5 Minute Ideas for Kids Who Don’t Do Quiet Time

I am an early bird (make that a caffeinated early bird).  I wake up early and get things done.  Before kids, it was household things, an early morning run before work, or just reading.  After four kids, I am still waking up early, but productive tasks are not being checked from my to-do list.  Now, those early mornings are spent changing diapers, fixing breakfast, wiping spills, getting kids dressed, wiping more spills, snuggling sleepy babies, wiping spills… The tasks may have changed from a few years ago, but the morning is still a time of productive (and some days, not-so-productive) work.  This job called Motherhood is a tough one that is repetitive, thankless, but oh so important.  Through it all those early mornings were and now REALLY are fueled by coffee.  


five minute activities and ideas for moms. keep the kids busy so mom can take a time out and stay sane!






Motherhood is messy quotes. Spilled milk happens


So, when this mama is running all day long chasing kids, breaking up arguments, and wiping up all of those spills (WHY do kids spill so many things??!!) and the early mornings lead into sleepy afternoons, I need a mini-break.  It is so exhausting when the kids are in that tired/hungry/bored time around 4:00 pm.  It can be easy to let the exhaustion get to you.  Sure, you can throw on a movie or encourage a little rest time, but with four kids, someone always needs something.  I can’t recall a moment when all four kids napped at the same time.  I’m not one of the lucky moms whose three year old and four year old still nap.  They just. keep. going.  Quiet time in their rooms turn into a little someone yelling or pounding on the door about a dire emergency.  Or a spill.  

 Motherhood is messy quote

 I can’t keep going full steam without a mini-rest.  Some days are HARD to pull it together and be the patient, kind, loving, peaceful, joyful mom that the kids need.  Moms need time-outs too!  We’ve got some ideas to keep the kids busy for five minutes while mom gets a break (and a little caffeinated pep to keep you going through dinner).  Grab a cup of iced coffee, give the kids a quick activity in their rooms, and re-fresh yourselves.  Ignore the spills for a minute and take a deep breath.  You’ve got this!


I am SO excited to share my love of afternoon mini-break time and iced coffee with you.  I was able to try Folgers® Iced CaféTM Coffee Drink Concentrates.  They are a new line of concentrated coffee, sweetener, and flavor that are all conveniently combined in a portable package.  Moms need convenience when it comes to getting a few moments to herself so the quick prep makes it a winner for me!  I loved that I can add the concentrates quickly into an ice cold glass of milk and enjoy a little pick-me-up to beat the afternoon fatigue.  What makes them even better is that no sugar or preservatives are added to the portable squeeze bottles.  I have been loving all of the available flavors (Original Latte, Vanilla Latte, Caramel Macchiato and Hazelnut Latte) but the Caramel Macchiato iced coffee in a cute glass mug and a straw makes my min-break seem even more luxurious.  The kids know that the sight of coffee in the afternoon is a mom-only drink by now so for at least 5 minutes, the spills should be at a minimum.  “Should” being the key word. 


Grab Make Summer Fridays even cooler with new Folgers® Iced CaféTM Coffee Drink Concentrates and a little me time (even if it is only for five minutes!) while the kids are busy:


five minute activities and ideas for kids who don't do nap time or quiet time.



5 minute activities for kids who don’t do quiet time:

Grab a stack of books and a timer.  Have your child read or look at pictures for five minutes.  When the timer goes off, join your child and read together.


Hand your child a box of sidewalk chalk and a baby doll or pretend figure.  Encourage your child to draw a picture with the chalk and place the baby doll or figure into the sidewalk art.  Watch from the side for 5 minutes as you sip your iced coffee.


Set up a healthy snack.  


Pull out a piece of paper and a fun pen.  Ask your child to draw a picture or write a letter to someone special.  A grandparent, neighbor, cousin, or friend would love to receive mail!  After five minutes, join your child and help them address their mail.


Spread out a stack of easy puzzles.  Kids need to do all of the puzzles in the stack before they are done with their mini-quiet time.  When they are done, join them and do the puzzles in reverse by taking the pieces out and building them on the table.  For silly giggles, do the puzzles in slow motion and at super speed together!


