LOVE to Learn on It's Playtime

It's amazing to me that It's Playtime is almost 2 years old and we still get over 100 links each week!  It's so much fun to go through all the posts each week, looking for a theme and discovering new ideas.  With Valentine's Day approaching I wanted to share ideas that not only followed that theme, but promoted education and exploration.  Here's what I found:  

Literacy:

Carrots are Orange shared their educational letter game, Learning Sounds with Movement.  Not only does it promote letter sounds but also letter recognition.  A simple game, perfect for home or preschool.

Did you know you can purchase blank Conversation Hearts?  Mess for Less shares how you can use them to make a Valentine themed Sight Word Matching Game.

Reading Confetti shared their post of 10 Valentine's Day Literacy Activities which includes Songs, Books, Writing, and more.

Math:

Counting can be fun and pretty with this Valentines Day Diamond Count from Timeless Adventures.  

How do you celebrate Valentine's Day?  Share in the comment section below.  

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.

Creating Indoor Snow

*This post contains affiliate links

In San Diego, we have a lack of snow.  When the weather is right, we only need to drive 30 minutes to reach snow, which is awesome....except I have a newborn.  As disappointing as missing a drive to the snow has been for the kids, we've managed to find other ways to enjoy "snow".  We have passes for Sea World so we went and played in the snow there (below):

Don't you love how they are in short sleeves? Love San Diego!

We also brought "snow" indoors through sensory play.  Recently, I was preparing for a clown job (yes, if you didn't know, I'm a professional clown) and found some Slush Powder in my magic stash.  Slush Powder is basically the stuff they put inside diapers to absorb liquid.  You can also purchase it as Insta-Snow If you've never tried it out I highly recommend it.  It's very simple to use.

Place a small amount of the powder in a large bowl or sensory tub/box.  A little goes a long ways!

 Add water.  I'm sure when you purchase your powder there are measurements on the packaging.  My powder is "magic" grade and was from a bag my dad bought years ago, so it's in a baggie with no instructions; I just added water until I was happy with the consistency   The nice thing is if you add too much, you sprinkle on a little more powder and you are ready to go.  Use cold water to enhance the experience.

As it gels up, you can stir it a bit to ensure equal distribution.

I gave the kids some Arctic/Antarctic animals, blue floral stones, and clear marbles to add to the exploration.  My son found some plastic trees to include in the experience.

It always warms my heart to see my kids playing together.  Both my 10 year old and my 5 year old enjoyed exploring the "snow".  Who says older kids don't like a good sensory experience?

Once his sister started her homework, my son had the snow all to him self.  He created a "snow monster" and of course...

  a great big snow ball!

When I taught preschool, I made a huge sensory tub full of this stuff.  What's nice is if you cover it, it will keep for quite a while.  I believe I had my tub for about 2 weeks.  I would add water to freshen it up but other then that, it didn't smell or get too dirty from dirty hands.  I think I filled the tub with about 1/4 cup or less of this fun stuff.  Although I added toys to the slush, most of the kids enjoyed squishing it through their hands and measuring it with cups.  Even though this is a product you have to purchase, I believe it's worth the cost, as you need so little of it to make a good amount of snow.

Have you tried powdered "snow" in your home or preschool?  What did your kids think of the experience?  

Hearts Abound on It's Playtime

It's that time again.  Hearts are everywhere: in food, in play, and in art.  It's Playtime was no exception.  With Valentines Day only a couple weeks away, heart activities are beginning to pour in our little linky.  Here are a few projects to get you started in your celebration of love.  

Putti's World shared their Sticker Resist Painting and Printing.  Not only is it two projects in one, but I love how the resist portion of the art looks great framed (above).  

What kid doesn't love to play in the water?  Keep them entertained (and clean...all be it wet) with this Valentine Sensory Sink idea from My Nearest and Dearest.  

Coffee filters are cheap and versatile.  Kara's Classroom used them to create Faux Stain Glass Hearts.

What heart-shaped projects will you be doing with your children?  Link up or share in the comments below.    

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.

Math Fun on It's Playtime!

I never enjoyed math much.  I always managed good marks in the subject but I simply didn't like numbers.  Maybe if I'd been introduced to math through activities like these, posted on It's Playtime, I would have excelled.

