Archive for the ‘Fun Fridays’ Category
Friday, February 17th, 2012
One of the many wonderful LEGO animals in LEGOland
I’ve driven past LEGOland countless times not knowing the treasure that was behind those doors until last week. LEGOland Discovery Center is an indoor attraction that is truly your passport to a LEGO world of color, creativity and fun. I went with my 6 month old and my sister. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised at how stimulating, educational and fun LEGOland was from the minute you walk through the discovery doors. The best part? It was super affordable! An entire year pass is only $40.00 or a one-time visit as little as $9.00 when you book online. You can’t get into any amusement park or museum for those kind of savings!
From the start LEGOland is an adventure. Enter LEGOland and you are treated to:
- The most amazing skyline view of Chicago complete with a working LEGO El Train!
- The LEGO jungle complete with a path that takes you though moving LEGO animals. True to LEGO’s educational style, the path has fun facts and questions about the animals.
- A 4D cinema where you can reach out and touch the stars
- A behind the scenes making of a LEGO
- A roller coaster ride on your very own dragon through the Medieval LEGO castle
- A giant LEGO room where you can make your own LEGO creations (they have a special section for the little kids with Duplo blocks)
- And much, much more.
Baby K’s favorite part was the giant foam Lego blocks only found at LEGOland. She didn’t want to leave!
Baby K LOVED the giant LEGOS
There are many places you can bring your family, but few are as fun, affordable and perfect for the whole family as LEGOland is. We are going back with our friends for Toddler Tuesdays where there are special activities only for Toddlers. LEGOland really thinks of everything, but don’t take our word for it, come see for yourself!
Tags: activities for kids, family activities, family fun, Lego Duplo, Legoland, toddler tuesdays
Posted in activities for children, Fun Fridays | No Comments »
Friday, February 10th, 2012
Valentine’s day is a day of love and cuddles. We like these easy DIY valentine’s day crafts you can do with your children.
Valentine Photo Hearts
What you need:
- Red, white or pink foam
- Foam glue
- Photo of your baby
- Sharpie
- Scissors – adult use only
- String
What to do:
- Cut foam in shape of heart & cut out middle. We used a scrapbook die cut for the fancy edges.
- Cut photo in heart shape and glue to the foam for the frame.
- Write message to your child’s Valentine on the part you cut out of the frame heart.
- Glue to the photo frame.
- Put string through top to hang.
- Make someone smile when you give it to them.
Tissue Paper Valentine
What you need:
- Red & pink tissue
- White foam
- Scissors
- Sharpie
- Non-toxic Glue
- Photo
- Pencil
What to do:
- Cut foam in a heart shape.
- Write message on heart.
- Glue photo of your child on the foam (we embellished with scrapbook hearts).
- Cut tissue into squares.
- Put tissue square on end of pencil & dip into glue.
- Outline heart with tissue paper.
- Make someone’s day when you give them this cute Valentine.
New Spin on the Love Frame
What you need:
- Frame
- Background paper
- Window markers
What to do:
- Put background paper in frame with message “I love you because”
- Every day have all family members write in why they love a certain member of the family.
- Switch days for each member of the family to receive frame love.
Thanks to Happily Domestic for the Frame Love idea.
What are your favorite Valentine’s Day crafts?
Tags: Easy Valentine's Day Crafts for Kids, Tissue Paper Valentine, Valentine Photo Hearts
Posted in Easy crafts for kids, Fun Fridays, Holiday | 1 Comment »
Friday, February 3rd, 2012
Your children don’t have to be bored during your Super Bowl party. These three games can make sure they have fun so you can enjoy the Super Bowl without the constant chorus of “I’m BORED” going on in the background.
- Pin the football – Instead of pin the tail on the donkey, each child has a football. They try to ‘pin the football through the uprights or get it in the receivers hands.
- Team hats – Have some construction paper or foam, non-toxic glue and a few other art supplies so they can a hat supporting their favorite team.
- Festive pom poms -Make your own pom-poms using whichever team’s colors you are cheering for by gluing streamers or tissue paper to a large popsicle stick which you can buy at a craft store.
