{Rubbed Leaf Hedgehogs}

These cute little hedgehogs brightened up our dreary fall afternoon last weekend!

Rubbed Leaf Hedgehogs

Creativity for Preschoolers

Sweet Pea loves collecting leaves, sticks, rocks, anything from nature that she finds on our walks. As a result, we had a large pile of leaves that she had collected and pressed and was looking for something to use them for.

After seeing these leaf turkeys and these leaf hedgehogs, we decided to make our own versions of hedgehogs with them. Sweet Pea is in the Hedgehog class at preschool, and our dog's name is Hedgehog (in Hungarian), so hedgehogs were the perfect subject for our crafty Sunday together!

We got out some paper and drew some snouts - just a rounded, slightly curved triangle with a circular nose on the end. 

Then we put leaves under the papers and rubbed them gently with the side of a crayon (we love these ergonomic crayons from Boya). 

Aren't they sweet? I think our little Hedgehog approves!

Looking for more leaf-y activities? How about these?

Natural Leaf Garland

Fall Leaf Wreath for Kids to Make

Simple Fall Nature Art

{Three to Five Playful Preschool: New Resource for Parents}

Three to Five: Playful Preschool

Creative, Hands-On Learning

It's here! And you're going to LOVE all the brilliant, playful learning activities inside! The awesome new preschoolers' parent resource I was telling you about, "Three to Five: Playful Preschool" is ready for you all to download!

Why is it so awesome? Well, aside from the fact that Mama Pea Pod is a co-author (ahem!), there are plenty of reasons:

"Three to Five: Playful Preschool" is loaded with fun, play-based learning activities to help support your preschooler's development - from early literacy to early math learning to gross and fine motor skills to science and art, this e-book will help you provide learning experiences for your preschooler across a broad range of developmental skill areas through age-appropriate, play-based learning activities.

In addition to more than 25 playful learning activities and links to over 50 more activities and resources, the book also comes with 10 free printables to complement the activities - all brought to you by some amazing kids' activities bloggers including Nurturestore, Teach Preschool, Happy Hooligans, No Time for Flashcards and many more! And as an ebook, it is available everywhere worldwide for download directly to your computer, e-reader, and/or mobile device, so you always have it handy when you need it!*

And it's a steal! You can get your copy for the regular price of only $8.99! It's waiting for you :-) 

Here are some more reasons why you should get your hands on your own copy:

*It's an amazing resource!

*Hands-on, play-based learning activities

*Inspiring ideas, yet practical for every parent

*Handy checklist of developmental skills covered by each activity

*Convenience - with everything all in one place, just think how much time you will save by having all that searching already done for you!

*Gorgeous photographs with step-by-step guides - and all things you can easily do at home!

*Over 25 ideas for preschoolers, ten printable resources (including a city-scape play scene, My First Journal pages, recipe card, numbers game, weather chart printables, alphabet play mats, unique hand-drawn art pages, conversation cards, block building challenge cards, bookmarks) and additional links to over 50 more activities!

*A range of activities to meet your preschooler's various developmental needs: hands-on, learning through play, math, language, literacy, science, art, sensory, gross motor and fine motor play and more

*At only $8.99 (regular price) you really can't beat that deal!

Think your friends would like a copy? Share this post with them using the share buttons below my signature, below!

* You can buy it now, on any device, and then download it when you are ready. Depending on the apps you have installed and your operating system, you might be able to go ahead and download the book directly onto your mobile device, but if you have any doubts or problems, I recommend you use a computer to download the book and then share it to your mobile devices.

{Come One, Come All, Step Right Up! Awesome Resource for Preschool Parents!}

Come One, Come All! Step Right Up!

Awesome Resource for Parents of {Preschoolers}

Parenting a preschooler is a ton of fun - and a ton of work! There is so much they need from us at this age of learning and discovery, and it can seem like a big responsibility to ensure they have access to all the right learning opportunities! I find myself constantly asking myself, "Are they getting enough fine motor skills practice?", "When was the last time they engaged in sensory play?", "How can we squeeze in more math learning?", and everything else in between! Pinterest is great for finding ideas, but I do find that I spend more time pinning than actually doing!

If you have a preschooler, too, and this sounds familiar, well, I'm thrilled to announce that I might just have exactly what you (and I!) need!

This awesome new e-book, "Three to Five: Playful Preschool" is packed with fun, play-based learning activities for helping to support your preschooler's development - all conveniently in one place! Available now for only $8.99, this is an awesome resource for parents of 3-5 year olds and includes more than 25 playful learning resources plus 10 free printables and links to more than 50 more activities and resources for parents of preschoolers - all brought to you by some amazing kids' activities bloggers, including Nurturestore, Happy Hooligans, Teach Preschool and more (including Mama Pea Pod!) 

