Kid-Made Wooden Word Blocks

Ever since I first saw these blocks, I knew Emily would love to make a more kid-friendly version of them for her little sister. We had so much fun working on these while Clara was napping, and now both of the girls are enjoying this adorable new set of blocks!

To make your own set of wooden blocks, you will need: a package of 2" x 4" labels, a 2" x 36" x 1/4" piece of balsa wood cut into 4" pieces, a rubber stamp set, a pencil, sandpaper, and a fine black marker.

Begin by sanding down all of your cut pieces of balsa wood. Emily loved this part!

Stamp the words onto the labels...

Apply the label to one side of the block.

Draw a matching picture on another label, and apply that label to the other side.

PLAY!!!

This one is my personal favorite......

.... isn't it sweet??

Have fun!!

Weekend Rewind -- Homemade Hockey Table

Hope everyone is enjoying a lovely weekend! Here's a fun post from our archives. Our entire family enjoyed many memories of hockey tournaments on our homemade table, and when we were done it was so simple to convert back to our regular coffee table.

Be sure to check back tomorrow for a great giveaway from our sponsor, UPrinting.com!

This is how we spent our morning -- designing our own hockey table, and it was so easy! Emily had a blast, and is still planning to devote the rest of the afternoon to table hockey. A few years ago, one of our neighbors had a moving sale and sold this fabulous coffee table to us for just $5.

We used leftover wrapping paper (print side down) and attached it to the table with masking tape. I helped Emily measure the table and we used a marker to draw the hockey lines. We covered the table with a layer of wax paper to make it extra slippery.

For the seam in the wax paper, I used scotch tape. We made a puck out of a frozen juice concentrate lid and covered the bottom of it with felt. For hockey sticks, we used stampers that came from an Aqua Doodle set. They were the perfect size, and already had a felt bottom.

We used colored popsicle sticks for the goals, and I attached them with scotch tape. Emily was thrilled and declared, "This is so much fun!!".

Guess we will be playing lots of table hockey for the next couple of days!

Pumpkin Ring Toss Game

If you have a couple of pumpkins and some canning rings, you can put together your own pumpkin ring toss game! Emily enjoyed playing this, and it is challenging. When we played, each canning ring that hit a pumpkin was 1 point, but if we got a ringer around the pumpkin stem, it was worth 10 points!

Clara was happy to put the canning rings over the pumpkin stems and clapped every time. She was so proud of herself!

Then, we attached some ribbon to the canning rings to make dancing ribbon rings. We cranked up the music and danced!

I had no idea canning rings could be so much fun!!

Bottle Cap Tic-Tac-Toe

Emily has been playing lots of Tic-Tac-Toe with Mark lately, and they have been using up quite a bit of our scrap paper to play. This bottle cap version uses just one half of an 8 1/2" x 11" piece of paper and 10 bottle caps (5 of each kind). Be careful to make sure the caps do not have any sharp edges, and that the kids are old enough to know not to put things in their mouths.

Emily keeps her Tic-Tac-Toe game set by her night table, and it has become one of her most treasured games.

$5 Friday -- Bean Bag Toss

For $5 Friday, we made our own bean bag toss game and spent some time playing it outdoors. I indulged Emily's love for outer space and made it a throw-the-star-into-the black-hole game. 

To make your own, use a star-shaped cookie cutter for a pattern and trace onto pieces of felt. Cut out the shapes. Sew together and leave a small gap to fill the bean bag with dry rice. Sew up the rest of the star. Cut a large hole out of a piece of black foam board. Decorate with white paint to make it look like a black hole.

Play!!

Later, we came inside and made our own rocket from recyclables. We used an old mailing tube, but you could easily use a paper towel roll instead. 

Cut tissue paper into strips, and tape to the inside of one end of the tube. Cut out a circle from a piece of scrap paper, and cut a straight line from the outside of the circle to its center point. Fold edges over to make a cone shape. Glue the cone shape to the other end of the tube.

Here is the breakdown of how we spent our entertainment money today:

Foam Board: $3.59

Felt: 50 cents (25 cents per sheet x 2)

Paint: on hand

Dry Rice: on hand

Tissue Paper: 27 cents (clearance at Target)

Mailer Tube: Free from recycling bin

White Cardboard: Free from recycling bin

Tape: on hand

Glue: on hand

Total Spent = $4.86!!

