Toddlers Games and Play Ideas

[Anna Michele]

Earth Day is April 22

20 EARTH DAY ACTIVITIES
http://www.notimeforflashcards.com/2...-for-kids.html
I love this list of crafts and activities that celebrate the earth using recyclables and natural materials.

[Anna Michele]

THIS IS AWESOME

http://southerndisposition.blogspot....dollhouse.html



Step 1: Purchase FOUR three-ring binders...these will be your "rooms"



Step 2: Purchase cute (small print) scrapbook paper to serve as "wallpaper"



Step 3: Trim the paper to fit your binder, and decoupage (carefully to avoid creases) onto the inside "walls"
Kitchen:



Living Room:


Bedroom (used two different papers for this one + trimmings from the bathroom for the chair railing):



Bathroom:



Step 4 (optional): Make a little cover-curtain for the three rings. I just sewed a piece of fabric with a hole at the top and the bottom (for the top and bottom rings to go through), just like you'd sew a simple curtain:



Open the rings, put the curtain on:

Ta-da! No more glaring indications that these are actually 3-ring binders


Step 5: Decoupage any furniture that you will not be making/buying for the house directly onto the walls (dude...not every piece of furniture needs to be mobile...even Barbie's dream house is half made up of cardboard pictures on the wall, amirite?)


Important:
1) I found all of my paste-to-the-wall images online and printed them in color onto normal printer paper - furniture, lamps, Barbie-themed artwork, etc...I got all the images online. I have no recollection of where I got them - if they are your images, please let me know so that I can appropriately source!
2) Before decoupaging them onto the walls, I decoupaged them onto cardstock paper so that you wouldn't be able to see the wall pattern through them (since copy paper is so thin). In hindsight, I could have saved this step if I had just printed onto cardstock. Live and learn, right?





Step 6 - Furniture making time!! Make everything you'll need for the house (that isn't already pasted to the walls). Made (mostly out of styrofoam, cardboard, fabric, and hot glue):



Sofa, chair, and coffee table (living room)
Bed and bedding (bedroom)
Bathtub and sink (bathroom)
Table and chairs (kitchen)

Once the rooms are all finished, you'll have an adorable three ring binder Barbie house!

Kitchen:




Living Room:



Bedroom:



Bathroom:



Here are all the rooms together:



Aerial view of the house when opened (sans furniture):



The best part...the Binders are SO compact that you can remove the furniture, fold them up, and put them on a bookshelf!

[Anna Michele]

April showers will soon arrive.



The weather has turned here and it's raining - starting off with some dancing in the rain http://rainydaymum.co.uk/101-ideas-f...ny-summers-day

[Anna Michele]

SIMPLE DRAWING PROMPT

http://childhood101.com/2014/03/art-...cker-drawings/

We LOVE this drawing prompt that encourages creative thinking (and only requires some round office stickers, paper, and a drawing tool).

[Anna Michele]

EASY WAYS TO TEACH KIDS TO THINK LIKE SCIENTISTS

http://www.coffeecupsandcrayons.com/...ke-scientists/

I adore this! Of course, I might have spent hours and hours and hours in a lab all through college...willingly! Kids are naturally inquisitive and here is a way to guide it for learning.

[Anna Michele]

5 EGG HUNT IDEAS

http://childhood101.com/2011/04/lite...gg-hunt-ideas/

Super cute and fun ways to make this year's egg hunt memorable {and sneak in a little learning...shhhhh}!

[Anna Michele]

101 WAYS TO PLAY OUTSIDE

http://childhood101.com/2014/03/101-...ntable-poster/

This adorable printable poster {free} can eliminate the statement "there is nothing to do outside" from your child's vocabulary.

[Anna Michele]

MAKE A VELCRO WALL

http://lalymom.com/2014/03/ten-diy-v...-toddlers.html#

Here are 10 fine motor activities that you can do with velcro. They are simply genius and so much fun!

[Anna Michele]

PLAYHOUSE FACADE IN A HALLWAY
http://www.ikatbag.com/2012/03/house-in-hallway.html
Fabric + Tension Rods + some sewing = a little place to call their own.

[Anna Michele]

YOU CAN WALK ON EGGS?
http://www.playdoughtoplato.com/2014...-walking-eggs/
I adore this science experiment that kids will go CRAZY over!

[Anna Michele]

No link

[Anna Michele]

FAVORITE KID BLOGS...
We're sharing just a few of our favorite Facebook pages for kid activity blogs. Let us know if this is useful and we'll share more!
The Artful Parent
Teach Preschool
Red Ted Art
Hands on : as we grow
quirkymomma.com
Modern Parents Messy Kids
Coffee Cups and Crayons

[Anna Michele]

MAKE YOUR OWN BATH TOYS
http://kidsactivitiesblog.com/11386/...kids-bath-toys
Love how easy it is to create a custom set of toys perfect for any theme loved by your child!

[Anna Michele]

DIY WAVE MAKER

http://www.imalazymom.com/make-it/no...t-wave-makers/

Ahhh...to tip back and forth and feel like the ocean is in your hand. Tons of fun!

[Anna Michele]

HOMEMADE MARACAS!

http://www.creativegreenliving.com/2...g-maracas.html

Such a clever use of plastic eggs and spoons!