Pull out bubbles and head outside.  Grab your iced coffee and just watch the excitement.  Let the bubble spills happen.  And they will. Just watch the giggles and the fun.  Then grab a bubble wand and join in on the fun!

time out for mom with iced coffee

Motherhood is messy.  Moms need a little time out when they can enjoy the little things.

31 Days of Homeschooling Tips

While we don’t homeschool, many of the activities and learning ideas you’ll find on our blog are related to educating and extending learning themes at home.  Many of our favorite posts are used by homeschooling parents.  We’re excited to join 25 other bloggers in a month of homeschool topics and tips.  We’ll be sharing 31 Days of Learning at Home with Free or almost free items.  You can read about it here and see all of our posts each day in July.  





Be sure to sign up for our newsletter so you don’t miss a post from us! 


Are you looking for homeschooling tips for moms? Well, this is a great resource for just that! There are 26 homeschooling bloggers, who came together to provide our readers with 31 days of homeschooling tips, touching on 26 different topics.

31 Days of Homeschooling Tips for Moms - brought to you by 29 homeschool bloggers, uniting to inspire, encourage and empower our readers. | www.teachersofgoodthings.com

31 Days of Homeschooling Tips for Moms

We encourage you to take your time on these 26 topics chosen to inspire, encourage and empower our homeschooling readers. We would love to have you pin the post that inspire you, share the series that encourage and pass along these 31 day series to empower those you know who could benefit the most from them.

We all need homeschooling inspiration from time to time, right?

The hostess for this series would like to invite you to join our Facebook group inspired by this series, where we will provide addition homeschooling tips in addition to what is included in these series.

Homeschooling Tips for Moms - A community to Inspire, Encourage and Empower | www.facebook.com/groups/homeschoolingtipsformoms/

New Baby Wreath Gift

 
A new baby brings so much excitement to a home!  When a baby is joining older brothers and sisters, sometimes the excitement of a baby shower doesn’t happen.  Sure, the new thing to do is to throw a Sprinkle for a mama-to-be.  But often times, a mother of a new baby with older kids doesn’t have a Sprinkle thrown for her.  We made this DIY New Baby Wreath that would be the perfect gift for a baby shower or a baby that is not the first one in the house!  Make this wreath for a friend that might need a few new items that get used.  A baby is new to the world and new to a house.  A little something new for the baby and mama will bring a smile to a friend’s face!
Make a New baby Wreath using a fitted sheet and baby items!  This is perfect for a baby shower gift idea or gift for a second or third baby. #MagicBabyMoments #ad @walmart

New Baby Gift Wreath

We have a friend who recently had her FOURTH baby girl.  What a special bunch of sisters those girls will grow up to be!  Having two other sisters myself (the AUNTS behind this blog!), I know how much fun it is to grow up in a house full of girls.  My friend has all of the baby essentials by now.  But with this special and sweet little baby, I wanted to give her a gift that would make her smile: something a little different and a re-stock of some things that might be needed by the time a fourth baby arrives in the house!  
 
We went shopping and picked up a few Disney Baby items.  My three year old is friends with some of the older girls in this family, so she had fun picking out items to add to our DIY Baby Wreath.  We chose from the Disney Baby line: 
 
Fitted sheet
Baby brush
Baby socks
Nail clippers and nail files
Sippy cups
Comb
Bibs
Bath toy
 
You’ll also need: wreath frame, glue dots, clear plastic zip ties.
Make a New baby Wreath using a fitted sheet and baby items!  This is perfect for a baby shower gift idea or gift for a second or third baby. #MagicBabyMoments #ad @walmart
To make our wreath, we wrapped a fitted sheet in a fun pattern around a wire wreath frame.  Use plastic zip ties to secure the sheet.  
Make a New baby Wreath using a fitted sheet and baby items!  This is perfect for a baby shower gift idea or gift for a second or third baby. #MagicBabyMoments #ad @walmart
Next, start adding the baby essentials to the wreath!  We used glue dots for some items and the clear plastic zip ties for other items.

Make a New baby Wreath using a fitted sheet and baby items!  This is perfect for a baby shower gift idea or gift for a second or third baby. #MagicBabyMoments #ad @walmart

You can create roses from baby socks very easily.  These will really add to the wreath and are a fun touch.

