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...

Sparkles squishy

Toilet rolls! They seem to multiply at our house very quickly! I'm forever trying to find new ways to use them and this one got the kids AND our pets excited!

Tara calls this "Sparkles Squishy"

Ever since she started eating sushi, she misheard me and still to this day calls sushi-squishy and i just cant correct her its too cute!

Sparkles is her 9 month old guinea pig who loves squishy so i set up a tray of veggies cut into strips and the kids stuff their toilet rolls full of them.

Squishy completed!

Sparkles cant decide what to eat first! She will sometimes nibble on the toilet roll but that is fine, roll and all she enjoys her squishy!

Tapioca Pearl tub

If your familiar with water beads, you will know how many learning experiences they can provide and how much fun you can have. There are however some who find it hard to use a material in play that is not really used for eating. Here i have found the perfect solution....Tapioca Pearls!

These gorgeous little beauties are FOOD! Found at your Asian grocer sometimes called Boba and are used for making bubble tea which i think was originated in Taiwan. Only cost me a $2 per pack so i purchased 3 packs and put them uncooked into the tub with chopsticks,spoons,bowls and tweezers to use for transferring. These are hard when uncooked so supervision is important but once cooked i think any age would be suitable!

I put out a paint tray and Tara sorted the colours

After the dry pearls exhausted themselves in play, we cooked them up as per the directions on the pack. Very simple just place them in a pot of water and once they have risen to the surface they are ready.

Drain them and you can see they are VERY similar to waterbeads,squishy,rolly and a little more mushy!

We thought we should try the recipe of bubble tea and peach tea with bubbles but both kids thought it was very beautiful but a little strange :/

Playing with them was much more fun. They found them stickier than waterbeads but for all the carers that just cant bring themselves to use waterbeads these are a great alternative

They were soo sticky we found we could stick them to paper and make a picture from them..check out Mason's tummy to see HOW sticky they get!

These lasted us nearly two days,they are food so will not last that long at room temperature but they were a great addition to our weekend and bought up plenty of conversations about other countries foods and tastes!

Spiderweb find

I had noticed on Pinterest an idea of using string or wool to make a spiderweb laser game where children had to navigate their way through without touching the string. I loved the idea and wondered how i could make it more educational.

 I made the spiderweb with some wool i had leftover and tied it to all the furniture in the room. Then i scattered some items on the floor and sat at the end of the web and asked Tara to find all the items that started with a certain letter.
This got her thinking, moving and having a laugh. Body awareness and knowing how to move your body around objects effectively is a skill that is learnt at all ages. This activity can be altered for younger children by asking to "find the blue objects" for example and for older children "find the land animals" 

Tara's tuckerbox

We have had a few play dates over the last few weeks and thought id share with you what we made to share with our friends....

Kale Chips

These are super quick to make. Tear bite sized bits of fresh kale off the bunch, leaving the stalk behind. Spread on an oven tray with a dash of oil and salt and bake till just about browning(10 mins). As another variety we make with soy sauce instead of oil/salt. Doesn't sound yummy but if you have a child who refuses to eat greens, this is worth a try.Promise they are yummy!

This lion is a rice cake topped with peanut butter, banana eyes and mouth. Mandarin nose and mane. Date eyes.

 Healthy but fun!

 

Lolly teacups are always a hit at a little girls play date! Ice cream cones cut down with a bread knife. Using a glue (icing sugar and water) connect to a round biscuit. Use a jelly ring cut in half and stick to side of cone and fill with lollies!

Matchsticks Vs Play dough

Our play dough tray was upgraded this week with an addition of a bowl of coloured matchsticks. The play dough makes for a great foundation to poke the matchsticks into. For older toddlers try plasticine, as the firmer it is the harder the muscles in the child's hands will need to work.

Condensed milk painting

Condensed milk painting has been one of Tara's favourite activities lately -and i think i know why!
What other paint would taste so sweet???
Simple add a drop of food colouring into some condensed milk and you have a glossy new type of paint.
Its a pleasure to use, very thick in consistency so the paint stays in place perfectly. We have paintings that are months old now and are still shiny and no sign of mould or stickiness.
When finished allow to dry for 24 hours to make sure the stickiness has hardened. Do not leave outside on a bench as we did once, as the ants also seem to like the sweet taste :0

Elastic transferring

These squishy elastic bands make for perfect transferring objects for toddlers. This activity tray was put out for Mason with the elastics scattered all over the tray and a pair of tongs on top. A basket sat on the left side as he is showing right handed preference at the moment but swapping the basket side would be idea for a challenge.
I used the tongs to pick up a single elastic and squeeze to keep it held the released it over the basket and then offered the tongs to Mason. Great for fine motor skills!

