Isabella's First Birthday

This was the most fabulous party!

Best of all: I was able to do everything ahead of time (even food prep with help from my sister and mom a few hours in advance). I could enjoy every minute of the party, socialize, and have SO much fun with my two little ones.

I made all the decor myself with some pre-orders from etsy.com

newborn photo by the fabulous Amy Lantz of Dragonfly Studios

Sugar Monkey of Naperville makes such wonderful custom cakes!

I told my mom about a super cute 'button bouquet' that I wanted to have in a bottle or pot and this is what she came up with! Super sweet!

Food was all easy finger food for all ages. I made button garlands to help spruce up the bakers rack. The buttons were pre-cut to help make my busy life a bit easier. Sew Pretty in Vermont on Etsy did a great job!

 I hit up hobby lobby for some fun bright dishes to use for our party. I also found matching serving utensils that the kids now use in their play kitchen. 



 

I purchased a LARGE frame from hobby lobby and painted the boring black this great blue. I got it on sale when it was 50% off! awesome find! I was given some white photo backing paper from a family friend. Add a couple chairs or stools and have a blast. The website that I got my ideas from used fabric as a cool background! 

The photo booth props came from a great little Etsy Store: Party Goodies

3, 6, 9 month, 1 year, and family photos taken by the amazing Jenni Kenney of Jenni Kenney Photography

Dinosaur Zoo

We needed a great project outside while Uncle Greg and Daddy were building our retaining wall. 

CP and I created our Dinosaur Zoo! 

Grab your sidewalk chalk and hit the driveway, patio, or sidewalk! Have fun!!! 

 

Each dinosaur, no matter the kind or size, got a fence, some sort of water feature - lake, pond, stream, or puddle, and some grass. According to CP, some needed "extra grass". I am not sure how those were decided but he was a giving man this day. 

 

We used different sized dinosaurs from our collection.

I bought jumbo dinosaurs off Amazon and he has had a blast taking care of them. (He even feeds them milk and puts them down for a nap - too cute). 

 

The smaller dinosaurs are from Hobby Lobby. They can be found in the model section. There were different sizes. These are GREAT because I can throw a handful in my purse on our way out to dinner or when we need an activity. Definitely a must have! 

 

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CP has combined his small model airplanes, insects, and dinosaurs to create quite the scene. Here, his brontosaurus is riding his jetliner! 

Make sure to have a conversation with your little one as it is the fastest way to create a strong thinker, build vocabulary, understanding, and a critical thinker. Try asking why and how questions. It will increase comprehension! 

 

Great Little Man!

Summer Reading Themes: Plants

Most kids LOVE to get dirty!!

Ok, so not my daughter. She refuses to play with our rice sensory box, sand box, moon dust (flour and baby oil - see older posts for ideas and recipe), play dough or dirt. - She LOVES our homemade GAK - see older post

My daughter received a Melissa and Doug Garden set for her 1st birthday and it has been great for her 

 

This set came with a mini shovel and rack. Super cute and great for little hands! 

 

Let your little water with a squirt bottle, so much less mess!!! 

 

I ordered a Common Core standards set of books from Scholastic for toddlers to four years of age. Common Core is the new Nationwide standards for K-12. Just a fun way to get ahead of the curve. 

This unit is all about planting, gardening, dirt and worms. It is great! I handed my son the box of books and he was excited! The guidebook has a ton of ideas, support and suggestions for conversations! There are vocabulary lists, supplementary book suggestions, synopsis of each book, an a link to online resources for games, worksheets, coloring activities, etc! 

 You'll love the units that are ready to go! 

 

www.scholastic.com

Contact me for some great resource on scholastic or if you want to place a book order. 

Most of these books can be found at your local bookstore (we love Anderson's in the Chicago Burbs) or on many websites, Amazon, etc. 

Band Practice

Kids LOVE to make music and don't care if you can't carry a tune to save your life. 

I can't at all!! But we have a blast. 

For Christmas we were given a Melissa and Doug music set to add to our collection.

 

One great set of instruments with a Latin flair :)

 

Most stores carry instruments of all kinds. Find something that works for you and just have fun! 

