Toddler @ Play! // New Games. Activities. Outings. Fun.

Preschool Paintball!

noreply@blogger.com (Pudgy Pencils) — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 21:04:00 +0000

Lil Bisuit has had a busy summer--he just turned three years old, so we've had lots of family in town for the celebrating, then his aunt was here for a few weeks and kept us entertained, and, in between, we've been working hard on preparations for Baby Biscuit who's due to arrive in August...so, we just haven't had a lot of time to blog. Now that things are settling down some, we needed some summer fun outside today...MESSY fun, of course...but since real paintball was out of the question for either of us, we decided to make our own game of it!

First we had to gather our supplies...water guns and squirters, splash bombs (those soft, foamie water balls for the pool), bowls, washable poster paint in various colors, and good ole' H20...

We filled up the bowls and blasters with a mix of water and paints, and we were ready for pint-sized paint wars!

He thinks he can avoid my expert, precision shots with his impressive ninja dodging skills...

OHHH! I gotcha!! Mommy 1, Biscuit - 0!! :D

Just wait...there's more where THAT came from :D

Hee hee...I think I'm still winning, but now it's payback time!

Uh-oh...he's gettin' serious now!

Time for Mommy to go on the offensive again!

Let's re-load...

Hey...cheater! You can't just smear me with it! ;)

Umm...I guess maybe me and Baby Biscuit didn't win after all?

The proud champion...:D

Oh well...there's always a rematch right? And clean-up is just as fun--especially with colored bathwater!!

Pet Caterpillars?

noreply@blogger.com (Pudgy Pencils) — Tue, 25 May 2010 03:41:00 +0000

A few weeks ago we had a TON of those tent caterpillars in trees around our house, and crawling all over the sidewalk. The first time we came across one, Lil Biscuit was so excited by it that I put it in a jar with some leaves and sticks and dirt so he could see it more up close at home.
Here's what transpired:

So as soon as we got him inside, he laid down on his tummy and started talking to the "worm" (I have a video of the conversation which was adorable but it is taking too long to upload so you'll have to trust me, it was cute!) anyway he kept asking me to get him out, so he could "pet it like a doggy"...so I let the fuzzy footed thing out of the jar to crawl around the kitchen floor.

Biscuit thought he was awesome!

He wasn't content just to watch him and pet him...

...he wanted to HOLD the caterpillar in his hand! He kept giggling and saying, "He tickle, mommy!"

He was pretty thrilled when I told him we could "keep" the critter overnight. We did let it go in a tree the next day, in case you were wondering ;)

Driveway Sponge Stamp Splash Art!

noreply@blogger.com (Pudgy Pencils) — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 20:45:00 +0000

Today we skipped spring and went straight to SUMMER! It was HOT...close to 85 degrees, so we had to do something outside and WET! I found some sponge stamps that I originally bought for less than a dollar at Hobby Lobby to use for crafts and painting (they didn't work so well for that) and figured they'd be more fun in a sand bucket full of water. I told Lil Bisucit the plan to stamp some shapes on the driveway with bubble water and sponge stamps...he thought it sounded like a good time!

First he had to pick out what stamps he wanted to use...

Then wring out some of the extra water....

Then he had to find a nice dry spot on the driveway to work. The stamps could make big blobs with too much water in them (or not much of anything without enough), but if you're really careful the prints turn out nice!

When he got bored with that, we moved on to stamping with Biscuit ... first, he put a foot in the water bucket...

and ran all over the driveway making footprints!

Here's one he made...

He made handprints too...

And splashed around with a soccer ball...

Then he washed rocks.

Finally it was time to clean up...he loved dumping out all the water!

He was a good helper...

He was all smiles after a good time - in a good mood, tuckered out and ready for a nap!

The Search for Signs of Spring!

noreply@blogger.com (Pudgy Pencils) — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 23:17:00 +0000

With Daylight Savings this week, we couldn't resist getting outside and scoping out the spring scene in our yard. Little Biscuit is really eager to get out and play in the parks soon so he's as excited as I am to find some "signs of life" out there! First we checked out the little tree out our front window...

