Messy Kids

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Playing with Nature on It's Playtime

Although the weather has been wacky EVERYWHERE, for most it's a great time of year to get outside and explore nature. This week on It's Playtime I'm featuring two ways to include nature in your play and learning time.

Kids pick flowers. It is what it is, it'll never go away, deal with it. Of course we don't want them rummaging around the neighbors flower beds but there are plenty of wild flowers to go around, especially those pesky dandelions. What do you do with them after they've been shared with you? Throw them? Stick them in your hair smearing dandelion goo all over (I've had to explain this to my son who insistis every flower he picks should go in my hair). Attempt to keep them in a vase? There's never a vase small enough....until now. The genius PlayDrMom shared how she created the perfect Upcycled Dandelion Vase to hold her child's treasured flowers. It's easy and it's recycling! DO IT!

Do you have kids who love to cut EVERYTHING? Do you have a lawn? Check out how Raise a Boy uses Cutting Grass to develop fine motor skills. Even if you don't have a lawn, it's easy to plant grass seeds; bring some nature indoors. Your child will love this activity whether they are toddlers just learning to use scissors or 5 year olds practicing for Kindergarten.

If you were featured this week, don't forget to grab your special "featured button."

These activities plus more can be found over on the It's Playtime Pinterest Board. Happy Pinning!

Now, on to this weeks play date!
It's Playtime is a community and Thursday link-up hosted by:

* Rachele : Messy Kids (That's me!)
* Rachel & Holly : Quirky Momma
* Jillian: A Mom With a Lesson Plan

How to Play :

* Link up a post about a playful learning experience enjoyed by kids.

* Give us love and pop a button into your post/blog. Invite your readers to the weekly play date!

* Stop by one of our blogs every Thursday and add your link about play. Your link will show up on each of the blogs in the It's Playtime community.

* Each week the playtime hosts will choose favorite posts to feature. (By linking you are giving us permission to use an image and link to you, if featured.)

* Be sure to visit some of the links that catch your eye. Commenting on posts that you find interesting or inspiring is a wonderful way to develop your own playful community.

By linking up you give us permission to grab a picture and feature you here, on a site we write for, on FB or Pinterest. If we share your link, we will always credit you, send people to your original post and use only ONE photo.

Friday, May 10, 2013

DIY Mother's Day Pillowcases

I know, I know, Mother's Day is only a few days away but maybe you haven't quite figured out the right gift. Or maybe, you've been so busy running around, taking the kids here and there, fixing dinner, caring for a baby, and simply going crazy with how busy you are that you suddenly remembered Mother's Day, and OMG, you haven't bought gift! As a mom, time can get away from us, and before we know it, gift giving holidays are upon us and we have no idea what to do that is both meaningful and practical. Sometimes, simple is fantastic, and homemade is way more special then an iTunes gift card. Here's our simple, messy, fun, meaningful, inexpensive Mother's Day present my kids and I created for my mom and my step-mom.

You will need:

A pillow case (whatever thread count you desire, white is best)
Fabric safe paint (we used acrylic because I have a ton of it and because I knew my moms wouldn't be using these pillow cases for everyday sleeping)
Fabric Markers (I borrowed some from my son's preschool class)
Cardboard to place inside pillow case during painting (old cereal box, cracker box, posterboard, etc)

Instructions:

Place the cardboard box inside the pillowcase to prevent the paint from bleeding and sticking to the opposite side of the pillowcase.
When the kids have chosen their preferred colors of paint (1 color per kid), coat both hands and have them stamp them onto the pillowcase in desired fashion. Be creative! As you can see in the picture, I had my oldest stamp her hands further apart with my son in them middle, but you may have an idea that suits you better.
There are a couple ways you can do your "kisses":

Have the kids put lipstick on and kiss the pillowcase. Then using fabric paint or fabric markers, go over the kiss to make it permanent.
draw some lips with fabric markers (as seen below)
If your kids are really daring, and the paint is non-toxic, have them coat their lips with the fabric paint and kiss the pillowcase (good luck with that!)

Use the fabric markers write "Hugs and Kisses for Grandma." You can also record the date, kids names and ages (see below), or whatever personal information you want to include for memories.
This project needs drying time! If you are in a crunch, place it in the sun to speed things up.

Happy Mother's Day to all you moms out there. I hope you find some time to relax, even if that means using the toilet all on your own.

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Gross Motor Play on It's Playtime

For most of us, the weather is nice right now, so it's time to get outside and play! Here are some great gross motor outdoor activities to get you and your children moving together.

Train Up a Child shared their Gross Motor Addition Game as well as Activities with Pool Noodles. A plethora of simple ideas to take you outside.

Have some old tires you want to repurpose? Making Boys Men shared 5 Ways to Play with Tyres.

If you don't know what a Water Blob is then head over to We-Made-That.com and check out this fantastically fun outdoor toy you can make with two items.