This great drum came in one of our Citrus Lane boxes. A great website that families, parents, grandparents can subscribe to. The recipent gets a box of goodies once a month. Sometimes the items are plates, silverware, stuffed animals, music related, books, CDs, food samples, food containers, etc. It's a great investment. I have only been receiving it for five months now but am not disappointed! 

 

When we are not using store bought instruments, we have a BLAST with an old coffee container, plastic food storage container, pin tin, mixing bowls (metal - not my glass ones :) ) and a wooden spoon. 

 

Put a CD or downloaded music on in the background and go for it! Have a blast.  

For a few great music ideas: Dr. Jean (a must - used in classrooms all over, wonderful catchy songs that I have personally witnessed helping all types of learners succeed!!!!), Wiggly Songs, Animal Playground, etc. Have fun, really these are ideas to get started!

 

Kids want to be involved! There is so much since behind how little ones (and adults) learn. Put anything to music and people grasp it faster. I have a friend who's 18 month old could spell her brother's name (Michael) because they sang it to her in a song. WOW, right! (Granted mom is a music teacher, but still....I can do that) 

 

Exposing kids to different styles of music and various instruments are so incredibly valuable. Our little man dances constantly and his sister follows along the best she can. 

Remember: Conversation is one of the best ways to learn! Your child's vocabulary will grow exponentially the more you listen, ask questions, and explain what you are doing. Give them the words you want them to learn. Here, the words revolve around music (fast tempo, slow tempo, high pitch, low pitch) or instruments ( xylophone, triangle, drum, drum stick, bells, etc). I am not a music teacher at all! Please don't take me as a music know all as I am only having fun with my kids. :)  

Homemade GAK!!! Busy Bag Activity

Who doesn't remember playing with GAK as a kid!!! 

 

Found an easy recipe, of course on Pinterest, and had a blast on our rainy day creating a fun activity. 

http://simplykierste.com/2012/05/oh-what-do-you-do-in-the-summertime-featured-guest-lil-luna.html

 

Little man had the job of squeezing the glue into the bowl. He loves to make a mess and it was great to have permission to do so. 

 

He chose the colors. We made the first batch green. It was definitely a Pinterest Fail. We got it the second time!!! It's AWESOME!!!!

 

The Pinterest fail was just too dry I used a bit too much Borax. 

 

He was in charge of mixing or stirring the color into the glue. 

 

It took a few minutes to mix in all the water and it was soooooo much fun massaging the mixture. 

 

He walked around with his container of GAK for the next ten minutes so proud of his mix and showing daddy and his sister how he made it. 

 

Keep it in an air tight container for use later. 

A fantastic idea for a busy bag is to make a batch and split it into smaller portions. Put the portions in baby food jars to pass out at your next exchange. 

Inside Garden from Tomato Containers

Indoor Easy Garden

As my little man and I created these little indoor gardens, I become more excited about summer coming and having him learning about gardening, plants, and growing. 

We were invited to the neighbors for a dinner party and there was no way I was showing up empty handed. I created an easy and DELICIOUS tomato and olive salad that was a HUGE hit. 

I rinsed the cherry tomatoes and realizes I NEEDED to keep these containers for something and it me later to use them as a little terrarium or mini green house.

 

I purchased little violets and used some extra dirt from the backyard. I had little man join me in the backyard to gather the dirt. It had just rained and he wasn't too thrilled with the 'mud' aspect. 

   

Conversation during this activity was all about how plants grow. We got to see the roots of the violets and spent time feeling how small and thin they are. It was cool to talk about how the roots soak up water and nutrients (I related it do plant food) to help the plant grow strong and beautiful. I showed him that trees are plants, too. We discussed plants are large and small but they all have roots. 

 

We have these in the kitchen window. I would love to put them in the play room on their art table however, the dog would love to help redecorate our home with these. :)

 

I love reusing containers. Anything works. Get Creative on your own terms. 

Remember: Every activity is an opportunity to help build your child's vocabulary. Don't worry about talking 'above' there head as long as you connect it to something they already know and can give them a visual. 

Letter Stickers

Calling all moms who are looking for another idea to practice letters. 

 

I purchased poster letter stickers on a whim one afternoon. 

