Inspire, Enrich, Create - Blog

Skating workout up hill

Fri, 28 May 2021 01:52:16 GMT

The Jungle Aligator

Thu, 11 Feb 2021 14:06:48 GMT

The alligator was a great addition to our Hide and Seek Jungle theme. What a fun birthday party prop. It was interactive, decorative and functional... Our birthday cake pictures came out so cute. All materials were purchased at our dollar store. I used animal and regular balloons to create his eyes.

The Alligator frame is our dining bench. A perfect transition piece from hide and seek to eating birthday cake on an alligator.

I used green plastic table cloth to cover the base, green party napkins to give texture to his legs and paper Pom Pom's to give a scale look. His materials cost $5 to make

His mouth was interactive. Kids had fun putting their heads in there. They also fed him cake. I used 2 foam boards. I cut a strip from each foam board to make his teeth. The red balloons held his mouth open.

The Totem Poles: Interactive Jungle Birthday

Wed, 23 Sep 2020 12:31:19 GMT

What a fun project, just because. Totem poles are a great Jungle party addition. They totally add to the theme design aesthetic. Make them interactive and watch your jungle come to life. Not interested in building a cardboard totem pole? Go grab those free boxes anyway. These were a hit the moment the entered my front door.

Interactive Jungle Birthday

Wed, 23 Sep 2020 10:18:43 GMT

The Design and Inspiration Phase

This is such a fun birthday party theme for kids. Follow along my journey as I build out a hide and seek Jungle World for my daughter's 7th Birthday. This is a birthday on a budget. Many of my hide and seek props and jungle decor were made out of Dollar Store plastic table cloth, napkins and craft board. The hide and seek activity inspired this to become an interactive jungle world. Having an activity built into the theme made this party a huge hit.

Ninja Birthday Party

Mon, 16 Mar 2015 15:12:12 GMT

Here is my take on the ninja birthday theme. I found so many great ideas on Pinterest. I was also inspired by the Clumbsy Ninja App. My boys love that game.

I hung the Ninja blowup doll's from the ceiling. The kids used nom-chucks, swords and many ninja moves to knock them around. I bought the dolls on Amazon. They were $7 for two.

The ninja eyes were our placemats. I printed out one set of eyes and cut the eyes off the black. I didn't want to waste all my printer ink on the black part. Once cut, I copied just the eyes and pasted them to black card stock paper. Then I laminated them. I used the number 6 as a game. We spread them out throughout the party and had the ninja's hunt them down. The ninja with the most 6's won a special prize.

I used foam pipe insulators, red rope and red duck tape to make the nom-chucks. These were used the most of all ninja weapons. I copied an image from the internet to create the ninja stars. I printed out 3 on card stock and glued them together. It gave them more weight and durability when being thrown.

These are the ninja potions. The concept was inspired by the clumsy ninja app. This was the biggest hit of the party. If you are having a ninja party- definitely do this. We had a freeze potion, punching and spinning. The kids stayed hydrated, acted out funny impressions after drinking and they served as great transitions to each activity I used gatorade, 10oz water bottles and created fun tags with symbols for each.

Here the kids drink the punching potion. I picked up the inflatable ninja shield at the dollar store.

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Invite

The kids were really into this simple activity. I made a Hi-Ya chopping game out of 3 pieces of wood. I used blue painters tape for them to chop. I tried to use brown masking tape but it didn't work as well. That tape cut down the side and didn't leave a noise when chopped. The painters tape chopped down the middle and left a fun vibrating sound when chopped. I used tape because it was the quickest way to reload the chop for the next kid in line. If you build this, make sure the width of the area is wide enough so the kids don't get hurt.

The Brick Wall. This was another great one. Scored 30 of these boxes at a yard sale for $2. At the time I didn't know what i'd use them for but it was too good of a deal to pass up. I used a card stock pattern and traced it with a sharpie to create a brick look. The kids had fun building various towers and then destroying them with their power kicks.

Hit the Ninja Game. Kids used toy bombs, swords and nom-chucks to knock the ninjas down. Bought the balloons on amazon. Created this PVC pipe structure to tie the balloons onto.

Rubber bombs that squeak. The boms are dog toys found at the dollar store.

Inflatable swords- ordered these on Oriental trading. They were $11 per dozen

So easy, lot's of fun. Used streamers to create a ninja obstacle course.

