fun was had

Before I left for Denver, I found myself with a bit of senior-itis when it came to my sewing course. You know, I had to pack, attend to small details, etc., but all I could do when I sat down in front of the computer was search for sensorial play ideas for the boys. 

And oh, my. The 'nets are chock-full of fantastic "activities," as we call them in our house. 

First up is shaving cream and ice paint from Growing a Jeweled Rose. Total hit. 

Lachlan had the idea of covering his hair in shaving cream. Finn and his friend thought this was the greatest idea ever. Somehow, we avoided shaving cream in the eyes, which was fortunate. 

What I like about Growing a Jeweled Rose is that Crystal has so many innovative ideas of her own, but she aslo posts thematic round-ups from around the web, which is very helpful for planning activities for children of different ages and interests. 

She does not shy away from messy play, and has great ideas for containing it in a bath. She calls them sensory baths. 

This was our first time trying a "special bath," as Finn now calls them. Both boys were awestruck with the glow bath I put together for them. 

I'm pretty sure if Lachlan's cardiologist saw this picture, he would be concerned! Black light + camera at work. Speaking of Lachlan's heart, I forgot to mention that, at his last quarterly check-up, he was looking so great that his cardiologist gave him a six-month pass! No hospital for six months! Way to go, Lachlan. His heart function is excellent.

I hope you all have a great weekend, and that you have the time to do something crazy fun. We are heading back to the beach (can't stay away!) for an impromptu, two-night camping trip to celebrate Patrick's birthday. 

Happy weekending, friends!

glitter soup

There comes a moment in the day when the energy slows.  A warm, cut-grass-sticking-to-your-feet moment, when you are without a thing to do other than lay around with a popsicle. In this moment, Finn and Lachlan could either melt or seize the day. It was time to get out the water play.

I just gathered some things I had around the house, including glitter, liquid watercolors, and ground turmeric, and filled the tub. I lounged next to the cat, hands behind my head, while they played in peace for over an hour. I could have fallen asleep were it not for the passing thought that a cup-full of green glitter soup could be poured over my head.

Oh, it was good. They're making soup again as I write these words. 

I will miss these little boys as I jet off to Denver for several days of filming starting tomorrow. I've never "left" before. Finn has traveled for a few days with his Dad, leaving me at home with Lachlan, but I've never NOT put a little boy to sleep in the last more-than-three years. Sigh. I already can't wait to be home! I'll let you know how it goes, from the filming to the uninterrupted nights of sleep!

Be well, friends.

doodle tee

I almost forgot to show you Finn's handmade birthday gift for Lachlan! I know you would have seen the shirt in photos eventually, and you would have wondered what the deal was with that crazy shirt, so I think an official show-and-tell is called for.

We used a basic white onesie and Finn drew all over it with fabric markers. I did need to hold the fabric taut while he drew to prevent it from stretching and bunching under the pressure of the marker. It turned out to be an activity well-suited for a two year-old. I think it's one of those gift projects that's perfect for all ages and all occasions - Mother's Day, Father's Day, sibling's and friend's birthdays, etc. I'm sure we'll do it again one of these days.

gifting

We had a birthday party to attend this morning. This certain big three year-old has been in our lives since he was just starting to crawl around. Such a big boy deserves sparkly blue softdough with googly eyes, don't you think?

Softdough with a twist has become our go-to gift for other children. I like to involve Finn in the gifting process, and predictably, he always chooses blue softdough with sparkles for his friends. Aside from turning on the stove, he can be involved in every step. I thought his idea of putting googly eyes in the jar was great! He was proud and excited to give this to his friend today.

Unrelated - I'm trying to figure out what in the world to do with all of my pictures from our vacation. I'll be honest and tell you that pre-mama me is like a little devil on my shoulder, telling me that it would be awesome to make a traditional scrapbook a la Ali Edwards. But man, I just dont' have the time. I do have a serious case of hobby envy, though. But I do want a printed record of our trip. Do any of you know of a less time consuming way to get these photos printed? Digital scrapbooking templates? Just print a book via shutterfly? Looking forward to your advice!

 

on a rainy day

Thank you for your well-wishes for my dear Dad. His recovery is moving along steadily, and we hope he'll be out of the hospital by Thursday.

We've had a handful of rainy days this past week, and that, coupled with some runny noses and persistent coughs, has kept all of us inside and mellow. 

Finn wrote a story the other day, which he dictated to Patrick. As they read it over together, Finn made edits. Love that. Patrick has fond memories of doing this same activity with his mother when he was a wee one.

We tend to use the light tray on dreary days; this time I put a plastic bin on top and let him loose with paint.

The best part was print-making, according to Finn. Just put a piece of paper on top of the paint and smoosh, then lift it up. 

We also used the light tray and plastic bin to do a float/sink experiment with household objects. Finn filled the bin with water (using a pitcher and going back and forth to the sink) and then we gathered the following in a bowl: crayon, ball of clay, apple, wooden egg, spatula, cookie cutter, plastic whale, clay formed into a boat, an almond, a bean, a pumpkin seed, a measuring cup, and a few other things I'm forgetting. Before Finn placed each item in the water, we formed hypotheses and dicussed the results. He was most impressed that the bean sunk while the pumpkin seed floated.

I'm most impressed that he is writing stories and forming hypotheses. Wasn't it just two days ago that he was just starting to crawl across rooms? Before long, these boys of mine will be four and six, and my life will be totally different than it is now.

