Day 6 - Cards

This is a sad kind of post, but an activity none the less.
My grandmother (K & R's Nana) happens to be in the hospital right now, and I went to visit her yesterday, and K wanted to come, but he couldn't, because it is the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit, so I told him that we would make her a card.
So I took out a card I had that said "Thinking of You" and K decorated that card for over an hour.
Some items that he used were stickers, markers, and foamies. Some other items that you could use would be paints, the de doodles from Crayola are great, some ribbon, and any assortment of stickers from the dollar store.
These cards look great from the outside as they say a message, but the inside is great too, because kids at this age have trouble printing their names, and by doing this instead it still makes them feel included.
Happy Crafting!

Day 5 - FingerPainting!!!!

What is more fun than FingerPainting? Nothing!
The boys and I engaged our creative sides by using some great fingerpaints and some direction from Usborne.

K had so much fun swirling the red, the green and the blue. R had more fun trying out the textures and trying to eat them, rather than painting with them.













Finger painting is one of those activities that you can do with little to no preparation. You can find some great recipes for paints, and you can use different things such as forks, spoons or sponges to show how great of an artist you are!

Get Creative!

Day 4 - Eye Spy

There is nothing like a good game of "I Spy" to get the kids learning colours. This is the one game that K loves, he could play it for hours.
The great thing is that you can be versatile with what you choose to spy. For little learners, just getting a handle on colours or words, you can start with the quintessential "I spy with my little eye, something that is Red." or maybe use sounds, "something that say woof." or "something that is used for cooking."
As the kids get older you can use multiple colours, such as "something that is red, green and blue." and then start using sounds, "something that starts with the letter B." and even, "something that rhymes with took."
The possibilities are endless and you could really do this in anywhere. At the doctors, "many things that are yellow." (files.), in the car "a licence plate that starts with 'W'." or even on the computer.
Happy Seeking!

Day 3 - Helicopter Twist

By using simple Twist Ties the boys and I made a variety of different play things.
I took five twist ties and showed K that by using imagination you can make anything. We made a helicopter, a person, as well as a balloon.









K was so intrigued that I could make these "cool" things with something as easy as Twist Ties.
So go on!
Find some different items that can be recycled, cardboard, bottles, twist ties and bottle caps and get creative!

Day 2 - Tea Party

Who says that Boys don't like to be fancy?
Today we decided it would be fun to have a tea party as K is going to have one at Preschool coming up. We got out his little set, like the one you see here, and set them out. A blue on for me, a "lello" one for K and a orange one for R.
K was pouring and telling me to use my "magination" to stir, since we had no spoons.
R started to get a little frustrated that we would not let him clash the saucers together to make music. (note for readers: Get a plastic one for the little guys)
Of course it was going so well, and I thought, "See, boys can play quietly with toys marketed to girls...." When K took the saucers from the tea set placed them on his chest and exclaimed, "Now I have boobies, just like you!"
Well, flattery will get you everywhere, especially if you are a 3 year old boy.

Day 1 - Yoga

With the help of Itsy Bitsy Yoga our very first activity was Yoga!
K loves doing the mountain pose,

the downward facing dog and the child pose.

R just liked to watch!
I feel that Yoga for Kids doesn't have to be as regimented as some would argue. Learning to breathe is a great way to calm temper tantrums, and promote a calming and peaceful day.
With all activity's you have to make sure that your kids are open to the experience, so I would suggest doing Yoga bright and early in the morning or late at night just before bed. This is when they are most receptive.
There are lots of classes that teach yoga for kids, such as Growing Up, ItsyBitsy, Yoga4KidsCalgary, StoryTime Yoga, but doing the moves at home can really bond parent and child.
A great place to start would be a Yoga book as described above or Yoga Cards can be great too!
Get down on their level and just have fun with it, and maybe you can work it into your routine for a more balanced you.
Namaste.