Welcome to Tuesday Tots! I just ordered our very first butterfly kit which is due to arrive later this month. My 3 and 5 year old are so excited to watch their very own caterpillars turn into butterflies! In anticipation of their arrival, I was excited to see that lots of caterpillar and butterfly activities for kids were shared on Tuesday Tots last week, and so here is a great collection of activities to use along with raising your own butterflies for some themed fun and learning!

Tuesday Tots is a weekly link-up sharing posts for kids 5 and under co-hosted by In Lieu of Preschool (me), Rainy Day Mum, Growing a Jeweled Rose, and Learn with Play at Home.  Be sure to follow our Tuesday Tots Pinterest board!

Caterpillar and Butterfly Activities

1. Paint Stamping Butterflies on The Craft Train

2. Baby Friendly Buggy Small World on House of Burke

3. The Very Hungry Caterpillar Threading Activity on Here Come the Girls

4. Finger Paint Butterflies on In Lieu of Preschool

5. Bug Board Book Round-Up on House of Burke

6. The Very Hungry Pasta Bead Caterpillar Craft on Powerful Mothering

7. Butterfly Activities for Toddlers on Fantastic Fun and Learning

8. Life Cycle of a Silk Worm Book Review and Activity on Blog Me Mom

9. Buried Bugs Sensory Bin on Little Bins for Little Hands

Congratulations to those who were featured!

Now on to this week’s link-up!  

Be sure to read all the guidelines for linking up here first!  

The post Caterpillar and Butterfly Activities for Kids appeared first on In Lieu of Preschool.

Welcome to Tuesday Tots! This week I am featuring some easy Mother’s Day Crafts for kids that were shared in last week’s link-up and from our own archives! Beautiful flowers, personalized gifts with fingerprints and handprints, and fabulous painted flower pots! These crafts are sure to make Mom smile and warm her heart on her special day.

Tuesday Tots is a weekly link-up sharing posts for kids 5 and under co-hosted by In Lieu of Preschool (me), Rainy Day Mum, Growing a Jeweled Rose, and Learn with Play at Home.  Be sure to follow our Tuesday Tots Pinterest board!

7 Easy Mother’s Day Crafts for Kids

1. A coffee filter flowers bouquet from We Made That:

2. Easy thumbprint flowers from In Lieu of Preschool:

3. Metal bottle top spring flowers from Zing Zing Tree:

4. Cupcake flowers from There’s Just One Mommy:

5. Rainbow flower pots by In Lieu of Preschool:

6. Handprint Mother’s Day cards from Octavia and Vicky:

7. Coffee Filter Flowers from Octavia and Vicky:

Congratulations to those who were featured!

Now on to this week’s link-up!  

Be sure to read all the guidelines for linking up here first!  

The post Easy Mother’s Day Crafts for Kids appeared first on In Lieu of Preschool.

Welcome to Tuesday Tots!  This week I am on a mini vacation with the hubs sans kids so I will not be featuring any new posts this week as I am *gasp* not even bringing along my computer, however, I am still hosting the Tuesday Tots linky and will resume featuring YOUR posts again next week!  Be sure to link up lots of great stuff for me to feature when I get back! This week I am sharing a few of my favorite past Tuesday Tots features in case you missed them!

Tuesday Tots is a weekly link-up sharing posts for kids 5 and under co-hosted by In Lieu of Preschool (me), Rainy Day Mum, Growing a Jeweled Rose, and Learn with Play at Home.  Be sure to follow our Tuesday Tots Pinterest board!

Tuesday Tots – April 23rd Edition

Here are a few of my favorite past Tuesday Tots features! Click the pictures to see the full post.

Thanks again to everyone who participated on Tuesday Tots last week where some great activities for kids were shared!  

Now on to this week’s link-up!  

Be sure to read all the guidelines for linking up here first!  

The post Tuesday Tots – April 23rd Edition appeared first on In Lieu of Preschool.

Did you see the Sift and Spray Paint Art we did yesterday? The kids enjoyed it so much, we tried a different version of the same process art today: Powder Paint Press Art! We did this in the bath tub so the kids could have some messy, sensory play fun afterwards, but you can easily do this art project on a tray in your kitchen or classroom as well!  This art exploration exercise will allow your child to play with new art materials while also benefiting from fine motor practice, and experiencing color mixing and various textures.

This post is part of the Wash & Learn series.

Today’s posts are focused on ART! After you’ve read our fun, head over to Bath Activities for Kids
and Train Up a Child to see their bath or shower time art!

