 I recently received a package from Lush, an all natural beauty store, and as soon as I took one glance at those packaging peanuts I knew I would finally be able to do an activity I have been hoping to do for sometime now. I a few months back, I came across a "melting snowman" activity on pinterest and thought it would be fun to do. But getting my hands on biodegradable peanuts is harder than I anticipated. They were either sold out or too expensive, but now I have my chance! I tested them in the water first and like I expected, they melted. Made from plant-based ingredients, such as wheat or cornstarch, biodegradable peanuts simply dissolve when they come into contact with water and make for a fun reaction activity. I gathered some markers, the peanuts and a container to hold the water and call the kiddo over and get started. He made one snowman and was on to more complicated builds using some toothpicks. He then grabbed some tape and covered a peanut and popped it in, after seeing that it did not melt as quickly, he decided to build a waterproof contraption. He played for over an hour with packing peanuts!! I highly suggest trying it! You do not have to purchase from Lush, you can simply order them on-line.
Pointers for speedier reactions
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 Join us for a fun-filled day of STEM/STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) activities to raise funds for Unity Works, a non-profit that brings happiness and joy to children and senior citizens through there Birthday and Celebrations programs.
Surprise give-away for the first 5 children tickets sold!!!!!!! Attendees will enjoy science experiments, Lego challenges, art projects and more all while helping those in need. Tickets are $10 per child. Adults are free. Visit our Facebook Page for tickets.  Today is the last day of National Coin Week, but this fun printable can be used year round to develop coin recognition. Learning about money helps set the foundation for learning other mathematical concepts like fractions. This simple spring themed printable is a great way to learn about coins and their value. Simply place a bunch of coins on the table with the paper and let the fun begin. If they are just learning, go ahead and do a sample run and let your kiddo know the value of each coin. Then remove the coin and walk them through placing the coins on the picture.
Download now and enjoy!  Looking for a way to extend the snow play? No worries! This activity requires only five items for loads of good smelling snow time fun. Supplies: Bowl Spoon or spatula Box of Baking Soda Hair Conditioner – any kind should work but must be white *Pan or bin Instructions
*I tried to mix and stir in the bin and it caused a bit of a mess because my little scientist wanted to help. Using the bowl is a lot easier to stir together the ingredients than the pan.
**If you have more than one child, I would do a box per child. My kiddo utilized pretty much all of our batch and wanted more.  I created this fun holiday printable to combine the holidays with counting and fine motor skills. Perfect for younger children, the goal is to count each holiday themed item on the card and use the clothing clips to mark the number that corresponds with the picture. I recommend printing out the cards on card stock. The cards are half the paper making it big enough for little hands to hold and the images large enough for them to count. Download the document now and enjoy!
During the holiday season, lots of people wish for a "White Christmas" but what do you do when the children have gotten too cold or the "white" is ice instead of snow? I recently discovered Code Hopper and it is great for getting little bodies moving indoors while introducing them to coding. You can find it on Amazon for about $25 dollars. But I caught mine on sale a month or so ago. Preschoolers and Kindergartners (I haven't tried it with older children yet) learn sequencing based on the mats that they lay on the floor and then completing the tasks it asks them to do. I recommend having try it out on their own without set instructions first so that they can get a feel for it. My kiddo was very excited to try it out and is very independent and wanted to do it himself a few times before hearing other ways to play. It comes with a parent guide that you can use to help your child with coding while keeping them active. The foam mats are soft and bright and link together to create a flowchart of movement. The mats are double sided so there are multiple ways to play. That said, I was happy that I grabbed two sets as it made the fun last a lot longer. If your little is really into coding (and moving :) I suggest getting two as well.
