Toddler Theme: Clothing & Dress Up

This week we focused on Clothing & Dress Up.  Spring is a great time for a theme like this because we are getting some wild weather -- snow one day, rain another, and even some blue skies & sun.  Mia isn't really into picking her clothes out (and I'm very thankful for that extra bit of simplicity in my life) but all this week, we played a weather & clothing game.  Each morning, we went out on our balcony and felt the temperature, made a note of the sky conditions (cloudy, sunny).  Then we ran into her room where I presented her with 2 outfit options.  Some days I made it really easy by pairing a dress up against a sweater/jeans ensemble.  But others I made very similar outfits and varied only the coat weights (windbreaker vs. raincoat).  Or the type of shoes.  She had fun learning about and selecting weather appropriate attire.  Another practical skill we worked on this week is her ability to handle different types of fasteners.  Last year, I made her a fastener busy toy with a button, zipper, velcro, snap, buckle and ties.  But you don't have to go that far.  Melissa & Doug makes a cool wooden fastener puzzle and Buckle Toys makes several plush versions.  You could also whip up your own (no sew) button snake similar to the flower/leaf one I made.  Here is an easy tutorial on the Happy Hooligans website.  Mia definitely hasn't mastered all of these yet but it is good fine motor practice in the meantime.    

For some extra fun, we pulled out our big dress up bin and put on all kinds of funny items.  Over the last year, I've slowly been stocking that bin with little finds from Target (the Dollar Spot and also the party favor aisle), H&M, and Halloween clearance.  Animal ears & princess tiara headbands.  Eye masks, animal noses, and clip-on bunny tails.  Different types of glasses.  Tutus, vests, and capes.  Purses, totes, and wallets.  Necklaces, bracelets, and Hawaiian leis.  Mia's just shy of three and really getting into dress up so this fun lasted a long time...and branched into many different types of pretend play this week.          

And there are lots of fun art projects you could do based around the clothing theme.  You could make & decorate felt crowns (or even pre-made visors/hats/crowns from the craft store).  You could tie dye shirts.  Last year, we "screen printed" our own shirt by cutting a design out of a piece of freezer paper and ironing it to a shirt.  The paper sticks temporarily while you dab fabric paint over the design and then you just peel it off when the paint is dry.  So cool!  Target even sells textile markers under the brand Kid Made Modern that could be used to decorate a shirt or a tote bag.  I proposed a lot of these options to Mia this week but she really wanted to make jewelry.  She's definitely my daughter!  Ha!  So I present to you beaded jewelry, 4 ways.  For our first project, we made necklace charms using Shrink Film (found at Joann's).  This is basically Shrinky Dinks that you may remember from your childhood except the sheets are blank and you can create your own designs.  Mia wanted an ice cream cone so I googled an image and printed it.  Then I placed the film over my printout and traced the design with a Sharpie.  Mia colored an "m" while I colored the ice cream cone.  We punched holes and cut out the designs and baked according to the package instructions.  It only takes a couple of minutes but it's fun to watch through the oven window.  While I added a jump ring to the charm, she picked out a few wooden beads to add to an 18" necklace chain.  Here's the end result...pretty cute!

Next, we painted some wooden beads to string on a leather cord.  We actually paint beads a lot and I've found this setup to be helpful for little hands...and it's less messy.  You can wrap washi tape around the beads for different color-blocked effects, too.  I didn't photo it, but we also made a wooden bead and plastic lanyard necklace following this Martha Stewart tutorial.  If you're looking for the simplest, least messy project, then this one is it.

And lastly, we made tassel charm bracelets with some painted beads, faceted beads, clear elastic stretch cord, a charm, and an embroidery floss tassel.  Pardon my awful photo, but I wanted to show you how easily you can make a tassel.  One skein of floss will make 2 tassels and all you have to do is carefully remove the paper tape.  Find the loose end and carefully pull out about 12-15" and cut.  You'll use that piece to wrap the tassels.  Then cut the skein in half.  Again, being careful to keep the thread wraps intact.  This is when I thread a jump ring onto both tassels carefully.  Thread the spare piece onto a needle and use the opposite end to wrap the tassel 5-10 times (make sure you wrap over your loose end too). Then use the needle to feed the string back up through the middle and pull it all tight.  Cut the end and hide it in the tassel head.  Then you can trim the tassel itself to whatever length you desire.  The end result is a fun tassel charm.

