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Raina Kennedy

Inspire, Enrich, Create

Blowing Feather Activity for Fall Theme

11/6/2013

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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.

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Hung feathers from the ceiling and had the kids blow them with straws. As an extended activity, I had them tape several straws together to form a big straw. While laying on the floor, they had to blow their feathers with their long straws.
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Music and Movement playdate/lesson

11/6/2013

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Opera pitch hello and goodbye to get the kids experimenting with the sounds they can make. Also did sound exercises where the kids made different sounds with their lips.
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During circle time, we initiated a contagious giggle go round where we tickled the kids feet with feathers.
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Music note collage art. Just pre-cut a music sheet and let the kids paste it to a colored sheet. We also used music stickers.
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This is a fun sound activity. I filled these cans with two types of sounds and four containers. The kids were asked to listen for the containers that made the same sound.
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Follow the conductor movement, music and sensory activity. The kids danced like kangaroos and ducks on a path of bubble wrap and sticky paper.
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Tape contact paper to the floor with sticky side up
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Soft music and spatula painting.
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Spring Activities for Toddlers

11/6/2013

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Bug Week

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For bug week, we re-used some easter grass and buried bugs. We gave the kids some fun magnifying glasses and bug containers to collect their findings. Afterward, we hid the bugs around the house and had the kids search for them.
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This was fun for the younger toddlers too.
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The kids swatting flies with fly swatters. A great ceiling activity!
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We made some black playdough and had the kids make spiders for art today. Here's George and mom acting scared. This spider was George's creation!

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Sensory Activities for infants

11/6/2013

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Used a tennis ball to create this sticky ball.
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Taped paper to the floor and had her paint with dot paints. They're not as messy. She got excited about this one.

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Fall Themed Activities for Kids

11/2/2013

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Turkey trot and Turkey yoga. The kids have a blast going fast, slow, hopping, running in place like a turkey
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Have them form a turkey conga line and trot like turkey's along each shape taped on the floor
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Sailing The Mayflower water play. Have them try to blow the sails.
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I made these with craft sticks and wooden blocks. I would pre write the names of the kids on the sails and laminate prior to class. Ours flopped too soon during this play.

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Expedit shelf re-purposed into a Race Car

11/2/2013

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This took 15 minutes to make. It's the Ikea Expedit Shelving unit turned into a Race Car. Just cut up some construction paper and tape to the sides.
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Can't wait to see what other fun transportation themes we can come up with now the idea is born!
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.
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Turbo!
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An Indian Canoe for Fall Theme
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Tape yellow and blue paper to form the length of Expedit
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Turn over and draw zig zags with pencil
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Follow pattern with colored duck tape
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Sleep Tight Playdate

11/2/2013

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Also a good lesson for preschool age children
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Sleep Tight theme this week. I covered our hallway entrance with long black fabric. Here we did shadow shows and played with all sorts of fun light up toys.
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Catch a flying star. This is always a fun eye coordination activity. Hang the stars from the ceiling and have the kids swat with paper towel dowels
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Sheep Jumping over the fence. HAve the kids Baa as they jump. Create the fence on the floor with painter's tape
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As a craft, have the kids make wishing pouches. Each one has a star, moon and cloud.

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Ceiling Activities for Kids

11/1/2013

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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.
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Hang Stars and have kids swat with paper towel dowels
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As an extension, hand out robot arms and have kids pick up moon rocks (aluminum foiled balls).
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One of my favorite spring time activities. Print out fly images, cover in clear shelving liner, tie a string and hang from the ceiling. The kids swat the flies with fly swatters.
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Here's the image I used for our flies

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Magnet Fishing

11/1/2013

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Fishing for paper clips
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Fishing for pipe cleaners
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Fishing for magnetic letters
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This was my favorite fish. It gave us good letter learning time. We talked a lot about things named with each letter too. "J" is for John, Jack, Jump. This one lasted the longest.
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Also great for younger toddlers. She understood exactly what to do and loved it.
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So excited about her catch!
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Pinterest Tried and Tested 

10/31/2013

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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.

