Little Blue Truck Story Telling Basket

3 / 2 / 183 / 12 / 18

Oh, how Sam LOVES the Little Blue Truck books. They get read again and again and again in our house, so to spice things up and encourage some imaginary play (one of our IDP goals for Sam at the moment), I decided to put together this simple Little Blue Truck story telling basket for him to explore.

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Now while we have Little Blue Truck Leads the Way {CAN} (my personal fave being a city girl myself), Little Blue Truck’s Halloween {CAN}, Little Blue Truck’s Christmas {CAN}, and Little Blue Truck’s Springtime {CAN} (my least favourite and a bit of a disappointment to be honest), Sam seems to seek out the original Little Blue Truck {CAN} most often, so that’s what we went with for our story telling basket.

We just used things we had on hand (hence our little GREEN truck and a missing goat), but I think we did okay! If you’ve never seen these Holztiger wooden animals, they are my absolute favourite. They’re pricey, but we collect a couple at a time (usually in Christmas stockings and Easter baskets) and the quality is outstanding. Definitely a collection I’ll hold onto until my kids are grown.

Here’s what we included in our Little Blue Truck story telling basket {or tray}…

Little Blue Truck {CAN}
wool felt squares in colours that coordinate with the illustrations of the book {CAN}
a CAT dump truck
a pick up truck
a Holztiger cow
a Holztiger horse
a Holztiger hen
a Holztiger chick
a Holztiger sheep
a Holztiger frog
a Holztiger goose (meant to be our duck)
a Holztiger pig
and we would have included this Holztiger goat had we had him

{Canadian friends, you can find the Holztiger collection on amazon.ca here, but most are incredibly overpriced… I recommend getting them from Dilly Dally, our very favourite Vancouver toy shop instead.}

I set the basket and a tray out on the coffee table just before picking Miss G up from school so it was there for them to discover when we walked in the door.

Now while I set put this story telling basket together with Sam in mind, I knew Miss G would be just as into it… She dove right in, helped Sam use the felt squares to create the ground, and grabbed the book and began reading, while sam played with the vehicles and animals as she read.

And boy was he ever into it!

His play didn’t end once Grae was finished reading the book, either. He kept vrooming the dump truck around, getting it stuck in the brown ‘mud’, and using the animals to {very enthusiastically} help him push it out. Then the animals were getting stuck in the mud and the trucks were getting them out, and THEN the truck and the dump truck were having races around the farm! This is the beauty of a story telling basket or tray – there’s no right or wrong way to play and the original story the collection of items is based on is just a jumping off point.

Miss G actually got in on the fun and helped set up this fun little scene too, which I just left out as is. The plan is to leave it out for a while so that the kids can come back to it and enjoy it as they please, and I’m guessing it’ll be revisited again and again.

In the meantime, I’ve got another really fun Little Blue Truck activity in mind that I know the kids will just love… Can’t wait to share!

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Car and Truck Colour Sorting

2 / 22 / 182 / 26 / 18

Oh my goodness… This boy and his cars and trucks. He’s nothing short of obsessed. The other thing he’s been really into for months? Colours. Smack the two together and you’ve got a car and truck colour sorting activity that’s incredibly easy to pull off, but super engaging for little car and truck lovers like Sam.

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Here’s what you’ll need:

coloured construction paper {CAN}
sticky tape
small cars and trucks in various colours

Set up couldn’t be easier… Basically choose a surface {we went with our coffee table, but a floor would be great too} and loosely tape sheets of construction paper in various colours down to it. These will serve as your colour categories or ‘parking spots’ or ‘garages’ if your little one is as obsessed as mine is.

Now this activity was actually inspired by something I saw Sam doing in the playroom a few days earlier {he was colour matching his cars and our SPRI balance pods {CAN} while carefully placing the cars atop the pods} so I knew I probably wouldn’t have to give him much guidance… I simply set out a little basket filled with his cars and asked if he wanted to park them in their spots and with that, he got started. My favourite thing was watching him with this little aqua car… He went back and forth between green and blue several times before deciding just to hang onto it – hah!

