Start with having them blow the feather on the ground.  Then have them blow the feather with a straw.  For older ones, it can be a feather race game.  Finally, bring out the big blowing guns (hair dryers).  Have them blow the feathers across the room.  We used dryers with a cool setting.

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

No wonder Pinatas are such a hit at parties.  Kids love whacking things.  Here's a safer alternative to that dreaded stick used on pinatas.  Use Paper towel dowels instead.  We duck tape ours with fun colors.  Best part is you can hang what ever you want to match the theme of your party/lesson/play date.  Use duck tape to suspend all strings from ceiling.  It holds up best.

Play Date Idea
Looking to host a play date with activities for the kids? Or do you have a shop that runs fun classes for kids? Host or run a Pinterest play date.  As a host, have 3 other moms (that should be your cap) bring one activity for all kids attending (2-5).  Each mom will chose the kid activity from a Pinterest board.  I started hosting these once a month at my house and they are a lot of fun for moms and kids.  You can be a tried and tested expert :)  As a shop, you choose one activity a week, "Pinterest Activity of the week".  It's sure to be a hit.  Create a Pinterest under your shops name.  It will help you in marketing.

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

Start with a fun set up displaying any dinosaurs you have

Get a big pumpkin, several little pumpkins, tie string to a magnet and then tie to a wooden dowel.  And let the pumpkin fishing begin!

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.

Children's wall of art.. a great theme for your child's next outdoor birthday party, a fun playdate or just for your munchkins.  Kids love to create.  The messier the creation the better the creative!  Make sure to tell parents that the kids will need a second set of clothes to change into. 

 
Here's a photo of an art wall made with white sheets.  If you don't have poles to attach the sheets, you can use two easels.  Just place one on each end of the sheet.  For best results, get some stakes at a hardware store and line up two or three sheets to make a long wall of art. For younger kids, make sure that the sheets are lower.   If possible, try to set the art wall up so that the kids can go around it and paint the other side.  Or just opt to hang over a fence like we did.

I placed a few paint bins on the fence so its a one stop area and more organized.  The kids can play with fun paint props like spray bottles, squirt bottles large rolling brushes and fun paint on decals.

This is a fun one inspired by the Fall Season.  1 bundle of hay will go a long way.  Just place the hay in several containers and let the kids have fun exploring the texture of the hay

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!

Kids love cardboard boxes.  Next time you are about to throw one away, think about something fun you can make out of it.  Here are a few ideas on cardboard fun!

For Thanks Giving, we wanted to have a unique playdate that had a different theme than making a turkey or leaves.  I invited our friends to come sail the Mayflower at our house.  As a craft activity, we had them make binoculars so they can spot Plymouth rock.  This construction took 7 rolls of duck tape, 7 large boxes and 21 hours.  A bit over the top but an amazing playdate!

For class, I built the kids a castle out of cardboard.  This only took an hour.   The kids played with the castle for an hour.