A few weeks ago, my husband and I decided the insanity was at its’ limit in our kid’s fun closet. (The “fun closet” is the place where we keep all of the arts and crafts/activities so that our small little house is not destroyed.) We purchased some cheap bins from IKEA (I think 5 for $15) and went to organizing.

(All the fun stuff we actually had under a messy pile of disorganization.)

I wish I had taken a picture of our “fun closet” before I organized it. I did not maintain it very well and my kids went in and out of it as they pleased. It was a DISASTER! Thinking back, my frustration was SO HIGH that I was ready to throw all of it away and start over again. I thought it had all been trashed. However, while we were organizing it, I was delightfully surprised to find out how wrong I was. I was shocked at the number of resources my kids had available to them! I rarely purchase craft stuff and I am also a bargain hunter, so most of this stuff had to be laughably cheap and marked down on some Target end-aisle.

There was so much there and all my kids needed was a little direction from me to use it!

(Everything writable has gone into one container and been organized in ziploc bags for easy usage.)

I knew then that there was no need for kid’s boredom any longer – especially on Tuesdays and Wednesdays when I work on Mealr.   On those days, the kids typically watched endless hours of PBS Kids. Yes, I am guilty!  In my excitement of all this fun stuff, I came up with the idea of writing down every activity the kids had available to them so that I would not forget. The key to this list of activities was that it had to be an assortment of things that I could allow my 3-year old and 5-year old do with a little supervision. These activities were not going to work if the kids could not figure out how to do them on their own or if they were going to destroy the house in the process.  I wanted this list to be a loose lesson plan of sorts – it was simply the idea of knowing what we had and what the kids could do.

(“Damage Control Bin”:  Items that need adult supervision to keep from damaging the house!)

Now, I know everybody’s list will be different depending on what they have available to them in their own “fun closet.” However, since we do not have anything extra fancy in our closet, I thought I could share these activities with other moms and dads.

Activities for my children who are 3 and 5-years old:

• Playdoh – Always outside in our house because my kids REALLY know how to make a mess.
• Bubbles outside
• Stencil drawing
• Making holiday cards
• Making birthday cards
• Drawing a house using straight edges (This is my personal favorite since I am an architect.)
• Color wonder art work
• Cut out magazine pictures to make a collage
• Stamping
• Scrapbooking
• Sticker collages on drawings
• Cut out snowflakes
• Coloring books
• Educational activity books
• Weaving with construction Paper to make a placemat
• Create a door hanger
• Make jewelry/beading
• Dot a picture
• Glitter artwork
• Make an ornament
• Play a board game
• Sidewalk chalk
• Magnet Science Kit – This is by far, the coolest and fanciest item my son just recently received a couple weeks ago as a birthday gift.
• Felt picture story boards
• Plastic needle and yarn ornament creation
• Picture scavenger hunts (Pictures drawn by mom and then sending the kids on a mission to go around the house and back yard to find the items.)
• Floor puzzles

What other ideas do you have that could be added to this list? Also, do you have a list like this? If not, have you thought about creating your own list?

**Stacie’s Note:  You can see one way we’ve managed our ideas with an index card box.  Also, consider a rotation of learning baskets or bags (sometimes called “busy bags”) to keep your little ones engaged and involved.

Nicole Lakra is a frugal wife and mom of 2 young children living in Littleton, Colorado. She is an architect who spends most of her days trying to manage her household and take care of her family. When she is not chasing after the two kids, she works on Mealr – a subscription website devoted to helping you eat wholesome dinners while saving you time and money in the grocery store. She loves all things related to travel, culture, art, food and above all, Jesus.

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There just might be a little leprechaun “magic” in this project….

Supplies:
(Makes one serving)

• 1/4 box pistachio pudding
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 large baby food jar and lid
• Spoon

1)  Pour the pistachio pudding mix into the baby food jar.

**Ask your child to predict what will happen when you add milk.

2)  Add the 1/2 cup milk, tightly twist on the jar lid, and shake for about 45 seconds to one minute.

**Was your child surprised when it turned green?

3)  Allow to thicken (about two minutes).  Eat!

*You could also sprinkle the top with crushed graham crackers (for “gold dust”) or serve with vanilla wafers (for “gold coins”).

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1) Simple “Heart” Shamrocks

2)  Simple “Circle” Rainbows

*Warning:  Most kids love this.  Most dads aren’t so sure about this. 

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Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup milk
• 6 eggs
• 1/4 – 1/2 cup chopped ham
• Blue or green food coloring (or a natural alternative)
• Salt and pepper to taste

1)  Grease and heat skillet over medium heat.  Crack eggs into mixing bowl and add milk.  Add a drop or two of blue food coloring and whisk together.

