Need a few fun activities to get you through the rest of Screen Free Week?? Here are some of our favorites to get you off the couch and outdoors! Basketballs are soooo over-rated. What you really want to do is play a game of Invisible Basketball — lots of fun!! One of our favorite outdoor […]
Weekend Rewind — Catching Leprechauns
March 12, 2011 by
St. Patrick’s Day will soon be here! Here’s a festive and frugal activity Emily and I did last year, and it made our neighbors and letter carrier SMILE. Have fun!! In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, we thought it would be fun to lure some leprechauns into our house for good luck. Armed with a […]
Sunday Snapshot – Imagination Takes Flight
February 27, 2011 by
This weekend we used our Makedo kits to build planes from empty diaper boxes! The girls had great fun as flying aces! Oh, the excitement!! The adventure!!! They soared so high! It was death-defying!! Check out the look on Clara’s face after coming out of a loop!! Have fun!! More Screen-Free Fun for Kids: […]
How to Take a Mini Vacation
February 24, 2011 by
Looking for an inexpensive vacation?? Want to just get away from it all?? Tired of being treated like cattle at traditional airports? Then it’s time to take a mini vacation! Here’s how… in just 10 easy steps! Step 1: Pack your bags!! — This is crucial to that feeling of leaving it all behind, and […]
Build a Flower Activity Set
February 23, 2011 by
Inspired by this post on Made by Joel, I thought Emily would enjoy a flower building toy of her own. There was just one small problem — I’m not skilled at woodworking…. yet! Though I have plans to explore that little hobby soon! But I didn’t let that stop me…. It’s basically a recycled cardboard […]
Creative Ways to Play with Ordinary Toys
February 22, 2011 by
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. […]
Giveaway: Best Toy EVER!!
February 12, 2011 by
Update: Giveaway is now closed.. See below for winner announcement! I am SO excited to be hosting this giveaway, for what I consider to be the BEST toy EVER!!! When I first came across makedo, an Australian toy company, I contacted them to see if they would be interested in sponsoring a giveaway. Not only did […]
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 […]
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 […]
Ice Cream Shop!
January 31, 2011 by
What could possibly be more fun than playing with snow?? Playing with snow in your monkey pajamas!! Woo hoo!!! 1 Container of Clean Snow + plastic spoons + ice cream scoop + empty yogurt containers = 1 Happy Kiddo! Pajamas are not strictly required, though they are highly recommended — as is a towel to […]
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 […]
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 […]
My Kind of Baking
January 21, 2011 by
I made up a few pretend baking kits for the girls — which kept them happily occupied, and it’s a great quiet time activity! They are SUPER easy and quick to make up. I cut up some very inexpensive craft felt using a few cookie cutters as my pattern, added some pieces for “icing” and […]
Printable Bird House Play Set
January 10, 2011 by
I made some colorful paper bird houses as a fun decoration for the sewing room, and I love how cheerful they look — plus they were super-frugal to make! Wouldn’t they look lovely hanging from the ceiling of a child’s bedroom, a classroom, or even lined up along a nature table?? So cute! I quickly […]
Gum Ball Machine Craft for Tots
January 4, 2011 by
It’s no secret that we love to create projects that bring lots of COLOR into our household — they are so bright, cheerful, and they always make me smile! This particular project kept Clara happily occupied for a long time, and doubles as a prop for pretend play. I traced a large serving bowl onto […]
Top 10 Posts of 2010 — #1
January 1, 2011 by
Happy New Year!! It’s time to feature the number 1 post on FFFB for 2010!! This one was such a hit that in a separate post, I just had to share a few of the other versions done by our wonderful readers! The number 1 post of 2010 is……… Owl Family Play Set!!!! If you […]