Here's why you don't want to miss out:

+ It's an amazing resource!
+ Hands-on, play-based learning activities
+ Inspiring ideas, but really practical and everything all in one place
+ Great photos with step-by-step guides, and all things you can easily try at home
+ Over 25 ideas for preschoolers, ten printable resources (including a cityscape play scene, My First Journal pages, recipe card, numbers game, weather chart printables, alphabet play mats, unique hand-drawn art pages, conversation cards, block building challenge cards, bookmarks) and additional links to over 50 more activities!
+ A range of activities to meet your preschooler's various developmental needs: hands-on, learning through play, math, language, literacy, science, art, fine motor and gross motor, and play
+ While similar resources on Amazon retail for anywhere between $15-$25, ours is only $8.99, so order now so you don't miss out!!

Or find out more about Three to Five: Playful Preschool here!

{Cool Dinosaur Small World Play}

Cool Dinosaur Small World Play

with Play Dough and Nature Items

This dinosaur small world play scene was a big hit at Sweet Pea's dinosaur birthday party! The kids had so much fun playing with it, and it was really easy to set up in about 10-15 minutes with just a little preparation ahead of time. All I used was some no-cook homemade play dough and nature items collected from the garden!

A few days before her party, I made several batches of no-cook homemade play dough in 'earthy' colours - shades of blue, brown, grey and green. To make the brown I first tried mixing red and green food colouring, but it made more of a greyish colour (which I used as 'rock' in our dinosaur world.) Then I found it worked much better to make brown if I just added some cocoa powder instead - and it smelled divine, too! In total, to fill our whole sensory play table [affiliate link], I made 5 batches of this no-cook homemade play dough recipe. I stored it in resealable plastic bags to keep it soft and fresh.

I flattened the play dough down in sections to make different landforms - blue for a lake, grey/beige for sand/rocks, brown for mud/earth, and green for grass/forest.

Then I went out to the garden and collected some bits and pieces of nature - clippings from some bushes, bits of grass, twigs, rocks, wood chips, and some flowers. I brought them in and placed them around the dinosaur world - bush/tree clippings, grasses and flowers in the grass/forest area, wood chips and twigs around the brown parts, and rocks to section off areas.

I used some brown play dough to form a volcano shape and rose buds and petals to make the red lava. Then I hid our Playmobil dinosaur set and all the dinosaur toys [affiliate links] I could find in amongst it all.

Doesn't it look fun?

If you have a little dinosaur lover, too, you might also like our Decorated Dinosaur Eggs and our Rainbow Dinosaur Dig!

Follow Mama Pea Pod's board Dinosaur Fun on Pinterest.

{Rainbow Dinosaur Hunt Sensory Play}

Rainbow Dinosaur Dig

Sensory Play

For Sweet Pea's 4th birthday we had a dinosaur themed party. I wanted to keep it easy and not too organized for the kids (all three and four years old), so I tried to have a balance between party games and less structured 'station' type activities. This rainbow dinosaur dig sensory bin was a huge hit! Digging, scooping, pouring, rummaging, squeezing, sifting - the sensory table was the centre of the party action!

To make it, I simply poured in lots of rainbow dyed* barley, rice, tiny star-shaped pasta and lentils, buried some little dinosaur figurines (some regular hard ones and some squishy gummy-style ones [affiliate link], too, for extra sensory stimulation), and tossed in whatever else I could find on hand - some feathers, pipe cleaners, large wooden beads, some wicker balls, and some fake petals. I added a couple of wooden scoops like these [affiliate link] and that was it.

Colourful, playful, sensory play - a preschool party hit!

*To dye the grains, simply put some in a resealable plastic bag, squirt in some food colouring and hand sanitizer and shake like mad. Then lay out in as thin a layer as possible to dry.

Subscribe to Mama Pea Pod for more simple play ideas directly to your inbox - including more dinosaur-themed ideas coming soon!

{Snow Painting}

Snow Painting Fun!

We tried snow painting last spring, and it was such a quick and simple activity to prepare, but the kids had so much fun playing! They've been talking about it ever since (we did it last spring!), and can't wait for snow this year so they can do it again!

Just fill some squirty bottles [affiliate link] with water, add a few drops of food colouring, and they're all set! They wrote their names in the snow, made a giant snowcone, and gave the snowman a makeover!

For more fun and simple play, crafting, and learning ideas, subscribe to Mama Pea Pod's weekly update: 

{Fruit and Vegetable Sensory Guessing Game for Vocabulary Development}

FRUIT AND VEGETABLE GUESSING GAME

For Sensory Learning and Vocabulary Development

A fun and educational sensory game for toddlers and preschoolers! 