Sure enough, some cute little buds have already popped out!

And look what we found in the flower bed...

A bunch, actually!

Is the yellow grass turning green yet?

Ah, yeah! Even some fresh clover has cropped in too.

And the grand finale...even the rose bush has hints of beautiful blooms to come soon!

Hooray for spring! Happy hunting at your house with your toddler too :D

Cup Concentration: A Textures Matching Game for Toddlers

noreply@blogger.com (Pudgy Pencils) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 16:08:00 +0000

We had Little Biscuit's final visit from our Parents as Teachers rep this week and she had a great idea for a game we had to try. We collected some random odds and ends from around the house that were 2 of a kind - two craft pompoms, 2 mini cars, 2 little wood men, 2 marbles, 2 hair ties, 2 Cars dominoes, 2 bendy straw ends, 2 foam circles, and 2 q-tips (the objects can be anything as long as they match, have different textures, are safe for toddler hands and are small enough to fit in a cup). Before we played the game, I let Little Biscuit hold, touch and handle the gizmos for a few minutes so he'd know the differences and how they felt.

Then, we dumped them all into an 8-oz cup...

I put the cup inside one of his daddy's (clean!) tube socks so he couldn't see inside. We shook it up and, without looking, I pulled out one of the objects (a little orange wooden man). So it was his turn ...I let him put his hand down inside the sock...his challenge was to find the other orange man without peeking. He could only feel around for it...

Yay!! He did it :D

He was quite proud of himself :)

His first cup concentration match of the day...

Mommy's turn...can she find the hair tie Little Biscuit pulled out? If she does, she wins a BIG kiss, just like he did!! (Yippee, I won a big one!!! Here it comes...)

Another turn for Little Biscuit...can he find the other foamie circle?

Of course he can :D

We had a lot of fun - what a great learning game...thanks, PAT!

Make-It-Yourself Marble Launcher

noreply@blogger.com (Pudgy Pencils) — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 18:21:00 +0000

Today we decided to get a little goofy and bring out the foam noodle for some indoor fun; I figured there had to be a way to turn it into some kind of marble track. So, I rigged it up with some neon green duct tape to the edge of our kitchen counter and propped the end up on a chair. Then we set up a Sponge Bob dixie cup to see if we could catch the marble upon launching it through the noodle's center hole. I knew we'd have to get the angle just right to defy gravity and get it to go up at the end...

Little Biscuit couldn't wait to give it a shot!

Whoo-hoo, here comes the marble! The first few tries we defied gravity with no problem but took a while to get the cup in the right spot. Then, ...

Ta-da, we did it!! Yipee! The marble launcher worked AND we caught the marble in the cup!

So after our first success, we decided to get even more wild and crazy...

We made a marble "monster truck" course! Can our marble jump the stack of cars and land safely in the farm wagon? The suspense was killing us...

Indeed it could...way to go Little Biscuit! Then we had a great time experimenting with the angle of the noodle and seeing how high we could make it jump. This one made quite the evil kenevil leap into the air...but alas, we missed the mug at the bottom :)

If you have a marble and a noodle, why not give it a try? It was an entertaining way to spend a cold a morning and made for one happy little boy :)

Alphabet Soup Activity

noreply@blogger.com (Pudgy Pencils) — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 20:22:00 +0000

It's warming up outside, woo-hoo! But still a little too wet to go to the park or play much outside. In the meantime we passed some more indoor time today making some "alphabet soup" out of magnet letters just for fun.

First we found a nice soup pot and some water...

(Chef Smiley had to approve of course!)

Then he went "shopping" for his ingredients.

After he had his ABCs, he added them to the pot...

Then he stirred it up and let it simmer...

Time to add some seasoning...salt and pepper for sure.

Time to test the temperature to make sure it's just right...

When it's just right, he's ready to serve up a big bowl of alphabet soup!

MMMMM!! Yummy ABC soup!

