Guessing Bags

My children love guessing games! 

"What toy has four wheels, a lightening bolt, is red, and holds the number 95?"

(Lightening McQueen, of course) 

Just an example but you get the idea. 

Here's what we have started doing in our home. 

Grab a paper bag, only because the child can't see through it. A cloth sack works well, also. 

Find items that your children know as everyday items. 

We used a book, one of our favorites! "Where's My T-R-U-C-K?" By Karen Beaumont

Fold the item up inside. 

They can shake it, practice listening. Lift the bag, practice words like heavy or light. 

Give them a few clues and let them guess. 

I write the clues down and as I give them and then write down the responses. It's fun to go back over it to see how many guesses they needed (counting skills). 

We did the same with a few few other items that were "hot ticket" items around out house. Remember, you want your child to be challenged and successful. So, don't pick something that's unfamiliar, out of character. Think of day to day items that they enjoy or use. 

All of these things are great opportunities to build vocabulary!!! Teach how to have a conversation and responding to your child in a way you would what them to respond to you. 

Beans! Sorting, Counting! Busy Bag Idea

Grab an old sheet and let's get started! 

We use this old blue one for everything! I'm sorry if you have seen it in other posts and upcoming posts! It's just so handy to have around the house! 

I purchased three bags of dried beans at our local store. Buy whatever colors strike you as fun. I also focused on getting different sizes. 1 bag of large white beans, 1 of black beans, and 1 pinto beans. 

I get out just about anything that can scoop or move beans. 

We gather containers, funnels, measuring scoops, table spoons, everything that's fun! 

Let them scoop and dump, make piles, spread them around (within reason).

This is a great sorting activity! Help provide your kids with vocabulary such as largest, smallest, big, bigger, biggest.... 

please excuse the yucky picture, I bet you can get the gist

We got silly and starting making food troughs for our animals and pools for them to swim. 

Do whatever your kids want with this, just talk with them. It's so important to teach conversation skills and teach them the vocabulary by modeling it for them!!! I can't tell you the number of 5th graders I teach that lack, what we think is basic vocabulary, and the ability to hold a full conversation. Many don't even respond "How are you?" if they are asked the question first. 

All I can stress is TALK with your children! YOU are their first and MOST teachers!!!!

Spice Up Toddler Lunches

We had gotten stuck in a rut with the same or similar lunches everyday. We (the kids and I) needed something new. 

Mashed Potato Boats with Pirates (red potatoes with cheese and olives)
Hearts and Stars (lunch meat and cheese on crackers)
Life Boats (clemetine slices)
Fish and Oysters in the Sea (frozen peas)

This is a hand-me-down book given to me. I hadn't really used it until my 3 year old started being a bit picky. He's willy to try most foods but says he doesn't like any of them. It was time to do something new, fun, and engaging. 

We hosted a get together and had some left over food. So let's get creative. 

I used my small cookie cutters to make cut outs for my two eaters. 

I did cheese up for my kiddo who may not eat the meat and meat up for the kiddo who avoids cheese these days. I would like to say it worked but nope. She ate it all and he only at the crackers and meat leaving the cheese to his sister. 

I microwaved small red potatoes and the cut off the top, scooped out the middle, mashed it with some butter and salt and pepper and then refilled them. 

Add a cheese triangle with a toothpick, then an olive as pirate.

My two love frozen peas. They were the oysters and fish in the sea and the clementine slices were the life boats with the mashed potato pirate ship started to sink (be eaten). 

Easy AWESOME Funfetti Dip

 Need an easy dish to take to a party? 

Funfetti Dip

Enough said!

I was headed to an adult party so I took vanilla wafers but used graham crackers and animal crackers as dippers. 

Start with a box if cake mix. 

The original recipe called for a 1 cup of plain Greek yogurt and 1 cup of cool whip. I thought it was missing something so....

I used:

- 1 cup cool whip

- 1 cup vanilla Greek yogurt

- 1 brick of cream cheese

Next time, I'm skipping the yogurt and 

beginning with the cream cheese. 

Beat the cream cheese until fluffy. Mix in the cool whip. 

Finally, add the cake mix. 

Of course the kids helped me!! We tasted each ingredient as we added it then tasted it all mixed up. 

It was do much fun to help their vocabulary using food and kitchen utensils. 

Delicious!!!  Beware it only keeps for a day or so. The baking soda in the mix reacts and makes it feel a bit carbonated after a few days.