I had a wonderful time visiting NBC’s studios in Philadelphia this morning to demo new ways to play with old toys on The 10! Show!! Special thanks to Molly, a sweet girl from today’s audience, who was a big help with this. I think you’ll love how she rocks out on our homemade rhythm set! […]
Cardboard Firetruck
February 21, 2011 by
Building toys from cardboard is SO much FUN!! With the help of our makedo kit, and a few recyclables we had on-hand, Emily and I built a fun firetruck!! I’m not sure why she wanted to wear safety goggles to put out fires..?? But she sure had lots of fun with this! It is basically […]
Let’s Build a Zoo!
February 17, 2011 by
Welcome to Zoo Park!! Clara has recently mastered building simple houses with blocks, so we thought it would be fun to build a zoo using a set of wooden blocks and some mix-matched toy animals. It was a fun exercise for her to sort all the animals, then fine-motor practice to build all their houses. […]
Fun with Googly Eyes
February 16, 2011 by
This was a super-easy and quick activity that Emily enjoyed, and all we used were some old magazines and a package of googly eyes!! We used self-adhesive googly eyes, which you can buy here from Amazon for some no-mess silly fun! Emily had a great time “enhancing” the photos in the magazines! Here are some […]
Homemade Rhythm Set
February 15, 2011 by
Using some PVC pipe, a few recyclables, and some other household items, we made a fun rhythm set!! The sticks were made using empty heavy-duty cardboard rolls from plastic wrap. (I ask friends to save them for us!) Since most of the items were plastic, the “music” didn’t get too loud. Clara loved exploring all […]
Happy Valentine’s Day!
February 14, 2011 by
Wishing you and your loved ones a magical day from our family…. … to yours! Happy Valentine’s Day!!!
Love Bugs
February 11, 2011 by
The girls have been super-busy crafting for Valentine’s Day, and when Emily came home from school, I thought it would be fun to make some love bugs! I cut out lots of paper hearts, folding the paper several times so I could cut a bunch of them all at once — very quick! Then I […]
Play Dough Bakery!
February 9, 2011 by
A good part of this morning was spent playing with Play Dough! I recommend at least 15 minutes a day of mandatory play dough time for everyone — it is great stress relief, and perfect for lots of pretend play! We sometimes make our own, but Clara was gifted with some Play Doh over the […]
Valentine Sweets for My Sweetie
February 8, 2011 by
A warm welcome to our newest sponsor, Happy Heels by Hannah! Hannah and her sister sew and sell fleece blankets that are designed to keep babies warm in a car seat — brilliant! Frugal Family Fun Blog readers can get 10% off their order by using coupon code — FFFB10 Sponsors help make this blog […]
Heart Tea Tags
February 4, 2011 by
These heart tea tags were a fun after school project for Emily, and they make quick, easy, (and frugal) Valentine’s Day gifts! I had a small box of tea from the dollar store, and Emily snipped off the tea tags with her kid-friendly scissors. Easy, peasy! We didn’t have any heart stickers on hand, but […]
“Bee” My Valentine
February 3, 2011 by
Clara and I had so much fun making these super-easy Valentine cards!! We used this Melissa and Doug Rainbow Stamp Pad again with great results — the ink is washable and wipes off easily with a baby wipe, plus the colors are quite vibrant! I cut up several pieces of white paper and helped Clara […]
Easy Icicle Craft
February 2, 2011 by
Emily thought this icicle craft was so neat, and it was super-easy to do. All you need is some paper, glue, and some salt! Invite your child to apply a thick line of glue to the top edge of the paper — go back and forth a bunch of times. Emily’s a big fan of […]
Dress Up Parade!
February 1, 2011 by
We had more snow today, but that didn’t stop the girls and me from having a fun parade! Do you have a magical dress up curtain at your house? They are great fun! Every time you pop out from behind the curtain — Poof! — you’re in another outfit! Here it is…. in action! Parade […]
DIY: Fabric Wall Decals
January 28, 2011 by
Update: Be sure to read the comments on this post — lots of great ideas from our awesome readers to keep in mind!! A new little elf friend just moved into our house, and is causing lots of excitement around here! He made his home just underneath the staircase, and so far has been very […]
Crafting with Leftovers — Valentine Collage Placemats
January 27, 2011 by
These Valentine collage placemats are the perfect excuse to use up leftover craft supplies, and there is very little post-clean up involved. I love that it kept Emily happily entertained for a long while, and she has plans to make more of these for grandparent gifts!! She did almost this entire project on her own, […]
Battery-Free Toys We Love
January 25, 2011 by
Recently, I asked readers on Facebook to share their favorite battery-free toys with us. Here’s a summary of the responses, and I think this would be a great go-to list for a gift guide, or if you’re looking for alternatives to TV to keep the kiddos entertained during cold Winter days! A big THANK YOU […]
Purple Crayon Mural
January 24, 2011 by
Over the weekend, we took the girls to see Harold and the Purple Crayon at the theater, a holiday gift from Mark’s sister (Thank you, Aunt Julia!!) It is one of their favorite books, and afterwards Crayola was there to hand out large purple crayons to all the kiddos! Fun!! This morning, I attached freezer […]
I’m Over at Stonyfield’s Blog!
January 23, 2011 by
Come visit me over at Stonyfield’s blog, where I did a fun guest post on showing how to create an Invention Kit! If you don’t already have an Invention Kit at your house, this is the perfect time of year to put one together for lots of creative fun during long Winter days. It is […]
