Hands On As We Grow®

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• Enjoy Simple Winter Fun Inside with Easy DIY Homemade Snow
• Simple Grandma Activities with the Most Basic Supplies that She has on Hand
• 28 MORE Winter Crafts for Kids That Are Adorably Cute
• Little Hands that DO… Memories in the Making

Enjoy Simple Winter Fun Inside with Easy DIY Homemade Snow Posted: 30 Dec 2021 06:00 PM PST Click here to read Enjoy Simple Winter Fun Inside with Easy DIY Homemade Snow on Hands On As We Grow® Play in the snow, even if there’s none on the ground, with DIY homemade snow from our Member of the Month, Ashley! Your preschooler will love this fun winter activity. What mom hasn’t endlessly scrolled through Pinterest looking for hands-on activities? Our Member of the Month, Ashley, certainly spent her fair share of time seeking out easy ideas to do with her kids. “Before The Activity Room, I didn’t really do activities with my son,” explains Ashley. “We would play in other ways.” There was a huge fear of failure for Ashley. She was worried that her son wouldn’t enjoy the activities she’d planned or that they just wouldn’t work. “I felt just overwhelmed with all the ideas on Pinterest,” she says. “It felt like there was just too much set up and time involved in that. I didn’t want to go through it just to have my son walk away, like ‘This isn’t fun.'” Then she found The Activity Room®! Now, she’s able to be effortlessly hands-on with her two little ones, ages three years and 11 months. In the time that Ashley and her kids have been in The Activity Room®, they’ve enjoyed exploring and learning together. That’s what this great parent community is all about! “The Activity Room® is for any parents with young children,” Ashley says. “It allows us to create memories and have fun!” One of Ashley’s favorite parts of The Activity Room® is that learning is literally built-in to each activity. No worksheets or drills, just fun ways to explore our busy world. “They learn through play,” she explains. “I love to see the world through their eyes.” Let’s Meet Ashley! How many kids do you have and how old are they? I have two kids ages 3 and 11 months How long have you been in The Activity Room®? About 6 months What is your favorite activity you’ve done in The Activity Room®? Our absolute favorite was making homemade snow and play dough and the flashlight game. What’s your favorite thing to do with your kids when you get a few moments? Playing with them! I love to see the world through their eyes. What’s your best tip for doing activities with your kids? Print out the calendar and choose at least three activities and the time of day you will do them. If you were to tell a friend about The Activity Room®, what would you say to them? The Activity Room® is the best way to connect and play with my children. Hands down the best purchase I have made. Before The Activity Room®, I would spend a lot of time on Pinterest finding activities to do and end up not doing them because it took too long to set up. I didn’t enjoy playing with my son because all we did is play with trucks. Now with The Activity Room®, I enjoy playing with my kids! We have variety in what we can do! The Activities are child-led and it allows them to play and learn! Share your favorite quote “Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn." – Benjamin Franklin Enjoy Simple Winter Fun Inside with Easy DIY Homemade Snow We love to play in the snow, but there’s not always snow on the ground where we live. So I decided to bring that winter fun inside with an easy homemade snow recipe! To make your own homemade snow, you’ll need: baking soda water leak-proof container First, freeze your baking soda. We stuck a box into the freezer the night before. If you’re more spontaneous, you could just keep a box of baking soda in your freezer for when the mood strikes. Next, add a whole bunch of frozen baking soda into your leak-proof container. Slowly add very cold water to your baking soda and mix to combine. You could add more or less water based on personal preference. We found that a 1:1 ratio was ideal, so you might want to measure your ingredients. Then, you’re ready to play! After our snow was made, I gave my son a few toy trucks and diggers. He loved zooming them around in the slushy snow! We also grabbed some smaller sand shovels and big spoons to scoop up the snow. My son loved making big snow piles and then squishing them flat! You could also try adding a tad bit of vinegar. Watch the reaction between the vinegar and the baking soda make your snow fizz up! Or you could spice things up and add an extra sensory factor with scented snow! Add in peppermint extract for winter holiday fun. How do you make winter fun possible even when it’s not cold or snowy? We’d love to try some of your ideas!