DIY toddler wall storage solution for play area

noreply@blogger.com (Pudgy Pencils) — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 23:01:00 +0000

We just got home from a wonderful Christmas travel tour to visit both sets of Little Biscuit's grandparents. He didn't get spoiled in the slightest (yeah right!) Today we spent a lot of time removing Christmas decor and trying to find places for all the new toys. The biggest order of business was to make a special spot for his new fire house and gear. I decided to keep it really simple and instead of buying an expensive coat rack for the fire jacket and hat, we'd stick with Command strips. Besides, the extinguisher and hatchet wouldn't have worked on a coat rack. Those I just attached using the super-techy hair tie nailed to the wall with a photo frame nail :) The extinguisher and hatchet both store and come out really easy...and should hold up well too since they're stretchy.

I may use the same hair tie system to store some other stuff in his room too...

Of course it's not about the storage...the fun is getting it all out to play with!

here he is all decked out...

we call him "Captain Spaghetti Face!"

(On top of Old Smoky...lol... :)

Plush Alphabet Project

noreply@blogger.com (Pudgy Pencils) — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 17:01:00 +0000

So, a friend I met through MOPS had a set of super-cute felt alphabet toys for her toddler son. She couldn't remember where she got them and I couldn't find any the same size to buy in a store or online (I wanted them stuffed-toy size not magnet size) so over a vacation I decided to try to wing it on my mom's sewing machine. They turned out passable - not as cute as the originals but they'll do for letter games and early phonics and reading lessons...and just plain imaginative play, which is what little Biscuit likes them best for right now :)

We use them to make some of his favorite words...
CAR, of course!

FROG...

and just for fun, a little rhyming lesson using the "at" words...

All you have to do to make your own set of plush ABC's is get 26 full felt sheets (8.5 x 11) in fun colors. Fold each sheet in half and draw on a big bubble letter to fill each half sheet using sewing chalk or washable marker (a template for the letters adds more hassle...just hand draw them, it makes them "yours!"). Cut out any holes in letters like A, B, D, P, etc. Then sew carefully around each letter outline leaving an inch hole for stuffing (consider leaving two holes on complicated letters like M, X, W); cut each letter out; stuff 'em with fiberfill (use a pencil or dowel to stuff hard-to-reach areas) and sew up the loose ends. Trim any loose thread and there you are...all done! Have fun!

Leaf-Looking with a Little One

noreply@blogger.com (Pudgy Pencils) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 20:55:00 +0000

Today we had the delightful combination of beautiful foliage and warmer weather so me and my little guy couldn't resist a trip to the park. In fact, we heard about a new one we had to check out, and it was paradise for a toddler ;D

Of course, the new playground was fun, but the best parts of all were not man made!!

He absolutely LOVED this little creek. And the gravel pile beside it of course! The colors of the trees near there were breathtaking! A photo does not do it justice.

The fuzzy "caterpillar" weeds made his day too!

He called them "tickle weeds!"

He also found some deer tracks...this place looked like Heaven for wildlife.

Then it was time to run through the fall fields!

Look! We found a scenic trail hidden behind a field.

Hmm...I wonder if there's a tree house to play in up there?

"See the pretty grasses mommy?"

And a bridge too? Wow, does it get any better?

Yes it does! Ladybugs!

And ladybug kisses!!

And holes to throw pine needles and rocks inside!

The quiet babble of the brook was so relaxing to us both.

I wish the leaves didn't have to fall off...but until they do, we'll probably be back to this place as often as we can!

Playroom Makeover

noreply@blogger.com (Pudgy Pencils) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 21:01:00 +0000

With colder weather coming up fast, we needed to make some adjustments to the playroom so there'd be plenty to keep us occupied indoors this winter. The big room of toys didn't have much organization to it, so I gave it more structure and hopefully now it's more practical to use.

Here's the book nook...it features a fun new lounge chair and ottoman we got on clearance at big lots, a cozy bear for snuggling up for reading, ABC foam playmat, a bookshelf full of newbery medal books, puzzles and word cards and alphabet/phonics posters, a basket of lil biscuit's favorite stories, and of course, the plush icons of children's lit, Corduroy (biscuit's best bud!), Brown Bear...and Clifford, the best-read dog on the block ;) As you can see, lil boy has already made himself at home in his new toddler chair!

