Zoo Play At Home ~ Animals From the Art Cart

Children love animals! A trip to your local zoo is bound to be a hit, but when that's not possible you can have lots of zoo fun at home. With a variety of animal activities and with a spark of imagination you and your kids can 'take a walk on the wild side!'

From the "art cart"

With paper, glue, paints, crayons and the recycle bin, your child can create a menagerie of animals at home.

Gentle Giraffe - Cut out the shape of a giraffe on yellow construction paper and let your child put spots on it with a bingo marker or ink stamp. 

Slithering Snake - Your children can make a snake out of a paper plate. First, draw a line that goes around and around from the edge to the middle and stops. Next, invite your youngster to sponge paint the plate (dab, dab, dab) with green and brown poster paints. When dry, the kids can cut on the line (lots of curves) to make a spiral. Punch a hole at the top, thread in a piece of string and hang the snake. It will wiggle and cause lots of giggles!

Zebra Stripes - Draw and cut out a horse-shape from white construction paper. Using black poster paint, invite the children to marble paint this animal. Do this by placing the paper shape in a baking pan. Tape it down on the bottom of the pan with a rolled piece of tape. Coat a couple marbles with black paint and then place them into the pan. Your kids can tilt the pan back and forth, letting the balls roll over the animal. Children love to see this "horse" turn into a zebra. As a variation, ping-pong balls can be used.

Thumbprint Monkeys - Give your children a piece of construction paper with the outline of a tree drawn on it (older children can draw their own tree). Set out inkpads and felt-tip makers. Let your kids make thumb print monkeys all over their tree picture. To create monkeys, have them press a thumb on an inkpad and make two thumb prints, one above the other on the paper. Then complete the monkeys by adding faces, arms, legs and tails with the markers.   

Playing zoo can be loads of fun and a good way to bring out all the stuffed animals your child has hidden in her room. Whether you have a rainy day or one where staying home is the call, creative play is so productive to your child's development.


 

Previously posted on Examiner.com

Pictures courtesy of Pixabay.com

Enjoy animal fun with the kiddos.

Happy Parenting,

Tania

Rainbow Craft for St. Patrick's Day

During St. Patrick’s Day on March 17^th  legends arise about tiny shoemakers living in the forest called Leprechauns. These mysterious little men are supposed to be rich and hide their gold in black pots found at the end of the rainbow. It is supposed to be good luck when you see a rainbow, so involve your child in making one that not only is a St. Patrick’s Day craft, but one that teaches about the colors of the rainbow. Teach your little learner the name “Roy G. Biv” (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet) and he will never forget the order of colors in a rainbow.

Materials:

• Sky blue card stock or construction paper
• Tempera poster paints (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet)
• Black construction paper
• Shiny pennies
• Pencil
• Heavy-duty glue
• Safety scissors
• Paper plate

Directions:

Step 1 – Prepare your work area covering the table and floor with newspaper. This craft involves finger printing with paint and can get messy. You may even want your child to wear a paint smock to protect her clothing.

Step 2 – Place a dollop of paint (one of each color) onto a paper plate to look like an artist’s pallet.

Step 3 – Draw an arch on the sky blue paper large enough for a rainbow that covers two-thirds of the page.

Step 4 – Invite your child to use his pointer finger or thumb to do the printing. First, dip into the red paint and make fingerprints along the lines of the arch. Wash that finger with soap and water and then proceed with the next color that is orange. Continue this procedure one row after the other with yellow, green, blue, and violet paint until the rainbow is completed.

Step 5 – While the paint is drying, cut out a pot shape from black construction paper. Parents may need to draw the pot and the child can cut this out using safety scissors.

Step 6 – Glue the pot shape on the sky blue paper at the foot of the rainbow.

Step 7 – Search for shiny pennies and glue a few on the black pot. You will need to use very heavy-duty glue or a low-temperature glue gun to adhere the pennies.

During this craft session talk with your child about how and why rainbows appear in the sky adding a little science to this art project. A rainbow is a circular arc of colors that appears up in the sky when raindrops are illuminated by the sun.

