Educational Insights has great learning toys for children so I am excited to host this great giveaway for my readers. These toys make great birthday and Christmas gifts! To enter to win a $50 gift code, all you have to … Continue reading
In about a month our children are going to have more candy than they can eat without getting a tummy ache. Why not make eating that candy a learning experience as well? It’s easy to make a graph on the … Continue reading
The experts at the Toy Industry Association– the nonprofit trade association representing all businesses involved in creating and bringing toys and youth entertainment products to kids of all ages – have released their list of the best products to help … Continue reading
I am a firm believer that children learn through play and having taught preschool I have seen this first hand. Freedom to play also means lots of stains but with Shout® you can let the kids play without having to worry about stained clothing.To encourage unstructured play Shout® has teamed up with Olympic athlete and mom Jennie Finch to bring you the Shout® Unstructured Play photo contest! I am happy to share this information with you all {but hurry! The contest ends tomorrow, July 1st!}
To enter the Shout® contest, submit photos of your children creating a game with just their imaginations, three objects (such as glitter, a fly swatter, and a water wing) and the permission to play. Fans can then vote for their favorite photos. Visit Shout® brand’s Facebook page to explore!
Five winners will be selected tomorrow to win a prize pack including all the Shout® products needed to treat stains whenever and wherever they happen: Shout® Advanced Ultra Gel Brush, Shout® Wipes, Shout® Triple Acting Formula, Shout® Color Catche, $25 gift card, and a vintage Shout® t-shirt.
I think this is a great contest that promotes play and the winners get some great Shout® products so I hope you all will enter! Along with their great contest you also have a chance to win some stain fighting products right here at Making Time For Mommy. I use Shout® on all our stained laundry. If I didn’t have it I don’t think I’d be as open to letting my children explore or eat all the foods they wanted to because I’d be afraid of them ruining their clothes. Knowing I have the stain fighting power of Shout® I am not so worried about the boys messing up their clothes.
GIVEAWAY:
One reader will win a Shout® prize pack of products mentioned above
HOW TO ENTER:
{Do any or all of the following, leave a separate comment for each you do}
1) Leave a comment telling me which summer stain you find on your children’s clothes the most
2) Like Making Time For Mommy on Facebook
3) Like Shout® laundry on Facebook
4) Share this giveaway on a social network
5) Leave a comment on another one of my posts {found here}
Giveaway ends July 18, 2012 at 11:59pm. US only.
(Disclosure: I received products from Shout® to try but all thoughts are my own. This giveaway is not associated with Facebook in any way.)
Summer is my favorite season. I love the sunny, warm weather and all the time spent cooling off with water related activities. If one were to have been with my family last summer though, you would have thought I despised summer since we spent too much of it indoors and I spent a lot of it working. I have vowed that this summer will be different and that my kids will enjoy this summer to the fullest, despite the fact that I work from home. To help ensure that I’d give them all the great memories of summertime that I had as a child, I created a Summer bucket list for our family with over 100 ideas for summer fun. The list is geared towards preschoolers. Keep track of our progress on our Summer Bucket List page.
