Tag: activities

I’ve Got Rhythm Stix, I’ve Got Music

My daughter LOVES music. I mean, really loves it. During her infancy, we spent hours bouncing and twirling across the kitchen floor, dancing to everything and anything. Except classical. Take that, Baby Einstein!

Now, whenever Liza hears music, the world stops. A smile stretches across her face as she bops her head and bends up and down at the knees. It’s her own little jig, and it’s seriously adorable (and future blackmail material).

Sometimes she adds shakers or tambourine to the combo, but more often it’s Rhythm Stix. Two red sticks. That’s it. Oh wait, they have ridges. Fancy, huh? But I’ve gotta be honest; they were the best $8 I spent on gifts last Christmas. Who needs all of that plastic Fisher Price c-r-a-p anyway?

Liza’s learned to “Shake your sticks up HIGH, and down LOW” (imagine my voice rising and falling here). We’ve used them to keep the beat, follow directions, develop coordination, and identify body parts; it’s much more fun to point to your nose with a big red stick.

We moms need to keep things fresh and exciting, in part to keep ourselves sane. LP RythMix has some cool instruments and music activities for little ones at various stages. There are even Mommy & Me activities.

When, as a mom, I’m grasping for straws, I turn to sticks instead: “I’ve got rhythm stix, I’ve got music . . .who could ask for anything more?”
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Homemade Soaps for Kids

I recently read a fun article in Parent Guide News about crafting with your kids.  Anne-Marie Faiola, creator of Bramble Berry, has lots of delightful indoor soap-making activities for kids. They are perfect for rainy spring days.  Silence those little whiny voices with these super-cool crafts!

Visit Teach Soap for direct instructions on how to make these delightful soaps (and lip balms too!).  Here are just a few examples: 
  • Cookie Cutter Soaps: Creating soaps in fun shapes
  • Embedded Soap Toy: A toy trapped in soap
  • Lip Balm
  • Bath Fizzies
These make great gifts for Moms and Grandmas . . .just in time for Mother’s Day!  
Click HERE to visit Anne-Marie’s blog!
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The Children’s Museum of Manhattan

I’m so glad that I stumbled upon CMOM.  It’s a hands-on environment that supports and celebrates creativity and the imagination.  We spent most of our time in the Playworks exhibition, perfect for young children under 4.  Below are some pictures that highlight our adventures!

Remember Lite Brite?  Here’s a giant one where kids can say it, draw it, design it in lights!  Woah, did that take me back!  

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We fed Alphie the Talking Dragon.

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We crawled through tunnels and peered into mirrors.  

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And we played Plinko (from The Price is Right) for toddlers.  The grand prize: endless fun!  

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Homemade Playdough Recipe

Kids love playdough. Why? Because they can dig their little fingers into a gooey blob and create something totally cool. I’m a big fan of simple things that encourage creativity and ingenuity in children. But there are two things that bug me about playdough. One, that smell (You know exactly what I’m talking about!). And two, it inevitably ends up embedded in the high-pile carpet, and weeks later you’re still scraping away at these irritating bits, now painfully wedged under your fingernails.  At last, here’s a simple recipe for homemade playdough- perfect for a rainy day!

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Ingredients:
  • 1 c. flour
  • 1 c. warm water
  • 2 tsp. cream of tartar
  • 1 tsp. vegetable oil
  • 1/4 c. salt
  • food coloring optional
Directions:
  1. Mix all of the ingredients in a pot and stir over medium heat until smooth.
  2. Knead into a ball and allow to cool completely, kneading every few minutes. It becomes more firm as it cools.
  3. Store it in a container with lid. It lasts for days.
I wish I could say that Liza loved sinking her fingers into my homemade playdough, and that it supplied us with endless hours of fun. I was all set to whip out the cookie cutters with animals and shapes, but truthfully, she just wanted to eat it. That’s what I get for making my own. I guess, in her own way, she loved it too. At least it’s not decorating my carpet!
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