Powder Paint Press Art

Materials Needed:

• Powdered Paint
• Spray Bottle filled with water
• Thick Paper

Directions:

1. Sprinkle powder paint into the bottom of the bath tub or onto a plastic tray.  

We used the primary colors: red, blue, and yellow.  

Bust up any big chunks of powder with your fingers or the back of a spoon.

2. Spray the powdered paint with water using a squirt bottle,

…or carefully sprinkle some water from the tap onto it.  You want it to be really damp but without being completely soupy.

3. Using thick paper (we used watercolor paper cut in half), gently press down the paper onto the wet paint.  

Let it sit for a few seconds…

 …before gently lifting it off.  

Lay it on the side of the tub and repeat with remaining papers.  

Wet the powdered paint more if necessary between presses.  If lots of powder is sticking to your papers, add more water!

One of our papers came up with a lot of dry powdered paint stuck to it, so we simply gave it a good dousing with the squirt bottle!  It was pretty to watch the colors spread and run.

We ended up with some pretty neat, textured and swirled art and the kids had a blast making it!  

I just love how the colors mixed together and made patterns.

 And how vibrant the colors are.

The kids had a lot of fun playing with the leftover paint, too, once we finished our press art.

They smeared it, drew lines in the paint with their fingers, and coated parts of their body…

…before we turned on the faucet and washed it all down the drain.

It may look messy, but my tub is always cleanest after one of these activities!  The kids actually do a really good job of washing the tub out.  And once the kids are dried off and out of the tub, I simply hop in and wipe it all down with a damp rag and it’s spotless…until the next time we come up with a messy project to try!

The kids always wear their “messy play” swimsuits or play clothes for these types of activities. We seldom experience staining, but it is always a possibility!

Here are a few more photos of our artwork just because it looks so cool:

 For more art fun, be sure to hop over to see the other Wash & Learn posts this week! Bath Activities for Kids has another fun process art exploration for kids to try out, and Train Up a Child shares an ice art activity.  

See More Wash and Learn Fun:

You can also see more of our arts and crafts projects and check out our Arts and Crafts for Kids board on Pinterest!

The post Powder Paint Press Art appeared first on In Lieu of Preschool.

Awhile back I picked up three big bottles of powdered tempera paint in red, blue, and yellow from a craft store sale. They’ve sat in my craft cabinet while I’ve been thinking of what fun things we could do with them. Today, an idea popped in my head, and the kids had a blast making Sift and Spray Paint Art! It’s a fun way to use your flour sifter – that oft forgotten piece of kitchen equipment – while getting your kids to practice their motor skills and create some pretty cool art!

Sift and Spray Paint Art

Materials Needed:

• Thick Paper (we used watercolor paper)
• Powdered Paint
• Flour Sifter 
• Spray Bottle
• Tray

Directions:
1. Put thick paper (we used watercolor paper) on a plastic tray or other nonporous surface. Use a flour sifter to sift powdered paint onto the paper. I spooned the powdered paint into the sifter while the kids turned the crank. 

If you don’t have a sifter, you can use a spoon or fingers to sprinkle the paint onto the paper. We tried it this way, too, for fun!

2. Using a spray bottle filled with water, gently wet the paint using the spray setting.

Be sure to wet the entire paper to allow the paint to mix and color the paper.

3. Remove your wet paper from the tray and allow it to dry. 

We ended up with some very neat textured art!  (The art is still wet in these photos. I’ll try to add some finished product photos soon as it was after dark when these were completely dried.)

 While this project is more about the process than the product, you can definitely do lots with the finished product, like use a template to cut out a silhouette shape and frame it!

See more of our arts and crafts projects for preschoolers and check out our Arts & Crafts for Kids Pinterest board!

The post Sift and Spray Paint Art for Kids appeared first on In Lieu of Preschool.

Welcome to Tuesday Tots! This week I’m featuring lots of ladybug activities for kids from the Tuesday Tots linky and from our archives. I grew up calling these insects ladybugs, but have also learned people call them ladybird beetles and lady beetles as these aren’t truly bugs. Whatever you choose to call these 6-legged cuties, the included activities cover math, art, crafts, science, and fun food for hours of play and learning. You could do a whole unit on ladybirds! Perfect for spring!

Tuesday Tots is a weekly link-up sharing posts for kids 5 and under co-hosted by In Lieu of Preschool (me), Rainy Day Mum, Growing a Jeweled Rose, and Learn with Play at Home.  Be sure to follow our Tuesday Tots Pinterest board!

