tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31647617839575097082024-03-13T22:51:41.108-07:00Z is for ZelLearning and growing through creativity, play, and a lot of love.Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01637201435406596942noreply@blogger.comBlogger56125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3164761783957509708.post-54572499646149183192013-07-01T05:35:00.000-07:002013-07-01T05:35:48.249-07:00Learning About Weather + Rainbow Activity<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I wanted to create some sort of daily routine that involved learning and observation. I decided to keep it simple since Zel is still a toddler. I chose to use a calendar to check the date and make a weather wheel to record the day's weather. Every morning we go to the calender and I tell Zel which day to cross off. Then while pointing to the words/numbers, I tell him the date, including the name of day of the week. He loves this!<br />
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I found a weather wheel on Google images (<a href="http://lusine13.blogspot.com/2011/09/weather-wheel-poster.html" target="_blank">find it here</a>) and I had Zel use watercolors to paint it. We keep it on our fridge and Zel can move the arrow to the different pictures that correspond with the day's weather. Since starting this I have noticed him commenting on the weather more often. We also record the weather so that we can see what type of weather we had the most/least each month.<br />
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When we first started our weather observation I made a fun rainbow "puzzle" for Zel so that he could learn the colors. We also found a great <a href="http://vimeo.com/64727114" target="_blank">rainbow song</a> that we like to sing from the cat in the hat TV show.<br />
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I got out construction paper of all the rainbow colors and cut a strip of each piece plus two white clouds. I gave Zel a black piece of paper to use as a background to build his rainbow. I sang the rainbow song a lot to help him remember which color came next.<br />
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He had fun and was really proud when he finished.</div>
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Then we had lots of fun scissor practice with all the scrap paper!</div>
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Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01637201435406596942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3164761783957509708.post-86610832233499708452013-05-22T05:56:00.000-07:002013-05-22T05:56:59.558-07:00Real Mom DecorI loved <a href="http://b-inspiredmama.com/" target="_blank">B-Inspired Mama</a>'s post about #RealMomDecor. It's interesting to see how other families live. It makes me feel good sometimes to know that my house isn't the only one to have toys scattered everywhere. It is also nice to get organizational ideas that other Moms actually use and will actually work with kids!<br />
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Here is a link to the <a href="http://b-inspiredmama.com/2013/05/kid-style-real-moms-real-homes/" target="_blank">original post from B-Inspired Mama</a>.<br />
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I've included a few pictures of my home, which is a little empty but we've only lived here about 2 1/2 months.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Downstairs Playroom" - right next to the kitchen so I can keep an eye on Zel while cooking or cleaning. (This photo is featured in the original post)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Living Room" - we have the TV wall mounted so that we can move it towards the table if we want to watch while eating (Yes, we sometimes watch TV at the dinner table)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig5cKC8qjcvEMCPm8kT44YyJ6MIDslSbRfxfecJXdjD0nG5quX8NHI9cE2cF8DWCWQ3ZhwqegewkohLn8w0Pc89J-BISex9a-Of7t3-bH4Z-jGmMxFyJXmZWaZWE7ii2PpdLXUafPiWBQ/s1600/photo+(9).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig5cKC8qjcvEMCPm8kT44YyJ6MIDslSbRfxfecJXdjD0nG5quX8NHI9cE2cF8DWCWQ3ZhwqegewkohLn8w0Pc89J-BISex9a-Of7t3-bH4Z-jGmMxFyJXmZWaZWE7ii2PpdLXUafPiWBQ/s400/photo+(9).JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Playroom" - this is the real playroom with most of Zel's toys. It is upstairs and has two large closets that I use for rotating toy storage.</td></tr>
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I would love to see what your houses look like whether they are clean or messy, designed or just making it work. You can post to your Facebook or the Z is for Zel Facebook page, twitter, etc, with the hashtag #RealMomDecor.<br />
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Can't wait to see!Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01637201435406596942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3164761783957509708.post-7810370715130051122013-04-05T04:48:00.000-07:002013-04-05T04:48:59.607-07:00Cloud Dough Fight!<br />
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I have seen a lot about cloud dough and finally got around to trying it with Zel. It was a sunny and fairly warm day so I decided to set everything up outside (thankfully!). I made the cloud dough (I used the recipe from <a href="http://tinkerlab.com/cloud-dough-exploration/" target="_blank">Tinkerlab</a>) and set out a tray with various cookie cutters and measuring spoons. I anticipated some fun imaginative play where we baked a birthday cake or something along those lines...it went very differently. Zel has been throwing everything a lot and I should have realized that he would throw the cloud dough too (Maybe that is why I subconsciously thought to do this activity outside). We filled one or two cookie cutters when I showed Zel that he could make it into a ball because that is what he loves to do with play dough. Two seconds after I handed it to him he launched it at me and giggled. I tried to tell him that we should keep in the container or on the tray, but it did seem pretty fun.<br />
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So I told him that we could throw it on the ground. We talked about how the cloud dough balls broke apart, or exploded, when they hit something hard. Zel loved this, but the urge to explode one on Mommy was too great. So I bent the rules and said that we could have a cloud dough fight as long as we don't hit each other in the face. Well, I am so glad I let loose because it was a lot of fun. I think Zel enjoyed it more because I was having so much fun with him.<br />
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He even loved the clean up! We got the hose out and rinsed of the back patio. I highly recommend trying this if you don't mind a little mess :)</div>
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<br />Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01637201435406596942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3164761783957509708.post-10727406993501382092013-03-24T07:35:00.001-07:002013-03-25T20:24:14.509-07:00Weaning a Two Year Old<br />
I'm back! Sorry I haven't posted much lately (it has been over two months!). My husband and I have just bought and moved into our first home :) We are so happy but it has been an exhausting process (totally worth it though). Now that we have furniture, plates, cookware, utensils, and other basic necessities, I can start getting back to normal. And that means back to blogging! Zel has loved being around so much family, but I feel like I have slacked off a little in the educational and creative activity department. We were living with my parents so most of my fun crafty stuff was shoved in the attic or deep in a closet. I feel like when I started the blog, I was a little more ambitious and tried to post at least 3 times per week. From now on I am going to aim for once a week and throw in some extra posts here and there if I have time.<br />
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We have lived in our new home for almost 3 weeks now and I felt like Zel was feeling comfortable living here. He stopped asking to go back to "Grandma and Papa's house" all the time and started saying that he wanted to go to his "new house." My husband has been trying to get me to wean Zel since his first birthday. Don't get me wrong, he supports breastfeeding and knows how great it is for Zel, but he also wanted his wife back too. I would have been happy to stop breastfeeding Zel at 12 months but he just wasn't ready. He still woke up many, many times a night and asked for it all day long. Fast forward a year and he was sleeping at night a lot better (only waking up once or twice) and taking good 2 hour naps. He only nursed in order to fall asleep or if he was sick and having a hard time during the day. For a while I didn't mind this. I knew it was good for him, and it was like having a secret weapon to make him feel better and/or sleep. However, it was starting to take a toll on me, physically and emotionally. I still got very tired during the day, like when he was a baby. I started to have a hard time letting other people touch me, whether it was other kids or even my husband.<br />
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About a week ago he was up early and had been nursing in bed with me for about an hour. He fell asleep for a few minutes then threw a fit when he woke up when I told him that we needed to take a break from nursing for the morning. At that moment I just knew that I couldn't do it anymore. My husband thought that it was time, but just made sure that it was really what I wanted to do because it wasn't going to work if I didn't really want to let go yet.<br />
