Combine play sand with cornstarch and you get lots of sand fun!  What is great about this mixture is that unlike regular sand, it cakes together when slightly damp.  Almost becoming hard, but smashes back into sand.  All of my kids enjoyed playing with there new “outdoor only” tub!  I will warn you though, they were covered in sand when they were done!  The “clumping qualities” exist on clothing too – haha.  This was messier than regular sand, it didn’t just brush off until it was bone dry (aka when …

I got this idea from chatting with Kellie, from Chicks With Kidz, she had a great idea/suggestion to include my kiddos in making our own variations of trail mix.  We eat granola regularly for breakfast, but I have always been the one mixing it up!  With her encouragement my one year old now has a way to “help mommy” cook breakfast!  Thanks Kellie!  We are always looking for ways to include our kids in household chores and activities!
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How to make your own Granola Mix:
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Grab handfuls of any or all of …

My son loves being a helper and was thrilled when he got to make lunch for us today! We are eating pancakes – yummy! How fun is it to mix breakfast with learning our letters! We have a set of cookie cutters that are in the shapes of capital letters (thanks Laney). Here is a tip that we use to decrease the likelihood of massive pancake batter spills while using cookie cutters to make pancakes in particular shapes, maybe it will help you!
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We used a dry …

This is my preschoolers favorite way to paint!  Basically, it is what it sounds like; shaving cream mixed with paint.  We usually mix the shaving cream with tempera paint as it has the smoothest consistency and is the cheapest!  We have three tubs of primary colored paint: red, blue and yellow that we mix to get a whole host of colors.  When mixed with the cream, the colors look more neon and bright.

As we are working on learning our letters we have been having fun learning how to write them. Here are several ways that you can help your preschooler or kindergartener have fun while learning to write letters and words. You can also use these same techniques to practice tracing and working on any fine motor skills.
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First we have sticky sticks. These are great for tracing letters you can also use them for “dot-to-dot” activities. I drew the letters out first for my daughter, but for a …

Here are more than ten activities you can do with your preschoolers to learn about our sense of sight and how we use it to see colors and interact with the world.

Paint the fingers on a white glove different colors.
Finger paint with pudding, mix colors and see what happens.
Go on a scavenger hunt in your house to find all the red items (or blue, etc.)
Create spinning tops with a variety of primary colors. What happens when the two colors mix? What happens if there are lots of colors …

In this season of cold and flu I have renewed my emphasis on personal hygiene with my children.  My 3 year old, however, has a major aversion to soap.  He will willingly wash his hands and take baths etc, but fights any type of soap or shampoo.  I can sneak soap into the bath which takes care of hair and body, but I needed a solution for his unwillingness to use soap to clean his hands before meals and after using the washroom.   Treat soap” (or in our bathroom “car …

My kids and I enjoyed learning about our sense of touch yesterday.  We started with a hunt for different feeling “items”.  We then tested them on our arms and practiced feeling vocabulary.  A letter hunt for “T” items to find in a tub of beans and playing with a variety of textures finished out our sensory learning morning.   Maybe this will give you some ideas of ways to interact with your kids and the sense of touch.
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Preschooler Texture Hunt:
We looked for a variety of textures in our house and …

My kids and I have been attending a terrific Spanish Reading program at our local bookstore, The Book Carriage, but we have wanted some extra homework assignments to help us work on our Spanish vocabulary. Here are 6 videos that we have found to help us learn Spanish.
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You get major bang for your learning buck when you incorporate games and movement, thanks to Toddler Brain for contributing some games that you can use to help your preschooler think and learn about their bodies.  Here are three great games!…

Body Race
Tell your toddler to race as fast as she can toward you. When she gets to you, say, “Touch my knee!” She has to touch the right body part to get a sticker, then run back to home base. Continue the race until she’s correctly named all …