Last-minute Toddler Valentine Crafts!

In this post I will go over two quick and easy Valentine's Day crafts that are fun for toddlers. One is messy and one is not!

First up is a heart-shaped sun catcher.

Supplies needed:

• Contact paper
• Tissue paper
• Washi tape (optional)

I drew a heart on contact paper and cut some tissue paper into little squares.

Peel off the paper backing and you are good to go. Show your child how the tissue sticks to the contact paper and let them have at it!

Beatrix was not too sure about the sticky paper. But she came around and had quite a good time making this craft. We also explored the laws of gravity by watching squares of tissue paper float to the ground.

To finish it off, I lay it down on another sheet of contact paper and trimmed the excess. I wrapped washi tape to finish the edges, but that is totally optional.

Of course it wasn't too sunny of a day, but it sure looks beautiful in the window. ;)

Next up: DIY Toilet Paper Roll Heart Stamp

Supplies Needed:

• Empty toilet paper roll
• Tape
• Paint
• Paper

You will also need something to squeeze the paint on (I use a paper plate) and you may want some kind of paint smock for your child and a protective covering for your work space. Have a damp washcloth ready for easy clean up!

Here is the stamp. Basically, flatten a toilet paper tube and crease the folds. Then tuck one point inside and sort of squeeze it to make a heart shape. I used tape to keep it in the correct shape.

It doesn't have to be perfect!

I use a pair of garage-sale footie PJ's as a coverall paint smock. Just zip it right over her clothes!

I wasn't sure if Beatrix would grasp the concept of the stamp, but she actually did really well!

Of course, we painted with our hands too.

 Here is the finished product! We actually painted 3 sheets of paper before she got tired of this activity!

So there you have it! Two toddler Valentine's Day crafts that you can pull off at the last minute!

Messy Monday: Valentine's Day Sensory Rice

Why did I wait so long to try dying rice for sensory play? This was seriously one of the easiest activities I have put together. As a bonus, unless the rice gets wet or really dirty, it can be used over and over again!

All it took was some rice - I used extra long grain white rice. I bought way more than I needed for some DIY handwarmers we gave as gifts at Christmas this year, so this is just what I had on hand. You could really use whatever rice you like. I probably dyed 3 cups of rice red and 2 cups blue. I wanted a nice layer in my glass baking dish.

Just scoop the desired amount into a gallon zippy bag, add a small amount of food coloring and a splash of water, and mix up by squeezing/shaking the bag. (It took about 20 seconds to incorporate the coloring throughout the rice. I used gel food coloring and it really didn't take much at all. I used way too much with both the red and the blue.) Then I spread it out on a sheet tray to dry overnight.

This morning I carefully scooped it into the baking dish, making a heart shape in the middle!

I laid a tablecloth out on the floor for easy clean-up and gathered a few scooping/transferring/pouring utensils for us to use!

My little one-socked girl went right for the spoons!

Feeling the rice with her hands.

Bea discovered the rice falling into the glass measuring cup made a really pretty sound. She watched the rice fall out of her hand and listened to it hitting the cup for quite some time.

Really getting into it now :)

Quite proud of the mess she made!

It looks quite lovely mixed together. I love bright blue with red or pink! It is also worth noting that this will not stain hands or clothing, provided the rice is dry!

I gathered up all the rice, using the tablecloth to pour all the spilt rice into the baking dish. I put all the rice in a zippy bag and stowed it in the back of my refrigerator to be played with another day. :)

Valentine's Day Treasure Basket

Just a quick post with Bea's Valentine's day Treasure Basket

Less is best!

What's inside:

• A pink sponge
• Red and pink felt hearts
• A pink heart box
• Red and pink feathers
• Pink hair rollers
• A red pipe cleaner shaped into a heart

Everything in this basket was either from Dollar Tree or the Target Dollar Spot! The hair rollers and the sponge were from previous treasure baskets before I had this blog - I just went looking for the posts to link and then realized they didn't exist!

I have discovered Beatrix is more likely to play with the basket if it has less stuff in it. So far her favorite thing has been the feathers. We had a lot of fun letting them float down from above our heads and trying to land them in the basket!

I love doing holiday themed baskets - they are so easy to find things for! Remember, it doesn't have to be complicated! 

Tapioca Pearl Sensory Play!

We didn't get to do a Messy Monday this week because we were visiting my grandmother in the hospital. (Please keep her in your prayers.)

So we did our messy activity today! Check out the fun we had with Tapioca pearls!

Tapioca pearls are a lot like water beads - but baby and toddler safe! I bought the largest size my grocery store had, but you can order the ones used in boba tea online and those are closer to the size of real water beads. I have been wanting to do this for a few weeks now, but it does require a bit of planning ahead and I never seemed to remember. 

Example of the size.

