30 Days to Hands on Play : Play in a Box

DAY 26 CHALLENGE:

PLAY IN A BOX

DAY 26 CHALLENGE:
Spend [at least] 15 minutes playing with, in or around a cardboard box! Let the imaginations of your children decide what it will be today. Add any elements needed to create it.

Inspiration:
Tinkerlab had a cardboard box challenge last May, you can check out our Cardboard Box Ramps, as well as 24 cardboard box ideas that are all linked up to her challenge.

Some quick ideas for a box:

• a boat or a vehicle [car, truck, tractor]
• a kitchen or refrigerator
• a table for all sorts of fun
• a magic box!

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30 Days to Hands on Play : Playful Fun

DAY 24 CHALLENGE:

PLAYFUL FUN!

And the weekly It's Playtime! Party!

DAY 24 CHALLENGE:
Spend [at least] 15 minutes getting down on the floor with the kids and have some fun! Start tickling, chasing, or maybe even some safe rough housing!

Happy Thanksgiving play challengers!
This is a great challenge for today, because you could get multiple members of the family involved[uncles, grandpa, dad would be great at this challenge!]! So instead of lounging in the recliner after dinner, get some fun in first!

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30 Homemade Ornaments for the Kids

Thirty ornaments to make with your kids for keepsakes, or just for fun!

I especially love the globe ornaments, so I even included a section of just those!

Six keepsake ornaments.

Ten globe ornaments.

And fourteen ornaments that the kids can make!

So call the kids over as you scroll through these and decide which ornament you'll make today! [And then choose another to make tomorrow! I think you'll have enough to do one each day until Christmas!]

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30 Days to Hands on Play : Investigate

DAY 22 CHALLENGE:

INVESTIGATE

DAY 22 CHALLENGE:
Spend [at least] 15 minutes investigating something of interest to your child. Whether its how something works, why we use certain materials or tools for things, or a simple science investigation.

Take a minutes to research it yourself, then find a why to explore it further with your child.

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Parenting is Child's Play : Independence

Allowing your child to independent.

That sounds obvious, and maybe even easy.
But it is something I believe every parent may struggle with at some point in those early independent, yet dependent, years.

How to keep some control of the chaos, yet allow your child to have a say, takes some balance. Jillian, author of the inspiring learning blog A Mom with a Lesson Plan, helps us achieve that balance. Or, at least, lets us know how she's learned to balance it out.

I have always believed that kids should have a space that allows them to practice independence.

Three tips to remember that Jill shared with me are:

1. Change the Rules. 
2. The tools must be available.
3. Everything has a place.

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