Toddler Activities: 29 Months Old

One of the challenges of being a stay at home mom is finding activities for your little one to keep them  entertained throughout the day. These are a few of our current favorite activities:

DIY Cloud Dough: Aside from being a wonderful sensory activity for young kids, cloud dough is inexpensive and easy to make! Just mix baby oil and flour in a 1:8 ratio - we used 1/2 cup baby oil and 4 cups flour - and you have cloud dough! It looks like flour, but it holds its shape when pressed. We started mixing it with a spoon, but ended up using our hands to mix it thoroughly. 

You’re going to get your hands in it eventually anyway! It kept Emma occupied for quite a while, and she’s asked to play it again multiple times. We used measuring cups and spoons the first time, and have also played using cookie cutter and cars to drive around in the cloud dough. 

This worked alright as an indoor activity, but we did get pretty dusty and ended up needing to change clothes. It swept up and washed out of clothes pretty easily. It would be great to make this stuff in the summer and just go wild outside in the yard. 

 

Snow in the Bathtub: We love playing in the snow! But lately, it's been freezing outside. I'm talking high of -5 degrees freezing with a windchill down to -45 degrees. Not only that but even on days without subzero temps, sometimes it takes longer to get the little ones bundled up to go outdoors than we actually spend playing outside! 

 

One great way to get the outside experience without the headache is to bring the snow to you! On one of our arctic days, I decided to shovel some snow into two of my big stockpots and put the kids in their mittens to let them play with snow in the bathtub. 

I gave them each a measuring cup and a big spoon for digging in the snow and let them enjoy our indoor winter wonderland. When the kids were finished playing, I pulled them out of the tub, dumped out the snow, and turned on a warm shower. They were enthralled watching the melting snow and flow down the drain. 

The idea of playing with snow inside is certainly not new. I even have a picture of my sister and me as kids, frequently sick and stuck inside in the winter, playing with snow in our bathtub.

And, of course...

Read: Reading is one of the best activities you can do with your child at any age!

A few of Emma and Bryson's current favorites are:

• Snowball Fight! by Jimmy Fallon (yes, that Jimmy Fallon.)
• Mouse's First Snow by Lauren Thompson
• Snow Day! by Patricia Lakin

We did an activity with one of our books, Snowball Fight! It's been too cold lately to play outside, so we had an indoor snowball fight! We filled three buckets (one for Mommy, one for Daddy, and one for Emma) with cotton balls. We left Daddy's bucket at the bottom of the stairs and ambushed him with a snowball fight when he got home from work. I think this would also be fantastic to do with marshmallows! Unfortunately, we didn't have any on hand. Make sure you follow it up by drinking some hot chocolate!

My 3 good things for today are:

1. Warm socks!
2. Hot cocoa!
3. A blazing fire in the fireplace!

 

Toddler Activities: 27 Months Old

One of the challenges of being a stay at home mom is finding activities for your little one to keep them  entertained throughout the day. These are a few of our current favorite activities:

Homemade Object Matching: This really could not be easier! Just grab a few uniquely shaped objects (I found that cookie cutters work very well!) and trace them onto a piece of paper with a marker. To make it a "permanent" activity, you can cover the sheet of paper with laminate paper. If you had a few everyday objects or toys that you don't mind being out of commission for a while, this would also make a great quiet bag activity!

Bird Feeder Craft: All you need to make these simple bird feeders is a toilet paper roll, some string, 2 small sticks, peanut butter, and nuts, seeds, or Cheerios. (We made ours with Cheerios because Bryson was having a fussy day and I didn’t want to turn my back for a moment and then find Emma eating bird seed. Besides, who doesn’t like Cheerios?!) To begin, cut a piece of string, poke a couple of holes near one end of the toilet paper roll, and tie the ends of the strings through them. Poke 4 holes at the bottom of the toilet paper roll and insert your sticks through them to make a couple spots for birds to perch. Smear peanut butter on the empty toilet paper tube. Roll it in bird seed. Then hang your toilet paper roll bird feeder in a tree and watch how much the birds enjoy it!

