* Some of them we purchased ourselves, while others we given a copy to review, but we only share things that we truly enjoy!  (Nor do we use affiliate links)*

Literacy Invitations to Play Cards from Imagination Tree

• This is fantastic way to develop your child’s understanding of literacy (all that encompasses reading and writing etc.) in hands-on ways.  When I was an educator that was always my preferred method of teaching!  These cards are written by an experienced teacher and mother of 4, Anna, whose website The Imagination Tree (https://theimaginationtree.com/) and membership group has lots of dedicated followers for a reason!  You might be familiar with her Kindness Elves (https://theimaginationtree.com/kindness-elves/) and her Sensory Invitations to Play Cards as well.  The introduction of the cards talks about why learning through play is important particularly for early learning (my kids are school age and love the activities in the cards), how to build literacy in your home and/ or school, how phonics, sight and high frequency words work and then over 50 different things to do to develop these skills.  Each card has a list of needed items, a “Make” and a “Play” section and the purpose of the ideas.  I would give this to friends that have kids (perfect for preparing kids for schooling and wonderful within themselves) and those that are teachers as the ideas are great for in the classroom setting and the cards are in a handy, easy to use format!  See one of the projects we tried below!

• Find them here: https://theimaginationtreestore.com/pages/invitations-to-play

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Super Sensory Bins

• Happy Toddler Playtime (https://happytoddlerplaytime.com/) is a website full of neat ideas to do with your little ones at home.  Mandisa, mother of 3 (and shout-out to a fellow Canadian) just recently published this sensory bin book that I ordered for my nephew along with things that he has loved seeing the cousins play with over Face Time. (Can’t wait until we can be together again! When he and his mom would come over, we would always have a sensory bin set up for him in the kitchen.) Our kids could literally play with sensory bins for hours even still as older children.  When we lead yearly programs in the summer, the children always flock to the daily sensory related bins and activities (from ages 6-10) and on more than one occasion I have seen parents at groups etc. dive right in there with the kids having a great time!  Sensory bins are a great opportunity for play, learning, exploring different textures and materials and interacting with others.  We have seen the success of them in our children’s pre-K, Play school and Kindergarten experiences so this book would also be great for educators!

• Here is the  printable label entitled Sensory Bin (SensoryBin ) and either the Happy Birthday (Happy Birthday) Printable Tag or the Happy Holidays (Happy Holidays) Printable Tag.

Find the book here (full list of retailers)  https://happytoddlerplaytime.com/exciting-sensory-bins-for-curious-kids/

• Canadians:

- Chapters/ Indigo: https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/exciting-sensory-bins-for-curious/9781645671688

- Amazon: https://www.amazon.ca/Exciting-Sensory-Bins-Curious-Kids/dp/1645671682/

• Americans: 

- Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Exciting-Sensory-Bins-Curious-Kids/dp/1645671682/

Here’s a video about what we popped into our bin (our nephew likes seeing dinosaurs playing in lava hence the baking soda and vinegar addition).  We recommend a SHALLOW BIN for sensory play (we ordered ours online and accidentally got the wrong one!). What would you add to your Sensory Bin?

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Happy Tot Shelf

• Growing up, I was so lucky to have two wonderful sisters and now my children have that opportunity with siblings.  Being home during the pandemic and doing online school together, the kids spend a lot of time together!  We are unable to see other families (aside from our house to our neighbours/friends at the sidewalk), being immunocompromised (The kids definitely connect with their pals on Facetime, on the phone and through the mail.) so this book is perfect for the kids!  We spend a lot of time on building strong sibling bonds in our family and Fynn of  Happy Tot Shelf  (https://happytotshelf.com/) has written this great book of learning, play and creating together!  These projects are still excellent opportunities for a single child to do with a friend and/or to do as a collaborative activity in a classroom.  Fynn’s background is in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math)- she holds a degree in Chemical Engineering, a post graduate diploma in Education and she was was a Math and Science teacher.   Now she shows you accessible ways to infuse learning into your home (and hers!) for multiple children of multiple ages!

• Find the book here:

• Canadians:

- Chapters/ Indigo: https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/the-happy-learning-book-for/9789811224348-item.html  - Amazon: https://www.amazon.ca/Happy-Learning-Book-Siblings-Activities/dp/981122434X/

• Americans: 

- Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Happy-Learning-Book-Siblings-Activities/dp/981122434X/

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Mini Masterpieces

• We consistently enjoy The Innovation Press https://www.theinnovationpress.com/ for their diverse set of published books- particularly their biographies, stunning picture books and their focus on STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math).  This book is written by Laura Lohmann of Painted Paper (https://www.paintedpaperart.com/).  It is a great way for children to explore art history and the styles of various artists through projects using different mediums!  This would make a lovely gift for the winter holiday from school along with some art supplies or give it to a teacher to use in their classroom to bring their art curriculum alive!  Art was always one of my favourite things to teach- we would learn the concept, the students would apply the ideas in their own way and then we would listen to music and talk while we created- the best way to spend the last period of a Friday afternoon!