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That night Zel spent the night with his grandparents so that we could have an adult celebration for my husband's 30th birthday. The next day when I picked him up, he was excited to see me but didn't ask to nurse. His Granny told me that he slept really well and it was the easiest night they had had with him at their house so far. I knew that I had to go with it, but bedtime at home was tough. If we didn't live so far away from our neighbors, they might have thought that their was some grisly stuff happening here. There was a lot of screaming. Eventually we gave up trying to get him to go to sleep at a reasonable time in his bed and let him stay up and watch television until he fell asleep. He slept the whole night in his own bed until 7am (first time ever!) The next night we stayed in bed but let him watch shows on the iPad. At 11pm when he was still awake I told him it was time to turn it off. He resisted but was so tired that he quickly fell asleep (with his hand in my shirt). When he woke up around 4am, he put his hand in my shirt and fell back asleep quickly and without any tears.<br />
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The third night was the worst. I knew that we had to stop the TV watching at bed time or it would just be another habit to break later. There was a lot of crying and screaming; Zel kept trying to hit us too. Eventually he was too tired to fight and he laid with his hand in my shirt saying "I want to nurse" until he fell asleep. It was really heartbreaking for me. I wanted to just let him nurse and stop his tears but I knew that everything else we did would be in vain and that I would regret giving in.<br />
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The next night was a total transformation. We got ready for bed without a complaint: did puzzles, read books, brushed teeth, got into jammies, and got tucked into bed by Daddy. After Daddy left the room, Zel asked to watch videos on my phone. I told him that we weren't going to watch anything but we could listen to music. He asked to listen to "Big Jack," his name for the bonus songs from the Nightmare Before Christmas soundtrack. He laid in bed calmly (still with his hand in my shirt) and fell asleep after about 5 songs. The next night it only took 4 songs and there was no resistance at all.<br />
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What made part of this process easier was that Zel had mostly stopped taking naps, so I only had to deal with weaning at night. My husband was a big supporter too. He helped a lot on those first few difficult nights. When he was comforting Zel, he was also rubbing my back and comforting me too. He even looked up what changes I might experience so that he could be prepared to help me, physically or emotionally.<br />
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Luckily, I never felt sore or swollen at all. I did, however, have times where I felt very sad and longed for the time when I could have that closeness with my son. What made that even harder for me is that Zel seemed to ask for his Daddy more once the weaning started. I was happy that he could find more comfort in his Dad, but still missed always being number 1.<br />
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I never how hard it would be to know that he is growing up and needing me less and less. But I know that no matter what happens or how old he is, I will always be his Mommy.Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01637201435406596942noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3164761783957509708.post-18817354269456390512013-01-17T09:59:00.000-08:002013-01-17T09:59:00.074-08:00Yellow Submarine Birthday Party<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpjQqBAd27rzmxEFCkIfGDG3E8tdz3NbSXG4Te2SKJ4Vuntkf4lsAn2H8mlxhzZN5NVvQrrhpowLQ9N1ViAP_8vMwE2KbVX4B5jbKQbYq2gpKI9IP43Uv1RP7CcnL-e8HT1r5xIZXl_-k/s1600/IMG_4316_1426x950.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpjQqBAd27rzmxEFCkIfGDG3E8tdz3NbSXG4Te2SKJ4Vuntkf4lsAn2H8mlxhzZN5NVvQrrhpowLQ9N1ViAP_8vMwE2KbVX4B5jbKQbYq2gpKI9IP43Uv1RP7CcnL-e8HT1r5xIZXl_-k/s400/IMG_4316_1426x950.jpg" width="265" /></a></div>
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I am just now realizing that I never posted about Zel's birthday party back in November. I really wanted to share a post about this because I really enjoyed preparing for it and celebrating.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM539AuU_uxXTir0I8AQLlwxQWp1KKEWLzxWez5Xk8-jEeEMexYz-7HngtBYWez5yFVdVzZObnyih3nrZIbCuV3TC8D-Lb5w_6XANNAJjRw9Tku6m4-hssNWTDMvUth1OAAjrpwZbHm-g/s1600/2012-11-10+09.58.28_768x576.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM539AuU_uxXTir0I8AQLlwxQWp1KKEWLzxWez5Xk8-jEeEMexYz-7HngtBYWez5yFVdVzZObnyih3nrZIbCuV3TC8D-Lb5w_6XANNAJjRw9Tku6m4-hssNWTDMvUth1OAAjrpwZbHm-g/s320/2012-11-10+09.58.28_768x576.jpg" width="238" /></a><br />
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Zel LOVES Yellow Submarine, the movie and the music. We listen to the CD at least once a day. Anything he comes across that he can even remotely relate to Yellow Submarine, he somehow makes a connection. I knew that we had to make the theme Yellow Submarine. He was turning two, so I didn't want to make myself crazy with too many details or spending too much money. I feel like I picked just the right amount of decoration without going overboard.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitZYQ9C0kR9eisiAD4NwzjRtqGXjWZfrCmx1Sko8ZuDzoDdgdBjoCUkZBnjp-yghyv24ROF6-WgHgS39vwywzrqSMhwCwg5MviAarWEOhg2dJweKC_uLY_Nphl-AanwOH2CCk2ze4Avqc/s1600/IMG_4312_1426x950.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitZYQ9C0kR9eisiAD4NwzjRtqGXjWZfrCmx1Sko8ZuDzoDdgdBjoCUkZBnjp-yghyv24ROF6-WgHgS39vwywzrqSMhwCwg5MviAarWEOhg2dJweKC_uLY_Nphl-AanwOH2CCk2ze4Avqc/s320/IMG_4312_1426x950.jpg" width="320" /></a>I decided to do cupcakes after getting an idea from <a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/274367802270100997/" target="_blank">this pin</a>, although the link in the pin seems to no longer work. I found a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Beatles-Yellow-Submarine-Cube-Tray/dp/B001AY8HWI" target="_blank">silicone yellow submarine ice tray</a> on ebay and used it as a mold for the candy. I bought the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Wilton-Yellow-Candy-Melts-12-Ounce/dp/B0061TXUNS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1358442648&sr=8-1&keywords=wilton+candy+melts+yellow" target="_blank">Wilton Candy Melts</a> in yellow to make the toppers for the cupcakes. I picked green icing for the "sea of green" and black and white polka dot cupcake liners to represent the "sea of holes." I displayed everything on a cardboard cupcake tower and decorated it with ribbon and stickers.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSeG-UEhvsL7idhrmyGj6s256irvHiRabk-y5mtYIASPsHFt2jh53OOcn3h4YfmFq-uYr7wjHovysWaL2KmexPvlaf4heCJNVRslvngwP60fICB_RxFAkp1oxykOZuhvT-30JKWHli_DE/s1600/IMG_4308_1426x950.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSeG-UEhvsL7idhrmyGj6s256irvHiRabk-y5mtYIASPsHFt2jh53OOcn3h4YfmFq-uYr7wjHovysWaL2KmexPvlaf4heCJNVRslvngwP60fICB_RxFAkp1oxykOZuhvT-30JKWHli_DE/s320/IMG_4308_1426x950.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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I used a yellow table cloth and wrote "LOVE" all over it. We ate pizza off of yellow and tie dye plates. I found some fun napkins at Target.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ0_wfy8EPggQCKBeAOgPArhTkul9kM3mP2RwMwyZIn-CBUnC7oZSov9Jnp32EQr77hYIc9yqvUM-TsgIjSIXyuSQ-bQwJIhv4L1AHvzr3HD8akxCCLmBI0Y5KBe380EIoUcPIZ5pkay4/s1600/IMG_4363_1426x950.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ0_wfy8EPggQCKBeAOgPArhTkul9kM3mP2RwMwyZIn-CBUnC7oZSov9Jnp32EQr77hYIc9yqvUM-TsgIjSIXyuSQ-bQwJIhv4L1AHvzr3HD8akxCCLmBI0Y5KBe380EIoUcPIZ5pkay4/s320/IMG_4363_1426x950.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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The goodie bags were one of my favorite things about the party. I printed off different images from the movie and glued them onto yellow paper goodie bags. I filled the goodie bags with musical items (whistles, harmonicas, etc), lollipops, and <a href="http://www.ebay.com/itm/BEATLES-YELLOW-SUBMARINE-GLOSSY-STICKER-SET-NEW-/330817113775?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4d063c8eaf" target="_blank">yellow submarine stickers</a> that I ordered from ebay.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1-M2HqvB8aW9ty-O25qAqalzSUY0nW3I9trUX9xqvg0PUgO7ERtIOnMHdH5LYZ11Ulg4kDaB8dfIIO2WXxgBdyqU2YUAU4gr_S_i7tAVGnKcLwtdDRz5HMx9opBWv4GonguqADtDQ4DQ/s1600/IMG_0366_1200x900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1-M2HqvB8aW9ty-O25qAqalzSUY0nW3I9trUX9xqvg0PUgO7ERtIOnMHdH5LYZ11Ulg4kDaB8dfIIO2WXxgBdyqU2YUAU4gr_S_i7tAVGnKcLwtdDRz5HMx9opBWv4GonguqADtDQ4DQ/s320/IMG_0366_1200x900.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfLx23yMVlSURzGjNN1w9U6E6o1ePjLmdqWBzG7575IM_eYZKjnaxBj_YupyjyeLAIBZi8HC5EM0S7JGoyMOE7oEhNGpEBB-JJsiXMDu2k8joVyU_ndWzjhC_9UdC3h7utJxmXJpuvdDc/s1600/IMG_4302_1426x950.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfLx23yMVlSURzGjNN1w9U6E6o1ePjLmdqWBzG7575IM_eYZKjnaxBj_YupyjyeLAIBZi8HC5EM0S7JGoyMOE7oEhNGpEBB-JJsiXMDu2k8joVyU_ndWzjhC_9UdC3h7utJxmXJpuvdDc/s320/IMG_4302_1426x950.jpg" width="320" /></a>We held the party at a local playground. We wrapped yellow and red streamers around the trees surrounding our picnic table. For activities, the kids mostly just played and did their own thing on the play structures. We played the Yellow Submarine CD on a portable stereo and also did face painting. Zel got a yellow submarine on his cheek, among other things.<br />
