Tinker Play Dough

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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

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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.

Toddler Take Along Kit

3 / 19 / 174 / 2 / 17

After making Miss G a big kid take along kit not long ago, I knew I needed to make one for Sam too. And since we leave on a little spring break getaway tomorrow morning, today was the day! Here’s our little toddler take along kit…

Play Dough Fairy Gardens

3 / 15 / 173 / 19 / 17

I try really hard not to be that person who is constantly complaining about the weather {because who are we kidding – we have it so good here in Vancouver}, but let me tell you… I am SO ready for spring. Not that cold, grey, rainy everyday version of spring either. I’m ready for full-on sunshiny spring with blossoming trees, the buzzing of bees, warm temperatures, and rainy days only here and there. I’ve been willing it to come our way for weeks if I’m being honest. And with all of that wishful thinking, I was reminded of the amazing play dough fairy gardens Miss G and I did last year.

Shake and Search I Spy Bottle

1 / 24 / 173 / 19 / 17

Let’s be honest here… Who really has the patience to sit for ages making perler bead creations?? I wish I did. Miss G and I made a few little things the other day and had fun, but truth be told, what we really wanted to do was run our fingers through them – hah! That, or use them for something completely different {and less fine motor skill intensive} than what they’re intended for – like making a simple shake and search I spy bottle.

Snowman Play Dough Kit

1 / 18 / 172 / 1 / 17

Miss G and I had so much fun with our gingerbread people and christmas tree play dough kits over the holidays that I figured we’d better sneak one more winter themed kit in before spring arrives. This one, a snowman play dough kit, has become a yearly occurence in our house. We’ve even made mini build a snowman play dough kits to gift our friends with in the past.

Play Dough Apple Tree Life Cycle

10 / 7 / 1610 / 17 / 16

If you know us well, you know we loooove play dough. We almost always have 3 or 4 play dough kits on hand and for the past several years, they’ve been something Miss G has regularly taken out and played with. That being said, we’ve sort of been on a play dough break recently… Miss G has other things she’s super passionate about at the moment {mainly ‘inventing’ and reading – always reading} and with her being in school full days this year, I honestly just find that there’s not a lot of extra time in our days {*insert sad face here*}. That being said, we’ve recently been all about apples and apple trees, and when Miss G asked about when the different stages of an apple tree’s life cycle occur, I figured it would be fun to explore the different seasons with some play dough and simple play dough mats.