7 Ladybug Activities for Kids

1. Ladybug Printable Count & Clip Cards from The Measured Mom — Kids can practice counting up to 20!

2. Life Cycle of a Ladybug Craft from Reading Confetti — Great as a go-along activity to actually raising ladybugs.

3. Fingerprint Ladybug Art from Maro’s Kindergarten — So simple and so cute!

4. Roll-a-Dot Ladybug Addition Game from Trillium Montessori — This post features LOTS of bug and insect activities for kids!

5. Ladybug Lunch by In Lieu of Preschool — The only time I’d ever voluntarily eat buggy food!

6. Ladybugs on a Leaf Printable by The Measured Mom — A number recognition activity with 3 different printables to provide varying difficulty levels.

7. Ladybug Pinata from Preschool Powol Packets — Craft a pinata for Earth Day, an upcoming birthday, or just because it’s fun!

Now on to this week’s link-up!  

Be sure to read all the guidelines for linking up here first!  

The post Ladybug Activities for Kids appeared first on In Lieu of Preschool.

Today is one of those rainy days when all I want to do is curl up in my pajamas with a good book and relax the day away. Of course, being stuck inside means the kids have at least seventeen times the amount of energy they normally have, and by mid afternoon my dreams of relaxing have all but been washed away with the rain. Typical, right? So, on to Plan B. The kids and I snuggled up to read Press Here, one of our favorite hands-on picture book stories, and then I quickly put together a go-along activity for the kids to enjoy: an indoor shower ball pit! Not only did they have fun re-enacting parts from the book, but they also used up lots of energy giggling and throwing balls around. And, at least I did get to read a book in my pajamas!

This post is part of the Wash & Learn series.

After you’ve read our fun, head over to Bath Activities for Kids
and Train Up a Child to see their bath or shower time learning fun!

Press Here Go-Along Book Activity:
Indoor Shower Ball Pit

About Press Here

Press Here by Herve Tullet, is a newer picture book that we discovered about a year ago.

The kids love it because the book tells them something to press, rub, touch, or shake dots on every page. It’s great for listening comprehension and practicing following directions, and the kids think it’s funny to boot.

Setting Up the Go-Along Book Activity

To set up the activity to go along with the Press Here book, I simply cut out a few red, yellow, and blue circles from sheets of craft foam. I wet them and stuck them to the walls of our stand-up shower. Wet foam sticks like a sticker! I also brought in our bag of ball pit balls from the garage and hid them in a room next to the bathroom.

A Rainy Day Activity for Kids: A Shower Ball Pit

Once I had the bathroom set up, I called the kids over to the couch and we read the book, Press Here.  The kids get so into pressing the dots when we read!

Then I led them into the bathroom and they immediately hopped into the shower (without the water on) and began pressing the foam dots on the shower walls. They repeated some lines from the book and made up some of their own.

While they were playing, I sneaked into the other room and grabbed the bag of ball pit balls, hurried back into the bathroom, shut the shower door, and dumped the bag of balls into the shower over the top of the door!

The kids ducked and covered their heads and giggled like mad because it was raining balls!  I had instructed the kids to sit down upon getting into the shower and after the initial excitement of adding the balls died down, I reiterated that the kids had to stay seated the whole time they played so that no one would accidently fall down and get hurt.

I didn’t have to tell them what to do next; a mad frenzy ensued of flailing arms and legs and flying balls and the most giggles I’ve heard all week.  They wiggled their arms and legs in the ball pit, they threw balls against the walls, they tossed balls into the air!  

After they played for awhile in the shower ball pit (which works SO perfectly to contain all the balls in one place!) we turned on the shower water to add a new element of fun!

The movement of the balls and the level of laughter increased. The kids even rearranged the foam dots to make pictures.

The kids had so much fun with this indoor shower ball pit that the only thing that would eventually lure them back out was the promise of some honey pretzels for snack.

The activity really did help them burn off some of that excess energy! They had a blast and I got to relax…just a little. 

The next time you have a rainy day, I *highly* recommend you try an indoor ball pit! If you don’t have an enclosed shower, you can make a ball pit in the bath tub, baby pool, or in a kid tent. 

Be sure to hop over to see the other Wash & Learn posts this week! Bath Activities for Kids has a fun Kool-Aid science bath to share, and Train Up a Child has a bath time to go with the book The Rain Came Down.  