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Zel wore his <a href="http://www.ebay.com/itm/Boys-Infant-Toddler-The-Beatles-Yellow-Submarine-Short-Sleeve-T-Shirt-Tee-NWT-/130691960970?pt=US_Baby_Toddler_Boys_Clothes&var=430066785624&hash=item1e6dd9108a" target="_blank">yellow submarine shirt</a> to the party (which I also purchased from ebay) that he received the night before during his family birthday dinner. We also bought him the set of figurines from the movie. He was so excited! They were a little pricey, but I got a pretty good deal on ebay...and it was worth it to see him so happy :)<br />
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<br />Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01637201435406596942noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3164761783957509708.post-30423536794207334402013-01-01T06:47:00.000-08:002013-01-01T06:48:53.126-08:00Happy 2013!<div style="text-align: center;">
I hope everyone had a fun and safe New Year celebration! Zel and I (along with Grandma) celebrated "Noon Year's Eve" at our local children's museum (We even made it into the video!). It was a little crowded but I think it was fun for Zel to see the ball drop and throw some confetti.</div>
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<br />Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01637201435406596942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3164761783957509708.post-84303063033997370622012-12-13T11:59:00.000-08:002012-12-13T11:59:36.746-08:00Egg Carton MenorahLast night we had a family dinner at my grandparents' house for Hanukkah. I started the "Hanukkah dinner" tradition last year with Zel because I wanted him to learn about different cultures and ways to celebrate. Now that we're living back home near family, we got to involve everyone in our new tradition. My grandmother was thrilled because she was raised in a Jewish family and was so happy that we wanted to incorporate this part of our heritage into our lives. We ate latkes, pot roast, and desserts and all (except Zel) partook in some wine (even my non-wine drinking husband). Saturday night was the official start of Hanukkah, so last night we lit 5 candles. At first, Zel thought that it was a birthday party and kept singing happy birthday to Zel and Papa (whose birthday is coming up soon). Zel was very concerned once the candles went out and made sure to bring it to our attention several times.<br />
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Before Hanukkah started, Zel and I made a menorah out of an egg carton, paint, and popsicle sticks. We don't actually have a real menorah so we have been using this one at home. It is very simple to make. Cut an egg carton in half, then cut one side in half so that you have a piece with 6 and a piece with 3. You can tape them together if desired. I had some colored popsicle sticks and used 8 yellows and one blue (for the shamash). I had Zel paint the egg cartons and popsicle sticks with blue paint, then I numbered the yellow sticks from 1-8. Cut a slit in the top of each spot with a knife. Each night we place the corresponding popsicle stick in the carton.<br />
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Here is what it would look like with all the sticks in.</div>
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Happy Hanukkah!</div>
Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01637201435406596942noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3164761783957509708.post-91747127137759355282012-12-05T09:44:00.001-08:002012-12-05T09:45:12.906-08:00Painting Leaves<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5rvG_z-a4p0cMOI3kFkoR5jU0F5eSmh2FIrVuYHQoULIECOmHw5hsJnWIpNC96dl__R1B-yfyuPdmwXwG7n0YGHap79cAzVm9jJfnIIb7FxWagBNoL_3AyhkJI1o5_E3bAlqQy8inflk/s1600/IMG_4484_1426x950.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5rvG_z-a4p0cMOI3kFkoR5jU0F5eSmh2FIrVuYHQoULIECOmHw5hsJnWIpNC96dl__R1B-yfyuPdmwXwG7n0YGHap79cAzVm9jJfnIIb7FxWagBNoL_3AyhkJI1o5_E3bAlqQy8inflk/s320/IMG_4484_1426x950.jpg" width="213" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL9e9Ssf7beP3ZPiwQ9_G6GDt4ee9_HRTV7oH7werpFGr50KEFnL2VadimfRuchNzYh2xiFWMYHcxF97oT7z8BQsGpJmVS18u95fnZE8TmGqiKPz6choLl2pxeykevKEGXK_37rABvlGU/s1600/IMG_4479_1426x950.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL9e9Ssf7beP3ZPiwQ9_G6GDt4ee9_HRTV7oH7werpFGr50KEFnL2VadimfRuchNzYh2xiFWMYHcxF97oT7z8BQsGpJmVS18u95fnZE8TmGqiKPz6choLl2pxeykevKEGXK_37rABvlGU/s320/IMG_4479_1426x950.jpg" width="213" /></a><br />
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Finger painting is a great sensory activity for kids. You can also use it as an opportunity to talk about colors too! Zel received some finger paints for his birthday a few weeks ago and we decided to use them with our Christmas Countdown project of painting leaves. Adding something new (like leaves) to an old activity (like painting) can really refresh your child's interest in it.</div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">At first, Zel was hesitant to use the finger paints because normally our painting rule is "only paint on the paper." So he started off using a paint brush to paint on the leaves. He thought it was funny that the leaves would stick to the brush, so he experimented with that a little bit. After a few minutes of explaining that this was special paint that is okay to paint on your body, he started using the paint brush to paint on his fingers. It is "finger paint" after all! </span></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">Then he got bold and started rubbing the paint all over his chest and belly. After he was covered he felt confident enough to stick his hand in the paint and use it to paint on the leaves and paper. Once he was finished, we went straight to the bathtub and Zel helped scrub off the paint. He played for so long that I had time to give myself a pedicure!</span></div>
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<br />Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01637201435406596942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3164761783957509708.post-27620308275753608002012-12-04T14:48:00.000-08:002012-12-04T14:48:37.804-08:00Outdoor Letter Recognition Game<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5GWZy5Y6g74L1vajtR7xksdT7in5gRpK_3Bvx7sU6up4OdX8PWaWlt3X7m5PGoYA-x8XOKbvfsH1F28oxiFPdhsvQSdOwTG2xgt9oYL8gW_ertKkUU6PrFrB1JqcGKLM8mcjgD1tQyXo/s1600/IMG_4408_1426x950.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5GWZy5Y6g74L1vajtR7xksdT7in5gRpK_3Bvx7sU6up4OdX8PWaWlt3X7m5PGoYA-x8XOKbvfsH1F28oxiFPdhsvQSdOwTG2xgt9oYL8gW_ertKkUU6PrFrB1JqcGKLM8mcjgD1tQyXo/s640/IMG_4408_1426x950.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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One of our Christmas Countdown activities was to play a letter game using chalk in our driveway. Today was a great day to play this game because Zel had two friends over. The set up is extremely easy. Just write all the letters using chalk on your driveway in one area. I put about a foot or two of space between them and made sure to jumble them up. I used all capital letters, but adding lowercase would be great letter recognition practice as well. I put numbers 1-10 and a few shapes in the too. I only had four different colors of chalk, but I made sure to use them pretty evenly. The kids had so much fun with this. They even enjoyed watching me set it up. They would yell out the letters or numbers they knew as I was writing them. </div>
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Once I wrote everything I wanted to use, I would call one out and say the color. I made it more of a game by telling them to try to get there first. Of course, I praised all of them regardless of whether they got there first or not. I'm hoping it doesn't rain so we can play again tomorrow without having to set it up again!</div>
