Squishy, slippery fun!

Activities with water beads are EVERYWHERE on blogs and pinterest.  They are THE sensory item of the season.  They are HOT!  Well, really they are cool - cool to the touch and just plain cool to play with.

Luckily, while in JoAnne's the other day I spotted several packages of these AquaGems on clearance for 50 cents each.  I quickly scooped up the last four packages on the shelf.  Not sure what was more exciting - getting a stellar deal or knowing that soon we could play with the current IT sensory toy. 

Once home I realized that they take 4-5 hours to grow into their full size.  Part of me wanted to put them in the water the night before, but I held back and waited for the OWL to start the process in the morning.

First we need about 6 liters of water.  

 Then OWL dumped in the Aqua Gels.  They were tiny - the size of a pin needle really.  The OWL couldn't understand why we had all this water for these tiny, tiny little drops. 

Over the course of the morning he kept on checking back on his beads.  It was a great lesson in patience since we started the process at 7:30am and he didn't start playing with them until after lunch.  He loved seeing them "grow" and was able to notice that there were larger each time he checked in on them.

Finally, after lunch he was able to dig into them as they had plumped up enough. ( Water beads look like marbles, but are more like a rubber ball)  He loved that they were cool to the touch, squishy, slippery, and slimy! I have to admit there is something relaxing about scooping your hands through them.  Of course, out came the trucks and tractors.......

We even moved some to a tray to push around and load up into a truck body.

They really are pretty neat - until you step on one and then you have a squashy mess to clean up. Even Sassy Sis loved playing with them - mostly scooping and pouring.  I even caught Daddy having some fun with them!

Now, luckily there isn't a shortage of ideas on how to play with your water beads....

You can find  the fabulous ideas here. 

In the Kitchen - Banana Bread

I love authentic learning experiences - experiences that are practical and fun!  The Owl LOVES to cook with me. I think this is because he really is turning into a foodie - he truly enjoys food.  Or maybe he enjoys food, because he helps me in the kitchen.  Either way, it is a great way to spend quality time with your child while teaching him a life skill, working on fine motor skills ( smashing, pouring, mixing), numeracy skills ( counting and measuring) and building up their self-esteem.  It really is a win/win for child and parent alike.


The Owl and I cook together many times a week.  This morning we made banana bread.  We use this simple recipe with a few modifications: I reduce the sugar by half or use agave syrup, also I always add oat bran or flax seed, but please don't tell my DH they are included.

This morning we were able to practice our pouring and mashing skills.  We also counted our cups of flour.  The recipe calls for 1 1/4 cup flour.  I have my flour in a large glass jar and I can only fit a 1/4 cup scoop inside.  I told Owl we would need 6 of these scoops.  I handed him the first scoop and said, "that is one" to which he replied, " now we need 5 more, right mama?"  WOW - talk about an authentic way to introduce addition/subtraction! 

Ready for the oven.  This recipe, in particular, is a great lesson for patience and time management.

60 minutes later and you have the best banana bread ever - especially made with love! 

Of course, the best part of cooking is being able to do some taste testing! 

And there you have it folks - the Owl gives this recipe two thumbs up! 

Father's Day

In a few more weeks it will be Father's Day.

To me handmade gifts are the best!  Owl LOVES giving gifts that he made. He just beams when he gives a gift that he has made - which in turn makes my heart swoon! 

I've been searching for some ideas for upcoming Father's Day to honor my DH who is a kid at heart himself! 

Luckily, Pinterest saves the day again!  I've pinned numerous great ideas for Father's Day!

If you need some inspiration for father's day - be sure  to look at my Pinterest board! 

Locke's Hill Trail

Today we hiked Locke's Hill.  It is in Gilford and part of the Kimball Wildlife Forest.  It is well known in these parts as a good family hike.  Locke's Hill is sign posted off of Rt 11.  There is a mailbox in the parking lot for trail maps.  The Owl is ALL about maps these days.

Map in hand and we're off.  

We started out of the parking lot on the Quarry Trail.  The trail follows an old road that leads to the quarry for the old Kimball Castle.  It is rocky and the dead fallen leaves make it slippery, but even Sassy Sis was able to do it.  Of course, she had to jump on EVERY single rock along the way which made for a very slow climb.

While waiting for Sassy Sis to catch up Owl and his friend found some rocks of their own to climb atop!

Once at the top of the hill - with views to the Locke's Hill Beacon you continue back into the woods, following the blue blazes of the Lake View Trail, until you come to a clearing with this beautiful view and some extra special places to eat your lunch.

The rock chairs here are the PERFECT place to pick your throne and have a snack or midday meal.

You've completed about 2/3 of the hike by this point so it is a perfect resting spot and the little ones think the chairs are the coolest thing ever.

After the rock chairs it isn't that much longer back to the parking lot.  This part of the trail though is the steepest and rockiest.  It does have switchbacks which help you make your way back down to parking lot.

