Toys

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DIY floor sized game boards

Turn your floor into a game board using fabric panels.

Your children become the game pieces which means they get to have fun, learn and move all at the same time.

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We use this fabric map panel in our homeschool all the time. It’s a great way to test their knowledge of continents, oceans, countries and cardinal directions as they move around the map.

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My preschooler loves this Brown Bear panel. I originally found this on Amazon, but it doesn’t seem to be available right now. We turn this in to a Twister type game which ends up with kids all tangled up in piles on the floor. Loads of fun.

There are also these The Cat In The Hat fabric panels and Sesame Street fabric panels if your child likes those.

I’ve found that Walmart is also a good place to find things like this. The nice thing is that because you can purchase just one panel width, two of the fabric edges are the selvages which means that they don’t need to be hemmed. Fold over the two raw edges, give it a quick stitch and you have a game board that folds up easily for storage, won’t break and can easily be taken anywhere. Or if you’re like me, you won’t get around to hemming it and you’ll just use it anyway. 🙂

Enjoy your fun and games!

Note: Some links in this post are affiliate links. Full Disclosure here.

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Snow Day Activity: Indoor Sandbox

We pulled out the indoor sandbox today that we made this summer.
Works on snow days as well as blazing hot ones. So imagine the same kids pictured below playing today in long-sleeves and sweaters.

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What to do when you’re stuck inside due to snow,
single-digit temperatures and 30 mph winds?

Today we pulled out our indoor sandbox.

Spread a large sheet on the carpet (as pictured above).

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Raid the pantry for all the partial bags of old
beans, rice, lentils that hadn’t been used in ages.

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Dump them all in.

Instant “sandbox.”

We used the box that our building blocks are usually stored in, but you could also use a cardboard box, lego tubs, laundry baskets, dishpan, canvas storage boxes, an old suitcase or even a large plastic or stainless steel mixing bowl.

(Note: Obviously this activity would not be appropriate for babies or young
children who still put things in their mouths. Lots of choking hazards here.)

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Add some colored toys or manipuatives and you have an
instant sensory, color sorting game.

Grab some cups and spoons and start digging.

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Crayon Rescue

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Rescue all your broken crayon pieces and turn them into a handy crayon block. It’s easy. Recycle them by putting all the broken pieces (with wrappers removed) into a silicone baking pan – preferably one that is a cute shape. 🙂 Bake on 200 degrees for 15 minutes or until melted. Let it cool completely and then pry out of the pan. It helps to make it fairly thick so that it doesn’t break when you take it out. By the end you will have a nice crayon block that is good for travel and tiny hands. Color away!

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Make an air-conditioned sandbox

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This is a bonus post this week in honor of the high temperature today in New York City reaching 100 degrees.

What to do when you’re stuck inside all week due to the heat?

Today we made an air-conditioned sandbox. Or an “sandbox” indoors. 🙂

Since we couldn’t go outside we improvised.

We spread a large sheet on the carpet (as pictured above).

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Then we raided the pantry for all the partial bags of old
beans, rice, lentils that hadn’t been used in ages.

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Dump them all in.

Instant “sandbox.”

We used the box that our building blocks are usually stored in, but you could also use a cardboard box, lego tubs, laundry baskets, dishpan, canvas storage boxes, an old suitcase or even a large plastic or stainless steel mixing bowl.

(Note: Obviously this activity would not be appropriate for babies or young
children who still put things in their mouths. Lots of choking hazards here.)

 

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Add some colored toys or manipuatives and you have an
instant sensory, color sorting game.

Grab some cups and spoons and start digging.

Stay COOL! Enjoy your summer.

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The Railroad comes to Maggie’s House

12.18.12 005For all you train enthusiasts. The railroad has come to Maggie’s house. Come browse all of our train track configurations. Lot’s of inspiration for any little boy (or his daddy) who love’s Thomas and Friends. 🙂

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Homemade mini-abacus

4.15.13 022This is for all you homeschoolers out there! This abacus goes with the RightStart Math program. It’s small and portable which is great when you’re doing math on the go. It’s also good for little brothers and sisters who want their own abacus just like the big kids. Swing on by the Student Desk for the directions.