Then tell the fictional, but symbolic story about the leprechauns and their gold. Storybooks are helpful with this task. Legend says if a leprechaun likes you, he will share this gold and other stories say you must catch the leprechaun for him to lead you to his fortune. ‘Tis the luck of the Irish – Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Until next time,

Tania

Photo courtesy of Tania Cowling, all rights reserved
Permission needed to reprint this blog

C is for Celebration Logs

When I think of the letter C, I think of celebrations. It could be a December holiday, patriotic event, or just a simple family celebration that you want to emphasize. Your children will love making these yummy logs in the colors that represent your theme. They're simple to make, great for a treat, or even a take-home favor. Here's how to make them.

Celebration Logs (edible treat)

Celebrate your event with pretzel logs adorned with sprinkles in colors of the season, holiday or your child's choice.

You will need:

·      Pretzel logs

·      Chips (either chocolate or white chocolate)

·      Colored baking sprinkles

·      Waxed paper

Melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler or in the microwave inside a glass bowl.  Dunk the pretzels halfway into the chocolate;  then roll them in a dish of sprinkles.  Dry the decorated logs on waxed paper.

Display them in a large glass to set on the table or enclose them into cellophane bags to be given as favors. Enjoy!

Taking kids in the kitchen is a great bonding experience between parent and child. Enjoy your holiday time together.

Happy Parenting,
Tania :) 

This activity was used in one of my A to Z Challenge years. Photo by Tania Cowling, all rights reserved.

Calling All Parents: Do You Shop Online?

I'm sharing an article that is very important to me as I was hacked and a victim of identity theft and fraud. Check out the "9 things you should know to avoid online fraud while shopping." Prevention is key to keeping your identity and credit safe.

Happy Parenting,
Tania

9 Tips from NordVPNs’ Security Expert on How to Stay Safe

 As holiday shopping begins, be wary of online shopping and stay safe with these tips.

“More and more parents and teachers are shopping online. It’s understandable, as online shopping is less stressful and likely cheaper. These days it is absolutely possible to get all you need for school without ever leaving your home,” says Daniel Markuson, NordVPN Digital Privacy Expert. “But there’s bad news as well - online shopping frauds and identity theft are on the rise.”

While scammers, hackers, and other shady individuals are polishing new techniques, many online shoppers are still unaware of the basic online privacy rules. According to NordVPN’s Daniel Markuson, there are some simple steps that help avoid online fraud.

9 things you should know to avoid online fraud while shopping

1. Look into the online store

You should ideally stick to websites you trust or have bought from before, as there are some online stores created by scammers who just want to get your credit card information. Otherwise, do the research: Do they interact on social media? Are there any customer reviews? Are there any spam complaints? Check their email, phone number or address - if you can’t find any of those, it might be a fake company.

2. Too good to be true? Scam!

Criminals use two main techniques to scam you during the back to school sales season: rock-bottom prices and email scams. If the deal seems too good to be true - it probably is. Extremely low rates, when compared to similar stores, may mean that the website exists only to get your personal information. Similarly, scammy email deals promise a too-good-to-be-true prices or freebies, but clicking on them could infect your computer or smartphone with viruses and malware.

3. URL should start with ‘https’

When making an online payment or entering any personal information, the first thing you should check is whether the webpage URL starts with ‘https’ rather than ‘http’. The tiny ‘s’ means that the connection is made through a secure protocol and your data is encrypted properly.

4. Don’t give too much personal data

Pay attention whenever a website requests for more information or permissions than is necessary. If you are asked to provide very personal details that seem unrelated or excessive, it usually signals a scam. You should always think twice before providing your personal or financial information anywhere on the Internet.

5. Stay away from public WiFi

It’s never a good idea to shop online while you are connected to a public WiFi network at a cafe, hotel, city park or any other public place. Public WiFi networks are common hunting grounds for hackers and data snoopers, who try to access your personal and financial information, such as credit card details.