• Find it here: https://www.theinnovationpress.com/minimasterpieces

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Sewing Simple Softies

• Trixi of Sew a Softie (https://www.sewasoftie.com/) formerly Coloured Buttons has been teaching sewing for almost thirty years and it shows.  I like her approach to children’s creating this craft form, focusing on learning the process, with lots of handy tips!  She is a softie designer and has written books for both parents and educators to use.  Each year Trixi also hosts Sew a Softie events online (often in July and sometimes like this year, during the Festive season) with contributors from all over the world!  Trixi has collaborated with another author (Deborah Fisher) on this book and seventeen other designer including US!

• Find it here:

• Canadians:

- Chapters/ Indigo: https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/sewing-simple-softies-with-17/9780764361272-item.html

- Amazon: https://www.amazon.ca/Sewing-Simple-Softies-Amazing-Designers/dp/0764361279/

• Americans: 

- Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Sewing-Simple-Softies-Amazing-Designers/dp/0764361279/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=sewing+simple+softies&qid=1599656860&sr=8-

SOME OTHER BOOKS YOU MIGHT ENJOY:

Parade Family Book Club

• Want to get your kids digging deeper into understanding reading while connecting with them?  Reading together is my favourite time of the day with the kids and this e-book allows you to extend that experience in meaningful ways.  Written by Children’s Librarian and one of my favourite book reviews, Lauren of  Happily Ever Elephants https://happilyeverelephants.com/, you will be impressed with the thoughtful suggestions of books and how to explore the themes in them!

• Find the full review here: http://make-it-your-own.com/book-review-parade-family-book-club/

• Get the ebook here: https://happilyeverelephants.com/childrens-book-club

Paper, Recyclable & Nature Crafting

The recycling bin is a constant source of inspiration for kids to create with!  And paper is something that is often inexpensive and readily available.  Here are a few books that the kids  (and other we have gifted them to) have enjoyed from various authors:

• Easy Paper Projects: Written by the lovely, long time kids’ creator (she has even been on T.V.!) Maggy of Red Ted Art (https://www.redtedart.com/), this book is great as it has different seasonal projects and tonnes of neat ideas!  Read the full review here http://make-it-your-own.com/book-review-easy-paper-projects/ and how to order your own copy!  I have given this one as a gift and people love it!

• Fun and Easy Crafting with Recycled Materials: Written by Kimberly of The Best Ideas for Kids https://www.thebestideasforkids.com/, this is fantastic way for kids to be creative while taking care of the earth, reusing items for different purposes.  We could tell this book was a hit when we sent it to my niece as a gift this year because she sent us tonnes of photos of the creations and a book filled with stickies to make so many more!  We have given it to both kids and teachers alike! Find the full review and where to buy it here: http://make-it-your-own.com/recycled-craft-book/

• Sticks and Stones: Written by Melissa of Fireflies and Mudpies (https://www.firefliesandmudpies.com/), this book has the most beautifully photographed projects!  We are lucky to live close to a river valley so our children have had the opportunity to have once a week Forest School in this beautiful green space.  Getting out and appreciating nature is so important to children’s development!  This book takes items found in nature and shows you how to create with them.  We have given it as a gift to teachers!  Find the full review and how to purchase this book here: http://make-it-your-own.com/book-review-sticks-and-stones/

• Paper Crafts for Kids: Written by Stefania Luca of Non-Toy Gifts for Kids,  https://nontoygifts.com/we gave this book to my niece who loves to make stuff for Canadian Thanksgiving!   This is a good book for kids who are just getting into making items as there are templates included which they can use and then expand upon as they learn how to put things together!  It would make a great stocking stuffer (just gently curve it)!  Find the review and where to purchase the book here: http://make-it-your-own.com/fall-fingerprint-cards/

• Rock Art Handbook: Written by Samantha Sarles of Color Made Happy (https://colormadehappy.com/), this book is THE go-to for rock painting!  It honestly has the best suggestions for materials that work really well and tonnes of creative projects to get you started.  When asked, I always send people to this book if they like creating with a rock canvas!  Find the full review here and how to purchase the book: http://make-it-your-own.com/rock-sunflower/

