Tube Fun

Leave a comment

Tube Fun (5)

The last time I was at the hardware store, I stocked up on a few items that could make a quick activity for a toddler once put together. A snowy day at home was the perfect moment to pull out those items, and this “toy” came together in moments!

First up was a length of clear plastic tubing, which is usually available in bulk at the store and you can ask to have it cut to size. I asked for two feet, although next time I might make it closer to three feet. Make sure your tubing is wide enough for marbles to roll through; that’s about 1 inch for regular marbles, but I have small decorative marbles at home that fit in 1/2-inch tubing.

Tube Fun (2)

Next, I used hot glue to attach a rubber cork (also available at hardware stores) into one end of the tube. Fill the tube with the previously-mentioned marbles or beads, then glue a second rubber cork in the other end. The toy is ready!

Tube Fun (1)

Veronika actually managed to pull the second cork off, but luckily the hot glue had created enough of a seal that the tube still worked without the marbles rolling out. From here, she loved holding it up to watch the items slide around.

Tube Fun (6)

She also turned it into a belt.

Tube Fun (8)

Or kitty ears, or a necklace!

Tube Fun (4)

If you prefer, you can add a little vegetable oil into the tube before gluing on the second cork; just make sure your corks are very secure if you choose to go this liquid route.

Tube Fun (7)

Snack Switcheroo

Leave a comment

Snack Switcheroo (7)

Veronika had to work for her snack today! Kids seem to universally love that old magician’s trick of hiding an item under a cup and then making it “disappear”. This variation involves hiding a snack under a cup before shuffling cups around, but the point is for your toddler to find it at the end. Doing so actually helps hone your toddler’s visual tracking skills, and the bonus to this version is the yummy reward to eat!

Any small snack will work fine for the game; I used crackers, but raisins or pieces of cereal are other good options.

Snack Switcheroo (1)

I first hid a cracker under one cup in a cluster of four, making sure she saw where it was, then said to Veronika, “Where’s your snack?”

Snack Switcheroo (2)

I slowly shuffled the cups (you don’t want to make this too hard for a 2 year old), then took my hands away and repeated the question.

Snack Switcheroo (3)

She was instantly a little ham and loved the theatrics involved in the game! “Is it under this cup?” she would ask, lifting up for a reveal.

Snack Switcheroo (5)

She giggled when the cracker wasn’t there…

Snack Switcheroo (4)

…and was consistently surprised and delighted when it was. Her surprise showed me that she still hasn’t learned to visually track the correct cup, but clearly today the game was about her enjoyment and theatrics. All in all, it turned snack time into an activity that fed both bellies and brains!

Snack Switcheroo (6)

Magic Inflating Balloons

Leave a comment

Magic Inflating Balloon (5)

It turns out that helium isn’t the only gas that can inflate balloons. You’ll wow your kids with a bubbly explosion of baking soda and vinegar for this “magically” inflating version.

To set up, I first added white vinegar to an empty water bottle, using a funnel to avoid spills. Set aside over a tray.

Magic Inflating Balloon (1)

Slip the end of an uninflated balloon onto the funnel and add baking soda (I didn’t measure, but we probably poured in about 1/4 cup. Now carefully fold the lip of the balloon over the top of the bottle, but make sure you don’t upend the baking soda just yet.

Magic Inflating Balloon (3)

Stand the balloon upright so the baking soda pours down into the vinegar, then be ready for the reaction. As the baking soda and vinegar react to create gas, the balloon inflates.

Magic Inflating Balloon (4)

This made for such a bubbly, fizzy, dazzling reaction! I worried that the balloon might pop off the bottle if there was too much pressure that built up, but luckily this didn’t happen. Still, I was glad we had a tray underneath the experiment, just in case.

Magic Inflating Balloon (6)

Travis was thrilled when he put his arms around the inflated balloon at the end, almost disbelieving that we’d blown it up so big. Just be aware that this isn’t the best balloon to knot off and play with after, as some liquid will remain inside.

Big Mouth Game

Leave a comment

Big Mouth Game (4)

Here’s another classic from the Toddler’s Busy Book, a game I played with Travis when he was so young this blog didn’t even exist yet! All you need to get started is a medium-sized cardboard box.

First, I drew a face on one side of the box with markers. No doubt your toddler will want to help out with this part; Veronika sure did!