6. Use a VPN to encrypt your traffic

Can’t resist doing your shopping while on public WiFi? Then you need a VPN (Virtual Private Network). VPN encrypts your Internet traffic and is the best security mechanism you can employ to make sure your browsing data remains safe from spying eyes. From the moment a user turns on a VPN, like NordVPN, their Internet data is encrypted. It becomes invisible to third-party snoopers or hackers and even NordVPN itself.

7. Always use strong passwords

The most popular password is… ‘password.’ People are so overwhelmed with how many accounts and passwords they need that they go the easy way. Don’t do that. You need to change your passwords regularly and use a combination of capital letters, numerals, letters, and punctuation. For example, if you live on Flower Road, you can use ‘fL0w3rR04d!’ for a password. Additionally, share some tips with your family members on how to create strong passwords.

8. Mind the details

Stay organized: keep all the receipts, order confirmation numbers and other documentation you got after an online purchase. Also, don’t forget to check your credit card statements regularly, at least once a week. If you see some unexpected activities - recall whether you really authorized the charge. Your bank or other credit card provider can help you solve the problem.

9. Catch the bad guys!

And finally, if you fell into the trap laid for you by some shady cyber criminal - be a good citizen and report the incident. It might not help you, but it will make the Internet a safer place for us all. First of all, notify your credit card company or bank and then - file a complaint to the state authorities."

Article Courtesy of NordVPN:

NordVPN is the world’s most advanced VPN service provider that is more security oriented than most VPN services. It offers double VPN encryption, ad blocking & Onion Over VPN. The product is very user friendly, offers one of the best prices on the market, has over 4,500 servers worldwide and is P2P friendly. One of the key features of NordVPN is zero log policy. For more information: www.nordvpn.com.

Putting Fun into a Healthy Breakfast

Whether it's school, distance learning, or a day adventure, getting up in the morning is a scene every parent dreads. The alarm goes off; the kids pull up their covers and refuse to get up. As the kids finally rise and decide what to wear, it's time to head to the breakfast table. Whether breakfast is eaten at home or in the car, it is important for your child's performance. Breakfast jump-starts the brain and keeps adults and children alert throughout the morning. After eight to ten hours without food, the body is essentially a cold furnace waiting to be fueled. A good breakfast should include.

-A serving of protein-rich food, such as low-fat milk or yogurt, cheese, or peanut butter.

-A food rich in complex carbohydrates, such as whole-grain cereal, bread, or muffins.

-A food rich in vitamin C such as an orange, grapefruit, or strawberries.

-A small amount of fat.

Special containers make mealtime a special treat for the young child. Use clean egg cartons and fill each section with a finger food. Or fill an ice cream cone with snacks other than ice cream. Try foods such as cubed cheese, peeled apple slices, or cereal. Your youngster may find this on-the-go breakfast fun while carpooling your older children. The almighty juice boxes and bags can help to wean your toddler from his bottle. Start by filling his bottle only with water and later, let him drink juice with a straw from the box or bag. This is a pleasant diversion for your child and a convenience for you because these containers can be carried easily in the stroller or car.

Instead of serving your child plain hot cereal, set out a few small bowls of toppings from which she can choose. For instance, try yogurt, applesauce, apple butter, fruit spreads, chopped nuts, dates, raisins, fresh fruit, or granola. Your child many want to add just one topping or she might choose to mix several of them on top of her cereal to experience some new and different tastes. Some of these toppings can also be used to add creative interest to cold cereals with nutrition along the way.

Keeping in mind that creativity often means doing something in a new way, you can give your child's breakfast toast a "new look" by using a cookie cutter to make them heart shaped. This also boosts self-esteem by sending her a "you are special" message. Another way to do some creative personalizing is to form your child's initials with batter when you are cooking pancakes. Or use ketchup to squeeze an "I love you", a heart shape or her initials onto cooked hash browns. Having fun in the kitchen now should bring a love of cooking later.

Hope these tips are helpful.

Happy Parenting,

Tania

Photos courtesy of pixabay.com -- CC0 Creative Commons

Gift Guide: Toys That Entertain and Educate

How do you find toys that children will play with long after the wrappings have been recycled? Think about what kind of play your children are involved and the toys that match. Do they need an active toy, something that can be played alone, or a game that requires a group? Here are a few favorites from Playmates and VTech toys.