Maro's Kindergarten shared two fun activities last week: Winter Play with Numbers (picture above) and Penguin and Fishes Number Game.

 Have a bunch of Pom Poms you don't know what to do with?  Check out Math & More with Pom Poms!! from Preschool Powol Packets.  Included are some fine motor skill and exploration activities.

For older kids, head over to An Idea on Tuesday for their Maths Fun games centered around a die you can make yourself.

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.

Brrrrrrrrr! Fun in the Cold on It's Playtime

I live in San Diego.  A half an hour west and I hit the beach.  A half an hour east (with some rain and some luck) and I'll be in the snow.  It's fun for us because we don't have to scrape our cars, shovel the sidewalks, or drive in it.  When the snow arrives, we drive to the mountains, park the car, and enjoy a couple of hours sledding, building snowmen, and wishing we had snow clothes warmer then jeans and sweatshirts.  The downside?  We don't get to try any of these fun ideas found on last weeks It's Playtime.   

Ok, technically we could go on a Jewel Hunt like this one shared by Days In With The Kids.  But it wouldn't be nearly as fun without the snow and the jewels would be small puddles by the time we finished.  

Of course we could try these larger Ice Jewels posted by Fireflies and Mud Pies...they'd make larger puddles.

MamaPapaBubba shared their Snow Spray Painting.  This is an activity that I've seen and have always wanted to try.  I know my son would LOVE it, as would I.  I think it would be funny to spray a bunch of snow yellow and eat it in front of other people.  "Oh this snow is so fresh and cold!"

Making Boys Men shared their Frost Writing.  Finally a cold, icy activity we CAN do.  Believe it or not it freezes in San Diego (lately we've had a lot).  My kids love to write on the car before heading off to school.

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.

Fun Product Review: My Feeding Friend

I love blogging.  I haven't done enough lately considering how tired I've been during my pregnancy, not to mention driving my kids around to school, parent participation preschool, art class, and play dates.  But this wonderful product review for My Feeding Friend, a grow-with-me nursing pillow, was handed to me and I couldn't pass it up.  It was cute, relevant to my upcoming delivery (any moment now), and just plain fun.  Not to mention that it promotes play from birth!  How cool is that?  Let me show you...

As my bun is still cooking in my oven (a little longer then expected at the moment), and my other children are beyond nursing, I sought out one of my best friends to help me.  She's not only nursing but has a 1 year old; a great combination for showing the grow-with-me side of this breast feeding support pillow.  Above is her youngest, born this past July.  Look how happy she is playing with the tiger!  

Her 1 year old moves fast, like a 1 year old should, so trying to capture her enjoying the nursing pillow was difficult.  Right away, she was enchanted by the giant tiger.  If you were a kid, wouldn't you be?  I mean, it's a big tiger and it's soft!  Incredibly soft!  My daughter got on the floor with her and they played with the tiger.  It was great for sitting on!

When it was time to nurse, my friend was able to check out the benefits of this adorable breastfeeding support pillow.  It was a hot day and one of my biggest concerns was the comfort level of fur next to skin.  Surprisingly, mom and baby didn't change in temperature.   

The nursing pillow fit nicely across my friend's lap, hugging and supporting baby while she fed.  With My Feeding Friend, nursing can be comfortable and fun!  I'm excited to use it myself.

My Feeding Friend comes in 4 adorable animals: Monkey, Turtle, Dalmatian, and Tiger.  Each animal is designed with comfort in mind; super soft fur and the perfect length for complete nursing support.  The grow-with-me features include tummy time support, bedtime friend, and a soft place for resting little tooshies.  And of course, imaginative play is encouraged as the child grows.  I love the versatility this nursing pillow offers.  So much more then the traditional breastfeeding support pillow which, I know from experience, ends up in storage after about the first year.  Thanks to My Feeding Friend, my new addition will have her first friend right from the start.

Check out My Feeding Friend on:
Facebook
Twitter
and of course you can order online at http://www.myfeedingfriend.com/

*Disclaimer
In exchange for this review I received 1 My Feeding Friend to touch, feel, play with, and enjoy as to give my honest opinion.  No other compensation was exchanged.