Shake-a-Pudding

The kids want a snack..

You want them to eat nutritiously... 

They need a little fun and excitement
 along with an activity to exert some of their abundance of physical energy. 

 

Below is a perfect solution!

It takes just a little time, but produces big results.

It is also an activity that can be made independently by older children.
 

Add a little music for your "shaking" and you have the perfect snack/activity.

 

So, grab a spoon from the drawer, a box of instant pudding mix, an empty container with a secure lid, a willing child;  add some music and let the fun begin!

(I like to use empty plastic peanut butter jars.  The lids screw on, you can see inside and they are eay to pour from.  However any container with a lid that fits on securely will work.)

 

Happy "shakin, snackin"!

Photo:  Property of Hidden Splendor©

 

Individualized Shake-A-Pudding Cups

Hidden Splendor © 2014

Would you like to have a small amount of pudding, but don’t want to make an entire box?  Below are the ratio’s needed to  prepare just the right amount  for single snack size servings.

Ingredients needed:  1 box instant pudding mix, milk, container with a secure lid, and a teaspoon size spoon from your silverware drawer (NOT a measuring spoon)   Directions:  Add desired amount of pudding mix and milk together inside a securely closed container and shake for several minutes until well blended.  Open and enjoy!   1/4 cup milk + 2 spoons of instant pudding mix 1/2 cup milk + 4 spoons of instant pudding mix 1 cup milk + 8 spoons of instant pudding mix   Inspired from the book: Miraculous, Magical Moments in Minutes: Over 500 Quick, Easy Activities for Adults and Children to Share by Becky Baxa Available from http://www.Amazon.com in both Kindle and Paperback versions

You've Got Mail

Last week we discussed the value and benefits of dramatic play in a child's life.

 

I would like to share a spontaneous dramatic play adventure that I experienced  recently with my grandson.  This scenario is shared with you to illustrate just how

easy, fast and wonderful dramatic play can be.

 

We arrived home and entered the garage.  My grandson noticed the Little Tikes car and wanted to go for a spin.  (a tricycle or any riding toy would work for this activity).  The car was stored in a cardboard box laying on its side that served as the car's "garage".   As my grandson drove in circles around the inside of the garage, the wheels in my head began to turn.  I grabbed a cloth shopping bag from my vehicle, a handful of junk mail( including the envelopes) from the recycle bin and several empty card board boxes that were headed to the trash.  There was a stack of plastic five gallon buckets in one corner which I set  around the garage upside down.  On the top of each bucket I placed an empty cardboard box with the opening toward the center of the garage.  The fabric shopping bag was filled with junk mail and handed to my grandson.  I told him he could deliver the mail and be a postal carrier!  At first he needed some verbal suggestions of ideas as he drove around and placed mail in the boxes.  He headed back to the post office bay (the "garage")  to gather more mail.  After backing his vehicle into the "post office bay", he was encouraged to go back out to pick up the mail the people had placed in their mailboxes.  He drove around again and picked up all the outgoing mail.  Pretty soon he got the hang of the routine of a postal carrier and the real play began.  In fact, he proceeded to play for the next several hours.  He stopped to wash his car, repair the wheels and hooked it up to a wagon to carry more mail. The play just continued to grow. 

I listened and watched for ideas as he played and just kept adding props to his role play following his lead.  It was great!

 

You could also add a counter for the mail clerk or postmaster.  Stamps, stickers, ink pads, tape, calculator, scale etc. could be added for an extension of this play.  A hanging shoe bag could be hung for the postal carrier to sort mail etc.  What else can you think of?

 

Photo property of Hidden Splendor ©

 

 

Photo property of Hidden Splendor ©

 

 

 

Photo property of Hidden Splendor ©

 

 

 

 

Photo property of Hidden Splendor ©

 

Take a look around your house, watch and listen to your children.

What dramatic play can you come up with?

 

Inspired from the book:

Miraculous, Magical Moments in Minutes:

Over 500 Quick, Easy Activities for Adults and Children to Share

by Becky Baxa

Available from http://www.Amazon.com

in both Kindle and Paperback versions

Let's Pretend

Pretending, imaginative or role playing is a vital component of children's play.  