Slacker Saturday -- Easy Phonics Game

The idea behind this phonics game is simple: separate cards into two piles (one with categories and one with letters). Have your child pick one card from each pile. For example, "Animal" and "G" means she must name an animal that starts with the letter G. 

Emily seemed to enjoy this game, and afterwards asked if she could arrange the letters in alphabetical order, which kept her busy for awhile. 

Here is the template to download and print. If you are feeling particularly ambitious, you could glue them onto index cards, but this is Slacker Saturday, so gluing is completely optional!


Phonics Game

Publish at Scribd or explore others: Puzzles & Games phonics game

Fun with Juice Lids -- Size Matching Game

Emily had fun playing this matching game this afternoon.  To make your own size matching game, you will need:

several lids from frozen juice concentrate

white paper

double sided tape or glue dots

stickers of similar objects in different sizes

Trace the juice lids on the white paper and cut out to attach using double sided tape or glue dots.  Add stickers, and you are done!

Preschoolers can sort by matching objects, by matching sizes, or even by matching colors.

New -- From PBS Kids

Emily alerted me to a new find on the PBS Kids website, one of her personal favorites. PBS Kids.org just released a new online learning tool called PBS Kids Play, an interactive virtual activity center that adjusts to your child's individual level and tracks development with custom progress reports!  It is primarily geared towards kids ages 3-6 years old.  You can sign up for a free 15 day trial (no credit card needed).  To learn more, click here.  Subscriptions are $9.95/month, or you can get a better value by signing up for a year at $79 (which works out to about $6.60/month).  

Some of the key features include:

• One account provides 4 personal learning profiles.
  
• All games address national educational standards.
  
• Kids discover and advance at their own pace.
  
• New content every week keeps kids engaged.
  
• Timer option to limit playtime for each child.

To order a gift subscription, click here. In case you were wondering, 100% of net proceeds are used to fund PBS Kids programming.

5 Ways to Save Money on Video Games

Emily (at 11 months) was already enjoying video games with Daddy!

Recently, we had a family video game night, and it was tons of fun.  In our household, we have a weakness for video games, and buying new games can quickly become expensive.  Mark and Emily get lots of mileage out of the ones we have, but we are always looking for ways to get good deals on video games the entire family can enjoy. 

Here are some easy ways to save money on video games:

1. Don't Rush --  The latest titles have the highest prices.  If you can wait just a short while, the price may come down significantly.  This is particularly true for computer games.  An added advantage is that you will have access to more reviews of the game to see if it is really worth the purchase.
2. Borrow From a Friend --  See if your friend won't mind parting with a game for a night or two.  Be sure to return the game in the same condition.
3. Swap --  You may be able to swap games with a friend, or set up a free account at GameSwap.com.  You list your old games, mail them when they are requested, and earn credits for new games.
4. Buy Used --  GameFly.com has used games starting at just $7.99 and includes free shipping until January 5th.  Games come with a new case and new manual. They are also 100% guaranteed.
5. Rent --  If your family likes to try new games, you might want to give renting a shot.  At GameFly, plans start at $15.95 per month, and includes free shipping, access to over 6,000 games, and no late fees or other hidden charges.  You may cancel at any time.  Click here for more information.

Does your family have a favorite video game?  Leave a comment and tell us about it!

Free Online Learning Games for Kids

If you are looking for ways to keep your child busy this winter, why not try some online learning games?  My daughter Emily (4) is a trained professional high-tech toddler.  Here are some of her favorite sites that offer free online learning games that your child is sure to enjoy.  

1. PBS Kids.org --  This is Emily's all-time favorite site.  Games feature Clifford, Sesame Street, Teletubbies, Curious George, and more.
2. BBC CBeebies --  Similar to PBS Kids, but with different games.
3. Discovery Kids --  Teach your child about animals, history, and science.
   
4. Ready Set Learn --  This is worthy of bookmarking.  The penguin is really cute!
5. Nick Jr. --  If you have a Dora the Explorer, Blues Clues, or Ni Hao Kai-Lan fan, this is the site to check out.
6. myNoggin --  Although this is not free, they do have a free 7 day trial period that is worth considering.
7. FisherPrice Online Games --  Games for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers.
8. PlayKidsGames.com --  Lots of free online educational games for kids grades K-middle school.
9. Kaboose FunSchool --  Fun games including "Michael, Michael, Go Recycle".  
10. National Geographic Kids -- Has videos, games, activities, and stories.