Picture Book

• My Colour is Rainbow: https://www.hellowonderful.co/post/my-color-is-rainbow-a-playful-children-s-book-on-kindness-love-and-acceptance-shop/:  The kids sure enjoyed this book and if you are familiar with Agnes of Hello, Wonderful (https://www.hellowonderful.co/) and her family, they support lots of Kindness initiatives!  Add this to some colourful items- toys, crafting materials, food colouring and different containers for a colour lab to make a bright holiday gift!  Here a few ideas: http://make-it-your-own.com/my-color-is-rainbow-3-gift-ideas/ *Be sure to switch out the plastic straws for paper ones or substitute for coloured dowels*

What books would you add to this list?

Materials

• Printable Spiders & Activities stack spiders
  
• Scissors
• Optional:  Play spiders (you can purchase these at craft, dollar stores, online, in science centre/nature shops or at party stores around Hall)
• Optional: Page protectors
• 2 dice, pencil/eraser or dry-erase marker/eraser.

We always find these items useful too:

Directions

• Print the spiders and cut them out carefully, using scissors or have an adult cut them with a paper cutter.

• If you like for durability, place your activity prompts into page protectors.

Counting 

• Add the number of spiders to the TEN FRAME CHART as specified in the box.  You can first put them on the web and then move them to the ten frame or place them directly in the ten frame.  As you place each spider in the chart, count the number as you place it down.  This will help you with ONE-TO-ONE correspondence (that each numeral spoken corresponds to a physical object).  Ten frames help children visually organize and identify numbers.

Patterning 

• Create a pattern.  You could look varying the attributes of colour, the number of items etc.  You could create a repeating pattern, a growing pattern etc.  This is a great time to identify the core (the main part of the pattern that repeats) and think about the different types of patterns (ABAB, or ABCABC or ABABCABCD etc.).

Sorting by Colour 

• Sort your spiders according to their colours.

Sorting by Size 

• Sort your leaves into their size (e.g. small, medium and large)

Roll and Count 

• Using two dice (if you don’t have these, you could use an app), roll your first die and then add that number of spiders to your ten frames, counting as you go.  Roll the next die and then add those spiders, counting from the previous group of spiders.  Write the total if you like using a dry erase marker.  This is a fun collaborative activity!  (Of course be sure to follow your community’s social distancing protocols during the pandemic, so for example in our video partnerships are with our siblings).

Tic Tac Toe 

• Pick two different types of spiders (you will need 5 each) and play with a partner trying to get 3 spiders in a row (horizontal, diagonal, vertical).  This is a simple introduction to game play- taking turns, developing beginning strategies, encouraging your partner etc.

Match your Spiders 

• Use different coloured play spiders or the spiders in the pack to create matches.  Our son glued one set of the pair into a tray and then had his classmates from last year match the spiders in a bowl (as seen in the video).  You could also use the paper spiders in our package.  Be sure to print the corresponding prompt to put along with your activity!

Practising skills repeatedly in different formats allows the children to more fully integrate the knowledge.  You could use the printable spiders one day, then try them another day with play spiders and even make spiders out of play dough if you wanted to further extend this practise!

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Purpose

• Working with different math concepts in a hands-on manner.

Safety Notes

• Use scissors with care and direct, adult supervision.
• We suggest that you use a tray and a smock to protect your clothing and surfaces if you are using play dough.
• Small items such as the play spiders can be a choking hazard, therefore be sure to keep them out of the reach of children ages 0-3 years of age or those that tend to put things into their mouths

Materials

• Printable Trees and Leaves leaves on tree
• Printable Math Challenges stack leaves
• Scissors
• Optional:  Wooden leaves (you can purchase these at craft or dollar stores), play dough and/or small collected leaves.
• Optional: Page protectors
• 2 dice, pencil/eraser or dry-erase marker/eraser.

We always find these items useful too:

Directions

• Print the leaves and cut them out carefully, using scissors or have an adult cut them with a paper cutter.

• If you like for durability, place your activity prompts into page protectors.

• If you use wooden leaves we painted ours with liquid watercolours, but you could try any type of paint or food colouring.  For ease you can put the paint into a small container and swirl the leaves around.  Once they were covered in paint we placed them on a drying rack.  This method was quick and easy!  (Use the remaining paint to create a fall picture).

