DIY Play Doh Mats

Play Doh is a great medium that increases the muscle strength in the fingers and hands.  The motor skills used while playing with play doh later translate into increased dexterity, writing skills, and self-help skills (like opening containers, tying shoes, etc). 

My son shows NO interest in letters, but he loves numbers and likes to count everything.  I made these 'do it yourself' play doh mats for him today.  It took two days for him to visit the invitation, but once he did - he loved it. 

THINGS YOU NEED:

- white paper (I used card stock)

- stamp pad

- play doh 'cookie cutters'

- laminate and laminator

I stamped on the numbers and shapes, but you could also just trace them.  There are so many things you can reinforce with DIY Play Doh mats. 

• number or letter recognition
• simple matching (shapes, animals, etc)
• math (counting, addition, subtraction, etc)
• name recognition and spelling
• spelling sight words
• etc etc etc

Click HERE for a letter/number play doh set.

 

FUN!  
I will add pics to this post if my son ever shows interest in letters. 

- AK (MESE, MECD)

© Play at Home Mom, LLC. Unauthorized use, imitation, and/or duplication of these pictures and material without expressed or written permission from the author and/or owners is strictly prohibited. All requests for content use can be directed here: Playathomemom3@gmail.com

You have read this article Clay and Crafts / Do It Yourself / Rainy Day Play with the title March 2012. You can bookmark this page URL http://happychild2210.blogspot.com/2012/03/diy-play-doh-mats.html. Thanks!

Water Play for Infants

It's never to early to start water play with your infant.  

Water play is great for your child's physical, mental, and social-emotional growth and there is no right or wrong way to play.  

Here are few things that we have been enjoying with my youngest.  

Mini version of AK's REDNECK WATERBED

I used a regular trash bag for this and just taped the end closed with duck tape.  I did this inside so I didn't add food coloring for fear of explosion all over my carpet.  This worked fine but next time I will use a thicker plastic to be on the safe side!  My 4 month old loved loved loved this!  

So happy!  

Visual Stimulation

Colored water with mirrors.

Wow!  

Another alternative when they start to grasp bigger objects.  Fill up small jars that they can hold/shake.  Great for increasing vocabulary and color recognition. 

"Oh, you have the green jar!  You're shaking it... that looks like fun!  Do you hear the water swishing around?"    

Water in balloons.  

These are fun to hold and squish but we always like exploring new ways of playing.  We poked some holes in the balloon and let the water squirt out on my youngest.  

As you will see below all my girls loved this.  

My youngest thought this was hilarious!  I'm sure the water felt pretty funny to her.  

My 25 month old squirting herself.  LOL  

Fill up a tub/baby pool up with a little bit of water.  Let the splashing begin!  

These next two pictures are actually my OLDEST.  These are pre-pahm.  See any resemblance??

Colored bath

Squirt pool can be seen HERE

RL  

You have read this article Things to do with infants / Water Play with the title March 2012. You can bookmark this page URL http://happychild2210.blogspot.com/2012/03/water-play-for-infants.html. Thanks!

Paper Towels... Colors... Water

Materials:

Markers

Paper Towels

Paintbrush

Water

Liquid Watercolors 

I set this invitation up for my 3.5 year old and 25 month old.  

My oldest is obsessed with all things letters/numbers/tracing lately.  She is always asking me to draw dotted letters to trace.  I thought it would be fun to put a twist on it and change things up a bit.  We did this on the light table but it does not have to be done this way.

I decided to write letters/numbers on paper towels that she could trace with water.  She absolutely LOVED this.  I remember doing this all the time as a kid.  We used to trace the designs on paper towels with marker and then spray them with water and watch the colors bleed.  :-)  I wanted her to try that too, but all we had on hand was plain white towels.  

I set dropper bottles out for my 25 Month old, but she took a long nap today and never made it to the invitation.    

The invitation

Tracing numbers with water.

The paper towel did come up a bit so I suggested we tape it down.... she didn't like that idea and wanted to just hold it with her hand.  