Paw Patrol Birthday Party

Mon, 05 Jan 2015 01:30:34 GMT

This is a fun theme with lot's of sensory activities.

The Paw Patrol team consists of water play, sky catching, construction mining, recycled spy gear, fire dashing and policing. These areas of interest offer great sensory and motor activities for a kids birthday party. It's virtually management free with structured entertainment.

Here's what I created based on each dogs interest.

Zuma's Water Play

Zuma is all about water. One of my personal sensory favorites.

Zuma's station had orange water and air balloons hanging from the ceiling. Something fun for the kids to punch around. The water table had balloon powered boats, submarines powered by baking soda and plastic boats frozen in large ice blocks. The kids LOVE large ice blocks. l had small squirt bottles with warm water at hand for those eager to claim the boat prize frozen in ice.

Rubble's Construction Zone

Rubble is my second favorite. He's the construction dog. Inspired by the children's museum exhibit, I built a bucket pulley system. The kids load buckets of corn feed into pails and shift them from one side of the room to the other using the pulley's. I had a few tonka trucks, shovels and sifting gadgets in that area too. I made these construction panels out of cardboard and duct tape. The borders helped keep the corn in the room. Not pictured are kid pools filled with corn.

Paw Patrol characters inspire teamwork, problem solvingl skills and community servicing. As a team building activity we held a carabiner rope race. The teams of two will start in the middle equipped with equal sets of carabiner's and ropes with loops. First team to reach opposite ends of the room, wins a prize.

Sky's Flyzone

Skye is my favorite activity inspiration. All her games were played using our ceilings. From my Toddler Enrichment Programs, I learned that Ceiling Activities are always a hit with the kids. How often do you use your ceiling? It's such a fun concept. And Festive. I highly recommend using your ceiling more often. For Brendan's birthday, I hung all the party favors from the ceiling. I repurposed these zappers with balls by covering the ball with Velcro and extending the string long enough to reach the hanging prize. The prizes were stuffed into felt covered bones. When the ball is fired it catches the toy. As a side table activity in the pink area, kids experimented with snap circuit systems that launch propellers into the air. Paper planes and other fun things that fly were also available to inspire sky play.

The Paw Patrol Lookout

I made this out of cardboard, PVC Pipes and colored Plastic Tablecloth. The construction was very easy (once we figured out how to do it). The top removes from the bottom. 1/2 PVC pipes slip into 1" pipes which are fastened to the cardboard frame.

Covering the cardboard was as easy as wrapping a large gift.

Business Idea:

When I construct my next lookout tower, I'll use fabric. I'll create slip covers for the top and bottom and reuse this structure with multiple themes. Some themes that come to mind are; construction, carnival, lemonade, dog park and ice castle. I'll avoid Trademark images.

If you're a stay at home mom who is crafty and can sew, this could become a small local business opportunity where you provide specialized Party supplies.

I plan to try this myself. I'll share design and theme ideas along the way. I'll also keep you updated with my marketing strategy and product pricing points.

Build A Playroom That Grows With Your Child

Wed, 22 Oct 2014 15:25:41 GMT

I love re-designing our kids playroom. Our once dining room is now the most active room in the house. Initially, I got drill happy. I attached just about everything to the walls. The room looked amazing and the kids loved playing in it. Here are some of the fun things I created for them.

Water and Ball tunnels for your play area

Activity Cubes Repurposed!

Do it yourself-Felt activities your child will love

Large Picture frames Repurposed

Amazing Ideas: Kids Playroom on a budget

Interactive Tree

Good thing I own this house! Lots of holes. After many switches, I had to paint the room over. It was hard taking everything down. I grew attached to the room. But the kids outgrew it and the walls needed a touch up.

Walls are ready to be painted. My blank slate.

This time around I decided to limit how much I would put on the walls so I picked up these Besta shelving units. They ended up being a perfect investment for the room. Now I can switch the room around in many different configurations without damaging the walls!

