What do gel food dye, borax, shaving cream, cornstarch & cream of tartar have in common? All of these are on my “must buy” list when it comes to school supplies (in addition to the obvious things like glue, markers and construction paper). You can make so many things with those five ingredients!
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Gel food dye – I use it in edible paints, like the ones we have made to paint our pancakes. We have also used it to dye anything that has to be bright, like paintable …

Want to know which preschool-related sites from the world wide web regularly wow me?  Where I get some of the inspiration for my posts?  Which sites do I regularly hound?  These are my top ten favorite early childhood education sites!  Please know that this is not all inclusive, there are tons of other sites that I love and follow but if I have to pick, these are the first that come to my mind.
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Let the Children Play – Not only is her preschool blog a lot of fun, but Jenny’s  …

In preparation for school this year we have been reviewing our letters.  My daughter had fun tracing the letter we printed then we sat and thought about all the words we could that began with those letters.  My son helped by doodling afterward.   Are you doing anything fun to help your kids prepare for this upcoming school year?

My toddler is learning her colors! This was a fun activity that we did together. The older two kids rushed around the house independently, while Quirky Kid A and I looked for all the red items. Unfortunately, this is not an original idea, only I can’t remember where online I read about another family having a color race (but I know you are out there). If your family has done a color race, let me know and I’ll link up to your fun! Haven’t had …

We love B.  Toys at the Quirky Home!  As I am writing this post two of my four are building whimsical castles with their Stackadoos Bristle Blocks.  And I am pleased to announce you have your chance to win your own Bristle Blocks (or any other of their fun toys!).  B. Toys is having their first annual quote contest!!!   Enter your quote, make a nifty card that you can print and keep, decorate a scrapbook, pass out at family reunions, whatever.
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These cards are super easy to make on their website …

My preschoolers love crackers and all things snack related.  I was thrilled to have discovered Sara and her nifty blog, Splendidly Imperfect.  She has graciously agreed to guest post her alphabet cheese crackers for us!  Thanks Sara!  Go check out her blog today and leave a comment there if you like these yummy preservative-free healthy snacks!
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I happen to have a boy and a husband who both love to have snacky-chow around the house. I didn’t want to have them constantly eating sweets, which are my forte, …

Are you getting your youngster ready for a school year?  These are a number of books that are about school that my kids have fallen in love with.  This year we will have one semi-kindergartner, two preschoolers and a rolly-polly infant.  They have all missed our daily blog fodder “school time” each morning and are looking forward to the fall.  In two of these books, they discuss the first day of school, all the newness and silliness of a strange routine and new place!  Thank you to Abrams Books for …

There are five things that have made my life so much easier welcoming our latest bundle into the home.  Juggling a newborn with three feisty preschoolers can be a bit daunting, maybe these ideas will help you adjust to life with a newborn (and older kids).
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New Toys: Keep your preschoolers entertained in those early baby days.

I’d like to say I thought of this one myself, but I didn’t.  The kind souls at B.You Toys were super generous and sent us a big box of Stackadoos bristle blocks.  To say that …

Germs, I don’t like them but I am usually not on a “death to germs campaign” but right before our latest Quirky bundle arrived (she’s a whole 9 days old! Boy, time flies!) we were battling rotavirus with the older kids. Anybody who has struggled with rota doing its rounds through youngsters would totally appreciate this new nifty germ-killer we got in the mail. Thank you, Patricia and Purely Products for having compassion on our family and sending us our very own “germ-killer” light to review! …

Julie from Roots of Simplicity has created an awesome list of over 60 activities that your kids can do outside.  Here is part 2, be sure to check out our first 30 Outdoor Activity Ideas.  What are some of the things that your kids love doing outdoors?  Leave a comment and I’ll add your idea to our collection!

Visit a zoo.
Go on a canoe or paddleboat ride on a nearby lake, pond, or river.
Get a fishing rod and spend a day fishing. If you don’t have a place to fish …