Big Mouth Game (2)

I then used a craft knife to cut out the mouth shape. For the final touch, we rubbed a glue stick all over the top and attached strips of tissue paper to be the hair. The big mouth is hungry and ready to eat!

Big Mouth Game (3)

You can use just about anything as balls for the target. Tennis balls were just a touch too big to easily fit, but sock balls were the perfect size.

Big Mouth Game (5)

We also had extra tissue paper and Veronika loved crumpling these into balls and tossing into the mouth.

Big Mouth Game (6)

“He’s so hungry!” she said with delight every time she added to the box. When it was full, she could pull everything out and start all over again.

Big Mouth Game (8)

This game is sure to keep toddlers busy and delighted.

Helium Balloon Fun

Leave a comment

Helium Balloon Fun (8)

Who says balloons are just for birthdays! The helium tank in our garage had some leftover gas from back in the fall, and our gray February staycation day needed a boost; what better way to lift the spirits than balloons!

To start, I simply inflated a few balloons for Travis and Veronika, and attached strings that they could easily reach. I showed Veronika how to tug on the string so the balloon came down to her…

Helium Balloon Fun (2)

…and then to let go and watch it bop back to the ceiling!

Helium Balloon Fun (1)

This alone was a delight for a while.

Helium Balloon Fun (4)

Next we drew puppy dog faces on them. Now the balloons were little friends to take for a walk on a “leash”. Travis turned another one into an alien!

Helium Balloon Fun (13)

The kids were soon running around, chasing after, and bopping their balloons in glee.

Helium Balloon Fun (12)

We set them aside for a while, and when we returned, there was just enough less helium that now they hovered in midair. This was double the fun, with the kids setting them to hover and pretending they were making lunar landings on the moon!

Helium Balloon Fun (9)

I loved seeing their joy for one of the simplest toys out there. Never underestimate a good old balloon.

Helium Balloon Fun (7)

Tofu Scramble

Leave a comment

Tofu Scramble

This quick scrambled tofu comes together in moments. Savory soy sauce makes it a great option as part of a “breakfast-for-dinner” night; we love serving it with waffles on the side!

Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 minced garlic clove
  • 1/4 cup minced onion
  • 1 cup frozen spinach, thawed
  • 1 (15-ounce) package extra-firm tofu
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and onion, and saute for 5 minutes. Add the spinach and cook for 1 minute.
  2. Crumble the tofu into the pan, then stir in the soy sauce. Continue to cook for 7 minutes, until heated through.

Musical Animals

Leave a comment

Musical Animals (1)

Here’s a fun riff on Musical Chairs, although there are no winners or losers here: just music and stuffed animals and a way to get moving indoors!

To start, I set up several of the kids’ stuffed animals in a circle on the floor. Note: You can also sit every stuffed animal on a chair if you have enough chairs in your home. But the floor worked just fine in a pinch.

Musical Animals alt

Since our circle was on the floor, I opted for stuffies that could mostly “sit up” on their own, although that’s not a requirement. Then I set some jazzy music playing and told the kids to run around the circle of animals.

Musical Animals (2)

When the music stops, everyone freezes and sits with the nearest stuffed animal in his or her lap!

Musical Animals (5)

There’s no element of elimination to this game, as in normal musical chairs, but between music, freezing, and giving big stuffed animal hugs, this game is a reward in itself.

Musical Animals var

Soon, the kids found some extra pillowcases in the closet and were tucking the stuffed animals into little “beds”. Veronika even leaned in to give this one a kiss!

Musical Animals (4)

So it turned into a very cozy way to pass a cold morning.

Musical Animals (3)

Cranberry Invisible Messages

Leave a comment

Cranberry Messages (6)

If your kids are no longer surprised by the way baking soda and vinegar react, they’ll be charmed with the way a new ingredient can reveal secret messages thanks to acids and bases: cranberry sauce!

First, I stirred 3 teaspoons baking soda into a little warm water in a paper cup. We used q-tips to write out “secret codes” on thick white paper. Travis wrote down the names of favorite characters, Veronika scribbled, and I made a few drawings that I knew would work well for the big reveal, like boats and suns.

Cranberry Messages (1)

You can let the messages dry naturally, but hair dryers are so much more fun of course. Travis jumped at the chance to set the dryer to low and wave over the pictures.