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<br />Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01637201435406596942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3164761783957509708.post-8190157611128410702012-12-02T06:18:00.001-08:002012-12-02T07:02:16.679-08:00Christmas Countdown: Snowman Placemat<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwOU_AQmw2I9mV9HrPwrmsRNI4gH1lnFGp5HwSFVNQ3KANVuGimOv4aGmclWSN8JXKzaH-Y-00HdeFSrwL67FsdI_DiQiX-Va2mFjEHoq4pgqwZsu2XmhOm8FgCHBlq2ouXMog7HvlNHM/s1600/IMG_4395_1426x950.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwOU_AQmw2I9mV9HrPwrmsRNI4gH1lnFGp5HwSFVNQ3KANVuGimOv4aGmclWSN8JXKzaH-Y-00HdeFSrwL67FsdI_DiQiX-Va2mFjEHoq4pgqwZsu2XmhOm8FgCHBlq2ouXMog7HvlNHM/s400/IMG_4395_1426x950.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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When I was a preschool teacher, whenever a new child joined our class they made their own placemat for lunch and snack time. I don't know why it has taken me this long to have Zel make one, but it has finally happened. I printed a coloring worksheet with his name on it from <a href="http://twistynoodle.com/snowman-3-coloring-page/" target="_blank">this site</a> and put it on his easel. I had him use watercolor so that it would dry quickly and also because tempera can get kind of lumpy. Zel was pretty excited to paint a snowman and to use the watercolor. As soon as it dried I used contact paper to laminate it and put it at his place at the dinner table. Zel wanted to do more snowman stuff so we watched <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Frosty-Snowman-Various/dp/B003P3PQMQ/ref=sr_1_2?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1354457437&sr=1-2&keywords=frosty+the+snowman" target="_blank">Frosty the Snowman</a> too!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKmWSeADu9Pjhc9aihv9lve3AVY1IComyXAM_qk-tUiAuvndKxdkWE4nsG-tEh9YC0X7kLv6l1pn6HQnAqJDQ0UMLLZ0w4ECz06nTO2xhq8NZiZda_hG1H7w_MCLlmAWGpiQxDj03EBq4/s1600/IMG_4394_1426x950.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKmWSeADu9Pjhc9aihv9lve3AVY1IComyXAM_qk-tUiAuvndKxdkWE4nsG-tEh9YC0X7kLv6l1pn6HQnAqJDQ0UMLLZ0w4ECz06nTO2xhq8NZiZda_hG1H7w_MCLlmAWGpiQxDj03EBq4/s400/IMG_4394_1426x950.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01637201435406596942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3164761783957509708.post-7259384274922055982012-12-01T05:30:00.000-08:002012-12-02T06:04:21.629-08:00Countdown to Christmas Activity Calendar<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP2iDIH9kuAbGrDDlDaOwErWJRx_RZqufpVAedpQ5Hg2xXperLpnPGQMwMhAFfp9fxJXlPtr0hN4QofCxiiLplWXSPFv7s9kmDsn6LgoIINVGIWOeCbpk05rsZeZbhJrL_7KzG1cey7N0/s1600/IMG_4391_950x1426.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP2iDIH9kuAbGrDDlDaOwErWJRx_RZqufpVAedpQ5Hg2xXperLpnPGQMwMhAFfp9fxJXlPtr0hN4QofCxiiLplWXSPFv7s9kmDsn6LgoIINVGIWOeCbpk05rsZeZbhJrL_7KzG1cey7N0/s320/IMG_4391_950x1426.jpg" width="213" /></a>I've seen a lot of advent calenders going around Pinterest and decided that it would be fun to do one with Zel this year. I made it a countdown because that seemed more exciting and to me, the word advent makes it too religious.<br />
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The <a href="http://www.littleecofootprints.com/2012/11/natural_advent_calendar.html" target="_blank">countdown from little eco footprints</a> is the first calendar that got my attention. I loved that it was nature themed rather than all Christmas or religious. During our outdoor playtime, we searched for the best leaves of all different colors. Once we started setting up the calendar, I realized that I didn't have enough clothespins. I decided that it would be much easier to just write the calender on the window with window markers and use the leaves for one of our activities.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5fiJS54GmE0V3XlGlGZib8bPqW3H-eIluotAlSqcpchWRs_T5RdWtfsTrmBeuA6V-VpcRU1wpUUlUIAg_vO3HEGjiBhVM-JSbOGL0ab7AfKT2l7L4T6ihzykjc5cwhoiWeDgE38Hjaxo/s1600/IMG_4392_950x1426.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5fiJS54GmE0V3XlGlGZib8bPqW3H-eIluotAlSqcpchWRs_T5RdWtfsTrmBeuA6V-VpcRU1wpUUlUIAg_vO3HEGjiBhVM-JSbOGL0ab7AfKT2l7L4T6ihzykjc5cwhoiWeDgE38Hjaxo/s320/IMG_4392_950x1426.jpg" width="213" /></a>I didn't want to just have a list of activities since that wouldn't be very exciting for Zel. I came across the <a href="http://www.messforless.net/2012/11/easy-diy-advent-jar-and-35-advent.html" target="_blank">advent jar from mess for less</a> and knew this would work for us. I had recently purchased a pack of colored popsicle sticks and my mom always has a million extra glass jars around the house. I picked activities that I knew Zel would enjoy and would take little preparation. I used some Christmas projects and activities, some Hanukkah stuff, and a few projects and outings that are fun anytime of the year.<br />
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Unfortunately as I was writing this post, Google told me that I reached my photo limit. So please check out the blogs that inspired me to do this project and go to the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/zisforzel" target="_blank">Z is for Zel facebook page</a> to check out our photos from Christmas countdown activities until I solve this photo dilemma. I will also be posting Zel's activity choice each day on facebook and I will write up blog posts on our favorites...Stay tuned!<br />
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Update: Thanks to my fellow KBN bloggers I figured out how to add more pictures!Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01637201435406596942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3164761783957509708.post-62390730488078690682012-11-07T09:37:00.001-08:002012-11-07T12:24:57.672-08:00Lollipop LunchEver since Zel was given a lollipop several months ago, he has been obsessed. He asks for one every single day and it's only gotten worse since Halloween. Well technically he asks for a "p pop," but a lollipop is what he wants. After trick or treating, he was the happiest boy in the world because I let him eat two lollipops at once. I've never seen him more content. I remembered a trick that I used several months ago to get him to eat a healthy lunch using his love of lollipops. I told him that he could have a Lollipop Lunch!<br />
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I used mini meatballs, cut up apples, and peas and stuck them on toothpicks. At first he was not too happy about the fact that there was not an actual lollipop, but then he tried a few bites and realized how fun it was to eat with toothpicks.<br />
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<br />Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01637201435406596942noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3164761783957509708.post-88501573608494267942012-10-27T05:11:00.002-07:002012-10-27T05:14:09.079-07:00Jack O Lantern Activity With Felt<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGB0N9L60Yl591ekZvHXTFaxu3xq-Fgo-1E_QkDER3yMq6NaYScF-GxxnhfHoxvysFG2hXB_KmMGS1MHgg0CgqIox0EiSKoWkGAqeJcAw8xe3nFSiHBaDvWHjYK-cHYbEJOlnl-7FhxnU/s1600/IMG_4159.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGB0N9L60Yl591ekZvHXTFaxu3xq-Fgo-1E_QkDER3yMq6NaYScF-GxxnhfHoxvysFG2hXB_KmMGS1MHgg0CgqIox0EiSKoWkGAqeJcAw8xe3nFSiHBaDvWHjYK-cHYbEJOlnl-7FhxnU/s320/IMG_4159.JPG" width="320" /></a>I was searching for a fun and easy to make Halloween craft for Zel. I discovered a <a href="http://www.twobigtwolittle.com/2012/10/felt-pumpkin-faces.html" target="_blank">Felt Pumpkin Faces Activity</a> on <a href="http://www.twobigtwolittle.com/" target="_blank">Two Big Two Little</a>. I have an abundance of felt with my crafting materials and I was excited to see that there was plenty of black and orange. Rather than buying a pumpkin shape, I cut one out of felt and hot glued it onto some cardboard. On the back I wrote "Jack O Lantern" so that Zel could point out the letters.<br />
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He has had a lot of fun with this. I love it because it gets him talking about shapes and parts of the face. He loves making all sorts of silly faces then running to show them off to everyone in the house. Another thing he enjoys is dumping all the felt on the floor, but luckily there isn't too much of it.<br />
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<br />Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01637201435406596942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3164761783957509708.post-71080057412728872562012-10-19T11:08:00.000-07:002012-10-19T11:08:24.836-07:00Rainy Day Outing: Pet Store<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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When we lived in the Pacific Northwest, we were used to the rain and discovered many fun things to do out of the house. Now that we live in the Southeast, sometimes it is so hot in the summer or there are too many mosquitos that going outside isn't an option and I haven't come across as many fun, indoor places to bring young children. I've found that the pet store is a fun and free place to bring the kids.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkIPb7ty7Nac1ikTmy6L4nbk5MRWgM2LHTdNWY2LaIjuXQnFTL5afcNP35fpy8KmQbY_qF1uTzA-vjH2ZIzr5xrGvNuFv3zfMH37Ru9FwDOhAOmEiJaaR72-t-NoS_SciJMpFzaibQDi4/s1600/DSC07586.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkIPb7ty7Nac1ikTmy6L4nbk5MRWgM2LHTdNWY2LaIjuXQnFTL5afcNP35fpy8KmQbY_qF1uTzA-vjH2ZIzr5xrGvNuFv3zfMH37Ru9FwDOhAOmEiJaaR72-t-NoS_SciJMpFzaibQDi4/s320/DSC07586.JPG" width="320" /></a>I started using the pet store as an outing when I was a preschool teacher. I used to take my class on walks to our local Petco. There are tons of animals for the kids to see. The fish and the rodents are always a hit. The reptiles and amphibians can sometimes be harder for the little ones to see. Zel wore his Nemo shirt because he was so excited to see the fish. We like to play with the dog toys and even try out some of the dog beds and houses.<br />
