busy hands & minds

It's no doubt the winter days get long. We get cabin fever. We miss seeing people. We get antsy with each other. We love to play in the snow, but it gets cold.

Enter: the activity closet:


About twice a day, we do an activity out of here. It is Maleah's favorite time of the day, and Layla is getting there too. I got the ideas that fill this close from my oldest sisters (one of the perks of being the baby!), blogs, and pinterest. Consider this a "pay it forward" and get yourself an activity closet too! The time and pleasure it allows the kids is wonderful!

We have (starting from left side):
-workbooks. flash cards. 1001 Things to Find UsBourne book (fabulous!).
- counting bears. magnetic shapes (can do on a cookie sheet). Discovery Toys busy farm (wonderful!). Rhyming Words matching. Discovery Toys playful patterns. Puzzles galore (for Maleah, Layla, and Charlie). A math bin of a Melissa & Doug clock (sort shapes) and fabric measure tape. Stencils. Magazines to cut out pictures with glue onto paper. Wooden coloring projects.
- Bean Bin (pinto beans, lima beans, etc. dried). Box of coloring materials. Box of playdough.
- Melissa & Doug magnetic doll with outfits. Melissa & Doug cookies, cupcakes, & ice cream (looooove these!). Discovery Toys Motor Works (fun!). Large lacing beads. Little beads with pipe cleaners (for making patterns, etc.). Lacing cards. Box of "junk mail" for the kids to open (what kid doesn't love opening mail?).
- Up top where little hands can't get: necklace making kits, paints, and games.

Maleah working with Playful Patterns:

Layla stringing beads onto pipe cleaners. Maleah does patterns. Layla just works on fine motor skills with her little fingers maneuvering the bead on.
They love to do this:

The bean bin!! This is, for sure, the hit. I put the box on this tablecloth. All beans must stay on the tablecloth; gives the kids boundaries and guidelines and makes cleaning up easier. I can extend the activity by having them get out only white beans, for example. Pair up a box of dried beans with measuring cups/spoons and bowls, and you have three delighted children:

Maleah with her lacing card:

I'm not always thrilled with the idea of getting an activity out. However, it breaks up their free play time, gives them some guidance, is a treat as they can not play with these items whenever they want, and always ends up being a great time! I also realize, in not sending Maleah to preschool, that I need to offer some of the concepts here at home. This is my attempt at that.

I encourage you to do some activities with the kids! I usually sit down with them during activity time, or am at least "around." It is my intentional time with them. We put on music, listen to a book on tape, or just chat. I never regret doing it.

I asked for a lot of these things for Christmas for both the kids and I, but magazines, junk mail, books from the library, fabric measuring tape to measure things around the house, pipe cleaners to put through a strainer or to bead, are all very inexpensive.

Have fun!