While I made the tassels, I put Mia to work selecting beads from our big stash.  You don't have to get all educational with this art project but it is an opportune time to talk about patterns, colors, textures, etc.  We even discussed measuring as we counted and added beads to fit her wrist.  A simple square knot finishes it off (a square knot is a double knot with "left over right, right over left").  This bracelet turns out so well, that we often make them for friend gifts.                 

A summary of all Clothing week activities with links:

ACTIVITIES: Played dress up, Practiced fasteners with a Melissa & Doug puzzle (or a Buckle Toys plush or even a homemade button snake), Played with paper dolls and also changed outfits on baby dolls

ART PROJECTS: Printed our own shirts using the freezer paper "screen print" method, Designed & colored our own Shrink Film charms, Made tassel bracelets, Painted wooden beads for necklaces, Practiced lacing by making a lanyard & wooden bead necklace (Martha Stewart tutorial here) 

BOOKS: Corduroy by Don Freeman, Mr. Tiger Goes Wild by Peter Brown, Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons by Eric Litwin, Millie's Marvelous Hat by Satoshi Kitamura

BIBLE STORY: Joseph and his coat of many colors

If you'd like to share a photo of your kid doing theme week activities, you can email it to me (email button in the left menu) or tag me on your Facebook photo or use the hashtag #weeklytoddlerthemes on Instagram (if you are private, just make sure I'm following you or tag me in the photo).

Toddler Theme: Spring

Spring is starting to show itself around these parts so we focused on that this week.  There are a lot of directions you could go with this toddler theme.  Explore the rebirth of life that happens in the spring by visiting a local farm (if you're in Colorado, I suggest Sunflower Farm in Longmont).  Maybe celebrate Earth Day within your community.  Or learn about seasons and the change of weather.  I chose to focus on plants because there will be animal and weather weeks later on.   

We took a field trip to the Denver Botanic Gardens to see all kinds of plants - trees, grasses, weeds, flowers, cacti.  A highlight for Mia was the "tree house" (really an observation platform) in the Tropical Conservatory.  She loved the vantage point of being in the treetops.  We spent a lot of time learning about bug hotels at a learning station, too.  And she was also fascinated with the cacti in the desert gardens.  So much so that we ended up going to the nursery to pick out one of our own.  We ended up bringing home a baby beavertail which is the exact kind we frequently see on our nature walks. 

One of my favorite (read: easy!) activities to do is a season scavenger hunt.  We set out with an objective of finding signs of the season, in this case, Spring.  The dogwoods are in full bloom right outside our front door and petals cover the sidewalk.  We collected some of those, but not before we had fun blowing handfuls in each other's face.  

She found dandelions and other flowers growing along the creek and a branch with buds on it beside the bike trail.  We also spotted a baby bunny hiding under a bridge.  Very exciting!  Upon returning home, we realized we had a treasure trove of spring goodies in our basket.  I pulled out several items -- a flower, blunt stick, some of the petals -- and made a little sensory bin for baby sister Millie to explore.  Under my direct supervision, of course.  We pulled out a magnifying glass to get a more detailed look at a flower.  I showed Mia some of the different plant parts: stem, leaves, petals, stamen, pistil.  Is she going to remember those part names?  Doubtful, but I think I planted the seed for a growing interest in plants.  Sorry, plant puns.  And speaking of planting seeds, we tried that, too.  As of this posting, there is no noticeable growth on our forget-me-nots but hopefully within the next week.  This last activity was my attempt at making a connection between the foods she eats and their source.  We made tacos one night for dinner and cut up lots of green onions to top them.  Instead of throwing the bottom white root portions away, we put them in a Mason jar with a bit of water and placed the jar on the window sill.  I had read about this on The Kitchn (check it out here) and wanted to try it.  Those things grew back and quickly!  As a follow up activity, we're going to harvest them (cut off the new green tops) to use for another dinner.  I may never buy green onions again!           

And lastly, our spring-themed art project was creating coffee filter flowers.  We've done this a couple of different ways -- markers and watercolors.  I prefer watercolors for the aesthetic.  Mia prefers watercolors for the mess she can make.  I laid out a number of filters across her table and let her paint them.  NOTE: The flowers will look pretty soggy but they should still dry up nicely.  

The next day we folded them into eighths and cut little fringes into the edges.  You could cut a scalloped edge design or anything else your heart desires.  Then, I used green washi tape to tape the filter flower petals to a wooden (cough, Starbucks) coffee stirrer.  Makes a pretty bouquet!