BESTÅ Shelf unit/height extension unit, white $35.00 Article Number: 201.340.51 Size 23 5/8x15 3/4x15" I got it on sale for $29

BESTÅ Shelf unit/height extension unit, white $40.00 Article Number: 202.216.56 Size 23 5/8x7 7/8x25 1/4"

DIY: Fun Kids Market stand

BESTÅ Shelf unit/height extension unit, white $40.00 Article Number: 202.216.56 Size 23 5/8x7 7/8x25 1/4"

DIY: Large Light Up Pegboard

BESTÅ Shelf unit/height extension unit, white $25.00 Article Number: 902.190.04 Size 23 5/8x7 7/8x15"

DIY: X-Ray viewing station for Kids Playroom

EXPEDIT Shelving unit, white $59.99 Article Number: 701.162.76 Size 17 3/8x72 7/8"

BESTÅ Shelf unit/height extension unit, white $25.00 Article Number: 902.190.04 Size 23 5/8x7 7/8x15"

DIY Kids Lab Table: Ikea Hack

With the other side of the expedit shelf, I created this dry erase wall.

DIY: Dry Erase Wall for Kids Room

EXPEDIT Shelving unit, white $39.99 Article Number: 201.353.00 Size 31 1/8x31 1/8"

DIY: Pet Kennel for kids playroom

Here are all the ways we have converted the room using these main pieces

Converted the X-Ray Viewing Station into a light box station

Placed all of the best units together to form this fun market counter.

This is my favorite configuration so far! Each shelf is organized by the type of toy. The kids can easily access their toys and help with clean up. The set up also opens up my wall space. I couldn't resist getting activities back up on the walls agin ;)

DIY Mission Impossible Water Feature for kid play

Sun, 10 Aug 2014 11:23:44 GMT

I'm learning that the simpler the feature, the more the kids play. This feature took 15 mins to make and thus far is the most popular in our backyard play scape.

I used 3/4 thick PVC pipes, three 90• elbow fittings and one hose to PVC pipe fitting. I drilled holes through the top of the structure, spacing them out about 3" wide. The kids love running through the structure but also love trying to escape the water by going between the streams (the drill spacing). I used PVC cement (glue) to hold the pipes together.

Total cost is less than $10!

DIY ball drop for kids play

Sun, 10 Aug 2014 10:50:10 GMT

We have a tall deck but you can install these anywhere in the backyard. The tunnels are made with black PVC pipes! 10 minutes to make, hours of fun!

I chose a 10ft 4" wide pipe. I cut it in half to make two 5ft tunnels (any hardware store will cut them for you). I added 90• elbows to the ends of each and tied the pipes to our deck railing.

I scored a huge bag of bounce house balls for $3 at a yard sale. You can buy these anywhere for about $20 though.

I chose these because they're soft and perfect for sorting activities. We count the balls as they go down and have the kids drop them by color.

Add to the fun by having other kids hold buckets and catch the balls as they are dropped. Or, give them tennis rackets/bad mitten to hit the balls as they shoot out. The activities are endless!

As an extended feature, I added hoses nearby so the kids can shoot water down the pipes!

From below, we use funnels to catch the water.

Our sandbox - thinking outside the box

Sat, 12 Jul 2014 14:53:40 GMT

This is a fun sand play area. The pirate ship is washed up on a beach. Kids can play with sand in and out of the ship. It's such a fun theme for dramatic and active play. I used PVC pipes to create the sling shot, filled the beach area with real beach sand, placed several pirate accessories around and built a fun hose powered water station.

DIY Backyard Water Gun Target Station

Sat, 12 Jul 2014 14:19:16 GMT

This is a fun new feature I added to our backyard play scape. The kids can hit targets using water guns.

The spinning target is the best. I plan to get one more. I purchase them for about $10 each through pyramyd air. To anchor the spinning target, I drilled a hole into the 2x4 and slid the target legs through.

I used PVC pipes to connect the hoses to the station. We have several water features and the PVC allows me to control which station is being used at a given time. This is the shut off fitting that connects the pipes so you can turn the water on to reach all stations. The shut off valves are by each station. To activate that area, the kids simply turn the valve and are ready to play.

I changed the hoses. These blue ones are more flexible and easier for the kids to manage. I also changed out the resetting target with another spinning target. I used sand and rubber mulch for this play area. It helps to keep the water play clean. Things got pretty muddy prior to laying out the mulch.

Remodeling kids playroom- step by step.

Thu, 29 May 2014 06:10:46 GMT

Inspired by Pinterest, here's what I plan to do with the window. This will be our science lab. I'll have test tubes and equipment stored along the window sill

My Space

When you walk in, you're on the stage. I'll use a curved shower rod to create a curtain around the door. This will be our theater. Directly across will be the vetrenarian clinic-equiped with small cages on the wall

Finished patching all the holes, adding texture and paint. Now starting the fun part- setting up the room. Here's our new science lab. I plan to build a small shelf that suspends across the window. I'll drill holes in it that are wide enough to hold the test tubes.

