Category: 18 to 24 months

Mud Painting

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Instead of getting your patio or driveway messy with paint that needs to be washed off, stick with nature and paint with… mud instead!

The first thing you’ll need to do for this project is make the mud, which in and of itself was a delight for Veronika. She took my hand and toddled over to the trees with me to scoop some dirt into a bucket.

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Once back on the patio, we added water to the bucket and stirred with a craft stick until the mixture was very muddy. If it gets too thin and watery, just add a little more dirt.

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Then I provided Veronika with paintbrushes and thick paper, treating the mud like it was real paint.

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At first, stirring the mixture in the bucket was such a joy that she focused on that. But then I showed her how to move her paintbrush over the paper, and soon she was happily swirling and dotting with her brown “paint”.

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She eventually discovered she could use the craft sticks to scoop out thicker globs of mud from the bottom of the bucket and smear onto the canvas.

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In fact when I moved one sheet of “painted” paper aside to dry in the sun, she started carrying blobs of dirt over to it to carefully balanced on her craft stick. Clearly the artist wasn’t done!

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This kept her so busy in the sunshine for quite a while. Perfectly dirty and messy fun!

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Bathtub Fingerpainting

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If your toddler loves to fingerpaint but you worry about the mess, here’s the perfect solution: Get messy exactly where you’re going to clean off afterwards!

To wit, I stripped Veronika down to her diaper and sat her in a dry bathtub, then squirted generous amounts of fingerpaint on the tub walls. I used blue, yellow and green, which meant we had the possibility of playing with all three separately, or watching the blue and yellow combine into a new green.

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Veronika was hesitant at first, but the colors soon proved irresistible. Once her hands were messy, she began making big smears on the walls. She loved making a big mess with it…

 

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…but also loved being more deliberate, dipping in one finger and then swirling color carefully on the tub or the tiles.

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Or admiring the way the colors looked on her fingers.

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It all looked like so much fun that big brother Travis jumped in to paint, too!

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When her masterpiece was complete, I pressed a piece of newspaper over the fingerpaint, allowing us to capture a memento of the project.

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Needless to say we made a huge mess.

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But we were exactly where we needed to be to rinse off…kids and tub both!

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Decorate A Cereal Bowl for Dad

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Here’s a fantastic gift for dads this Father’s Day, care of Hands On As We Grow, that requires no fancy materials but will easily get daily use: decorate bowls with permanent marker so that every time Dad digs into his morning cereal (or afternoon soup, or evening ice cream, or anything in between!), he’s reminded of the kids.

The project requires Sharpies, which are not food safe, so be sure your children are only decorating the outside and bottom of the bowl. I knew the project would be perfectly safe for my kindergartner, but I supervised Veronika closely since the bowls were breakable and the marker was permanent!

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Luckily she loved scribbling all over the sides and bottom of one bowl, and didn’t do any drawing on her skin, as she’s prone to do.

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Travis, meanwhile, wrote “Dad” and drew a picture, and was so proud of his work. Finally, I wrote Happy Father’s Day on a third bowl.

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Place the bowls in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes. (Note: Be sure to check that the bowls you’re using are oven-proof, and check the company’s website for any heating details).

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Let the bowls cool, then wrap and save for the big day!

Tiny Tambourine

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Veronika’s online gym class always starts with shaking along instruments to the welcome song. I thought it would be fun to make at-home tambourines to shake along today!

You can use mini aluminum tart pans for this craft, but I decided to use mini paper plates instead so that Veronika could decorate them first. This girl loves using her markers!

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Once we had covered the plates in scribbles and shapes, I placed two plates together. I chose too different options for inside. Dried rice went into the first (which made a softer sound, more like a maraca)…

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…and pennies went into the second for a more jangly tambourine sound.

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Use a stapler to staple all around the edges. I recommend making sure your staples are right up against each other so none of the filling slips through the cracks.

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Time to shake along and start class!

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Veronika looked so proud of her homemade instrument.

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Frozen Painting, Two Ways

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It’s beginning to feel a lot like summer, so all things ice are on my mind! To wit, today Veronika tried painting with frozen cubes in two ways.

I set up both games the night before. For the first, I filled compartments of an ice cube tray with water. After about an hour, when the water is firm but not frozen solid, insert a craft stick for a handle into each cube.

In the morning. I gave Veronika these ice “paintbrushes” alongside a paint-with-water book. The ice did all the work!

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I showed her how to swirl it in the paints on the page, then make color magically appear.

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Beyond the magical wow factor, there was the fun of the colors, the thrill of cold ice, glee watching the cubes melt, and more.

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Her final work of art wasn’t bad for a nineteen month old!

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For the second game, I had also frozen cubes the night before, but with paint! Fill the compartments of an ice cube tray with washable paints nearly all the way, then top off with water. Again, insert a craft stick after about an hour in the freezer.

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For this craft, we headed outside to get messy! Place thick watercolor paper on a tray, and use the frozen paint cubes directly on the paper.

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The more the paints melt, the deeper the colors.