Counting 

• Add the number of leaves to the TEN FRAME CHART as specified in the box.  You can first put them on the tree and then move them to the ten frame or place them directly in the ten frame.  As you place each leaf in the chart, count the number as you place it down.  This will help you with ONE-TO-ONE correspondence (that each numeral spoken corresponds to a physical object).  Ten frames help children visually organize and identify numbers.

Patterning 

• Create a pattern.  You could look varying the attributes of size, shape, the number of items etc.  You could create a repeating pattern, a growing pattern etc.  This is a great time to identify the core (the main part of the pattern that repeats) and think about the different types of patterns (ABAB, or ABCABC or ABABCABCD etc.).

Sorting by Colour 

• Sort your leaves according to their colours.

Sorting by Shape 

• Sort your leaves according to their shapes or types.

Sorting by Size 

• Sort your leaves into their size (e.g. small, medium and large)

Roll and Count 

• Using two dice (if you don’t have these, you could use an app), roll your first die and then add that number of leaves to your ten frames, counting as you go.  Roll the next die and then add those leaves, counting from the previous group of leaves.  Write the total if you like using a dry erase marker.  This is a fun collaborative activity!  (Of course be sure to follow your community’s social distancing protocols during the pandemic, so for example in our video partnerships are with our siblings).

Tic Tac Toe 

• Pick two different types of leaves (you will need 5 each) and play with a partner trying to get 3 leaves in a row (horizontal, diagonal, vertical).  This is a simple introduction to game play- taking turns, developing beginning strategies, encouraging your partner etc.

Stack your Leaves

• Stack your leaves into a pile (this is a great fine motor activity) trying to balance them and see how high you can get.  Now try to blow over your pile!

Practising skills repeatedly in different formats allows the children to more fully integrate the knowledge.  You could use the printable leaves one day, then try them another day with play dough or go on a nature walk and collect leaves to try using an additional day.

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Purpose

• Working with different math concepts in a hands-on manner.

Safety Notes

• Use scissors with care and direct, adult supervision.
• We suggest that you use a tray and a smock to protect your clothing and surfaces if you are using play dough.
• Small items such as the wooden leaves can be a choking hazard, therefore be sure to keep them out of the reach of children ages 0-3 years of age or those that tend to put things into their mouths.

Our playdates with the neighbours and other pals often happen at the playground/ splash park in the summer, the skating rink or school hill for sledding in the winter or at places in our city (the science centre, nature centre and museum all have well-loved play areas), but they also happen at our home.  Here are a few things that we have found to be helpful:

1) We know the children and their parents/ caregivers that are coming over so the kids are already comfortable with us.  Some kids come over with their parents (great to have a cup of tea together and chat) and sometimes they come on their own. 

2) We usually stick to about a 1 and half hour playdate unless the kids are really close friends and gel easily with their pal.  This gives enough time to play, create and snack and then finish just at that sweet spot. 

3) Go with the children’s energy, but provide some options of activities if they would like.  Let the children guide the flow of the playdate.  We have a large playroom which is where most of the play date takes place.  In addition we set up a specific creating opportunity and a play opportunity as an option.  Below we show you an example of the creating opportunity.  One thing we love is blank wooden items that the kids can decorate with items you might already have and it makes a lovely project for them to take home!  A play opportunity might be some water in the sensory bin/ table and some sea creatures etc. or a small world such as fairy land or dinosaurs.  The kids pre-set this up to look inviting and something that might draw their guests in!  You could have additional items ready if the kids have a shorter attention span.

4) If the parents are comfortable with it, we have a snack- usually watermelon or a fruit salad and a homemade treat (cookies etc.).  You could also have a veggie plate or other types of finger foods.  We find that a muffin tin meal is often a hit as you can pop lots of different options in the tray for the kids to chose from if they are coming for lunch.  Set these up in advance to make it easier.  We have also done cookie decorating which the kids enjoy too!  (Especially if they make a plate of them to take home as well for their family).

Special thanks to our pal R. for coming over- definitely our sons’s special mate!  Her wonderful mom is a professional designer and hand-letterer whose beautiful work you can find here: https://justinema.ca/

PLAY DATE INVITATION TO CREATE

Materials

• Blank Wooden Items (plaques) . Our favourite place to get these is: https://woodpeckerscrafts.com/wood-valentines-day-cutouts/ (They have tonnes of seasonal ones)

*Use what you have at home, here are a few low maintenance options:

• Paint Sticks (We like the Kwik Stix brand)
• Paint Pens (We like the Posca Brand)
• Beads, buttons etc. (Decorating items)
• Glue

We always find these items useful too:

Directions

• Pre-organzie your supplies.  Our kids love to do this- putting the items into trays that are easy for all the kids to reach, setting up all the potential things kids might need (such as the glue for each tray), providing a few options and then making sure each child has a work space.  We use craft trays for this to keep those beads and supplies contained!