2)  Pour into skillet.  Add ham to the egg/milk mixture.  Cook until egg mixture begins to thicken around the bottom and edges.

3)  Use a spatula to lift and fold the cooked portion to the top, so the liquid portion flows underneath.  Cook until all of the egg mixture is thickened.  “Scramble” the eggs with the spatula.  Serve!

What do you think?  Is it delicious or is it disgusting? 

The vote was split at our house — two people thought it was delicious, two people thought it tasted good but looked terrible (almost bad enough they didn’t want to finish eating it), and one person abstained from voting!

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As tomorrow is Read Across America, I thought I’d share a few thoughts about teaching your child to read. I wrote up most of this post last year in a two-part series, but I decided to combine it and edit it slightly.

I’m passionate about reading! As a former teacher, teaching kids to read was one of my favorite parts of the job. Now that I’m at home, it’s been so fun to see my own children move from non-readers to readers!!

Here are seven tips to set your preschooler on the road to reading:

(One of my little readers!!)

1) Read aloud to your child. Often.

Probably not what you expected for my top tip, huh? However, this is absolutely the most crucial part of teaching your child to read. They must be immersed in books! And it needs to be often throughout the day. A token book before bed is not what I’m talking about here (although I’m guilty of this sometimes)! Chunks of time devoted to reading aloud throughout the day are going to make reading come alive for your child (you should even read to your babies and toddlers – I used to read to the girls while they were in their high chairs)!

One of my favorite books about how and why you should read aloud to your child is The Read-Aloud Handbook from Jim Trelease. Equally inspiring is Reading Magic: Why Reading Aloud to Our Children Will Change Their Lives Forever by Mem Fox.

2) Read beside your child.

Do your children see you reading? You can’t expect them to embrace something you don’t model!! Even if it is just 10 or 15 minutes reading a chapter from a book, your children can see that reading is important to you. They are watching you.

Here’s how we do it: Our Bible time in the morning consists of me reading my Bible and the girls “reading” their Bibles right alongside me. We also have a quiet time in the afternoon where we all read our own books.

I also really want to encourage dads here! Please, read in front of your children. Little boys especially NEED to see you reading and to hear you read aloud to them.

3) Fill your home with print.

A “print-rich” environment is correlated with academic success, so fill your home with books, magazines, and newpapers! Even when my girls were babies, I had a basket of board books in the living room and baskets of books in their bedrooms. Now, each girl has her own bookshelf filled with books.

You may not have a lot of room, but even just a box of books under the bed is an excellent start! If money is an issue, look at garage sales, used bookstores, or an online service like Paperback Swap.

4) Get a library card!

Not only can you find an amazing variety of books at the library, you can also take advantage of story times, activities, and whatever else your library offers! Visits to the library give your child a chance to see that reading is important — not just to you — but to many others, as well.

Sometimes it can be overwhelming to figure out what books to check-out. Your librarian is very knowledgeable in this area, so be sure to utilize his/her help. I have also found these books helpful in selecting classics and picture books to encourage a love of literature:

Read for the Heart: Whole Books for WholeHearted Families: This is one of the most-used books on my shelf, and I cannot say enough about it! Not only does it share lists of books to read with your child — it shares why and how you should read to your child. Broken down into several categories, this book will guide you to noble, moral, and wonderfully-written books based on age level. Truly, you should definitely consider this book if you are overwhelmed by the choices out there or just want to make sure your child’s reading material is more than “twaddle”! It will inspire you!

Honey for a Child’s Heart by Gladys Hunt: This book is also one of my go-to books when I’m wondering what we should check-out from the library next. This book is broken down into a few more categories, and I especially appreciate the section for beginning readers.

5) Teach lower-case letters first.

When you begin to do alphabet activities or read picture books about the alphabet, consider teaching lower-case letters first. You will encounter a much higher percentage of lower-case letters than capitals in your reading!

A nice set of lower-case magnets for the refrigerator or set of tactile letters is a good place to start. You can also make your own.

6) Worry more about letter sounds than names.

While it’s great your child can sing the alphabet song, it’s not really that helpful!! Let me clarify that a little bit more: Eventually your child will need to know the names of the letters, but it is much more advantageous to teach letter SOUNDS first. When your child sees a b, you want him to say “Hey, look, a /b/” (letter sound) instead of “That’s a b” (letter name).

Some children are able to memorize the name and sound at the same time, but it is too much information for others. It may feel a little strange at first to read through your favorite alphabet book identifying each letter by sound, but I believe it makes so much more sense!