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<br />Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01637201435406596942noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3164761783957509708.post-34909757821782485542012-09-10T10:38:00.001-07:002012-09-10T10:38:09.800-07:00Letters and RiceSorry it has been a while since my last post. We made our move across the country. Our stuff and cars have finally arrived, although most of it is still in boxes. We have really enjoyed spending so much time with family (and being able to go on some dates with my hubby too!). Zel took a few days to adjust but he is loving all of the attention. There are perks to being the only grandchild!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_UISjjz7R6uwo0FNnrb3OL1bfrRY2X84NI1c6H6ocYBXLMl-hR34jrhMmQBwdrqjwQYt9jnsHscC3Mg0A-mu2TXvwBgD20AdenKm1Qvq2-9H0C2hrIr5mXv64qT1_N3aunP_VLtvQMVc/s1600/DSC07518.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_UISjjz7R6uwo0FNnrb3OL1bfrRY2X84NI1c6H6ocYBXLMl-hR34jrhMmQBwdrqjwQYt9jnsHscC3Mg0A-mu2TXvwBgD20AdenKm1Qvq2-9H0C2hrIr5mXv64qT1_N3aunP_VLtvQMVc/s320/DSC07518.JPG" width="320" /></a>For the past month, Zel has been very interested in letters. I used a reward certificate from Toys R Us to buy him an alphabet puzzle. Before I bought the puzzle, he already knew some capital letters. After a few days of playing with the puzzle, Zel had learned all of the capital letters! I am such a proud mama. I wanted to make sure that his letter puzzle stayed fun, so I tried to think of how we could play with it in a fun, alternative way. I saw a pin about searching for letters in colored rice from <a href="http://www.teachpreschool.org/2011/09/digging-up-the-letters-of-our-name-in-preschool/" target="_blank">Teach Preschool</a>. I modified it by using non-colored rice and letters from Zel's alphabet puzzle. Zel enjoyed putting the letters into the rice, but he seemed completely uninterested in searching for the letters to place back into the puzzle. However, he found that he could fill the letters on the puzzle board with rice.<br />
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He had a lot of fun trying to do this carefully with a measuring cup and his hand and also by throwing the rice (this was an outside activity).<br />
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We talked about which letters he was filling with rice and that throwing the rice didn't seem to fill the letters very well no matter how fun it was.<br />
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We learned our letters, practiced fine motor skills, and had a lot of fun!</div>
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<br />Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01637201435406596942noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3164761783957509708.post-91653476751193193292012-08-24T08:50:00.000-07:002012-08-24T08:50:06.888-07:00Independent Sandwich Preparation + Link of the Week<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTBBFeqU0EcBsZk35vgcT9cHjdeGYSQzueH1-NEY9EcfW-JyEmYEGjohQe2soHokuweYGmN-vl6sT4NkCtdKtM5CnlWscN5LU7jYIoRkT_Hc-fZcvbS87B4_uJd-y9oRZ2vkpoMz5K7ms/s1600/IMG_3869.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTBBFeqU0EcBsZk35vgcT9cHjdeGYSQzueH1-NEY9EcfW-JyEmYEGjohQe2soHokuweYGmN-vl6sT4NkCtdKtM5CnlWscN5LU7jYIoRkT_Hc-fZcvbS87B4_uJd-y9oRZ2vkpoMz5K7ms/s320/IMG_3869.JPG" width="320" /></a>Feeding a toddler can be difficult. Some days Zel is a never ending abyss eating anything and everything, while other days he seems to survive off of a few bites of food. Forcing food upon your child never works, so parents have to figure out gentle (or sneaky) ways to encourage their child to eat. One way that I do this is by letting Zel make his own sandwiches. I cut up some bread and gave him a heaping spoonful of peanut butter and a child sized butter knife. I showed him how to use the knife to spread the peanut butter on the bread then let him try it by himself. Sometimes it takes a little restraint to stop myself from doing it for him or keeping him from getting too messy, but I find that he enjoys the food so much more when he does it all by himself. This is also great fine motor skills practice too!<br />
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Eventually he forgot about trying to spread the peanut butter and just ate it with a spoon (I've been know to do this myself).</div>
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I also wanted to share this adorable snack idea from <a href="http://creative-kidlets-101.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/rockmelon-roses-watermelon-puzzles.html" target="_blank">Creative Kidlets 101</a> that I found on last week's Kid's Co-op Link Up:</div>
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<br />Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01637201435406596942noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3164761783957509708.post-60484805989737488492012-08-17T07:48:00.000-07:002012-08-17T07:48:27.987-07:00Whipped Topping Paint<div style="text-align: center;">
We are getting ready for a cross country move in less than two weeks, so I've been trying to use up the various foods in our fridge, freezer, and pantry. I came across a container of Trader Joe's House Whip in the freezer and knew that Zel would love to play with it (and eat it, of course!). </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuvdRirFC3NyAr6QuuW6ZU5xWkZX1Ce7i2AXotqs3tSV5ml8a1A7ihMRVsNfN9aFCVjQvM_kagHjgtG7N540js0c-vhfgIueXuC1_YHmeTNetX3GkWjWy8RmgQCYEFrVWiwq5gDUWlGIQ/s1600/DSC07529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="474" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuvdRirFC3NyAr6QuuW6ZU5xWkZX1Ce7i2AXotqs3tSV5ml8a1A7ihMRVsNfN9aFCVjQvM_kagHjgtG7N540js0c-vhfgIueXuC1_YHmeTNetX3GkWjWy8RmgQCYEFrVWiwq5gDUWlGIQ/s640/DSC07529.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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All I did was scoop out the whipped topping into a muffin tin and add food coloring. I let Zel use a silicone basting pastry brush as a paint brush. Instead of regular paper, we used freezer paper so that it wouldn't get mushy and would be easy to clean up. I laid a plastic mat on the ground, taped the freezer paper smooth side down and showed Zel that he could use the brush to paint on it. He liked pointing out the different colors and using the brush to mix the different colors together.</div>
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After painting for a few minutes, he dipped his brush in and asked, "eat?" I gave him the OK and he proceeded to alternate between painting and eating the whipped topping. He thought it was really funny to stick his finger in the whipped topping and lick it off. At first he wanted me to lick the whipped topping off his finger. I showed him that he could use his fingers to paint too. While he was finger painting, I used the brush to write his name and make some shapes. He then took the brush and tried to paint on the shapes while saying the names of the shapes. </div>
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This was a fun, easy activity and a cool, tasty treat!</div>
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Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01637201435406596942noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3164761783957509708.post-6610035726467671672012-08-09T13:07:00.001-07:002012-08-09T13:07:07.985-07:00Pretend Play: Washing Fruit<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqV94CbbXAvmfuz5WaSmgpVtWZY3tpdFCLy1ZKx3m0o3bzkogWZUX30_Mv3chQhzDfAoAnXmTKHkrumzdIzoCXuEridnsVQx3nKveiV4ZczIdnUAWQK53Ugei23lEYLz9LSOg3XPLvJ0U/s1600/IMG_3509.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqV94CbbXAvmfuz5WaSmgpVtWZY3tpdFCLy1ZKx3m0o3bzkogWZUX30_Mv3chQhzDfAoAnXmTKHkrumzdIzoCXuEridnsVQx3nKveiV4ZczIdnUAWQK53Ugei23lEYLz9LSOg3XPLvJ0U/s320/IMG_3509.JPG" width="213" /></a><span style="text-align: start;"></span></div>
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Zel has recently become OBSESSED with apples. I can't open the refrigerator door without Zel swooping in, opening the fruit drawer, and grabbing an apple. I often end up finding several apples with tiny little bites taken out of them. I have been trying to teach him that we need to wash the apples before we eat them. Sometimes he remembers, but most of the time the excitement about eating the apples wins out. I decided to let Zel practice with some pretend play. I put a towel down in the kitchen and filled a pot with soapy water. Zel picked some fruits and veggies that he wanted to wash. I gave him a wash cloth and showed him how to clean the food.</div>
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Zel examined the wash cloth and tried dipping it in the water and squeezing the water out a few times. Then he tried scrubbing the fruit with the cloth, but even more exciting than that was to stick his arms all the way into the water and touching all the play food.<br />
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Then Zel thought that we should wash his pots and pans too. He added in some fish and mixed everything together in order to make some soup.</div>
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Most fun of all was when Zel decided that he should clean his feet, so he got in the pot! He thought this was so funny. He kept giggling and did a little jig.</div>
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Pretend play is a great way for your toddler to learn about the world, and it's fun too!</div>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01637201435406596942noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3164761783957509708.post-72286188330196591702012-08-03T09:03:00.003-07:002012-08-03T09:03:57.437-07:00Colored Ice Play<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNB4wfxUfjMNf70cKdo7tPx1yY_ytd3O01QWfQzfiDB704OOnTfxVqFdgLEZRty31aATqztX8pKiJ-Wi2X1NhcEJU2fXNq3S3fv3cS2x3zQNmJS_-s_J00XrAoP4jtqFjK3x_23-cqedY/s1600/IMG_3562.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNB4wfxUfjMNf70cKdo7tPx1yY_ytd3O01QWfQzfiDB704OOnTfxVqFdgLEZRty31aATqztX8pKiJ-Wi2X1NhcEJU2fXNq3S3fv3cS2x3zQNmJS_-s_J00XrAoP4jtqFjK3x_23-cqedY/s200/IMG_3562.JPG" width="200" /></a>This has been a very hot summer for many places, luckily for us, the pacific northwest was not one of those places. We have had a very mild summer, gloomier and rainier than usual. We have had some hot days, and on those days it is hard to escape the heat because we don't have air conditioning! In fact, most people around here don't. I was dreading the weather on our trip to the southeast (it was over 100 degrees some days during our visit) but the miracle of a/c made it more bearable than our mild northwest summer. On the hot days, I have tried to do activities to help keep us cool. One item that Zel had a lot of fun with was colored ice cubes. This is a super easy activity to prep. Just drop some food coloring into ice cube trays and add water then freeze. After the cubes were frozen, I put them in a bag so that I could reuse the ice trays. If you don't like to use food coloring you could also use juice, but your colors won't be as bright.<br />
