Pretend Play: The Olympics

I found these super cute Olympic Playmobil people for only $2 a pop so I just had to pick them up for the kids.  They have been great to play with as we watch the Olympics.  Anna is just like me and loves the gymnastics so she has claimed those little people as her own.

The Playmobil people are so darn cute!

Happy playing and happy Olympics!!

Summer Fun - Our Mud Pie Kitchen

One of the super cool things on our Summer Fun List is to make a mud pie kitchen!  

We were all really excited about this one!  And the kids have had a blast making mud pies, food for the doggies, flower soup, etc.

We have a little shady spot in our backyard and it's the perfect spot to play when it's hot and sunny out.

Our mud pie kitchen is essentially an old nightstand.  It was pretty beat up and I didn't do anything to it other than add a few "fun" kitchen things for the kids.

The top of the kitchen has two "stove eyes" made from cork trivets, a cutting board and a timer.  I also pulled our little wagon out beside the kitchen and filled up a large Tupperware container with water to act as our "sink".

On the back, I attached a towel rack and some of our play kitchen toys.

The dollar store has some perfect pots and pans for our kitchen!

Nothing like playing in the dirt!

Off to cook!!

Squirt Bottle Chalk

This was a fun outdoor experiment.  The chalk didn't seem to work as well for us as when we did corn starch paintings on the driveway, but Sweet Girl enjoyed spraying from the squirt bottles...(what kid doesn't like squirt bottles???)

I got the directions for mixing our chalk here.

I think ours ended up a little too watery.  Once dried, it was pretty light.

If we make this again, I think we would double the mixture so we could have more colors and hopefully more vibrant dried chalk.

Summer Fun - Bubble Painting

This is an oldie, but goodie to us!  Sweet Girl loves bubble painting and usually asks to do it whenever I say "what do you want to do today?".

Since it's been so nice outside lately, we decided to take this one outside so we could be as messy as we wanted.

All you need is some cups, straws, paint and dish soap.

And then start blowing!

We also did some "splatter" type painting by taking our straws out of the cups and blowing them onto our paper.  That was pretty fun too!

Loving our Summer Fun List!!

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FREE Summer Fun eBook (Recipes, Crafts, Activities & More!)

I am thrilled to be a part of this years Summer eBook!  

It is slam-packed with super fun activities, yummy recipes, delicious desserts and cool crafts!

Be sure to download your free copy!!

Click here to download or print your free Summer eBook!

Summer Fun - Cool Bird Feeders

I really enjoy making bird feeders.  We have made lots and lots and lots of them, and the birds just keep coming back so we keep making them.

This is an activity that is on our Summer Fun List.

The bird feeders were super easy to make and literally make a hardened "birdseed cake" that can be hung from a tree.  It was definitely less messy than our typical bird feeder adventures!

The complete tutorial and directions can be found at eighteen 25. 

Basically you just need a few cookie cutters or mason jar lids.

Then you mix your birdseed with a packet of gelatin on the stove.  Once it's cooled down, pat the birdseed mixture into your cookie cutter or lid.

After you fill your cookie cutter up half of the way, add your knotted string and then fill up the cookie cutter the rest of the way.

Let them dry overnight.

I turned ours over before I went to bed.

Pop out the bird feeders in the morning and hang from your tree!

So cool and so fun!

Happy summer!!

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Planting a Playdough Garden

You all know we love play dough around here!!

I love trying to find new ways to use our homemade play dough.  Some of my favorite are Mr. Play Dough Head and making birthday cupcakes!

This pretend garden ranks right up there, though.  

Sweet Girl and I planted a play dough garden using our homemade chocolate play dough as "mud", some plastic flowers and various pots.

This one she made just for me....awww.

These ice cube molds (from Ikea a while back) worked out perfectly for planting some of the smaller flowers.

It's just good ole play dough fun!

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Our Summer Fun List 2012

We are all getting excited for summer at our house!!  Although we do lots and lots of crafts and activities at our house, we really loved having a "list" to keep us busy and entertained all summer long.  This is our list for this summer, 2012.  I've included links when I had them so your family could play along too!!

Click here to check out our list from last year!


Make bird feeders

Fruit and veggie paintings

Go fishing

Pick strawberries

Make ice cream

Paint with pudding

Make a butterfly walkway

Dye playsilks

Make shaving cream art books

Make popsicles

Host a paint party

Have an outdoor slumber party

Catch fireflies

Watch a movie outdoors

Have a cookie bar party

Make our own giant bubbles

Monet paintings

Rainbow spaghetti

Visit the zoo

Make a mud kitchen

Paint popcorn

Have a puppet show

Do bubble painting

Tin foil painting

Make moon sand

Family memory game

Swamp sensory tub

Go on a hike



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Invitations to Play - Water Fun

It's not even summer yet, but it has been blazing hot here.  My two love being outside so I decided to make this week all about water and fun!  All of these invitations were quite a hit around here.  The mermaid lagoon is probably my daughter's absolute favorite thing ever.  She's obsessed with mermaids.  All of them, though, were loads of fun for the kiddos!!  

(To find out more about the idea behind invitations to play, check out The Imagination Tree)

We did this activity last year as well.  Check out this post to find out how I put this sensory tub together!

These fun play ideas will definitely be in our weekly mix of activities!!

What about you??  How are you going to keep cool this summer??

Here are more of our invitations to play.  Click on the link below each image to be taken to that post!!

Click here

Click here

Click here

Pretend Ice Cream Shop

We love play dough at our house and we love ice cream!  What's better than a play dough ice cream shop?  Not much, according to a super cute three year old and an adorable one year old.

I set up an ice cream shop on our little table in the kitchen and both my kids went crazy making ice cream sundaes and milkshakes.

We made three different types of scented play dough, which were just the perfect touch for pretend play.  We added strawberry kool-aid to the strawberry, vanilla extract to the vanilla and cocoa powder to the chocolate play dough.  They all smelled delicious....almost good enough to eat.  Strawberry was definitely a favorite for us.  

I found this super cute little ice cream menu at Spell Outloud and printed it out for Sweet Girl to use at her shop. 

We added little dixie cups and straws for pretend milkshakes.

And sprinkles to our sundaes.

Yum!  Good ole pretend play!!

Summer Fun Crafts for Preschoolers

I am soooo looking forward to summer!!  I'm starting to get our "summer-list-o-fun" organized and I'm having so much fun!  Here are some ideas that my little ones differently enjoyed and will be part of our summer activities.

Check out these super fun ideas!!  Click on the link to be taken directly to the corresponding post!

Marble Painting

Corn Starch Painting

Corn Syrup Painting

DIY Finger Paints

Wet on Wet Painting

Tissue Paper Painting

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