Any holiday is exciting when you are a little one! (Well actually, they are even more exciting when you have a little one.) Drawing on this natural excitement is a wonderful way to make learning meaningful for kids. My preschooler has been loving heart activities lately, so I thought I would find some new Valentine…
Finger Painting Ideas
No childhood is complete without some good, old-fashioned, messy, squishy, colourful finger painting. And with winter holidays just beginning, I thought it was a great time to share some wonderful finger painting ideas with you. Trust me, the paint will wash away in no time (well, perhaps a little time) but the memories will stay…
Potpourri Making with Kids
We sure do love our homemade gifts around here. With the holidays just around the corner, I was so excited to try to make this potpourri! This week, we headed outside and collected pine needles to make a woodsy potpourri. This made me think about what a fabulous gift homemade potpourri would be for little…
Fabulously Fantastic Fine Motor Activities!
Fine motor activities truly are fantastic for little ones. Fine motor activities strengthen little hands and muscles, build hand-eye coordination, dexterity, support the development of a proper pencil grip and strengthen little hands for future writing. Fantastic indeed! What is even more fantastic is how easy they are to come by. Fine motor activities are…
Christmas Ornaments to Make with Kids
I must say, even though I know it is early for most, we are totally into the Christmas spirit over here! Garlands are hung, lights are lit, and that woodstove is burning strong day and night. Last year, my boys had so much fun making Christmas ornaments. So much so, in fact, when we were…
A Pretty Winter Lantern Craft
You know when you have an idea for a craft that you think will turn out super cute and then, well, it doesn’t? I bring you, my lantern craft. Actually, it still turned out pretty, just not as I had intended. But I’m jumping ahead a little. We have been invited to participate in a…
Gift Guide for Family Togetherness
Some of us here want our little ones to develop a love of nature. Some of us want our children to learn to love learning. Some of us here want to share great art and craft ideas with our little ones. But all of us? We all love togetherness. Time spent with our families –…
Stump and Nails Geoboard
I am always, always cold. I also hardly ever, ever wear socks. The combination of these two competing forces means that come winter we best have a lot of firewood. The conversation about how much firewood we should have always goes something like this: “I think 6 cords really would be enough. The neighbours have…
Wrapping It Up
Turns out all 3 of my little ones are gift givers. And with a big birthday only 18 days away, the crafts are turning into birthday surprises. While I cannot believe my baby is going to be 4, I can believe that we are counting down already. I have mentioned before that birthdays are big…
DIY Puppets
Puppets! Goodness, I had forgotten about puppets! With our most recent quiet bin (the puppet making one below) I have been reminded of the important role puppets can play in children’s play. Letting little ones create their own characters is a fabulous means to helping them immerse themselves in the beautiful land of make believe….