I remember when my children were young, my husband traveled extensively.  The boys spent hours setting up "airports" with cardboard conveyor belts to push their suitcases on and chairs set up for seats in an airplane. They issued tickets with old boarding passes and labeled luggage with tags from American Airlines, United and TWA.   They created airports on large pieces of cardboard and flew little metal planes to far corners of the earth.  As they played, they worked out their emotions of having a daddy that was frequently far from home.  They also experienced and explored the roles of flight attendant, baggage handler, ticket agent, air traffic controller, traveling businessman etc. 

This play would last for days and developed in complexity as it continued over the years.

 

Dramatic play is one area of play in which children accept roles and act them out.  They imitate behaviors they have seen and express verbal language they have heard.  It gives children the chance to pretend to be someone else.  They discover the realms of reality by pretending to be someone else and dramatize situations and actions that go along with the roles they are acting out.

 

Dramatic play is valuable to a child's development by allowing children to

develop skills in multiple areas.

 

Dramatic play enhances child development in four major critical areas:

 

Social/Emotional Development:  sharing, taking turns, negotiation, cooperation, better impulse control, delay gratification, dealing with feelings (anger, disappointment etc.), empathy.  Dramatic play promotes less aggressive behavior

 

Language Development:  better able to explain, ask and answer questions, vocabulary increases,  awareness of the importance of reading and writing is emphasized.

 

Physical Development:  gross and fine motor skills, eye-hand coordination, visual discrimination

 

Intellectual/Cognitive Development:  problem solving, creativity, organizing and planning, negotiation, application of new information, abstract thinking, mathematics, literacy, sharing, re-telling of information is increased

 

 

For the child that is afraid at the doctor or at school,  dramatic play allows them to have the power to control the situation and the ability to conquer and define their fears and emotions.  Historically, dramatic play was defined as "housekeeping" in preschool settings.  Early childhood specialists know that the roles have expanded far beyond the role of playing "house", by rocking and caring for dolls or cooking in the kitchen, to the many professions and roles that society holds. 

 

Much to my husband's dismay, (later he admitted the value of such play) I included a kitchen set and a few dolls along with my boy's toys.  I encouraged them to be good daddies and helped them practice parenting skills.  This was especially helpful when a new child was brought into the family.  Culinary skills were practiced with the kitchen set.  My boys opened  restaurants learning how to plan nutritious meals, serving  fancy coffees and charging me very large prices!  As they grew older, play money was introduced and we calculated bills, counted money and made change.

 

My very favorite dramatic play was created with an old pizza box, some felt scraps, some fake fur and some empty plastic boxes.  This dramatic play box expanded over the years with their age and developmental stages.  It began by just making slices of pizza and expanded to the use of menus, order forms, and play money.  Before they could read and write we used stickee arrows to mark the ingredients the "customer" wanted on their slice of pizza. As the boys got older, we added order forms, learned to add up costs of an order, counted money and made change. We practiced etiquette of serving food and dealing with customers.  Hours... years of fun were created from this one dramatic play kit!  You wouldn't believe how much they used to charge me for a piece of pizza and a soda!  It was highway robbery.  :-) They had so much fun!

 

Dramatic Play Box - Pizza
Photo property of Hidden Splendor © 

 

 

 

 

 

Dramatic Play - Pizza - menu and order form
Photo property of Hidden Splendor ©

 

photo property of Hidden Splendor ©

 

The book Miraculous Magical Moments in Minutes:  Over 500 activities for Adults and Children to Share  by Becky Baxa available from Amazon.com  shares six pages of dramatic play kits you can make for your child (ren).  Kit ideas for family life, birthday party, tea party, doctor/hospital, cleaning, laundry, circus, zoo, farm/ranch, beach, fish pond, camping etc. can be found in this book, plus much more.  These dramatic play kits are made with materials found around the house or from garage/rummage sales or thrift/re-sale shops.  Don't forget to check boxes in the garage and attic too!

 

Next week I will share specifics on how to set up the dramatic play of being a postal carrier!

 

Remember, play is a child's work!

Take a break and play with your child.  Listen to them carefully.

What you hear will direct you to the play that will be most beneficial and interesting to them!

 

Have fun!

