Father's Day Activities

A big thanks to Mrs. John B. Dodd, of Washington, for the idea of Father's Day first introduced it in 1909. Through the years it became more and more popular until finally in 1966, President Lyndon Johnson signed a presidential proclamation declaring the 3^rd Sunday of June as Father's Day.
Each of us have our ideas of how Father's Day should be celebrated and in our society the cards and gifts will continue to help build those memories. But Dad deserves more than just one more striped tie-he needs the gift of time and/or something homemade. Let's appreciate all the things he brings to our lives by sharing these experiences and bonding with Dad on his special day.

SWEET CHILD OF MINE: (Baby and Toddler)
Early in a child's life, it's important that fathers get involved with daily care activities-feeding, dressing and changing diapers. Bonding is an important lifetime experience between a father and child.

Play this game anytime you dress your little one. Massage, kiss, cuddle and blow air on the child's body. Tell your youngster you love him/her. Daddy can recite the following poem as he dresses his bundle of joy on Father's Day.

DADDY LOVES YOU SO, SWEET CHILD OF MINE.
YOU ARE SO SOFT AND WARM TO HOLD.
I'LL WIGGLE YOUR NOSE AND TICKLE YOUR TOES,
THEN GO ROUND AND ROUND ON YOUR NICE LITTLE TUMMY.
NOW FOR A KISS, SWEET CHILD OF MINE.
YOU ARE A JOY TO LOVE AND CUDDLE.

PUT YOUR HAND IN MINE: (Preschool)
As you child gets a little older, comparing handprints is a lifelong lesson. Have your child place his/her hand on a sheet of paper and trace around it. Place your hand over the tracing of your child's hand and help your child trace around it. Ask your youngster to compare the sizes of the two sets of hands. Tell your child a story about something you liked to do when your hands were small. Let your child tell you what he/she would like to do when his or her hands are the size of yours. As an extended activity, take a walk together holding hands.

THINGS DAD AND THE KIDS CAN DO TOGETHER: (School Age)
Go to the local nursery together to buy a few plants. At home, spend fun time in the yard planting your new foliage. Continue gardening together as much as possible.

Go for an afternoon drive. See how many muscle (sports) cars you can identify together.
Set up the sprinkler in the yard and have fun splish-splashing through the water. Brings back Dad's childhood.

Have a "mini family reunion." Invite relatives over for an afternoon of food and games. Help Dad with the all time favorite BBQ.

Snuggle away a few hours together on the couch talking about your child's dreams, hobbies, etc. Today, read a story to Dad.

Most of all, tell Dad you love him. That will really make him smile!!!

I hope all the dads and father figures enjoy their special day on June 16th.
Until next time,
Tania


Photos courtesy of Tania Cowling, all rights reserved

December Holiday Garland Craft

Children love the holidays and these crafts are adaptable to suit three different holidays. Surprise your group with a fun holiday craft this month. These crafts can be multicultural by just changing the colors. Be it red & green for Christmas, blue & white for Hanukkah, or red, green & black for Kwanzaa—adapt these crafts for your holiday!

Multicultural Children Garlands:

These garlands can be strung along a wall or across a doorway.  Use brown grocery bags that you have stored from shopping.  Dress the children cutouts in the colors of your holiday.

These are simple paper-doll instructions. Start by cutting a 5-by-4-inch strip from a grocery bag.  Next, fold the strip of paper, accordion-style, about four times.  On the top layer, draw a child shape. You can draw this freehand or trace around a child or gingerbread cookie cutter. The hands and feet you draw must extend out to the folded edges.  Cut through all layers of the paper, making sure not to cut where the arms touch the fold. Young children may need help with this task. The decorating is the fun.  Cut clothing from gift-wrap or construction paper.  Draw in shoes, hair, faces, and any extras with markers, puffy paints, or gel pens.  For texture you can glue on pom-poms, buttons, or pieces of fur.  Let your child’s imagination run wild.