What fun Super Bowl crafts or activities do you have for kids?
Tags: 3 Fun Super Bowl Activities for Kids, Super Bowl activities and games, super bowl crafts for kids, super bowl party for children
Posted in activities for children, Easy crafts for kids, Fun Fridays | 1 Comment »
Friday, January 13th, 2012
Sometimes it’s hard to entertain your children when they (& you!) have cabin fever. One very creative mom sent us the perfect activity for indoor fun with your kids - Hop Aboard Your Personalized Choo Choo Train!
What you need:
- 2 Empty Boxes. One will have to be big enough to “fit” your toddler.
- Paper Plates
- Non-Toxic Marker
- Empty Paper Towel Tube
- Paper Cup
- Heavy Duty Tape
What to do:
- Cut a hole in the large box, big enough to fit your child.
- Tape the smaller box to the back of the larger box to make it look like a train.
- Put the paper cup on the paper towel roll to form a smoke stack.
- Cut out a circle for the bottom of the “smoke stack”.
- Tape the “smoke stack” to the top front of train.
- Draw spokes on paper plates to form wheels.
- Tape wheels onto sides of train.
- Have your child decorate the side of the train with a marker or crayon.
- Let your little one have fun being the conductor of her train!
We recommend creating a whole train experience. You can read books about trains, color train pages and take a ride on your local train. You can talk about how people take trains to see family and friends, to go to work or how trains transport goods. In simple ways you can teach your child about transportation while having fun!
Thank you to the Clark family for sharing their toddler train experience with us!
Tags: easy crafts and activities for your children, easy train craft for kids, fun activities for toddlers, Indoor Train Fun for Your Toddler
Posted in activities for children, Easy crafts for kids, Fun Fridays | No Comments »
Friday, January 6th, 2012
Can you find the 2 deer hiding in the grass?
When we think of going on a walk with our children, we usually think of nice Summer days or the crisp days of Autumn. Winter, however, can provide a unique experience for bonding with nature and your kids. We recently went on a winter walk with our kids at a small gem in the heart of Chicago – North Park Village Nature Center. This amazing nature center includes a 46 acre nature preserve and an educational facility. If we could find this piece of heaven in the midst of busy Chicago, we are sure everyone can find somewhere in their city for their nature walk.
What you need:
- Notebook and Pen
- Camera
- Warm clothes
- A curious mind
What to do:
- Bundle up for your walk. We highly suggest layers.
- For moms with babies, we love using a baby carrier. It keeps them close and snuggly warm and it is easier for you to engage with baby as you point things out on your walk.
- Take photos of your walk. Capture special spots that your children liked.
- Take the time to explain to them what is going on. For example the trees and grass at the nature center were brown. We talked about how nature is “sleeping” (yes, we did work in the importance of nap time for everyone – even the trees!) and during this sleep time, the trees are still very much alive and preparing to bloom. We found the deer hiding in the trees and talked about their brown “coats” helping them to blend in with the trees and grass.
- Print out your photos and put them in a notebook. Have your child write a little memory of the picture. i.e. – I liked the deer or I learned that even though the pond is frozen, there are still fish living under the ice.
- Go on the same nature walk for every season. Take pictures in those same spots and teach your children how nature changes for every season.
Frozen pond we saw on our winter walk
Tags: activites for kids, free activities for children, Winter Walks with Your Children
Posted in activities for children, Fitness, Fun Fridays | No Comments »
Friday, December 23rd, 2011
Homemade gifts during the holiday season are the perfect way for a child to show parents, grandparents, and even siblings, how important they are! These fun holiday crafts are kid-friendly and super easy!
- Photo Frame Ornament: Glue 8 Popsicle sticks together (2 per side) to make a photo frame. Adhere a yarn loop to the top of the frame and decorate as desired (we used macaroni noodles and glitter)! Once the frame is fully decorated, glue down the photo
- Calendars: Many craft stores sell blank calendars that can be filled with fun family photos and memories. For a more personalized touch, write in birthdays and anniversaries!