 

 

 

Additional Resources can be found at these web sites: 

 

http://www.earlychildhoodnews.com/earlychildhood/article_view.aspx?ArticleID=751

http://stayathomeeducator.com/the-benefits-of-dramatic-play-in-early-childhood-education/

 

 

 

Inspired from the book:

Miraculous, Magical Moments in Minutes:

Over 500 Quick, Easy Activities for Adults and Children to Share

by Becky Baxa

Available from http://www.Amazon.com

in both Kindle and Paperback versions

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bugs & Beasties

A perfect 72 degrees, the heavens filled with twinkling stars and the serenade of tree frogs filled the air.  The sweet aroma of the buds bursting into daily new eye candy assaulted the senses and I sighed in peace.  This was a perfect night.  And then I saw it... a flash of light so quick that I thought it was my imagination.  I studied the horizon with intensity and waited.  Yes, there it was again.  A burst of light and then another.  Lightening bugs had arrived!  

Within seconds my mind was carried back 50 years ago.  I could feel the sense of anticipation and hear the squeals of children as we ran around the yard.  We all carried small jars and let out a whoop when we caught a lightening bug.  That night I would lay in bed and watch the lightening show in the jar sitting beside my bed. It was the best night light ever invented.

Summer brings about insects and creepy, crawly things.  And, children have a natural curiosity about these things.  It is when that curiosity peaks that parents can seize the most perfect teachable moment.  So, you need to be ready. 

Here are a few things to have ready so you can become scientists this summer:

Safety Note:  Always know what is poisonous for your area and teach this to your children.  This should be taught in a calm 'matter of fact' manner.  In other words, it is a safety precaution.  It should be presented in a way as to not scare or frighten your child from all insects or creeping, crawling things (like lizards, frogs, toads, etc.)  Not every insect and crawly thing can be picked up, but most can!  So, don't miss out on great learning opportunities by avoiding all of them.  Educate yourself and your children so that you can have many joyous adventures and be safe at the same time.

My favorite thing to have on hand when exploring anything new is a field guide.  Find a book on insects from your area.  If you don't have one, check one out from your local library.

A magnifying glass is also a wonderful tool to have in your insect collecting supplies.

A notebook with lined paper is great to take notes about what you find, keep tallies of how many you find, draw pictures or make up stories about your discoveries, etc.

This activity is for all ages.  Small children will observe and catch.  Older children can journal, identify and classify their critters.

Here are a few ideas for "BUG BOXES" that you can make from items you might throw away:


1.  Plastic fruit box from the produce department.  It has holes to allow your "catch" to breath while studying it.  Observe and release.

 

 2. Plastic jars with holes in the lid.

Below is an empty peanut butter jar.
Holes can be made BY AN ADULT with a small drill bit or a heated awl.

 

                            

 

Happy Hunting!

 

 

Inspired from the book:

Miraculous, Magical Moments in Minutes:

Over 500 Quick, Easy Activities for Adults and Children to Share

by Becky Baxa

Available from http://www.Amazon.com

in both Kindle and Paperback versions

 

 

Match-Making Game

Match-Making Game or Lotto Game

Build children's memory skills as well as cooperation, when played with more than one child.

 

Materials Needed

Lids - from the top of frozen juice containers, or any other lid from a food container that is clean and free of sharp edges. If you have a can-opener that leaves smooth edges, lids from food cans will work.

Stickers - two of each design

Container with lid - for storage
                                                                  

 

Directions

 

Decorate one side of two lids so they match, using stickers.  Decorate the remaining lids in pairs so that each lid has a match.

 

 

To play, turn all the lids sticker side down.  Each player turns over 2 lids at a time, trying to find a match.  If they guess correctly and turn over two lids that match, they get to keep the pair.  If they guess incorrectly, they must turn the lids back over and it is the next person's turn.  The player with the most matches at the end of the game wins.

 

Smaller children can play keeping all the lids sticker side up and find the matching pairs.

 

Below is a nativity sticker matching game.

                          (2 camels, 2 sheep, 2 baby Jesus, 2 angels, 2 Mary's, 2 Joseph, etc.)