Next there's a center for playing cars, where all the radiator springs and hot wheels heroes cruise around. It has a playmat, race track, wooden parking garage and bin for storage. And beside it sits a small red table for building with blocks

The playroom playground has his pop-up tunnel (he loves pushing his cars through it), bounce house and slide; it's sitting on more foam playmat and carpet remnants.

Then there's the music center for pounding away at his keyboard; the box holding it doubles as storage for his ball pit balls; and the bins hold more toys that he doesn't play with all the time.

The last area is the art center, which has his new craigslist easel (it has dry erase/chalk board/roll of paper for painting) and toddler table/chair. The little drawers hold his crayons, colored pencils, markers and chubby chalk; the sand pail is play dough and accessories; the clothesline with pins for displaying his masterpieces; and the bin is for coloring books, aquadoodle, magnadoodle, sticker books etc.

Here he is, trying out his hand at watercolor...or, more accurately, trying to put his hand in the cup of water...

Anyway, clearly it's a low-budget production, but it should keep us a little more organized and occupied when the frigid air hits later on! In the meantime, it's "something different downstairs" and is already working as a nice boredom busters. So maybe we'll just keep re-arranging as needed to keep things interesting ;)

Going Green...(taking a toddler biking on a greenway)

noreply@blogger.com (Pudgy Pencils) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 01:28:00 +0000

Now that the weather has started getting cooler, we decided to go for a family bike ride down a local greenway that connects a pair of parks near us...it made for a fun and scenic evening mini-adventure!

Hooray for greenways...want to come along next time?

Ready to Roll! (Hill games)

noreply@blogger.com (Pudgy Pencils) — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 19:50:00 +0000

Little Biscuit went with me this week to have a quick trip down memory lane ;) I found the greatest grassy hill for rolling down, just like when I was a kid. I figured, you're never too old to stop being a child at heart, so he's not too young to start playing like one either ;)
The moment I got up from my demo roll down the side of the hill, Biscuit was all over it ;) He couldn't stop giggling, and off he went, go-go-going!It was a big hill for a small boy...Split-second halftime break.Play resumes...Mission complete!Time for round two!
After he was done, he wanted to climb another "hill"...I wouldn't let him roll down this one though :-/
We'll definitely be back to visit the Hill when snow comes ;) Or maybe before, if I can find one of those fun ice-runner sleds for grass. (Wax paper didn't work as well as we hoped.)

Free Festivals...Another Family-Friendly Local Activity

noreply@blogger.com (Pudgy Pencils) — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 21:46:00 +0000

This past weekend we decided to check out the Festival of the Little Hills on the riverfront not too far from us. Of course it was mostly vendors but little b just likes to meander aimlessly anyway, pushing his stroller ... anything to get out some of that rambunctious toddler energy. So we visited the barbecue n burger kiosk for lunch, stopped by the stage to listen to the local municipal band (he is a huge music fan so little b ate it up!), got a free balloon for him from First Baptist Harvester's tent, visited the engine club's exhibit of spitting tractor and old truck motors (he liked seeing the displays but the noise made him skittish to get to close), visited the kids corner where inflatables, rock walls and other carnival-type were in action. But his favorite part of all was the hands-on craft tent where he got to paint his very own wooden snake. we didn't take many pictures of the day's festivities but we did get a few of the snake-painting...

Big Wheels and Waterworks!

noreply@blogger.com (Pudgy Pencils) — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 21:01:00 +0000

For a super-free and super-fun summer adventure, little Biscuit and I found a new park we'd never been to, thanks to a handy water-play reference list I found on KidsinStl.com. Then we loaded up his big-wheel and headed off for some splashing good times!

We ended up at Creve Coeur Park, where we found a beautiful lake, lots of paved walking/biking/blading trails, tons of picnic tables and 4 playgrounds, not to mention our favorite part, the spray pool with squirting fountains!!

