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.

I'm building the kids a Pet Clinic in their playroom.  I really wanted to incorporate a kennel area but didn't want to use actual dog kennels.  They cost so much and weren't safe for the kids.  I'm so happy with the way this came out.  It's an Ikea expedit shelf with gates added to the shelf openings.  Here's how I did it.

I'm slowly putting our new playroom together.  Just found this adorable scale at Walmart for $14!  I bolted it to the shelf so it can't be moved.  The kids have been putting the entire contents of the house on it!  It's proven to be a great learning tool as they discover what's lighter and what's heavier.  We also talk about numbers.  I love the aesthetic it brings to our market area but even more, I love the educational opportunity it brings to our play.  Sometimes, household items make the best toys!

They come in all sorts of fun colors. 

Looking for ideas on Birthday decor.  This decal took 20 minutes to make.  I covered it in clear contact paper so it could last several play sessions.  Still need to add his jet pack but love the way it's coming out.  My boys are totally into Turbo Snails right now.

Also a good lesson for preschool age children

This is a must try.  It's the simplest thing to make and the kids are totally into it.  These anchor socks are played with for a week straight now.  I initially created them for our sailing the mayflower activity but they deserve to be highlighted on their own.

How to Make: A sock, stuff with newspaper and tied shut with long string.

They practice throwing the anchor in buckets, they drag the buckets around with the anchors (caught a big fish), they catch each other with the anchors, anchors get landed on square taped to floor with painters tape and anchors get a parade walk.  Very surprised by how much action this simple DIY toy gets.

Our Apple Tree. The kids will pick apples during their dramatic apple stand pla

Here the kids watch closely as the fire goes out once the lid is placed.

We love throwing theme playdates.  Our Marching Band playdate was such a hit with the kids that I have to share it.  We hosted it in the summer when real parades were happening.  The kids really enjoy dramatic play, music and making crafts.  As a craft we had them make their own drums and maracas  After the craft, our little performers paraded around the house playing their instruments with some fun band music in the background.  For the parade route we taped contact paper to the floor (sticky side up) so that their feet made music too!  For the education component, we cut the contact paper into shapes.  When the music stopped, the kids had to call out the shape they landed on.  





For the drums, we used salt containers.  They were only 33 cents each and small enough for the kids to handle.  We saved the salt to make playdough for other playdates.  Prior to the craft, I cut out several strips of scrapbooking  paper for the kids to choose from.  Then we cut out 2 thinner strips for the borders (see orange in pic).  It was a simple tape/glue craft.   We put out a bowl of stickers for the kids too.  Make sure to cut off the bottom of the container. The drum beat sounds louder when the bottom is hollow.
For the drum sticks, just use some spoons in the house.  The ones we made in the picture didn't work out so well.  The simpler, the better.

You can also make some fun Maracas.  Prior to the playdate fill the salt container with beans and seal the lid shut.  

The kids love all things that light up.  Instead of waiting till the evening to have our light up fun, I created this daytime Galaxy room in our hall.   Here's a quick way to create a dark room for all your light up desires!  Close off your hallway with black fabric hung by closet rods.  I screwed closet rod holders on both ends of the hall for a quick install.  I keep all of our light up toys in a box with the rods and fabric so they are ready on demand.  I also keep glow stars to dec the hall and solar system streamers in our bucket for when we want to have galaxy and outer space play.

This is a great set up for a birthday party and/or a themed playdate.

This is a fun and cheap way to inspire the topic of weather and how we dress for it.  Found the boy and his clothes at Learning Palace.

 I covered all in clear plastic shelf lining and added rings to hold the string.

I made the clouds out of cardboard and painted them white.  The weather signs are from printouts off the internet and placed them in these cute little frames.  We use this everyday!

This is a very charming set up and the kids will absolutely love it.  The theme
is whimsical, musical and educational.  During the playdate, the kids make their own streamers.  You can use ribbon, felt strips or any other kid safe string.
 
It's best to tie the ribbon around a large ring.  You can use plastic shower
curtain rings or large plastic bangle bracelets.  The kids will be waving them
around while hopping from cloud to cloud so you don't want to use stick like
objects for the streamer handle.  We used blue painters tape to form the cloud
shapes on the floor.  We chose painters tape because it doesn't leave any
residue or glue after you remove it.  When the kids arrive, let them make their
streamers as the craft activity and then for the fun, have them jump from cloud
to cloud.  Play some music as they hop.  Stop the music to see who hopped the
most clouds.  Play again to start the hopping.  Make sure the clouds are close
enough so their little legs can reach each cloud in one hop.  During this
palydate, the kids learn fine motor skills while making the streamers, following
instructions with the stop and go and muscle development with the hopping.  The
playdate also has a fun take away-the kids will enjoy taking their newly made
streamers home to show dad!

Our interactive Tree area is taking on a realistic life of its own. 3 years trying to find birds that look real and are play safe. Just found the butterflies and green leaves  My favorite thing about this play area is that it suits all three kids perfectly. Charlotte just loves pulling the items off the wall (everything is attached via velcro). Brendan and Liam play together building the scene each day. So sweet to watch and play with.

The kids really enjoyed this one.  Pick up four bottles and four balloons.  Put different amounts of vinegar in each bottle and pour different amounts of baking soda in each balloon.  Watch with amazement as the baking soda sprinkles down from the balloon into the bottle.