 

                                  


This Blog Post is inspired from the book:

Miraculous, Magical Moments in Minutes:

Over 500 Quick, Easy Activities for Adults and Children to Share

by Becky B. Baxa

If you would like more fun ideas to share with your children

(that do not require batteries or electronics )

you can purchase this 180 page book,

full of color photos,

for $21.95

from Amazon.com

Or

from the gift shop at Shaw Nature Reserve in Gray Summit, MO,

Silver Dollar City General Store in Branson, MO.

This book can also be checked out from the following libraries:

Scenic Regional Library - Pacific, MO

First Christian Church - Washington, MO

Hawaii State Library - Honolulu, HI

Story City Public Library - Story City, IA

Ellsworth Public Library - Ellsworth, ME

Ludington Public Library - Ludington, MI
Denver Public Library - Denver, CO
Pikes Peak Library District - Colorado Springs, CO

Dallas Public Library - Dallas, Texas

Quick, Easy Christmas Activities

 

During the Christmas season, life can become hectic, to say the least. 

But, it is important to remember not to let the urgent things

keep you away from the important things.

Take time to play with your kids each day. 

Here are a few quick, easy, fun ideas. 

If you have older children they can make these activities. 

Smaller children will need your help to create the fun. 

Lace-Up Cards 

 

Left over Christmas cards, cards from last year, an old calendar or even the front of a cereal/food box can be turned into a quick activity.  Using a one hole punch, make a row of holes around the outside of your picture.  Then using a piece of yarn or shoe lace you can play with your new "sewing cards".  If using yarn, be sure to wrap a piece of tape around one end to make it stiff enough to push through the holes.  The tape will also prevent raveling.

 

 

 

Flannel Story Box 

 

A story box is great for travel, telling, or re-telling, a story anytime, anywhere. 

This can be used anytime of the year.

A Story Box can be used for individual child entertainment or for a group of children.

 

Materials needed: 

an empty shoebox (one with a hinged lid is preferred)

a piece of solid colored flannel and thin batting

felt pieces

small pieces of sandpaper (optional)

white craft glue/hot glue

LID

1.  Measure the shoebox lid and add 1/2 inch on all four sides. 

2.  Cut out flannel with the dimensions you measured in step #1

3.  Press under 1/2 inch toward the back with a warm iron. 

4.  Cut out a piece of batting that is the exact size as your lid. 

5.  Place the batting on the wrong side of the flannel with the 1/2 inch turn down covering the raw 

     edges of the batting.

6.  Glue the flannel and batting to the lid of the shoebox.

7.  There should be no raw edges showing.

8.  Allow to dry before using.

 

STORY PIECES

Cut out shapes and/or pictures using felt, old greeting cards, pictures from magazines or calendars. Cookies cutters and stencils can be helpful in making pieces.

 

On the back of the non-felt pieces, glue small pieces of leftover felt, or small pieces of sandpaper. This will help the pieces stick to the flannel board lid when telling the story.

 

A fun idea is to make color copies of your child's favorite story book.  Cut out the main characters and add felt or sandpaper to the back.  This will allow children to re-tell their favorite story and to create variations as they wish.

 

Create a Christmas tree from green felt, star from yellow felt and an assortment of ornaments and presents for your child to decorate a Christmas tree. 

 

 

The box in the picture below is telling the Christmas Story. 

Felt shapes, as well as old Christmas cards are used for telling the story.

 

  

Story Telling

The fronts of old greeting cards are also a great way to create stories.

1.  Creativity and Storytelling:  Present a picture and then make up a story about that picture.

2.  Sequencing and Logical reasoning:  A fun way to tell the Christmas Story (or any story) is to provide a variety of cards that include the major events of a particular story.  Ask children to place them in order.  They can then present a card as they tell the story or lay all the cards out on the floor, table or bed before telling the story.

 Puzzles

Remember ... old greeting cards can be used as puzzles.  If you have two of the same card left after sending your holiday greetings, these are perfect to make a puzzle.  Glue the front of one card onto the front of an envelope so you can see what the resulting picture of your puzzle will look like. 

Take the front of the second card and cut it into random pieces.  Remember cut fewer pieces for younger children (even as few as two pieces) and more pieces for older children.  

 

 

 

Using cookie cutters to create a few novelty pieces are great to hide hidden shapes inside the puzzle. 

