Vrum : the toy box that is a toy!

Check out Vrum!!

This cute little toy box doubles as a toy itself!!  It features a front and rear lock to keep all your toys safe.

It has a adjustable shoulder strap for carrying or for pulling the ride along passengers XD

Froggy Boy just LOVEs this toy box that he can actually play with.  This is the perfect addition to every boys playroom.

Chima Legos : The Ultimate Living Room Adventure

We love Legos! The brain power that it takes to build these things is phenomenal! It is simply amazing me to see a small child following the instruction book, page by page, with such determination and dedication until the construction is complete. AMAZING! 

...and the story lines that are now available with the specialty pieces, has the kids wrapped up in a world of adventure that they can build in their own living room... keeping their hands and minds busy for hours.

They are recommended for ages 8-14, but my kindergartener is a Lego veteran and enjoys putting these sets together (plus, we know he will not put any of the pieces in his mouth... trust me, if we thought he would he would not have them)

 

The TV Show for Chima speaks of the power of sharing and community involvement and about what can happen when a world is divided... these large concepts are presented in a Lego adventure that will even have mom and dad asking, " What will happen next?"

LEGO Math

Is there anything more fun than creating something with your bare hands?...

 How about learning while you do it!

From studying my son, I have seen the way that building blocks and Legos allow the imagination to soar... not to mention how they put math skills into use with looking for shapes and finding the right size piece to put into place... and let's not forget that sense of accomplishment your little one feels when they have finished their project and hold it up for you to see, "Mommy, look what I made!"

we are scheduling Lego time into our preschool school week :o)

Dino Dig in the Kitchen

Who knows what it feels like to have "Dino Crazy Kids" and live nowhere near an excavation site...?

Never fear, the Kitchen is here?

We made a mini excavation site right in the kitchen with a large plastic container that we filled with rice (but I think grits would have worked better... they look more like sand)  then I buried toy dinosaurs in the rice and gave the kids paint brushes and told them to discover the dinosaurs in the "dirt" ...

... they had a blast, I had to clean up a mess... but the looks on their faces was so worth it :oD

Discovery + Exploration  + Education = FUN

Tip:
This activity is also fun if you replace the toy dinosaurs with different sized uncooked pasta and after the kids dig up the "pasta dinosaur bones" they can create a "pasta dinosaur" on a piece of construction paper.

Making Dino Poop!

I was in the toy store and saw "Dinosaur Train Poop Kit" and thought, "Are they really selling poop to kids?" No! They are selling an awesome exploration and scientific experience. So you know we went home and made it.

Using this homemade Play Dough recipe:

• 2 cups of flour
• 1 cup of salt
• 2 cups of water
• 1/2 cup of oil
• 4 teaspoons of cream of tartar
• Green, Blue Yellow, and Red food coloring

Mix all the ingredients in a large saucepan mixing until almost smooth, and add the food coloring until you get the color you want, I favored the green... and keep in mind that it will get darker when it is cooked.

Then cook it on the stove over medium heat, and stirring it the whole time, it will start to thicken, and you just keep stirring. Remove when it looks like play dough and allow to cool. Store in an air tight container.

We found some dinosaur skeleton toys at the Dollar Store, two in a pack! Then we wrapped them in the  play dough... plastic leaves would also work well if your dinosaur is a herbivore. 

He has been hands deep in dinosaur poop all afternoon! :oD