Simple Grandma Activities with the Most Basic Supplies that She has on Hand Posted: 30 Dec 2021 06:00 AM PST Click here to read Simple Grandma Activities with the Most Basic Supplies that She has on Hand on Hands On As We Grow® Doing Grandma activities is so much fun when you’re visiting Grandma’s house! Grandmas are the best! But Grandma often doesn’t have the supplies on hand to do them. Darn. Usually we use very common supplies that are normally in most parents’ houses. But construction paper, pom poms and glitter might not be that common at Grandma’s house if little kids aren’t there very often. I’m going to call these Grandma activities. They’re simple activities to do at Grandma’s house. For these activities to do at Grandma’s, I’ve gone to the extreme and chosen the most basic supplies that should be at Grandma’s house. I hope so! Because these are so much fun! I think Grandma will truly enjoy these bonding moments with the grandkids, because Grandma truly is the best. Note: If you’re the Grandma, print this out for the holidays. If you’re Mom or Dad, print it out and pack it along for some fun with Grandma (or email it to her right now)! Water Play “Grandma Activity” Set out a tub of water along with some measuring cups and spoons and another empty tub. Transfer water back and forth. Add food coloring for a color mixing lesson! Tip for Grandma: Take this outside, or set it up on a tablecloth or shower curtain. Get a free week of activities to do this week! “Grandma Activity” with Old Game Pieces Dig out the old games and play with the pieces. Dominoes? Match up number of dots or colors to make a ‘road’. Scrabble? Sort letters and count ’em! Tip for Grandma: Make putting them back a part of the activity too! Can they match them as they’re putting it away? Painter’s Tape to the Rescue at Grandma’s House! If you have painter’s tape on hand, you’re golden. Peel tape off a surface. Tape jumping. Walk the line. Tip for Grandma: Test to see how the tape sticks and peels off the surface before taping everything in sight! What can the Couch Cushions Become? Let them take the cushions and pillows and enjoy a little rowdiness. Cushions and blankets can become a fort! Or line them all up to try to walk along. Or spread them apart and jump from ‘island to island’ without falling in the lava. Tip for Grandma: Be ready for a little bit of rowdiness! Follow this up with a quiet activity, reading time or rest time. Grandma’s Pantry Supplied Sensory Trays Make sensory trays. You have the stuff! Check your pantry for flour, oatmeal, dry pasta or corn meal. Spread it on a tray with some measuring cups and spoons and just watch. Tip for Grandma: This Grandma activity staple can sure get messy, so take this outside, or set it up on a tablecloth or shower curtain. The Perfect Grandma Activity: Play with a Cardboard Box Save any big boxes from the holidays to go dumpster diving! Or any boxes for that matter, the creations they can make are endless! Tip for Grandma: Provide the kids with decorations to help make their creations come to life. (Think pieces of paper, glue, scissors, markers, paint, or anything you may have.) Stack Canned Food! This is a favorite of mine. They’re blocks you always have on hand. Raid your pantry for all the cans of food you have! Kids can stack them up in towers just like they do blocks at home. One of my favorite Grandma activities for sure! Tip for Grandma: Do this on the floor. Those cans of food are heavy and if they fall from a table, they’d hurt little toes. Keep it close to the ground. Make a Color Collage at Grandma’s I know cardstock and construction paper might be something that Grandma doesn’t have. So make a twist on this color collage activity. Dig out Grandma’s magazines and make collages of colored items they find! Cut them out and glue them on any paper you have. Tip for Grandma: Make sure you’ve read the magazines first, because you might not get these back! Do I dare ask? Which of these Grandma Activities will you do when you visit next? Just remember, Grandma is the best. Get a free week of activities to do this week!

28 MORE Winter Crafts for Kids That Are Adorably Cute Posted: 29 Dec 2021 06:00 PM PST Click here to read 28 MORE Winter Crafts for Kids That Are Adorably Cute on Hands On As We Grow® These are some cute winter crafts for kids that are all about Brrrrrr!  I have been on a kick of finding winter crafts for kids to make when its cold! Alright, as I’m writing this, I really, actually want winter to just be over. I’ve had it with the subzero temps and snow falling, blizzards, late school starts, and cancellations. We need to get back to normal and be able to go outside and play! While I may be tired of winter, I am absolutely not tired of seeing these adorable winter crafts for kids everywhere! Crafts somehow makes all the above not so bad after all. Outdoor Winter Crafts for Kids: Crafts can be brought outdoors to enjoy! Things that freeze are generally fun to hang outside because other times of the year it just isn’t doable! Plus feeding the birds can be fun to watch. Winter Animal Crafts: You cannot have winter crafts for kids to make without making the animals of ‘winter’. Penguins and polar bears may be on opposite ends of the earth, but you can create them side by side! Don’t forget those beautiful snowy owls and arctic foxes, too! Winter Tree Crafts: Trees without leaves are a staple of winter. They’re beautiful with the snow fallen on them or icicles hanging from them. You can create some gorgeous winter tree crafts to enjoy indoors as well. Snowflakes, Snow Globes, Snowmen & Igloo Crafts: Celebrate all things snow with fun crafts and projects! These crafts spring to chilly life in 2D and 3D. Did I miss any winter crafts for kids to make? What about pine cone crafts? Would you consider that a winter craft?