 

A cereal box - inlaid puzzle



This puzzle is made from a pizza box

 Always write how many pieces are in the puzzle on the outside of the envelope.

If you do not have two of one design, simply add a description and the number of pieces to your envelope front.

This type of puzzle travels well, take little space to store and are always a hit with kids, both young and old alike!

This Blog Post is inspired from the book:

Miraculous, Magical Moments in Minutes:

Over 500 Quick, Easy Activities for Adults and Children to Share

by Becky B. Baxa

If you would like more fun ideas to share with your children

(that do not require batteries or electronics )

you can purchase this 180 page book,

full of color photos,

for $21.95

from Amazon.com

Or

from the gift shop at Shaw Nature Reserve in Gray Summit, MO,

Silver Dollar City General Store in Branson, MO.

This book can also be checked out from the following libraries:

Scenic Regional Library - Pacific, MO

First Christian Church - Washington, MO

Hawaii State Library - Honolulu, HI

Story City Public Library - Story City, IA

Ellsworth Public Library - Ellsworth, ME

Ludington Public Library - Ludington, MI
Denver Public Library - Denver, CO
Pikes Peak Library District - Colorado Springs, CO

Dallas Public Library - Dallas, Texas

Sewing Cards

As the holidays approach, it brings to mind an exciting activity to do with old greeting cards

or those beautiful calendars once the year is over.

 

Lace-Up or Sewing Cards

 

Materials Needed:

 

1.  Greeting cards, old calendar pictures glued onto cardboard, food box panels

2.  hole punch

3.  yarn, cording or a long shoe lace

4.  scissors

5.  tape (masking or scotch) - not needed if a shoe lace is used

6.  glue if you need to mount a picture on cardboard

 

Select a picture from the front of an old card, a cardboard food box or a calendar picture that has been mounted on cardboard (cardboard from a food box can be used for this).  If the calendar is on stiff paper, mounting is not necessary.

 

Use a hole punch to make holes around the outside edge about 1/2 inch apart from each other and a quarter of an inch inside the outside edge.

 

If using yarn or cording, wrap masking or packing tape around the ends to make it stiff. Then it can be easily laced through the holes.

 

Take a shoelace or yarn to lace up the picture. You can go over the edge or lace it with an up and down stitch.

 

 

 

  

This activity develops fine motor skills.

 

Happy Sewing!

 

 

 

 

This Blog Post is inspired from the book:

Miraculous, Magical Moments in Minutes:

Over 500 Quick, Easy Activities for Adults and Children to Share

by Becky B. Baxa

If you would like more fun ideas to share with your children

(that do not require batteries or electronics )

you can purchase this 180 page book,

full of color photos,

for $21.95

from Amazon.com

Or

from the gift shop at Shaw Nature Reserve in Gray Summit, MO,

Silver Dollar City General Store in Branson, MO.

This book can also be checked out of the following libraries:

Scenic Regional Library - Pacific, MO

First Christian Church - Washington, MO

Hawaii State Library - Honolulu, HI

Story City Public Library - Story City, IA

Ellsworth Public Library - Ellsworth, ME

Ludington Public Library - Ludington, MI

Stencil Sensation!

 

A freshly sharpened pencil...a new box of colored pencils

some paper...

add a stencil or two and...

Let the fun creations begin!

 

Your kitchen houses all types of stencils that can be used or created in minutes.

 

Try these common items as stencils.

 

• Plastic lids from food containers (cottage cheese, yogurt, butter/margarine) with a design cut out of the middle.  Use cookie cutters to help create a design on the lid and and use a sharp utility knife on a cutting board to cut out the shape.The shape you cut out becomes a stencil as well as the lid itself.  (shown in the photo above)

• The inside ring of the roll of masking or scotch tape (pictured in the center of the large circle stencil in the photo above).
 
• A pasta measurer (Shown in the upper middle of above picture.  It has four holes.)
 
• The lids off of any container or bottle
 
• A plastic cup or plate
 
• Plastic storage containers and lids 

• A food box that has a "window". Cut out the side of the box with the opening and then remove the cellophane covering the opening. This results in an instant stencil.
 

 
• Cookie Cutters make great stencils too!
 
          

         

 Let your imagination go wild and see what happens!