Treasure Bags

We're headed to the beach again this week so it was time to dig out the bags I made for the kids when we went to Hawaii in January. I also thought it would be a fitting time to share them with all of you, it being summer and all.

Super basic sewing skills needed here. Trust me, if I can do it, you can too. I {mostly} followed the terrific directions over at Come Together Kids to pull the bags together.


The kids carried the bags around our whole vacation, each day filling it up with new treasures they thought were fun. We'd dump them out that night, ready to go again the next day. Seashells, rocks, sticks, seaweed, you name it, it was in that bag.

I loved them because I wasn't stuck trying to figure out a place to hold their treasures, when my hands were full of bags, chairs, umbrellas, fussy babies...you know how beach trips can go.

At the end of our vacation we consolidated the treasures in to a manageable amount to travel home with and have been using them in our ocean unit we're doing at home. They are also in jars serving as decorations and reminders of our vacation.


Here's to treasure hunting whether at the beach or in your own backyard.

Building Block Puzzles

You know those blocks you have that you wish your kids would play more with, but end up just collecting dust? We have a few of those sets at our house but feel they are so important to have around to develop creative and imaginative play.

Sometimes all a toy needs is a new set of clothes. You know, dress them up a different way in order to get the imagination flowing.

This simple-to-set-up puzzle delivers this.


Start with some tape. We used the Kid Made Modern for Target tape but you could also use painters or washi tape.


Create shapes on your floor, table or even large piece of paper, using the tape. We made a square, triangle and an octagon.


The point of the activity is to use your blocks to fill the shapes.


Tayden (four years old) started out being very precise, making sure there were no gaps to be seen between the blocks (no surprise).


But he soon ran out of triangle pieces to fill those gaps so it was a good lesson in allowing things to not be "perfect". He filled the rest of the shapes as best as he could using the blocks we had.


Some other toys even made it in to the shapes, as well as placing the blocks upright to add dimension. Thinking outside the blocks ;)


Sedae (two years old) wasn't much in to trying to do the puzzle but had a blast using the round ones to create towers and knocking them down.


However you use them, I bet this activity will get the gears turning in your house to use the materials and toys you have to create new ways to play!

The Green Balloon

Here's a cheap and entertaining idea to do with your kiddos.


Get a helium filled balloon, attach a note to the string and let it fly.

You can turn it into a geography lesson by determining which way the wind is blowing and figuring out what is in that direction. Canada? Mexico? Australia?

Even if you never hear a response, fun is had in the dreaming of where it could land.