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For our first experience, we did colored ice art. I gave Zel a piece of construction paper to draw on using the ice. He tried this at first but then experimented with the ice in many different ways.<br />
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We talked about how cold the ice was and how it melted from our warm hands. He said the word "ice" over and over then started morphing it into the word "eyes." So he put the ice on his eyes and on mommy's eyes. Then he tried the ice on as a hat too.</div>
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I told Zel that I hid an M&M inside one of the ice cubes. Then of course he tasted all of the ice cubes to try to find it!</div>
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Zel put all the ice cubes back in the bowl and started shaking it. Since he was using a metal bowl, it made a loud clanging noise which he absolutely loved.</div>
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I brought out a towel so that Zel didn't slip on any water and he used it to play peek-a-boo with the ice. Then he thought it was hilarious to hide the ice with his face.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-ArOusGGWtwRptEmIxqzFg_Siw2tqOyzybXG4klid_9weWvKybR2-YkQw8XWJ-i_RRhJ8jz0mqSRf7qffvvdmnbU5S8gF5nN6-9i4fENFBIzTD30rGrAak65j6j4HhuAkmhUuPr4fRYQ/s1600/IMG_3591.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-ArOusGGWtwRptEmIxqzFg_Siw2tqOyzybXG4klid_9weWvKybR2-YkQw8XWJ-i_RRhJ8jz0mqSRf7qffvvdmnbU5S8gF5nN6-9i4fENFBIzTD30rGrAak65j6j4HhuAkmhUuPr4fRYQ/s320/IMG_3591.JPG" width="213" /></a></div>
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Zel wanted to move out of the kitchen and began carrying the ice cubes into the living room by balancing them on his spoon. I loved this impromptu motor skills practice. I was very impressed about how few times he dropped the ice.</div>
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I had some colored ice left over, so I brought them out another day to entertain Zel while I exercised. I laid out a blanket in the living room and gave him some kitchen tools, a cup, bowl, baking sheet, and muffin tin.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_KVeGsSSApdlkdO2qthkEUgJ9noSJTsnYyKrWHPAxMVM-IuJF0R-FX2tLo7burVlBN-aswwfHWX02yIFyJ62FRgkztZOPtuMF1S5MEp-byZvwODtSY_-rG694MNwm95vxOANrdace85I/s1600/2012-06-07_10-23-33_288.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_KVeGsSSApdlkdO2qthkEUgJ9noSJTsnYyKrWHPAxMVM-IuJF0R-FX2tLo7burVlBN-aswwfHWX02yIFyJ62FRgkztZOPtuMF1S5MEp-byZvwODtSY_-rG694MNwm95vxOANrdace85I/s400/2012-06-07_10-23-33_288.jpg" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpr0mVBbMe7qihHkZ1k3MWhAMAOCQ924X1iwkzC_5VehWdjudmxIdZm7MO9o2R3w_fblvyXtX-qXtkILQu6_6nV6SGUkdhr0RPrwa8B3V7BVjUi-Z92NOH8-08mJUsCLRyhwTKRXIfS2g/s1600/2012-06-07_10-25-31_954.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpr0mVBbMe7qihHkZ1k3MWhAMAOCQ924X1iwkzC_5VehWdjudmxIdZm7MO9o2R3w_fblvyXtX-qXtkILQu6_6nV6SGUkdhr0RPrwa8B3V7BVjUi-Z92NOH8-08mJUsCLRyhwTKRXIfS2g/s320/2012-06-07_10-25-31_954.jpg" width="178" /></a></div>
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Zel had a lot of fun moving the ice between the various containers. He filled the little cup, then placed one ice cube in each spot of the muffin tin.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ0_c9QhN3bXIJVkh1UIoe80TMDcoSr3_DzLx6lfqTRvqBZg1qV1hVLQVIirstNWyKH8_71ucvS5lzWsBX68uWjXYxzaooNZTV9p2XeswQCLtrXabqoR_ZpZ33EMVjf8vQfGI9MBkc9r8/s1600/2012-07-05_11-40-46_27.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ0_c9QhN3bXIJVkh1UIoe80TMDcoSr3_DzLx6lfqTRvqBZg1qV1hVLQVIirstNWyKH8_71ucvS5lzWsBX68uWjXYxzaooNZTV9p2XeswQCLtrXabqoR_ZpZ33EMVjf8vQfGI9MBkc9r8/s400/2012-07-05_11-40-46_27.jpg" width="400" /></a>While I was on vacation in South Carolina, I helped my mom with some babysitting. It was very hot there, so I thought the ice would be a perfect activity. My mother didn't have food coloring so we used apple juice, cranberry juice, blackberry juice, and coconut milk to make different colors. We set out a bunch of metal bowls, muffin tins, spoons, and tongs. The kids had a blast! They loved trying to use the tongs and of course sucking the juice out of the ice cubes. I gave the older kids some eye droppers and warm water and showed them that they could use it to melt the ice. </div>
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<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimBZ2cDe__Id-0AT5y68G8-VtAyKjdAOraBzn54Jxaacd7rOgTuRF7d5G6coPw2oW15im9e2MlT6y8MLppondHtcCsL6hy6Mr16vDMMJVrt_H-VnVQ9xccfexzyiEq8QYN_xld-eTBknI/s1600/2012-07-05_11-41-19_945.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimBZ2cDe__Id-0AT5y68G8-VtAyKjdAOraBzn54Jxaacd7rOgTuRF7d5G6coPw2oW15im9e2MlT6y8MLppondHtcCsL6hy6Mr16vDMMJVrt_H-VnVQ9xccfexzyiEq8QYN_xld-eTBknI/s320/2012-07-05_11-41-19_945.jpg" width="178" /></a></div>
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Colored Ice is a great way to beat the heat and have fun learning about colors, numbers, and temperature!</div>
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<br />Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01637201435406596942noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3164761783957509708.post-27485036839267153642012-07-28T07:35:00.000-07:002012-07-28T07:35:21.364-07:00L is for Links: 4th Week of July<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Here are my favorite ideas from the past week:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ1IEJIMhH5cPKLA997c462xHaODgq_7OV8P_7rfAVqbZQJUCtsUs-qB38uUl3tcHzAiBl_OuCCQ9MEXsfwm4j5u0vUzKkK76q3mGp1Zh43ncAKrkI8n3x71uSlXj7xwJo5l8yc4Bshdg/s1600/038.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ1IEJIMhH5cPKLA997c462xHaODgq_7OV8P_7rfAVqbZQJUCtsUs-qB38uUl3tcHzAiBl_OuCCQ9MEXsfwm4j5u0vUzKkK76q3mGp1Zh43ncAKrkI8n3x71uSlXj7xwJo5l8yc4Bshdg/s1600/038.JPG" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://makingboysmen.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/3-craft-stick-busy-bags.html" target="_blank">3 Craft Stick Busy Bags</a> from Making Boys Men<br />
A great way to use all those popsicle sticks.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrf3aXeqT1xR5bBnjP1C0QItXN9bMYSfnnT95zTddYiuJ43Jdy0MRZd5fINm7SlW8I7aFIjZfkZhrv1rK3kTkQNA-vs9iAMlDxFXRyIdFY8nimX3eKgi1JpoNJBuTLVmKOR5yf5aWqvZo/s1600/pasttoes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrf3aXeqT1xR5bBnjP1C0QItXN9bMYSfnnT95zTddYiuJ43Jdy0MRZd5fINm7SlW8I7aFIjZfkZhrv1rK3kTkQNA-vs9iAMlDxFXRyIdFY8nimX3eKgi1JpoNJBuTLVmKOR5yf5aWqvZo/s320/pasttoes.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://mysmallpotatoes.com/2012/07/20/weekly-kids-co-op-toddler-pool-party/" target="_blank">Toddler Pool Party with Paint</a> from Small Potatoes</div>
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Toddlers will love getting messy with the paint and moms will love the easy clean up!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZYmxyAtGK2t7mUoUHCDNn4mKRqZVPpBMxASg058nFpYmTrlrzgwOZysKml3gk2Wt6VJ-_d1ywqizRj3TA2bX7Se7gv4U0RIa-f2mzPahFaIjdz-DCSnRX8cJDWjIeocDEVQJXYqqV9k8/s1600/timthumb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="158" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZYmxyAtGK2t7mUoUHCDNn4mKRqZVPpBMxASg058nFpYmTrlrzgwOZysKml3gk2Wt6VJ-_d1ywqizRj3TA2bX7Se7gv4U0RIa-f2mzPahFaIjdz-DCSnRX8cJDWjIeocDEVQJXYqqV9k8/s320/timthumb.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.atkinsondrive.com/toddler-shopping-list/" target="_blank">Toddler Shopping List</a> from Atkinson Drive</div>
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This is such a great activity to keep your toddler entertained at the grocery store. I love that she had her son feel the food items to turn it into a sensory exploration as well. Plus she even has a downloadable shopping list at the end!</div>
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Remember to scroll to the bottom of the blog and link up your new ideas this week!</div>
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<br /></div>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01637201435406596942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3164761783957509708.post-8998784288734523842012-07-24T12:33:00.002-07:002012-07-24T12:33:23.949-07:00How to Survive a Flight Alone with a Toddler<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7pDUXHYVGsVk3QpbyGDy0KIZnIYQyZa-vpLA7mpbMUuqe-d8totNGlW0K9PVvb0sfxW9f-GS9tE_ooLh2iB5P-CN6ZM0IWJz5VUS5iP6dV3TfEv_NsdZ-5OEXlTdPQLjrf1eF_OmSUTs/s1600/2012-06-26_08-31-52_472.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7pDUXHYVGsVk3QpbyGDy0KIZnIYQyZa-vpLA7mpbMUuqe-d8totNGlW0K9PVvb0sfxW9f-GS9tE_ooLh2iB5P-CN6ZM0IWJz5VUS5iP6dV3TfEv_NsdZ-5OEXlTdPQLjrf1eF_OmSUTs/s320/2012-06-26_08-31-52_472.jpg" width="178" /></a>We are finally back from all of our vacations, but not totally back to normal. My husband and I have decided to move back to where we grew up in order to be closer to our family. I really treasure all the time I spent with my family as a child and want Zel to have the same experience. Right now we live on the complete opposite side of the country, so spending time with relatives doesn't happen very often. Our recent trip home really showed me that it will be the right decision. Zel will be surrounded by so many people who love him and who he loves too. I am really excited for this new change. In the mean time, I haven't really had much time for blog posts, but I wanted to publish this airplane travel post now that we are back.<br />