Holiday Wreath:

Use your child's hands to make this holiday wreath. From a piece of cardboard, cut a 12-inch circle (a pizza box lid or carton works well).  Again cut another 3-inch circle in the center to complete the wreath. A craft knife is useful to make the cuts but only by an adult. Invite your child to paint the entire cardboard wreath with poster paint in the color of your holiday. After the paint dries, have the child make handprints on the wreath. Brush the child’s hand with a different color paint and press the hand down on the board. Continue to print handprints around the wreath in a circular fashion.

For another option, trace hands on complementary-colored stiff construction paper, cut out, decorate the hands if you wish, and glue them around the circle.

Make a bow from fabric, crepe paper, large ribbons or construction paper to decorate the bottom.  Make sure to write the date on the back of this memorable project.

Have fun with these two crafts.
Happy Parenting,
Tania  :)

Photo courtesy of Tania Cowling, all rights reserved

Note: if anyone wants to use any part of this post or any other one, please notify me for permission and make sure you provide a link back to this site.

Puppet Play: Fun with Recycled Items and a Few Baubles

Get out the recycle box and begin to craft puppets with your child. Paper bag puppets can be made and enjoyed by kids—from preschool and up. You decide how much time and artistic effort you want to put into your sack puppet project. They can be quickie puppet play stand-ins or works of art. You can draw facial features with crayons and markers and decorate them with a few “found” objects like fabric scraps, buttons, faux jewels, pipe cleaners, yarn, any variety of miscellany you can gather.  Place your hand inside to manipulate your newly created character.

Think about using old nylon stockings to make adorable puppets young children love. Stretch a leg from panty hose over a bent wire hanger. You can bend the hanger into a diamond or even a circle shape and tape the hook for safety. Knot the stocking leg at the bottom. This is a great puppet for the little ones as they can see through the nylon like a mask and pretend they are the puppet—good vision and a no fear factor. You can go to town decorating this puppet mask with all kinds of materials glued on. Puff and glitter markers work well on the nylon. You can make almost any character you want.

Turn your family snapshots into lifelike puppets. Invite your child to choose several family photographs (use the photo or make a color copy). Cut out the face or figure. Tape this photo figure to a craft stick.  Encourage your youngster to create a scene with a few toys and have these family puppets interact. Use a puppet yourself to ask your child’s puppet questions and to suggest different themes, such as going shopping or taking a family trip. While you are having fun together, this activity helps your child develop language and social skills.

Stick puppets are exactly as their name implies—puppets build and manipulated on a stick. These are among some of the quickest to make. For sticks, use dowels, yardsticks, tongue depressors, wooden spoons, and Popsicle sticks. The very simplest stick puppet is a head shape cut from construction paper and features added with paint or markers. Tape a stick to the back and your puppet is complete.  Make several with “faces of emotion” and your child can talk about his feelings through puppet play.  To act out stories, draw the characters, find ones in coloring books, or cut them from an old storybook.  Attach these to sticks and you now have all the characters to act out your favorite tale.

Photo by Tania Cowling, all rights reserved

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links or advertisements. I earn a small commission if you shop through them, which helps fund this website so I can continue to bring you informative and interesting content. 

Celebrating July 4th With the Kids

July 4th is the birthday of our country and the most important of all our national holidays. This holiday commemorates the adoption on July 4, 1776, of the final draft of the Declaration of Independence by the Continental Congress to proclaim America’s freedom from British rule. Every year Independence Day (July 4th) is the legal holiday celebrated throughout the country with picnics, parades and firework displays after dark. Just as you celebrate birthdays of family members, use this day to have a birthday party for our country.  Decorate the house, prepare festive foods, play Americana games; get the family involved in activities relating to this historic event. Here are some tips to make this a “sparkling” holiday.

Recycled Noisemakers

it wouldn't be a celebration without noisemakers. Here are two simple ones to make from recycled trash and a few art materials. 

The first shaker is made with plastic water bottles. After you clean the bottle (dry it) and take off the label, brainstorm with the kids what you want to put inside for noise and for a pretty display. My gang chose sparkly pipe cleaners, wooden beads, jingle bells, feathers, and such. There are endless possibilities. To make sure the contents do not spill out, run a bead of glue inside the lid before screwing on the top. These bottle shakers are so cute to make for other events such as birthday parties, New Year's Eve, and more. What a fun take-home craft!

