Saturday July 25th / Hospital Center

Toddler and Preschooler

With or without your childrens' help find an area in your house to make in to a doctors office or vet's office. One small table in the corner will work.

Gather:
All play doctor equipment from all corners of the house
Stuffed animals or dolls
Add in some bandaids and other things from your first aid kit that they can use
Add dress up clothes for a doctor / Dad's button up shirt?

Make this area into the doctors office and sit down with your kids for about 5 minutes. Start to play and think outloud about what happens in a doctors office. Can they check the doll or animals heart? Ask dolly to take deep breaths and tell her that her lungs sound good! Now sit back and listen to your kids play. What do they remember about the doctors office?

You could also make a waiting room for the extra dolls and animals complete with music and what ever is in your doctors waiting room. Ours has a fishtank.

Thursday July 23rd / Riding the Rails
Another sidewalk chalk activity.

Make a road or rail road tracks for your kids to ride the bikes or push the push cars on.

We park our cars on the drive way and make a figure eight road around them. The kids push their cars forever around and around. You can also make a raceway, highway, or circus ring.

Monday July 13th / Parade

We have seen quite a few parades because of July 4th and local fairs.
This gave me the ideas of having our very own parade!

Toddler:
Our toddler loves to pull things behind her. We gathered all her pull along toys and tied them together. Then we dressed her up like a princess with a gown, tiara, and a little make-up. She was super excited.

Preschooler:
With him we gathered different instruments. He started with the drum that goes around his neck and drum sticks. We put maracas in our pockets, just in case. Then he put on clown make-up and mismatched clothes!  He had obviously been watching marching bands because he even tried to spin the drum sticks and made all these funny poses!

Lastly,
Get outside! March down the street. You can push a stroller or wagon with the extra instruments and any stuffed animals that would like to join in. Feel silly? Call some neighbors and make it a big deal! (Too much for you? This can be done in the basement or backyard as well)

Saturday July 11th / At the Car Wash!
We know the kids love to play in water, let's put them to work! lol

Toddler and Preschooler
You need:
Buckets
Soap or Bubbles
Wash clothes
Water
Cars

You can let your kids wash your car. Keep in mind you will obviously need to finish this and they won't really be that helpful. :-)

You can use your outside play cars or get a bunch of their play plastic cars from inside. Line them up and have a pretend car wash!

Ext: Take your kids to a drive through car wash or go to a  car wash fundraiser and see a real live car wash!
I think playing "Carwash" by Rose Royce is a must too!

Monday June 22nd / Teddy Bear Picnic
If you go out in the woods today
You're sure of a big surprise.
If you go out in the woods today
You'd better go in disguise.

For every bear that ever there was
Will gather there for certain, because
Today's the day the teddy bears have their picnic.
-Teddy Bear Picnic Song(not the whole song)

You need:
One Blanket
Teddy Bears
Tea Party Set
Snacks
Water, Tea, or Juice

I suggest setting up the scene without the little ones and then inviting them out to the party. If that is not possible have them help you set up the party!

Lay out the blanket, set up the bears, and put out snacks. If you happen to own the CD "Teddy Bears Picnic" be sure to play it in the background.

Sit down, pour yourself some tea and chat about the day. Ask you children to help the bears eat. Give each bear a name. Have the bears talk to your kids and ask them all about themselves. Have the bears talk to each other.

Teach them the song "Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear" and do the actions.

Teddy Bear Teddy Bear turn around
Teddy Bear Teddy Bear touch the ground
Teddy Bear Teddy Bear stand on your toes
Teddy Bear Teddy Bear touch your nose
Teddy Bear Teddy Bear go to bed
Teddy Bear Teddy Bear wake up now
Teddy Bear Teddy Bear take a bow

Friday June 12th Let's Get Messy / Body Painting

Toddler and Preschooler

You need:
flour
water
food coloring

We did this activity in the bathtub this week. We had small baby plastic bowls with different colors and they dipped their whole hands into them and smeared colors all over arms, legs, and tummies. It became a "paint the walls" session as well but I didn't care because it was very fun. At first we just spread it. Then when the intial excitement was over, we painted shapes and pictures. Clean up was VERY easy.

Here is a second recipe:
2 tbs solid shortening
1 tbs cornstarch
food coloring
make up sponges

Mix, add color, apply
If you want to add glitter, I am sure they would love it!

Monday June 8th /Teddy Bear Swing

Toddler and Preschooler:

I have to tell you. I laughed at this idea and worried it might look a little too much like we were "hanging" the teddy bear... It was fun, no one cried, the kids laughed, whew.

You need:
Teddy Bear
Rope

Drap the rope around a tree limb.
Make a large loop to insert the bear and other stuffed animals.
Place bear in loop.
SWING the bear in their very own Bear Swing.
Try as many other animals and dolls as you like.
You may need to adjust the loop size so they don't fall out.

Toddler or Preschooler
You need: Your make-up bag and a mirror

This is a sad but true story. I was getting ready to go out and brought out my make up bag. My son said, "Oh mommy, What are you going to be tonight??" This stems from the fact that my make-up is used more often for dress up / face painting time than me going out! (How sad )

You can make up their faces like clowns. Use eyeliner pencil to make triangles above and below their eyes, lipstick for a big clown smile, eyeshadow for circles on cheeks and nose.

Your kids will like to add pictures to their cheeks and hands such as: butterflies, hearts, truck, or ANYTHING

We also use eyeliner to make whiskers and freckles. Then they can really pretend to be a kitty or lion. The freckles started after they saw someone with freckles and wanted to know what they were.

Yep, socks again!

Toddler or Preschooler:
Take those socks and make them into puppets. Kids love puppets. They will talk to the puppet and do what ever the puppet wants. You really can just use the sock as is. If you really want to sew on eyes, go for it.

What can a puppet DO?
Help your child learn their letters. Do you have refrigerator magnets or the alphabet on cards? Put them out and have the puppet ask for a certain letter. When your child brings the letter to the puppet have the puppet "eat it" in a crazy fashion. Have the puppet thank your child but tell them it is still hungry and now needs another specific letter.

Have the puppet ask your child crazy questions. "Does a dog say mooo?" "Does an elephant fly?" "Does a bird say meow?" etc. Why do toddlers and preschoolers find this funny? I don't know!

Your child will be more than happy to get things for a puppet, even if they wouldn't get the same thing for you! :-)
Have the puppet ask for different objects around the room and watch as your child runs to find then for the puppet.

Puppet extension: You can buy beautiful and expensive puppets, brown bags with faces drawn on, a banana with bubble eyes glued on, sock puppets, stick puppets, and finger puppets and they all are great for learning vocabulary, and helping with your childs imagination!

Imagination? Preschoolers are filled with it! The same cups that the toddlers like to stack your preschooler can use to pretend to cook dinner. Even if you have a miniature kitchen with all the accessories..they will be delighted with you handing them REAL kitchen plastic bowls, spoons, spatulas, pots etc to pretend to cook dinner while you are. Tell them to add water when you do it, or stir the food, take it off the stove etc. They will get a kick out of playing along. Let's Get Messy?Ok, I read this one. I haven't done it yet...Do you ever throw out leftovers? Try giving your preschooler all the leftovers to "cook" in your sink. They can mix them, stir them, smash them, and do all sorts of lovely creations! (Let me know how it goes for you!!)