You can also see our Rainy Day Activities post for more ideas when you’re stuck inside.

See More Wash and Learn Fun:

The post Rainy Day Activities: Indoor Shower Ball Pit appeared first on In Lieu of Preschool.

My 5 year old son has been building with block kits since just before turning 4, and he has really gotten quite good at them.  Now that my 3-1/2 year old daughter is starting to show interest in building and there are now girly kits like the Mega Bloks Barbie products that strike her fancy, I’m happy to see that these strategies are working well for her, too!  We are happy to share with you our tips to help kids build Mega Bloks kits independently!

This post is sponsored by Lunchbox.

Tips to Help Kids Build Mega Bloks Kits Independently

1. Use a sorting tray.

I found ours for $1 and it gets used a lot! Before starting to build, help your child open the bags of Mega Bloks and sort them by color. This is probably THE most important step we do because it makes locating needed pieces simpler, and it keeps little blocks from rolling away and getting lost! It also makes it really simple to put away an unfinished project and to start back where you left off when you’re ready to work on it again.

2. Teach kids to read the manual.

Show them how the instructions are numbered and move from left to right across the page. Show them the box for each step that shows how many of each part they need.  

3. Find all needed pieces for a step before beginning to build.

When my son first started building, he’d grab one needed piece for a step, add it, and move on to the next step, even if more pieces were supposed to be added before moving on. Teaching kids to lay out ALL the needed pieces for a step will be a reminder to them to add all the pieces before moving on to the next step.

4. Help and Monitor.

With a young child, you will have to help a lot. Plan on being present for the entirety of the first few kits your child does. At first, 10-15 minutes is probably about as long as they can work, but this will grow over time. Model the first 3 tips for your child and he or she will start to become more and more independent when building. Eventually you can start only “checking in” every few steps to see how it’s going. With my oldest, I now only have to help when he has a question.

Mega Bloks Barbie: Building Kits for Girls #buildbarbiesworld

It’s kind of exciting to see that there are now some Mega Bloks building kits just for girls! While my daughter enjoys many of the same kits her brother does, I do have to admit she is really drawn to the girly ones and she was SUPER excited to build Barbie’s mansion.

The sweetest part to me was that her brother was right there to help her and was almost just as excited as she was.  

Have you seen the new Barbie building kits? Mega Bloks Barbie products are now on rollback at Walmart! Visit http://bit.ly/MegaBloksBarbie to shop all Mega Bloks Barbie for the lowest prices!

Mega Bloks Barbie Play Sets are a fun way to inspire your daughter’s creativity. She can build, design, and style Mega Bloks Barbie however she wants, and every set comes with a different Barbie doll that she can dress and style as well!

From the Build n’ Style Luxury Mansion to the Build n’ Style Pet Shop and Pool Party Play Set – playing with Barbies has never been so fun and imaginative!

Shop for all the Mega Bloks Barbie Play Sets here: http://bit.ly/MegaBloksBarbie

Enter the Mega Bloks Barbie giveaway!!

Two lucky winners will each receive their choice of Mega Bloks Barbie product from http://bit.ly/MegaBloksBarbie!

To enter, leave a blog post comment stating which Mega Bloks Barbie product you’d like to receive if you are chosen and click the +1 via Rafflecopter. Official entry is via Rafflecopter, so please be sure to click the +1 in the Rafflecopter AND leave your comment on this post to be entered.  The giveaway is open through the end of April.  (This giveaway is being run simultaneously on our sister site, Parent Teach Play. You may enter the giveaway once from either site.)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Join the conversation! Share your Mega Bloks Barbie experience using hashtag #buildbarbiesworld

Disclaimer: This giveaway is sponsored by Lunchbox. All opinions are my own.

The post Tips to Help Kids Build Mega Bloks Kits Independently appeared first on In Lieu of Preschool.

I had the pleasure of being introduced to Ray Malouf, chief operating officer of Nuvonivo, a clothing company for kids, at a local community event. Nuvonivo is based in Raleigh, NC (local to me!) but their online retail store ships FREE to all 50 US states, Puerto Rico, and all US territories. Nuvonivo specializes in European and North American style clothing for babies and kids. I was thrilled when asked if we’d like to review a few outfits because Nuvonivo has some really cute clothes for kids!! He even gave me a coupon code to share in case YOU like their clothes as much as I do!

