It's So Easy, It's Playtime!

Welcome to the weekly It's Playtime link party!  This week I'm featuring two simple ideas for play with items I'm sure you all have laying around the house.  So check out the features, join in the fun, and browse our linky for your next super fun play or art idea.

If you don't have TP laying around the house, well then, you're in more trouble then entertaining a bored preschooler.  Mess for Less shares their towering math game brought to you by Charmin or the TP of your choice.

How about Q-tips and a Colander ?  If you have those two items then you have some simple fine motor play shared by our friends at Fantastic Fun & Learning.  

Ok, after looking over this post, I swear I didn't share these two play ideas just to promote my Amazon account.  I really didn't!  But if you really want to buy a colander, well then, by all means, you should!  If you don't have TP, then I suggest running to the store because you shouldn't wait two days for Amazon to ship it to you.    

If you were featured this week, don't forget to grab your special "featured button." 

<a href="http://messypreschoolers.blogspot.com/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeEYKQj4S7oHoLKfsA3PoeXgaNMJ5dxkdUxIphbmwXOlbFg78Gwl73-rT8AdMTgmqYmIJZrkJRYOqOEItkCbR_exui4YhZqLlwZaBHXhC5slGyqPScnxvq-zrQezw9-MdIUiecgW3fxKg/s1600/featured-messykids.jpg" width="150/" /></a>

These activities plus more can be found over on the It's Playtime Pinterest Board.  Happy Pinning! 

Now, on to this weeks play date! 

It's Playtime is a community and Thursday link-up hosted by:

* Rachele : Messy Kids (That's me!)
* Rachel & Holly : Quirky Momma
* Jenny : Let the Children Play

How to Play :

* Link up a post about a playful learning experience enjoyed by kids.

* Give us love and pop a button into your post/blog. Invite your readers to the weekly play date!

<a href="http://messypreschoolers.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VWLA7lm_Fqc/TaNHGpGSuVI/AAAAAAAAEX0/DGSvqIT7fyU/s320/RED-itplaytime.jpg" width="150" /></a>

* Stop by one of our blogs every Thursday and add your link about play. Your link will show up on each of the blogs in the It's Playtime community.

* Each week the playtime hosts will choose favorite posts to feature. (By linking you are giving us permission to use an image and link to you, if featured.)

* Be sure to visit some of the links that catch your eye. Commenting on posts that you find interesting or inspiring is a wonderful way to develop your own playful community.

It's Playtime: Reading Fun

School is right around the corner.  Some of you may homeschool while others are preparing to send their kids to preschool or elementary school for the first time.  It's been proven that reading starts at home.  I myself have been reading to my kids since birth....and I mean birth.  As soon as I was able to balance my newborn and a book, I read to them.  With my daughter, it helped to develop her verbal skills early on; she began talking around 9 months (I'm sure it helped that I talk constantly, even to my newborns).  With my son, he has a dedicated love for reading...even if it's the same book over and over.  In my own life, some of my earliest memories of my dad are of him reading to me.  He loved Bill Peet, so we read books like The Wump World and The Whingdingdilly.  We didn't have a TV so that was our special time.  As I grew older, I would read to my step-mom as she brushed and styled my hair.  We read classics such as Little Women and The Secret Garden.  This was our special time.  Reading brings us together and teaches us to fly.  We can learn something new or get lost in our imagination.

This week on It's Playtime, let's read!

Books on CD are fun but also expensive.  Why not create your own?  Raising the Cameron Clan shares how you can create your own Books on CD.

Lego Duplo has been promoting their new Read and Build sets like crazy.  Head over to The Educators' Spin On It and check out their Tips and Printables for the Lego Duplo Busy Farm Set.

B-Inspired Mama.com shows us how to create a Simple Grocery Game turning shopping into a fun and educational activity.  Not only does it keep the kids entertained but matching labels promotes basic reading skills.

If you were featured this week, don't forget to grab your special "featured button."

<a href="http://messypreschoolers.blogspot.com/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeEYKQj4S7oHoLKfsA3PoeXgaNMJ5dxkdUxIphbmwXOlbFg78Gwl73-rT8AdMTgmqYmIJZrkJRYOqOEItkCbR_exui4YhZqLlwZaBHXhC5slGyqPScnxvq-zrQezw9-MdIUiecgW3fxKg/s1600/featured-messykids.jpg" width="150/" /></a>

These activities plus more can be found over on the It's Playtime Pinterest Board.  Happy Pinning! 

Now, on to this weeks play date! 

It's Playtime is a community and Thursday link-up hosted by:

* Rachele : Messy Kids (That's me!)
* Anna : The Imagination Tree
* Rachel : Quirky Momma
* Jamie : hands on : as we grow
* Jenny : Let the Children Play

How to Play :

* Link up a post about a playful learning experience enjoyed by kids.

* Give us love and pop a button into your post/blog. Invite your readers to the weekly play date!

<a href="http://messypreschoolers.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VWLA7lm_Fqc/TaNHGpGSuVI/AAAAAAAAEX0/DGSvqIT7fyU/s320/RED-itplaytime.jpg" width="150" /></a>

* Stop by one of our blogs every Thursday and add your link about play. Your link will show up on each of the blogs in the It's Playtime community.

* Each week the playtime hosts will choose favorite posts to feature. (By linking you are giving us permission to use an image and link to you, if featured.)

* Be sure to visit some of the links that catch your eye. Commenting on posts that you find interesting or inspiring is a wonderful way to develop your own playful community.