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<b>Take an Overnight Flight. </b>We took the red-eye flight on the way there and Zel slept most of the way. Even though I wasn't really able to sleep, this was so much easier than trying to keep him entertained on the airplane for 5 hours. If it is late, your child is bound to fall asleep sooner or later.<br />
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<b>Choose the Right Bag. </b>I recommend bringing a backpack as a carry-on. Don't bring a small, rolling suitcase because if your flight is full, they will make you check it at the gate. I chose to bring a duffle bag, thinking that it would be easier, but the reality of carrying it got quite annoying. A backpack is much easier to carry, leaving your hands totally free. Even if you use a baby carrier like I did, you can still carry a backpack on the opposite side of your body. You may look a little ridiculous, but who cares!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbVij006GSgZdANnGdVANXR9oTke0EmQ699UfhW9taoITS8MCsWr4YVq8aT5i8k7PKDuBQW-yOY3yxPtnDNQVP3vTRhCFkRM0lVB1MaHaWzkaWmFEeR8yiWAJI4ErCFeQW9lMRJFYJYX0/s1600/2012-07-17_09-29-11_851.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbVij006GSgZdANnGdVANXR9oTke0EmQ699UfhW9taoITS8MCsWr4YVq8aT5i8k7PKDuBQW-yOY3yxPtnDNQVP3vTRhCFkRM0lVB1MaHaWzkaWmFEeR8yiWAJI4ErCFeQW9lMRJFYJYX0/s200/2012-07-17_09-29-11_851.jpg" width="110" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pom-Pom Matching Game</td></tr>
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<b>Activities. </b> Bring several small busy boxes/bags and only bring out one item at a time. This makes the fun last a lot longer. Here are the items that Zel had in our carry-on:<br />
<ul>
<li>Pom-pom color/shape matching</li>
<li>Sesame Street flashcards (from Dollar Tree)</li>
<li>Stickers</li>
<li>Crayons and paper</li>
<li>Bag of little dinosaurs (from Dollar Tree)</li>
<li>Play wallet (I bought a wallet that looked just like Daddy's from Goodwill for $2 and filled it with old gift cards, coupons, receipts, and fake money)</li>
</ul>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj88K2vpM61qc0zV8oX-g5e0BOqC1797boQPD73U0Oan4MdRoTOEPLxlJ-VMlALvfEU2B8wlmdoe-QB32RGZt0-z-WfB55OTCu3owQah1lRaPXrwQGt62zjukp64Br2ncfPba95W4ML_jU/s1600/2012-06-26_09-12-00_942.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj88K2vpM61qc0zV8oX-g5e0BOqC1797boQPD73U0Oan4MdRoTOEPLxlJ-VMlALvfEU2B8wlmdoe-QB32RGZt0-z-WfB55OTCu3owQah1lRaPXrwQGt62zjukp64Br2ncfPba95W4ML_jU/s320/2012-06-26_09-12-00_942.jpg" width="178" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNe9SCqfQ9kxRARhXRhewrGrFnyCEOeZ3X-n6mypabovS347PNYGsJmLm1_fKoOYsI0-koBZW9VxPZZiE6YBxhc3hiV-NQuXTG0qLlF713X0KQE3YWHSFcMYwaso9arJ3g6wYO0pouc6A/s1600/2012-06-26_09-12-22_540.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNe9SCqfQ9kxRARhXRhewrGrFnyCEOeZ3X-n6mypabovS347PNYGsJmLm1_fKoOYsI0-koBZW9VxPZZiE6YBxhc3hiV-NQuXTG0qLlF713X0KQE3YWHSFcMYwaso9arJ3g6wYO0pouc6A/s320/2012-06-26_09-12-22_540.jpg" width="178" /></a><b>Books. </b>Bring some old favorites and new ones that your child hasn't read yet (we picked some up from Value Village for a few dollars). I only packed small board books so that they didn't take up much room.<br />
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<b>DVDs. </b>It's ok to let him watch DVDs. Try the other activities first, but just remember that you aren't a bad parent if your kid watches movies for most of the trip. It is worth the peace and quiet. Just think about it from the perspective of the other passengers (and it gives you a little break too!). We brought our own portable DVD player and packed two DVDs: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/WordWorld-Flying-Ant/dp/B001N3BD22" target="_blank">WordWorld</a> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Ponyo-Noah-Lindsey-Cyrus/dp/B002ZTQVGQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1343157227&sr=1-1&keywords=ponyo" target="_blank">Ponyo</a>. Depeding on your airline or type of airplane you may be able to watch movies for free or for a fee on a small tv on the seat in front of you. We didn't watch any of those, but they also had free music available to listen to. Zel loved using mommy's headphones to listen to some Yo Gabba Gabba and Kermit music (don't worry, I checked the volume first).<br />
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<b>The Stroller. </b>To bring or not to bring, that is the question. I chose not to bring the stroller for a few reasons: I only have one child and one bag to carry on the plane, so I didn't really need the help of the stroller. I used my <a href="http://store.ergobaby.com/Baby_Carriers/Original/BC2EP" target="_blank">ERGObaby</a> carrier while we were checking in and walking through the airport. Zel has never been a huge stroller fan, and feels more comforted when he is in the carrier. Since it was late, I think using the carrier saved me (and everyone else at the airport) from having to hear a lot of screaming. Also, we were visiting my parents who had a stroller for us to use during our trip. However, if I had more than one young child, then the stroller would be the way to go.<br />
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<b>Carseat. </b>I chose not to bring the carseat because my mother had an extra one for us to use at our destination. That way, I had one less thing to carry through the airport or worry about checking it (the first time we flew with Zel they lost our carseat for a few days!). Since Zel is under 2, I did not get him his own seat and chose to have him sit in my lap. While it was cramped, I don't think it was worth spending an extra $600 dollars for him to have his own seat. Also, he would not have been happy sitting in a carseat on the plane the entire way (some airlines require kids under two to sit in a carseat on the plane). I think the way we did it involved the least amount of screaming.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgclkUMJVwh660ERgcOSuP0e5fUhFEEqCUceAo7jqCPiweHHo_1tFMbfkcdpGq_th5fFN9_OZYM00bYefxlUY6Fem58gCiDPiM8TRt7E1GUfrc52jm_cgMvIjTzlF1u7ylsDzVRdbXLKoQ/s1600/2012-06-25_23-17-42_161.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgclkUMJVwh660ERgcOSuP0e5fUhFEEqCUceAo7jqCPiweHHo_1tFMbfkcdpGq_th5fFN9_OZYM00bYefxlUY6Fem58gCiDPiM8TRt7E1GUfrc52jm_cgMvIjTzlF1u7ylsDzVRdbXLKoQ/s320/2012-06-25_23-17-42_161.jpg" width="176" /></a><b>Find the play area at the airport. </b>We left from the SeaTac Airport which has a cute kids' play area and there are lots of other airports that have one. We went at night so Zel was too tired to play but I know this would have been great if he had a little more energy. Simply finding a big window and watching airplanes come and go is great entertainment for toddlers too. Zel must have said the word "airplane" about 500 times!<br />
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<b>Snacks.</b> Bring a few of your favorite snacks plus some special ones for those emergency moments. We packed larabars, a lollipop, trail mix, goldfish, an apple, fruit snacks, and cookies. Snacks were probably one of the most entertaining items for Zel on this trip. He really like picking the chocolate pieces out of the trail mix.<br />
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<b>Bring an empty water bottle. </b>This way you don't have to deal with extra time at security and you have a water bottle that your child knows how to drink out of (and you're not wasting plastic on a disposable one!).<br />
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<b>Phone/ipad Apps. </b>Zel has been loving the <a href="http://memetales.com/" target="_blank">MeMeTales</a> App on my Android phone. He just reads the Fruits, Vegetables, and Body Parts books over and over. If you have an ipad, load it up with kid-friendly apps before your trip.<br />
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<b>Here are some other great posts about traveling with a toddler:</b><br />
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<li><a href="http://beingaconsciousparent.wordpress.com/2011/05/31/traveling-with-infants/" style="background-color: ;" target="_blank">Traveling with Infants</a><span style="background-color: ;"> from Being a Conscious Parent</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: ;"><a href="http://www.dirtandboogers.com/2012/05/20-tips-for-traveling-with-kids.html" target="_blank">20 Tips for Traveling with Kids</a> from Dirt and Boogers</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: ;"><a href="http://jennifischer.blogspot.com/2012/05/planes-trains-automobiles-busy-bags.html" target="_blank">Busy Bags</a> from The Good Long Road</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: ;"><a href="http://www.toddlerapproved.com/2010/03/airplane-traveling-with-toddlers.html" target="_blank">Airplane Traveling with Toddlers</a> from Toddler Approved</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: ;"><a href="http://inspirationlaboratories.com/2012/03/toddler-travel-tips/" target="_blank">Toddler Travel Tips</a> from Inspiration Laboratories</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: ;"><a href="http://pinterest.com/iowafarmerswife/travel-tips-ideas/" target="_blank">Travel Tips Pinterest Board</a> from The Iowa Farmer's Wife</span></li>
