Basket Toss

Items Needed:
Wiffle balls or Wiffle golf balls, bean bags, playground ball (We chose Wiffle balls)
Bowl
Laundry basket


Place Wiffle balls in a bowl and place the basket on the side propped up with a pillow or books to tilt it a little. Give a quick demonstration. I chose to do the basket toss. You could also have your child roll them in the basket like soccer and a goal, or you could bounce a play ground ball into the basket. Many options to choose from!

This kept my oldest son entertained but my little one could care less after 5 min. He'd throw them all in the gather them all up again. Super handy to have the bowl (a colander from their kitchen tools) near.

Source: Unplugged Play

Pom Poms and Cardboard Tubes

I saw this floating around Pinterest and wanted to try it...

By how we montessori

It's intended for Toddlers to develop fine motor skills but it kept my Preschooler busy longer.

Here's an alternative to pom poms as well.

Drawings...

So I decided to see if D could draw a person and this is what he said I look like and I absolutely I LOVE it!

T's drawings... Thought his were cute too!

Inside/Outside Voice

It's never too soon to start teaching about consideration for others. I like to stress the importance of saying please, thank you, bless you, your welcome, and saying hi and bye to those that say it to the boys. Mostly D's preschool teachers. I don't encourage speaking to "tricky people." I read a very good article about safety with children. It states to replace the word "stranger" with "tricky person". If a child gets lost they will have to approach a stranger. I've tried to teach my son about approaching a mom with other kids. She's mostly likely the safest person to approach. Anyway, that's another post.

I've also stressed the importance of inside and outside voices. I ask D how many eyes do I have? How many hands do I have? How many ears do I have? How many voices do I have? We have two voices also. An inside and outside voice. One is loud and one is soft. I then ask him which one he thinks is best for inside and which one is best for inside. He's caught onto this pretty well. I just remind him when his outside voice comes inside. T isn't aware of voices yet but I plan to help him when he's a little bit bigger. D's preschool has helped him learn between his walking feet and his running feet. So when we're in buildings and he starts to run out of excitement I remind him of his walking feet.

Source: The Toddler's Busy Book

Take Along Busy Bag

You know those times when you have to go somewhere but there's an infinite  a waiting period? For example, at the hairdresser's, the doctor's office, a restaurant, or a stinkin' auto mechanic shop... Well why not take a Busy Bag for the kiddos to enjoy while it's not only tough for you to wait but for them as well. Kids don't understand time yet, especially my little ones. You can use a drawstring bag or a backpack but I just picked up a tote back from Michaels dollar section. The boys are obsessed with Super heroes right now. Especially D. He LOVES The Hulk.

Some suggestions for a Busy Bag are:
coloring books and paper
crayons and markers
dolls and assorted clothing
treats or snacks
matchbox cars
puzzles

For my lil one I sometimes bring his favorite blanket, toy, or stuffed animal.

I have our bag always packed and ready to go. I don't let the boys play with it either. Just when we're out and about... waiting somewhere. I also change it up with items from our Busy Box so they don't get bored with the items.

In our Bag right now I have our magnet tray, some transformers, a pen and paper, (D LOVES to write/draw on paper) and a wooden train. I also pack a diaper and some wipes. The boys always have a water or a milk with them also. 

Here it is all packed!

Source: The Toddler's Busy Book

The Preschooler's Busy Book

Daily Activity: Wet the Chalkboard

Items Needed:
Chalkboard
Sponge or paintbrush
Water

Toddler Water Play

Washing Cars

Wet the Chalkboard

Busy Bag: Lid Drop

Items Needed:
Baby wipe box
Milk lids

Just drop the lids though the slit. T played with this for a good 30 min.

D was making cakes and I was the customer. ;]

*Part of our Busy Box

Source: The Toddler's Busy Book

Daily Activity: Salt Dough Handprints and Footprints

I made one of these when D turned one and I wanted to make one for T as well. I like this version better. With D's I bought a plaster kit from the store. It was a royal pain. Dried too quickly. With this recipe I also plan to make play dough. It was a fun consistency to play with.