Cranberry Messages (3)

For the reveal, I emptied a jar of cranberry sauce into a container and smoothed it into an even layer. Press your pictures firmly into the cranberry sauce (but don’t submerge), then lift up to see what appears!

Cranberry Messages (4)

Simply wipe off any excess cranberry sauce and the pictures are ready.

Cranberry Messages (5)

Kids can end the activity here, or add color with colored pencils for a pretty final result if you want to add in a little arts & crafts.

Cranberry Messages (7)

Natural Ice Boats

Leave a comment

Natural Ice Boats (3)

I love finding ways to make the kids marvel at the beauty of winter, even on the coldest days, and these all-natural ice boats were the perfect activity! Technically you could make the boats any time of year, but the colder it is outside, the longer your ice boats will last!

To set up, freeze water in Tupperware containers until solid. Any size container is fine, although obviously smaller ones will freeze faster and cut down on waiting time if your kids are impatient. Before freezing, I added a stick to the center of each container as the boat’s mast; hold in place with a pipe cleaner twisted around the middle until the water begins to freeze.

Natural Ice Boats (1)

Once the boats were frozen solid, it was time to set them afloat! I considered driving to the nearest pond to set them sailing in a truly all-natural location, but couldn’t think of a way to keep the ice frozen in the car. Instead, we made a “pond” on a craft tray in the snow just off our back patio!

Natural Ice Boats (2)

For sails, we attached a few leaves from an evergreen bush, a nice pop of green against all the winter white.

Natural Ice Boats (5)

The kids loved seeing the little boats sail among the sea of snow.

Natural Ice Boats (4)

Even though it was below 30 degrees, the sun was strong enough that the boats melted on the patio once we set them down. That meant this turned into a little STEM lesson at the end as we watched solid turn back to liquid. And of course there’s zero cleanup with this activity!

Natural Ice Boats (7)

Water, sticks, and leaves all went right back to nature.

Rules of the Game

Leave a comment

Create a Board Game (8)

This activity is somewhat of a repeat from when Travis created his own board game in preschool. But now that he’s older, we delved much more deeply not only into how to design a game from start to finish, but also talked about what made a game successful!

To start, we explored two classic games. First up was Dominoes, playing a round with the set we have at home. I had never actually read the real rules before, and when we looked them up online, they were so convoluted I confess even I didn’t quite understand! That was a good jumping off point to talk about what made a game fun and/or challenging.

Create a Board Game (1)

Next, Travis listened to a read-through of Jumanji, which is a fantastical game of course but a great way to talk about the rules, including what was similar to real-life games, and what was different. (Note: We also watched the movie, but there are scenes that are quite intense and I don’t recommend it for young children).

Create a Board Game (3)

After all that, it was time to design his own game! Raddish Kids had a lesson plan including an Inventor Inspiration Guide to help kids decide what to base their game around. This involved a ranking system based on likes (food, hobbies, favorite shows or books), but this was all too complicated for my first grader. Travis knew what he wanted to base his game around anyway: Star Wars!

We quickly came up with a game called ‘Race to the Death Star’. The shape of this iconic Star Wars base helped us decide how to configure the game, as a spiral of galaxies closing in on the Dearth Star in the center.

Create a Board Game (4)

I started gluing down squares of construction paper as the spaces on a large sheet of poster board, and we filled in the ideas as they came to us. Spaces contained events with either a boon (letting the player move forward) or a set-back (which required moving backwards). If a player landed on top of another player, that person had to wait in one of the corner planets until rolling the correct number on the dice.

Create a Board Game (5)

To make it through “hyperspace” between galaxies required an exact roll. All in all, it actually made for a great board game! Travis loved it so much that we immediately played 3 rounds. He decided on Lego figures as our playing pieces.

Create a Board Game (7)

As a final component of learning, we explored games that can be played virtually. Travis watched a suggested link of 20 games to play over Zoom, and then we really did Zoom his grandmother to play ‘Zoomed In’ (a game involving close-up images that players take turns guessing). This was such a neat bonding activity and the full video is worth a watch if your kids are currently Zooming relatives and friends.

There was lots more in the lesson plan from Raddish Kids, including suggestions to reinvent an old game with new rules, explore the idea of interactive books like Press Here, or learn the history of a classic board game. But my first grader was gamed out, so we’ll just be here busy playing ‘Race to the Death Star’!

Create a Board Game (6)