Toddler Box 4: Cutting

Wow, guys! I posted 1LW Wednesday yesterday, and totally forgot that it was actually Thursday! Yikes. This is what happens when I go to work on a different day of the week.

Now that I know what day of the week it is...

It's Toddler Box time!

This one is so easy, and has so many different options for kids at all levels. I had a box like this in my classroom last year, and one of my kiddos loved it! It's great for fine-motor work, and pre-school skill building.

I started out with craft foam.

 I bought a pack of half sheet craft foam at Hobby Lobby for $6. It's going to last us forever! Cut your foam pieces down so they fit into your Toddler Box. Add in some (child safe) scissors, and you're all set!

Get to cutting!

This was Abbey's first time using scissors, so she had a hard time getting the hang of it. She'll figure it out soon! She kept wanting to use the scissors to pull on the foam and tear it, rather than cutting through it.

Getting there...

If your little one is having a hard time maneuvering classic scissors, try some loop scissors. They will help them master the motion of cutting without having to do as much work. 

Why foam and not paper? A few reasons. It's sturdier than paper, which is nice. Abbey can't squish it while she's concentrating on cutting. It also stands up while she holds it, instead of flopping over. It also gives her a bit more resistance than paper would.

Have kids that are already cutting? Make things a bit trickier! This is also a great way to work on cutting/tracing!

Add some lines to your foam and you instantly have a new cutting activity! 

My favorite part of this crafty Toddler Box? No waste! 

All those little pieces that you end up with are perfect for all sorts of fun and games! Use them for mosaics, or sorting, or whatever your little one can come up with!

Learning and recycling? Sweet!

Now, it's Kids Co-op time! Yay!

Welcome to this special outdoor, earth friendly, kid adventure, non-stop projects, and ideas editionof The Kid's Co-op! 

Each week we get together we'll ask YOU to share your favorite kid's activities. We'd love to see a plethora of ideas geared for toddlers to pre-teens. We are looking for activities that are family oriented, fun, unique and educational. Please share your favorite project or blog post below. We will be sharing our favorite post from our own blogs too! {Co-hosted by: The Kid's Co-op Group, Let's Lasso the Moon& Nurture Store}

PS: By linking up you agree that your post and photos are Pinterest friendly. We will be showcasing ideas on our group Pinterest Board. Are following the Kid's Co-op on Facebook? Let's connect!

Be Blessed!

Heather

Toddler Box 3: Pom Poms

Hi friends!

Toddler boxes are back! Yay! The one I have for you today is a go-to in our house. It is so versatile!

Super simple. Pom Poms and pinchers. Pom Poms are available in all sorts of colors at craft stores, and I found the oversize tweezers at my local teaching supply store.

Abbey likes to fill up her tea cups with pom poms, so those usually live in the box, too.

Sometimes we fill them up by color. Sometimes we fill up the cups and use the pinchers to put them back in the box.

Would you like some "punch"?

Another thing Abbey likes to do with these is glue them to paper. It is a great chance for her to work on multi-step projects. She's still working on getting enough glue onto her paper to get them to really stick, but we're getting there.

If your little one is up for more of a challenge, you can have them fill in the circles on bingo-dauber worksheets. 

I find a lot of great ones HERE.

Have any of you made any Toddler Boxes yet? I would love to see them! Link me up in the comments!

Now, it's time for the Kids Co-Op Linky Party!  I am amazed every week at the fantastic ideas in there. Make sure you check them out!

This post is linked up. Come play with me!

Easter Book Review

Hello friends!

With Easter coming up, I wanted to do a quick review of some books we've been reading at home. Abbey loves to read, and we have story time every night before bed. I've found books to be a great way to introduce topics to her. 

While I don't have a problem with secular Easter traditions, I want to make sure that the real reason for the day doesn't get lost in all the easter eggs and chocolate. Easter is tricky to explain to an almost 3 year old. Christmas is "easy"...Baby Jesus was born! Easter...not so easy. These three books do a great job of taking things down to Abbey's level.

The Story of Easter: I actually found this one at Target, hidden in there between all the Easter egg books. It is fantastic! Abbey and I just read it before she went down for a nap. She doesn't understand the idea of dying, but she does understand feeling sad and feeling happy. This book talks about how Jesus' friends were sad when He died, and were happy when He was alive again. 

It also explains why we put crosses on steeples, and that Jesus was called the Good Shepherd which is the name of our church. I love that we get to use parts of this book all throughout the week. It really helps things stick.

What Is Easter?: This is another great book. The first few pages talk about all of the activities that surround Easter like egg hunts, and baby chicks, and chocolate bunnies, and asks if they are what Easter is about. Then it talks about Jesus and the fact that He died for us, and that that is what Easter is all about. I like the rhyming and rhythm of this book, but that creates some potential problems. There is some obscure language in this book that may be confusing to little ones, or kids with disabilities. Phrases about Jesus dying on a tree, and how He wants to live inside you may need some extra explanation. They don't seem to be throwing Abbey too badly. Note: We also have  the Christmas version of this book by the same author, and it is fantastic!

The Very First Easter: I just found this one. I love The Beginner's Bible. It does such a great job of making bible stories understandable for little ones while staying true to scripture. This small book is all of the Easter oriented stories that the full Beginner's Bible contains. They include Jesus washing the disciples feet, and the entry into Jerusalem. I'm excited to read this one with Abbey tonight!