After that it was smooth sailing though… He’d often tell me the name of the car and then its colour as he was placing it in its spot.

{aqua car makes a reappearance}

At the beginning, he’d announce the colour of the truck or car and then simply place it down on the coordinating piece of construction paper…

But before long he was ‘vrrooooooming’ his cars across the coffee table and slamming on the brakes when they’d reached the parking spot.

Doesn’t this look like a total blast?

I’m guessing Sam thinks so because we’ve already played it again TWICE!

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Potion Making for Kids

2 / 20 / 182 / 21 / 18

Oh, potion making… Miss G has done this for years and years {check this post out} and it’s still not old. During the spring and summer we do a nature version that includes all kinds of grasses and weeds and flower petals to make nature / fairy potions and it’s also become our go-to when Miss G is having a friend over {so far, they seem to love it!}

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Now while I’ve been letting Miss G get herself set up for potion making for the last couple of months, we started going through ridiculous amounts of baking soda and vinegar and Brad was challenged with getting trays brimming full of magic potion overspill to the kitchen sink from our dining area every afternoon {clumsy old me didn’t possibly stand a chance, and if I’m being honest, it wasn’t going so well for him either – hah!}

Now I loooove BIG fizzy eruptions just as much as any 7 year old and letting kiddos lead the way when it comes to their play is my jam, but after several weeks of letting Grae really go for it, I decided it was time to reel things in just a little bit. My goal was to cut way back on our supply usage, hopefully encourage more purposeful potion making, and avoid the massive mess that was impossible to get to the sink without soaking the tile floor… And so, I put out this little invitation to play one day after school and I have to say, it totally worked.

All it took was keeping the potion making supplies and the potion mixing bottles nice and small! That’s it!

Here’s what I set out on our Ikea tray:

white vinegar and a pipette {CAN}
liquid food colouring {CAN}
glitter {I really want to give a biodegradable glitter like this one a try}
baking soda with a tiny spoon
shaving foam with a medicine syringe
several small craft jars {these would be amazing | CAN}

Besides the tray with the significant lip around the edge, I always make sure to put out an old rag just in case too. Science explorations can be messy sometimes!

And then Miss G gets to it…

There’s absolutely no right way or order when it comes to potion making {though Miss G seems to have a little system of sorts} – it’s all about experimenting, observing, and having fun!

G’s usual method? A scoop of baking soda in the bottom, then a shot of shaving foam, a single drop of colouring, and a sprinkling of glitter.

Then the best part…

VINEGAR!

How pretty is that?!

And the fun doesn’t stop after the first fizzy eruption… From there she adds to it, stirs it, shakes it, and adds more vinegar to create a second {and third and fourth…} fizzy eruption. {It’s actually amazing how little baking soda and vinegar you need when using these small vile-like containers.}

When she’s ready to move onto the next potion, she usually caps up the one she’s just finished and sets it aside.

Then onto the next!

By the time she’s done, we usually have an entire collection of potions…

Such simple, inexpensive fun.

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Slime Strings Using a Cooling Rack

2 / 15 / 182 / 18 / 18

Oh, how we love slime. Grae and I started making it when she was just over two years old and one of our favourite things has always been to create slime strings using slotted spoons, sand sifters, and colanders {check out Baby G’s slime strings during her first ever slime play session!} It’s just so neat to watch the slime slowly sink down through the holes and emerge on the other side as perfect, thin cords.

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Well today we took our slime strings to a whole new level by pairing our slime with a cooling rack and my gosh – was it ever cool. Miss G was sitting up at the island playing with some of our freshly made Valentine’s fluffy slime and Sam and I had made a batch of banana muffins earlier in the day, so the cooling rack {CAN} was just sitting there on the counter, and that’s when I remembered previously seeing this slime paired with a wire kitchen shelf for cutting practice.

Besides our fluffy slime and cooling rack {CAN} I grabbed on of our favourite play trays (we have a stack of these and use them for all kinds of kids’ projects) and a couple of big mason jars.

