Polar Themed Process Art for Kids

Process art not only opens doors for kids' creativity but it really allows me the chance to step back and relinquish control as an adult, too. This art project took a totally different turn than what I had expected once the kids had a say in the process which is exactly the beauty in process art invitations. They saw a polar animal setting in their work so that's what it became. 

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Frosty the Melted Snowman Sensory Play for Kids

Have you ever touched oobleck? If you have then you know how utterly irresistible it is and if you haven't I insist you whip up a batch right now! Or at least at some point this winter you have to try oobleck for the perfect pretend play melted snowman. Let us show you how this non-Newtonian fluid creates the coolest Frosty the Snowman you'll ever meet.

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Kid Made Neighborhood Building Blocks

Our kids love small world play! We set out an invitation for them to create their own buildings since we've been learning to identify places in our community. This creative project also showed just how much they've noticed about our neighborhood!

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Felt Apple Pie Making Toy Kit

Fall is in the air! Can you smell the apple pies baking? That was the inspiration for our latest autumn themed busy bag for kids! We made a toy felt apple pie kit.

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Small Worlds from A to Z

Small worlds are one of our favorite ways to play! From dinosaur land to construction zones to a small world beach vacation, you can tailor the play to any theme your child is interested in! We've created this small world pretend play series to inspire you with play ideas for each letter of the alphabet!

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Ideas for Using Inside Out to Discuss Emotions with Kids

This post has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. As always, all opinions and enthusiasm are 100% ours! #PlayNGrow #CollectiveBias

Have you seen the movie Inside Out yet? We did and loved it! We used the characters and themes to discuss an important early childhood (and lifelong) concept with our kids. Here are our ideas for how to use this popular movie to talk about emotions with your children.

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Snow Fairy Small World with Snow Sensory Dough

Our preschooler loves fairies! When we learned that Tinker Bell has a sister Periwinkle who is a frost fairy we had to create a winter small world for them to explore complete with snow dough!

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Toothpaste Slime for Dental Health Month

We created slime that looks just like toothpaste for Dental Health Month. It is the perfect material to invite kids to explore for fine motor, sensory, and pretend play!

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Elsa Gloves for Frozen Inspired Pretend Play

The Frozen obsession continues at our house so we created DIY Elsa gloves for Frozen inspired gross motor and fine motor pretend play!

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Polar Animal Gross Motor Games

We burned off pent up winter energy on this snow day by acting like polar animals for gross motor fun!

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Road Construction Pretend Play: The Importance of Stop and Go Games for Kids

Our preschool theme this week is community helpers. We took the opportunity to play a Stop & Go Game as we pretended to be road construction workers. An added bonus is that learning to stop through pretend play games benefits children in many ways.

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Alphabet City Sorting Center Review

As an Early Childhood Teacher turned Homeschooling Mom I love to create my own educational activities for my kids but we also love to learn with the very best literacy toys on the market. You can't beat the convenience, durability, and fun of Excellerations Alphabet City Sorting Center!

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Pretend Play Apple Picking

Fall is in the air and we are learning all about apples! Our preschooler set up this invitation to pick, sort, and explore these baked cotton ball apples for her toddler brother in our pretend play apple orchard.

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Beach Vacation Small World Play

We created a beach vacation small world for dolls that was extra fun with the addition of some drink umbrellas!

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Fairy Land: Building with Recycled Materials on the Light Table

Our preschooler constructed a fairy land on the light table using recycled materials! The magical and girly pretend play sparked her imagination and mine.

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Beekeeping: A Pretend Play Prompt

After visiting our friends' bee hive we created our own pretend play beekeeping prompt with costumes and tools. We even made the honeycomb ourselves! 

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Ice Cream Play Dough

Ice cream play dough is irresistibly realistic yet it won't melt while you play! We set up a pretend ice cream shop. Check out the recipe for ice cream play dough to make your own with your kids!

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10 Ways to Play with IncredibleFoam

We had the opportunity to review Discount School Supply's IncredibleFoam Dough by Colorations. We have played with it every single day since we've received it and we are still finding new ways to play and explore with this unique sensory dough! 

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Vet Office: A Pretend Play Prompt

We explored the work that happens at a vet office using real x-rays on a light panel for our latest pretend play prompt. The kids loved this invitation to imagine as they came up with creative diagnoses and treatments for their animals!

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Candy Shop: A Pretend Play Prompt

A kid in a candy shop is a simile for a reason. What could be more motivating and fun than a pretend play candy store with real candy? 

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