And, of course...

Read: Reading is one of the best activities you can do with your child at any age!

A few of Emma and Bryson's current favorites are:

• Fletcher and the Falling Leaves by Julia Rawlinson
• Silly Sally by Audrey Wood
• How Do Dinosaurs Eat Cookies? by Jane Yolen

We did an activity with one of our books, How Do Dinosaurs Eat Cookies? It is a scratch-and-sniff book with two great cookie recipes at the end. We baked Cinnama-Saurus Rex cookies and they were delicious!

My 3 good things for today are:

1. We have a beautiful dusting of snow on the ground.
2. Bryson has two new teeth and is almost crawling!
3. I discovered a great teething biscuit recipe. Bryson loves it!

Banana Oat Teething Biscuits:
1 very ripe banana
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp water
2 cups oat or mixed grain baby cereal

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, mash the banana well with the oil and water. Add in baby cereal and mix or use your hands to combine until you have a soft, smooth dough. You may need to add more water depending on the moisture of your banana.  Roll the dough out to about a 1/4-inch thickness and cut into smooth shapes. Transfer to an ungreased baking sheet (I baked mine on parchment paper) and bake for 15-20 minutes until pale golden.

A Family Date: Cooking Together

Okay, so you may not consider this a date, but cooking together is a great activity to do as a family. Cooking time is bonding time and really does bring families together! It's also a great way to teach early math, reading, and chemistry to youngsters. Not only do kids who cook tend to eat more fruits and vegetables, but cooking gives kids a basic and important life skill. We let Emma crack eggs (with supervision) and she is great at mixing and helping measure ingredients!

We love apple picking each year, and this year was no exception! We ended up with bags of apples, and after making applesauce, apple pie, and apple crisp, I was looking for a few new recipes to try.

The two recipes below were delicious and fairly simple to make.

Applesauce Cake with Caramel Glaze

Ingredients

2 cups flour
1-1.2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper, finely ground
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground allspice
2 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1-1/2 cups unsweetened applesauce (I used homemade)
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla

Caramel Glaze
4 Tbsp butter, cut into chunks
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup icing sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Butter and flour a 12-cup Bundt pan. Sift together flour, baking soda, salt, pepper and spices. Set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs with both sugars until light. Mix in applesauce, oil and vanilla until smooth.
3. Fold in dry ingredients, do not over-mix. Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake about 45 minutes. 
4. Cook cake for 10 minutes and turn out on to plate to let cool completely.
5. For glaze, put butter, brown sugar, cream and salt in a saucepan. Bring to full rolling boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil for 1 minute and then remove from heat. Let cool for 2 minutes.
6. Gradually whisk in the icing sugar until you have a thick, pourable consistency. Pour over cake, and let set before serving cake – if you have the willpower!

 

Iced Oatmeal Banana Applesauce Cookies

Ingredients
2 ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup unsweetened applesauce (I used homemade)
1 1/2  cups old-fashioned oats
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ginger

1/4 tsp allspice

1/2 cup raisins

Glaze

1 3/4 cup powdered sugar
4-5 tablespoons pure maple syrup
3 tablespoons milk

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine mashed bananas and sugars. Mix on low speed until combined.  Add applesauce, and mix until well blended, 2-3 minutes. Mix in oats, flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices.  Mix in raisins. 
2. Using a 1 1/2-inch ice cream scoop, drop dough onto prepared baking sheets, 2 inches apart.  I lined my baking sheets with parchment paper. Place baking sheet in freezer for 5 minutes. 
3. Bake cookies until golden and set, 13-15 minutes. Let cool on sheets 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack, and let cool completely.
4. Whisk powdered sugar, syrup, and three tablespoons milk until smooth. Drizzle over cookies, let set.

 

My 3 good things for today are:

1. Apples!
2. Apple cookies!
3. Apple cake!

What is your favorite apple recipe?