Tracing letter D

"Can you make more?  This is fun because I know how to trace my letters"

What would you like me to make?... She spelled her name.  I think I made a name for every single person she knows.  LOL  

After a hour of letter tracing she moved on to the dropper bottles.

Coloring paper

Some of her finished work.  These are laying out to dry.  I'm going to set up another invitation with these, a pair of scissors, and modge podge to make a collage on poster board.  

RL  

You have read this article Clay and Crafts / Playing with Light with the title March 2012. You can bookmark this page URL http://happychild2210.blogspot.com/2012/03/paper-towels-colors-water.html. Thanks!

I-Spy Bath Time Style

We are always excited when we find a new bath "toy."  The other day we were at Staples and saw these submergible flashlights on the end cap.  How fun!   My girls have a blast with these in the tub.  They are always shining them all around searching for things so I thought I would set an I-spy invitation up for them.  This was a last minute decision so the pictures are not the best.  

Materials:

Submergible flashlight

Things to "spy"

Something to hang them (I used both sticky putty and suction cups with hooks... Dollar Tree)

Checking things out.

This is with my flash on.  I hung various bath toys and animals.  I also did a few floating/sinking objects.  I didn't get any naked-free pictures, though. 

Flash on.

"I spy something orange!" 

Looking around

She was so excited when she found something (24 Months)

"I spy a monkey!!!!"

Something Red

My 3 year old loved this as well.  

She's pointing at the shower head here saying "I found something round"  :-)  

"I spy something blue.... and fluffy."  

RL 

You have read this article Adventures in the Dark / Bath Time Fun with the title March 2012. You can bookmark this page URL http://happychild2210.blogspot.com/2012/03/i-spy-bath-time-style.html. Thanks!

Constructing Letters

We always say that a toy should be 10% toy and 90% child.  This product is exactly that.  

These were a huge hit with our children!  We love that they are multifaceted - oh yes, multifaceted.  You can use these to reinforce so many skills - color recognition, sorting, sizes, shapes, matching, problem solving, fine motor, letter recognition (obviously), and imagination.  The pieces were very easy for our children (3 years) to snap together - and they look FANTASTIC on the light panel.  

Completed construction of the letter G on the light panel

Constructing letter X

Constructing letter F

Shape Recognition

Big... Bigger... Biggest

Sorting by shape and color (24 Months and 3 years)

They can also be...

 

A steering wheel

A "roller coaster"

Train tracks

Snowman

Although not intended for constructing numbers you can pretty much make 0-9 with the pieces that are given to you.  

Addition, subtraction, division, fraction, equal signs, etc. can also be easily made for some math time fun!  

There are enough pieces in the box to make several smaller words as well as bigger words.

The Letter Construction Activity Set can be purchased at the following:

Amazon

Learning Resources

Barnes and Noble Online

Teacher Stores

You have read this article Playing with Light with the title March 2012. You can bookmark this page URL http://happychild2210.blogspot.com/2012/03/constructing-letters.html. Thanks!

Art and Light

I have about 10 posts I am working on right now.  They have been in our drafts forever.  I'm going to make this one short and sweet!   It's pretty self explanatory anyway.  

We have painted and colored on the light panel a bunch of times.   I thought I would bring in some more art materials.  My middle girl (24 Months) is not a big art person and she loved this.  Adding a new dimension to art is always fun.  

Pictures are not the best... they were taken with my phone.  

The invitation

Glitter glue, tissue paper, translucent pony beads, translucent bingo chips, translucent shapes, and highlighter tape.  

The paper is translucent vellum. 

The glitter glue gives off a great glow on the light table.  

Adding shapes.

My oldest is tape obsessed.  

24 Month old finished.  

Using highlighters to draw.  

"I made a rectangle, Mommy"

RL  

You have read this article Clay and Crafts / Playing with Light with the title March 2012. You can bookmark this page URL http://happychild2210.blogspot.com/2012/03/art-and-light.html. Thanks!