Outdoor Fun:
*Have a picnic lunch
*Plant flowers
*Host a backyard playdate
*Make smores
*Get ice cream from the ice cream truck
*Make a mud pie
*Paint with colored ice cubes
*Play in the sprinkler
*Make a nature collage
*Blow bubbles
*Host a family party
*Build a sandcastle
*Play in the rain
*Go on a nature scavenger hunt
*Go fishing
*Paint with water
*Wash the family car together
*Draw with chalk on the sidewalk
*Paint rocks
*Play soccer in the backyard
*Eat juicy watermelon
*Create a car racetrack on the sidewalk
*Make {and eat!} ice cream sundaes
*Read books outside in the shade of a tree
*Fly a kite
*Have a water balloon fight
*Freeze toys in a block of ice and then try to get them out
*Teach the boys how to ride their tricycles
*Catch fireflies
*Slide on a slip n’ slide
*Decorate t-shirts
*Go for a wagon ride
*Roll down a hill
*Pick flowers and make a bouquet
*Play catch in the backyard
Indoor Fun:
*Make homemade pizza
*Have a pajama day
*Make a musical instrument
*Compete to see who can build the tallest block tower
*Have a sleepover
*Board game day
*Bake cookies together
*Play playdough
*Make {and eat} “dirt cups”
*Read through a children’s Bible together
*Make a fort
*Cook dinner together
*Dance to songs from a children’s CD
*Dress up in costumes
*Have a family movie night with popcorn
*Pretend to be in a marching band
*Make homemade popsicles
*Play “I Spy”
*Make a fruit salad
*Fingerpaint in the bathtub
*Make {and play} a memory game
*Serve lunch in an ice cube tray
*Make a craft for every letter of the alphabet
*Make a suncatcher
On The Go:
*Go somewhere fun for Jake’s birthday
*Go somewhere fun for Luke’s birthday
*Go to an amusement park
*Visit a children’s museum
*Walk around a children’s garden
*Play in a splash pad
*Go to a carnival
*Attend an outdoor concert
*Go to the aquarium
*Eat at a train themed restaurant
*Go to the Indiana Dunes
*Walk along the lakefront
*Go to Starved Rock
*Visit a waterpark
*Go to a farmer’s market
*Go see a movie at the theater
*Visit daddy at work
*Go to the Museum of Science and Industry
*Take GiGi to lunch
*Go to Navy Pier
*Visit a pet store and buy a fish
*Go to a children’s concert
*Eat at a restaurant and sit on the patio
*Take a train ride
*Go garage-saling
*Feed ducks
*Go berry picking
*Watch a fireworks show
*Go on a picnic
*Go for a family walk
*Go swimming
*Go to Chuck-E-Cheese
*Attend a workshop at Home Depot or Lowe’s
*Go on a nature walk
*Try out 5 different playgrounds in town (went to 1)
*Listen to stories at library storytime
*Go to a parade
*Go bowling
*Go to a children’s farm
*Go downtown Chicago
*Attend a Vacation Bible School
*Play mini-golf
*Do the summer reading challenge at the library (signed up)
*Take a 2 day vacation somewhere within driving distance
*Jump in a bounce house
*Go out for ice cream
*Swim lessons
*Go to Day Out With Thomas
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What’s on your summer bucket list?
I’ve been working with Bing Note to help promote their new IPhone/IPod application, ABC’s with Bingzy Bee: Phonics. This application uses a fun ABC song to teach phonics and was developed by an award winning teacher who found success with … Continue reading
Keep your kids busy with these fun Easter crafts! Click on the pictures to be taken to the posts they are from. *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
In less than one week we will be celebrating Dr. Seuss’ birthday. Here are some fabulous Dr. Seuss ideas I found online {click the pictures to be taken to the posts they come from}. Find Dr. Seuss themed FOOD here.
"Are You My Mother" activity
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Dr. Seuss book cover bowling
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This playdough looks like the hat!
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Cute handprint craft
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Fun Learning Activity
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30 pages of FREE printables for preschoolers!
My children have sensory processing issues that make sensory table a must have item in our home but I think sensory activities are a great activity for all young children. I like to create themed ones around Holidays or certain … Continue reading
Now that it’s cold outside we are always looking for fun activities to do. I put together a hot cocoa sensory bin with a canister of hot cocoa mix, a bag of mini gingerbread man marshmallows, a funnel, a spoon, and some cups and bowls. Jake loved playing with this sensory tub and it smelled delicious!
Hot cocoa w/ marshmallows. The marshmallows were on clearance because thcy were from Christmas.
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Ready for playtime
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Jake liked eating the marshmallows, too!
