Category: Kids Need Play

Dear Reader;

My preschooler is in full question mode this week (or month.. or lifetime…) and has been constantly asking what colors make when they mix together, so I borrowed these cool paddles for a week!

After we tried them out I looked up where to get them and you can find them at Oriental Trading for much cheaper than I would have expected (No perks for me, I’m not an affiliate or anything)! And don’t feel obligated to buy them. There are a million ways to talk about mixing colors, these were just loaned to me so they were nice and easy. Plus, they’re not messy like paint or food-colored water.

I started out with handing the paddles out to my kids (there was 1 set for each of them, so it worked out). Even though my littlests don’t really know their colors (to them, everything is green. Sometimes pink). This time is as good as any to learn, and really, they just want to be like big sis. While they just played around, I read the book Freight Train, by Donald Crews. When the colors came up, we talked about the colors in their hands. Obviously my preschooler knew this one, but a) it’s such a beautiful book! One of the first ones I ever bought as a mom; b) it was easy to start and made it fun for her; and c) her toddler sisters had an easy time following along while they wanted to do what she was doing.

Then I read Mix It Up! by Hervé Tullet and Mouse Paint, by Ellen Stoll Walsh I had her hold up her colors as we were talking and had her tell me what colors were created when they mixed. I really like the mouse book. first of all, it’s a cute story that is easy to follow along (brains love stories), and second, it keeps it simple to just the basic colors that she can make with the paddles.

What other books to you love about color mixing? Hit me up in the comments or send me a message via our contact page.

Dear Reader,

I still feel like the time since Christmas has just flown by and here we are, the second week into the new year. We had a pretty bad storm and had a few days of being snowed in while they sorted out the roads and the highways, and my kiddos caught a bug, so we’ve been crummily crammed together this week instead of enjoying the extra time. That means finding lots of keep-busy activities for my active kids! In a bout of desperation, I handed my preschooler these pipe cleaners and showed her how to make spirals with them.

I only sat down with her for a minute or 2 and played and then I went back to trying to catch up on laundry from sick kids. I didn’t know how long she’d actually stay occupied with it but she sat there by where I was folding for a decent amount of time while I oohed and awed at each completed spiral.

I think it helped that I had different textures of pipe cleaners in my bag. Some were softer, some were tinselly and sparkled. It filled a sensory need in that way. But mostly, she just liked the satisfying nature of creating the spiral. It gave her brain a chance to just chill and reset. Plus, since we missed OT, it was a great activity to work on her grip and manipulation.

After the little brain break, she moved on and played a lot nicer with her sisters, plus I got my laundry done without having to go break up some grumpy overstimulated kids that really need to feel better. Hope you have a good week!

Dear Reader;

How’s your weather? we got royally dumped on this week! So, once there was a break in the weather, of course kids have to go play in all the fresh powder! I’d love it if I never had to go outside in the cold. We joke that my husband is the skiier, and I’m more of the hang-out-in-the-lodge type. Cold+me=no bueno.

But my kids don’t care about my feelings on snow because they have their own! And sledding really is a must as a kid. My husband had the day off, so everyone bundled up, and we went out to our hill! I may have had on a few extra layers, but I survived. And the kids had a blast.

Hope you’re enjoying the sudden start to winter where you are!

Dear Reader,

First, a disclaimer: I’ve had no problems getting silly string out of my carpets or furniture, but I’m not guaranteeing said results. In the Summertime, we definitely do this outside.

We started a new year tradition with our preschooler last year. It’s a silly thing that she remembers, and it’s quiet(ish) so her little sisters sleep through it. As opposed to poppers or fireworks that let off a pop or a bang.

She definitely remembered it this year and got pretty excited when we told her it was “stay-up-party-day.” Granted, she can’t tell time, yet, so her “midnight” was really 10 pm. That is still way late for a preschooler, so we still let her sleep in this morning. Anyway, once it hits 9, we hand out the silly string (everyone gets their own color) and everyone gets to spray it at each other. We definitely have rules, like no face or hair shots (it is a pain to get out of hair if it’s shot too closely). Everyone enjoys seeing who got whom! While we peel the string off of ourselves, and collect the big strands from the floor, we let the little flecks in the carpet set for a minute or two, because I’ve learned it’s pretty sticky if fresh, but after a while, it is fairly dry and easy to pick up or vacuum.

It actually comes up pretty easily, especially if you stick it to itself. There are always a few crumbs leftover, but for the most part, we are able to pick it all up; and I always plan on vacuuming when the girls all wake up in the morning. Once again, I’m not all that concerned about my carpet or furniture, but if you are, wait until summertime when you can go outside! It’s a great stress reliever. Especially with moody pre-teens (BTDT). It’s bright and colorful, and it gets some good exercise if your space is big enough to run around each other.

If you’re looking for silly string, check out the dollar store first. I have seen it other places, but the dollar store stuff is usually cheaper. And it lasts long enough that even if the other stuff lasts longer, it wouldn’t make that much difference to me.