I love activities that are cheap, easy, and entertaining for more than just a minute. This is one of my favorite "go to" activities to do with bored kids. All you need is a handful of completely random objects and/or toys from around the house and a bag. The objects in the bag can be used in SO many different ways. Lay them all out for your kids to look at and then take one away when they aren't looking. Have them try and remember what you took away. Dump out … [Read more...]
Igniting the Olympic Spirit in Your Kids
The Summer Olympics begin on Friday, woot! (That's right, I'm so excited I'm wooting.) Do you guys plan to watch them with the kiddos? You know I'm not a very big fan of mixing kids and TV but, for me, this is the exception to the rule. I can't wait to perch on the couch with S and C rooting on our American contenders. In fact, I've rounded up a whole slew of Olympic related kid activities over at momtastic to help get them in the spirit. Head over and check them out. P.S. If … [Read more...]
Storytelling 101
This is little Zee, 21 months old, wearing his paper cat ears and clutching a paper tail during one of our paper tear-and-tell sessions. Are you guys any good at making up stories for your kids? As much as I'd love to weave intricate tales for my little ones, I just don't seem to have an aptitude for it. If you're in the same boat, don't despair, we have a wonderful guest poster today all the way from Singapore to help us out. Along with some really helpful hints on storytelling (at the … [Read more...]
Science at Play: Part III
It's been a busy, busy weekend on the homefront. Gorgeous weather led to some impromptu yardwork and spring cleaning along with lots of playing in the sun and a family picnic in the backyard. All that means two things: I'm up way too late writing this so I'll be keeping it brief and the nice weather has me thinking about summer. What do these two things add up to? My third science at home roundup. (Because it's a relatively quick post and I know from past experience you'll love … [Read more...]
Easter 2012 Aftermath
Now that Easter has come and gone, I wanted to remind you of this post from last year on exactly what to do with all those plastic eggs. I also thought you might be interested in how our water bead eggs went over. Of course, it should be noted that due to their size they can be a choking hazard so please never leave them alone in the presence of small children who might be tempted to eat them. This morning I let the kids break them apart over some big bowls set out on towels. You can see … [Read more...]
Creative Play Easter Basket Idea: Water Bead Eggs
Aren't these water bead eggs cool? They were unbelievably easy and inexpensive to pull together and I think the kids are going to get such a kick out of opening them up and playing with the contents on Easter. UPDATE: check out how my kiddos played with these after cracking them open here. If you're not familiar with water beads, they come in little plastic packets that fit in the palm of your hand. Each "bead" is a teeny tiny ball which, when soaked in water … [Read more...]
Yarn + Sandpaper + a Cereal Box = A Fabulous 3-in-1 Quiet Time Activity
I've been doing a lot of lamenting about C dropping naps over on the facebook page lately (which, by the way, is new and improved!). Despite all my whining, the situation remains the same - I can no longer count on having a chunk of my day all to myself. Honestly, it's not as bad as I feared it would be. C is very good at independent play and he does still nap occasionally. I've found the key to surviving the no-nap days is to always be prepared with a stimulating activity or … [Read more...]
Playtime: Green Activites & Art Projects for the Whole Family
I've got some exciting news to share today. A few month's ago the folks over at FamilyFun Magazine asked me to design the "Go Green" edition of their Family Fun Badges, to be featured online and in print. "What's a Family Fun Badge?" you say. They're kind of like boy scout badges for families. I really love how the whole concept promotes family time and creativity and was thrilled to have the opportunity to get involved. Also, I got a pretty great theme to … [Read more...]
Pinned: 5 DIY Activities to Stimulate the Kids
image via Childhood 101 Did you know I've been on pinterest longer than I've had this blog? It's true. In fact, it was pinterest that finally made me believe I could actually offer up something interesting here on a daily basis (aside from Sundays that is). As it stands right now, I have 20 boards, 1178 pins, and over 2000 followers on pinterest. So maybe it's time I share some of that good stuff here on MPMK. What do you think? Today I'm drawing from my "playtime" board … [Read more...]