Toy Thursday: I (eye) Spy!

I spy with my little eye....Every little kid at some point in their lives sits down to read an "I Spy" book. After all, hunting for hidden objects in the book is a classic past time. The concept of I Spy can be transferred into so many activities and games to help pass more time on a cold, snowy day.

First, you can play I Spy by describing objects in a room. Judah and I use this technique while waiting at the doctors office. I tell him "Eye Spy something...." and I proceed to describe the color, shape, or size of the object. This technique helps him discover and familiarize himself with his surroundings.

Second, you can play a variation of I Spy by hiding objects in the room. Take a medium-sized object and hide it in the room of choice. The second person then looks around the room to find the object. Once found, the games continues to the next person to hide and the other to seek. For example, I will hide a book mark with a string in the living room while Judah closes his eyes. He will then look around the room to find the book mark.

Still you can play I Spy by filling up a clear, glass jar (with a lid) with birdseed. Add a number of objects to the jar that are small in nature. Tightly close the lid of the jar and shake the jar to see what objects you can find inside. My neighbor utilizes this game with her preschool son. Objects inside the jar include things like a small bouncy ball, a matchbox car, a penny, and so on. Each person on their turn will spy something and proceed to describe the object they see peeking out from the birdseed.

These games not only help pass the time on cold days indoors but also teach valuable skills. Use adjectives to describe objects by specific details as in color, size, and shape. Also, practice using words of opposites like inside, outside, up, down, high, and low. You are building vocabulary and spatial skills. And above all, have fun using your eyes!

Toy Thursday: Home Made Play Dough just like Mom Made!

A few weeks ago, our play group was hosted by another mom at her house. It was there that I walked down memory lane as she spread out a plastic table cloth on the floor, got out some toys, and placed some play dough on the table cloth.

Judah's first experience with play dough was actually a week previous when Gigi brought it on vacation for the boys to play with outside. Even so, I sat on the floor beside Judah to roll, pat, cut out, and roll again the blue and green play dough.

The play dough seemed soft enough (unlike regular store bought play dough), so I asked my friend, neighbor, and hostess, if this was indeed home made play dough. She grinned, responding yes and that she got the recipe from her mom from this book. I finished her sentence with Feed Me, I'm Yours (by Vicki Lansky)! I thought the recipe was the same from my own childhood and we both laughed when we talked about using the now brown book which happened to be second generation (falling apart) used.

Since Judah did so well on vacation with the play dough, I finally felt comfortable making this special fun home made activity for him just like my mom did for me. The softness makes this concoction so easy to roll with kid rolling pins, pound with meat tenderizers, and cut out with cookie cutters. This safe, kid proof recipe does not make me cringe as much if he happens to eat it. And we play to our hearts content making caterpillars and meatballs with fun colors of blue and green.

So yesterday, I finished memory lane as we made our own play dough. The recipe seemed easy and quick enough for an excited kid to help. This inexpensive dough lasts for a long time in a sealed container as we come back for more and more fun. Clean up stayed to a minimum as this dough allows easy wiping and the toys can be run through the dishwasher.

In a medium pot, mix:
1 cup white flour
1/4 cup salt
2 tablespoons cream of tartar
Once combined, add:
1 cup water
2 teaspoons food coloring
1 tablespoon oil

Cook over medium heat and stir (about 3-5 mins). It will look like a globby mess, and you’ll be sure it’s not turning out, but it will. When it forms a ball in the center of the pot, turn out and kneed on a lightly floured surface. Store in an air tight container or plastic bag. It’s edible, but not tasty.

When using play dough, don't neglect those necessary pieces of equipment: cookie cutters, rolling pins (real or play), plastic knives, bottle caps, extra flour, uncooked spaghetti or macaroni, etc., etc.

Thanks Lindsay for taking us down memory lane. You can visit more of Lindsay's ideas at Musings and Tidbits. And yes, I found my copy again of the book!

Shuffle Saturday: Tools to find Activities!

This morning turned into a lazy morning with the cold, cloudy weather. However, after nap time, we hope to get out for some family time together on the town. The weekends usually are packed with opportunities at least in our area for families to participate in fun activities and even free events.

This spring it will be nice to get out of the house again and do some fun activities yourself as a family. You just need to know how to find out about what is going on in your area and what you want to do first. At our house, we start by checking out the usual places for family activities to see what is going on around town and then look for ideas in unheard of places.

Watch closely for free family sponsored events around town when you are out. Your local library, your county and state fairgrounds, your local convention center, and other event type places like museums, malls, and even public parks will advertise events. Organizations will also advertise special events as they arise. Usually you will see these marketed by posters, fliers, or displayed on bulletin boards though so you need to pay close attention.

Think out of the ordinary to look for events. Public parks will sponsor outdoor and wildlife days as well as star gazing filled evenings. Non-profits will sponsor pancake breakfasts at minimal cost. Churches hold bazaars, concerts, and carnivals. Different ethnic groups host cultural fairs. Restaurants carry live music or wine tasting events. Craft stores and university extensions hold free classes to learn new techniques and skills. Communities have firework displays, parades, and city celebrations. Look for free symphony concerts outdoors. The possibilities are endless. You really just need to decide what you want to do.

Visit web sites with calendars. Some places that have activities listed by date in a calendar format are your local visitors bureau site, state tourist site, and city site. Most people do not think to look at these sites for reasons you are not visitors or seeking state and city services. These calendars not only offer an excellent listing of upcoming events but may provide special coupon deals for nearby attractions.

For those who do not have access to these sites, call your visitors bureau or state tourism office for a complete calendar booklet of all annual events. Along with maps and pamphlets, this booklet is sent to you by mail usually no cost.

Watch your local news listings. Most television stations host a news segment on upcoming events during the weekday. And most radio stations list upcoming community events. Magazines and newspapers will have advertisements events around town.

Word of mouth. You will be surprised hearing about events by word of mouth as friends tell about special events and post them online. Some events like community wide garage sales will share information to people via Craig's List or Face book. Face book has become a tool for inviting people to events as well as causes.

There is no need to sit inside this spring. Get out and enjoy your community with your family. By keeping your eyes and ears open, you will find plenty to keep busy and have fun. You will also be surprised by what your community has to offer in the way of economical and interesting activities.

As for us, I think we will go to the Healthy Living Fair at our local convention center. We found free tickets and they are hosting children's activities. See you on the town!