Sticky Sapling

(This post is over a week late in the coming, but the activity concept was so fun that I want to shoot it out there to you all either way - before I forget about it and it gets lost in a pile of neglected blog "drafts".)

In honor of Tu B'Shvat, I broke out a new form of art for Freida. It was quite the hit! While I personally feel she was too old to truly reap the benefits of such an activity, she seemed to enjoy the tactile observation either way. Ideally, this is the perfect art form for a 2 year old; mess-free, removable, and extensively creative.

The general concept is contact paper. Simply tape a nice big sheet of contact paper on the wall - sticky side forward. Give your toddler enough art materials to get insanely creative with (feathers, foam cutouts, scraps of colored paper, sequins etc.), and demonstrate the method! Watch their little hands discover the world of sticky goodness, and explore the properties of weight and layout. They'll learn so much from this activity, and you'll definitely get a nice chunk of time to yourself!

I gave Frieda a pile of brown paper squares, and a stack of colorful paper leaves. After some simple directions she went ahead to create her own tree! I was excited when I realized how capable she was! And the best part is when they come up with ideas on their own - she asked me if I could cut out some red apples for her to add to the mix! And after she finished her tree, she proceeded to request materials to make a "flower garden" (I stuck up some more contact paper, cut out some paper flowers, and cut up a few pipe cleaners to use as stems)! Nothing like schepping creative nachas! :)

Nature Babies

Naturally, I've got babies on my mind... and these images of newborn baby animals popping up all over Pinterest have surprisingly got my heart smothered in mama-love.

If any of you are swooning over these teeny-tiny animal features like I am, check out the Sharon Montrose shop (I mentioned it previously here) for a modern menagerie of baby animal photography - worthy of even the most sleek and svelte homes!

Yeah, it's baby fever. :)

Fruit Squeeze

I've been feeling super thirsty these last few weeks. Almost as thirsty as when I'm nursing! I find myself constantly craving shots of ice cold juicy fruit, carbonated splashers, and plain ol' ice water... all. day. long. While I've been drinking about a gallon of water daily during this pregnancy, it suddenly seems to not be quite enough! I want juice and sweet, tart, shots of sugary goodness.

My husband did a little impromptu grocery run last week to the health food store, and brought home the most delicious and refreshing frozen treats! Jolly Lama Squeeze Ups are made of all fresh, whole ingredients that create the most silkily satisfying shot of sorbet. He was struck by the kosher symbol, natural ingredients, but mostly, the mod graphics. :) Anyways, we've sure been enjoying them - Freida's hooked. And it's a far better freezer treat for a kid than any of the other "natural" pops out there. Plus, I've been polishing off pregnant-sized boxes of them!

You can check them out at your local Whole Foods, Sprouts, and other stores that carry a variety of healthier fare. They're really worth a try - especially if you're a sorbet lover! Plus, how quirkily great is that name?? :)

Pint Sized Consumers

Kids are consumers, too. You've got to love this!!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=N4t3-__3MA0]

via DaddyTypes

Little Seeds

Freida came home from Gan Chai this morning all aglow from Birthday cheer. The trees birthday, that is. She marched proudly into the house sporting a birthday crown and showing off a petite potted gift.

The excited was so uncontained that I decided to harness it and we head out back to fill up some uprooted areas in the backyard with soil and seeds.

While we'd love to start up a real live garden - dreaming of the Berkowitz's - we're starting off slowly, and began by hoeing and filling up the empty areas with fresh soil, and heaps of little Forget Me Not seeds to grow alongside the outer brush against the fence.

Freida enjoyed the sensory experience of working the earth, not to mention the thrill of getting muddy and grimy without a nay say from her mama. :)

Dirt pellets are a fantastic way to show kids how the earth "drinks" the water. Tightly packed dried out soil turns to volumes of moist soil instantly once watered, and the look of discovery on little faces watching is sheer deliciousness! (The Target $1 aisle has heaps of these little potted pellets for Valentines Day right now!)

P.S. Kids can play with mud forever!! Best way to keep 'em entertained in a jiffy! :)