Here are the Pinterest Activities we Tried and Tested
Pinterest Link
PictureTornato in a Bottle
Tried and Tested: These were a hit. The kids really enjoyed them.  Initial play lasted for 30 mins.  Still using them!  Very easy set up.

Pinterest Link
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Tried and Tested.  This turned into a sensory and fine motor activity too.  The kids had fun catching the raisins, dunking them and watching them dance.  A good 45- 60 min long play for us.  Easy Set Up.

Pinterest Link
PictureRocket Balloons
Tried and Tested: This is a fun set up.  Better suited for kids who can blow balloons.  Keep the string distance short so it can go from one end to the next.  Kids were into it for about 10-15 mins.  Easy set up.

Pinterest Link
PictureFizzle Paint
Tried and Tested: This was a total hit!  A must try.  Kept kids busy for 45-60 mins.  Make sure you have plenty of baking soda.  We ran out!  Very Easy set up

Pinterest Link
PictureStorage Solution for Kids Playroom
Tried and Tested: I didn't make covers but did buy the expedit unit  and bins from Ikea.  They are functional, durable and look nice.  Very happy with them!  


PictureDRÖNA Box, blue $5.99 The price reflects selected options Article Number: 102.448.99 Easy to pull out and lift as the box has handles. Perfect for everything from newspapers to clothes. Read more Size 13x15x13"
These are the best bins to get for a playroom.  They are cloth like but very durable.  My kids also love playing in the bins.  Best part is they are the lowest priced bins, I could find.  Just $6 each.  Great value for the price

Pinterest Link
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Tried and Tested: This is a must do. We all go for walks. It's such a fun way to introduce a new adventure/journey. The kids really enjoyed this. try to plan for a day that has a break in rain and calls for more the next day.
Pinterest Link
Pinterest Link
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Tried and Tested: A great science experiment activity for kids. They were totally into this! Also a must try.
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Tried and Tested: The kids enjoyed this one for about 10 minutes. What I like most about this activity, is it adds warmth to the house on a rainy day (or any day). We used clear contact paper instead. It works best to collect the tissue paper.
Pinterest Link
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Tried and Tested: I used this one to help teach color sorting with our younger toddlers. It was a total hit. All kids were into this educational activity. Worth the few minutes to pull together.
Pinterest Link
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One of my favorite pin so far! This is a great science experiment that the kids and adults will enjoy. To keep them involved, let them our the vinegar into the jar and spoon the baking soda into the balloon. Also- make sure they wear goggles.
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Apple Playdate: Learn through Play

10/29/2013

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Our Apple Tree. The kids will pick apples during their dramatic apple stand pla
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Our Apple chute. The kids will take turns dropping apples into the basket while counting each apple.  The tunnels are made of clear ketchup bottles and black electric tape with magnets fastened to the back.

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Our apple stand came out so good! Its a lemonade stand converted for the playdate! It set the stage for some great dramatic play of buying and selling apples.


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Dinosaur Playdate: Learn through Play

10/29/2013

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Start with a fun set up displaying any dinosaurs you have
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As a sensory activity- bring out the play dough and have the kids make dino foot prints

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Teach the kids about eggs and how some dinosaurs may have come from eggs.  I cracked a few shells prior and washed them out knowing the kids would want to feel the shells.


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Learn through Play: Pumpkins

10/29/2013

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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!


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Marching Band Playdate

10/28/2013

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These salt containers make great drums and maraca's! Best part is they are only .33 cents each!
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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.  




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Follow the conductor movement, music and sensory activity. The kids danced like kangaroos and ducks on a path of bubble wrap and sticky paper.
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As the kids make their way around the parade route their feet make music too. Here they march along contact paper sticky side up and bubble wrap.
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We gave the kids streamers to wave while they paraded
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Encourage leadership. Have the kids take turns being the conductor.
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Galaxy Hall

10/28/2013

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

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Fun Outdoor Art Station

10/28/2013

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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. 
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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.




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Hay Sensory Play

10/28/2013

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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
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As an activity, have them work together to build a scare crow!

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Cloud Hopping Playdate

10/28/2013

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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!

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Cardboard Fun!

10/28/2013

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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!


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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!

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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. 


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    Raina Kennedy

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