Puzzle Hunt-Counting by 10's

Puzzles are fantastic for learning and they are a great way to spend some time indoors. But did you know that you could make puzzles more exciting? We recently kicked the learning and fun up a notch by throwing in a scavenger hunt and counting.

We received this 100 Piece Solar System Jigsaw Puzzle from Melissa & Doug and I eagerly set to work to create a fun new experience for R while sneaking in some counting by 10's practice. I divided the pieces up into ten separate envelopes and created rhyming clues for all the places I'd hide them.

      

I turned our clues into a printable and simply cut the strips apart to include in the envelopes. Please feel free to use these printables for your own puzzle hunt. My clues were easy and focused on the places in our home rather than the numbers he'd be finding, so you could use the clues for any type of indoor scavenger hunt! I also created a blank clue sheet to share in case you'd like to make up your own. If you'd like either of these printables, just click on the picture, save and print!

Once I had everything set up, I invited R to put together his new solar system puzzle. And oh was he puzzled when he opened up the box and found an envelope instead of the pieces! His confusion turned into excitement as I read the introduction and the first clue.

Here's a fun little game to play! Read the clues and find the pieces along the way. Finding the first clue will be a treat! Look for it where you get something to eat!

He had a blast running through the house to discover where each clue would take him. He would laugh and call out each group of ten, anxious to find all 100 pieces. And this scavenger hunt really had him running all over the house. He found pieces in the refrigerator, on his bed, in his box of musical instruments, and more. He even found one set taped to a mirror!

{Personal embarrassing confession: When he heard the getting dressed clue, he went straight to the dryer. He didn't even think about his dresser, and I have an idea why!}

The next round of fun began as we assembled the beautiful puzzle. R loves outer space and had a great time putting this one together.

Do you have a fun clue or puzzle activity idea? Please share in the comments! 

{Disclosure- This post is sponsored by Melissa & Doug. The opinions expressed are my own and they are honest. I enjoy sharing activity ideas for products my family loves, and I hope that your family can use this idea in your own home. Have fun!}

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Construction Pretend Play Prompt

I put R to work. And he couldn't have been happier! He really enjoyed this construction worker pretend play prompt, and with several simple construction sites to choose from, he played for hours! I'm sharing this post over at the Melissa & Doug blog today, so please visit the link for more details and a printable.

Pretend play is such a vital part of childhood. What are your favorite ways to encourage it?

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Arctic Sensory Bin

We recently created an arctic sensory bin to go along with our polar unit studies this month. We had a lot of fun creating the bin, and even more fun exploring in it. 

R is five (soon to be six!) and he still adores sensory bins. I love sensory bins because they are essentially open ended play prompts with lots of learning thrown in. 

You can see his delight at finding the arctic hare, that was cleverly camouflaged in the snow!

You can find the details about this arctic bin, as well as a few ideas for guided learning, over at the Safari Ltd. blog. 

And don't forget! You have an opportunity to win the Arctic TOOB and a few other fantastic prizes tonight (1/22/13) at the Safari Ltd. Winter Twitter party! The party starts at 9pm EST. Follow the hashtag #educationalplay and your hosts @ChildhoodBeckon and @SafariLtd. Can't wait to chat tonight!

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25 Family Time Activities- Going Out

Last week I shared 25 family time activity ideas for when you want to stay home. But sometimes you just have to get away! Here are 25 ideas to look forward to when you want to venture out.