I plan to use this Pinterest Inspired concept to decorate the window. I'll pick up clear plastic Christmas ornaments (on sale of course) and paint them in clear iridescent colors to give this bubble illusion.

I had to change out the table I built for this Ikea Expedit shelf. I have an earlier post explaining how I hacked the one side to make the table top. It's our Science Lab Table. It looks so much cleaner and holds up to the messes really well.

Charlotte playing at the lab and Brendan playing at the light box.

I converted our x-ray viewing box into a light table. The great thing about using the ikea frames is how easily you can mix the units. They all stack nicely. And they look good. Most important, they hold up really well to kid play.

I like to set the stage with their play. I found these really fun stretchy people at a yard sale for $1. I have them interacting with the kitchen today. They're usually doing zany things all around the playroom. A similar theme to elf on shelf.

DIY kids water station

Fri, 16 May 2014 21:55:16 GMT

Just built this fun water station for my nephews using PVC pipes, sprinklers, buckets and clear tubing. Lots of fun and pretty easy set up.

Here's another station I made for my sons school. This one has a cascading design to fit the different heights of his classmates. I also has fun with a dustpan cascading feature.

Dr. Seuss inspired clubhouse

Fri, 16 May 2014 01:49:04 GMT

I received this used kid craft clubhouse as a gift from a friend. I just planned to paint it and fix it up a little but once I put on the red and white stripe drapes, the Seuss house was born. Kids houses should be fun and inspiring ;)

I added these fun test tube flower pots.

The ball tunnel wall is inspired by the onceler from the movie/book "The Lorax". The kids can drop balls from inside and watch them roll back into the club.

I plan to do a black and white stripe baseboard. I also want to add some fun look eye look out areas around this area.

I had to drill a one inch hole and then use the skill saw to get a hole big enough to fit the 2" PVC pipe.

I repurposed and old activity cube and bolted one activity side to the inner wall. The one I chose was a magnet spinning maze. I felt it suited the theme best.

Mr. Potato Head Mail. The kids find his pieces and put them on his body inside. Mr. Potato head has a lot of different looks! So cute.

I drilled him to the wall using a a nut and bolt.

Lol- love being a mom and a kid again

Recent addition to our zany house. Each side has a different scene. Side showing is airplane. Other side is riding a bike. Kids peek face through hole and laugh . So fun. So happy I repurposed a fun damaged book

Added this fun eye peek hole area and Velcro flowers so the kids can pick their own flowers

Added a periscope through the roof. Kids can peek out from the inside. The periscope moves up and down and turns side to side.

DIY Kids Activity Table with built in Buckets

Mon, 05 May 2014 03:23:30 GMT

This is a fun way to keep activities on the table and still out of the way. Buckets Built in! It also helps keep loose toys more organized when in use. Here's Charlotte matching her colors and patterns.

Found this white table at a yard sale for only $3. The diameter was a little too small for me to add buckets though (22").

I found this table on Craigslist for $20. It had the perfect diameter. Not too big, not too small (30"). I just need the table top. I sanded it down and stained it a dark walnut.

I drilled one hole though each area and then came around the edge with my skill saw. I had to do this twice because I was cutting through two tables. I cut through the white table first and used that pattern to cut my Walnut top.

YOu can see here how I drilled the hole and then worked my way to the edge. Not the best circle but you can't tell once the bucket is in the hole.

How I furnished my house for free

Mon, 28 Apr 2014 02:25:41 GMT

Quality goods can be found for free. It just takes a little hunting. I found a nitch I didn't know I had when I sold my first craigslist find for for a $100 profit. I used that profit to fund more finds. Along the way, my house was furnished temporarily until I found a better replacement. An upgrade in quality.

And that's how you begin.

It requires patience and negotiation. Hold steady when asking for more while selling and make sure to offer less when buying. Labor too. You'll have to haul the items ;). It's my personal way of going to the gym. It gets scary too. I worried many times about losing a rug or worse,a couch on the highway. I'm happy to report that never happened. Here's a few shots of how my home has progressed. Today, I'm actually in the black $3k. Furnished free and for profit. It was a fun project to take on- a game.