- Coupon Books: Creating a coupon book is a fun gift for both the child and recipient!
- Decorate a Mug: Most craft stores also sell mug decorating kits for kids. Now grandma will think of her grandson or granddaughter every morning when she drinks her coffee!
- Butterfly Magnet: Glue a small sized photo of the child’s face onto a clothespin. Using leftover paper (or even wallpaper), cut out wings and glue onto the clothespin. Finally, adhere a magnet to the back of the clothespin to finish this cute butterfly!
Once your child has made their gifts for the whole family, they can even wrap them in handmade wrapping paper. Simply take a roll of plan white or brown paper and have them finger paint, or stamp a fun holiday pattern.
Tags: easy fun crafts for children, holiday crafts for kids, Homemade Holiday Gift Ideas for Kids
Posted in activities for children, Easy crafts for kids, Fun Fridays, Holiday | No Comments »
Friday, December 16th, 2011
Turn your home into a winter wonderland with this easy holiday craft. Your kids will love creating festive holiday designs for the windows (and any glass surface!) that can be used for years to come!
What You Will Need:
- Non-Toxic Fabric or Puffy Paint
- Large Plastic Bags (Be sure to supervise children to avoid suffocation)
What to Do:
1. Using the fabric or puffy paint, draw your holiday designs and creations onto a large plastic bag. Draw the details first, such as the snowman’s nose, buttons and eyes and then shade in the area around it to ensure that the snowman will be visible from both sides of the window.
2. Let the paint dry overnight.
3. Once the paint has completely dried, carefully remove the designs from the plastic bag and start decorating your windows!
Enjoy!
Tags: easy crafts for kids, easy crafts for toddlers, fun crafts for children, Holiday Window Cling-On
Posted in activities for children, Easy crafts for kids, Fun Fridays, Holiday | No Comments »
Friday, November 25th, 2011
We all just celebrated Thanksgiving and have full bellies, but we can always find more room for Thanksgiving leftovers! A few ideas for recreating Thanksgiving dishes…
- Turkey Chili – substitute turkey for ground meat
- Turkey Pizza with Muenster Cheese. Yum!
- Cranberry Meatballs – orange juice & cranberries make a great meatball sauce
- Sweet Potato Fries – little healthier version of french fries
- Mashed Potato Patties – make them crispy and your family will love them!
What ideas do you have for Thanksgiving leftovers?
Tags: cooking with turkey, ideas for Thanksgiving leftovers, recipes for Thanksgiving leftovers
Posted in Fun Fridays, Holiday, Recipes | 2 Comments »
Friday, November 18th, 2011
While it may seem like we just finished Trick or Treating with our children, Thanksgiving really is next week! We wanted to share with you an easy craft to do with your children and decorate your Thanksgiving Table.
What you’ll need:
- Toilet paper tubes (the amount depends on the amount of guests)
- Construction paper
- Glue
- Scissors
- A black marker
How to make this Thanksgiving Craft
The Pilgrim:
- Cover a toilet paper roll with black construction paper
- Glue a smaller patch with pink construction paper to form a face.
- Trace and cut a collar (as pictured) on white constructions paper. Glue the collar under the pink construction paper.
- Cut a square on black construction paper to form the base of the hat. Cut a strip and glue the ends together to form a circle and the hat.
- Draw the face and buttons on your pilgrim.
- Write the name of a guest on any colored paper and glue it to the hat
The Native American:
- Cover a toilet paper roll with beige (in this case we used orange) construction paper
- Glue a smaller patch with pink construction paper to form a face.
- Cut a strip of black construction and also cut fringe on one side of the strip to create hair. Glue on top of the pink construction paper
- Trace and cut feathers on other colors of construction paper
- Write the name of a guest on one of the feathers and attach it to the top of the roll.
This is one idea we have for a Thanksgiving craft, but we are also interested in seeing your crafts. Enter our Thanksgiving Craft contest for a chance to win $75 for holiday shopping! Enter here.
Tags: indian craft, pilgrim craft, thanksgiving craft
Posted in activities for children, Fun Fridays, Holiday | 3 Comments »
