Sunday, June 10, 2018
play room tour...
in case you are feeling major play room envy over those istagram accounts i posted the other day, let me bring you back down to reality.
kinetic sand and blocks...
every weekend i make pancakes and while i was cooking i kept bowie out of the kitchen with a sensory bin. i asked her what she wanted in the bin and she told me "puzzle." so i grabbed a bin, kinetic sand and puzzle pieces as well as my melissa and doug chunky shapes puzzle in different sizes (they are more like blocks). she had fun with the pieces and did lots of stacking. if we didn't sit down to eat she probably would have played with this one for a long time!
Saturday, June 9, 2018
new tenants...
these guys have been hanging out in the front yard for two days now, just eating and sleeping. aren't they pretty?!?!?
peg people DIY!!!
i have been following lots of mommy/toddler/activity blogs lately and i am seeing some re-occurring themes going on involving a favorite brand of toys. it is the grimm line of wooden toys and they are so well designed and beautiful and are truly toys with intention. the most popular toy in their line seems to be the rainbow stacker.
it is pricey, but i think i will eventually splurge on it. and the other one is the grimm brand peg people. think the wooden version of gender neutral fisher price little people.
this set of peg people runs about $50 for 12. there are additional pieces you can buy like wooden cone trees, houses and blocks. they are cute, but when you see these sets together and in use they are really awesome. what i love is that the grimm brands philosophy is to provide a high quality toy that engages the child in open ended creative play. unlike the plastic toys we are familiar with that come in outfits and costumes these wooden peg dolls allow the child to create their own story and use their imagination.
they look so simple that i had to try to make my own and i did very successfully! i even found a DIY tutorial on a blog i follow.
https://theimaginationtree.com/diy-rainbow-peg-people-toadstools/
it's pretty easy, all you need is the peg people and good quality paint pens. here are the amazon links to what i used.
i got a 40 piece wooden peg doll set on amazon for $13.00 and it had 5 different style bodies. but it did have the "angel" body which is the shape used by grimm. click here for amazon link
and i used my favorite rock painting pens. the posca paint pens in a fine tip. click here for amazon link
then i just painted the bodies and made 7 sets of "families." they turned out better than i expected! while this is an easy craft, it did take me over 5 hours to paint all 40 of the dolls.
i love the beautiful colors and they way they turned out. i got a tray on clearance at target for $5 that was in the bathroom section. i am thrilled with these! now the real test will be what bowie thinks!
she loved them! i am so happy she was as excited over them as i was! what was really interesting was after she examined them all she immediately asked for her blocks. i got out her mega bloks and she started putting them inside the backs of them and building. i can see why the block go hand and hand with these peg dolls. i am curious if she will start to sort them or what she will come up with the next time we play with them. my brain is already coming up with new ways to use these.
and if those are not cute enough, my other obsession is with a similar peg doll by a different company called "grapat." these are called "palos sticks" peg dolls and they look like little gnomes to me, aren't they just adorable. i would love to make my own, but am having a very hard time finding the right wooden peg to use. a set of 18 runs about $65, hoping i can find the right material to recreate this cuties!
it is pricey, but i think i will eventually splurge on it. and the other one is the grimm brand peg people. think the wooden version of gender neutral fisher price little people.
this set of peg people runs about $50 for 12. there are additional pieces you can buy like wooden cone trees, houses and blocks. they are cute, but when you see these sets together and in use they are really awesome. what i love is that the grimm brands philosophy is to provide a high quality toy that engages the child in open ended creative play. unlike the plastic toys we are familiar with that come in outfits and costumes these wooden peg dolls allow the child to create their own story and use their imagination.
they look so simple that i had to try to make my own and i did very successfully! i even found a DIY tutorial on a blog i follow.
https://theimaginationtree.com/diy-rainbow-peg-people-toadstools/
it's pretty easy, all you need is the peg people and good quality paint pens. here are the amazon links to what i used.
i got a 40 piece wooden peg doll set on amazon for $13.00 and it had 5 different style bodies. but it did have the "angel" body which is the shape used by grimm. click here for amazon link
and i used my favorite rock painting pens. the posca paint pens in a fine tip. click here for amazon link
then i just painted the bodies and made 7 sets of "families." they turned out better than i expected! while this is an easy craft, it did take me over 5 hours to paint all 40 of the dolls.
i love the beautiful colors and they way they turned out. i got a tray on clearance at target for $5 that was in the bathroom section. i am thrilled with these! now the real test will be what bowie thinks!
she loved them! i am so happy she was as excited over them as i was! what was really interesting was after she examined them all she immediately asked for her blocks. i got out her mega bloks and she started putting them inside the backs of them and building. i can see why the block go hand and hand with these peg dolls. i am curious if she will start to sort them or what she will come up with the next time we play with them. my brain is already coming up with new ways to use these.
and if those are not cute enough, my other obsession is with a similar peg doll by a different company called "grapat." these are called "palos sticks" peg dolls and they look like little gnomes to me, aren't they just adorable. i would love to make my own, but am having a very hard time finding the right wooden peg to use. a set of 18 runs about $65, hoping i can find the right material to recreate this cuties!
Friday, June 8, 2018
under the sea sensory bin...
this was a fun one and i used 2 of the new items i got this week. i used my dish pan sized bin with the kinetic sand, the magnetic chips as water and added sea creatures.
bowie had fun picking up all the magnetic chips with the wand and burying them. she loved the sea creatures and took them all out and put the chips over their eyes and said they were wearing glasses.
bowie had fun picking up all the magnetic chips with the wand and burying them. she loved the sea creatures and took them all out and put the chips over their eyes and said they were wearing glasses.
Thursday, June 7, 2018
new finds and additions!
this has turned into somewhat of an obsession and this week i added a few new exciting items to our activity closet!
from left to right...
1. a melissa and doug chunky wooden puzzle. this was a $1 find on varage sale. i needed some farm themed loose elements and this is perfect and you can't beat the price. i disinfected the puzzle and added the pieces to my storage containers and kept the backing to be used as a puzzle in the future.
2. kinetic sand! this stuff is so fun to play with. i got the original brand in a 3 pound bag on amazon for under $12. this is a purchase that based off of reviews is worth getting the real stuff for a few extra bucks. click here for amazon link.
3. magnetic wand. i have been wanting one of these and i had no idea they are used in bingo with magnetic chips. this set came from amazon for under $7 as well as 100 chips, the chips are small but fun for counting and sorting and look pretty in a sensory bin. click here for amazon link. you can find wands in all different colors and the chips also come in larger bags of mixed colors.
from left to right...
1. a melissa and doug chunky wooden puzzle. this was a $1 find on varage sale. i needed some farm themed loose elements and this is perfect and you can't beat the price. i disinfected the puzzle and added the pieces to my storage containers and kept the backing to be used as a puzzle in the future.
2. kinetic sand! this stuff is so fun to play with. i got the original brand in a 3 pound bag on amazon for under $12. this is a purchase that based off of reviews is worth getting the real stuff for a few extra bucks. click here for amazon link.
3. magnetic wand. i have been wanting one of these and i had no idea they are used in bingo with magnetic chips. this set came from amazon for under $7 as well as 100 chips, the chips are small but fun for counting and sorting and look pretty in a sensory bin. click here for amazon link. you can find wands in all different colors and the chips also come in larger bags of mixed colors.
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