First we figured out how to use the 'vortex' button....!We watched with anticipation to see what would happen...Then got set to enter the wild 'n wet zone!! Here, he plans his approach...He decides on waiting for more toddler-sized fountain sprays just perfect for a big-wheel wash ;)His back tire needed a scrub too...Watch out for that bucket!Time to get really wet now!!

Awesome Indoor Water Games

noreply@blogger.com (Pudgy Pencils) — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 20:28:00 +0000

Today it was so insanely hot that we wanted to play in the water, but the sun was so bright and the air so humid we didn't really want to be outside...instead we brought the waterworks inside!

We started pretty simple...good old fashioned spray bottle mister. Filled it with cool water and let him decide what to do with it :D

Hmmm...how do you work this thing?
I think he figured it out ;)
A water park without the puddles :)
He can't get enough!Who needs a shirt? Time to get really wet!Now time to try a great idea we found in Family Fun magazine...make your own "bubble snakes" with the Foamerator!! :DThis was so cool we're going to use it at VBS in a few weeks! We'll probably have races...who can make the longest bubble snake without its tail falling off?Ooops...the tail fell off! We used a straw and soapy water to make this bubble soccer ball.And a giant bubble in a bowl :DSuper easy, super fun! Happy summer, everyone!

Toddler-Sized Clean Up the Neighborhood Trash Patrol

noreply@blogger.com (Pudgy Pencils) — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 19:22:00 +0000

So it turns out that even 2-year-olds can get involved with hands-on community service and have a fun time with it! Here's how it started: almost every day little Biscuit and I go for a walk down the sidewalk in our neighborhood. He doesn't like to ride in the stroller much; he'd much rather push it (it's an obsession, really). And he's constantly stopping to try to check out the old soda cans and cigarette butts and boxes he finds that some litterer has thrown onto the street. I never let him touch these things because...well, they're filthy. But then, I didn't feel right about just leaving the junk sitting outside either. So I told him we'd pick a day and put our gloves on and clean up the trash we see on our walk. Today was the day and it was a fun activity for learning about cleaning up, helping others and being good stewards of God's world!

He knows what to do - see garbage, grab it...Then throw it in the trash bag!More trash. Better pick up that old straw, yuck.Uh-oh, he might be the pick of the litter but I don't think that's the kind of litter we want; besides, he won't fit in the trash bag...See, it's almost overflowing with garbage already!Time to take it all home and throw it in the trash can!

Lost Kitten, Happy Toddler!

noreply@blogger.com (Pudgy Pencils) — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 18:49:00 +0000

So today right after breakfast Little Biscuit and I heard a commotion of dogs barking unlike anything we've ever experienced in the neighborhood. I went out to see what all the fuss was about and there it was...a young, stray cat was all arched up with its hair on end as the dogs ferociously tried to get at it from behind a fence (I say 'it' because we don't know if it was a he or she but I'd like to say it was a she so I'll call it "her" from now on). Anyway she was clearly frozen with fear, so I called calmly to her and finally got her to move away from the dogs. She was very sweet and affectionate when she came to me, but had obviously experienced a difficult morning...her legs were soaking wet and the fur behind her head was all matted. Anyway, once I realized she wasn't wild or crazy but just maybe lost, I figured it'd be okay to show the Biscuit, who is absolutely head over heels for kitties. So I brought her to the door where he was waiting for me inside, and showed him, and you should have seen that face! I didn't get it on camera, but here are some other pics to let you know how happy he was about the whole thing :D

"Oh wow, a cat! Can I pet you...?"
"...and kiss you?"
"And talk to you?""And hold you?""And feed you milk and baby food beef and gravy?"And play games with you?""And take you for walks...in my toy stroller?"
"I mean, LOTS of walks?""And let you come in my house and live with me forever?"
"Oh, sorry...mommy says no cats allowed in the house. Daddy's allergic. But you can stop by and visit me anytime. Bye-bye for now, kitty!"

Balancing Games for a 2-Year-Old

noreply@blogger.com (Pudgy Pencils) — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 20:12:00 +0000

Today was a great day for playing outside - not too hot or too wet. So little guy and I decided to add some variety to our usual park playtime. I helped him try some new balancing activities just for fun, so he could get the feel of them.

