Glow Stick Bath

Every few months we pull out a glow stick or two from the craft box, throw 'em in the tub, and take a spooky glowy bath. Tay loves it and says he's swimming in "swamp water." Fun little activity to shake up his bedtime routine!

Felt Marble Mazes

My four-year-old is obsessed with mazes right now. He calls them "brainteasers" and is always wanting to get more activity books and iPad apps that have mazes in them. I saw this idea a couple of weeks ago and thought it'd be perfect for him.

All I did was sew two sheets of felt together, leaving a small opening for turning. I turned it right-side out, put a marble inside, and sewed all the way around the piece, staying as close to the edge as possible. I then planned the layout of the maze, marked the lines with pins, and sewed along each line, careful not to hit the marble. Lastly I took some small rectangles of felt and sewed one at the starting point and one at the end point.

Now he's got a maze to do again and again. Taylor absolutely loves it and I will definitely be making more of these for him for Christmas. Super cheap, super easy, and the kid loves 'em. What more could I ask for!

Simple Sensory Activity: Carpet Samples!

Babies love texture. It's just something built into their little brains, and activities that exercise their senses are so important to growth and development. These are things I definitely was NOT thinking about the last time I was at my local home improvement store. I was there to get some drapery hardware and ended up wandering through the flooring aisle for a few minutes (I have a degree in Interior Design, and sometimes I just need to browse random areas to admire the latest and greatest floor coverings, paint, and lighting. It's a sick addiction).

I was looking at the carpet section and noticed that above the large rolls of floor coverings they had a ton of free samples. They were about three inches square, the perfect size for little chubby fingers to hold. I immediately thought of Oliver and how much he LOVES texture, so I grabbed a handful of free samples on my way to the checkout.

When we got home I set him on the floor and put the flooring samples around him. It was so cute to watch him go from one to the other, moving his tiny little fingers across each square. He was busy with them for a long time (I supervised him to make sure none of the little carpet fibers ended up in his mouth), and I think what I'll do eventually is put them on a large keyring to keep him busy when we're out running errands.

Gotta love free stuff that keep babies busy!

Homemade Playdough Recipe

 There are quite a few homemade playdough recipes circulating on the interwebs, but this one is by far my favorite. It has a really smooth texture, is very simple to make, and it lasts FOREVER. I made a big batch at least a year ago, and it's still very soft and pliable.

Homemade Playdough Recipe

2 c. flour
1 c. salt
2 c. water
2 Tbsp. cream of tartar
2 Tbsp. cooking oil
Food coloring (optional)

Combine all ingredients in medium saucepan; mix well. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until mixture gathers on stirring spoon and forms dough. Dump onto waxed paper until cool enough to handle and knead into a pliable mass. Store in covered container or plastic bag.


Make a batch or two for your little ones and let their imaginations run wild!