Here are some fun activities that kids can do in the winter {click the pictures to be taken to the posts they come from}: *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
*** *** *** *** *** *** What other ideas do you have for great winter sensory table fillers? {Check out my winter themed tot school post for more winter activity ideas!}
Items Included: -Garland (cut into 6 inch pieces) -Jingle Bells -Holly Berries -Mini Ornaments -Mini Present -Small stockings -Bows -Red cups ************* Did you make a Christmas themed sensory table or bin for your children? I’d love to see what … Continue reading
Melissa & Doug want you to tell them which of their educational toys you think is the best! Just click on the image below to place your vote in the North “Poll!” You’ll Get a Melissa & Doug 25% Off … Continue reading
Tomorrow, November 12, is Neighborhood Toy Store Day! Small toy stores across the country will be celebrating the joy of play to launch the Holiday shopping season. Shopping at local owned toy stores is wonderful because you get great customer … Continue reading
Today is National Family Literacy Day! Since 1994, National Family Literacy Day has helped communities celebrate the wonders of literacy and reminded people of the importance of literacy. The entire month is special as well – many families, programs and … Continue reading
I have linked this post to: Wordless Wednesday Home 5 Minutes for Mom ~ Go Graham Go! ~ Jolly Mom Mom of 3 Girls ~MomStart ~ Two of a Kind… Momma Findings ~ Mom Knows It All A Daily Dose … Continue reading
The boys were also given spoons and nesting cups. After this picture was taken I added other items: *** More ideas of what you can put in your Fall sensory bins can be found on the following blogs: 1+1+1=1 Counting … Continue reading
Cooperation is a basic life skill that allows us to make friends, work successfully in groups and get along well with others. Unfortunately though, babies are not born knowing how to cooperate or share, this ability is learned through interactions … Continue reading
KinderCare Winter Science Camp:
The secret’s about to get out: science is a blast! At the end of December, 1600 KinderCare Learning Centers across the U.S. transform into Winter Science Camps that give preschoolers through school-agers a chance to unlock the mysteries of the natural world. Split into eight 1-day segments to better meet the needs of busy families staying in town for the holidays, Winter Science Camp uses age-appropriate activities and a lively, hands-on approach to get kids excited about what they’re learning. From fish to flowers, from robots to recycling-each center’s camp covers chemistry, earth science, and physics. Among many activities, younger campers will get to be “science detectives,” solving a series of science mysteries by using touch, smell and hearing. Meanwhile, school-aged kids will be busy experimenting with colored dyes, creating everything from paper to volcanic eruptions, building balloon rockets, and more. Kids can attend all eight days of camp, or drop in for a day or more. For more information about how KinderCare Winter Science Camp makes science as fun as it is smart, visit http://www.KinderCare.com/wintersciencecamp.
Winter Reading:
There is nothing better than snuggling up with your child and a good book. Reading to a child on a regular basis is by far the best way to encourage a budding reader. From the earliest ages, parents are encouraged to begin a reading routine with their children. Building on its robust literacy curriculum and teaching expertise, KinderCare is now providing parents with a comprehensive reading guide (available at http://www2.kindercare.com/uploadedFiles/Documents/a_guide_to_reading_to_your_child.pdf) that incorporates tips on reading to infants, toddlers and preschoolers as well as recommended age-appropriate book titles. Some tips include:
o You can help cultivate baby’s interest in books by choosing ones that capture his or her attention such as board books, pop-up books, etc. Your child will want to see these again and again.
o While reading together, ask questions about the pictures. Children are delighted in finding objects on the page. If they’re saying ‘da’ and pointing at the dog, say, ‘Yes, that’s the dog,’ If the child says ‘ball,’ follow up with, ‘That’s a blue ball.’ You’ll be giving them additional language for their verbal bank.
o Ask your child open-ended questions about the story you are reading, such as “Why do you think that happened?”
Play Time
The colder weather outdoors offers a good excuse for good old-fashioned indoor play time. Play is the natural work of children and essential to learning. Through play, children develop social skills, the ability to solve problems and the courage to express their ideas. The following are some quick tips for educational and fun family playtime:
o For infants, playing peek-a-boo will help baby recognize your voice.
o To help infants and toddlers develop fine motor skills, provide a variety of soft, easy-to-grasp toys, such as soft blocks or plush toys.
o Blow bubbles with your child and watch them have a blast as they chase and catch the bubbles – both reinforce motor skills and hand-eye coordination.
About KinderCare
With more than 1,600 centers located in 39 states and the District of Columbia, KinderCare Learning Centers, an accredited early childhood provider, offer a range of educational programs and after-school care for infants as young as six weeks old to school-aged children through age 12. For more information, visit www.KinderCare.com.
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(Disclosure: This is a sponsored post however I did work for Kindercare as both a teacher and as an Assistant Director and I believe that their programs are wonderful for young children.)
Making Time For Mommy 