• Decorate your heart, eggs etc. as you like.  The kids used paint sticks and then applied beads or used the paint sticks.  They wrote an inscription on the back of the project too.  We have found that the kids not only like to keep the projects for themselves, but they also like to make a surprise for their parents (which I pop into a re-useable gift bag and then they give it to them on Valentine’s Day for example)!  It is always good to have a few extra pieces on hand in case the child wants to make a few!

They wanted to do the eggs as well so I offered them a different material/medium:

For our older kids, this activity was a play date hit:

* Our daughter and her cousin literally worked on these for hours one day and they were great when we used them in a children’s program*

We’d love to hear your play date tips and ideas in the comment section!

Purpose

• Developing friendships.
• Creating with different materials in a cooperative setting.
• Developing language and interaction skills.

Safety Notes

• We suggest that you use a tray and a smock to protect your clothing and surfaces.
• Use art supplies with care (following product directions)  and direct, adult supervision.
• Beads can be a choking hazard, therefore be sure to keep them out of the reach of children ages 0-3 years of age or those that tend to put things into their mouths.

Materials

Play Dough 

• See our favourite recipe below or purchase Play Doh.

Snow Person Play Dough 

• Lids of different sizes
• Loose parts (buttons, beads etc.)
• Twigs

Build a Snow Fort 

Option #1

• Toothpicks or dowels
• Play Dough

Option #2

• Play Dough
• Ice Cube Tray
• Old Butter Knife/ Clay Tool

Make a Symmetrical Snowflake 

• Large lid
• Ruler
• Play Dough
• Loose parts (wooden rings, beads, popsicle sticks, buttons, gems, marbles etc.)

We always find these items useful too:

Directions

Play Dough 

This is a recipe we love!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup salt
• 3 tbsp cream of tarter
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil 

Directions:

• Combine all of the dry ingredients in a medium pan.
• Add water and oil.
• Cook on medium heat, adding the food colouring and spice.
• Stir continuously.
• When the dough mix pulls away from the sides and forms into a large ball, the dough is ready to be placed in a small bowl to cool.
• Store in a plastic container or re-sealable bag.

* Because of the large salt content this play dough is not recommended for children 0-3 or those that tend to put things into their mouth.*

Source: Japer Place Child and Family Resource Centre

Snow Person Play Dough 

• Collect and wash lids.
• Use your play dough to fill the lids to make a snowman or snow woman.
• Use your loose parts to decorate your snow person.
• If you like, take a photo to document your work!

Build a Snow Fort 

Option #1

• Use your toothpicks and snowballs to create a fort.
• Take a photo to document your work!

Option #2

• Fill your ice cube tray with compressed play dough.
• Use your dull butter knife to cut out your “snow blocks”.
• Form a snow fort or igloo to play with.
• Add animal or people figurines if you like!

Make a Symmetrical Snowflake 

• Fill your lid with play dough “snow”.
• Create some lines with your ruler in your snow.
• Use your play dough and loose parts to create symmetrical snowflake.

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Purpose

• Designing with loose parts.
• Constructing with different materials.
• Learning about symmetrical which lends to geometry knowledge.

Safety Notes

• We suggest that you use a tray and a smock to protect your clothing and surfaces.
• Use toothpicks with care and direct, adult supervision.
• Small items such as beads, buttons etc. can be a choking hazard, therefore be sure to keep them out of the reach of children ages 0-3 years of age or those that tend to put things into their mouths.
• Because of the large salt content this play dough is not recommended for children 0-3 or those that tend to put things into their mouth.

Donations

1) In lieu of gifts, we give donations for the adults in our family and close friends.  These are organizations that are important to ourselves or the recipient.   However, we like to attach a handmade ornament to the donation card.  Here are a few we have made in the past:

Snow person: http://make-it-your-own.com/silvery-snow-snow-person-ornament/

Santa, Mrs. Claus & Elf Ornaments:

http://make-it-your-own.com/christmas-ornaments-santa-claus-mrs-claus-and-the-elves/ 

Clay Faces: http://make-it-your-own.com/clay-portrait-ornaments/

Shrink Art Ornaments: http://make-it-your-own.com/snow-globe-shrink-art-ornaments/

AND Our favourite handmade cards:

Snow People: http://make-it-your-own.com/handmade-cards-make-your-own-snowperson/

