the window. (of course I don't have a picture of that)

Then I let them cut up the scraps and make a collage. 

Valentines for Children

I made these Valentines for the children in my class. They definitely helped contribute to the cup of broken crayons. I found a silicone heart mold and melted the crayons in the oven. Then I cut out hearts, wrote a note and tied them up with my trusty Martha Stewart kitchen twine!

Snow Pile 

We reused some packing peanuts in our sensory table to make "snow."

We used shovels, scoops and of course our hands to dig and scoop.

This is a smaller version using cotton balls. We added some winter animals and bowls for igloos. Apparently some felt shapes were needed as well! :)

Ping Pong Ball Chase

This is really simple and the kids love it!

I toss/bounce about 12 ping pong all across the room and the kids run and collect them. They put them back in the bucket and we start all over again. Genius, I know!

Great way to burn off some energy in the winter or on a rainy day. 

Great for hand-eye coordination. 

You can also incorporate position words when they are searching for them. 

Count the balls or count down before you throw them.  

You could always write letters, numbers, words, shapes etc for the children to identify before dropping them in the bucket. 

Menorah Spin-off

 During December we combined Hanukkah candles and popsicle molds for sorting and fine motor.

Other times of the year we used popsicle sticks with the molds. The possibilities are endless. 

freezing in the summer

In an attempt to embrace the fact that I am 27 going on 40 something, 

I recently started stocking and freezing some food. This is something usually reserved for those who have children, lived through the Great Depression and/or are doomsday preppers. I am none of these. 

This takes planning and thinking ahead. And while those are not generally words or phrases that describe me (due to my moderate ADD),  I'm proud to admit that I can sometimes fake it and convince people that I'm borderline "type A" (due to my mild to moderate OCD).  Obviously this is only successful in short intervals because after too much time with me they will realize that my keys are locked in my car, I left the oven on and my phone is dead. The only thing "type A" about me is that I have some seriously "great" idea and… that.is.where.they.stop. Not after spelling out these "great ideas" in detail to my husband Nate of course. The trick is to wait until you are in the car with your victim to start your rants and ramblings, so there is no escaping. Your welcome. 

 I washed and dried the fruit and spread them on pans. 

Flash freezing the fruit keeps it from sticking together in a big clump. 

I bagged it up and will use it this fall/winter for smoothies, muffins etc.

It's cheaper to buy produce when it's in season and either local or at least grown in the US. 

This is especially true when you're buying organic,

which I definitely do with berries and most produce of which I eat the skin. 

Click this link http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/summary/ for a full list of produce that you should always by organic and those that you can save some money by buying conventional. 

I need more blueberries! 

It was hard not to eat them all!

Rasberries and the rest of the strawberries. 

It was so easy!!

I also froze chopped celery, onion, jalapenos, pineapple, lemon wedges, cooked shredded chicken and ground beef over the course of a week. 

I'm torn. 

I'm trying to get away from using plastic in the kitchen BUT ziploc bags make so much sense. 

Since the bags are not getting hot there shouldn't be the worry of chemical leaching but 

tossing them is wasteful. ugh! Sometimes I rinse and reuse them but I wouldn't rinse them with hot water and then put food in them. double ugh!!

Anyways... I love this whole freezing thing, because I rarely use up all my produce when cooking. Now I can just grab what I need from the freezer. It makes cooking quicker and less wasteful. 

Most of this was grown locally, organic or both. I love supporting local farms and knowing where my food comes from. Freezing helps you do this in the winter months too. 

I found Andrea's site Simple Organized Living to be most helpful when tackling the freezer. Also check Lisa Leak's blog series "preserving seasonal foods" from 100daysofrealfood.

Oh and this is what happens when you chop 6 or so jalapenos without wearing gloves or washing your hands thoroughly. I also don't recommend scraping out the ribs and seeds with your fingers. I was just trying to be on with my food :) 

rookie

After scouring the entire and asking for advice on facebook, I coated my hand in oil, butter, soaked it lime juice and found temporary relief in a tub of sour cream. As you can see I was desperate. 

I ended up "sleeping" with my hand in a bowl of ice water all night. 

Needless to say I will not be doing that again. 

sHaKiNg hands with REAL food

I had no idea what I was getting into when I repinned a pin on Pinterest about 3.5 months ago. The picture featured a platter with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, meat, cilantro and homemade pita chips. The comment below said "100 days of no processed food recipes." Clicking on this photo was a no brainer, considering my love for mexican food and the idea of eating healthy. I say the idea because, while I wasn't eating fast food or tons of meat, I was eating a lot of sugar and prepackaged "foods." 