Then Miss G propped the cooling rack up on top of the jars with the tray below, took a chunk of slime and stretched it out into a fairly thin layer, and placed in on top of the cooling rack.

It looked really neat right from the get-go, but check out this progression:

Isn’t that cool?!

And what’s even cooler? The little curls and twists and the slime strings form when the hit the tray.

Just check that out. Aren’t they neat? These were Miss G’s favourite part and she said they remind her of curly hair – hah!

If you’ve got some slime and a cooling rack on hand, I highly recommend you try this… My guess is that your kiddos will be adding slime to the top of the rack again and again {just like mine} because it’s SO neat!

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Car Ramp Sensory Bin

2 / 6 / 182 / 6 / 18

Oh, how this little boy of ours loves cars, trucks, tractors, and all things that go. Help him set up some sort of ramp and he’ll send vehicle after vehicle after vehicle down that hill. It’s his jam.

One day a little while back while Grae, Sam, and I were down in the playroom, this idea sort of randomly sprung to mind. Brad had tucked a bunch of empty wrapping rolls in our play closet earlier in the week and Sam was enjoying his trucks but was frustrated that the ramp he’d set up wouldn’t stay in place. While I briefly thought about trying to help him tape his giant ramp in place, I remembered our stash of paper rolls just waiting to be used for something fun, and that’s when this little car ramp sensory bin was created!

Now thinking back, I’m pretty sure that this idea was inspired by The Imagination Tree’s awesome cardboard tube racing activity… I remember seeing her beautifully painted tracks and colourful images a long time ago… I probably just didn’t realize what a little car enthusiast I’d have on my hands one day in the future!

Our ramps certainly aren’t as pretty as hers and maybe one day we’ll paint an entire set of paper roll roadways {how fun would that be?}, but these certainly did the job and setting everything up was incredibly quick and easy.

Because this little set up was completely impromptu, I didn’t take photos of the set up process like I usually do, but I think it’s pretty self explanatory.

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All you need is a pair of scissors, some cardboard tubes, painter’s tape {CAN}, and a big, shallow bin {CAN}. {Any big, shallow bin will do, but this huge under the bed bin is one of my absolute favourites for any kind of sensory or small world activity.}

All you have to do is cut the tubes in half lengthwise, trim them down to whichever size you like, and then use painter’s tape to secure one end to the edge of the bin and the other to the base of the bin.

Add a bunch of little vehicles and it’s time to play!

The beauty of having your ramps contained in a big bin? The cars zip down quickly, but stay within reach! A bin of this size also means that there’s more than enough room for several kiddos to play at once, and Miss G actually did play alongside Sam for quite a while.

While we’ve tucked our bin away for now, I’ve saved the paper tube ramps to use again next time and I’m certain it won’t be long before Sam requests this activity again.

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Tinker Play Dough

1 / 14 / 181 / 17 / 18

Welp, Miss G went back to school yesterday and we’re officially missing her already. {Not to mention the slow mornings, pajama days, and general lack of a schedule we had over the break.} I told myself that I’d sign Sam and I up for some fun things come January, but honestly, I just haven’t done it yet… Besides the fact that Vernon isn’t overflowing with options and our school drop-off / midday nap / school pick-up routine really only allows for a class or program between the hours of 9 and 11 am, I know that any play-based program with shared toys will most likely mean sickness after sickness for Sam because a) cold and flu season and b) preemie immune systems suck. And he’s still recovering from his post-Christmas sickness! So for now, we’re sticking with our snowy walks, coffee shop visits here and there, and a whole lot of play at home.

Bath Tub Art Studio

1 / 8 / 181 / 17 / 18

Oh my goodness… Sam had such a fantastic time in his little bath tub art studio this afternoon. If you’ve ever wondered how to paint with your toddler without creating a total disaster, or if you’ve avoided toddler art projects all together because of the mess they make, this is for you! Not only is the mess contained within the tub, but clean up is a total cinch and it’s never been easier to transition straight into bath time afterwards. Win!