The next shaker is using empty soda cans. Clean the cans and let them air dry. Invite the kiddos to fill the can with pebbles, rice, or coins. Tell them to be careful of their fingers when filling the can. The opening is sharp.  When finished, tape the opening closed with heavy-duty tapes, like duct tape. Proceed to wrap the can with construction paper and decorate with drawings, stickers, and other baubles you can glue on. Top the can with a cluster of ribbons. I found that the clusters you buy from the gift wrap section of your favorite store works best (and easy). Sometimes you can find these ribbons at a dollar store.

Around the USA Game

You can't have a successful party without a game or two. This one is fun and makes you think!

Gather the family together and have them sit in a circle.  The first player announces, “I’m traveling around the country and in [state] I visited [place].  For example, “I’m traveling around the country, and in New York I visited the Statue of Liberty.”  The next player must repeat what the first player said (“I’m traveling around the country, and in New York I visited the Statue of Liberty”) and add another phrase like, “and then I traveled to Pennsylvania and visited the Liberty Bell.”  Play continues around the circle with each player repeating previous phrases, and then adding a new one.  As a player forgets an item in the list, he/she is eliminated from play until one winner remains.

Wishing you all a happy and safe Independence Day!

Happy Parenting,

Tania :)

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Halloween Projects to Craft With Your Kids

Let's get crafting for the upcoming Halloween holiday. Here are some published clips I wrote a while back for your viewing. Crafts and instructions are included per article.

• Decorate your room or use these ideas for make and take projects. The materials are probably in your art closet or easy to find. So let’s get started on these “boo-tiful" crafts.

• Your children (and students) will love to make these theme projects for Halloween. Ghosts do not have to be scary (especially for young children) – make them a friendly part of this holiday season.  Click Here

• How about some awesome monsters using paint chip pages that you can obtain free at your favorite paint store.  Click Here

Have a great week. I'll be posting more "spook-tacular" projects soon!

Happy Parenting,

Tania

Who is in Control of the Remote?

Okay, so you are sitting with the family watching your favorite sporting event, a movie, or a game show --- and Dad is playing with the remote, probably switching channels. How many times has baby tried to grab this gadget for his/her plaything? Now, with this toy by LeapFrog, there doesn’t have to be any more battles – baby has his personal remote and Dad has his back.

The good part of baby’s remote is that it has educational learning built into this fun toy while keeping little fingers busy.

Scout’s Learning Lights Remote Deluxe™

“Learning is on every channel with Scout’s Learning Lights Remote™ role-play toy. Explore all 17 buttons on the learning remote to hear more than 100 phrases, sounds and music while building fine motor skills. Flip between modes for role-play excitement or learning activities that introduce numbers and letters. Silly pretend channels inspire imaginative play. Switch to the Spanish channel to hear common Spanish phrases, listen and dance to three different music styles on the music channel and hear rain, snow and wind sound effects on the weather channel. Intended for ages 6+ months. Requires three AAA batteries. Batteries included for demo purposes only, new batteries recommended for regular use.”

 Age 6+ Months, $12.99.

For more information, check out this website

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I think this is a genius of a toy when around the television set. Why struggle with a baby or toddler for such a simple device? This toy gives the child a sense of participating in the family event without causing crying or temper tantrums. And this remote engages teachable moments!

I would like to thank this company for providing a sample of their product for my review. There was no payment for my blog post, only my personal thoughts.

Happy Parenting,

Tania

Holiday Gift Guide 2018 -- Art and Creativity

What is your theme for gift giving to children this season? This year I’m leaning toward creativity. Things the kids can make and do during their holiday break from school. Look at your toy list holistically. Try to match the toy to the child’s interest and abilities. And, an important factor is purchasing age-appropriate toys/kits from well-respected companies that will provide playthings that will last and abide by the safety rules. Here are a few to consider during your 2018 holiday shopping trips.

OnTel Products Make the MagicPad

MagicPad™ features an amazing crystal-clear, light-up screen that not only brings art to life, but also makes learning fun! The kids just insert one of the stencils behind the screen featuring games, art or learning. Once their drawing is complete, press the color-change button to choose from 8 different light effects to see their creation glow! They can also create freely without using s stencil.