Kuroba Training Pack by Playmates Toys

The Kuroba toy line is an all-new collectible line of cube-shaped creatures that puts a twist on the classic game of “rock-paper-scissors.” Each player selects rock, paper, or scissors, then folds up a Kuroba creature and locks it into game mode. They then slide two Kuroba toward each other, and the winning Kuroba literally captures the other!

Collect all 16 Kuroba, mix and match their panels to create unique Kuroba, and battle against friends to become a master Kuroba Keeper!

Read about Playmates Toys new Kuroba on their website. Watch Kuroba webisodes and other fun videos on the Kuroba World YouTube Channel or visit KurobaWorld.com. 

Photographed is the training pack with 1 transforming creature, 1 practice cube and 1 creature gem. The kids can practice their Kuroba battle skills and later increase their creatures for a world of fun.

This starter pack is recommended for kids ages 6 and up. It’s currently available at Target, Amazon, and Walmart with a MSRP of $8.99 each.

New Products by VTech Toys – check this website for all products!

Kidi Star Music Magic Microphone™

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

Kidi Star also has a Karaoke Machine, which also includes a disco light and audience sounds like applause, cheering and laughter. Your child will feel like he/she is on a concert stage. This toy records the performance up to five minutes. It is recommended for ages 5 years and up, retailing at $49.99.

MickeyMouse has turned 90 years old, and in his honor, the VTech toy company has produced a variety of playthings.

Go! Go! Smart Wheels® Mickey Ramps Fun House

Ramp up the fun with Go! Go! Smart Wheels® Mickey Ramps Fun House. Take Mickey Mouse on an adventure with tracks that can mix and match to form three different play routes, two launch zones and includes two SmartPoint® locations. Watch Mickey Mouse and his Convertible ride around the track and off the ramp to see how far he can go! Spin the flower or the flag to promote motor skills or activate the SmartPoint® locations to listen to Mickey Mouse say fun phrases and encouraging words. Let’s jump to it! Ages 1-5 Years, $19.99.

And we can’t forget about Mickey’s girlfriend Minnie!

Go! Go! Smart Wheels® Minnie Ice Cream Parlor

Little sweeties will have a delightful time creating, exploring and playing with the Go! Go! Smart Wheels® Minnie Ice Cream Parlor. Take a ride with Minnie Mouse and her Ice Cream Truck down the tracks and through the gate, activating three SmartPoint® locations as you go. Drop ice cream shapes into the shape sorter and into Minnie Mouse’s Ice Cream Truck, raise the elevator, spin the gears and move the gate to promote motor skills. Listen to Minnie Mouse’s voice say fun phrases and encourage pretend play.  So brush off that sweet tooth and bite into this adventure! Perfect for ages 1-5 years, $29.99.

For more Disney adventure toys check out this website. 

Play is the very foundation of a child’s emotional, social, physical, cognitive and linguistic growth. Children learn through play – plain and simple. Including some of these toys will quench the toy wish and promote learning as well not only during the holidays but all year long.

Photos by Tania Cowling, all rights reserved
Package photo courtesy of pixabay.com

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.

Make Extra Income Cleaning Your Closets

It doesn't matter the season, it's closet cleaning time any time of the year! But, with the stay-at-home days of COVID-19, I found it was the right time to start sorting the family's closets.

I decided it was time to clean my closets -- maybe the Marie Kondo way. If I don't love something, why am I keeping it? If I haven't worn something in over a year, do I really love it? Well, it's time to trash, donate, AND maybe sell it!!!!

Many towns have really good consignment shops, but for me, I wanted something easy and online. Well, I found Poshmark. It is so easy -- you upload pictures of your item, set a price and wait for a buyer. When your item sells, Poshmark sends you the mailing label. You just attach it to the package and mail. Now, how easy is this? And, the USPS will even send you free priority mail boxes just for asking. Check it out HERE.