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Big brother Travis discovered you can make cool etches with the edge of the craft stick, one the paint melts off.

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Some of our paint cubes didn’t lift out of the tray neatly, but Veronika loved scooping and stirring at these leftover globs of half-frozen paint, so that was half the fun!

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I helped scoop the paint onto the paper so she could mush it about with a craft stick.

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You’ll notice we made an enormous mess, but I had expected as much! Luckily the paint will wash off after the next good rain storm.

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The kids filled page after page with these frozen cubes, and loved every minute.

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Toddler Helpers

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If your toddler is anything like mine, then he or she loves to be a big helper (i.e. right underfoot) any time you clean. I have to keep Veronika safely contained when I do tricky chores like mopping floors or unloading breakable dishes! Here are a few tricks to keep your toddler as a true helper, not a hindrance.

Embracing your toddler’s presence makes all the difference. It helps to have a toy set of each item or tool for your child to use, although the “real” thing works too if you have duplicates or child-safe versions.

First up, dishes! When I’m washing dishes, I give Veronika a plastic set, along with a tray of just enough soapy water to get her dishes wet but not make a mess on the floor. This keeps her so busy while I knock out this chore!

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She also loves to “help” empty the dishwasher. I give her the baby utensils to sort, and she feels very important while I tackle the fragile plates and cups.

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Then there’s cleaning windows, a toddler chore made in heaven. Fill a spritz bottle with a little water, give your child a cloth, and let him or her go to town!

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And then there’s the aforementioned mopping. Now that Veronika has her own mini mop and bucket, I can set her loose in a safe, dry part of our home while I make the floor truly slippery and clean elsewhere.

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All this is fun and games, now, but it’s an important precursor to the first real chores down the road. How does your toddler “help” with chores? Laundry? Sheet day? Please share in the comments!

Paper Bag Shaker

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I came home from the grocery store with a few small paper bags today, the kind that’s just right for produce. Veronika immediately wanted to play with them, so we turned them into easy shakers!

First up was decorating with markers. Whenever she colors now, she names the color of each marker with such pride. “Black! Green! Yellow cap!”

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After this narrated decorating was through, I filled the bags with a little bit of unpopped corn kernels. (Dried beans or rice would work well, too). Secure with a rubber band. I added a ribbon on the first bag for a decorative touch, but she was more distracted by the ribbon than anything else, so we stuck to rubber bands on subsequent bags.

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We also learned by trial and error not to fill the bags too heavy with the popcorn. Lighter was much easier for her to shake.

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She got the hang of holding on to the top part (above the rubber band) for the best sound.

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And then there was just lots of exuberant shaking.

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I thought we might put on music, but I didn’t even get a chance! She just loved the cha cha cha noise these made. “Loud!” she said happily, and resumed shaking, often with one in each hand.

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Books in a Box

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You might read the title of this blog and think it’s about storing books in an easy-to-reach spot for your child (which, yes, is a great idea). But nope, I mean it more literally; a large enough box is just right for reading books in the box.

Veronika loves reading her “magazines” (Hello from Highlights) and I wanted to create a cozy spot where she could do so. To wit, I had a big box from a diaper delivery that was perfect for this activity.

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First, we needed to decorate it, and Veronika leaps at any chance to pull out her crayons!

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I thought she might like a cozy blanket and pillow nestled inside, along with a few books.

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It turns out she wanted nothing to do with the blanket. But soon was ensconced and rapt with her “reading”.

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Sometimes she wanted to turn the box on its side, more like a cave to crawl into and read.

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Sometimes it was more like her little reading boat.

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Add a snack if you want, or simply let reading be the draw. Whatever the case, she loved her little reading box!

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Dance and Fall Down

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Sometimes the simplest activities are the best, and sometimes you just need to have a Saturday morning dance party. So there’s nothing more to this idea than that!

With Veronika a little aimless this morning, I put on some music. To make her laugh, we twirled and danced but then I said, “Fall down!” and showed her how to plop to the ground.

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The first few times, we sat down together.

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But then she got the hang of it. Twirl, and twirl, and twirl, and…

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…fall! This game will get giggles every time. Silly props like scarves and hats are not required of course, but certainly add to the fun.

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Dry Painting

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Here’s a novel painting technique, the complete opposite of other options you might have tried with your toddler, like watercolor! I had a few packet of powdered dry paint leftover from a Holi celebration, and thought they might make the perfect art material for Veronika.

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To make a “paintbrush” for this activity, clip a cotton ball into a spring-type clothespin.

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Sprinkle a little powdered paint onto heavy watercolor paper. We used two to three different colors per sheet. Now simply use the cotton ball to swirl it around!

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Veronika was really into the dusty piles of paint, although not nearly as interested in the cotton ball “brush” as I thought she would be.

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But eventually the powders were swirled all over the paper.

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We then spritzed hairspray all over the picture to set the paint, which was arguably her favorite part of the activity! Brush off any extra powder, and let the “painting” set.

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The resulting artwork has a beautiful swirled look. We cut out little rectangles and folded them in half to send to family members as greeting cards in the mail!

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