Messy Monday: Peppermint Oats

Happy Monday everyone! We had a grand time this morning with this activity and you can too!

Ingredients:

Oats
Peppermint extract
Red and green food coloring

I put oats in two separate zippy bags, added a splash of peppermint extract and a few drops of food coloring. shake and knead the bag to really get the food coloring worked in. (I did this last night so the coloring could soak in better and we did not have any stains.) The peppermint scent was quite mild. You could leave it out if you wanted, it would still be a really fun activity.

I put them in a Christmas tin, but you could really use any container you like. I thought Bea would enjoy mixing the colors so I carefully filled the container keeping the red and green oats separate. They looked really pretty once combined as well!

We had Christmas music blaring as we played, so Beatrix was dancing and having a really jolly time. We worked on scooping and dumping skills by filling the muffin tin. We also stirred them around and buried our hands in them! And for easy cleanup the spilled oats will just be vacuumed right up.

These could be used over and over, so I am storing them in the tin. Older kids may enjoy making a batch of these and sprinkling them outside for "reindeer food" on Christmas Eve!

Winter Window Squish Bag

With Christmas decorations up, it was time to say goodbye to our Fall squish bag and hello to our new Winter squish bag!

Beatrix plays with these every day, she just loves looking out the window while smooshing the contents of the bag around with her fingers and toes.

Here is how I made it!

Ingredients

Some kind of gel (I use Dollar Tree clear hair gel)

Glitter (I used blue, silver, while, and black)

Beads (I used red, white, and green)

Poms (I used red and green)

Snowflake window clings

A good quality gallon-sized freezer zippy bag. (cheapo ones tend to rip easily.)

I have found it to be easiest if you put the "dry ingredients" in the bottom of the bag first, then add the gel. 

The dry ingredients - you don't need to put as much in as you think. This was actually a LOT of glitter. It would be just as pretty with about half that amount.

Here I am trying to show about how much gel I use. Just enough to keep everything moving around nicely. Again - not too much. Don't fill the bag full!

I put up some snowflake window clings under where I was going to put the bag, for a little peek-a-boo surprise! It is fun to move the glitter around to find the big flakes. 

I think this is my favorite bag I have made so far! Mr. Fish says it reminds him of when Jack Frost paints the windows. Beatrix seems to like it as well! 

Christmas Treasure Basket

Here is the Treasure Basket I put together for Beatrix to explore Christmas! Like always, the items included are safe for little hands to explore.

What's inside:

A Christmas Teeny Beanie with jingle bells inside (not new, I have had him for quite a few years)

A clean and empty AE eggnog bottle (Beatrix LOVES eggnog)

3 crocheted snowflakes

A small wooden nativity

The always popular nutmeg-inside-a-ground-nutmeg-jar shaker/smelling jar

A plastic snow globe ornament

A sled ornament

A miniature stocking

and

A book about the true meaning of Christmas

I set the basket under the tree for her to discover and she was quite smitten. Her favorite object is the snow globe. There is no liquid inside - just glitter - but she loves to shake it and to crawl around with it in her hand. 

A Christmas Treasure Basket is a safe way for babies and toddlers to discover the different textures and shapes that come with Christmas. To make your own, simply gather up some non-breakable ornaments, and place them in a baby-safe container. For an older toddler, it would be fun to include a mini tree and some small ornaments to decorate it! For an Advent calendar twist, wrap one item for every day until Christmas and keep them in a separate basket. Let your child choose one item to unwrap and add to the basket each day! You could even have each item represent something significant - either about the Christmas story, or something to do with your family traditions, and talk about the meaning with your child. 

If you have never put together a Treasure Basket for your little ones, there is no better time than Christmas! 

Messy Monday: Homemade Finger Paint Artwork!

I have been wanting to try finger paints where I could actually keep the artwork Beatrix made. She is still exploring the world with her mouth, so I am not super comfortable with letting her use commercial paints. I found THIS RECIPE for non-toxic finger paint, so I decided to give it a go! Knowing exactly what was in it, and that everything was edible, made me feel a lot better about her getting her hands into it!

For the paint:

3 TBSP sugar
1/2 TSP salt
1/2 C cornstarch
2 C water
Food coloring

Combine all ingredients except food coloring in a small saucepan and warm on low heat while stirring until mixture begins to thicken. Pour into containers (one for each desired color) and add food coloring. Make sure the paint is not too hot before you start painting!

The first batch I made, I let it thicken too long and when I went to use it this morning, it was firm - almost like a rubbery play-dough. Thankfully it doesn't take long at all to stir up a batch, I just put Beatrix up on my back in the Tula and she watched!

You could do this on paper, but we did it on a canvas I had prepared, because I want to give it as a Christmas gift to someone. For the canvas, I painted it yellow, then when that was dry, I drew the design with pencil freehand and filled it in with tape. I would have used painters tape, but I didn't have any, so I used some washi tape. The color bled through slightly though, because it got wet, so just a warning there. I cut it in small pieces and really made sure there were no bubbles where paint could seep under. I pulled the tape off while the finger paint was still wet.

We used the paint basically right away, while it was still a little warm, since she already had her footie-pj's-turned-paint-smock on on top of her clothes and was itching to go.

First she just wanted to paint with the fork that I had stirred the paint with, but she switched to brushes, then her hands.

Then she painted her hands and my hand! It was most definitely a Messy Monday!

She accidentally spilled 2 of the pots of paint, thankfully it was thick enough that it didn't soak through the towel. I am not going to post the finished project, as it is a Christmas gift, but it turned out really cute! It did stain our hands, but I haven't tried that hard to wash it off yet. Based off past experiences, food coloring washes out after a bath pretty well. You could also use liquid watercolors, which are washable, just not quite as taste safe. She did try to put it in her mouth a couple of times, so I am glad we used a non-toxic recipe!

Can We Fit All of That into a Shoebox?

Every year we our family packs a shoebox full of toys, school supplies and hygiene items for Operation Christmas Child to bless children in need around the world - you can too!

To start, all you need is a average-sized cardboard or plastic shoebox. Once you decide on an age/gender category, the fun begins!

Choose a "WOW!" item - a bigger gift that will really catch the child who receives the box's eye. A doll or a soccer ball (deflated, with a pump) are a couple good ideas. Fill the rest of the box with small toys, clothes, hygiene items, and school supplies. Really pack it full! Taking items out of their bulky packaging allows you to squeeze more inside. You are also encouraged to include a picture of yourself and/or a note.

Most importantly, be sure to pray for the child who will receive the box. After receiving a shoebox gift, children have the opportunity to enroll in a Bible course that teaches them about God's greatest Gift to mankind - Jesus! 

We are packing for a 2-4 year old girl (the closest category to Beatrix.) What's inside our shoebox? 

We chose 2 dolls for our "WOW!" item, because Beatrix loves dolls. Also a toy flute, some princess dress-up jewelry, a coloring book and crayons, a jump rope, a foam puzzle, stickers, a picture book, a sun hat, a pair of mittens, a warm hat, 3 pairs of socks, 2 pairs of flip-flops, a cup, a spoon and fork, a toothbrush with a case, a bar of soap, a "magic" washcloth, a frog bath-puppet, a frog washcloth, and a bunch of hair pretties!

It took some creative packing to get it all inside, but we did it! 

A prayer for the shoebox before it goes off by car, plane, boat - maybe even by donkey-back - around the world, to a special little girl who is waiting to hear a message of good news and hope! You are never too little to change someones world!