25 More Family Time Ideas:

1. Go to the fair. Ride the ferris wheel, eat a batch of cotton candy that's bigger than your head, win a goldfish! 

2. Go camping. Set up camp at a state park or even a friend's backyard for a change of scenery!

3. Visit an arcade. Bring a big bag of change and play until it's gone!

4. Go to the movies. A classic for a reason!

5. Go fishing. Here are a few tips for fishing with kids.

6. Go skating. Call to see if your local rink hosts a family night!

7. Volunteer as a family. Get involved! 

8. Bowling. This is a family favorite!

9. Take a hike! Take a walk through nature together as a family. It's great exercise and great fun!

10. Visit a museum. Art, natural history, children's museum. What museums are near you?

11. Watch a play. Visit your local high school's production of Beauty and the Beast, or spring for a bigger show!

12. Visit the library. Explore the shelves. Race to find a specific book. Attend the story time. 

13. Go to a park. Or five. Make it a mission to play at as many parks as possible.

14. Go on a scavenger hunt. Make a list beforehand and then visit a park, store, etc and try to find all of the items. 

15. Attend a sporting event. Cheer on the home team together as a family!

16. Have a day of picnics. Plan to eat every meal out on the grass with the ants. Maybe as you are park hopping?

17. Go bike riding. Don't forget your helmets!

18. Go through the car wash. For fun. Lots of giggles!

19. Go letterboxing or geocaching. So much fun!

20. Pick your own fruit and vegetables. Find a place near you.

21. Go swimming. Splash around in a pool, pond, or lake on a warm day. 

22. Attend a puppet show. A lot of libraries host puppet shows!

23. Explore a neighboring town. What looks interesting? Try a new place to eat. See the sights.

24. Play tourist in your own town. Don't forget the camera!

25. Visit the zoo. Spend some time looking at your favorite animals. Take turns navigating.

What does your family like to go do? Do you have a favorite activity or place to visit?

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Safari Ltd. Winter Twitter Party

I am going to have the pleasure of co-hosting a Safari Ltd. Twitter party this next week! We'll be chatting about educational play, winter, boredom busters, and more. Safari Ltd. is generously giving away prizes throughout the party, so there will be several chances to win. It's sure to be a lot of fun!

The Details:

• The Safari Ltd. Twitter Party will be from 9-10 p.m. EST on Tuesday, Jan. 22.
• Follow hashtag #educationalplay
• Be sure to follow your hosts on Twitter- @ChildhoodBeckon and @SafariLtd
• Prizes are limited to US and Canada residents only. 
• RSVP below and let us know you want to join the fun! 

I'm really looking forward to seeing some familiar faces and meeting some new friends! Please come chat and share with us on Tuesday.

Are You New To Twitter Parties?

Twitter parties are fast paced fun and sometimes if a party is really jumping, it can be hard to keep up. You can attend a party on Twitter alone, but I've found that using TweetChat really helps me stay up to speed during parties. It's really easy to use. Just visit the Tweet Chat website, and allow the application to access your Twitter. Then enter in the hashtag you would like to follow (#educationalplay) and you can watch the party (and only the party!) in one window. It also takes care of adding the hashtag to each of your tweets for the party automatically! 

RSVP-

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25 Family Time Activities- At Home

One of our goals for this year is to spend more quality time together as a family. We are setting aside time each week to be intentionally and purposefully together.  And maybe your family is planning to do the same. But what will we do during all of this family time? Don't get in a rut just because it's part of the routine. Here are 25 family time ideas to keep things interesting! Fun is never far with these ideas.

25 Family Time Ideas:

Here are 25 family time ideas to keep things interesting at home! Fun is never far with these ideas.

1. Cook dinner as a family. Work together on one dish, or split up the dinner (and dessert) and work side by side to create a yummy meal you can all be proud of. 

2. Go camping. In your living room! Push aside all of the furniture and set up the tent right there in the living room. Or grab your sleeping bags and sleep under the stars- the glow in the dark kind!

3. Game night! A classic and a staple of any family night routine. Play a tried and true favorite, let each person pick one game for the family to play, or even have a marathon!

4. Learn something new. A new skill. A new card game. A new recipe. Read together on a subject that interests you all or watch a documentary. So many possibilities.

5. Movie night! Make it special. Lay on some blankets and pillows in the floor, or cuddle up on the couch. Don't forget the popcorn and treats!

6. Have a read-a-thon. Take turns reading from your favorite family friendly books. Younger children could look at the pictures and recite the story from their favorite picture books, or just enjoy being read their favorites. 

7. Set up an obstacle course. Let each family member plan a part of the obstacle course. Jump from couch cushion to couch cushion. Crawl under the table. Or take it to the backyard! Then take turns running through it. Who has the fastest time? Hand out silly, hand-made medals to every participant or compete for a grand prize!

