Make-It-Yourself Marble Launcher

Today we decided to get a little goofy and bring out the foam noodle for some indoor fun; I figured there had to be a way to turn it into some kind of marble track. So, I rigged it up with some neon green duct tape to the edge of our kitchen counter and propped the end up on a chair. Then we set up a Sponge Bob dixie cup to see if we could catch the marble upon launching it through the noodle's center hole. I knew we'd have to get the angle just right to defy gravity and get it to go up at the end...

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Little Biscuit couldn't wait to give it a shot!

 

Whoo-hoo, here comes the marble! The first few tries we defied gravity with no problem but took a while to get the cup in the right spot. Then, ...

Ta-da, we did it!! Yipee! The marble launcher worked AND we caught the marble in the cup!

So after our first success, we decided to get even more wild and crazy...

We made a marble "monster truck" course! Can our marble jump the stack of cars and land safely in the farm wagon? The suspense was killing us...

 

Indeed it could...way to go Little Biscuit! Then we had a great time experimenting with the angle of the noodle and seeing how high we could make it jump. This one made quite the evil kenevil leap into the air...but alas, we missed the mug at the bottom :)

If you have a marble and a noodle, why not give it a try? It was an entertaining way to spend a cold a morning and made for one happy little boy :)

 

Alphabet Soup Activity

It's warming up outside, woo-hoo! But still a little too wet to go to the park or play much outside. In the meantime we passed some more indoor time today making some "alphabet soup" out of magnet letters just for fun.

First we found a nice soup pot and some water...

(Chef Smiley had to approve of course!)

Then he went "shopping" for his ingredients.

After he had his ABCs, he added them to the pot...

Then he stirred it up and let it simmer...

 

Time to add some seasoning...salt and pepper for sure.

Time to test the temperature to make sure it's just right...

 

When it's just right, he's ready to serve up a big bowl of alphabet soup!

MMMMM!! Yummy ABC soup!

Plush Alphabet Project

So, a friend I met through MOPS had a set of super-cute felt alphabet toys for her toddler son. She couldn't remember where she got them and I couldn't find any the same size to buy in a store or online (I wanted them stuffed-toy size not magnet size) so over a vacation I decided to try to wing it on my mom's sewing machine. They turned out passable - not as cute as the originals but they'll do for letter games and early phonics and reading lessons...and just plain imaginative play, which is what little Biscuit likes them best for right now :)

We use them to make some of his favorite words...
CAR, of course!

FROG...

and just for fun, a little rhyming lesson using the "at" words...

All you have to do to make your own set of plush ABC's is get 26 full felt sheets (8.5 x 11) in fun colors. Fold each sheet in half and draw on a big bubble letter to fill each half sheet using sewing chalk or washable marker (a template for the letters adds more hassle...just hand draw them, it makes them "yours!").  Cut out any holes in letters like A, B, D, P, etc. Then sew carefully around each letter outline leaving an inch hole for stuffing (consider leaving two holes on complicated letters like M, X, W); cut each letter out; stuff 'em with fiberfill (use a pencil or dowel to stuff hard-to-reach areas) and sew up the loose ends. Trim any loose thread and there you are...all done! Have fun!

Watercolor Wonder, Sticker Sillies and the Clothespin Challenge

Nothing too original, but Little Biscuit and I had fun with some with some new-for-us activities last week. First I let him paint on a giant poster taped to his Lego table.(here is the arteest at work)
Then we made a sticker montage around his artwork, letting him place them wherever he chose.Finally we played in a pile of clothespins! It was especially silly to clip them all over him and let him try to figure out how to get them off! Good times!

The Reading Chair

Here is a sight for sore eyes...a SUPER HAPPY little Biscuit bookworm!! ;) He has had a rough go of it since last September and we've had to back off on our weekly library trips (much to his disappointment); now he has another sore throat and runny nose he woke up with today...BUT on the bright side, he is NOT itchy or rashy with eczema even the slightest bit anymore, PTL!! His skin has never looked so good and he hasn't been this cheerful (cold and all) in months! His attention span for playtime and enthusiasm for stories and picture books has been awesome the past couple days (ever since eliminating peanut contamination of his snack crackers, which we know now he's very allergic to based on skin testing, and baker's yeast, just in case).

As an indication of how well he is doing, today I found him in his room reading in his little "reading chair" all by himself, out loud! :D He was reciting "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?" and then a fun board book about Christmas.

He really enjoys his soft toddler-size reading chair with a book basket beside it ;) It does double duty for lots of entertaining diversions such as:

Story time (obviously)Giggle time!Song or music time ("eyes, and ears and mouth and nose!") -- definitely preferable to nose-picking time (*groan*)Even nap time :D

The Doo-Dad Bowl for Developmental Delight

An easy pleaser for Little Biscuit lately has been anything new and different that he can turn into toddler toys. So for a quick activity I fill up a mixing bowl with an assortment of oddments that help him explore and imagine. Puzzle pieces, blocks, chenille stems formed into fun spiral shapes, bendy straws in neon colors - you get the idea. Throw in a big spoon to stir it all up and he just goes at :) It's a sensory sensation too - he likes the sounds he makes when he stirs (and the noisier the better!)...
He can also taste it....mmm, that straw has a bold plastic flavor!Wonder what that bowl smells like inside?Touch it! Hands-on interaction is just as interesting for playing in the bowl - and all those textures are irresistable!Then it's time to dump it out all over the floor! Look at all those fun colors, shapes and sizes :)Do I have any other senses, Mommy? Can I try them all out at once?

Let's Dish! (Servin' up some indoor fun)

Biscuit had a rough night last night since he's still feeling yucky from his cold (or whatever it is), so we were both pretty tired this morning; we decided to entertain ourselves at home. We broke out some plastic containers with easy-snap tops and practiced putting lids on. He had fun trying to match the right lid with the right container (and just as much fun putting the wrong lid on, just to see the result!) :D He also liked seeing what would go inside the containers, and dumping them out.

Block party

Puff the magic teacher! :)















We played a little game yesterday using Biscuit's favorite snack (fruit puffs) and 4 rubber blocks. I put a puff under one of the blocks and asked him to find it by looking for the color I named. He doesn't really "get" colors yet but he likes looking under the blocks to find the puff...and who knows, maybe some of it is sinking in subconsciously? :) He already does pretty good finding blue, yellow and red. Orange is more tricky for him. He also has some colored nesting cups that we can do the same game with, and plastic balls. But in a pinch I could just use some colored foam squares or card stock I suppose.

Speaking of colors, Biscuit's having another "gray day" - one of those days where something's bothering him but I don't know exactly what. He keeps showing me the sign for "hurt" and grabbing the back of his head and ears. He was really clingy and upset all morning and not wanting to eat from a spoon much all week. My top two guesses are a molar (there's a teeny sharp corner that's been poking through the last couple days but not much progress if that's what it is) or an ear infection (he's just getting over a cold). But he doesn't have a fever. Any suggestions? Anyone know of teething causing head pain? I gave him some Tylenol but he was out for his nap really early this morning so it could be an interesting day.