The MagicPad’s screen easily wipes clean and is portable for fun on the go.  It also has a built-in stand, so kids can display their creations, or it makes for a perfect nightlight. Each set includes a MagicPad™, 3 Dual-Sided Neon Pens (for six total colors), 30 Stencils, a Glow-Boost Card, Eraser Cloth and a Fun Guide.

Recommended Age: 3+ with a MSRP of $19.99

Availability: Walmart, Target, Walgreens, CVS, Rite Aid and https://www.buymagicpad.com/?mid=9800765

VTech Makes the DigiArt Color by Lights™

Let lights guide the way as you create your next masterpiece with DigiArt Color by Lights™. The light-up board identifies each of the 50 included coloring pages and responds by showing what color to use in each section. Download more pages online for unlimited printing and play. Connect the light-up dots to draw shapes, objects and animals. The art board features a dry-erase surface and a stencil card for more creative play, plus a variety of melodies to enjoy while creating your work of art. Color and create with light!

Ages 3-6 with a MSRP of $21.99

DigiArt Spirals & Sounds™

Create unique spiral art designs with DigiArt Spirals & Sounds™. Place a piece of letter size paper (not included) inside the electronic art board, choose an animal stencil, then use one of the five included gears and the marker to make fun and intricate spiral patterns. Place an animal stencil in the board and press the talk button to hear creative encouragement, fun facts and a silly rhyme about the animal. Roll a gear inside the animal stencil to trigger funny sounds. Switch to music mode to hear 20 cheerful melodies while you create. Let your creativity soar with spirals!

Ages 3-6 years, $19.99 is the MSRP

Kidi Secrets Selfie Journal™ by VTech

Protect your thoughts and dreams with the Kidi Secrets Selfie Journal™. Make a photo journal, write diary entries or record messages and keep them safe. Facial recognition software unlocks the journal only when it recognizes your face. Features front and rear cameras so you can take selfies and pictures of your friends. A full suite of mini-apps includes games, photo and video filters, music and utilities that give you a variety of activities to play. Create new looks for yourself and your friends, care for a virtual pet, decorate photos and videos, play learning games and more! You're the key to this diary!

Age 6 Years+, $49.99 is the MSRP

And of course we can’t forget about making music. This activity enhances the creative side of learning.

Kidi Star Music Magic Microphone™ by VTech

Set out on the path to stardom with the Kidi Star Music Magic Microphone™. Be the lead singer with this interactive microphone that features Music Magic mode, which reduces the main vocal track of your favorite songs so your own voice is center stage! Easily connect your MP3 player or mobile device and sing along to favorite tunes from your collection. The microphone is packed with exciting features like four games, four original songs, a voice changer with four effects and an applause button. Record yourself for up to two minutes and enjoy your performance again and again!

Age 5 Years+, $29.99 MSRP

These are just a few of the many toys that are available for gifts this year. I feel that these toys and others by these companies are perfect for hands-on fun during the upcoming holidays. Check out the company’s websites for more ideas.

VTech -- https://www.vtechkids.com/holiday_gift_guide

OnTel Toys and Products -- https://www.ontelcatalog.com

Photos by Tania Cowling, all rights reserved

Package photo courtesy of pixabay.com jill111 / 1314 images

I would like to thank these companies for providing me samples of their products for my review. There was no payment for my blog post.

Plan a Trip to the Zoo: Little Trips Educate

Nice weather, family outings and the zoo go hand-in-hand for a day of fun. Millions of people visit zoos annually, making it one of the most popular attractions to view and usually more economical than theme parks these days. What better way to spend a special time together than at the zoo? Here are a few ideas to get the kids pumped up with enhancement activities before, during and after the trip. You will be teaching the kids many valuable concepts that will enrich their visit.

Before the zoo, choose a date but don't tell the kids until a week before the outing. Young children have a hard time anticipating an excursion for a long time. Put a picture of a zoo animal on your calendar and let the children mark off the days as they pass. Or, make a loop chain from construction paper and allow the kids to remove one link each day until the chain is gone; this is your special event day!

