This is the second time we’ve done Space Week, and it’s still one of my all-time favorites. We reused items we normally have stashed away in closets downstairs, like the cardboard spaceship (which we made last year) and the TARDIS (which was a lucky Facebook Marketplace find) and added a star tapestry and lots of … More Space Week
This project took a little bit of luck and a little bit of time, but it’s one I’ve wanted to do for AGES. As a former preschool teacher, I love light tables. There’s so many possibilities for play – color mixing, shadow making, x-rays and more. I had figured I would have to use either … More DIY Light Table
Music has always been a constant in our house. I like singing and silly dancing with the girls, so this seemed like a natural theme for us. When my friend (who teaches music classes for kids) offered to let us borrow some instruments, I started to get super excited about it. This theme had a … More Music Week
It had been years since I had done a craft like this. Maybe even since I was a kid – it’s a classic. You need construction paper, a tray, glue, colored rice, white rice and sand. First I cut out the shapes we needed – a big green cactus, a white cloud and some wavey … More Rice Cactus Craft
Sometimes I make things and they bomb. Well not completely, but it mostly. It doesn’t hold Ava’s interest or it’s too advanced for where she’s at. This was one of those activities for us. Ava has just started to do more counting around the house (she isn’t quite two and a half yet), so I … More Counting Cactus
Preschool and toddler science activities don’t always look like beakers and reactions. Sometimes it’s just taking a simple concept about the world and introducing it in a way they can understand. For our All About Cactus Week, I knew we were going to the Desert Botanical Garden. Before we went, I wanted to talk to … More Cucumber Cactus
I knew cactus could store a lot of water, but I had no idea how much! Did you know that a fully-grown saguaro cactus can soak up and store up to 200 gallons of water during a good downpour? And then they can store the water until the next rainfall (which in the desert might … More Cactus Sponge Experiment
I love sensory bottles. I think they are good at almost every age, but I especially love them for baby play. I’ve found it’s a way to include Mabel in our Theme Weeks that safely lets her explore the world. It gives her access to small items that I couldn’t otherwise give her. Sensory bottles are fun … More Cactus Sensory Bottle
So I wanted to start by saying that I can’t take credit for this idea (a lovely lady named Carsonna on the Making One Fun Facebook group inspired this project) but it’s been AWESOME. Ever since I saw the idea, I couldn’t stop thinking about doing it for Mabel, my 8 month old. I didn’t expect how … More Dollar Store Busy Board
I came across this idea during my random Instagram/Pinterest brainstorming session and knew I had to try it with Ava. Ava just turned two in June, but has always loved small motor activities, so I felt pretty confident that she would like it. Plus, it gives me happy flashbacks to summer camp and friendship bracelets, … More Fine Motor Bracelet Making
Noticing the Happy 