Button Play for Fine Motor Skills

Button Play for Fine Motor Skills

After putting together the St. Patrick’s Day sensory bin, which was then re-purposed  for an Easter sensory bin, I realized that the buttons that we bought had a lot of potential. How so? Well, I got the idea after Squeaker kept trying to go after the package. She was fascinated with the shape and size, so I thought why not capitalize on her curiosity and use button play for fine motor skills development. After gathering a few materials around the house, we had a simple DIY button game that only took me a few minutes to put together but kept her entertained for a good 15 to 20 minutes at a time. (and if you have a young child, you know that’s quite a bit…

How the Easter Bunny Came to Be

It’s hard to believe that Easter is coming up so quickly! These past few weeks have really flown by and I had meant to have this posted earlier. If you’re like me and wonder about Easter traditions, here’s one specifically about how the Easter bunny came to be. And because the Easter bunny has become such a symbol of Easter, I’m also including a fun round up of Easter bunny themed crafts. It may seem odd to many that a bunny has become part of the religious festival of Easter, but the truth is that the Easter Bunny origin goes further back than you might think! Originally, the Easter bunny was a pagan symbol. The truth is that the Easter Bunny origin goes all the…

Starting a Family Piggy Bank

Starting a Family Piggy Bank

As a child, I remember having several piggy banks, but none was an actual pig. My mom also collected piggy banks, so I suppose my mild obsession with piggy banks may have come from her. As a family, we had one collective piggy bank and I’ve thought of starting a family piggy bank with Squeaker. All too often, when kids become adults, they forget about those savings lessons learned in their younger years. They spend every last cent out of each paycheck, and they end up without anything left over. Wouldn’t it be great if we could save up some money to have fun with as easily as we did in our youth? Actually, there’s no reason why we can’t. A family piggy bank works…

How To Teach Values to Kids

How To Teach Values to Kids

In this highly digitized society, sometimes it’s difficult to discern exactly what children are learning from things like video games, television, peers, computer games, YouTube videos, etc. And sometimes it’s crystal clear. So how then, do we as parents, counteract what children are learning from society? How are parents supposed to compete with that? The simple answer is- we shouldn’t. Parents should be the first source when it comes to teaching values to children. But, that’s not always the case. Sometimes a parent might become a secondary source. However, by starting at a young age or reinforcing values consistently, a parent can become the primary source- as they should be. I feel it is, after all, part of our responsibility as parents to raise kids…

St. Patrick’s Day Crafts for Kids

With St. Patrick’s Day just around the corner, I wanted to share another fun round up just in time for the weekend. I’m featuring St. Patrick’s Day crafts for kids and also a few activities. Tomorrow, I’m going to share a book list with you. The general theme for this is St. Patrick’s Day so you can expect to find crafts and activities related to rainbows, shamrocks, and leprechauns. First, don’t forget to check out our St. Patrick’s Day Sensory Bin, our St. Patrick’s Day coloring book, our St. Patrick’s Day Art for Toddlers, or our St. Patrick’s Day Sensory Bottles. Now, let’s get to that list! Mini Sound Shakers from Buggy and Buddy Light Up St. Patrick’s Day Cards from Left Brain, Craft Brain…

Family Friendly St. Patrick’s Day Recipes for the Ultimate Green Menu

In preparation for St. Patrick’s Day, I’m getting a few fun posts together for you. Aside from this one, we’ll also have crafts, a book list for kids, our St. Patrick’s Day printable packs and quotes, and a few sensory themed ideas for St. Patrick’s Day. I’ve already posted two easy St. Patrick’s Day art ideas and I’ll probably have a few more St. Patrick’s Day related things for the Autism and Afterschooling series next week. So, let’s get this started with family friendly St. Patrick’s Day Recipes! I’ve searched the blogosphere for my favorites to share with you. And did you know that Corned Beef and Cabbage is an Irish-American tradition and not an Irish tradition? I love corned beef and cabbage, and eventually…