Little Hands that DO… Memories in the Making Posted: 29 Dec 2021 06:00 AM PST Click here to read Little Hands that DO… Memories in the Making on Hands On As We Grow® When was the last time you did something special with your kids? Every family has their own special things, things they enjoy doing together. I love having fun with my family, and for us, that comes in the form of preschool activities. Maybe it’ll be the same for your family or maybe it’ll be something different…art, music, dance. I don’t know, but you have to find the rhythm of your family, their heartbeat, and when you do, making memories with your child will just feel right…click! There are so many benefits of doing crafts and activities with your preschooler or toddler. It’s so important that you’re spending time with family. Your kids need to feel valued, loved, and know you care about their interests.  Maybe you’re thinking, "I don’t have time for all that planning and preparing. I’m a busy mom." I hear you! I felt the same way…at first. But then I stopped to re-evaluate my day, and I realized I could easily spend 15 minutes enjoying something fun to read or researching a topic I enjoy. I felt like 15 minutes of "me time" wasn’t bad.  Know what? I was fooling myself into thinking I had no time for art activities for preschoolers, toddlers, or babies. I had to learn, just like you, to overcome the hands-on hurdles that faced me and other moms…more about that here. Most of our activities take only 15 minutes or less! Activities don’t have to be long and drawn out. Kids don’t have patience for that anyway. They want something quick and fun. If it doesn’t work, who cares? It’s all about being active together, enjoying the journey, not the end result. One of my favorite activities I did with all three of my kids, baby included, was finger painting with baby food. I love using fine motor activities for preschoolers, and finger painting gave us that; plus, it was safe and non-toxic if anybody tasted it.  It gave us some fun sensory activities at home in a relaxed way that allowed my boys to create—and, boy, did they create! They drove their little trucks through the baby food making tracks across butcher paper I taped down everywhere.  Was it messy? Absolutely!  Was it memorable? ABSOLUTELY!  And just so you know, it didn’t take time to clean up. We rolled up the paper, tossed it in the trash, and I threw the pans in the dishwasher. Done! Making memories with family activities doesn’t have to be complicated or time consuming. Here are some ways for creating memories with family in the new year without a lot of stress and fuss.  Plan the Play Whatever you have to do in the day, plan for it. Plan the play, activity, or craft into your preschool schedule at home, make it a part of what you NEED to do, just like you would plan for a doctor appointment, work meeting, or taking your child to school. You have to be purposeful in the activity for it to happen; otherwise, everything else will get in the way.  Remember, you only need 15 minutes, and I would suggest planning that 15 minutes into a time when you’re child is engaged and not tired, hungry, or cranky. You know his schedule best.  Next, know your child’s skill level. You want to choose developmentally appropriate activities for toddlers, preschoolers, etc. What can your child handle at this age? Just because a project is for a 2-year-old doesn’t mean every 2-year-old can do it. I remember finding activities for Henry that were WAY too complex for his age.  That’s another thing I’ve done to help you, my activities are age appropriate, tested, and well-crafted to make your planning easy and successful. Check out my full line of activity plans by age here. Be Active Together Remember, the whole point of doing an activity together is your being active with your child. You and him TOGETHER! Sometimes that means planning in the moment. If something isn’t working like you thought, ditch it, tweak it, change it up until both you and he are smiling. It’s all about the smiles and making memories. Who cares if the craft doesn’t look like the Pinterest board! Life doesn’t look like a Pinterest board, right? What matters most is your being active together as you make memories with your little ones. Get Started with a Free Download of a Week of Activities Embrace the Mess At the end of each activity, don’t dwell on the chaos but embrace the mess. Remember, you’re living in the moment of making each memory. Kids could care less if they have glue and tape all over the table and every marker open. They’re excited that they got to use glue, tape, and markers.   Involve your kids in the clean up process. Here are some simple tasks your kids could help with. Collect all scissors and place them in their bin, cup, etc. Put all lids on markers. Collect all glue sticks (with lids on) and place them in their bin, cup, etc. Put away crayons. Collect unused craft pieces (paper, pom-poms, stickers) to put away. You’ll come up with your own way of cleaning up a craft or activity, I’m sure, but whatever you do, don’t fret over the mess. Find what works for you. It will all get cleaned up eventually. Remember what really matters…memories, memories in the making. Maybe your New Year’s resolution will be creating memories together!

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