Tape Pull Fine Motor Activity

9 / 28 / 1710 / 11 / 17

Fun fact? When we were going back and forth between Canada and Kuwait regularly and spending our holidays travelling, one of my go-to occupy-Miss-G plane items was tape. Washi tape usually, but I’d stash a roll of masking tape or painter’s tape in my bag in a pinch. I know that seems weird, but honestly – there’s just so much fun to be had with a roll of tape! You can rip off pieces and stick it on paper to create art, you can fashion crowns and bracelets and rings out of it, you can play tic-tac-toe on the meal tray using it, and if you’re quite little, you can simply stick it onto things and then pull it back up. It’s fun, it’s no mess, and it’s fantastic for little ones’ fine motor skills!

Party Trampoline

7 / 18 / 177 / 30 / 17

Oh my goodness… It’s heeeeere! The first official day of summer vacation!! If I’m being honest, I’ve been ready for this day since mid-May and I could not be more excited to kick off two full months with all four of us at home together. Miss G’s been very anxiously awaiting this day too {well except for the bit about us most likely buying a home and moving cities}, so I figured we’d kick things off with a fun little surprise out on our new Springfree Trampoline {the kids’ absolute favourite spot these days} and turned it into a party trampoline!

LEGO Mandala Art

6 / 13 / 177 / 30 / 17

I don’t remember when or how it came up, but recently, Miss G and I were talking about mandalas… Grae asked what makes a mandala a mandala, and since I’m by no means an expert, we popped online to do a little bit of research. What we learned is that artistically, mandalas are detailed circular designs that often contain repeating patterns and shapes. We took a look at lots of gorgeous mandala images and read a little bit about what they symbolize too, which was really interesting. So when I was thinking about fun and different ways we could use our LEGO collection for LEGO Week, I had mandalas on my mind – hence our LEGO mandala art.

DUPLO Wash Sensory Bin

6 / 12 / 176 / 13 / 17

Oh, how we love LEGO and DUPLO in this house! LEGO bricks and sets to add to our collection have pretty much been permanently stationed on Miss G’s wish list since she was 3 and now that Sam’s really taken a liking to DUPLO, I think we’ll have to work on expanding that collection too. He loves making towers, pulling the bricks apart, and banging them together to make music at the moment, and today we added washing them with a DUPLO wash sensory bin to the list.

A SURPRISE for Grae & Sam!

4 / 27 / 174 / 27 / 17

We’ve been keeping a little secret from the kiddos for the past few weeks and I was SO excited to finally get to do the big reveal today. Thankfully it was it was a gorgeous afternoon, so Sam and I walked to school to pick up Miss G, which allowed me to capture her reaction as we turned the corner onto our street and our front yard came into view. I had no idea how she’d react {kids can be a little bit unpredictable when surprised, can’t they?}, but she was so, so thrilled when she finally realized what it was and that it was ours to keep.

Here’s how it went down…

Easter Egg Hunt Sensory Bin

4 / 12 / 174 / 12 / 17

With this upcoming Easter being the first that Sam will actually get to participate in the festivities, I figured we’d better give him a chance to practice his egg hunting skills if he’s to stand a chance against his quick and experienced big sister. Well, that or we had 45 minutes to kill between arriving home from a day of errands and picking up Grae from school and the Easter stuff just happened to out begging to be played with. :) Either way, Sam has absolutely been loving our collection of little plastic Easter eggs and this Easter egg hunt sensory bin was a total hit.

Tin Foil Boat Float

3 / 29 / 176 / 4 / 17

While I don’t usually bring activities along on vacation with us, I knew a classic tin foil boat float would be an awesome way for Miss G and I to spend one of Sam’s nap times {not to mention that it’s a pretty perfect fit given the fact that we’re staying directly across from the water} and boy, was I ever right.

Spring Muffin Tin Scavenger Hunt

3 / 20 / 174 / 2 / 17

Well hello, spring! You have no idea how much we’ve been looking forward to you! To celebrate, Miss G and put together this fun little spring muffin tin scavenger hunt and headed outside in search of the first signs of the season.