Happy Coding!  I am so excited to provide these holiday printables for your little one to explore with playdoh! Decorate a gingerbread man or house. Give Frosty a makeover or personalize a stocking! I picked up a fresh set of playdoh, since some of our colors have been.....well loved :), from Target for $4.99. Simply print the pictures out and place in pocket protectors. You can also print on card stock or laminate them. Read the instructions and have fun creating! Super simple and festive! Download them now and enjoy!  We LOVE love magnetic tiles in our house. There are so many fun things to do with them and with my sons very active imagination, there is always something new to build and game to play with them. He is also super into Christmas this year, which I suppose most 5 year-olds are, and was so excited when I presented the opportunity to add a festive spin to our playing. What you will need: Magnetic Tiles - Any will do, I prefer Picasso tiles. Mag Chips - I got mine from Discount School Supply. Jingle Bells - They are pretty much everywhere this time of year:). Ours are actually ornaments.  We started with a flat green tree. He made use of the jingle bells first, I was not surprised. He settled on having them on the edges.  Now we add our ornaments (magnetic chips), for a bit of color. 'Tis the season.  Next we created a Christmas tree forest. Basically just using the red and green triangles to make 3D trees. We then decorated them with our chips and bells. This, of course, became a game with my son playing a sort of plinko, sliding the chips and see where they would land on the tree. This was his favorite iteration of this our trees. Of course.  Our last tree was this festive red and green tree composed of triangles and one square. He really liked how many "ornaments" he could get on this tree.
So there you are! Three fun ways to have some holiday fun with magnetic tiles. I am sure once you get started playing you our your little one will come up with more. Enjoy! This week is National Cookie Cutter Week! Of course you can use cookie cutters to, you know, cut cookies. Or you can have a bit of open ended fun with them. May I offer two suggestions? 1. Cookie Cutters & Kinetic Sand This is exactly as it sounds, simply incorporating cookie cutters into some kinetic sand play time. We really love this stuff. It is not as sticky as playdoh and is very soft. You can roll it into a ball and then let the sand flow through your fingers. I used these plastic cookie cutters that I picked up from Target, but you can use any that you have already on hand. I do like to the plastic one especially for younger children. Simply lay out the supplies and watch them go! My little guy managed to make a whole gingerbread family, but I did not grab the photo because I was too busy playing with him! Hello #memories! 2. Cookie Cutter Painting I know, I know painting can be super messy but my kiddo LOVES paint. The good part about this project is that you need only add small amounts of paint at a time. I actually used the base of the box that the cookie cutters came in to hold the paint, one less thing to wash ;) Supplies: Washable Paint Something to hold paint Small paint brush or something to smooth paint Cookie Cutter Construction paper 1. Put small of paint onto paint holder 2. Level/smooth paint with paint brush 3. Gently (or as gently as a small one can) place the cookie cutter on the paper 4. Press cookie cutter on construction paper 5. Continue until satisfied. There is no right or wrong way to do this art project, which is why I love process art so much. They can just explore the supplies and let their imaginations roam. I hope that you and your little one enjoy these simple and easy cookie cutter activities. Feel free to share your results in the comments.
 One of the best things about the sun setting earlier is having some night time fun, without sacrificing bedtime routines. We are still a slime loving household, so when I found some glow in the dark glue at Target, I knew we had to make a batch. Simple and easy and only uses three ingredients: glue, baking soda and contact lens solution. Steps to make super simple Glow in the Dark Glue. 1. Gather your materials. 2. Empty (or have your cute assistant do it) a bottle of glow in the dark glue into a bowl. I got mine from Target. 3. Mix in 1/2 Tablespoon of baking soda and stir until completely mixed. 4. Add 1 Tablespoon of contact lens solution and stir until a ball starts to form. 5. Use your hands (or again your cute assistant) to knead and finishing mixing it all together. If it is a bit sticky add just a touch more of contact lens solution. 6. This step is pretty important to get an awe inducing glow. Activate your slime with a flashlight. Yes, it will absolutely glow without this step. But the slime glows super bright if you hit it with a flashlight for about two minutes. 7. Enjoy!   Feel free to post your comments and pictures!
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