Preschool Paintball!

Lil Bisuit has had a busy summer--he just turned three years old, so we've had lots of family in town for the celebrating, then his aunt was here for a few weeks and kept us entertained, and, in between, we've been working hard on preparations for Baby Biscuit who's due to arrive in August...so, we just haven't had a lot of time to blog. Now that things are settling down some, we needed some summer fun outside today...MESSY fun, of course...but since real paintball was out of the question for either of us, we decided to make our own game of it!

First we had to gather our supplies...water guns and squirters, splash bombs (those soft, foamie water balls for the pool), bowls, washable poster paint in various colors, and good ole' H20...

We filled up the bowls and blasters with a mix of water and paints, and we were ready for pint-sized paint wars!

 He thinks he can avoid my expert, precision shots with his impressive ninja dodging skills...

OHHH! I gotcha!! Mommy 1, Biscuit - 0!! :D

Just wait...there's more where THAT came from :D

Hee hee...I think I'm still winning, but now it's payback time!

Uh-oh...he's gettin' serious now!

Time for Mommy to go on the offensive again!

 Let's re-load...

Hey...cheater! You can't just smear me with it! ;)

Umm...I guess maybe me and Baby Biscuit didn't win after all?

The proud champion...:D

 Oh well...there's always a rematch right? And clean-up is just as fun--especially with colored bathwater!!

Balancing Games for a 2-Year-Old

Today was a great day for playing outside - not too hot or too wet. So little guy and I decided to add some variety to our usual park playtime. I helped him try some new balancing activities just for fun, so he could get the feel of them.

First, the classic...balance beam time!

Then he showed me he could walk the white painted line on the tot rod street... I won't say he could do it without falling off but he sure liked putting his arms out to steady himself!Next we tried some whole-body balancing...sitting on a bouncing car hood without falling off! He did it...then he jumped off on purpose!Hop, hop, hop on one foot!Now for some wiggly-worm step action!All done! That was fun ;)

Pop art - painting with popsicles

This one doesn't require a lot of explanation ;) We created this activity when we were figuring out what popsicle flavors tasted the best for a boy with a sore mouth, and while we were practicing colors all at the same time.
Painting like a proMixing colors for an abstract lookThe artist with his finished work

Stairway Safety 101: Going Downstairs

Ba-Bonk! That's the sound we've heard almost every day for the last few months as Little Biscuit has discovered the fun of sliding down stairs on his backside. It's the way we taught him to get down safely without falling...and now it's one of his favorite at-home games!

He's ready to ride down!There he goes! Ba-bonk! Ba-bonk! Ba-bonk!
Whee! This is fun!I did it! Wow, that was cool!Time to go back up! He must think he's Evil Knievel...planning his next ride down on that motorcycle! Whew! Breaktime.

Learning to Jump

Today at one of our quarterly Parents as Teachers meetings we talked about how, at 20 months old, one of Little Biscuit's next developmental milestones will be jumping - hopping up with both feet off the floor, down from on top of things, bouncing on a trampoline or in a bounce house, and leaping over things. So since I know he already loves trying to hurl himself off of way-too-high surfaces when I'm not expecting it, we decided to have some fun playtime practicing his jumping skills in a more controlled way this morning!

READY?SET?
GOOOO!!!!!!!!
"I did it. Again, again, Mommy!" :)
(What a fun way to build self-confidence! Now wouldn't it be nice if this kind of activity would help ease his separation anxiety!?)
OH MY WORD. The adrenaline is pumping now (mommy's, that is!) I didn't realize I'd opened a toddler gym.Yikes!! I said you could learn to jump, not train for motocross! (Please tell me I don't have one of those fearless daredevils on my hands who's going to want to skydive and roller blade across rooftops and generally give his mother ulcers.)

Winter Boredom-Buster Activity for Tots

Here's playful way to spend a toddler-friendly afternoon on a lazy day.

1. Wake up from your nap. Bundle up. Don't bother brushing your hair; it adds to the fun. Head out the door with your mommy and daddy.
2. Look for animal tracks in the snow. Or try to catch a truck by following the tire tracks on the street!
3. Pretend you're the woodchuck on Groundhog Day; try not to see your shadow so winter will end sooner! 4. Do the Hokey Pokey in the middle of the street for the neighbors to see!
5. When you're all done, come inside and play some goofy games with static electricity!

The Toddler Playhouse Hideout Club

An arctic blast hit this week and we were stuck inside almost all week (plus I had a particularly icky cold so didn't feel too energetic either). As you can see we were getting pretty bored and stir crazy with the usual plastic trucks and puzzles and blocks and stuffed animals...our eyes were beginning to glaze over!
Then, as if on cue, the FedEx guy delivered Little Biscuit's new PeaPod travel bed (a cool little tot-sized tent!) and everything changed for the better! Suddenly we had a whole new world of playtime opportunities! We set it up and the flap doors to his very first kiddie clubhouse opened just before naptime!
(He hasn't learned the "no girls allowed rule" yet so he let me take some pictures!)This is better than a boring ole' baby DVD anyday, Mommy!
The first meeting will come to order!
Okay mom I know the rule now...get out!His first member candidate gets initiated (do you know the secret kiss?)!