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!

Busy Bag for Flying, Color Matching Sticks

Need to work on colors with your kids? These slim little popsicle sticks will be a fun way to do the trick.


I wrote out the name of the color in its coordinating color (for word recognition), then made a set of painted sticks for them to line up and match.


From there, how about building a little stick house? By matching colors side by side. Or put them in a line, like a simple game of dominos. Popsicle sticks have so much unsung potential!

Busy Bag for Flying, Woodland Creatures Memory Game

This is a super simple idea, using adorable graphics, courtesy of Children Inspire Design, which were initially made for cupcake toppers.

Here, I've printed off a set, used a 2" punch to cut out, and since there's 2 of each creature, made it into a simplified game of Memory.


We have another memory game using baby food jar lids but I didn't want the bulk of the lids for our plane ride. I'm excited to see what other games the kids will come up with for these adorable little animals. What would you do with the download?


For your own copy, click here.

Busy Bag for Flying, Dry Erase Alphabet Matching

This week we are taking the kids on their first plane ride. Our three year old son is over the moon at the thought. The 18 month old baby girl terrifies me. It's a long flight so I'm loading up our arsenal of busy bag goodness.

Since we're also limited on space (overhead compartment anyone?), the criteria for things allowed in the bag had to be flat, bitty, and long lasting. Tall order, huh?

Check back every day this week while I blow your mind with fantastic new ideas for your bag. AND, I'm giving you a two'fer today. Yep. (see here)


I don't know what it is about me and dry erasing everything lately, but I just can't stop! It's a moms dream to let their kids go wild with a marker on a surface they can just wipe clean! There's so much potential here people...

I have this set of vintage alphabet letters that I usually put on wood blocks, but decided to make a game out of it for my three year old too.


I printed off two sheets of the alphabet, put one in a protective sheet cover and cut up the others into individual letters and you're done. How do you play? Grab a dry erase marker and pull a letter out of the stack, match it with the other and cross it off. Great way to practice letter recognition and matching.

I love this one because it takes up such minimal space. You could make a whole slew of different games out of this too, and put them in behind each other, switch it out when ready for a new one. Like maybe this vintage iSpy sheet?

(ps- if your kid likes iSpy, be sure to come back on Wednesday...)

Our 25 Days of Christmas

Here's the final look at our 25 days of Advent Activities.

These are definitely ones we can repeat for years to come, so I plan on recycling this for next year and am excited to track the progress of the kids' involvement and abilities.

One thing that I did notice in Tayden that I wanted to share was how his creativity and imagination really took flight after doing something stimulating every day. I was astounded at the difference in just one month of diligently engaging with them in these small ways.

I'm excited in this next year to keep on this track as the oldest is reaching "pre-k" age (we're planning on homeschooling) and will be looking to take ideas from you parents on techniques or activities that you have found work with your littles.

Merry Christmas and here's to looking forward to the new year!!

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.