For now, you must excuse me - I have to sweep the floor yet again because something major happened this week (aside from my Dad's surgery). Yes. Lachlan is on the MOVE. And putting everything in his mouth. Lachlan is rather pleased, and I'm pleased for him. I must say, however, that I have just a dash of pity for my broom-weilding self, knowing that he'll only get faster. 

And with the snap of my fingers, the stay-put baby stage is over and a new one has begun! 

things we do after nap :: smorgasbord

Playing with ice.

Mixing colors (with eye droppers and pouring) on the light panel.

Making warm softdough. We also made flubber the other week. I would love to find a natural source of clay for further "sculpting" play.

Stained glass with contact paper and tissue paper.

Doll play.

Sensorial table with insta-snow, styrofoam balls, and other containers for mixing and pouring. 

I really enjoyed taking the time to document and share some of the fun things we do around here in the afternoons, and I'm grateful that, as a community, we've created a library of ideas via the Things We Do After Nap flickr gallery. I'll continue to add photos to the pool, and I hope you do too.

Warm wishes for a festive weekend!

things we do after nap :: watercolor leaves

On one of my more recent finds at Discount School Supply was this pack of watercolor leaves. They aren't watercolor paper. I'd say that they are made of the same stuff as coffee filters. I've done something similar with the coffee filters and they work great. 

I pulled out some spray bottles, small dishes with brushes, and the bingo bottles, along with red, yellow, and green liquid watercolors. The plastic sensory bin and a laminated cotton fabric "splat mat" helped contain any wayward spray. Finn is usually amenable to keeping his mess in the designated area, although many children would experience more freedom of play (read: spraying colored water everywhere!) if this activity was done outside. 

Then we started spraying, brushing, and dabbing ... watching the paints creep together and the colors mix. We dried the leaves on newsprint on another table, then hung them behind our dining room table. 

Some of you have asked where I get my ideas for these projects. While some of them (painting the sky) just came out of my head, most days I rely on the huge wealth of ideas online to put together a project. Here are some of my favorite places to look:

Play At Home Mom - Reggio-inspired play exploration.

Teacher Tom - Lots of tinkering and child-led activities.

Filth Wizardry - So many ideas, I don't know where to begin.

The Artful Parent - Inspirational art projects, many ideas for babies on up.

The Crafty Crow - Compiles crafty goodness from around the web.

Childhood 101 Playopedia - Another list of good ideas sorted by age and type of activity.

There are so many more, so please share your favorite placed to find ideas in the comments!

things we do after nap :: colored sand and drum jam

Supplies:

Colored sand (a Scrap Exchange find), various containers, a plastic storage bin, and a piece of laminated cotton fabric on the floor for easy clean-up. 

Super simple, super engaging for the 2.5 year-old.

Meanwhile ...

Sitting babies and drums are a match made in heaven! I'm thinking of having these photos printed off and sending copies to Lachlan's cardiologist and the life-saving good people at Duke's pediatric cardiac ICU. 

"Heart Baby Has Suprisingly Good Beat,"  I would write on the back.

Hardy-har-har. 

things we do after nap :: playing with shells

They're bumpy! They're smooth! Shells, urchins, sand dollars ... they all make superb sensory exploration baskets for babies and toddlers. I keep a basket of shells on our nature shelf and pull it out often for Lachlan. Lately, I've also been encouraging Finn to incorporate them into his creative play - suggesting their usefulness as tea cups and boats, for example.

The newest shell-stravaganza is thanks to a glue gun and a few magnets. We have a new magnetized chalkboard, which I made from sheet metal painted with chalkboard spray paint. I found the weathered blue trim on our property, cut it to size, and nailed everything directly to the wall. Quite a simple project as projects go. I also magnetized some rocks, corks, and popsicle sticks while I was at it. Finn seemed especially taken with the corks.

We found our urchins here. Lachlan can't get enough of their bumpy radness.

Remember to add your photos to the Things We Do After Nap Flickr pool!

things we do after nap :: painting the sky

Painting the Sky

Supplies

• set of acrylic mirrors attached with double-sided tape to table
• foam paint (you could also use homemade whipped cream for kids who like tasting)
• brushes, sponges and scrapers
• water bucket and washcloth
  
• a blue sky with puffy white clouds

We recently read Eric Carl's Little Cloud and thought that this project would be a good follow-up to that experience. Of everything that I've set up for Finn these past few weeks, this project got the most play time. It started off as a typical painting project - using brushes and sponges, then moved on to a water-and-paint mixing experience, then a purely sensorial exploration of the feeling of the foam on his hands, then some creative play with brushes and blue hands, and ended during clean up when Finn discovered that a spray of water could push both paint and painting accessories off of the table and onto the ground. It was fascinating to watch his play evolve! He emerged feeling very peaceful and upbeat.

The mirrors were the biggest investment for this project, but they have been so worth it - you can do so much with these, from using them with building blocks to add another dimension to self portraits to bending light in science experiments.

An extension of this project, especially this time of year, would be to set up the mirrors underneath a tree canopy so that you could paint the trees, providing yellow and red foam paint. 

If Lachlan were a bit older and able to eat dairy, I would whip up some cream without any sugar and give him his own mirror-and-cloud sensorial experience. As he's only *almost!* eight months old, however, he just enjoyed looking on and playing outside with sticks and large rocks. 

I've made a Flickr group for Things We Do After Nap! Check it out here, and add your ideas to the pool!