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FirePlace Room: Picked up two of these immaculate 13x 15 rugs for $400. Turned each around for $350. Total Profit $300

Family Room: This couch set was a bad buy. It was hard to sell for profit. I was happy to get my money back though. Picked up 2 of these 8x10 white shag rugs for $50 each. Picked up some yarn and sewed them together. Because of the larger size I was able to get $275. $175 profit.

These chairs really got me started. Purchased 4 for $90 and sold each for 125. $410 Profit. I would have kept them but just couldn't get the to fit our design scheme.

Loved these bar stools but had to sell them. My toddlers kept falling over the back rest. Picked the pair of for $25 and sold pair for $150

My Free Projects

Mon, 28 Apr 2014 01:28:39 GMT

I want to build a 30ft metal gazebo out of scraps from other broken down gazebos. I could just buy 3 like gazebos but I want to costumize. I plan to hunt craigslist and yard sales for the frames. Hoping to score all I need for free. Soon to come on my progress.

DIY Kids Lab Table: Ikea Hack

Mon, 07 Apr 2014 14:43:43 GMT

In a Previous post (ikea-hack-dry-erase-wall-for-kids-room), I dismantled an expedit unit from Ikea and created a fun dry erase wall for the kids playroom. I still had another piece of the unit to use so I created this fun lab table.

This is the expedit Unit I used. The long part of the unit was the perfect length for our window lab table. The surface of the unit is perfect for cleaning up all of our messy science experiments. And it gets messy! This table surface is perfect for kid play.

EXPEDIT Shelving unit, white $59.99 Article Number: 701.162.76 Size 17 3/8x72 7/8"

You can see the dry erase wall to the right as one side of the expedit and the lab table top straight ahead as the second side of the expedit.

For the table legs, I used these Ikea Besta shelves. They gave me the perfect height for the table and they fit perfectly with the width of Ikea shelf. I added shelves on the inside openings of the Besta to create more storage. I had to cut the shelf down to fit the space and I drilled new holes to support the shelves. The shelves that came with the Besta would not work because I turned the Besta unit around to give the height.

BESTÅ Shelf unit/height extension unit, white $25.00 Article Number: 902.190.04 Size 23 5/8x7 7/8x15"

DIY Pendulum For Kid Play

Mon, 07 Apr 2014 14:16:06 GMT

Pendulum Play is excellent for learning cause and effect, physics, spatial reasoning, experimenting with weight and size, language, vocabulary and teaches kids how to work together. I made this pendulum out of PVC pipes, string and tennis balls. After the initial excitement of knocking blocks down, the kids began experimenting with the the limitations of the ball and began building their towers more strategically. This is a great way for kids to learn through play! Very easy set up!

DIY: Large Sling Shot

Thu, 13 Mar 2014 15:37:12 GMT

The boys are really into App games like Angry Birds and Grumpy Snowmen because of the sling shot features. I was surprised to learn how easy it was to create a life size one for them. I chose PVC pipes because they are cheap and very easy to work with. We have been slinging ice cubes with them but I plan to build a few targets this summer so we can all practice our aim.

You need One T fitting

You need two 90 Degree fittings

You need Two End Caps

White PVC Pipe. I used 1.5 inch. I felt it was rigid enough to support the pulling motion of the sling. You'll make five cuts. One long for the base, two short to connect the T to the base and the elbows. Two for the sides to support the sling shot and connect to the elbow

You'll want to use this PVC cement to secure all the connectors. It's super strong and dries pretty quick.

I used these Galvanized Full Clamps to secure the structure to our deck.

I drilled four holes ingot he PVC and fished the bungee cords through. This bungee cord was used from a hand held water balloon sling shot. I made another one using actual bungee cords and sewed them to nylon. This one was much easier for the kids to use. I plan to pick up another one to replace the sling system I sewed.

I tied a knot in the bungee and looped a long piece into the pipe and placed the cap over it. I also used the glue to secure the cap

For the bottom holes I knotted the bungee around a bolt and used duct tape to secure the the extra length to the PVC pipe.

Olympics Birthday Party: DIY Obstacles

Thu, 13 Mar 2014 05:00:40 GMT

This is a really great party theme for kids 4 and older. The kids kept asking what game/race is next! Funny enough, I was worried I had too much planned and didn't want it to be too structured. Luckily I was prepared because they couldn't get enough! Here's of few looks at our course. Some of the activities we did were: Egg and spoon race, Crab crawl, Shopping cart derby, Backward team race with baton pass, Disk toss through Olympic Rings, Obstacle course run and Egg Hunt.

