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Summer Budget Bucket List: 25 Ideas that Don’t Cost a Lot of Money

July 1 by Kristin

Summer Budget Bucket List: 25 Ideas that Don’t Cost a Lot of Money

I'm all about the bucket lists.  Let me re-phrase that...I'm all about lists in general. Maybe it's the first grade teacher in me? I have found that lists help me stay on task, focus and get things done.So, when it comes to summer fun, of course I would make a bucket list.  Summer seems to go as quickly as it comes. I want to make sure that we soak up every moment of enjoyment.The only problem is that I don't have endless amounts of cash to spend on amusement parks, restaurants and … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Kristin, The Make & Play Vault Tagged With: bucket list on a budget, cheap summer play ideas, inexpensive summer play ideas, simple summer activities for kids, summer activities for kids, summer bucket list, summer budget bucket list, summer play ideas

4 Simple Summer Routines for Beating the Summer Slide

June 9 by Steph (MPMK Founder)

4 Simple Summer Routines for Beating the Summer Slide

It's only a few weeks until the last day of school for us and I know summer vacation has already started for many of you! To help you prepare for a wonderful summer filled with lots of relaxing, playing, connecting, and - yes - even learning, I've asked my good friend Mariah of Playful Learning to stop by and share her tips.To say Mariah is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to education, is an understatement.She has 20 years of experience working in the field of education and a Master … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Creating & Engaging, Educational Activities, Parenting Tagged With: activities for beating the summer slide, learning activities for kids, summer learning activities, summer learning ideas

How to Set Up Natural Play Spaces in Your Back Yard

May 27 by Steph (MPMK Founder)

How to Set Up Natural Play Spaces in Your Back Yard

Recently, one of my neighbors sent out a group text asking if anyone had logs from cut-down trees for a friend who had some cool plans for her backyard. It immediately reminded me of the Natural Play Spaces series we did a few years ago and I sent it to her.Looking over it, I remembered how wonderful it was and wanted to share it with you guys with the 3-day weekend, and unofficial start of the summer, here. I hope it inspires you to look at your backyard in a whole new way this … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Creating & Exploring, Natural Outdoor Play Spaces Tagged With: getting kids outdoors, how to set up a natural play space, natural play spaces, outdoor play

5 Steps to Creating an Outdoor Exploration Station Your Kids Will Love!

May 13 by Julee

5 Steps to Creating an Outdoor Exploration Station Your Kids Will Love!

Now that summer break is just around the corner (or maybe even here for some of you!), It's time to start thinking about how to keep our kids active and engaged without resorting to video games and television.At the top of my list is (rather predictably) outside, unstructured play.Here's Julee with one of my all-time favorite set-ups for doing just that... Our yard was one of the top reasons we chose our new house. We have lots of space, a large deck and trees to keep us sheltered from … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Julee, Outdoor Play, The Make & Play Vault Tagged With: backyard play activities, exploring nature with kids, kids play activities, kids science activities, outdoor play setup, outside play ideas, summer

Mother’s Day DIY Mug (You can call me Queen Bee)

April 21 by Alli

Mother’s Day DIY Mug (You can call me Queen Bee)

Mother's Day is the perfect time to try a DIY project and I guarantee you're going to adore this one. I want to make one for every mom I know! Here's Alli with the details... I am loving the "make your own mug" trend for two reasons:1. There's nothing better than a handmade gift.2. It's so amazingly EASY!I mean, really. The possibilities are endless. I picked up one mug at the dollar store for this project, and I found myself wishing I'd grabbed a dozen.I decided to go with a … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Alli, Holiday Projects, Seasonal Fun, The Make & Play Vault Tagged With: DIY Mother's Day gift, DIY mug, favorite, handmade mug, Mother's Day craft, Queen Bee Mug

Earth Day Activity: Upcycled Juice Box Seed Starters

April 13 by Janssen

Earth Day Activity: Upcycled Juice Box Seed Starters

Looking for a quick and easy Earth Day project to do with the kids? Our contributor Janssen teamed up with our newest sponsor, Juicy Juice, for the perfect Earth Day kid craft- upcycled juice box seed starters!It's spring break this week around here and I can't wait to make a whole batch with the kids this week. I also love Janssen's idea of making them now and using them as gifts for Teacher Appreciation Day later.spring break activity and teacher appreciation gift- who doesn't love a … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Art + Kid Crafts, Janssen Tagged With: sponsored

Play Dough Mats for Your Easter Baskets (Free Printables)

March 22 by Kaley

Play Dough Mats for Your Easter Baskets (Free Printables)

Easter! Do you have your baskets ready yet?!If not, no worries, get your 30 day free trial for Amazon Prime's 2-Day Shipping and use our recipe for getting your baskets put together STAT:Check out this roundup of our resident children's librarians' all-time favorite Easter books and pick up your favorite Add one or two picks from our list of Easter toys that promote creativity Roll up and insert our free Easter play dough mats (see below) Fill a few plastic eggs with our super … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Holiday Projects, Kaley, Printables, Seasonal Fun Tagged With: candy-free Easter basket, candy-free Easter ideas, Creative Play Easter Basket, Easter basket ideas, Easter ideas for kids, Easter play doh mat, Easter play dough mat, Easter playdough mat, homemade play doh, homemade play dough recipe, homemade playdough recipe, jello playdough, play dough mat free printable, play dough mats

10 Brilliant Indoor Play Ideas Using a Beach Ball

February 17 by Steph (MPMK Founder)

10 Brilliant Indoor Play Ideas Using a Beach Ball

I was reading one of my favorite MPMK posts the other day, How to Maintain Your Zen When the Kids Have Lost Their Ever-Loving Minds, and I was reminded of how much we used to play with beach balls in the house when the kids were younger.It was such a simple way to keep the kids active and happy when we were stuck indoors - plus it was super inexpensive and easy to set up (two of my favorite qualities in a kids' activity).Back in the day, this one was right up there with our Life-Sized … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Alli, Parenting, The Make & Play Vault Tagged With: beach ball play ideas, indoor play for 2-year-olds, indoor play ideas, indoor play ideas for 1-year-olds, indoor play ideas for preschoolers, indoor play ideas for toddlers, rainy day play ideas

Last-Minute Thanksgiving Craft: DIY Pilgrim Hats

November 26 by Steph (MPMK Founder)

Last-Minute Thanksgiving Craft: DIY Pilgrim Hats

Happy Turkey Day!  Today Janssen is here with a classic Thanksgiving craft that takes me back to my own days spent at the kids table.  This one is simple, inexpensive, and can be used both for craft time and dramatic play afterward.P.S. Speaking of Thanksgiving, did you hear what we're doing to make Black Friday and all your holiday shopping way easier this year? NEW THIS YEAR: Check out our Alerts Page for Sales on All of the Toys from our Famous Gift Guides – Updated … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Holiday, Holiday Projects, Janssen Tagged With: DIY pilgrim hats, pilgrim craft for kids, Thanksgiving craft, Thanksgiving crafts for kids

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