8. Family art night. Work together on one masterpiece or see what each person comes up with separately using the same medium. You could even set up a family art gallery.

9. Take a trip down memory lane. Look at photo albums and watch old family movies. Reminisce together about the years past. 

10. Video game night. This will be a favorite of my son's and husband's. Indulge in some screen time and play some favorite games. You can also rent new games for many consoles from Redbox now.

11. Build a fort. Gather all of your cushions, pillows and sheets for a fun fort indoors. Or get creative outside. Don't forget the flashlights!

12. Photo booth night. Use a sheet for a back drop and set out lots of props! Take hilarious pictures.

13. Fun with puzzles. Tackle a huge jigsaw puzzle together as a family. Or teach younger children the art of putting together puzzles with one containing less pieces.

14. Write a story. Choose characters and discuss the plot. Take turns telling parts of the story and write it down! You could even illustrate! Or save that for another night. ;) Need help getting started? Here are 10 tips for storytelling.

15. Go on a scavenger hunt. Great fun for indoors or out!

16. Have a family slumber party. Everyone wears their pjs, eats way too much junk food, and stays up a bit too late having fun. Sleep in the next day!

17. Act out your favorite story. Rehearse and perform!

18. Music night! Dance or sing along to some fun music. Or form a band and make your own music with homemade instruments.

19. Ice cream sundae night. Put out lots of ingredients for amazing ice cream sundaes. Build your own and share your creations.

20. Plant a garden. Whether it's food or flowers, there's a lot of fun and satisfaction to be had working in the garden.

21. Candlelight night. Do everything by candlelight! Not just dinner.

22. Stargaze. Make wishes. Look for the constellations or make up your own. What do you see? And don't forget to go out and watch some of the many meteor showers we have each year!

23. Celebrate the small stuff. Use any excuse for a party! Celebrate the successes and events of everyone in the family, no matter how "small".

24. Play outside. Get outside and have fun in your own yard as a family. Play Frisbee, fly a kite, or play some classic childhood games like "red light, green light." Toys are not required! Or play in the dark!

25. Play hide and seek. This is such a huge hit among kids, but the adults can have a lot of fun too!

What family time activities does your family enjoy? What would you add to the list?

Next week I'll be sharing a list of family time ideas that will take you out of the house, so be sure to check back! You can subscribe for free or follow me on Facebook to follow the fun. 

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Setting Family Goals for the New Year

As we begin to welcome in the new year, I can't help but reflect on the past. There's a mixture of emotions surrounding this passage of time, and there's a great deal of hope for the upcoming year. The above quote is powerful. It reminds me that even though I can't slow down the ticking of the clock (or pause it all together), that I can control how I spend my time. I can control where it goes.

A way that I'm focusing on making the most of this time (and really, this childhood that beckons me) is by setting goals. Goals for myself as a parent, and goals for my family as a whole. I want these goals to remain a focus throughout the year. My plan is to write out our goals and add them to a special keepsake box so we can review them periodically and reread them next New Year's Eve. 

I wanted this to be a family affair, and I found that asking family oriented questions was the best way to get them involved.

Questions to Ask Yourself and Partner:

1. What was your favorite memory of this past year?

2. What was your biggest regret?

3. What is your favorite family activity?

4. What makes you feel happy and loved?

5. What is one new thing you'd like to try as a family in the new year?

Questions to Ask Your Kids:

1. What was your favorite memory of this past year?

2. What is your favorite thing to do as a family?

3. What is your favorite thing to do with just dad? With just mom?

4. What does mom do to make you feel happy and loved? What does dad do?

5. What is one thing you'd like to try as a family in the new year?

By asking these questions, I was able to get a sense of what is most important to each one of us, and to us as a family. Not only did this help with goal setting, but this also made a great keepsake interview. It was especially nice to see what made the biggest impression on R. And I imagine it will be great to see his various answers from year to year. 

{Follow the fun by subscribing or following Childhood Beckons on Facebook!}

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