'Activity'-Less Fun!

I'm a big believer in child-led play. Meaning, I chiefly follow my daughters lead when we play and I also offer different games/activities to broaden her experiences, but if she doesn't want to do an activity I have offered I don't push it (no matter how much time/effort I've put into preparing it. Ouch!).
As such, this week has been devoid of our usual activities because of Miss E's simple-play leanings (hence the quietude on the blogging front). So, here's a quick glimpse at what we have done this week...

Spaghetti Sensory Tub

Having seen this great idea crop up in a few spots around the web (I first spotted it at The Imagination Tree), I decided to whip up a batch of sensory spaghetti to entertain my little 3 year old on a bad day.

It was a cinch to prepare: cook spaghetti as per usual, divide into bowls, add some drops of food dye and cooking oil to each bowl (so it doesn't become one big solid-but-mushy-clump), and mix through.

Personalised Valentine for Daddy

My husband's birthday is on Valentine's Day, so we tend to make a big deal of it around here (for Australians, anyway). More accurately, we tend to make a big deal of him on Valentine's Day. This year, we're preparing a gift for him every hour (some bought, some made). One of the gifts we made for him is a poster of two of his favorite people: our girls! Check this out...

I had seen a few images on Pinterest of women holding up signs with messages of love to their significant others, and thought I could do a version with our kids! I laid down a nice blanket, got the girls into white/pink outfits and got to work.

Valentines Day Playdough Treats

Ah, playdough, is there anything you can't do? As Valentine's Day is just around the corner, I thought that a batch of Valentine's Day playdough was in order (see here for Nurture Store's recipe). To the basic dough mix, we added some rosewater and some silver glitter for that extra special something, and pretty much as soon as the playdough was cool enough to handle, Eden was into it!

Got some toilet rolls set aside? Get painting!

I saw this great idea here at Mama Mia's Heart 2 Heart and basically copied it! I got a few toilet rolls grouped together with an elastic band, stapled them together (so it was more secure, 'cause they were shifting around), set my little Miss E. up with some paper and paint, and away she went.

A little tip: any time we do stamping with paint, I use a meat tray with a dampened sponge on it to hold the paint. It acts like a stamp pad, but for paint instead of ink.

Just While I Cook Dinner....

How often do you wish that your precious child could keep themselves busy just so you can cook dinner in peace? My daughter (3yrs) can play by herself quite happily for decent stretches of time, but for some reason that ability seems to evaporate whenever I begin to cook. Whenever I can, I involve her in the cooking/food preparation, but this is not always an option and I often find myself trying to scrounge up an interesting activity whilst at the same time trying to keep dinner from becoming charcoal.

Never Too Early To Learn: Washing Clothes

Living in Australia should mean that we enjoy glorious sunshiney summers, but for us Aussies living in Melbourne it actually means that the weather runs the full gamut each and every day. So it was some surprise that we enjoyed a full week of ridiculously gorgeous weather last week. Time to go outside!

Like many of her tot peers, Miss Eden (3) likes to mimic everything I do, and LOVES helping me around the house. So, I thought she may enjoy doing the laundry for her dollies whilst I did the real deal.

The Best Jumper: Activity

Christmas quickly followed by Eden's third birthday meant that we saw the girls' bookshelves swell somewhat with a slew of new titles, one of which is 'The Best Jumper' by Lynne Garner and Sarah Gill. The book tells the story of a little mouse who receives a knitted jumper from his grandmother for his birthday, which he carries with him everywhere. 

I wanted to do an activity relating to the book since it has become a fave of Eden's, and as knitting an actual jumper would not require much of my three year old's involvement, I thought we could make a poster instead!