First, the classic...balance beam time!

Then he showed me he could walk the white painted line on the tot rod street... I won't say he could do it without falling off but he sure liked putting his arms out to steady himself!Next we tried some whole-body balancing...sitting on a bouncing car hood without falling off! He did it...then he jumped off on purpose!Hop, hop, hop on one foot!Now for some wiggly-worm step action!All done! That was fun ;)

Summer Sweet Tooth: First Ice Cream Cone!

noreply@blogger.com (Pudgy Pencils) — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 19:58:00 +0000

Little Biscuit has lots of food allergies/sensitivities that have prevented him from being able to have real ice cream, much less a cone. He still can't have dairy but God has blessed in huge ways by allowing him to just recently start tolerating wheat without rashes ... the last couple weeks he's had tons of new snacks, including sandwiches, but one of his absolute favorites was getting to have his very first cone...featuring Rice Dream vanilla!!

Here he is in his own little "ice cream shop"...
He took his time, enjoying every bite!Mmmmm!! Good stuff! Drippy, delicious!Gotta have more, more, more!Uh oh, the shark's gonna eat it :)

Water Slides and Sand Splats!

noreply@blogger.com (Pudgy Pencils) — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 23:38:00 +0000

Well, I can't believe it but my baby boy turned two last week!! We had an 'off-road adventure party' to celebrate here at home, and a Hot Wheels party in Branson. Both were so much fun and we did a lot of swimming in each location! Now all he wants to do is play in the water and outside lol!

One thing we've done this week to keep him occupied is to move his toddler slide outside, and put it in his spring pool as a water slide; we also move it back and forth to the sandbox. It's pretty entertaining to watch lol :D

He scared me once, trying to go head first!Wheee!

Watercolor Wonder, Sticker Sillies and the Clothespin Challenge

noreply@blogger.com (Pudgy Pencils) — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 21:21:00 +0000

Nothing too original, but Little Biscuit and I had fun with some with some new-for-us activities last week. First I let him paint on a giant poster taped to his Lego table.(here is the arteest at work)
Then we made a sticker montage around his artwork, letting him place them wherever he chose.Finally we played in a pile of clothespins! It was especially silly to clip them all over him and let him try to figure out how to get them off! Good times!

Pop art - painting with popsicles

noreply@blogger.com (Pudgy Pencils) — Wed, 13 May 2009 20:50:00 +0000

This one doesn't require a lot of explanation ;) We created this activity when we were figuring out what popsicle flavors tasted the best for a boy with a sore mouth, and while we were practicing colors all at the same time.
Painting like a proMixing colors for an abstract lookThe artist with his finished work

A Trip to the Swingset Showroom

noreply@blogger.com (Pudgy Pencils) — Fri, 08 May 2009 19:30:00 +0000

Last week we decided to check out a giant play set store (Rainbow Recreation) not far from where we live...they have a free open play time for kids. They had so many cool things to do that Little Biscuit wasn't sure where to start!

Slides and swings and ladders and monkey bars and air pogo sticks...wow!
Trampolines...he loved that! But he pulled off his socks to feel the "bounce" on his toes so we had to take him off early ;)A basketball court!Setting up for a slam dunk!
His favorite discovery of all...a "just his size" play house with a full door! He couldn't stop going in and out, opening and shutting the door, sticking his head in the little round window, and washing his hands at the sink :) Too fun!Here he is inside another play house...It was a great morning and definitely worth the drive out :)

Stairway Safety 101: Going Downstairs

noreply@blogger.com (Pudgy Pencils) — Mon, 04 May 2009 18:55:00 +0000

Ba-Bonk! That's the sound we've heard almost every day for the last few months as Little Biscuit has discovered the fun of sliding down stairs on his backside. It's the way we taught him to get down safely without falling...and now it's one of his favorite at-home games!

He's ready to ride down!There he goes! Ba-bonk! Ba-bonk! Ba-bonk!
Whee! This is fun!I did it! Wow, that was cool!Time to go back up! He must think he's Evil Knievel...planning his next ride down on that motorcycle! Whew! Breaktime.