Spice Jars & Toothpicks

On my last lesson plan, I mentioned one of the activities Little Man will be doing is playing with Spice Jars and Toothpicks.  This is a great, cheap, activity that keeps Little Man entertained and helped him work on his fine motor skills.

All you need:
-  Empty Spice Jar
-  Toothpicks

The Spice Jar we used had holes cut into it.  For younger children you could use pipecleaners or even q-tips instead of toothpicks.  Show your little one how to put the toothpick into the jar!

  It sounds really easy and even kind of borning, but Little Man got a kick out of it.  He loves stacking things and putting things into other things, so this was right up his alley!

This is something I definitely wouldn't let Little Man do without being watched closely.

Do you have an inexpensive learning or play activity your child enjoys?  I'd love to hear it in the comments below!

If you enjoyed this post, you make like this, too:
Water & Marker Painting

Linked with:
Hands on as we grow

Toddler Time - Coloring

We had a blast working on yesterday's "green themed" lesson plan!  We didn't read "Meet Mr. and Mrs. Green" because it ended up being a bigger kid book.  It looks like a cute one though!

Little Man had a blast watching mommy and daddy jump around like frogs saying "ribbit, ribbit!"  He didn't try to jump on his own yet, but I showed him how to at least move his hands like he was jumping and said "ribbit" and he would laugh. 

The Hubs showing Little Man how to jump like a frog!

He also enjoyed coloring the frog.  I need to get him some fat crayons so he can hold them in his hand a little easier (Easter basket idea!), but he still did a great job.  He liked using the markers to color his hands.  We talked about the frog while we were coloring our printouts.  (I was coloring a frog, too)

He definately enjoyed coloring:  We're going to have to be sure to add it into our lessons more often.

Here are some additional free printable coloring pages that have to do with the upcoming St. Patrick's Day celebration:
-  Leprechaun and pot of gold 
-  "Happy St. Patrick's Day" and Shamrock
-  Pot of Gold
-  Shamrock

Water & Marker Painting

Today is my first post for Toddler Time Tuesday!  It's part of my weekly series that I just started.  Each week Little Man and I will be trying a new activity.  It might be working on a new developmental skill, arts and crafts, or doing something fun!

This weeks activity was based off some "idea cards" we got for Christmas.  The cards are called Bright and Beyond - Playtime Activities - Age 1
.  Since Little Man is 1, we have the "Age 1" cards but they have them all the way from "baby" to "preschool".  Some of the ideas seem a little advanced for Little Man right now.  But I'm sure within a couple months we'll get there.  

The simplicity of these cards are awesome.  You don't need to go out and buy a lot of stuff to complete the activities.  You will probably find everything you need laying around your house.  This makes it handy if you need to do a last minute activity or if you're on a budget and don't want to go out and spend a lot of money to keep your child entertained.  

The activity we did was called Water & Marker Painting. 

To do this project just draw shapes or pictures on a paper towel with markers. *  Let your little one dip a paint brush into plain water and then show him/her how to put the wet paintbrush on the picture.  They'll have a fun time watching the colors bleed together.  Although I'm not a childhood education expert, I'd have to say this helps with their motor skills and probably teaches them some cause and effect.  

The best part of this project:  it's very clean! I didn't have to worry about him getting paint on the walls, the floor, his clothes, or in  his mouth.  I'll admit that he did get curious about sticking his hands in the water bowl, and we did ended playing tug-of-war when he decided he wanted to pick the water bowl up off the table.  But hey, it's water.  No harm, no foul.  

I also discovered I need to think of more "boy" things to draw.  After years and years of drawing girly flowers, butterflies, hearts and rainbows I think I need to expand my artistic boundaries and learn how to draw more trucks, and cars. hehe

Little Man had such a fun time doing this activity!  He really caught on fast and learned how to dip the brush in the water and put it on the paper. He definitely didn't want to stop "painting". This will definitely be an activity we repeat again!

*  If you have older children, they can draw the pictures themselves.

Shared with:

ABC and 123
Art for Little Hands 
Hands on as we Grow 
Sun Scholars 
Let Kids Create

Bubbles, Bubbles

Book:  Sesame Beginnings Bubbles, Bubbles board book (Sesame beginnings)
By:  Sesame Street

Why we like it:  Because Little Man learned how to say "bubble" and we get to go outside and play with bubbles when we read it!  wooohoo!  Another awesome thing about this book:  It was $1.00 at Target!  Can't beat that.  We found it in the dollar bins at the front of the store, but if you have a hard time finding it there, you can purchase it though Amazon (although it is more expensive).

Little Man is a huge fan of books.  This is one he brings to me often.  The book talks about bubbles on noses, and toes, rhymes, and adds a little "one-two-three!" to the mix.  Add some real bubbles  and we're talkin' some major fun!  This would be a fun activity outside or in the bathtub.  Little Man will also pick this book up and read it to himself, too. 

Little Man reading his book.  He looks serious - but he's having fun!

(Note: The link in this post is my referral link.  I was not compensated to review this product.  I posted about this book because we honestly love it.)

It's the Simple Things.....

Little Man and Grandma

On Christmas Eve we decided to take Little Man to a park.  Although we've taken him to parks before, this was the first time he was able to really walk by himself.  He had a great time walking around the whole park and then found himself a giant pile of leaves to play in.  I doubt he and I would have even noticed the giant pile had my dad not stood at the top of it.  Liam was trying to walk up to see my dad when he literally got stuck in leaves.  So, he plopped down and started playing.  He was soo interested in the sound, and the texture of them.  I've shown him leaves before - but he's never had handfuls and handfuls at his disposal.  He was having soo much fun he could have sat there for hours - and we could have watched him play for hours. 

All you need for this activiy:
1.  Giant Pile of Leaves (a small pile would work great, too hehe)
2.  Change of Clothes (We didn't change him right after the park, just when we got home.  I didn't want leaves in his crib hehe)