DIY chalkboard lunchbox

I purchased one of these lovely old fashioned stainless steel lunchbox tins with dinosaurs which seems to be Mason's favourite at the moment but you can source them easily and cheaply on eBay. I coated the inside of the lid with two layers of plain chalkboard paint which i found at bunnings. I let each layer set outside for a 24 hours and i also let the tin air outside for a week before wiping down with vanilla fridge cleaner to be sure the chalkboard smell was gone. I also use a clear lunchbox inside my tin to hold the food just to keep the chalk dust away from his food but when he opens his lunch now i am able to send him a little message of love without wasting paper notes and an added bonus with tin lunchboxes is you can add magnets for them to keep busy when finished lunch. Great way to help "theme" up your lunchbox for school...

DIY Coloured snowmen

 We don't get snow on our property so when i saw on the news that there was snow falling 2 hours away and it was nearly the last day of winter i knew our mission was to hunt it down!

As if it was all planned, just as we arrived in the town that was known to have had a snowfall we spotted a park with left over snow scattered around.

Perfect for the kids first snow experience!

We made our first ever snowmen and even bought some food colouring which we added to a water bottle to colour our own unique snowmen. The kids loved feeling the hard snow and watching the ice melt as we tipped the coloured water on it.Nothing like experiencing hands on learning outside with mother nature, this sure beat any expensive trip to the snowfields for us!



Golf tee hammering minus marbles

I set up a golf tee activity for Tara when she was younger (http://homelearningfrombirth.blogspot.com.au/2010/07/golf-tees-and-marbles.html) and this one is similar but i excluded the marbles as Mason is only 20 months and our activity shelves are left for use during the day without supervision but i thought we would revisit it as Hammering is a favourite with the boys!

In a plastic container i flattened out some plasticine to form a thick layer. It is best to use plasticine as it wont dry out if left on a shelf. In anther container i left some golf tees and a hammer along side.

I took one tee and pressed it into the plasticine then picked up the hammer and tapped the tee until it moved deeper into the plasticine. Then repeated.

Coloured counter matching

These plastic coloured math counters come in handy in so many activities and so cheap to purchase if you search on eBay so i grabbed a variety of colours and placed them on a tray with a square of paper that i stuck on some matching coloured sticky dots. I showed mason how to place on plastic counter onto the matching coloured sticky dot and he continued to finish the activity alone. Great for developing pincer grip when picking up small items and colour recognition.

Foam stickers

Have you ever noticed these foam stickers with paper backing while shopping? They seem to pop up everywhere lately. Discount shops and at even coles/woolies. Well Mason has taken a liking to them and they are a great tool for advancing fine motor skills. His tiny hands work hard to peel the backing off the sticker with patience and determination and then place them onto a piece of paper. Our Montessori shelves now have a try with these accessible to him at all times. Pick up a pack if you see them as they are a handy activity to have for card making too!

Spring!!! Edible flower lollipops

Spring is two days away and we are getting in the spirit by making some yummy edible flower lollipops. These make great class gifts or treats for fete stalls.

We picked some nasturtiums and gently tore off each petal ready to use. Then we lined a tray with baking paper and placed the lollipop sticks on the tray leaving plenty of room between each. We placed the nasturtium petals at the end of the sticks then got to work making the candy!

Candy directions- Add 2 and 1/3 cups of sugar, 1 tablespoon of vinegar and 1 cup cold water in a heavy-based saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring, for 3 minutes or until sugar has dissolved. Increase heat to medium-high. Boil, without stirring, for 12 to 15 minutes or until mixture turns golden. Set aside for 1 minute or until bubbles subside.

When bubbles subside gently pour the mixture over each nasturtium to form a freehand circular shape. Let cool for an hour at room temp then gently peel away from baking paper...