It's Playtime: Easy Peasy

I'm tired.  I'm pregnant, and I'm tired.  Today we went pretend camping at the park with my son's preschool class.  We went on a nature hike, the kids played in tents, they played on the playground, we picnicked, it was nice.  Then we came home and had a play date at our house.  I made dinner, now I'm here.  Doesn't seem like a lot, but, I'm tired.  So this week on It's Playtime, in honor of those women who are pregnant and tired, with little energy to clean up paint, toys, and lego pieces, I give you 3 mindless activities that just may give you 5 minutes of rest.

What could be easier then Transferring Spoons?  Healthymama Info explains the benefits of this project.

  For the child who loves art, but you don't want all the work of planning something,  Learn with Play @ Home shared their Hole Punch Art.

 Do you have some styrofoam bowls laying around?  Putti Prapancha shared Stack, Build, Smash, and Play with Styrofoam Bowls.  This could possibly give you 1/2 hour or more of free time!

If you were featured this week, don't forget to grab your special "featured button."

<a href="http://messypreschoolers.blogspot.com/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeEYKQj4S7oHoLKfsA3PoeXgaNMJ5dxkdUxIphbmwXOlbFg78Gwl73-rT8AdMTgmqYmIJZrkJRYOqOEItkCbR_exui4YhZqLlwZaBHXhC5slGyqPScnxvq-zrQezw9-MdIUiecgW3fxKg/s1600/featured-messykids.jpg" width="150/" /></a>

These activities plus more can be found over on the It's Playtime Pinterest Board.  Happy Pinning! 

Now, on to this weeks play date! 

It's Playtime is a community and Thursday link-up hosted by:

* Rachele : Messy Kids (That's me!)
* Anna : The Imagination Tree
* Rachel : Quirky Momma
* Jamie : hands on : as we grow
* Jenny : Let the Children Play

How to Play :

* Link up a post about a playful learning experience enjoyed by kids.

* Give us love and pop a button into your post/blog. Invite your readers to the weekly play date!

<a href="http://messypreschoolers.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VWLA7lm_Fqc/TaNHGpGSuVI/AAAAAAAAEX0/DGSvqIT7fyU/s320/RED-itplaytime.jpg" width="150" /></a>

* Stop by one of our blogs every Thursday and add your link about play. Your link will show up on each of the blogs in the It's Playtime community.

* Each week the playtime hosts will choose favorite posts to feature. (By linking you are giving us permission to use an image and link to you, if featured.)

* Be sure to visit some of the links that catch your eye. Commenting on posts that you find interesting or inspiring is a wonderful way to develop your own playful community.

Building an (Easy) Leprechaun Trap

*This post contains affiliate links

Both at home and at school we've been talking a lot about Leprechauns.  My son still remembers his milk turning green last year and is hoping for it to happen again.  Several times we've read the book: 

 

In the book, the children create several different types of Leprechaun traps.  There are great illustrations to this fact.  So our preschool assignment (because we also read it there), was to create a Leprechaun trap and bring it to school to share.  My son was extremely excited about this project. Here's what we did...

 We recycled an old Cascade container.  I sized and glued green construction paper to the sides.

Michael used dot art markers and Roll-On Painters to decorate.  He also glued on (minimally) some gold stars and gold colored pasta.

I created the ladder from pipe cleaners and attached it to the sides.  Now the Leprechaun can climb in

to claim his treasure, but he can't get out!

My son glued in some gold stars to attract the Leprechaun.  He also said he added the glue in order to catch the Leprechaun.  "When he climbs in he'll stick to the glue".  

So we will see what happens at school.  Will we catch a Leprechaun and claim our pot of gold? Probably not.  But I'm sure there will be mischief, fun, and if we are lucky, chocolate coins.  

Have you built a Leprechaun Trap?  Share your creation with me on my Facebook page.  

    

30 Days to Hands on Play: Block Building

Day 3 of the Hands on Play challenge sounded like fun...build with blocks!  Well, today, that was easier said then done....

We had a busy day running around getting the car looked at, library, new shoes, etc.  Once we got home, I cleaned the kitchen and told my kids that after dinner we could build with blocks together.  Well, my daughter took forever to do her homework, so she was out.  My son, was so tired he was whining and throwing tantrums.  I asked him what he wanted to make and he said, "a fish", so he laid out 3 blocks for the tail, then told me to finish it...

 So I made a fish...I guess...

 Then Michael became frustrated with SOMETHING, I don't remember what, and kicked the blocks around.  As suddenly as the tantrum came on, it stopped, and Michael said, "look I made a dog!"  My daughter thought I should post this picture and ask, "Do you see the dog?"  Well, do you?

So we put away the ABC blocks and pulled out the Mega Blocks.  With much frustration, Michael built a rocket ship, "because I never got to go in rocket ship yet."  

 Michael's rocket ship.

Finally, we kind of made this "castle" together.  I say "kind of" because I prompted it but Michael added, oh, maybe two blocks, then was off in his Michael world.  He had no interest in helping me.  


I tried, I really did.  But I learned that play, doesn't always go your way.  I finally listened to the cues; we put the blocks away and pulled out the one thing my son has been asking me to do ALL DAY...we battled each other on Skylanders, the kids' new Wii game. My son LOVES to play with me, especially when he beats me (I don't believe in letting kids win so he honestly beats me quite a bit when we battle together).   


On a side note, my son is sleeping in his fort again tonight.