Toddler Activities: 22 Months Old

One of the challenges of being a stay at home mom is finding activities for your little one to keep them entertained throughout the day. These are a few of our current favorite activities:

Shapes Jump: This is similar to the Letter Jump we've done indoors in the past. But now that it's officially summer, we get to play outside! I drew a circle, square, triangle, heart, hexagon, oval, rectangle, and plus sign on our driveway in chalk. I talked to Emma about each shape as I was drawing it. When I was finished, I had her stand in the middle and as I called out a shape, Emma went and jumped onto the shape. Bonus Points: Draw your shapes with a variety of colored chalk. Then, in addition to shapes, you can jump on all the colors. "Run to the shape that is BLUE!"

Homemade Playdough: Emma loves to help me in the kitchen, and playing with playdough is a great way for her to play pretend with her cookie cutters when we're not making a real meal, as well as a great motor development activity. Here is our recipe for Homemade Playdough. Whip up a batch and let the imagining and sculptures begin!

Homemade Playdough Recipe

Ingredients:

1 cup flour

1 cup water

2 tsp. cream of tarter

1/3 cup salt

1 TBS vegetable oil

1-2 drops food coloring

1-2 drops essential oils or vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Mix together all the ingredients, except the food coloring, in a medium saucepan.

2. Cook over low/medium heat, stirring. Once it begins to thicken, add the food coloring and essential oils.

3. Continue stirring until the mixture is much thicker and begins to gather around the spoon.

4. Once the dough is not wet, remove and put onto wax paper or a plate to cool.

5. After cooling (30 minutes) knead playdough for a few seconds.

6. PLAY!

And, of course...

Read: Reading is one of the best activities you can do with your child at any age!

A few of Emma's current favorites are:

• But not the hippopotamus by Sandra Boynton
• What the ladybug heard by Julia Donaldson
• Little Quack loves colors by Lauren Thompson

My 3 good things for today are:

1. Although sleeping has been a challenge, nursing is going great!
2. We have 3 brown, mushy bananas on the counter, which means... BANANA BREAD!
3. Bryson has been doing some great tummy time!

 

Feeling Lucky

We had a fabulous St. Patrick's Day yesterday, and I have the pictures to prove it! Well, the first half of that is true anyway. I did have the pictures to prove it, but somehow they got deleted since taking them yesterday. Thankfully, Derek took a couple of pictures on his phone, so we have a few photos to commemorate the day, although not as many as I'd hoped for!

We started off a "Top O' the Mornin" Breakfast inspired by this post over at eighteen25. They have some beautiful free printable tags for each breakfast item. Our "Top O' the Mornin" Breakfast Menu included:

St. Patty's Pancakes - green pancakes

 with

Shamrock Syrup - maple syrup  

Chocolate O' Hersheys - chocolate syrup  

Lucky Charms - Lucky Charms cereal

Magic Clover Dust - green sprinkles

& Clouds in a Bottle - whipped cream (in a can)

Pot O' Gold Eggs - scrambled eggs

Rainbow Fruit Salad - colorful fruit salad

Pinch-proof Potion - green milk

  

We had leftover pizza for lunch (not very glamorous, but it's true). However, we did have a special leprechaun treat waiting when we got home from church. They left a card saying "THE LEPRECHAUNS WERE HERE!" and an assortment of green treats.

Emma enjoyed feeding her new green duck some leftover green pancakes (yes, we do try to eat up all of our leftovers!) while the pizza reheated in the oven.

For dinner we had some fun Shamrock Toasties! All you need is a green pepper, some cheese, and a few English muffins. 

To make one, slice a green pepper crosswise near the pointed end to get a small, three-lobed shamrock shape. (If your pepper has four lobes, you've got a lucky clover instead!) Cut another small slice for a stem.

Toast half an English muffin, then top it with a slice of cheese and the pepper shamrock. Place the muffin on a tray and broil it in the oven until the cheese is melted.

What new St. Patrick's Day treats did you make with your family this year?