How to Make Roses with Baby Socks:

Make a New baby Wreath using a fitted sheet and baby items!  This is perfect for a baby shower gift idea or gift for a second or third baby. #MagicBabyMoments #ad @walmart
To make roses using baby socks, simple roll up a sock.  You only need one sock to make a rose, depending on the thickness of the sock.  
1. Start at the toe and roll up to the ankle opening of the sock.
2. Grasp the ankle opening and wrap it around the bottom of the roll, much like you would flip socks when you are folding socks together.
3. Separate the rolled part slightly to arrange the rolled parts to look like a rose.
 
Then attach to the wreath!  We used a glue dot to secure the socks in place on the wreath.
Make a New baby Wreath using a fitted sheet and baby items!  This is perfect for a baby shower gift idea or gift for a second or third baby. #MagicBabyMoments #ad @walmart
Use a rubber band or hair tie to create a bow from bibs.  Simply scrunch up several bibs and secure in the center.  Position on the wreath and secure from the back of the bow with a zip tie.
What do you think?  Do you know a mom-to-be (or a mom-AGAIN-to-be) who might love a Disney Baby Welcome Baby Wreath?
 
A few Baby Play ideas you may be interested in: 
  

Baby Safe Waterbead Sensory Play
Baby Mirror Play
How to Make Homemade Blender Baby Food

Frozen Fruit Kabobs Snack

Have you seen our cooking with kids A-Z posts? We’re cooking our way through the alphabet along with a few other kids’ activity bloggers.  We’re up to K for Kiwi and sharing our favorite summer recipe: Frozen Fruit Kabobs!  These are always a hit in our house, but especially during the hot summer months, the kids love these frozen fruity treats that are a healthy alternative to popsicles.  This is definitely a recipe that younger kids can make.  My preschooler was able to do most of the prep and all of the spearing on her own.  The hardest part of this recipe is waiting for the fruit to freeze!

Frozen Fruit Kabob treat.  Kids love to make and eat these frozen treats! So much healthier than sugary popsicles. Perfect for summer snacks and cooking with kids!
 

 

 

CHECK THE SUMMER ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS OF ALL AGES LISTED BELOW!

You’ll also be interested in our new Summer Occupational Therapy Activities Packet. It’s a collection of 14 items that guide summer programming at home, at school, and in therapy sessions. The summer activities bundle covers handwriting, visual perceptual skills and visual motor skills, fine motor skills, gross motor skills, regulation, and more.

You’ll find ideas to use in virtual therapy sessions and to send home as home activities that build skills and power development with a fun, summer theme. Kids will love the Summer Spot It! game, the puzzles, handouts, and movement activities. Therapists will love the teletherapy slide deck and the easy, ready-to-go activities to slot into OT sessions. The packet is only $10.00 and can be used over and over again for every student/client!

Grab the Spring Occupational Therapy Activities Packet HERE.

summer occupational therapy activities for kids

Summer Healthy Treat for Kids: Frozen Fruit Kabobs!

 
{This post contains affiliate links.  This allows us to buy stuff like fruit.  And popsicle sticks.}
 
Frozen Fruit Kabob treat.  Kids love to make and eat these frozen treats! So much healthier than sugary popsicles. Perfect for summer snacks and cooking with kids!

Kiwi Fruit Kabobs

These fruit kabobs are beyond easy.  Grab a handful of craft sticks
and your favorite
kid-friendly knife.  You’ll want to use fresh fruit that your child loves, but also try a few new fruits.  It’s a great way to introduce something new.  In our case, my older kids have had kiwi before–and my three year old has too, but could totally not recall ever eating it.  Other fun new fruits to try may be star fruit, mango, or pineapple.

Frozen Fruit Kabob treat.  Kids love to make and eat these frozen treats! So much healthier than sugary popsicles. Perfect for summer snacks and cooking with kids!

Slice and wash the fruit.  The kiwi are a little harder to peel and slice, but ours were not extremely soft.

Frozen Fruit Kabob treat.  Kids love to make and eat these frozen treats! So much healthier than sugary popsicles. Perfect for summer snacks and cooking with kids!