Play this simple Fruit and Vegetable Guessing Game to help young children learn to use their senses and logical reasoning to deduce what's hidden behind their backs, while developing their vocabulary at the same time ....

{Fabric Maché Bowls}

*I was thrilled to receive a copy of the book, Red Ted Art: Cute and Easy Crafts for Kids, in exchange for writing an unbiased review post. All opinions expressed in this post are completely and honestly mine.

We were so excited when we received our copy of the brand new Red Ted Art craft book for kids a couple of weeks ago, that the girls immediately set about picking out their favourite projects to try. First choice was the fabric maché bowls - and we are thrilled with how they turned out!....

{Rainbow Sensory Play}

We made some beautiful rainbow barley this week!

I found a full box of expired barley in the back of the cupboard, and using the same method we used when we made our rainbow dyed pasta necklaces, we turned it into this fun, sensory play bin 

in happy 'spring' colours (wishful thinking on our part

 as it turned out - we've had snow twice more since!)

I set out a few figures to go along with it, and left Sweet Pea to her own devices

- which turned out to be a rainbow jacuzzi for her little friends 

and hide and seek :-)

 Try it with rice, pasta, or lentils, too.

For more rainbow fun see our Rainbow Party and Rainbow Blog Hop.

{Pumpkin Fairy World}

We started carving our pumpkin the other day and created this cozy fairy garden out of it, inspired by this pumpkin diorama.

First we cut the top - the girls were delighted by the sight of all the stringy, seedy insides!

It took some convincing, but I finally managed to get the girls involved in scooping out the insides (granted, they were a bit cold inside since the pumpkin had been sitting outdoors). Princess Pea isn't really a fan of slime, so she used a spoon and bowed out at the first possible escape window, but once Sweet Pea got started, she really enjoyed the sensory experience and helped me sort through the goop to collect all the seeds for roasting.

I cut a huge 'door' in the front (which fits back on), and we gathered bits and pieces from the garden and house to create this comfy spot for a fairy to sit and reflect.

We had found this 'fairy chair' piece of wood in the forest a couple of weeks ago and brought it home for our outdoor fairy garden. We added a few sprigs of lavender, some bark chips, and painted pebbles and snail shells from around the garden. Then we added a fake flower, a plastic salamander, a small wooden apple, a felted owl, and, of course, a fairy.

I think it's really sweet, and the girls are quite taken by it! We have it set up on the upstairs balcony, facing in towards the window so it can be seen from indoors as well as played with outdoors under the cover of the balcony roof.

I think it's not how we'll use it on Halloween night, as we'll need light in it, but it's a fun way to use it for now. When Halloween comes, I'll fit the door back on, and either carve a face in the other side, or perhaps drill some holes to make a lovely luminary like the one Taming the Goblin made.

What did you do with your pumpkin this year?

You might also like to see our 'mummykin' pumpkin from last year, or see more pumpkin ideas here. And there are lots more seasonal ideas on my Halloween and Fall pin board.

{Outdoor Play Party: Lying in the Grass}

You know those moments you get sometimes as a parent, when your child does something that makes  you feel so proud your heart could burst? Well, I must tell you that when my 2 year old spontaneously went out recently and lay down by herself on the grass, just laid there, simply enjoying the feel of it, I had one of those moments! My daughter was just purely enjoying nature - the feel of it, the sound of it, the smell of it - enjoying it with all her senses! I can't tell you how happy it made me to see that - my little girl appreciating the natural world, without any prompting or toys or activities to entice her. Just the soft, green grass calling to her made her run out there and lay her whole body down on it to experience it.

Pinky Cat got to go out and enjoy it, too.

Otherwise, she was all alone, just peacefully taking in the world around her.


What else can you do while lying in the grass?

See what kinds of bugs or other life you can find hidden in the grass.
Mark off a small patch no bigger than the size of your palm and use a magnifying glass to try to count the blades of grass in that patch. Can you count them?
See if you can find other types of plants hidden among the grass - can you find daisies? Dandelions? Clovers?
Search for 4-leafed clover leaves.
Feel the grass on your skin and try to describe it - is it soft? Spiky? Dry? Damp?
Lay on the grass and watch the clouds go by - can you see any shapes in them?

The last Outdoor Play Party included 41 ideas for playing outdoors. Many of them also involved exploring the natural world. Below are a few of my favourite nature exploration posts that were linked up. If you were one of them, go ahead and grab yourself a 'featured' button from the sidebar.

Rainy Day Mum shared her post about going on a bug hunt in their garden.

Play, Create, Explore explained how to capture and preserve a spider web perfectly on paper.

At Pre-School Play, the children used mud and found nature items to create some International Mud Day artwork.

And the Children's Art Group used items from nature to create these nature prints in clay.

For further details about this linky party, see here.