There has been a LOT of holiday-making at our house lately — very exciting!! Now that Emily has one of her surprise gifts ready for Clara, I thought it would be fun to help Clara create a fun surprise gift of her own to give to her big sister. We had lots of fun sneakily crafting […]
Pretend Sweets Made with Sponges!
November 9, 2011 by
Recently, Emily and I made a bunch of pretend play sweets from dollar store sponges for her little sister’s holiday gifts. They were great fun, super frugal, AND very easy to make!! Emily cannot wait to gift these to Clara as part of her Christmas gift, and I love how pretend play food can lead […]
Blinkybug Invasion!
November 7, 2011 by
Mark made some super-fun “blinkybug” toys for Emily, and the two of them spent some quality time together making and later playing with these all afternoon. After all, making your own toys is a lot cheaper (and WAY more FUN) than buying them!! These little critters have blinking LED lights that turn on when their […]
Take the North “Poll” and Save 25% at MelissaAndDoug.com
November 6, 2011 by
Every person who votes will automatically be entered to WIN the toy she voted for as her favorite!!! On 11/21/11 Melissa & Doug will randomly choose 1 winner from all voters who came from this blog. Only 1 entry per voter allowed. ENTER NOW BY TAKING THE NORTH “POLL” Update: This giveaway is now closed. […]
Creepy Crawly Seek and Find… and a PBS Kids Giveaway!
October 17, 2011 by
We made some seek and find bottles, and Clara and I had SO much FUN with this!! She enjoyed the entire process, and afterwards loved the challenge of finding all the creepy critters in the bottle. They are very frugal to make, and are a great way to keep the kiddos occupied in the car […]
Newspaper Play Structures
October 4, 2011 by
Know what I love to do on days when it’s too cold or wet to go outside? Build stuff!! This fun geodesic dome was built using rolled up newspaper to form rods — SO frugal! I basically followed the tutorial here, but made one important adjustment. Rather than using staples at the joints, I punched […]
7 Fun Ideas for Sensory Bins
September 19, 2011 by
Ever since my kiddos were old enough to know not to put things in their mouths, they have LOVED playing with sensory bins. I can’t even tell you how many hours were spent pouring, measuring, sorting — sensory bins can be completely mesmerizing!! New to the idea of sensory bins, or looking for new ideas to […]
Catch the Comet
September 12, 2011 by
Using some leftover scraps of felt in lots of bright colors, I sewed a super-easy comet ball that has been used for several games of catch around here! I have seen much more expensive versions in toy catalogs, but it was a lot cheaper (& more fun) to make our own. It is SO much […]
Hammer Time!
August 25, 2011 by
Here is yet another FUN use for pool noodles — especially if you happen to have a few golf tees on-hand!! We reused the same ones from the awesome marble run and croquet lawn game. I used masking tape to attach the pool noodles to some small cutting boards, and invited the girls to bring some […]
Kickin’ it Croquet Style
August 20, 2011 by
Kids need to burn off some of that extra energy? Have some old pool noodles on-hand?? Then it’s time to make up your own kick croquet lawn game!! Cut pool noodles in half down the middle (we reused the ones from our awesome marble run), and each pool noodle is enough to make up two […]
10 Things You Can Make from Cereal Boxes
August 13, 2011 by
Have some empty cereal boxes on-hand?? Don’t throw them away! Here are 10 inspiring ways to transform ordinary empty cereal boxes into amazing home decor items, organizational bins, toys, and more! Cereal Boxes for Organization from Urban Nest from Martha Stewart from Katydid & Kid Cereal Boxes for Home Decor Can you […]
Printable Play Space
August 9, 2011 by
I made up some cute play spaces from a sheet of card stock paper, and our peg dolls have made themselves right at home. The girls are having a great time with these, and I love how something as simple as a sheet of paper can make their faces light up!! There were lots of […]
Around the Web — Made from Milk Cartons
July 28, 2011 by
Don’t throw those empty milk cartons in the garbage — they are free craft supplies!! Here are a few inspiring ideas for how you can transform ordinary empty milk cartons into fun toys or crafts for the kids. Love this adorable mouse house for lots of pretend play fun found at belleandrollo.ie OrigamiMommy.org shows […]
Around the Web — Cardboard Play Spaces
July 21, 2011 by
Creating a special play space for your child doesn’t have to cost a lot of money — especially if you have some empty boxes on-hand! Here are some inspiring play spaces (houses, furniture, and more) all made from inexpensive cardboard!! Yay for cardboard!!! This cardboard cottage is oh-so-charming! Found via kimboscrafts.blogspot.com This cardboard barn […]
Calorie-Free S’Mores for Pretend Play
July 17, 2011 by
Want all the fun of making s’mores, but without the sugar-high afterwards?? These pretend play s’mores are SO easy to make, and they are calorie-free so the kiddos can make (and pretend to eat) as many s’mores as they could possibly want!! First, make up your pretend campfire — arrange stones in a circle and […]
Giveaway — Melissa & Doug Sand Toys Prize Pack!!
July 2, 2011 by
I wish you could have seen the joy on the girls’ faces when they opened a large box from our friends at Melissa & Doug FILLED with sand toys for us to review & giveaway — pure happiness!!!! I mean, what child wouldn’t absolutely LOVE to get a box filled with these lovely sand toys […]
Toys vs Laundry Basket
June 22, 2011 by
The girls wanted to go visit with Grandma this afternoon, but thought it would be more fun to travel by boat instead of the 5 hour car trip. Who am I to stop them?? …and really, who needs toys when you have a laundry basket??
iPlay
June 20, 2011 by
Need to get hold of your peeps for a play date, call a princess, or just pretend to be important?? Then you need the latest in pretend play technology — introducing iPlay!! iPlay is not available in stores everywhere, but is made using THE most technologically advanced cardboard, specially engineered plastic film (i.e. recycled packaging […]
