Paint like Pollock

The idea of painting with water on cement outside seemed to me to be a
no-brainer great activity for my little guy. 

Outside play+ water+ painting= awesomeness. 

I got out a basin of water and a foam paint brush (get them at the hardware store for less that a quarter) and showed him to dip the brush and "paint" the sidewalk. He started by painting the sidewalk, and even painting the daffodils. 

I love presenting creative activities to kids--I think the most interesting part of the activity is seeing them bring their own creativity to the table.

Ethan decided to use the brush to paint Jackson Pollock style. They key here is having a foam brush because it holds more water than a regular paint brush. He'd dip the brush and fling the water all over the sidewalk. It made a great sound as it splattered, and he was overjoyed to watch the water fly though the air and splat on the ground.

Sometimes, it's the little things!

Seriously, THIS is happiness.

Have you had a good experience "painting" with water??

Young Toddler Matching Game

It was a chilly, windy, winter day and we had a toddler in the house who was clearly bored until Daddy had the great idea to play Memory- toddler style.

Not only is the game great for entertainment, but the ability to see similarities and differences in objects practices classification, an early math skill.

We worked through a number of different ways to play until we found the one we thought worked best.

What you need:

Cards from a Memory game, 4-6 pairs seemed to work best. Or create your own- print out pairs of clip art images or even family photos and cut into squares.

How to play:

Mix the cards, picture side up on the floor and encourage your toddler to match like pairs. 

"Here's a lion. Can you find another lion?" or "Can you find me two owls?"

Repeat until all of the card matches have been made.

Play again. :)

Do you have a similar matching game that you play?

Top 5 Favorite Young Children's Books

"The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more you learn, the more places you'll go!" ~Dr. Seuss, "I Can Read With My Eyes Shut!"

Today (March 2nd) is Read Across America Day and March is National Reading Month.

Ethan's been enjoying reading since he was just a wee little thing!

Reading is a very important at our house, and Ethan constantly has board books spread out all over the floor. Now that he's a little older, it's fun that Ethan likes to read to us too!

These are 18 month old Ethan's top 5 favorites:

1. Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? - Bill Martin Jr./ Eric Carle

2. Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You? - Dr. Seuss

3. Go Dogs Go - P.D. Eastman

4. Goodnight Moon - Margaret Wise Brown

5. The Water Hole - Graeme Base

What are your children's favorite books??