I clicked on the link and briefly looked through Lisa Leake's Blog: 100 Days of No Processed Food.  I checked out some recipes and scoured the rules of the 10 Days of No Processed Foods challenge for exceptions and potential loopholes. Nothing. This was no joke. No artificial anything. No sugar. No prepackaged food with more than 5 ingredients. The rules continued…and in no time I was back to wasting time on Pinterest.


Weeks passed but I couldn't seem to shake this whole idea of not eating processed food. Was this something I could actually do? At the time I was eating like a full grown kid. Lucky Charms, Fruit-Roll Ups, Lunchables and Oreos were among my staples. And I can't forget the Handi Snacks. I would literally stuff my face in the plastic so I could lick all the cheese out. I always justified my boxed food addiction by staying on top of the latest diet fads. I made sure to supplement the junk-food with Fiber Plus granola bars and Fiber One cereal. I always opted for multi-grain crackers, wheat bread and baked chips. I chose low-fat and fat -free options. See how wise I was? (or so I thought) 


As more weeks passed, I periodically clicked back to Lisa's blog and continued to ask myself if I could do this. I settled on the possibility that it was too extreme and that I would be fine if I just ate everything in moderation. Ha. Define "moderation!"


Each trip to the pantry or grocery store brought more questions and curiosity. I started reading labels….differently.  I read labels before because, like I said, I was on top of the "nutritional" trends. I needed to know which of my colorful cereals had less sugar and more fiber. I also made mental notes of calories and serving sizes.  I usually lost those notes :) This time, however, I was reading the ingredients of the food I was buying. That. was. all. though. I read them. I didn't read them and put them back. I just processed the information. (no pun intended) I bought these foods that contained ingredients that I couldn't pronounce and made excuses for eating them.


Then one day the lightbulb went off! I figured out how to be "healthy" AND eat processed foods. I would just eat only "organic." It was perfect. I could still eat sugary cereal and even oreo-like cookies and it was seemed so much better for me. I just compared the organic varieties and picked the one with less "stuff" in them. It was perfect. Well, it was at least easier and it settled some of my worries. 

http://michaelpollan.com/books/in-defense-of-food/

So I thought….
I couldn't stop thinking about food. ingredients. health concerns. pesticides. antibiotics. I had so many questions and I knew just because it said "organic" on the box, it didn't mean it was REAL food. So, I began reading Michael Pollan's book In Defense of Food as recommended by Lisa Leake. I couldn't put it down. I told anyone would listen who was breathing about the things I was reading. There was so much I didn't know. And so much that I knew or thought might be true but filed away for sheer convenience. I began scouring the internet and library for as much information as I could find. (We live a block away from the library and it is the most wonderful thing!) Aside from a short period of food anxiety, I was really coming around and beginning to realize that I could cut out most processed foods. 

http://www.takepart.com/foodinc

After finishing In Defense of Food, I checked out the documentary Food, INC.  I vaguely remember ignoring this movie when it first came out in 2008. The truth surrounding the american agriculture, poultry, beef and dairy industries are uncomfortable, sad, disgusting and calls for action. I'm not saying that this time I was armed with spray paint and screaming "meat is murder" but I was ready…ish. So I sat down on a Saturday night to watch the inevitable emotional roller coaster. I cried, of course, over the conditions of the animals, furrowed my brow at the manipulative power houses and smiled at the happy animals grazing on a farm in Virginia. Aww:)


So was I called to action? Through these last few months of throwing myself into rediscovering food, I realized that I had a choice in my actions. My daily decisions could help the movement that takes us back to a simpler time when farmers had a say in what they did, animals and workers weren't exploited and our food came from the earth as nature intended. I could vote with my dollars by buying local organic produce and meat from humanely treated, 100% pastured animals. This means making sacrifices in my budget to allow for more expensive, quality food. It means being educated not ignorant. It means talking to local farmers, shaking their hands and thanking them for their sweat and dedication to the integrity of our food. 

DIY bib and washcloth

I am so excited to post these pictures. It's a rare thing for me to finish something I start. Much less finish it with straight seams and few frustrating moments. It's mostly due to me s.l.o.w.i.n.g down and taking my time. Novel idea, right?

I have loved this fabric for a while but it's not great quality so I've been hesitant to use it. 

When I saw this "baby scrubbie" with the same fabric I got motivated.

I didn't use the tutorial but it's pretty similar. 

This is the pattern I used for the bib. 

She has a great tutorial for a cute scrappy bib that I hope to try.

They are going to a special little bun in the oven. 

I can't wait until he is ready for bath time and drooling!

P.s. Once it was finished I didn't even notice the quality of the fabric. It's not terrible but I'm a sucker for expensive threads. Get it? Not in my closet but definitely for sewing :)