I made the hurdles with PVC pipes and spray painted them red. It only cost $4 in materials. It was a much better solution to buying them for $40 retail. I made them 7 inches tall. After testing a few heights with the boys, this seems like the best height for most ages/sizes. For each hurdle, you need two 90 degree elbows and two T caps. The olympic rings and arches are made with pipe insulators and decorated with duct tape. The covers were only .80 each. Another great solution to save money on pricey retail arches.

Our balloon table was the first obstacle. The kids had to crawl through that first. I strung about 6 balloons together and tied them to the table. I repeated that pattern all around. I made sure to keep the balloons loose around the entrance/exit so the kids wouldn't get caught up in them. I also used blue painter's tape to create the flow of the course. It helped keep the kids on track and added to the decor

I used $1 plastic table cloth covers to create the ceiling decorations and added a few balloons in the center.

After each race, all the kids received a metal but the winner received a trophy. I also handed out t shirts with a number on it. Here are the kids getting ready for the next race. It helped to have a designated start line and finish line each time. When they approached the finish line, I strung up blue painter's tape across the hall so they could run through it like champs. Even though the first place winner broke the tape, I kept replacing it so the other kids could feel the viceroy of breaking the line. They love breaking the line and will wait for you to put it back up so they can go through it!

These were our Olympic Batons. I made them out of PVC pipes and PVC pipe end caps. You would never know after a fun coat of spray paint ;) These were .40 each to make. If I held another party like this, I would absolutely use these. The kids gravitated toward the team races and wanted to use them. I had an odd number of guests and my poor middle child kept getting left out of the races so I had to stop using them.

How to make the Olympic Rings and Arches

You can find the pipe insulators in any hardware store. You want the ones that are not semi cut.

Just wrap tape around and cover completely.

I was able to duct tape our arches to the floor but if you're party is outside, you can use these faucet covers as the base and fill with sand or rocks.

Cut a hole in the center

Cover with duct tape and voila! You have arches.

For the ring, apply the tape and form insulator into a circle. I found that the thinner insulators made better circles.

If I had more time, I would have cut the insulator down into 8 inch pieces, covered with duct tape and created spears for the kids to throw through the rings. The insulators don't fly well without the duct tape. We ended up using plastics disks for that activity instead.

DIY Catapult for Kids Play

Tue, 11 Mar 2014 12:29:35 GMT

This was a really easy toy to make for the boys. I picked up these buckets for .50 at the dollar store, cut down a piece of pvc pipe to go under the board and cut down a piece of primed wood. I drilled holes in the wood and attached the pvc pipe with a nut and bolt. I also drilled one hole in the bucket to attach it to the top end of the plank. That too was secured with a nut and bolt. I covered the bottom area in duct tape so the kids wouldn't get splinters. All sorts of things have been flying in the air! When the weather gets nicer, we'll move it outside for some water balloon fun.

My Favorite Apps for Kids

Sun, 09 Mar 2014 15:29:36 GMT

Here's a list of our favorite Apps. They are kid tested and mom approved. I'll continue to post updates to this blog entry as there are a ton more that we love and would like to share.

Educational

Tally Tots- The kids love it because it's interactive with 20 fun experiences. I love it because the app does teach counting. If my child wants to play a certain experience, he has to listen to the count before it appears. I find him counting along all the time. They also have an Alpha Tots app. The kids seemed to favor the tally more though.

Tally Tots

Pattern Recognition by Nth Fusion- This app is intended for Kindergarten and has apps for other grade levels. My 3 year old and 4 year old like it.

Duck Duck Moose Apps- Any of these apps are great for the kids. We have all of them and the kids love them because they are interactive and have songs.

Numberlys by Moonbot Studios - This is actually a combo app. It's a story, game and educational. The kids loved this one.

ABC Train by LoeschWare- This is a fun educational app that is interactive. The kids tap on the train doors "F" is for Frog is announced and then they tap on the frog to see what he does.

Little Sky Writers by DANO2- It's a fun way for the kids to learn how to trace the alphabet. The plane guides them in the correct direction for how a letter is written.

Toca Lab by Toca Boca AB- This is a fun app for kids to learn about science without the mess. You can't go wrong with any of the Toca Boca apps.

Piig Labs by Piig Inc.- another great app for teaching science

Wonderkind Apps-Anything Wonderkind is good. These apps are best for the younger toddler who is first learning to use apps. They're great because it offers an opportunity to talk about what's happening in the scene. As your child taps, there is a reaction.