Once your child knows her letter sounds, I recommend the book Mommy, Teach Me to Read: A Complete and Easy-to-Use Home Reading Program. If you’d like a complete curriculum and sequential (but still quite hands-on) approach, check out All About Reading Level 1.

7) Don’t push too hard.

Especially with your first child, you probably have a tendency to push a little more (I’m guilty sometimes), but your child doesn’t have to read by the time he is three….or four…or five..or even six. My oldest knew her letter sounds when she was four, but I didn’t push her to read. We started some phonics and easy readers when she was five, and she was reading about grade level. She turned six and in a span of about two months, she went from reading on a first grade level to a fifth grade level. I’m currently working with my middle daughter (she’s five), and she is just now beginning to blend three-letter-words. My almost four-year-old can remember her numbers, but her letter/sound recall is still spotty. Am I worried?!! NO!!

EVERY CHILD HAS HIS/HER OWN UNIQUE TIME TABLE!!

I share about my own children only because I want you to see that your child doesn’t have to read when he is three. Don’t get hung up on what the other kids your child’s age are doing. Trust yourself a little bit more — you know your child! Sure, if they show readiness signs, I’m all for it. But if not, just let them play — and build — and sing — and play some more!!

Though these tips may seem basic, I hope they have inspired you and will help you in your journey to raise a reader.  I truly believe you can teach your child to read!

Because the birthday of Dr. Seuss is coming up on Friday, I thought I would compile all of my activities and give you a sample day — a look at how I would schedule a Dr. Seuss Theme Morning at my own house!

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Dr. Seuss Day!!

8:30 AM:  For breakfast, we begin with Green Eggs and Ham!  I’ve done this several times with various classes, but never at home because of my daughter’s egg allergies.  Now that she’s recently outgrown them, we made them this year!! 

9 AM:  Make a Dr. Seuss “Cat in the Hat” Hat!

9:30 AM:  Read-a-thon!  Pull out all those old Dr. Seuss favorites and try some new ones, too!

Our faves:

• The Cat in the Hat
• Hop on Pop
• Mr. Brown Can Moo!  Can You?
• Bartholomew and the Ooblek

10:15 AM:  Time for a science experiment!  Mix up some of this Oobleck.  If you’ve never tried it, you should!!

10:45 AM:  Make and play Ten Apples Up On Top!

11:15 AM:  Time for Lunch!  Make “Cat in the Hat” Pizza.

12:30 PM:  Make a tasty Dr. Seuss Cat-in-the-Hat Snack.

1:00 PM:  Naptime for EVERYBODY!! 

For more Dr. Seuss fun:

Find printable units and packets at:

• Living Life Intentionally
• Two Teaching Mommies

Find linkies with all kinds of Seuss activities at:

• Obseussed
• Teach Preschool

Check out my Dr. Seuss Pinterest Board

The winner of the Ultimate Box of Wooden Craft Projects from CraftProjectIdeas.com is

tazmania_kboo@

Thanks to all who entered!

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Ingredients:

• Pizza dough (I made mine in the bread machine)
• Pepperoni
• Mozzarella cheese (This is part of the problem.  I just used what I had — and it’s not mozzarella!)
• Pizza sauce

1)  Preheat your oven.  Roll out the pizza dough.  Use a pizza wheel or knife to cut out the shape of the hat.

I usually cook my crust for about 10 minutes before I add the toppings, but follow your own pizza dough directions for best results!

2)  Spread sauce on the whole pizza.  Add pepperoni.  Make “stripes” with cheese.

3)  Bake according to your pizza dough directions.

Ever have one of those days where you just feel like the worst mom in the world?

I have them…I’m having one today.

It was a rough morning.  I was unkind and harsh.  And I wish I could take it back.

But instead of beating myself up about it, I asked for forgiveness, and this afternoon, I let myself be inspired by this sweet post.  Over at Creative With Kids, you can find a printable with 100 Ways to Be Kind to Your Child.  So many fun and simple ideas!

Thanks, Nicole!

When CraftProjectIdeas.com contacted me and sent us the Made by Me: Ultimate Box of Wooden Craft Projects, I was pretty excited.  I made sure to pick something I thought all three of the girls would enjoy….

They had a blast painting various projects from the kit.  The two younger ones painted magnets (quite colorfully, I might add), and my seven-year-old made an “elephant pencil holder”.