Salt dough recipe:

1 cup salt

1 cup plain flour

Half a cup of warm water

Mix together into a large bowl and knead it until smooth and stretchy. This last part is important otherwise the dough remains sticky and quite granular from the salt. If it is still too sticky add a bit more flour, if too dry and crumbly then add a tiny touch more water. A little bit of trial and error is all that is needed and it really is so easy!

I then placed the dough into a round aluminum pan with wax paper. Baked it for 3 hours at 100 degrees.

Here's another recipe for plaster hand and footprints:

Items Needed:

Patch plaster or plaster of Paris

1 1/4 C water

Tin can

Mixing spoon

Paper plates

Picture hook (optional)

To make the plaster mix, stir 2 C of patch plaster or plaster of Paris and one and a quarter C water in a tin can. The mixture should be as thick as pea soup so it can cast without air bubbles. Plaster of Paris dries in about 10-20 min, while patch plaster takes 20-40 min. I'd recommend patch plaster.  

To make a cast of your child's hand or footprint, pour one inch of plaster mix onto a paper plate. Wait 2 min for plaster of paris, 6 min for patch plaster. Have your child press her hand or foot gently into the plaster and make sure not to go to the bottom of the plate. Hold for a min or two and remove. Hopefully the little one will hold still long enough. D didn't and that's why it was a pain. Let the imprint sit overnight, then peel the plate from the print. If you want, glue a picture hook the the back to hang.

Toddler Kids in the Kitchen

Apple Smile

Apple Smile

Items needed:
Red unpeeled apple
Peanut Butter
Miniature marshmallows

Cut the apple into wedges and spread peanut butter onto two pieces. Place three to four (or more, the more toothy the better!) marshmallows in between.

Mine is pretty scary looking. I just knew it wouldn't matter to D. :]

Daily Activity: Car Wash

Items Needed:
Bucket
Sponge
Soapy Water
Riding Trucks

Washing his riding toys... and his table

You can then have them rinse them off with a hose. 

D loves this so much we do it all the time!

Toddler Rainy Day Play

Highchair Fun
Bubble Bottle
Clothespin Drop
Clothespin Poke
Ice Cube Bags
Inside/Outside Voice
Basket Toss

Busy Bag: Pom Pom Stuff In

Items Needed:
A clean container
Pom Poms

Poke a hole in the top big enough to barely fit the pom poms through.

T couldn't figure out what to do at first, of course, so I showed him how to push his finger onto the pom pom and it'd go through the hole. He caught on pretty quickly after that. I tried varying it up by taking the lid off to see if he'd just like to drop them in, however he kept picking the lid back up and trying to put it back on, so he likes it on. :]

Then he figured out an even better idea... TO EAT THEM. So, sadly I had to take them away and it ruined his fun. :( I hate making the boys sad by removing something that they enjoy. (i.e. leaving the park, etc)

Showed D this and he LOVES it also. He has been dumping and filling for a bit now. He has even come back to it after hours have gone by doing something else. 

D says it's volcano and the pom poms are getting hot. ;]

*Part of our Busy Box

Source

Busy Bag: Clothespin Poke

Items needed:
Empty egg carton
Clothespins


Punch a hole in the bottom of the carton big enough to hold the clothespins.

D started counting as he was putting them in and pulling them out.

T enjoyed chewing on them more. :]

and walking around...

D played with this for a long time and even started to pretend that it was a rocket ship and the clothespins were people. They visited the Moon, Mars, and Earth. They'd get off at each planet and then get back on to visit the next. :] I LOVE his imagination! We even took turns pinning them to our shirts and D couldn't stop laughing. :]]

*Part of our Busy Box

Source: The Preschooler''s Busy Book

Busy Bag: Bubble Bottle

Items needed:
Clean, empty 32 oz soda bottle with lid
Water
Tempera paint (I used white)
1/3 C liquid detergent (I used dish soap)
Strong adhering glue (I used super glue)

Fill soda bottle to about 1/3 full with water. Add a spoon or two of tempura paint and the liquid detergent. Glue the cap on.

Making bubbles...

T enjoyed rolling the bottle more than shaking it. He just couldn't quiet get a grip on the bottle.

Shake, shake, shake...

*Part of our Busy Box

Source: The Preschooler''s Busy Book