Ornament Card: http://make-it-your-own.com/handmade-cards-ornaments/

Snowy Forest: http://make-it-your-own.com/handmade-cards-snowy-forest/

Candle Cards: http://make-it-your-own.com/handmade-cards-candles/

2) We do give gifts to teachers and help Santa with the stockings of our family members so here are a few items we like to add:

• Plantiful: https://plantiful.ca/  I wear Plantiful’s lip butter every day (and night)- I just love it!  With their new compostable tube with 3 times the amount of lip butter in it, I pop in my coats, purse and have one beside my bed.  My kids like to have one by their bed and in their back packs for school too!  We love their vapour balm (I literally have it on while I am typing this), face masks, hand creams, pain remedies and make-up remover (so good for face paint).  I like that all their products are plant based.  My friends and the kids’ teachers can attest, that their products make lovely gifts!

• Justine Ma Designs: https://justinema.ca/ Since my kids just love making, I think it is always important to support makers and Justine is a favourite of our whole family!  She has beautiful, handmade ornaments, cards (which I am always giving my family members) and cake toppers.  If you look at Justine’s site, she participates in many events in her community, promotes and donates to initiatives and is a lovely friend!

• This year we are adding all sorts of re-useable items to our adult stockings such as metal straws, veggie bags, wax wraps etc.  My husband always likes consumables too- hot sauce, chocolate etc.  And my mom always taught us to include some practical items such as nail clippers, combs etc. as well.

• For teachers, if we know that they like something in particular, we try to align our gift ideas to that.  So for example, give bakers things to use in their kitchen, cook books etc.  Other gift ideas include:  stationary, throws, winter wear, candles, body care items, tea/ coffee, books gift cards etc.  We include a handmade piece of art, or an ornament, along with a personal note of appreciation.   We will also try to include a children’s book with an inscribed note.

Kid Gift and Stocking Ideas

We generally don’t give our kids tonnes of gifts as we travel for the holidays to visit family and try to focus on experiences such as lessons, activities etc.  However, we select one toy to share and help Santa with the stockings!  Here are a few ideas:

• Craft and art materials:  Our kids love things like paint pens (Posca), Paint Sticks (https://www.thepencilgrip.com/collections/kwik-stix-super-quick-drying-solid-tempera-paint-sticks), paint brushes and our new favourite place to order wooden craft materials for open-ended creating and crafts: Wood Pecker Crafts https://woodpeckerscrafts.com/

• Melanie Shanks: https://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/MyBigWorldPlayscapes Melanie makes beautiful, hand-sewn felt PLAYMATS and our kids just love playing with figurines (animals, fairies, sea creatures etc.), so these play mats are perfect for play in both your home or classroom.

• Adventures in a Box: https://www.adventure-in-a-box.com/shadow-puppets/ Liska and her family create these intricate, detailed SHADOW PUPPETS.  We have used them in groups, given them to friends and teachers and they have always been a hit!

• Pink NouNou Stuffies: https://www.pinknounou.com/shop_/ If your child would like a “lovie” to treasure, Ana’s creations are unique and designed by her.

• This year our children’s gift to share is going to be Connetix Magnet Tiles: https://connetixtiles.com/.  We have heard such great reviews about their magnet strength and can’t wait until they are available for order here in Canada!

• In the past our children have enjoyed Schleich figurines, Playmobil, various building items such as LEGO, forts and cardboard blocks.  They love items for dramatic play such as puppets and costumes as well.  Board games have also been a hit as they have grown.  If you want age specific toy recommendations the developmental information behind those selections Toy Ideas is a good site: https://www.toy-ideas.com/

• This year the cousins are getting a Building Kit from us or

• A Gingerbread Kit  (video coming out soon)

Books

We just love Children’s picture books and novels and here are a few of our favourite sites for book recommendations:  (we give our neighbours books if they have children and treats/ hot chocolate/ tea if they don’t)

• Innovation Press: https://www.theinnovationpress.com/our-books I like that the Innovation Press illuminates the careers and contributions of women to STEM related fields.  Here are some of their newest titles that we have been reading:

• My Colour is Rainbow: https://www.hellowonderful.co/post/my-color-is-rainbow-a-playful-children-s-book-on-kindness-love-and-acceptance-shop/:  The kids sure enjoyed this book and if you are familiar with Agnes and her family, they support lots of Kindness initiatives!

• Happily Ever Elephants: https://happilyeverelephants.com/ Lauren has good, thoughtful book suggestions with titles that lend to discussion and debate!