A summary of all Spring week activities with links:

ACTIVITIES: Planted seeds and bought a cactus to learn plant maintenance, Dissected a flower and identified plant parts, Learned how to regrow green onions from kitchen scraps (instructions here)

ART PROJECTS: Made watercolored coffee filter flowers, Painted a wooden bird house

OUTINGS: Went on a spring scavenger hunt, Visited the Denver Botanic Gardens

BOOKS: The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf, Some Bugs by Angela DiTerlizzi

BABY BONUS: Made a spring sensory bin to explore (flowers, sticks, petals)

If you'd like to share a photo of your kid doing theme week activities, you can email it to me (email button in the left menu) or tag me on your Facebook photo or use the hashtag #weeklytoddlerthemes on Instagram (if you are private, just make sure I'm following you or tag me in the photo).

Toddler Theme: London Calling

This is the first of many "Children of the World" toddler theme weeks.  Toddlers live a very ME-centric life but I wanted to start planting the seed of diversity early.  I'll stay really superficial and high-level with these particular theme weeks, because toddlers.  But, in general, you can expect a little exposure to language (if applicable), snacks & food, childhood games & activities, weather, and other country identifiers like flag, currency, etc.  And this is the really cool part...I've made several mama friends all over the world on Instagram and some have graciously agreed to help me with these themes.  For this particular week, Laura-Jane Mcdonnell (check out her IG here) provided all kinds of great ideas.  She even mailed out a postcard from London to Mia.  Thanks friend!

We started this week by checking out the United Kingdom page in the book Maps.  We learned about a few native animals, famous personalities, traditions, and some pastimes.  This book is a true treasure and we spend many rainy mornings looking through it, so it's worth checking out if you don't already own it.  I traveled to the UK several times while I was pregnant with Mia and I picked up a copy of The Paddington Treasury by Michael Bond.   It was fun to finally read through it with her all this time later.  Plus, she was pretty excited to see a picture of me I had taken at the actual Paddington Station.  She was there, too -- in my belly!  Laura-Jane also recommends Julie Donaldson books (like The Gruffalo) and Roald Dahl books as favorites.  

One afternoon, we pulled up a picture of the flag on the iPad and painted a watercolor version.  We also talked about the weather in London as compared to ours here in Denver - much more rain and cooler temperatures year round.  I showed Mia how you would dress appropriately for the rain -- wellies & an umbrella.  And they may speak the same language we do but we were able to explore the idea of accents.  A tad hard to explain but we watched the movie Mary Poppins so that she could hear the difference.  But mostly, I've just been eager to watch that movie again -- one of my childhood favorites!  I also taught Mia the song "London Bridge is Falling Down" and we had fun catching little sis Millie under the bridge.  To explore currency, I pulled out a few British pounds I had from my travels and we compared them to ours.  We discussed the physical similarities and differences between the pound and a US quarter.  And then I very vaguely introduced the concept of currency conversion by letting her count out the number of quarters it would take to equal the pound (Note: at the time of this post, GBP = $1.49US).  Since you may not have foreign currency lying around, I created this printable you could use to explore the same with your child.   

And since the real way to a toddler's heart/brain is through their stomach, we made a special meal -- bangers & mash -- to learn what a kid in the UK might have for dinner.  I prepared mash (similar to mashed potatoes and you could also stir in a soft cheese), baked beans, and sausages.  Laura-Jane said that many moms spread the mash on the plate and make a face on top of it with the beans and sausages.  Part of the fun is seeing what face you get.  She also said it's common to have tea and biscuits as a snack.  The tea is just warm milk with a couple of dunks of the tea bag to make it more official.  And biscuits are similar to cookies here in the US.  She specifically mentioned McVitie's Digestives biscuits and I was able to find those at World Market along with a pack of Walkers shortbread fingers.  Plus a tub of ABC cookies from Trader Joe's.  Never can have too many cookies, I always say!

What do you think about this "Children of the World" series?  Do you have any countries you'd like to see explored?  Do you want to provide input for a future one (I promise it's minimal effort)?  Please comment below or email me.

