Ocean Sensory Bin

We are lucky enough to have a year pass to a local aquarium which is very close to our house. We love deciding to stop by at the spur of the moment. Logan really loves sea life, so one day after a trip, I decided to extend the fun by creating an ocean sensory bin.

I gathered a couple of supplies that I had on hand, some squirt-y fish, turtles, and gems.

I bought a large package of pasta at the dollar store, and I cooked it and added blue food coloring to it. I put oil in the pasta to keep it from sticking, so I put the kiddo in some play clothes. Next time, I might forgo the oil and just add a bit of water. Logan took it upon himself to take on the important role of taste tester prior to  playing. 

Once it had his seal of approval, he set up the rest of the bin himself. It was his idea to add the water to the bin. His most favorite part was swishing his hand around while the pasta brushed past it. He also enjoyed finding the fish throughout the "kelp forest." (Thank you, Octonauts)!

Completely a side note, but I remember when this sensory bin seemed so large in comparison to the child playing with it. It is starting to seem too small. We might be in the market for something a bit larger soon!

Colorful bubbles

Bubble play is on of our go to types of outdoor play. It never fails to put a smile on my kiddo's face. The other day, I decided to add some dish soap and a bit of water and set out an outdoor invitation for my little guy. I wasn't able to snap a picture of the set up before Logan started to play, since he was quite excited to begin. 

He grabbed the whisk right away and started creating more fluffy, white bubbles.  

Once he tired of that, he grabbed the spray bottles. I used food coloring and water, but you can also use liquid watercolors. 

We had run out of red, since we use it often to make his favorite color, pink, so we made do with blue and green. He still thought it was great. 

Unfortunately, these pictures do not do it justice. The colors were more bold than they appear. 

This activity was a spur of the moment one, but you can never go wrong with bubbles. 

Summer Bucket List 2012

Since Memorial Day is the unofficial start of summer, I wanted to share our summer bucket list with you. Each season we make a list of fun activities that we want to try and accomplish. Little Wonders' Days is hosting a summer bucket list party, and I had to join the fun for a second year! Here's our summer bucket list:
(italics have been completed)!

1. Visit the aquarium
2. Play Angry Birds water balloon style
3. Make a homemade lava lamp
4. Go berry picking
5. Watch fireworks
6. Tie dye
7. Go to a bounce house place
8. Visit a children's museum
9. Go on a breakfast picnic
10. Visit a farmer's market
11. Go to an art museum
12. Visit a rose garden
13. Make a mud pie kitchen area
14. Create an outside music area
15. Make fizzing sidewalk chalk
16. Go to the beach
17. Play with sparklers
18. Make a giant outdoor water bed
19. Try new fruit (inspired by Creative Family Fun)
20. Paint rocks
21. Make sponge bombs
22. Run through the sprinkler
23. Make a kid wash
24. Play with ice (a couple of ways, stay tuned)
25. Go to the zoo
26. Make giant bubbles
27. Make big art
28. Have a sensory play date
29. Lemonade stand (as per my kiddos request)
30. Bring Teddy to the beach (a pet friendly one)
31. Do an outdoor scavenger hunt
32. Play at a bunch of new playgrounds
33. Go on a night walk glowing style
34. Roast marshmallows
35. See an outdoor movie
36. Go to an outdoor concert
37. Go to a carnival
38. Make our own ice cream
39. Swim in a pool
40. Snap paintinghttp://youllthankmeoneday.blogspot.com/2012/07/oh-snap.html
41. Make sun prints
42. Make ice boats
43. Have a movie party night
44. Pop painting
45. Ivory soap experiment
46. Play escape the volcano on a rainy day
47. Make a solar oven 
48. Play hopscotch
49. Learn to ride a bike
50. Pick vegetables from our garden
51. Visit a sunflower field
52. Make edible sand
53. Paint using our feet
54. Go to a barbecue
55. Make frozen bananas
56. Shaving cream slip and slide
57. Try on lots of different sun glasses and take pictures!

I am sure that we will add on to our list through out the summer. We are excited to get started! To see even more ideas, visit our list from last year!

Stuff my kid says #21

Logan: Mama, I just love your green and purple eyes.
Me: Thank you! You are so sweet. I don't have purple eyes though.
Logan: Yes you do! Right under your eyes is really purple!

A smurfy fairy garden

Today, I wanted to share a project the kiddo and I worked on that went over even better than I imagined. I have seen fairy gardens that other people had created all over the Internet. 

I wanted to be one of those people. After all, don't we all need a little magic in our lives?

I was enthralled. My little guy loves all forms of pretend play particularly ones involving little worlds, so I knew that this was definitely on my list of things to attempt. 

Logan decided that instead of a fairy garden that this would be a gnome garden. The gnomes quickly turned into Smurfs. The first thing I had to procure was a vessel that would encompass this little world. I found a super cheap planter at The Christmas Tree Shoppe. I didn't do anything special except fill it with dirt and then pack the dirt down.

Next, we stopped at a big craft store (A.C. Moore, to be exact), and bought three bird houses. We painted them decorated them and sealed them with a top coat in hopes to make them weather resistant.

Finally we added some ground cover, a spray painted glad ware container for a pond, and planted some gorgeous teeny tiny flowers for Smurfette to pick. 

Finally, our Smurf village was created and the results were completely smurfy (at least according to Logan).

Logan has been playing with it every day, rain or shine. Our ground cover was creeping thyme and another kind of moss which will sprout tiny white flowers. 

I do have peg dolls that I purchased that we may eventually use if the novelty wears off.

But for now Smurfs are where it's at, gigantic 90's cell phones and all. (I'm looking at you, Brainy Smurf).

Update: The Magic Onions is hosting a fairy garden contest! I have entered and you can too if you have created one! Click on the picture to take you to the link up and check out all the other amazing fairy gardens!

Stuff my kid says #20

Me: Daddy used to have a blue jeep.
Logan: Did I ride in it?
Me: No, you were still waiting to be born.
Logan: Oh.... I was still trying to get out of my cage. 

Wordless Wednesday- Feet