Tara's Tucker Box

Tara's Tucker Box

Here are a few lunches i have packed for my little prep girl to remind her of how much i love her even when we are not together....

This beauty was for the letter R week, Tara requested Rapunzel so i used her sandwich and added a boiled egg with Nori sheet eyes and mouth and cooked spaghetti for hair held by a silicone wrap band. She is laying on a bed of cranberries

This was a morning tea of fresh strawberries with leaf toothpicks. Egg chick-A boiled egg halved with a carrot beak and sesame seed eyes. Veggie chips and a sprinkles heart slice of bread

This was an under the sea day at prep so we made a crab from a mini crossiant,cabanossi nippers,apple skin mouth and cheese stick eyes placed on toothpicks. An oyster from two biscuits filled with icing with a yougart ball "pearl" inside. Its eyes are icing pens. A boiled egg fish shaped. Two honey fish sandwiches with sultana eyes and some rice snacks as gravel.  

This morning tea was made with 3 piklets-one cut in half with marshmellow heads and paws. Hearts and eyes were made with cupcake topper decorations.

A puzzle sandwhich made with a variety of fillings so you never know what your biting into! Cute teddy stamper in the middle

"o" day at Prep. Hotdog octopus with toothpick hair bow on a bed of lettuce.

Raviolli pasta and sauce.

Guitar painting

Guitar Painting

Our activity trays are just plastic serving trays from a dollar store but add some elastic bands around them that are painted with coloured paint and a peice of paper underneath and get strumming away with your guitar. The paint will splatter and flick your music onto your paper that becomes a lovely peice of artwork. If you dont have a serving tray, try an oven tray or even a cardboard box.

Playdough tray

Playdough Tray

Another activity tray i have on Mason's Montessori shelves is a playdough tray.
We have a stack of playdough around the house with shapes gallore but for toddlers, i feel they really benefit from a less is more approach.
A tray with one small pot of playdough, three cutter shapes and a rolling pin is plenty to keep a toddler interested.
Even with a tray so simple, it is important to show how to use playdough to a toddler. Eating playdough may be a natural reaction to children who are just given it without explaination.
Break down the process, get playdough out of pot, roll with pin,press shape into dough, put shape down then remove excess dough.  

Dinosaur transferring

Dinosaur Transferring

These dinosaurs sure get a work out in our home!
Bathtime play, volcanic islands, slime, playdough, all activities we usually add a dinosaur or two too!
I set up an activity tray on Mason's Montessori shelves with pile of dinosaurs and a basket with some tweezers inside.
I showed him with as few words as possible how to squeeze the tweezers to pick up one dinosaur then release his grip when he was over the basket.
It is amazing how quickly he caught on and now this is the first activity he goes to in the morning and will happily set it up and pack them away alone-Montessori works!

Cloud dough

This recipe is known as cloud dough by child care professionals but last Christmas we bought a stack of "Moon dough" and i can say it is the same consistancy as that product at a fraction of the cost of buying it!It also works with the other moon dough products.

7 cups of plain flour and 1 cup of baby oil evenly mixed-simple! As baby oil is actually toxic if ingested i would recommend using a cooking oil like olive/sunflower/canola with infants. The baby oil does give it a lovely relaxing scent though! 

Sandpit toys are great for including with cloud dough, enjoy!!!

Primary colour slime adventures

I love when an you make an activity that can then lead on to other activities especially when it can involve two different stages of development.

We made a batch of slime the same as our Halloween recipe here http://homelearningfrombirth.blogspot.com.au/2010/10/halloween-spooky-slime-sensory-tub.html

but this time used a variety of colours to introduce Mason to primary colours.

 Another day we used the slime on a dinosaur tray and did some stomping

Lastly Tara used the slime in a slime basket that we hung off our garage roof and let fall onto a tray to watch the colours mix.

Slime is a fantastic sensory activity and feels great to play with after being cooled in the fridge. Squishy and calming for any age (including mine,shhh!)

Seed sorting

Seed sorting is another great Montessori activity that helps with fine motor skills and colour matching. These are some beans i found at the supermarket that a cheap and edible. I was certain he would see them as food and try to eat them so i would never

left them out unsupervised but when i introduced the activity and showed him the purpose he didn't even try them.

I have had many mums say to me "he just throws things" or "she just uses her toys to hit her siblings". Most of the time i feel the children are just not aware of the purpose of the toy. Get down and play with them. Use the dolls to make voices and role play, build a Lego house or start a car race with to cars then excuse yourself to do some chores and the child will know the purpose and imitate your playing.

Seed sorting is a calming activity that requires focus. It is important to let your child choose the activity from the shelves for this reason. The activity will go much smoother your child is in the right frame of mind for the activity.