three activities that are getting us through summer
As summer winds down and big kids are back at school, sometimes the days can feel really really long with just little ones at home! I’m not against letting kids be bored at all (in fact, i’m all for it because boredom forces them to use their imaginations and creativity in new ways!), but we still try to have new activities to do throughout the week to help keep mama sane! These are currently helping me get through some of the really long days, and I thought they might help you too, so I wanted to share a few of the things we are doing right now!
FIND SOME REALLY GOOD EDUCATIONAL TOYS/ACTIVITIES
Kids are so absorbent and receptive to learning! We’ve tried to be really conscious from the beginning of giving Alden toys that promote learning in some way. As he gets older, it’s so fun to see the ideas and concepts click in his brain. Here are a few of our favorites lately for him:
Gathre mats - we have the Mini+ in Village and it is the BEST playmat! Alden has used it almost daily for months now and asks for me to get it off the hook daily! It’s so fun, because it has taught him what clouds and the sun and cities and fields look like in illustration form. Plus, it has been the backdrop for a LOT of car races. He can sit and play with this for a long time, and it is so fun to see his imagination at work as he plays on this! One of my favorite purchases of 2019 for sure!
Foam letters - we have 3 or 4 sets of foam alphabets and numbers, and we love them. Alden will sit there and spell out words with us on repeat. The alphabet was something we put a lot of focus on, and he knew all of the letters before his 2nd birthday. Since he mastered the alphabet, we’ve spent a lot of time working on early phonics and talking about how letters come together to form words. These are super cheap to pick up and are definitely something I recommend having on hand! Plus, they can go in the bathtub, which changed everything for us. Bathtime used to be something he screamed during because he hated it, and since we introduced letters and shapes in the bath, we have to keep him from jumping in with his clothes on.
When Target’s dollar spot was filled with school supplies, I went and spent about $20 and picked up a ton of fun school supplies that I could work on with Alden. Lots of tracing pages (shapes, numbers, alphabet), flash cards (these are SO fun to look through together and talk about what’s on each card. We don’t use them for review at this age - just as a starting point for learning!), blank books for him to create his own stories in, things like that! I picked up a bunch of flash card sets for $1 each particularly to help create a launching pad for learning. He gets to pick a letter (or a cooresponding animal on the letter cards), and then we can spend time learning about that animal, maybe watching a video of it, or even pointing out things throughout the day that start with that letter. The same words with shapes and colors. Maybe today he really likes the blue circle. So we consciously point out things that are blue or circles as we see them throughout the day. Learning is meant to be a continuous lifelong process, and I want to really instill that early - that learning isn’t confined to certain hours of the day.
When we were in Chicago for our anniversary (read more about that here), we picked up a super cute floor puzzle for Alden. It was from the brand Mudpuppy, and we’ve been super impressed with it! Alden loves it (this is the one we got him), and the pieces are easy for him to handle. Puzzles like this are wonderful because they require the brain to recognize patterns and connections, and this one also teaches a bit of geography!
MAKING DINOSAUR MUFFINS
Now, you can make any kind of muffin or baked item of course, but these are especially fun for little ones! They come out a vibrant green in color and are easy to make. I don’t normally involve Alden in my cooking, but I did for these and he loved it! He was so excited to be able to join me in the kitchen and create something himself! Cooking with him took longer, but we killed over an hour making these delicious muffins! They are refined sugar free, and are easily made egg-free. The best part? They are packed with nutritious fruits and veggies to nourish your family! Whether you have a toddler who refuses veggies, someone with texture sensitivities, or are just looking to get more fruits and veggies into your family, these muffins are a delicious - and fun! - way to go about it!
INGREDIENTS
• 1 apple grated (squeeze out excess water) *I used honeycrisp*
• 1 small grated zucchini (squeeze out excess water)
• 2 purple carrots (pealed and grated)
• 6 oz fresh spinach
• 1/4 cup coconut oil (melted & cooled slightly)
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup almond flour
• 1/2 cup local honey
• 1 large egg (substitute 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce, if desired)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 3/4 tsp nutmeg
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 375 F.
Grate apple, carrot, and zucchini individually and place in separate bowls. Let sweat for a couple minutes and then squeeze out excess water. Return to individual bowls.
Whisk together wheat flour, almond flour, baking powder, baking soda, & cinnamon in a large mixing bowl. Stir in grated apple.
Blend spinach, zucchini, carrot, coconut oil, honey, egg, & vanilla in a blender to make a purée.
Pour wet mixture into bowl with dry ingredients & fold together until just combined.
Spoon batter into muffin tins & bake for 13-14 min (or until they pass the toothpick test).
Let cool for a few minutes and enjoy!
GET OUT OF THE HOUSE
Right now, we make a lot of trips to coffeeshops, parks, splash pads, playdates, the library, and the gym. We usually go to 1-2 of these every single day. Alden loves being around people, so this is really life-giving for him! Our gym has free childcare and it’s really good and Alden loves it there, so in this season of life, we spend a lot of time at the gym! It gives me a break and space to show up and take care of myself, but also gives him uninterrupted play time with kids his age. I truly believe that we’re both better people because of it! So find what works for you and do that!
Currently, we are looooving the splash pad and our fav coffeeshop! With kids back in school, they are so much less busy, which is a win for me. But even just getting out of the home for a couple hours in the middle of the afternoon helps break up the day and helps him find new ways to have fun in new environments.
If you have things that you are doing that are really helping you get through the long days, I would love it if you would share them with us in the comments! I’m always looking for new ideas of things we can do!
I’m rooting for you today, mama!!