The Owl and his friend walked the whole trail, about 2 miles, no problem.  Sassy Sis, even though she was able to walk the trail, was finally put in the trusted Ergo since her pace was just way too slow, about 1/2 way up.  

It was a beautiful day to spend outdoors on a fun hike, perfect for preschoolers!

Happy Trails! 

The WOW Trail

The Owl loves riding his bike so we decided to try the WOW trail with our friends. The WOW trail is a non-motorized pathway in downtown Laconia.  It is a three phase project with phase one complete.  The completed part of the trail is 1.3 miles each way. 

Owl and Sassy Sis were both ready to hit the trail on their bikes.  I have to say I LOVE this tricycle my FIL purchased for Sassy Sis. She can "pedal" while I push her and you can even control the steering from your handle.

WOW is a great place to get on a trail for stroller users.  Even Sassy Sis decided to let her friend try out her tricycle while she hopped a ride!

The Owl on the other hand road the whole trail - 2.6 miles - on his bicycle. I was shocked - he really was a pedaling machine. 

2.6 miles can be long for little legs on bikes.  

Luckily mamas are great bike and toddler carriers.

Don't worry though, there are some benches and gardens along the way for a short break or rest.

You can see the trail map for the WOW Trail here.  The trail is a great resource in our area. There is easy parking at both ends of the trail. My only complaint about the trail is that there is a section of this phase when you leave the trail and have to go on the sidewalk along Messer Street - crossing   some  side streets.  Otherwise, it is a fabulous place to let the little ones run, bike, skip, hop all of their energy out! 

Car Wash

The weather has FINALLY realized it is spring.  The rain has stopped and the sun is shining.  For my little ones this means....water play.  I came across this idea at one of my favorite blogs Happy Hooligans. 

First we set up shop.  Warm soapy water, clean water for rinsing and towels to dry.  You can also use  a tray of shaving cream to "wash your cars.  Owl's eyes just about bugged out of his head when he came outdoors and saw this set up.  

We have no shortage of cars, trucks, construction equipment to be washed.

Rinse station - I was surprised at how much water actually stayed in the bucket - he was VERY serious about his car cleaning tactics!

The Owl was mesmerized with the process.  He asked for a sponge, "to scrub the dirt off" and got right down to work.  Winter grime, paint, play-doh was washed right off.

Rinsing his nice and clean cars.....

And lastly, the towel dry....

Owl loved the activity.  I loved getting all of his small vehicles washed after a long winter of use. Hmmm, I wonder if we can rig something up tomorrow for all of his large sandbox trucks which  are now filthy from all of the rain? 

Busy Bag Exchange

I belong to a great mother's group.  We are a large meetup.com group that hosts play groups, playground visits, museum visits, mother's night outs and more.  In the course of any given week there can be 3-5+ events available in which to participate.  It is through this group that I hosted a busy bag exchange.

There are numerous resources on line about hosting a busy bag swap.  Some in fact down right scared me with their rules, regulations and warnings. I wanted to host something that was low key, but also would be beneficial. 

 The rules for our exchange were simple:

1. Once you commit to coming you MUST come or have your bags delivered.                                               2. Create 18 of the same product. ( 18 was the # of mamas we had participating)

3. Spend no more than $2-3 per activity. 

4.  You do NOT need to laminate papers included.  ( Mamas can chose to laminate after we receive it.)

5. Put together the quality of bag you would want to receive in return. This is really important to remember.

6. Put each of your activities in a ziploc-type bag.  Label the bag with the name of your activity and include any needed directions.

The rules worked for us and overall we had a great exchange.  There were a few slip-ups, but nothing that wasn't worked out.

For this exchange I posted 18 ideas for busy bags - all of which I found online. I listed the link to the activity.  Each mama chose their activity from the list of links when they signed up for the swap.

Our Activities: 

( I linked each activity back to the original website which all include directions.) 

Button Snake

Noodle Lacing

A to Z Clothespin Match-Up

Colored Pasta Beads and String

Clothes Line Activity 

Number Grid

Colored Rice

Spooning Beads

Number Bead Rods

Number Wheels

Measure It

Fine Motor Lacing Mat

I found these mats at the Dollar Tree.  Included in the busy bag were lengths of ribbons, fabric, and pipe cleaners.  It will be perfect for the little ones to weave - great fine motor practice!

A to Z Letter Review Sheets

Personalized First Name Practice Sheet

( This was my bag.  I printed off and laminated the complete alphabet sheets and a personalized sheet with the child's first name.  In the busy bag I included  one of these dry erase markers. 

Lacing Cards

Toilet Tube Letter/Number Matching

Double Shape Match-Up

Fine Motor - Color Match-Up

Counting Trays

Our busy bag swap was fabulous not only was it a great night out with some good friends, some wine, and some yummy treats but at the end of the swap we all left with 18 different busy bags.