(My 3-year-old loves to make blocks of color!  Poor lion’s face…    )

This particular kit comes with:

• 4 Wooden Punch-Out Sheets
• 4 Wooden Magnets
• 4 Sticker Sheets
• 2 Metal Key Rings
• 10 Pots of Acrylic Paint
• 2 Paint Brushes
• Satin Cording
• Lanyard Clip
• 2 Punch-Out Sheets
• 1 Glue Tube
• 1 Sheet of Sand Paper
• Instructions

It made a perfect project for a cold, stuck-indoors kind of day!

You can pick up all kinds of Kids Crafts kits at Walmarts around the country (I’m sure you’ve seen them in the kids’ crafting aisle)!  They come with all the supplies you need to start crafting right away.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now for the fun part!!  CraftProjectIdeas.com is giving one of you a box of your own Made by Me:  Ultimate Box of Wooden Craft Projects.

To enter, simply leave a comment below.  You can also leave up to three extra comments to gain three more entries when you complete the following:

1)  Subscribe to Motherhood on a Dime via email subscription OR Motherhood on a Dime:  Kids (formerly AmazingMess.com) via email subscription.  Leave a comment letting me know you subscribe via email.

2)  Follow CraftProjectIdeas.com on Facebook or Twitter.  Leave a comment letting me know which one you follow.

3)  Follow Motherhood on a Dime on Facebook or Twitter.  Leave a comment letting me know which one you follow.

You may leave up to FOUR comments (for a total of four entries in the giveaway).  This giveaway will end next Monday (February 27, 2012) at 10:30 PM (CST).  The winner will be chosen via Random.org.

If you’re viewing this via email, please go here to leave a comment.

I’ve compiled several snow-themed activities below.  You can also check out my Pinterest board with winter-themed ideas for kids!

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Find five simple and inexpensive activities for a snowy day (my very first Fun on a Dime post)!!

Check out these Puffy Snowflakes from Frugal Family Fun Blog!

Here are three winter snack ideas!

Creativity My Passion shows how to make Snowflake Prints from Pipe Cleaners!

Do you have any snow-themed activities to share?  Leave your link in the comments below!

After seeing this post at Celebrate Every Day With Me, I was inspired to make my own “Heart Breakfast”…..for lunch!  My husband laughed when he saw it, but the girls thought it was fabulous!

Supplies:

• Skillet
• Oil (we use coconut oil)
• Eggs
• Toast
• Heart-shaped cookie cutter or knife
• Spatula

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 1)  Oil a skillet and heat to medium heat.  Use a cookie cutter or knife to cut-out a heart from a slice of bread.

2)  Butter the back of the bread and place on the skillet.  Carefully break an egg into the heart-shaped hole.

3)  Cook and serve!

I did “flip” my egg and bread to be sure it was cooked thoroughly!

I get lots of ideas from Family Fun Magazine! 

Today only, you can subscribe to FamilyFun Magazine for just $2.99 per year from DiscountMags.com.  Use the code 2221 at check-out to get it for this price.

Supplies:

• You Color My World printable
• Coloring book or printable color sheet
• Scissors
• Glue
• Markers
• Red paper

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1)  Print out coloring sheets (I found ours here), or pull out sheets from a coloring book.  Print the “You Color My World” sheet and fill it out.

2)  Cut-out the hearts, and glue them in the middle of a 3″-4″ wide strip of paper.  Glue the back together to form a tube (hot glue works well and quickly)!

3)  Roll-up the coloring sheet and insert into the tube.

Variations:

For older children, you might want to spin-off this idea!  You could use a crossword puzzle, word search, or origami!

It worked!

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Supplies:

• 1/2 cup paint
• 1 T.  unsanded tile grout
• Mixing container for paint
• Paint stir stick
• Sponge paint brush or small roller
• Fine-grit sandpaper
• Damp cloth

1)  Stir the paint and unsanded tile grout together.  (Be sure it is smooth — you can see I had a few clumps!)

2)  Paint onto a primed or painted surface with a sponge brush.  Apply several coats.

3)  Allow to dry.  Sand with fine grit sandpaper.

4)  Wipe off the dust.  “Condition” the chalkboard by rubbing the side of a piece of chalk all over the surface.  Remove the chalk with a slightly-damp cloth.

The original directions from Martha Stewart suggest using latex paint, but I used acrylic paint (since I don’t have any red latex paint!!) and put it directly on an oatmeal container to make our Valentine’s Holder!  The acrylic paint is a little thicker, so that may be why I had more clumping.  Next time, I will make sure to break up all the clumps!

After we’re done using it for Valentine’s, I plan to store craft supplies in it!  I can just erase the hearts and write the contents of the container on it!