Our Favorite Things

Believe it or not, summer is right around the corner.  I realize, for the most part, we all try to take advantage of the warm summer weather (or in our case, the brutally hot) and getting outside to enjoy the fresh air, but there are times when being outside isn't an option.  Some days the weather doesn't cooperate and the kids get stuck inside.  Here are some recent finds we've picked up to help pass the time...

Books:

Bedtime for Mommy: The tables are turned in this story and Mommy is the one being put to bed.  Her little girl gets to experience the same "fun" we parents go through at the end of every day. This is a bedtime favorite around our house.

The Very Mixed Up Princess:  This book is endless fun.  The pages allow you to mix and match the Princess's costumes and create silly stories to go along with them.  SweetPea loves this book and will sit for minutes on end mixing up the pictures and laughing at the stories she invents.

How to Train Your Dragon: Hiccup the Hero: What can I say, my daughter is an equal opportunity reader!  We saw this movie three times at the theater, so the book was a must have.  Not only does it retell the story in a nice, condensed format, but it's an "I Can Read" book that helps her learn how to read.

Arts and Crafts:

Soy Wax Crayon Rocks:  SweetPea got these as a Get Well gift when she had her tonsils out.  Grammy got Lil Buddy a set too, so they'd each have a set of their own.  They are great for coloring on large pieces of paper and the colors are incredibly vibrant.  They are best for coloring big, sweeping strokes but a little tricky for small, detailed work since they don't have any sharp points like traditional crayons do.  Our favorite thing to do is spread out a big piece of paper and color away on the floor with the crayon rocks.

Tissue Paper Squares:  We picked up this mega box at Lakeshore Learning last week.  OK, yeah, I could have bought a whole bunch of differently colored tissue paper sheets and cut up the squares myself...but this was easier!  I give SweetPea a small plastic bowl of Mod Podge, a brush and some medium weight tagboard I also bought (heavier than printer paper, but slightly lighter weight than cardstock...and cheaper) and she creates all sorts of fun and colorful pictures made from crumpled bits of tissue paper.  This keeps her VERY busy.  It might be a while before I trust Lil Buddy enough to let him join in...I don't think I could trust him with the Mod Podge!

Games

Pinky Dinky Doo's "Your Story Box": (online)  I'm sure not all of you may be pro online games for kids, but I have to say I'm pretty impressed with the selection of quality learning games that are available for free online.  This is one of them.  Your Story Box allows SweetPea (and your kids too!) to create a her very own stories.  The game allows them to choose from story genre (mystery, fairy tale, scary story, etc), then lets them choose from different characters and plot actions, then at the end, will tell the whole story as your child constructed it.  The game is very clever, a lot of fun, and best of all, teaches them a lesson about storytelling elements.

Swiper's Spelling Book Game: (online) Yes, it's Nick Jr and it's Dora.  Stop rolling your eyes.  Say what you will about Nick Jr, but this website has a ton of fun online games, many of them with actual educational worth!  This is a great game that can teach your preschooler how to spell simple three letter words in a fun and interactive way.

Strawberry Shortcake Memory Game: (board game)  What could be more simple and more fun than Memory?  SweetPea adores Strawberry Shortcake, so she is more than willing to play.  Our game serves a dual purpose because she also likes to pretend the tray of cards are cookies, which she takes into her play kitchen and bakes...then matches them up.  Whatever works, I say!

Hopefully I've given you some fun ideas for your next rainy day at home.  What are some of your newest or maybe favorite old books, games and/or arts and craft ideas?  Feel free to share!