How do you teach your toddlers about Easter? I'd love to hear from you!

Now it's time for Kids Co-Op goodness! I looove this linky party. You know the drill. Link up your kids ideas here, and they'll be linked up all over blog-land. I can't wait to see what you've got this week!

Toddler Box 2: Beads

Hi everyone! 

I'm here with another Toddler Box for you, and then on to some Kids Co-Op linky goodness!

I am having so much fun putting these boxes together, and Abbey is having so much fun playing with them (which is, after all, the point!) I can't wait to share more of them!

Here is this weeks addition:

Bead stringing! I love this activity because you can do so much with it, and it can be as simple or as complex as you want to make it. It addresses all sorts of skills, and is SO easy to put together. A big tub of beads (I used maybe a third of it) and some pipe cleaners and you are set. 

NOTE: If you have any reason to believe that this activity poses a safety concern to your child, please don't do it, k? Thanks!

Why pipe cleaners you ask? Why not string? I like using pipe cleaners because you don't have to worry about the beads falling off the end! No knots. no nothing!

Abbey loves playing with her beads!

This game is especially fun to play while rocking some serious bed-head, and some new Dora jammers. If you haven't done it, I highly recommend it.

If you can believe it, this is the toned-down version of this morning's bed-head. It was epic.

You can do so many things with this box.

You can work on plain ol' fine motor skills:

You can match colors:

You can match patterns:

This is a new one for Abbey, so I think we'll be working on this one quite a bit.

Or, you can make "snails".

and take them swimming.

It's your choice, really!

Now it's time for Kids Co-Op fun! 

If you're new to the Kids Co-Op linky party, let me explain it a bit to you. This isn't your typical link up. Anything you link up here, will also appear at all of our co-hosts blogs. How cool is that? This week we have almost 60 co-hosts! That's your idea, at almost 60 different sites, with one little link up! Sweet deal.

Make sure to check out some of the awesome activities that get linked up. There is some fantastic stuff in there every week!

Toddler Box 1: Buttons

Hi everyone!

This was originally posted over at Mess For Less last week as a guest post, but I wanted to post it over here for anyone that missed it! I've got a whole series of these coming up...get excited! Make sure you check out some of the co-hosts of the Kids Co-op this week, as well.

I've recently started putting together something for Abbey that I have named Toddler Boxes. They are simple, self-contained activities that Abbey can, for the most part, complete by herself. I'm sharing my first one here with you today!

First of all, I found some great little tote boxes with snap-on lids at Hobby Lobby. They are the perfect size for Abbey, and the stack together perfectly so we can store them where she can reach them. Honestly, finding those boxes was the springboard for the whole Toddler Box idea!

I also found these buttons at Hobby Lobby for $5! Woohoo! 

Much better than trying to collect buttons from the sewing section, and they are nice and chunky with nice, big holes. Yes, I realize it says age 4 and up. If you have any reason to believe that your child would put these in their mouth, maybe wait a while before you try out this activity.

The S'getti String was $3 for 50 yards! Seriously, I have no idea what I'm going to do with all of it! I liked it for this activity because it is narrow and flexible enough to fit through the button holes, but it is sturdy, and doesn't fray.

This picture is sideways and I can't fix it...sorry! Blame Blogger!

Abbey loves her buttons!

The first time we played this, she had a hard time and I heard a lot of  "I can't!", but now she's a pro!

How's that for focus?? Haha!

She is so good about keeping the buttons in the box, or picking them back up if they come out. This box is a LIFESAVER at dinner time!

Now...on to the linky party! Check out our co-hosts, they've got a ton of great stuff today! 

Imprints from Tricia No Time For Flash Cards Train Up a Child Caution! Twins at play Creative Family Fun mamascout Share With A Kid Scribble Doodle and Draw

One Perfect Day Ways2Play Mum of Twins a Toddler and a Teenager Carrots Are Orange Small Types Rainy Day Mum Smiling like Sunshine Dirt and Boogers RainbowsWithinReach

The Mommies Made Me Do It It's A Long Story Reading Confetti B.Inspired, Mama! The Good Long Road PlayDrMom ToddlerApproved Growing A Jeweled Rose

This post is linked up. Come play!

Introducing...

The Kids Co-Op!

I found this group via Pinterest, and have been lucky enough to join! Every week we will host a linky party for kids activities. If you have something fun for kids...we want to see it! If you link up here, your link will show up at all of our co-hosts sites as well. How cool is that?!
I've also been given the opportunity to contribute to a few of the co-op's Pinterest boards. There is some great stuff being added to these boards on a daily basis, so go check them out!

The Parent Water Cooler
Growing Creative Kids
Lifetime Love of Learning

Make sure you check out this week's co-hosts!

Imprints from Tricia It's A Long Story RainbowsWithinReach Life & Love Expressed Train Up a Child B.Inspired Mama

No Time For Flash Cards My Creative Family Toddler Approved Rainy Day Mum Dirt and Boogers Mum of Twins a Toddler and a Teenager

PlayDrMom The Mommies Made Me Do It Reading Confetti The Good Long Road Ways2Play Smiling like Sunshine