• Here Wee Read: http://hereweeread.com/ This is such a great site for diverse titles which is something that I always tried to focus on as teacher and in our family in expanding our library.

• Kid Art Lit: https://www.kidartlit.com/  Megan and Julia have created a subscription box that combines their love of Children’s picture books and art, delivered right to your door!

Project Books:

These make lovely gifts for little friends with a few supplies in a basket, along with the book.  Here are a few that we have enjoyed lately:

• Babble Dabble Do’s The Bot Book : https://babbledabbledo.com/the-bot-book/ If you have a child who enjoys STEAM or you would like to get them into more of it, this is a great book for creating!

• Best Ideas for Kids: https://www.thebestideasforkids.com/ . Kim’s new book is all about recyclables which is great for the earth and I know my kids are always using the recycling bin as place to get inspiration!

• Red Ted Art Paper Project Book: https://www.redtedart.com/my-new-paper-crafts-for-kids-book/ . This book is great in that it uses one material that we all have on hand in so many unique ways!

• Sticks and Stones Outdoor Activity Book: https://www.firefliesandmudpies.com/outdoor-activity-book/  We love collecting nature- sticks, rocks, acorns and pinecones and this book of Melissa’s is great for showing your projects that you can make with those nature finds!

• Color Made Happy Rock Painting Book: https://colormadehappy.com/  Our youngest just loves rocks and so we are often creating with them.  Sam’s book had the best recommendations for supplies to use and potential ideas for projects!  We truly feel like it took the kids’ rock creations to the next level!

We’d love to hear your holiday gift recommendations!  We hope you have a most wonderful one, with the greatest gift- the warmth of family & friends! 

Materials

• Drawer organizer
• Small items to create with (wooden pieces, beads, caps).  Our new favourite place for these types of items is Woodpeckers: https://woodpeckerscrafts.com/
• Glue
• Popsicle sticks
• Patterned paper (you could use origami, re-use a paper chopping bag or sometimes wedding invitation places have off cuts for re-use)
• Scissors

Deluxe version

• Hinge set
• Faux leather strip

Shrink Art Person 

• Shrink Art
• Permanent markers OR pencil crayons/ sandpaper
• Popsicle stick
• Two button magnets
• Glue gun/ glue

We always find these items useful too:

Directions

Mini House 

• If you like, glue patterned paper onto the sections of your home, to serve as wall paper.  You could create the paper yourself, use old artwork or origami, re-used paper bags or off cuts from a wedding invitation place work well.   Alternatively, you could paint or colour each square in as well.

• Use your imagination and little bits to create items that you might find in your mini home- furniture, appliances, art work etc. Create a little house of your dreams. You can find lots of these wooden items at our new favourite spot to order from- Woodpeckers: https://woodpeckerscrafts.com/

Shrink Art Person

• Draw yourself on your shrink art.  You could use either permanent markers or scuff the shrink art paper with sandpaper and then use pencil crayons.  We find if you outline your character in black, it really makes you pop!   Carefully cut yourself out and place yourself on a cookie sheet.

• Follow the product directions with an adult directly supervising as to how to “cook ” the shrink art.

• Once cooled, glue yourself into the centre of one of your button magnets.

• On your popsicle stick glue your other button magnet, making sure it is flipped to the side that will attract to the magnet on the bottom of your shrink art!

Deluxe version 

• Take 2 drawer organizers and attach them together with a hinge  (we just glued ours on).

• Create a loop to hold it together using a piece of faux leather (from the craft store) and a bead.  (Have an adult make the slit in the leather piece and glue the bead onto the wood).

• You can create a small carrying handle with your leather strip too.

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Purpose

• Changing scale.
• Using one’s imagination.
• Developing one’s fine motor skills, especially handling and manipulating small objects.

Safety Notes

• We suggest that you use a tray and a smock to protect your clothing and surfaces.
• Use scissors and a glue gun with care and direct, adult supervision.
• Cord, yarn etc. can be a strangulation hazard, therefore be sure to use with direct supervision and for its intended purpose.
• Beads can be a choking hazard, therefore be sure to keep them out of the reach of children ages 0-3 years of age or those that tend to put things into their mouths.

Materials

• Paper bags
• Paint
• Paint brush/tools
• Hole punch
• Yarn
• Plastic needle
• Stuffing material (Old phone book pages, newsprint, plastic bags etc.)
• Optional:  Leaf template

We always find these items useful too:

Directions

• Go out into nature with an adult and look at the shape of leaves for inspiration.

• Open your paper bag, spread it out and cut off the bottom section.  Grocery bags are perfect for this purpose, but you can also use a shopping bag.