What a great purchase!!!! I originally was thinking fun cheap stickers, however, it has turned into so much more! 

 

I gave little man the stickers for his name and he pulled the paper back off and put them on the paper. 

He decided that it wasn't enough just to have the stickers. He needed to make a border for each letter. Which was AWESOME, since he was outlining each letter! 

(Practicing letters all on his own) 

We spell his name to him all the time and he was writing C and L over and over.

 

 I encourage him to use various mediums to enhance his art. We had painted earlier in the day and spent time practicing using colored pencils while his sister was sleeping (she likes to try to eat them, good ideas from a 11 month old). It was time to bust out the crayons.

  

The letters were inspiring. He found his favorite letter H. Not sure where that came from but he points how "big H" anytime he sees one. Today we used the letter sticker to demonstrate how to make his letter H. 

 

We used the pattern 'line, line, cross' to practice making about four dozen H's today. It was exciting to see him start writing. 

 

Dyed Pasta Busy Bag Activity

Our Mommies' group did a busy bag exchange. 

It was wonderfully successful!

 

One fabulous mommy (I was able to join up with a great group of mom's who are all extremely helpful, supportive, smart, and all absolutely fabulous!!!), spend so much time dying pasta and cutting colored circles for muffin tin sorting.  

Great site to get instructions on dying pasta for kids activities :

http://www.manylittleblessings.com/how-to-dye-pasta-for-kids-crafts/

 

Cut colored circles to match whatever colors you decide to die your pasta. 

Tape or glue them on the bottom of a muffin tin. 

  

 Spend time sorting colors. Talk about colors. Discuss how different noodles can have the same color even though they are different shapes, sizes, widths, or lengths.

 

The mom who created this busy bag for us also gave us cups with each type of pasta attached (hot glued) to the top for sorting types of pasta.

 

Again: This is an opportunity to increase your child's vocabulary. Discuss how the same pasta can be different colors. Practice sorting styles, see if your child can focus both colors and type.

 

I also let my 1 year old (oh my goodness, she just turned one, where did the time go!) also play with noodles, however, she is a mouther so I have an eye on her constantly. She does love to feel the various textures and spread them around her tray. 

Tangrams

Tangrams are a wonderful activity to help children learning spacial awareness, shapes, colors, and above all problem solving. 

 

Melissa and Doug produce a great set of wooden pieces that are durable and easy to practice beginning skills.

 

This activity helps create an independent learner. Be sure to model with your child first before you can expect them do to it on their own. (We started do this when little man had just turned two, older children will be able to follow the patterns without modeling). 

 

Remember: every activity is an opportunity to increase vocabulary and spend meaningful time with your little ones. 

Melissa and Doug Pattern Blocks/ Tangrams

 

Sweet Letters

Cooking or Baking with kids is such a great activity.

This provides so many opportunities to talk with your kids about what you are doing, helping their vocabulary grow, practice measuring/reading recipes/learning fractions, and bringing out the creativity in your child. 

 

We made simple sugar cookies (our recipe was from Betty Crocker, a classic)  and then made an easy royal icing frosting to decorate. 

It was amazing to practice patience! He had to practice waiting his turn to help and taste test. We would frost a cookie and the little man could have a little 'extra' frosting on his finger. Repeat.... needless to say he had a little 'extra' several times.

 

We opted to practice letters and numbers. He loves talking about letters for mommy, daddy, and his sister. So we spent time practicing specific letters! It's always a good idea to focus on a few letters or numbers with your young toddler so they become more familiar and secure with those without over loading or over stimulating. 

Plastic Egg Color Busy Bag Matching Game

Easter Egg Coloring Matching

We have a blast pairing up different tops and bottoms.This busy bag activity is easy to create, reproduce, and very inexpensive!

I created small cards for small fingers to draw and use.

Easter Egg Coloring Matching Game Cards

 Since we have extra eggs we layout the matching with the cards. However, when I gave this away as a busy bag activity, I only gave one egg per color. When the eggs are stacked (tops and bottoms separately) the activity fits perfect in a sandwich Ziploc bag.

Have your kiddo pull a card and see if he can find the two pieces that match the card.

 C. has more fun pulling cards for me to match and telling me if I am correct or not.