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photo credit: runneralan2004

As a busy parent, you might find it time consuming to always be on the lookout for inventive ways to entertain your little one. While some fun activities for toddlers do require a bunch of input from mom and dad, others are more self-guided, allowing your child’s creative nature to shine through without your constant supervision.

By the time they reach toddlerhood, boys and girls are ready for a little independence. You don’t have to be quite as worried about them getting into things because the children’s arts and crafts you buy are non-toxic and usually washable, so your furniture isn’t at risk, either!

Kids can entertain themselves for hours if you have a workstation just for them that includes all of the essential fun activities for toddlers such as crayons, play dough, cookie cutters, paints, construction paper, felt paper, kid-safe scissors, and maybe a mini chalkboard with colorful chalk and an eraser.

It doesn’t take much to entertain a toddler. They love to make a mess, but they also love to showcase their ability to mix brilliant colors into fun designs and shapes. These items are also very affordable for a parent, so you can keep your child stocked up with his or her favorite toddler activities.

As a busy parent, you might want to use the toddler entertainment center as a way to catch a free moment to yourself. But don’t forget to get involved once in awhile, even if it’s just to get your child started with an activity or to show him how to do something. The memories of you fostering the growth of your little one’s creative side with stay with them forever!

Here is a fun and simple Spring Time Craft to do with your kids.  This could even make a nice Mother’s day present!

Supplies:

• Construction paper -Green and Pink (or what ever color you want the flowers to be)
• Green Oak tag for bottom or a piece of cardboard to glue Construction paper too.
• Glue Stick
• Scissors

Steps:

1. Glue Construction paper to Cardboard
2. Cut one inch Strips for Stems
3. Fold Stems accordian style, keep folded for a few minutes under a book (if you have green oak tag, you can use this for sturdier stems)
4. Cut out flower shape from pink construction paper
5. Cut out green circle for inside flower
6. Glue circle on flower
7. Glue Flower on Stem
8. Glue Stem on base
9. Repeat for however many flowers you want to make!!

Have fun!!  If you need to get some craft supplies or you want a premade craft kit Target.com is a great place to get all kinds of craft supplies.

photo credit: spacedustdesign

HAPPY EARTH DAY!!

I love creating activities with holiday themes.  Earth Day is a particular fun one since I like that my children are learning a very important lesson about caring for our environment.  Below are some fun Earth Day Activities you can enjoy with your kids.

• Plant a tree, plant or Garden
• Recycle your paper, cans, etc., have your kids help! They love it and they learn while doing it.
• Buy recycled products
• Create a Recycled Craft
• Walk to the Park/Store
• Turn off the lights and computer when you are not using it
• Air Dry your clothes in warm weather

Some Sites that are celebrating earth week this week.  Check out their great crafts and activities.

• Mommy23monkeys
  
• Kaboose – Featuring Great Earth Day Crafts
• DLTK’s -Fun Coffee Filter Earth Day Craft
• SimpleMom -Great list of going green ideas
• Greensahm – Terrific site that celebrates Earth Day every day! Sharing ways to be green.

Share with me your crafts and Activities you are doing for Earth Day this week in the comments!!

Watering Can

Today is the second day of our Earth Day Activities series.  My kids love to help me water the Garden so we are always using watering cans.  There little ones are always running out of water to quickly.  This Watering Can will keep them watering for at least a few minutes before needing more water!  I was inspired to do this for Earth Day after seeing it at Kaboose .

Supplies:

• Plastic Bottle – Well Rinsed- you can use a 1/2 gallon or Gallon Bottle
• Paint, Stickers- What ever you want to decorate your watering cans
• Clear Acrilic spray (for the adults)
• Nail and hammer

Steps:

1. Wash out plastic bottle
2. Peel off any stickers
3. Paint or decorate
4. Let Dry
5. When Dry Spray with (adult) clear acrilyic paint
6. Poke holes in cap with nail and hammer (adult)

Enjoy Watering your garden with your child!!

My kids love to get mail!! I am always dividing up the junk mail so they can each get their own letters!  The other day in continuing our paper plate craft series we made a Paper Plate Mailbox.  The kids loved it because we then wrote letters to eachother and delivered them.  You could add to this writing their names on it.  We hung them on the kids doors.

Supplies

• Stapler
• Two Paper plates
• Scissors
• Crayons/Markers
• Hole Puncher
• Sting/rope/ribbon

Steps

1. Cut one plate in half
2. Decorate plates with crayons, markers, stickers etc
3. Staple half plate to bigger plate on bottom
4. Punch hole in top of bigger plate
5. Tie Rope through hole to hang on door

Write Cards to eachother.  Kids can practice signing their name.  If you write their names on the mailbox you can help them learn which ones theirs by looking at their name.