During this waiting time, take your children to the library and look up zoo animal books to check out and read. As you look through these books, learn the names of the animals and brainstorm to raise questions about them to discuss and answer on the trip. Write down a list of these questions, so the kids won't forget them on the big day. If you have some old magazines, let young children cut out pictures of zoo animals and glue these onto index cards. Take these homemade flashcards along with you and try to find the real animals.

On the way to the zoo, try changing the words and make sounds to this traditional song. As you sing, "Old McDonald Had a Zoo", this will get the children ready for the menagerie of animals they will see. As you stroll around the premises, talk about the names of the animals, how they live, the sounds they make, how they smell, what they eat and what they look like (sizes, colors, fur and faces). Take out your list of questions from home and see if together you can answer them. Let your children ask the zookeepers any questions you can't answer. And of course, take loads of pictures of your children's favorite animals and of your excursion together.

At the zoo, make sure to visit the zoo's petting area and let the kids pet and feed the animals. By afternoon, animals pretty much have a full belly and shouldn't be too aggressive. However, it's best to check with the zoo staff before allowing your children to enter this area.

If your zoo has a train, monorail or bus, take a ride around the premises to relax before you drive home. This experience is fun and the kids can rediscover the experiences of the day.

After the zoo, use some fun zoo play extenders at home to remind the little ones of their recent visit. Bring out the stuffed animals and boxes and invite the kids to play zookeeper. Pretend to feed, clean and care for the animals in your play zoo. Put the animals into groups of various sizes; this teaches pre-math concepts. Let the children rename their animals using alphabet letters that go with the animal's type. For example, you may have Ellie Elephant or Kristin Kangaroo at your home.

When your photos have been downloaded, make copies for the children to create zoo booklets. They can glue pictures on sheets of construction paper and dictate or write a little story about each animal.

It's Summer: Time for a Fish Theme

It's summer and many families spend these days fishing, boating, at the beach and maybe visiting an aquarium. Children love fish so get their focused attention and keep them hooked with projects and games that have a theme from under the sea.

Fish Stories

Cut out fish shapes from construction paper. From old magazines, cut out interesting pictures and glue these onto the fish. Place all fish into a box. Invite the children to pick a "fish" from the box. Look at the picture and try to incorporate it into a fish story they make up. This is a fun game for a group of children or with the family.

Pick Up Fish (A Fine Motor Game)

Remember the game of pick-up-sticks? Here is a fish version. You will need two containers, one empty and the other filled with fish shaped crackers. Invite the children to use tweezers to move the crackers from one container to the other.

Fish Dramatic Play

Have the children pretend to be fish swimming in the water. Ask, "What type of fish do you want to be?" Tell them to lie on their stomach with their arms close to their side. Now, have them wiggle their body and try to move. Ask, "How would you rest when you are tired? How would you eat? Where would you hide if there were danger?" Have the children describe what they imagine in their underwater world. Act out the following verse.

There is so much activity beneath the sea.

The crab crawls, the eel wiggles,

The octopus swims, the jellyfish jiggles.

Dramatize the creature you want to be!

Under the sea is so much fun for preschoolers. Let these ideas be a start to your fish theme. I'll add more ideas in the next weeks.

Until then - have fun - be creative - enjoy life!

Tania

Photo courtesy of Tania Cowling, all rights reserved

Memorial Day Fun With the Kids

Memorial Day is a time to honor our nation's fallen heroes and many activities are planned for this patriotic holiday. It's also a long weekend for us to find things to do on Memorial Day with the kids; quality family time with our children without the usual interruptions of phones and household chores. Let's welcome the first inkling of summer with outdoor activities where parents and children can enjoy each other, the sunshine, fresh air, food, games and just "fun, fun, fun!"


Picnic Basics (Preschool +)

Children love picnics! And picnics are even more fun-and full of learning when your child helps with the planning and preparations. Talk with your child about the picnic so the excitement begins and enlist her help in the planning. As you pack, remember the extras like tissues, wipes, bandages, and something to sit on.