A summary of all London Calling week activities with links:

ACTIVITIES: Sorted British currency and compared to US currency (or use this fun printable), Played/Sang "London Bridge is Falling Down," Learned about typical weather in the UK and how to dress for it, Watched the movie Mary Poppins and noted the different accent

ART PROJECTS: Watercolored the flag of the UK

SNACK: Made bangers & mash for lunch, Had afternoon tea

BOOKS: The Paddington Treasury by Michael Bond, This is London by Miroslav Sasek, Maps by Aleksandra Mizielinska & Daniel Mizielinski, Any Julie Donaldson books but most notably The Gruffalo, Room on the Broom, and Stick Man

BABY BONUS: Read BabyLit boards books -- Alice in Wonderland and Pride & Prejudice -- by Jennifer Adams & Alice Oliver

If you'd like to share a photo of your kid doing theme week activities, you can email it to me (email button in the left menu) or tag me on your Facebook photo or use the hashtag #weeklytoddlerthemes on Instagram (if you are private, just make sure I'm following you or tag me in the photo).

Toddler Theme: Sweets

My most favorite food group ever is sweets so it gets it's own special week!  That's one of the perks of being the mom...you can do things like design entire toddler themes around sugar.  Ha!  Hammond's Candies is based here in Denver and we visited their factory to do a little research.  If you are local, they offer free factory tours every half hour M-F 9:00am-3:00pm and Saturdays 10:00am-3:00pm.  If you aren't local, you can still check out this video on their website to see all the candy making action.  When we we visited, the smell of peppermint greeted us at the door because they were already hard at work making this year's candy canes.  Mia loved watching all of the workers through the glass and kept confirming that I was seeing what she was seeing.  "You see that?!"  The tour routes you through their retail store so, of course, we all had to pick out a little treat to take home.  Oh, and one for daddy, too!

That afternoon, we made our own "candy" creations with play dough and doodads -- beads, coffee stir sticks, etc.  You can buy candy molds at a craft store.  IKEA even has inexpensive fun-shaped ice cube trays, but we just used a mini muffin tin to make our candy.  That's what I had on hand and I'm simple like that.  I made a pretend lollipop to demonstrate what we were doing and get Mia started.  She ran with it from there.  All of our play dough ended up mixed together as she tried to make swirls of colors like she saw in the Hammond's Candies lollipops.  

We went on a little breakfast date at a local donut shop another morning this week.  Seeing your kid's eyes as they look through the glass case at a bakery is something special.  She went with the usual, frosted cake donut with sprinkles.  There is the the sweetest (<--sorry, had to) donut printable on Oh Happy Day's website.  The link is included in the summary below.  I printed out 2 sets and we played a donut matching game, but you could do so many other things with the printable.  Great ideas on that website.     

I always like a good busy work activity to occupy Mia while I make dinner.  This week, I gave her a big bowl of Froot Loops and a lacing cord.  I found this particular pack of lacing cords with the reinforced plastic ends at Michael's.  She made a couple of necklaces by stringing the cereal.  I set one of them aside for church this weekend.  

And lastly, we baked cupcakes.  Actually, she baked cupcakes.  She typed in the oven temperature setting based off of the numbers on the box.  She separated all the paper cups and placed them in the muffin tin.  She mixed the batter entirely and attempted to pour spoonfuls into the muffin cups.  I even let her don oven mitts (she insisted on the mitts) and put the pan in the oven.  Use your judgement on that one but we are learning household safety like hot water vs. cold water & sharp object care and I knew she was capable of safely getting the pan into the oven.  I am well aware of her strong independence but honestly, even I was impressed with how capable she was with this exercise.  Kids will surprise you.  While the cupcakes baked, I set up a decoration station.  Since we've been consuming all kinds of sweets this week, I toned it down on the toppings.  My setup included chopped walnuts, almond slivers, and carrot shreds which we used to make flowers on top of our carrot cupcakes.  It would be really fun to put out different types of sprinkles & candies and colors of icing.  We'll try that some other week.  I'm going to need a sugar detox.  

A summary of all Sweets week activities with links:

ACTIVITIES: Strung Froot Loops on a shoelace to make necklaces, Played a donut matching game (get the printable from Oh Happy Day), Watched Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory together 

ART PROJECTS: Used play dough to make "candy" creations

OUTINGS: Went on a tour at the Hammond's Candy factory, Visited a local donut shop for a breakfast treat

SNACK: Made cupcakes and set up a decoration station

BOOKS: Jamberry by Bruce Degen, Counting with Wayne Thiebaud by Susan Goldman Rubin, Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne

BIBLE STORY: Canaan, the land of milk and honey

If you'd like to share a photo of your kid doing theme week activities, you can email it to me (email button in the left menu) or tag me on your Facebook photo or use the hashtag #weeklytoddlerthemes on Instagram (if you are private, just make sure I'm following you or tag me in the photo).