Start pressing the fruit onto the craft sticks.  We used craft sticks for the child-friendly safety factor.  You could definitely use
kabob skewers
for a snack created for adult or teens, but because we were making a popsicle-like treat for kids, we went with the safer version.



For easy skewering of the fruit with the craft sticks, we found that if we put the strawberry and kiwi slices flat on the cutting board and poked the craft stick down into each slice, they went on the stick much easier.

Frozen Fruit Kabob treat.  Kids love to make and eat these frozen treats! So much healthier than sugary popsicles. Perfect for summer snacks and cooking with kids!

Have the kids arrange their fruit kabobs however they like.  It was fun to hear each kids’ take on their fruit kabobs.  We had a rocketship and strawberry hats among our fruit kabobs.

Frozen Fruit Kabob treat.  Kids love to make and eat these frozen treats! So much healthier than sugary popsicles. Perfect for summer snacks and cooking with kids!

Frozen Fruit Kabob treat.  Kids love to make and eat these frozen treats! So much healthier than sugary popsicles. Perfect for summer snacks and cooking with kids!

 

Place the fruit kabobs in a flat container.  We used our  snap and stack containers for a shallow kabob holder while in the freezer.  Place the lid over the fruit and wait for them to freeze.
 
Frozen Fruit Kabob treat.  Kids love to make and eat these frozen treats! So much healthier than sugary popsicles. Perfect for summer snacks and cooking with kids!
 
Once they are frozen, enjoy!  The kids will love the frozen fruit treats that they made and mom will love the healthy alternative to popsicles!

 

Frozen Fruit Kabob treat.  Kids love to make and eat these frozen treats! So much healthier than sugary popsicles. Perfect for summer snacks and cooking with kids!
 
Be sure to stop by and see what the other Cooking With Kids A-Z team have created using kiwi:
 
Stop by and see the rest of our cooking with kids A-Z posts!

 

Want to take summer play to the next level? Be sure to grab your copy of the Summer OT Activities Bundle!

Summer activities for kids

Easy No Prep Free Summer Activities

Summer is upon us.  For me, I am at home with my four kids and playing, (trying) to stay on top of the laundry, feeding constantly hungry mouths, planning hikes and park visits, scheduling play dates, visiting the library, and trying to keep this little blog business afloat.  The kids do a great job of unstructured free play and come up with some pretty wild imaginative ideas.  They are playing school, cops, library, and pirates on almost a daily basis.  Then there is the daily coloring and TV tag in the yard that keeps the kids creating and moving.  We also find ourselves pulling our hair out with bickering kids, whining, and boredom.  A little inspiration in EASY and basically free activities for the kids is needed sometimes.  Use this list of essentially Free Summer Fun Activities for those times when the kids need a little encouragement to create, play, and get along.  Because we all know that sometimes distraction can change a sour attitude into smiling happy kids!

You’ll also be interested in our new Summer Occupational Therapy Activities Packet. It’s a collection of 14 items that guide summer programming at home, at school, and in therapy sessions. The summer activities bundle covers handwriting, visual perceptual skills and visual motor skills, fine motor skills, gross motor skills, regulation, and more.

You’ll find ideas to use in virtual therapy sessions and to send home as home activities that build skills and power development with a fun, summer theme. Kids will love the Summer Spot It! game, the puzzles, handouts, and movement activities. Therapists will love the teletherapy slide deck and the easy, ready-to-go activities to slot into OT sessions. The packet is only $10.00 and can be used over and over again for every student/client!

Grab the Spring Occupational Therapy Activities Packet HERE.

summer occupational therapy activities for kids

 

Basically free summer activities for kids and families this summer. Creative play is inspired play!
 
