We've got yet another resource for you to use with our free B.O.R.E.D. printable today. Our children's librarian, Janssen, has rounded up the best audiobooks for calming active (aka hyper) kids. And it's just the thing for keeping the preschool set occupied for the rest of the summer and in the fall if, like in our house, they're missing older siblings who have ventured off to school. Read on for Janssen's picture book, easy reader and early chapter book recommendations! I've long been a … [Read more...]
How to Make the Ultimate “Quiet Box”
With the crisper (and around here, decidedly wetter) fall weather comes more time spent indoors. That means, it's time to get creative with ways to keep the kids busy. Along with relying on our all-time favorite toys for keeping kids active indoors, we're also re-vamping our quiet box. Want to see what I think should go inside an ultimate Quiet Box? Check it out here. … [Read more...]
Quiet Time Trick: Make Calming Lavender Play Dough
We've talked about the amazing benefits of play dough. We've shared the best play dough recipe ever. We've even made play dough toolkits. So we can all agree that we love play dough. But did you know that it can also be used as a great calming activity for kids? By adding the soothing, calming properties of lavender to our favorite playdough, this activity is sure to calm even the wiggliest of kids on those long summer days. … [Read more...]
MPMK Gift Guides 2015: Top Learning Toys for Quiet Time & Independent Play
I'm so excited to introduce MPMK's 2015 Christmas Gift Guides! I've been working like mad on them (we're talking some serious man hours here) and, although I will admit that all the researching, photo-editing and linking can be more than a bit tedious, every year the process also gets me incredibly excited about what I want to get my own kids! This list was a new category for last year and quickly became one of our most popular. When I came up with it, quiet time was on my mind … [Read more...]
POYEL: Creating an Audio Library for Quiet Time
I've talked a lot here about my general state of panic ever since C stopped napping regularly. As you guys know, I do a lot of my blogging when the kids are sleeping. That means that if C is no longer going to nap in the afternoon, then he needs to be doing something else that's independent of me (and if you've been reading this blog for any amount of time at all then you know that won't be sitting in front of the TV). My first attempt at tackling this conundrum came in the form of … [Read more...]
Good Idea: Busy Bag Swap
Ever since sharing with you guys about parents swapping cliff notes (and your resounding positive response to the idea), I haven't been able to get it out of my mind. So here's the good news, tomorrow I'll have some bona fide cliff notes for you from a very special guest poster, Whitney of Rookie Moms. And who knows, it could be just the beginning of a whole new venture here. Before we get to that, though, I've got something else to share today. I've been thinking about other great … [Read more...]
Christmas Gift Idea: Busy Bags (Great for Advent, Stockings, or Under the Tree)
photos via MADE and the rigneys The popularity of our current giveaway for a 6 month kid craft club subscription tells me that you guys are hungry for some quick and easy kid activities to fill up your winter months. So today we're gonna talk about a magical little wonder know as "the busy bag". If you're not familiar with the concept then it's your lucky day - this post may just change your world. The definition of a busy bag varies somewhat based on who you talk to. … [Read more...]