</ul>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01637201435406596942noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3164761783957509708.post-88399677475730936812012-07-13T10:18:00.002-07:002012-07-13T10:18:43.689-07:00L is for Links: 2nd Week of July<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Sorry I haven't been posting much these past few weeks. I've been on vacation and making plans for our cross-country move. I got a chance to look at the great ideas linked-up this week during Zel's nap.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHYHdyJr4FmXIgJBm8NaM2QATSZGpvgFRdZj7o-ZsH0gdjnNiNp4sYXHgWvKp_ngX4irTgefqdhCu4KbqOROy2kbvQxPyqCxjVILhy7y-9HsjJwIZXso3Ij8VgDI7M4-7_nvU4MVSG2JE/s1600/Night+and+Day+sensory+bin+(4).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHYHdyJr4FmXIgJBm8NaM2QATSZGpvgFRdZj7o-ZsH0gdjnNiNp4sYXHgWvKp_ngX4irTgefqdhCu4KbqOROy2kbvQxPyqCxjVILhy7y-9HsjJwIZXso3Ij8VgDI7M4-7_nvU4MVSG2JE/s320/Night+and+Day+sensory+bin+(4).jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://trainupachildlearnaswego.blogspot.com/2012/07/sensory-bins-to-teach-night-and-day.html" target="_blank">Night and Day Sensory Bins</a> from Train Up a Child<br />
A great sensory bin idea. Zel would love the stars and smelling the coffee grounds. He's been smelling everything these days.<br />
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Don't forget to link up your new ideas!</div>
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<br /></div>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01637201435406596942noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3164761783957509708.post-81990302061533504282012-07-06T09:38:00.000-07:002012-07-06T09:38:09.641-07:00L is for Links: 1st Week of July<div style="text-align: center;">
We had 225 activities on the Kid's Co-op Link Up this week! Here were my favorites:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvulVcjvKiuOWRWJqiMXJ9fT3aMUyMS2uvo1JP5NtriXhwIspOGx091M5LDieK1_OTHGEXme6p2At6Zh1Ea8wL6H0Pjl2j1xGrMR-eAKV_c-CQpB-ytPTgvs8kt1g28tT1obpm27g2ZtI/s1600/DSCF3659.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvulVcjvKiuOWRWJqiMXJ9fT3aMUyMS2uvo1JP5NtriXhwIspOGx091M5LDieK1_OTHGEXme6p2At6Zh1Ea8wL6H0Pjl2j1xGrMR-eAKV_c-CQpB-ytPTgvs8kt1g28tT1obpm27g2ZtI/s320/DSCF3659.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://mummymusingsandmayhem.blogspot.com.au/2012/06/easy-fine-motor-fun-for-younger.html" target="_blank">Spice Jar Fine Motor Activity</a> from Mummy Musings and Mayhem</div>
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Plus lots of other great fine motor activities for toddlers.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi-ntgL_jhRv1NmHyj9wN06R-JLigZ0P8Kkl1WMxGz8yao45fZVIouuc-XZ3CAjb5BCm0CyupOWMOINKbpwPsMZipZ0o3nf73iCCW8EoH2R4be-c4LMfVNXNccpHgsqyvw_Yf_lSSrIi4/s1600/Shapes.12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi-ntgL_jhRv1NmHyj9wN06R-JLigZ0P8Kkl1WMxGz8yao45fZVIouuc-XZ3CAjb5BCm0CyupOWMOINKbpwPsMZipZ0o3nf73iCCW8EoH2R4be-c4LMfVNXNccpHgsqyvw_Yf_lSSrIi4/s320/Shapes.12.jpg" width="114" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://stayathomeeducator.com/six-shape-activities-that-involve-movement/" target="_blank">Six Shape Activities That Involve Movement</a> from Stay At Home Educator</div>
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Lots of great ideas to learn shapes and get your kids moving!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL3qBOll3-0JW5XrXcHwz83hmI5NPr034CUdac5qy2OiS9gsQEd_fMcwmPrb0_u6dtNYSHsWcaONRMQHwJdnnFvVvGzVrPiYrFBja8aMlPe8dIA-VSngGqncT5RO2sAzrJu-vBd62YGQU/s1600/IMG_8547.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL3qBOll3-0JW5XrXcHwz83hmI5NPr034CUdac5qy2OiS9gsQEd_fMcwmPrb0_u6dtNYSHsWcaONRMQHwJdnnFvVvGzVrPiYrFBja8aMlPe8dIA-VSngGqncT5RO2sAzrJu-vBd62YGQU/s320/IMG_8547.jpg" width="252" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.playdoughtoplato.com/2012/06/24/a-homemade-friendship-book/" target="_blank">A Homemade Friendship Book</a> from Playdough to Plato</div>
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A sweet, homemade book from sticky labels and a photo album. You could use this ideas for lots of different types of books.</div>
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Thanks for linking up. Check out all the new ideas next week and add your own!</div>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01637201435406596942noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3164761783957509708.post-29468668850489733302012-06-29T09:35:00.003-07:002012-06-29T09:35:37.166-07:00L is for Links: Last Week of June<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: ;">Here are my favorites from last week:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8n4QB_NkEJTalKmcJahoU5tSZsN9b7M1h2gATfQBrb7zMJoAJJsdT0s9m8V7QWdWpLrADNUYArdKRXx8CAmJrUFqqng9Jkr-oYx1Fq6vEjgT61pgak3ueAUGoHendcB8kAfXLDs77juA/s1600/IMG_0190b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8n4QB_NkEJTalKmcJahoU5tSZsN9b7M1h2gATfQBrb7zMJoAJJsdT0s9m8V7QWdWpLrADNUYArdKRXx8CAmJrUFqqng9Jkr-oYx1Fq6vEjgT61pgak3ueAUGoHendcB8kAfXLDs77juA/s320/IMG_0190b.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.notwiddletwaddle.com/2012/06/readathon-week-1-find-baby-ducklings.html" target="_blank">Find The Ducks</a> from No Twiddle Twaddle</div>
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A great activity to go along with the classic story of the Five Little Ducks.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Tl7mtsNOVcsjlgoW5IIOOdjAK-JtWnZxAJMdzfoy2VxaLwW-blyWkFOazTdnuFzGGfvO7OzSv5-PTpeYFl3sHwCsz9POlzxl0bn3I61pLu52NA58F3FKrQrrUllJuJOASrE8RpybHpc/s1600/IMG_0445.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Tl7mtsNOVcsjlgoW5IIOOdjAK-JtWnZxAJMdzfoy2VxaLwW-blyWkFOazTdnuFzGGfvO7OzSv5-PTpeYFl3sHwCsz9POlzxl0bn3I61pLu52NA58F3FKrQrrUllJuJOASrE8RpybHpc/s320/IMG_0445.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://thechildrensartgroup.blogspot.com/2012/06/meetup-19-painting-with-colored-ice.html" target="_blank">Group Painting with Colored Ice</a> from The Children's Art Group</div>
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A fun activity to beat the heat this summer!</div>
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Thanks for all the great ideas and remember to link up all your new ideas this week.</div>
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<br /></div>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01637201435406596942noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3164761783957509708.post-47072501586243876542012-06-22T13:09:00.001-07:002012-06-22T13:52:09.898-07:00L is for Links: 3rd Week of June<div style="text-align: center;">
Here are my favorites from last week's link-up:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrkMUbDJofFlhBaOlYIYrL9FId654ggSQEUvGEWd2EYHnZQh3y39wVMvDTx8ZpBQXRXPrDyh8xyO-KvpYBxqVI0xgOkwttVKZ72h9wEnmfYytTlC0dsK4_AIn5G0JvYSyysYhRbST6m-o/s1600/003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrkMUbDJofFlhBaOlYIYrL9FId654ggSQEUvGEWd2EYHnZQh3y39wVMvDTx8ZpBQXRXPrDyh8xyO-KvpYBxqVI0xgOkwttVKZ72h9wEnmfYytTlC0dsK4_AIn5G0JvYSyysYhRbST6m-o/s1600/003.JPG" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://playthroughtheday.blogspot.com/2012/06/no-mess-finger-painting-in-pinch.html" target="_blank">Mess Free Painting/Sensory Activity</a> from Play Through the Day</div>
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Great for when you don't have time to deal with a painting mess.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZQUsC_rj0E6J802EuzHCwSIKQytHS-_BoSR9z5hA230XG43vkR9ABrmgFmUG-kRIf_sjUYbNcn_2QCWRSrCzu9aJOnp2H0HbjoRjbobO7es0AibhYYfW95i4js_0J6RSL1877VWGYp1g/s1600/cool+whip+9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZQUsC_rj0E6J802EuzHCwSIKQytHS-_BoSR9z5hA230XG43vkR9ABrmgFmUG-kRIf_sjUYbNcn_2QCWRSrCzu9aJOnp2H0HbjoRjbobO7es0AibhYYfW95i4js_0J6RSL1877VWGYp1g/s1600/cool+whip+9.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://createplayteach.blogspot.com/2012/06/painting-with-cool-whip.html" target="_blank">Cool Whip Painting</a> from Create, Play, Teach</div>
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Fun sensory project especially for smaller ones who still try to eat the paint!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMC8AoDmKTISJ5_zFpW8Mf6kQNe6bCuRrAFfBXE8RApV2-Bji3LGZXKIhlxSeFtzFYSslHR5QqfitpMwvC55URwx5BiwyDH3S544nnvwYgQvCMKCBi1xuKVhe7S1E8xotSwufwJAs-lAs/s1600/IMG_9601.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMC8AoDmKTISJ5_zFpW8Mf6kQNe6bCuRrAFfBXE8RApV2-Bji3LGZXKIhlxSeFtzFYSslHR5QqfitpMwvC55URwx5BiwyDH3S544nnvwYgQvCMKCBi1xuKVhe7S1E8xotSwufwJAs-lAs/s320/IMG_9601.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.playcreateexplore.com/2012/06/how-to-capture-and-preserve-spider-web.html" target="_blank">How to Capture and Preserve a Spiderweb</a> on Paper from Play, Create, Explore</div>
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This is so cool!</div>
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Thanks to everyone who linked up! Don't for to link up your new ideas all this week :)</div>Amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01637201435406596942noreply@blogger.com1