 
 

 

 

Free Summer Activities for Kids

 
Use what you’ve got in the house with these activities:
Create with recycled materials and make arts, crafts, and activities.
Pull plastic ware out of the cupboards and sort the lids onto the containers.
Mix colors with food coloring in water.
Blow bubbles
Jump rope
Play Kickball
Throw a book picnic: grab snacks, a blanket, and a pile of books and head outside.
Dress up with old fancy dresses and clothes from mom’s closet (then throw them in a bag and donate!)
Bake
Poke holes in a cardboard box and push pipe cleaners through the holes
Bowl with recycled plastic waterbottles
Act out a favorite nursery rhyme
Play Pizza Tag: one person is “it” and chases the others.  Players run from “it” and can stay safe from being tagged by naming pizza toppings and touching the ground.
Put dollhouses or play sets into a bin of shredded paper.
Play hide and seek
Climb trees
Watch and draw clouds
Tell stories where one person starts a story and each person adds a sentence to continue the story.  Write it down and illustrate your story!
Make and deliver lemonade to neighbors
Go birdwatching
Make creative firefly catchers and then catch the fireflies that night.
Play charades
Act out a favorite book
Create with finger paints (make your own with flour, water, and food coloring or washable paint!)
Sing songs
Turn on music and dance
Pick flowers and give them to neighbors
Make crafts. Have an art show and invite friends.
 
Creative play
 
Whatever you do this summer, enjoy every minute and have fun!
 
More creative fun you may enjoy this summer:
 

 

Want to take summer play to the next level? Be sure to grab your copy of the Summer OT Activities Bundle!

Summer activities for kids

Firefly Catcher Kit Creation Station

“This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and Glad, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #pressnsealhacks
Summer means fireflies (do you call them lightning bugs in your house?) on warm nights with the kids running around the yard.  We are such huge fans of lightning bugs, and really all types of bugs–that we decided to create a firefly catcher…or 8!  This firefly catcher creation station was a HUGE hit in our house and would be the perfect craft for a summer play date or bug-themed party.  


Firefly bug catcher creation station kit for kids

Host a firefly bug catcher creation station:

Supplies for a lightning bug firefly bug catcher kit.

You’ll need just a few materials to get the kids creating and excited to make their firefly catchers.  We stopped at Walmart and picked up:

Ribbons
tape (clear tape and/or colored or washi tape)
scissors
Added extras like sticks, leaves, and stones for the fireflies
You’ll need recycled jars and containers for the firefly homes.

Set up a table with all the firefly catcher items.  Be sure to cut the Glad Press’n Seal into small square shaped pieces to fit the tops of your containers.

Firefly catcher creation station. This is a great idea for a play date or a bug themed party craft.
These kids were excited to get started.  They decorated the containers with tape, ribbon, and string.

lightning bug catcher
Once you’ve got the jars decorated as you like, place a piece of Glad Press’n Seal over the top.  It’s resealable and will make a great lid for the bug catchers.  Use a fork to poke holes in the Glad Press’n Seal for breathing holes.  You can remove the covering during the bug catching and simply pull it back into place to keep the lightning bugs happy in their new temporary home!
Make a firefly bug catcher this summer with the kids.
Lightning bug catcher creation station
My son decided to add star decorations using a star-shaped hole puncher and printer paper.  The paper stars stuck right to the Glad Press’n Seal and reminded us of a stary night.  Hopefully the lightning bugs thought the same!

Make lightning bug catchers with the kids this summer.  Add this to the summer bucket list!
These firefly catchers are gorgeously decorated in ribbons, bows, tape (even electrical tape!)

Firefly bug catchers

These lightning bug catchers are (almost) too pretty to catch bugs!  We had a lot of fun running around the yard catching fireflies and capturing memories together.  These bug catchers will be used a lot this summer!
Create pretty and fun bug catchers, lightning bug houses, and firefly catchers for summer nights with family and friends.
Love this? Pin it! 
Host a firefly catcher creation station play date or craft area at a bug-themed party.
Be sure to stop by and follow our Facebook page where you can see tons of crafts and activities for kids from all over the internet.  Feel free to share pictures of your firefly catchers with us there!

Fizzy Dough Pre-Cursive Handwriting

This month’s sensory dough is Fizzy Dough!  This was a fun one for us, because we combined one of our favorite doughs (baking soda dough!) with sensory science AND cursive handwriting….Whaaaa? Yep! We got them all in here on this post for you, and it was a fizzy blast!
 
This is a great hands-on activity that can help with the letter formation portion of cursive handwriting. Getting the tactile sensory input can leave a lasting impact on the lines needed to form letters. It’s a great way to make learning cursive not so boring!
Make fizzy sensory dough with baking soda dough and vinegar for a wonderfully messy sensory play for kids
 

What is Fizzy Dough?

