thejlbs » Good Clean Fun

Winter Activity List

Jessica — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 04:00:10 +0000

Our list, it’s growing! Every day, a simple, new activity. Thirty minutes or so of concentration together. And if we’re lucky, a few laughs too. There’s plenty of winter yet to go, so if you’re looking for a few fresh ideas for your kiddos, feel free to drop in on our Facebook gallery here.

It’s Time To Hoard!!!

Jessica — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 03:00:58 +0000

One of my best decisions of 2010 was to purchase this “Glow Explosion” project by Crayola on after-Halloween clearance for 75c. I tucked it away in our decorations to be discovered this year. And what a fun discovery it was for us all!
So I am encouraging you to do the same.
I’ll try to make such reminders a regular feature here as the seasons pass.

High Tea

Jessica — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 03:00:40 +0000

A new idea from our ongoing white board list. A success!
We’ve had these individual tea pots hanging out in our china cabinet for nearly a couple of years. Picked them up at a thrift store for under $2 a piece. They were part of the decor for Hadley’s first birthday party. It seemed high time I dusted them off.
So I asked my tea-mates to set the table with spoons. Gave them each an irresistible-smelling Sleepy Time Vanilla tea bag and warm water. Set the timer for two minutes. And taught them the magic of steeping tea and melting honey inside.
They really liked pouring their tea and clinking their spoons. A very cozy activity for a chilly afternoon.
If you’re borrowing this idea to pass the time with yours, I would only suggest the addition of a cloth under each pot. Because, as mentioned, they will really like the pouring.

Halloweening

Jessica — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 16:00:01 +0000

About a month or so ago, I began to dread winter. Oh the many long, dreary days indoors. So I set a goal to plan an activity-a-day for the duration of the hard months (Jan-March). It turned out to be more inspiring than I imagined; as even though my winter list is complete, I now find myself writing lists for the week on our white board when ideas strike. And we’re not even trapped indoors yet! The ideas are simple, requiring typically only things we already have on-hand – and I plan to introduce each one around 3:00 – otherwise known as the witching hour around here.
Here’s one that was a decent hit. We had a bag of bugs Hadley picked out at a garage sale a while back. We also had a bag of never-before-seen (by our kids) fake spider webbing waiting in our Halloween decor. And the piece de resistance? Scotch tape. Naturally.
I’ll be sure to post all the good ideas in the future, for your swiping convenience.

August Birthdays – “Spray painting”

Jessica — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 02:25:14 +0000

Well, it’s official. The dog days of summer are here. And I am feeling Lazy. Thankfully, we had another big family birthday blowout last weekend that should tide me over with post topics for the remainder of the week. One of the birthday boys just so happened to be a certain one I gave birth to almost three years ago already! So for his portion of the celebration, I gave the kids a little project to work on. Spray painting shirts with a Kool-Aid concoction (Kool-Aid + 1/4 c each of boiled water & vinegar). It was a decent hit, except for Little Left-out Hadley. She likes to suck on spray bottles, and was quite irate that she could not partake in this activity. Bastien made a shirt for her though. And it’s all forgotten now, a day later, that I’ve let her suck on an empty squirt bottle to her heart’s content.

Two-fer, Lenten Special!

Jessica — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 13:10:21 +0000

You guys, I am so embarrassed that I didn’t think of this before. If you want a plethora of fantastic ideas to do with your little ones that will warm your heart, you need just pop over to my new friend Holly’s blog The Little Hearts Project. It’s chock full of “ideas & inspirations to help instill into the hearts of young children compassion, kindness and the value of giving to others.”

And I’m definitely not just telling you about this because we were featured there today. But gosh, how fun and flattering to have our giving project posted.

So in that spirit, if you find today’s garden stone project beyond your craftability, you could always make a coin box together instead. Oatmeal canisters or yogurt containers (with lids) work great for this. Fun to decorate, cut a slit in the top, and pick a cause to save your pennies for. Your two year old will love it – fer sure!

Garden Stones

Jessica — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 03:00:58 +0000

Spring is coming! Spring is coming! Or dare I say, it’s already here!

It’s time to start beautifying our outdoor spaces. (Confession: I just looked around our own yard this week and grimaced at how shabby we’ve let it get in three short years. And then I remembered: TWO BABIES!) Let’s hope we can reverse the damage. Hmm, with a crawler and a runner this summer, we’re gonna need a lot of luck. Or a windfall of money. I’ll settle for either.

So my project idea for you this last Winter Wednesday is crafting your own garden stone. We will be using a fancy-schmancy kit given to me by my SIL. And I’m not gonna lie, after reading the instructions, this project is a commitment. Hopefully you are reading this blog first thing in the morning so you have time to buy a kit, or supplies in the morning (field trip!), then work on the actual stone after nap time. But if not, you could always spend a little time today drawing out your design together and maybe spend more time putting it together during the weekend. A fun family project I’m thinking, when extra hands are present to keep a kid or two out of the wet cement!

And if you haven’t already run out the door for your crafting store, I want to point you to this post. A similar idea I’ve always wanted to try. I think you could easily do this in your sand box as she mentions (and don’t get all hung up on your lack of seashells – rocks, acorns, or other nature tidbits would work well too). Or, better yet, what better excuse for a beach field trip on this gorgeous day!

Food Fun

Jessica — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 04:00:07 +0000

It has recently come to my attention that I am much better spoken, more intelligent and even wittier when I am well rested. Unfortunately, those traits do not apply as of late. Let’s see…Too many Oscar movies (and then the Oscars themselves) to watch. Too many children waking up TOO MANY HOURS early. And let’s not forget way too few naps going on.

In that (read: exhausted) spirit, I am going to do a bit of idea rehashing for you today. And since it is Wednesday afterall, I’m guessing you’re exhausted too. So I’m making lunch (or dinner) easy for you:

I love Muffin Tin Meals because you can trick your kid into eating all sorts of healthy things. And the challenge of filling them up makes it fun for you, I promise. I appreciate being able to actually see the distribution of food groups, too. And I like throwing in one or two brand new foods, which seem to be more readily received in this medium.

So have yourself a Muffin Tin Humpday. And now let us breath a collective sigh of relief: We only have one more Wednesday this winter!!
PS. Some good bonus activities are here. And I always love this blog for ideas – she is simply genius! (And take note, she links to many other great activity blogs on her sidebar).

Outside In

Jessica — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 04:00:25 +0000

Sometimes it’s not practical to go outside. Especially with the amount of s-ick going around. Plus sometimes, it’s just fun to do the same old things a little differently. And sometimes it’s especially fun to OUTRIGHT STEAL a great idea. Like this one, from our recent preschool open house frequenting.

For the two-year-old, what could be more engaging than an entire sink FULL of snow?

And for the mom, what could be more exhilarating than NO CLEANUP?

Happy Humpday indeed.
And this has been another edition of Good Clean Fun Winter Wednesdays. Over and out.

Raid The Recycling Bin

Jessica — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 04:00:59 +0000

We’ve been rather flu-ish around here this week. So pretty much no one is embracing activities to get us over the hump more than us.

Here are three simple equations, utilizing materials straight out of the recycling bin that added a little oomph to our day:

Takeout paper bag+stickers=puppet
Magazine+glue stick+cardboard=puzzle
Wrapping paper tube+scissors+paper towel holder=totem pole

All were absolutely fascinating to Bastien, ESPECIALLY the puppet.
Have fun and stay well, friends. With heavy emphasis on that last part. (Take it from us.)