Week 5 - Keeping Busy!

At the beginning of each week, I think... ok, what am I going to do with her?  Will I have enough activities to keep her busy?

 

And by the end of the week, when I'm going through the photos, I can't believe how much we did!

 

So get comfy, we kept ourselves busy this week!

 

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I knew I wanted to dye eggs with her for Easter, so all week long we did various color experiments

 

Mess Free Color Mixing

I saw this idea from crafty momma at this BLOG and thought it would be a great way to drive home primary and secondary colors.

 

I think if we do it again, I will not be as stingy with how much paint I put in the bag.  I wish I would have put way more in than I did so she could move it around easier.  But overall, she liked it.

 

Mixing Science and Art

 

I saw a similar idea on Pinterest, but adapted it to our focus on Primary colors.  I kept asking her what she thought was going to happen. And she'd respond with, "What do YOU think will happen?"  Silly girl.  But she thought it was pretty neat seeing the dyed water travel up the paper towels. 

 

Dyeing Easter Eggs

I'd heard about dyeing eggs using Kool-Aid packets, but had never tried it before.  Ever the eager scientists at this house, we decided to do a little experiment!

 

OVERALL, a success.  I would not recommend yellow, pink lemonade or purple.  The yellow and pink lemonade were so light you could barely see any color.  And the purple, doesn't look like purple.  It's the row of eggs on the far left there... kind of a brownish-greenish-grayish... not so pretty-ish color.  But that's the wonderful part about experimenting, seeing the results!

 

Goldfish Math

Emma is so into anything math or science related (pretty sure we all saw that coming).  So when I cam across this lady's BLOG, I was drawn to her math activities!  She has tons of great ideas.

 

Down the Shoot

 

During Emma's nap, I like to prepare an activity for when she wakes up.  This day, I was looking at all the used paper towel rolls and wrapping paper tubes I'd been saving and came up with this fun little game.  As you can see, it was a pretty big hit!  I didn't even tell her any instructions or that I'd put it on the wall.  She just came around the corner and began experimenting with the different sizes of tubes and objects to throw "down the shoot".  Then she'd giggle.

 

Fizzy Fun

We've been watching Wreck it Ralph practically everyday.  And if you've seen it, then you might recognize where this idea came from. 

 

Vanellope lives inside Diet Cola Mountain and Mentos hang from the ceiling.  When the Mentos drop they fall into the diet cola and fizz.  Soooooo, adapting it a little, I just used some baking soda and vinegar!  She has requested this activity several times this week!  Absolutely loves it.  And she always says, "Watch out Ralph!  It's gonna get you!!!"

 

So funny!

 

Felt Board Fun

Last week when we went to the library's story hour, the instructor used a felt board to tell a story.  And I thought "How come I never thought of that?!?!"  So we made our own felt board!

 

We created quite a crafty mess in the living room one afternoon, but it was so worth it!  We did

Brown Bear, Brown Bear

Shapes

Fractions

 

I'm working on Polar Bear, Polar Bear and Mr./Mrs. Potato Head pieces to add to our collection.

 

Pouring Water

I had NO idea how big of a hit this one would be.  Luckily, my awesome friend Casey scored some great little dishes at the Salvation Army and let us borrow them for a little while.  Emma absolutely loves pouring and repouring into these dishes.  The funnel in the vase is also a favorite.  And of course, there's a little spillage going on.  But it's just water and she lives in her swimsuit these days, so it's all good.

 

Sensory Balloons

 

Found on Pinterest and TOTALLY love these!  Each balloon has a different texture inside.

RED - sand

ORANGE - dried beans

YELLOW - rice

GREEN - gel

BLUE - water and rubbing alcohol

(1 part rubbing alcohol to 3 parts water will make a nonfreezing liquid that is used in ice packs!  So it will get really cold when in the freezer but never becomes solid.  Perfect for this type of use!!!)

 

Emma can not get enough of these!  I even let Brooklyn play with them, but have to watch her closely.  Because she likes to try and eat them!

 

Ocean Sensory Tub

 

Oh this was so fun!  This BLOG had the great idea of cutting up pool noodles and putting them in the bath!  So I decided to add a few other things and make it like they were swimming in the ocean.

 

I dyed the water blue,

added every plastic sea creature toy we had,

gave her all the sea shells we've collected on our visits to the beach,

and

gave her a pair of goggles so she could search for buried treasure (i.e. pennies!)

 

They both absolutely loved it!

 

Pack n Play Ball Pit

Trying to find activities for Brooklyn and so I turned her pack n play into a ball pit! YAY!  Plastic balls can be purchased at Wal-Mart (100 for about $12).  This is so great:

less germs

no fighting with other kids

keeps her busy while I work with Emma

 

speaking of Emma...

 

HEY!  What are you doing in there??  Silly woman!

 

I guess it's a fun activity for both of the girls!

 

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Well, that about wraps it up for this week at Knaup University!  We even managed a trip to the library AND a playdate with our friends Bella and Lexi! 

 

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Thank you all for stopping by.

 

Have a great weekend everybody!