You can carry food in a basket, bucket or backpack. If you are not traveling far, your child could pack her own finger foods in the compartments of an egg carton. It often works well to have one blanket for food and another one or two to sit on. Small children love to crowd to the middle of a blanket of food, and it is discouraging to have someone sitting on the bananas. Just remember today is a day of fresh air, fun and happiness. This song should set the mood. (Tune: "You Are My Sunshine")

I AM SO HAPPY, SO VERY HAPPY
I WANT TO SING ALL DAY LONG.
I AM SO HAPPY, WE'RE ON A PICNIC,
WON'T YOU COME AND SING ALONG?

Let your children fill in other reasons of their happiness, maybe they are happy to eat "hot dogs" or "playing baseball". Make this song open-ended and sing as many verses as you can dream up.

After the picnic, bring out the crayons, markers, and some extra picnic supplies to make simple puppets. Your child can add pipe cleaner arms and a face with markers to a plastic or wooden spoon. With small paper plates, she can draw a face with crayons and then attach the plate to a plastic fork by weaving it through the tines. The fork becomes the handle for the puppet-or the whole plate can become a mask if you cut out holes for the eyes. Encourage your child to put on a puppet show for the entire family.


Enjoy your holiday weekend,
Tania

This article was originally posted on Yahoo Voices.

Craft photo courtesy of Tania Cowling, all rights reserved
 

U is for Unique

Families today take many different forms:  two parents, one parent, blended and extended.  But all families play an important role in a child's life. Children have so much to share. "Together Time" activities and sincere attention will let them know you value their thoughts and ideas. We are all UNIQUE~~

We Are All Unique

Explain how everyone has fingerprints unlike anyone else.  Have all the family members make a thumbprint collage.  Press your thumb on an ink stamp pad.  Press the thumbs down on white paper and label with everyone's name.  Look through a magnifying glass and compare prints.

Bag of Disguises Game

No matter what you put on your body---you are still "you".  It's fun to experiment with disguises.  Provide a bag or box of disguise props and a mirror---what fun!!!  Suggestions for your box are wigs, make-up, hats, helmets, uniforms, clothing, ties, jewelry, scarves, glasses and so on.  Bring out the camera, as this is a great time for humorous picture taking.

Oh! Baby

Start with reading library books about animals and their babies. Discuss the similarities and differences between parents and their young. Then enjoy going through old family photo albums. Notice the changes of your children as they have grown through the years. Last, compare pictures of yourself and your parents to your children today. Are there many physical traits across the generations?

See you later for the letter V,
Tania

Photo of my child's hand plaque - we are all unique by Tania Cowling, all rights reserved

If Your Kids Pet Animals - Please Wash Your Hands~~

As the weather starts warming up, we tend to take our children to festivals. Please read this post about petting zoos and your child's health.

http://www.bubblews.com/news/289144-if-you-pet-animals-please-wash-your-hands

Photo courtesy of morguefile.com

December Holiday Fun

Wow, I'm about a week late in posting and Hanukkah is beginning. There is quite a span between this December holiday and Christmas, but I want to give all the teachers, parents, caregivers and homeschooling parents lots of options for holiday activities, crafts, songs and more. So, please check out these links and bring in the holiday spirit with your little ones.

I've just started a new channel on Suite101.com that is chock full of holiday stuff. The front page at the moment has December holiday materials, but check back often as this is the hub for all things holidays for young children. I'd also love if you leave comments and your ideas with each project article. We all learn by sharing. Click on... to visit Holiday Projects for Preschoolers.

Next are individual articles that contain a variety of activities for December holidays:

5 Crafts Made with Christmas Cards: Creative Time with Your Children

Greeting Card Fun for the Kids

Multicultural Christmas: The Ways Other Children Celebrate

Read on...

12

Christmas Ornaments for Kids to Make: Think Nature and Go Green

For more, click here...

Celebrating Kwanzaa with Young Children: Crafts

Projects to Make Together for This African-American Holiday

Holiday Toys for Kids: New Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Are Back

This is especially interesting how these toy characters are back on the market, hot, hot, toys...

And last, but not least, I just started a Pinterest page with holiday ideas for Christmas. Check it out and repin if you see something you like. 

Christmas

General Holiday Fun

I want to wish all my readers and followers a very happy holiday season -- and see you all next year. 2013 is just around the corner!

Tania