3DAL, LLC has a few great apps. Our favorites are Preschool Adventure, Preschool Arcade, Bumblebee Touchbook and Preschool Adventure Island.

Books and Stories

Slice of Bread goes to the Beach

Madera and Figaro Save The Day by Lyn and Line LLC

Pan The Fearless Beribolt by Hulla Balu

Pilo3 by Arcreative- This is a fun interactive story app.

Robot Blue from Planet 22 by Uncoated Design

Games

BADLAND by frog mind This app is on the darker side so it may better suited for older kids. It's a strategy and puzzle app. My 3 year solved every level. I wish they came out with a second version. He loved it.

Granny Smith by Mediocre AB We've had this app for two years now and the kids still play it all the time!

Slides & Ladders by Tipitap- This is a great game to have when you only have one device and multiple kids looking to play. 4 kids can play together. It helps us to teach about taking turns.

Marble Mixer by GameHouse- This is another great app when you have multiple children and one device. Great family time too.

DIY: Windowsill Test Tube Station For Kids Playroom

Wed, 26 Feb 2014 15:15:47 GMT

Here's a fun way to turn your windowsill into a Science Lab Station for your kids playroom. I drilled holes into a piece of wood that were the same diameter as the test tubes. I suspended the slat of wood by cutting down two small slats to support it on each side of the windowsill frame. Now the kids have a dedicated area for all their science experiments. As a bonus, it adds to the decor of the room! More importantly, it offers spontaneous play. Instead of having the test tubes stored in cabinets, they are out in plain sight and inspire the kids daily to create fun concoctions.

Our Science lab and Pet Clinic Play Area

DIY: Large Light Up Pegboard For Your Kids Playroom

Sun, 16 Feb 2014 15:32:15 GMT

While at our local Children's Museum, our kids were drawn to this fun life size pegboard exhibit. Ever since seeing it, i've been planning to make it for their playroom. It's such a fun addition to our quiet play. I used an Ikea Besta shelf as the base. This was a fun Ikea hack!

BESTÅ Shelf unit/height extension unit, white $40.00 Article Number: 202.216.56 Size 23 5/8x7 7/8x25 1/4"

I used the bottom shelf to separate the pegboard from the translucent rod storage area. I didn't use the second shelf.

BESTÅ Leg, square, white $10.00 / 2 pack Article Number: 002.119.22

This is a 1/2 inch 2X4 Slat of birch wood that Home Depot cut down for me to fit the inside area of the Besta Unit. The cut I chose was 5" shorter than the height of the Besta Unit. I placed one of the shelves below the peg board so I could have a storage area for the translucent rods. I had to drill new bracket holes to support the shelf. I created this grid to get an even distribution of peg holes. I used a 3/4 inch drill bit to create all the holes. I chose this size because it created the same diameter of the translucent rods. Then I spray painted the face of the peg board black and sealed with a satin polyurethane.

I used these small brackets to fasten the pegboard to the Besta frame. I placed them at each corner of the peg board and Besta frame.

My next layer inside was a thick piece of clear plastic. I used this so that the pegs would stop halfway through the system. I fastened the plastic with the same brackets at each corner of the system. I used a plastic cutter to get the fit. All holes were pre-drilled. If you don't pre-drill, the plastic will crack. Make sure you pre-drill. Also, make sure you get the thicker plastic. The thin ones aren't rigid enough and will have to much give when the rods are being inserted.

I dismantled an old lamp and used it's existing base to secure the light fixture inside the system. Notice I screwed it into place. I used a 25 watt LED bulb. You want this bulb. It doesn't get hot and is the safest.

I used a 1" drill bit to create this back hole for the cord. As a final step, I unscrewed the bottom portion of the Besta unit so I can insert the back white panel. I had to hold the whole system up and lower it down while aligning with the slots for the white back panel. Then I screwed the bolts back into place. I had to do it this way because I couldn't access the bolt system on top because of the peg and plastic layers.

These are the bolts I'm referring to.

These are the translucent colored rods I found. I had the company cut them into 5" rods and chose ones that were 3/4 in diameter. The company I used is Delvies Plastics Inc.

Here's what it looks like lit up.

Kids already having fun with it!

I placed it next to this play kitchen for this photo to give you an idea of the actual size of the light Up Pegboard Activity.

I'll make it for you. Check out my store if you're interested

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