Pirates: Treasure Chest Sensory Bin & Color Matching Game

Dig for buried treasure with this little game that combines sensory play, fine motor skills, color recognition and matching!

I filled a small bin with beach pebbles and added plastic jewels to the mix. Then I cut an egg carton in half and, using a hot glue gun, covered it in felt to create a treasure chest.

I asked A to pick out the jewels and put them in the compartment with the matching colored dot.

When she tired of the game, I handed her a couple measuring cups and a large spoon for free play in the fresh air and sunshine. Virginia is always gorgeous in September!

How I Became a Pirate by Melinda Long

David Shannon's quirky artwork bring to life this clever tale of a little boy turned pirate. Jeremy Jacob is playing on the beach when Captain Braid Beard and his crew recruit the little boy to be their digger and help bury their treasure. Jeremy loves every minute of pirate life until it's time for bed. None of the pirates want to tuck him in or read him a story, and when a storm breaks the mast, Jeremy conceives a clever plan to get back home.

What can I say? The story is adorable. The illustrations are adorable. Your son or daughter is going to love it... and so are you!

I'm linking up to:
- Tot Tuesdays @ My Delicious Ambiguity
- Show & Tell @ ABC & 123

Tails from Thailand

I had the awesome privilege of spending two months in Thailand when I was 16. The country and it's kind, generous people made an indelible impression on my young soul. To this day, I love all things Thai. So it is no surprise that when we decided to sponsor a child through Compassion, I chose a little Thai girl. We pray for Aom nightly, but I wanted to get the girls more invested in their Thai sister, so we are learning all about her homeland this week.


Peek!: A Thai Hide-and-Seek by Minfong Ho

We love this book! The illustrations are gorgeous, full-color eye-candy and the story is simple and precious. A father plays Jing-Ay (Thai for Peek-a-boo) with his daughter. She hides all around their home while her father keeps finding animals instead of his daughter. The animals start off simple and common, like a dog and a bird, but move more exotic and dangerous: snake, elephant, tiger. Eventually the father has had enough and begs his daughter to come out!

Both of my girls (5 and 19 months) enjoyed the book. A liked pointing at the different animals and E loved trying to find the little girl hiding in each picture. I loved that the inside of the book is covered in Thai writing. It's a wonderful introduction to the sights and animals of another country!

To go along with the book, I created a Thai-themed Sensory Bin for A to play with this morning. I filled it with rice (of course!) and added chopsticks and animals found in the book.

She promptly evicted the animals and spent her time drawing in the rice with the chopsticks.

After the fun of that activity wore off, I drew a R for rice with glue on construction paper and let her drop handfuls of rice on top. When we shook it off we had a beautiful letter R!

Tomorrow we're going to read another book by Minfong Ho and explore what it's like to live in a Thai village!

Thank you to everyone for your kind comments and emails concerning my father's passing. We had a beautiful memorial service for him, and though we continue to grieve, I am grateful to get back into our daily routine... including blogging!

I'm linking up to: What My Child is Reading

Straight from the Heart

It's February and that means love (or at least lots of hearts, teddy bears, and candy) is in the air. We've been "snowed-in" the past few days which meant coming up with Valentine-themed crafts from our current stock of dwindling supplies. With a little ingenuity, I came up with activities for each of the girls.

E enjoyed creating this Lace-Up Valentine. I have been woefully remiss in the lace-up and tie department, but better late than never. I've seen fancy lacing cards in stores, but this was so simple. Just cut a large heart out of poster board and punch holes around at even intervals. Hand your child some markers and a shoelace!

To keep A busy, I threw together this Sensory Bin. I've seen Allison @ No Time for Flashcards do loads of these for her son, but this was my first. I found a very old box of macaroni and a bag of 17 bean soup from Trader Joes that I knew we were never going to eat. What is it about Trader Joes that makes you gleefully throw items in your cart that you'd never otherwise consider? We don't even like beans! I also tossed in some hearts I cut out of felt and fleece as well as a few silk flowers.

In no time she was scooping, pouring, picking, and sorting. Not much longer after that she was tossing, chucking, and feeding to the dog. Still, I'll declare anything that gives me 5-10 uninterrupted minutes a success!

Fancy Nancy: Heart to Heart by Jane O'Connor

You know I'm a sucker for Fancy Nancy books, especially ones that cost less than $5. This isn't quite as well-written or developed as the others in the series, but it's a nice little story for any nice little girls you may have in your life. The last page contains a sheet of stickers to help your daughter decorate a valentine of her own. Why not make it a lace-up one? :)






Where Is Love, Biscuit? by Alyssa Satin Capucilli

Biscuit books are always cute, and this one includes touch and feel sections on each page. Unlike many board books, the narration wasn't boring or inane, but sweet with a  message that love can be found in the family and friends that surround us.