Oh, did I tell you -- Poshmark accepts women's, men's, and even children's clothing. Yes, it's time to clean out your kiddo's closet.

Go to Poshmark's website and set up your account. It's free!  In the FAQ they will explain the procedure and how much they take from your sale to cover shipping label help and other efforts to help you. It isn't very much. When I sold a $12 item, they took like $3-$4 from my earnings. I feel like these are clothes I cannot use or do not like. If I make a few dollars -- this is a good thing!

And, if you join please use my referral -- you don't have to, but I would appreciate the love!  @TKC6

Happy Parenting,
Tania  :)

I am not affiliated with the Poshmark company in any way. I'm just a client and voicing my opinion.

Photos courtesy of Pixabay.com

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

A New Site Has Started -- Visit Kiddo Blogger

Kiddo Blogger Has Started

Well, it's official -- my new blog is kiddoblogger.com

Creative Preschool Time will always be here, but if you want more information and ideas check out Kiddoblogger too! Why not visit both?

This new parenting site will go far beyond just crafts. Kiddo Blogger will have parent resources, along with more product reviews, deals, recipes, health awareness, and much more.

If you land on this page, please CLICK and visit my new blog.  Why not BOOKMARK and SUBSCRIBE too?

I'm excited to share lots of parent/child tips, ideas, reviews and random musings on both blogs.

Happy Parenting,
Tania 



 

Back to School Shopping Can Be A Teachable Moment

Parents can get back-to-school shopping done with the kiddos along — and it can be an exciting learning experience for them with these tips.

The mall or department store is a special place for anyone with its sights, sounds, and smells. There are several things to do with children before, during, and after the shopping trip to make it more worthwhile for both parent and child.

Just before leaving for the mall, talk with your children about what they will be doing.  What type of products are you looking for? Clothing? School supplies? It’s best to take an inventory of your needs before planning the shopping trip. Why not take a day to clean out drawers and the closet and plan to donate clothing that no longer fits to the needy.  Work on a shopping budget so the kiddos know the family’s limits and see how many necessities can be purchased within these parameters. Who knows? There may be a little extra cash for a trendy piece!

While wandering through each department or each small store in a mall, discuss the noises, colors, smells (especially in the bakery or cosmetic departments), and textures of things. Pick up free samples so they can be examined at home and let the children participate in any taste or smell tests offered. Shopping excursions are terrific opportunities to help children develop their senses and vocabulary.

While shopping at the mall, ask your child his/her opinion on things. “Which sweater do you like the best?” Don’t forget to ask why she prefers one thing to another. Besides making her feel very grown-up and boosting her self-esteem, these questions help her develop important thinking skills. Let the child be responsible for one purchase. Have her pick out the item, take it to the salesperson, and pay for it. Isn’t this task an ego booster?

Shop ‘Till You Drop Game

Kids love a challenge when visiting the mall. Play this “shop ’til you drop” game which is like a basic scavenger hunt where a list of things is found within a specified amount of time (but the kids don’t actually collect them, they list them). Each child will need a tablet and pencil to write down the name of the store where each item is found. This shopping list gives ideas to plan this scavenger hunt, but it has lots of room for variations and creativity. Here are a few ideas: 

Something from Star Wars

Something people wear “under”

Something that makes music

Something that smells like coconut

Something dated with the year

Something rough and hard

A variety of candy

Something with a Disney character

Where to find a TeenageMutant Ninja Turtle? 

Something plaid

The coolest backpack

And back at home…

After the shopping trip is over, spend some relaxing time at home with a fun project. Recycle the trip into a collage. Have the kids use parts of boxes, labels, bags, tissue paper, tags, and ribbon to create a permanent record of this trip. Glue these pieces of memorabilia onto a large sheet of construction paper or poster board.

Back to school shopping doesn’t have to be hard and trying, just use some imagination and make shopping days fun and exciting. Kids may even learn something along the way!

When does school start in your area? What are your best shopping tips to share with this group? Please tell us in the comment section below.

Happy Parenting,

Tania J

Adapted from my article, first published on Peku Publications, Your Parenting Info, 8/13/14