The outfits reviewed in this post were given to us by Nuvonivo. I was not paid for this review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Nuvonivo: Cute Clothes for Kids

My Review of Clothing from Nuvonivo

At the local community event where I first  learned about Nuvonivo I was able to view and feel much of their clothing in person, and I was very impressed with the quality. The fabrics were soft and sturdy, and much of the clothing had added details in the way of stitching, decals, or appliques that made it stand out as unique and special.

As a mom who’s always on the lookout for cute and unique clothes for kids, Nuvonivo is now on my short list!

I like my kids to have clothing that reflects their personalities, that’s comfortable for them to wear, and that looks good for going out while also holds up well for playing. AND it’s nice when their clothing isn’t something that everybody else has, too. I’m sure many of you know what I mean. I bought a few pieces of clothing from Target for the kids recently; at the pool last week, 2 other girls had on the same swimsuit as Lilah, and today at gym class, another little boy wore the same shorts as Luke. While I’m sure that may not matter to some, it drives me nuts! Mainly because I always catch those other kids out of the corner of my eye and think they’re mine. It’s much easier to keep your eye on your child when they aren’t dressed like everyone else, so I am thrilled to have a new place to buy clothes for the kids that is off the beaten path!

While I adore both the girls and boys clothing selections offered by Nuvonivo, I am especially happy with the boy clothes. I have been known to spend a good deal of money on adorable boutique clothes for my little girl, but despite searching, I’ve never found a great source of must-have boy clothes. I cannot tell you how much I love the outfit my son received from Nuvonivo for review!! I am so happy to have finally found some really cute clothes for my little boy! 

More About Nuvonivo

Nuvonivo (new-voh-nee-voh) is French for “New Levels.”  They are a small family company that entered the garment business in 1966 as a wholesale company representing brands from North American and Europe. In April 2012, they launched their first online retail store, specializing in the distribution of fine fashions for children straight to their customer’s doorstep!

The brands of clothing offered by Nuvonivo are:

• blue seven – a privately owned company located in Obserstaufen, Germany high in the Bavarian Alps that has been designing and creating clothing for over 60 years.
• Kanz – a German company with over 60 years experience
• Krickets – started in Montreal, Quebc in 1942; their clothing offers a North American look with a Quebecois flair

In addition to their online store, you can find Nuvonivo on Facebook and Pinterest.

The Perks of Shopping with Nuvonivo

Nuvonivo offers FREE standard shipping and FREE returns on ALL orders.  That’s really impressive in my book!

They’ve also offered my readers a special coupon code: $5 off a purchase of $25 or more using the code 5off25.

Our Outfits from Nuvonivo

Luke’s Outfit: (all pieces happen to be on sale right now!)

• EXTREME – Super Cool Muscle Tee
• EXTREME – Skater Pant
• EXTREME – Awesome Plaid Shirt

Lilah’s Outfits: (all pieces work perfectly for mixing and matching)

• FAIRY STORIES – Lovely Floral Print Blouse AWESOME for a photo shoot!
• FAIRY STORIES – KidFit Capri Pants
• FAIRY STORIES – Two Piece Set of Tunic Top and Capri

Hop over to In Lieu of Preschool’s sister site, Parent Teach Play, to see 8 Tips for Photographing Kids from a real mom who takes a lot of photos –Yep, that’s me! – plus see lots more photos of our super cute Nuvonivo clothing!

 If you are looking for cute clothes for kids, definitely take a look at Nuvonivo. Tell them Genny sent you!

The post Nuvonivo – Cute clothes for Kids! appeared first on In Lieu of Preschool.

As part of the Introduction to US Geography for Little Kids series, today I shared an art activity on the Melissa & Doug blog: American Flag Easel Painting.  My 5 year old LOVED this activity!  It’s a great way to squeeze in lots of learning in a way that will keep kids’ attention!  You just might end up with a frame-worthy painting from your little artist when it’s all done, too! 

U.S. Geography for Kids: American Flag Easel Painting

Come read my post to find out:

• how to set up the activity
• the materials we used for the project
• details to focus on with your child before starting to paint
• extra information about the flag you can point out while your child paints
• ways to adapt the activity for preschoolers or younger children
• suggestions of extension activities for continuing learning

Here are some additional photos of the flag painting activity to give you a sneak peek at all the fun and learning that took place!  

I didn’t mention it, but this easel activity is also great for fine motor skills practice, developing concentration, paying attention to details, following directions, and as a pre-writing activity, building those hand and arm muscles for future writing activities!

You can read the full post here on the Melissa & Doug blog.  Additionally, you can see all the posts in the series here.

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