Outdoor Play Every Day

We have joined up with our friends at Greening Sam and Avery and pledged to get outside every day this year.  The weather has definitely been working in our favor!  The first half of January was extremely mild for us (especially since we live in the city that ranked number 2 in the nation for most snowfall each year!).  Eva has been riding her tricycle and even having snack outside.

We knew we couldn't avoid the snow forever and now that it's here, we are still out playing!  We've been taking hikes in our neighborhood park, sledding, and making tons of snow angels.

We even built a fire in our fire pit one night and toasted marshmallows by the light of the moon.

Want to join us in our pledge to get outside every day?  Stop by Greening Sam and Avery (today Abbie is hosting a link-up if you have some outdoor fun to share) and let's play outside every day!

Sponge Balls

It seems like everyone is making these this summer so we couldn't be left out of the fun!  They are so easy to make- cut two or more sponges into 4 strips each and then tie tightly in the middle.  I bought 3 four packs of basic sponges and we made 6 balls.  Then we came up with fun things to do with them.  First I placed a hula hoop on the driveway and Eva tried to throw the balls into the hoop.

After doing that for a while, we played catch with them- be sure to soak them first for more fun!  We also threw them up as high as we could to see what kinds of splats they would make.  Eva came up with another fun thing to do them- squeezing them over your head.

Have you made sponge balls yet?  If so, what have you done with them?

Hippity Hopping

I love that Eva is at the age to start enjoying playing hopscotch!  We drew a simple 1-10 one on the driveway the other day (with the words "go" and "stop" on each end since she is starting to read them).  Eva loved hopping from number to number and even practicing counting backward.

I also drew a bunch of circles and she pretended that they were lily pads and she was a frog.  So much fun!

The options for hopscotch are endless!  You could put letters in boxes (or circles) to jump to in order to practice letter recognition, alphabetical order or even spelling words.  Shapes or colors would be fun to jump to also.  Or you could just ask your little one what they would like to jump to- that's how we came upon the lily pad idea.  Have fun hopping!

Mardi Gras Activities

Tomorrow is Fat Tuesday and we have a fun day planned!  We will be kicking off the day with some yummy doughnuts for breakfast.  Eva picked out a chocolate frosted one covered with sprinkles when we were grocery shopping today and she can't wait to give it a taste!  We'll also be having a New Orleans staple for dinner- jambalaya- yum!

Other fun Mardi Gras things to do:
*  Throw on some beads and grab your masks for a masquerade.  Add some fun music and you've got a dance party!
*  Use those beads for painting.  Dip a string of them in your favorite color paint and then drag them around on paper or toss them in a box top lined with paper and shake them up.
*  Grab some musical instruments (or make your own, like we did last year) and you can be your own rag-time band!
*  Many folks enjoy a king's cake on Mardi Gras and it's good luck to find the baby hiding in the cake.  Play hide and seek with a baby doll and bring on the luck!

Building and Construction

(Image Source)

One of the first things that often pops into mind when thinking about China is the Great Wall.  We will be honoring it by learning more about tools, buildings and construction.

Crafts
Nuts and Bolts Painting- we'll shake these fasteners around in some paint to make some cool abstract art

Scrap Box Buildings- our building supplies will come from our box of recyclables and scraps that we keep in the art center- can't wait to see what we create!

Activities
Blocks- you can't talk about building things without playing with blocks!

Marshmallow Structures- we'll use mini marshmallows and toothpicks to build all sorts of things

Exploring Tools- we'll try out hammers, screwdrivers, levels and many other tools to see how they work and what they are used for

Home Depot Field Trip- we'll visit one of Eva's favorite stores

Cooking
Triple Decker Sandwich- we'll take building to the kitchen and erect a tall tasty lunch

Books
            

Dancing Dragon Puppet

This morning we made a dancing dragon puppet.  We began with a big foam heart and several foam heart stickers.  Eva arranged them to make the dragon's face.

We then added a craft stick to the back and some streamers.  (I tried just taping the streamers to the back with packaging tape but it did not stick well to the foam so I ended up hot gluing them on.)

Eva is loving dancing with her special dragon!

We also read a book about Chinese dragons and the Chinese New Year.  This book is perfect for the toddler/preschool crowd- simple explanations and beautiful pictures.

 

(You can always click on any books shown for more info.)

The Arctic

Wow!  This month has flown by!  We will be wrapping our visit to the polar regions with some time in the Arctic.  We'll mainly focus on the animals that live near the North Pole, along with a few activities relating to winter wear.

Crafts
Mitten Prints- what happens when you finger paint with mittens on?  you'll have to stop by and see!

Snowy Owl- we'll transform a pinecone into an adorable owl

Activities
Tracks in the Snow- we'll head out to the park to look fro animal tracks and make a few or our own

Polar Bear Fat- we got to do this cool experiment at the zoo a while back and we will try to reenact it at home

Camouflage Experiment- how does a polar bear's white fur help him hunt?  we'll play around with colors to see how animals' fur helps them hide from predators or prey

Mitten Matching- using Eva's supply of mittens, we'll find matches and hang them on a little clothesline

Books:
Arctic Animals:
            
Winter Wear: