Today, Toys In The Dryer is excited to bring you a guest post from Becky of Your Modern Family: With four kids ages six and under, I am always looking for a great activity to do with them. I taught elementary school before our oldest son was born and I know how every thing that you do with your children will teach them. Let them explore and learn and you will be amazed by them! Today we will learn how to make paint with kool-aid. This is a fun, easy activity to do with your children! It makes your house smell great and it is so much fun to do with your kids. It is a wonderful activity for creativity and working on fine motor skills. Add in a great story (read about rainbows and paint one) and you have just done a great learning lesson with your kids! Make paint with kool-aid: I bought a few packets of the off-brand (cheapest you can find) Kool-aid mix. To make this, you will want to start by getting out as many bowls as you have kids (or if you are separating by … [Read more...]
Easter Egg Memory Game
Looking for an Easter game that can keep your kids busy for a while? How about doing an Easter Egg Memory Game? My daughter thought this game was a blast and she played it multiple different ways too. It kept her busy for literally an hour! The only things you'll need are a bunch of plastic Easter eggs and the same amount of small, matching objects to put into the eggs. There are a few different ways to play the Easter Egg Memory Game depending on how hard or easy you want to make it. The basic way is to simply put the objects into the eggs, mix them up, then try to find the matching objects in the eggs. To make it easier: put matching objects in matching egg colors such as the pennies in two pink eggs, the buttons in two blue eggs. To make it harder: Mix up the egg colors such as a yellow top with a blue bottom or an orange top with a yellow bottom. You can also do similar items instead of matching items such as a penny and a nickle, two different buttons, or two … [Read more...]
21 After Surgery Activities for Kids
If you've been paying attention to our social media over the last week, you know that both my daughter, Tottie, and Lindsi's daughter, Lil' Princess, had tonsillectomies last week. Tottie's was on Monday and Lil' Princess' was on Tuesday. Though neither daughter has been very perky, we have had to keep them occupied while they are to remain on the quiet side. Here's some of the things we've done to keep our post-surgery kids from getting bored... 1) Legos--What kid doesn't love them? Buy a new set of Legos for after surgery and keep your child busy for hours. 2) Glurch/Slime--This ooey, gooey stuff isn't messy at all but your kids will have fun thinking it is! 3) Board games--When was the last time you played a board game? Now's the time to have some fun with your kids playing the games you used to love. 4) I spy bottles--We dusted off one of my girls' favorite toys AND made a new one! 5) Make cards for other sick kids--Dust off your art supplies and make cards … [Read more...]
Nurturing the Soul of Your Family-People First, Things Second
I am excited to bring you a review of the book Nurturing the Soul of Your Family by Renée Peterson Trudeau. To be completely honest, I did not read the entire book. Instead, I skimmed some chapters (bullet points throughout the book make that easy to do) and read others that stood out to me. Nurturing the Soul of Your Family isn't a necessarily a "how to" book. It's more of a guidebook that helps you look at yourself and who you want to be with and for your family. It stresses that your family and the obligations that go with them are not burdens as we sometimes feel, but that they are gifts. When we take care of ourselves, we can appreciate our gifts. This book is a motivation and inspiration to slow down and find peace in the often chaotic family life. There was one chapter in Nurturing the Soul of Your Family that resonated with me (and that makes a good fit for this blog too). It was "People First, Things Second: The Digital Divide," a chapter that talks about … [Read more...]
Chicken Broccoli and Rice Dinner Made Easy
With some activity going on every evening during the week this month, dinner is not something I have been focusing on nor have been wanting to make. I'm always on the look-out for quick and easy meals and Minute® Rice has become a staple in my cupboard for those meals. One of my family's favorite Minute® Rice dinners is Chicken, Broccoli, and Rice. Only 5 ingredients and 1 pan this recipe can't get any easier. Substitute some of the cooking time and effort with pre-cooked chicken and you've made a super simple and really quick meal. Ingredients: 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast cut into bite sized pieces 1 can chicken broth (14.5 oz) 2 cups Minute® Rice (uncooked) 1/2 lb (8 oz) of prepared cheese product cut into 1/2 inch cubes (we use Velveeta®) 1 package (10 oz) of frozen broccoli chopped and thawed Directions: 1) Cook chicken in a large non-stick skillet on medium-high heat for 5 minutes or until chicken is done. 2) Add broth and bring to a … [Read more...]
Sneaky Ways to Stop Toddler Tantrums
Both Jamie and Lindsi will be some-what "off" of blogging for the next two weeks because both Tottie and Lil' Princess are having tonsillectomies. Tottie's is on Monday and Lil' Princess' is on Tuesday. Their surgeries are litterally 24 hours apart and by the same surgeon! Please enjoy some guest posts and other fun things not normally in our schedule while we take care of our daughters. __________________________________________________ A Hazel Musing: Sneaky Ways My Parents Stop My Tantrums Now I've turned two, I have upped the ante on the number of tantrums that I have. As a toddler, it's my duty to live up to the reputation of the terrible two's and I tell that to every toddler I meet! But I've not managed to master tantrums completely yet, as my parents have some sneaky ways, which they use to diffuse my tantrums and I often forget what the tantrum was about. I thought I'd better speak out and warn other toddlers about these sneaky … [Read more...]