• Draw your leaf shape.  If you need help,  we have a free leaf template in the Materials section.

• Cut out your leaves (you need two) and flip them over so that you are painting on the side without any print.  Paint your bag as your like.  The kids enjoy this scrape painting technique with an old gift card.  Allow to dry overnight.

• Cut out two copies of your leaves.

• Line your leaves up (we used some binder clips to help hold them together) and punch holes around the edges.  We went with approximately 2.5 centimetres/ 1 inch apart, 1 cm in from the edge.

• Tie your yarn on and sew around the edges- you could up and down with a straight/ running stitch or wrap it around to the next hole as a whip stitch.

• Sew around the edges but leave out a few holes so you can insert your stuffing.  We used phone book pages ripped into strips, but you could crunch up any recyclables that you might have or scrunch up a grocery bag.

• Sew your leaf shut.  Hang your leaves up on display.  Follow the same process to make a pumpkin or any shape that you like!

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Purpose

• Recognizing some of the symbols of the season.
• Developing one’s fine motor skills.

Safety Notes

• We suggest that you use a tray and a smock to protect your clothing and surfaces.
• Use scissors with care and direct, adult supervision.
• Cord, yarn etc. can be a strangulation hazard, therefore be sure to use with direct supervision and for its intended purpose.

Order the Book:

Find all the details here: https://www.firefliesandmudpies.com/outdoor-activity-book/

Canadians:

• Chapter/ Indigo:  https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/sticks-and-stones-a-kids/9780760362563-item.html?ikwid=sticks+and+stones&ikwsec=Home&ikwidx=1
• Amazon: https://www.amazon.ca/Sticks-Stones-Building-Exploring-Outdoors/dp/0760362564/

Americans 

• Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Sticks-Stones-Building-Exploring-Outdoors/dp/0760362564/

* We requested a copy of this book for review, this is not a sponsored post and nor do we use affiliate links.*

Sample Project:

• Using the clear directions by the author, Melissa Lenning, my youngest collected loads of sticks, observing different lengths, types etc.

• We then trimmed them with the snipping portion of pliers (while wearing safety glasses) and secured the twigs together to create this fairy small world with a nature home (the roof is removable).

• Not only did the project get our children enjoying the outdoors, it got them carefully observing nature in our surroundings and using those collections to create with.  As you can see, it stimulated their imaginations and once they tried one project it piqued their interest in others.  This beautiful woven tent is their next choice!

Materials

• Play dough (see below for our favourite recipe or buy commercial play doh)
• Loose parts (see below for some suggestions)
• Tray for organizing the parts (we used a veggie and dip one)
• Trays, placemats or clay boards to work on

We always find these items useful too:

Directions

Play dough 

• Make or purchase your play dough.  Here is our favourite recipe: http://make-it-your-own.com/fall-fun-pumpkin-pie-playdough-gift-jar/.  You could colour as well, but we went with a sparkly white so the pieces would stand out.  If I was working in the classroom, I would make 4 batches of the recipe for one centre.

• We put our loose parts in the centre of the table where they were accessible.  Arrange your trays around your loose parts.  Depending on your classroom space and dynamics, decide on how many children could work on this activity at a time and put out that many trays, placemats etc.

• Explore with the loose parts to create images or something more abstract.  As you can see, we have done this a few years, showing you a few options for organizing your space.

Rotate you loose parts throughout the week.  As you can see, we tried- GOLD like treasures found at the end of the rainbow, GREEN which is synonymous with the shamrocks of St. Patrick’s Day and RAINBOW for the rainbow itself!

Loose Parts Ideas

Use items that you might have that are washable.  Here are a few ideas:

• buttons
• beads
• marbles
• bingo chips
• wood slices
• glass gems
• game pieces
• lids
• marbles
• blocks
• shells
• nature finds
• wooden pieces (popsicle sticks, small dowels etc.)
• wooden curtain hooks
• spools
• stones
• tiles

• You could document your creations with your camera and then return the parts for the next person to create with.  (This is a great way to practise sorting!)

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Purpose

• Manipulating loose parts allows for developing one’s fine motor skills, experimenting with design, exploring in an open-ended fashion as loose parts lend to unique combinations for each learner.

Safety Notes

• We suggest that you wear a smock and use a craft tray to protect your clothing and surfaces.
• Small items can be a choking hazard, therefore be sure to keep them out of the reach of children ages 0-3 years of age or those that tend to put things into their mouths.
• The play dough should be made by an adult and directly supervised during use due to the salt content of homemade play dough.