What is Fizzy Dough…was the first thing we thought when we saw this month’s sensory dough theme.  Apparently anything that fizzes and is moldable can be a fizzy dough.  SO, we decided to do a twist on our soda dough recipe.  We actually ran out of the corn starch needed for the recipe and added in flour so it became a new soda dough for us.
 

To make the soda dough:

Combine 1 cup flour, 2 cups baking soda, 1 cup water, and a few drops of food coloring in a sauce pan.  Cook over medium heat. Stir until it looks like mashed potatoes.  Remove from heat and place in a glass bowl.  Cover with a cloth until cool.
Make fizzy sensory dough with baking soda dough and vinegar for a wonderfully messy sensory play for kids
 
Next comes the fun part:  Making the fizzy dough into FIZZY dough!  Simply add vinegar for a bubbly reaction that is very fun to watch and play with.  We put our dough into a bin and poured and painted vinegar all over the dough.  It became a squishy sensory mess of a dough, but still squishy.  Add more vinegar for a thinner substance.  My kids loved squishing it between their fingers.
Make fizzy sensory dough with baking soda dough and vinegar for a wonderfully messy sensory play for kids
Make fizzy sensory dough with baking soda dough and vinegar for a wonderfully messy sensory play for kids
Make fizzy sensory dough with baking soda dough and vinegar for a wonderfully messy sensory play for kids
How gloriously messy!
Teach cursive handwriting to kids using sensory fizzy dough to learn pre-cursive line formation.

Teach letters with fizzy sensory dough

 
We extended the activity a bit by adding a pre-handwriting and cursive letter formation aspect to our sensory dough.  My 5 year old rolled out snakes and made lower case letters.  We fizzed them for the sensory fun of it.  Dip a paintbrush in a cup of vinegar and “paint” the letters for letter formation practice.  Be sure to encourage your child to paint the letters in the correct way to practice letter formation and handwriting.
Teach cursive handwriting to kids using sensory fizzy dough to learn pre-cursive line formation.

How to teach cursive letters with sensory dough

Teach cursive handwriting to kids using sensory fizzy dough to learn pre-cursive line formation.
 
When it comes to learning cursive, there is the whole, “Where do I start?”  My oldest daughter is asking to learn cursive and I’m excited to teach her.  
We used our fizzy dough as a starting point to learn the beginning lines and curves of cursive handwriting.  Learning the letters can be easy for kids, but the connecting lines can be a bit confusing for kids who are used to printing words.  Form a long “snake” with the fizzy dough by rolling it on a table surface.  You want the “snake” of dough to be long enough to form several cursive letters in a row.  Use the dough to form beginning cursive strokes:  a series of lower case letter “i”, letter “t”, letter “m”, letter “l”, letter “c”, and letter “u”.  Connect the letters like we did in the picture above to allow the child to get a handle on the flow of the cursive letter lines.  
 
You can draw a line on paper or wax paper to make a form for the child to place the dough over.  Then add vinegar for a fizzy and sensory reaction.  They will love to see their cursive letter lines fizz and the sensory fun of learning cursive handwriting.
Teach cursive handwriting to kids using sensory fizzy dough to learn pre-cursive line formation.


Then use a paintbrush to dip and paint the cursive letters and cursive forms with vinegar for a fizzy, sensory reaction.

See all of the Fizzy Dough in the series this month: 
 
Lemon-Lime Fizzy Dough | Lemon Lime Adventures
Fizzy Dough Cupcakes | Study at Home Mama
Fizzy Bath Dough | Still Playing School
Primordial Fizzy Dough | Peakle Pie
Fizzy Lemon Juice Dough | Creative World of Varya
Edible Fizzy Dough | Wildflower Ramblings
Fizzy Flower Sensory Dough! |  Preschool Powol Packets
Rainbow Fizzy Cloud Dough | Powerful Mothering
Fizzy Dough | In The Playroom
Looking for more ways to work on cursive handwriting? You’ll love our 31 day series on How to Teach Cursive Handwriting:

Baby and Toddler Water Bead Sensory Box

I have a new Toddler (wait–I have a 13 month old who THINKS she is a big kid and can keep up with the actual big kids…a brandy new walker/stumbler who will always be my baby).  And when there is a Baby/Toddler in the house with bigger kids who paint, create, explore, and play, it can be difficult to keep the small pieces and parts away from exploring little hands.   We do a ton of sensory play in our house and always have a pack of water beads ready to go for a water bead sensory activity.  So the inquiring little baby-sized hands want to get in on the sensory fun.  We made this Water Bead Sensory Box that is perfect for Toddlers and Babies.