This is the brand/size I used.

All you need to do is soak the pearls overnight (follow the instructions on the bag - I have seen on some blogs they had to cook the pearls, but my bag said to soak the pearls overnight and then gave the recipe for tapioca pudding, so I just soaked them.) To get the color, I added a few drops of food coloring to the water while they soaked. Since Valentines day is coming up. I used pink, red, and red+blue for purple for some seasonal colors! Right before we were ready to play, I rinsed them thoroughly, to remove the excess coloring. It didn't really stain our hands, we will see about the clothes.

This was a HUGE hit with Beatrix!

The first touch is always a little scary - something totally new! The pearls are a little slimy and a little squishy. She warmed up to them very quickly! She needed some purpose to the activity, so I gave her a toy pan to transfer them to. (It was right behind me.)

Bea kept giving me handfulls, so I got in on the fun as well!

Here is where it started to get messy...

I added some water to make things a little more interesting. They move quite nicely in the water as it keeps them from sticking together.

Beatrix thought it would be fun to dump them out.

She lay down on her tummy and was kicking her feet while rolling them on the floor.

Making a tapioca angel?

These are taste safe, but unless you give them some flavor your kiddo will likely make the face Bea is making above. This is not meant for a snack.

We had quite a good time with the plastic tub as well!

Beatrix helped me wash up afterwards. She is getting so big! She loves to help out with chores.

Tapioca pearls are a great alternative to water beads if your child still likes to explore with their mouth. They were fun "dry" and with a little water. Next time I think I will add a lot of water and do an ocean themed sensory tub with them!

Messy Monday: Seashell Washing

Hello! We are getting back in the swing of things after the holidays (still) and I finally got together our first "Messy Monday" activity of the year: Seashell Washing!

If you are a little leery of messy play, this is the activity for you! I love water for "messy" play, because it is cheap, easy, and doesn't usually require a lot of prep work.

Growing up, we always had a "Beach Day" sometime in January. We would turn up the heat, wear our swim suits and do our schoolwork on pool floaties in the living room while listening to the Beach Boys and eating popsicles. That was my inspiration for our activity!

I placed some shells in the bottom of a shallow tub (any bowl or bucket would work fine) and added water. I used warm water, since it is winter and a bit chilly. I set out our trusty kiddie pool with some towels around it, just in case of splashes. I set the tub with the water and shells in the pool with a couple of washcloths and waited for Beatrix to take interest. She was very curious and crawled right over. (Note: it is important to me to create activities for her and "invite" her to participate, not force her to.) I stripped her down to just her t-shirt and plopped her in.

I grabbed a washcloth and started "washing" some shells to give her an idea of what to do and encouraged her to try it as well. She did for a little bit, then moved on to her ideas of how to play with this scenario.

She enjoyed watching water drip off of the washcloth and drip on to her leg.

She loved stirring the shells up and making the water splash out!

She looks soo tired in this picture. She was fighting naps and bedtime yesterday and I don't think she slept very well. Thankfully she wasn't grumpy, just really mellow. After lunch she kept laying on the floor and cuddling Cupcake.

She played with this for about 45 minutes and she appeared to be having a grand time!

This activity could really be done with any water-safe item: rocks, toy animal figurines, even fruits and veggies! I also think it would be fun to use soap to make bubbles - toy dishes washing perhaps? It would be great to do outside in the summer for some cooling-off play. 

Now if only I could get her to wash the dirty dishes in my sink... ;) 

Yellow Treasure Basket

I took a month off from posting for the holidays - it was just so busy! Now that things have gotten back to our normal level of crazy around here, I should be posting more often again! 

Beatrix has been pointing out yellow things a lot lately and if I ask her to "choose the yellow one" she typically gets it right! So, to reinforce the concept of "yellow" I decided to make a yellow treasure basket, full of all sorts of different shades and textures! Plus - who doesn't need more sunshine and cheeriness in their life in January? 

Whats inside:

A piece of felt (23 cents at Walmart)

A feather

A rubber ducky

A Lego Duplo

A pipe cleaner

A paint chip

A ball

A Hotwheels car

A mirror

Some tissue paper

A (new) pair of rubber gloves

A small stuffed duck

Two mini emoji pillows

Get creative and search your house - you never know what you will find! Just make sure all items are safe for your child and try to provide a variety of sizes/weights/textures!

Beatrix is checking her basket out. I didn't get pictures, but earlier today she was putting on the rubber gloves and waving! I included the tissue paper knowing she would crumple and rip it, and that is okay! She made one tiny rip and looked at me to see if I would scold her. When I told her it was okay for her to rip she just tossed it aside! That ornery little girl! 

Elsa thought she had better make sure everything was safe for Bea.

Color themed baskets can be so quick to throw together - show me what you come up with!