Safety Note : ALWAYS supervise your children (of all ages) with activities such as these.  While we have made our sensory box safe for kids, please use your judgement when playing with and exploring with your kids.  This blog and it’s authors are not responsible for injury or harm that may occur as a result of this or any activity/craft that is found on this site.
Water bead sensory box


Water Bead Play for Babies/Toddlers

We’ve made a baby-safe water bead sensory activity before, and this one is another to add to the sensory play.  (We’re including affiliate links in this post for items that you might need to make this activity.)

Water bead sensory box
We started with just a few materials to make our water bead sensory box.  Grab a plastic fruit container with a lid from the recycle bin.  We used a blueberry container, and any berry container would be perfectly sized for the sensory box.  The container should be on the thinner side and clear, with a lid.  You will need to enlarge water beads in water for 4-6 hours.  Once they have grown to full size, pour them into the plastic container.  Then, use super glue
around the edges of the plastic container. Press firmly and allow the glue to fully dry before using the sensory box. We added a layer of
hot glue
using a
hot glue gun
(LOVE my hot glue gun!) to the edges of the plastic lid opening. You will need to allow time for the hot glue to fully dry as well.

Water bead sensory box
Water bead sensory box
Once the glues have dried, you are ready to explore and play with the sensory box.  Play in a well lit area to explore the colors of the water beads.  This was such a fun way for the little one to explore a sensory material in a safe way.  As the box is tilted around and shaken, the beads move and create a great sound.  

Love this idea? Pin it!
Water bead sensory box

To extend this activity out, add learning to the sensory box.  Add words like we did in our sight words sensory bottle to practice spelling and sight words.  Before gluing add foam pieces with numbers to create a math activity.  Add letters or small items to create an I-Spy toy.  

The water beads will stay hydrated for longer than they usually do when exposed to air.  Even though there are holes in the recycled berry container, the water beads do not shrink as quickly as they normally do.  Have fun!

What ways would you play with this sensory box?

Follow our Sensory Activities Pin board for more sensory activities.

Boo Boos Bee Gone Get Well Soon Card

Sometimes a kid-made get well soon card can mean a lot to a sick loved one. We created this Boo Boo Bee Gone get well soon card using yellow band aides for a cute card made by kids.  



Boo Boos BEE Gone get well soon card made by kids.  Friends and relatives will love receiving this card when they are sick or injured!


Boo Boos Bee Gone Get Well Soon Card

{This post contains affiliate links.}  Is there anything that kids love more than band-aides?  A simple bandage and a kiss from mom often times heals a boo boo for a child.  When they think of a sick friend or relative, they will get that their card made with band-aides will help heal in a big way.  Little do they know, it’s actually the child-made card and thoughtfulness that will help to make a loved one smile and feel a little better.



Get well soon card made by kids

Boo Boos BEE Gone get well soon card made by kids.  Friends and relatives will love receiving this card when they are sick or injured!
To make these cute bumblebees, you need just a few materials:

yellow band-aides 
wax paper 
black permanent marker 
card stock


scissors
glue stick




To make the Get well soon craft:  Fold the card stock in half to make your card.  Cut a long rectangle shape from the wax paper.  Round the edges, much like the shape of the bandages.  Smear a small amount of glue at the center of each wax paper wing and glue onto card stock card.   Open the band-aides and stick over the center of the wax wings.  Use the marker to draw stripes, a face, and a stinger on each bee.  Add a personal message to the inside of the card.

Boo Boos BEE Gone get well soon card made by kids.  Friends and relatives will love receiving this card when they are sick or injured!
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You can find more of our kids crafts on the tab at the top of our blog.  

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