Activity: Cardboard cooking

I haven't actually done this yet, but it is definitely on my to do list. And it would work perfectly with all of Mia's pots and pans and things she got for Christmas. Plus, it will save you $200 or more dollars on buying the same thing at ToysRUs. Here's how it works:

You will need a bunch of cardboard boxes, duct tape, markers, and anything else you want to do to be creative. Here are some pictures to help you with your construction.

You can actually make things as simple or complex as you want. The white oven is one of the more simple, yet still awesome ones.

This brown one is slightly more complex, but still fairly easy.

Again, more complex than the first two, but still looking good!

This one is my favorite. I didn't make it, and don't know if I will ever be creative enough to replicate it, but I sure can enjoy looking at the picture!

Activity: I want to be like Mommy!

I've noticed that as Mia gets closer to turning 2, she wants to be mommy's helper more and more. That means that I'm constantly on the lookout for things she can do to help and feel "big and strong". If any of you are experiencing the same thing, you might find some good ideas on the following list:

Help pick up items at the grocery store and put them in the cart
Wipe up spills (Especially their own - this will help them learn responsibility)
Tear up lettuce, spinach, etc. for salad
Clean up toys (Mia has a little space on a shelf where she knows her books go, but she doesn't yet put them there on her own. We have to remind her.)
Water the garden (Mia's loved this since she was 15 months old!)
Help make cookies (Have them add the flour, chocolate chips, oats etc. - Even if they are really young, let them help with the poring)
Let them work along side you (Use a play tool set if Daddy is working with tools, give them their own gardening tools (play ones), etc.)
Sorting the laundry (Have your child find all of the socks, etc.)

I know that there are a lot of other great ideas out there. Just be sure to complement your child for trying, even when they make mistakes. And make sure that the activity is more about fun than about doing it perfectly.

What activities do you let your child help with?

Make It Yourself: Finger Paint

Here are multiple different ways to make your own finger paint:

Cornstarch - Water - Glycerine
Mix 1/2 cup of cornstarch with 1/4 cup cold water until there are no lumps. Cook over low heat until it begins to boil. Remove from the heat and then add another 1/2 cup cold water and 1 TBSP of glycerine. Mix together and then add food coloring if you want. That's all it takes!

Cornstarch-Gelatin (You will need 2 small pots and one bowl to make this recipe)
In the first pot, mix 1/2 cup of cornstarch with 3/4 cup of cold water to a smooth paste in a saucepan. In a separate bowl, mix together 1 envelope of unflavored gelatin with 1/4 cup of water. In the second pot, bring  2 cups of water to a boil. once the water is boiling, add it to the first pot and stir as your pour. Bring it to a boil again, and the mixture is clear. Remove from the heat and add the gelatin mixture (from the bowl). Then just add food coloring if you want to, and let it cool!

Cornstarch - Basic
Mix together a 1/4 cup cornstarch, 1/4 tsp salt, 1 1/2 TBSP sugar, and 1 cup cold water in a pot. Cover and cook over low heat for 10 minutes, stirring constantly. The mixture starts out thin, but will thicken as it cooks. After it thickens, remove from heat and let it cool. Once it's cool, divide into small containers and add a few drops of food coloring. Now you are ready to paint!

Activity: When you are at the Grocery Store

I am happy to say that this activity can go MANY different ways for MANY different ages. You can teach kids anything from colors (apples are red, grapes are purple, etc), organization (milk go here, flour goes there...), meal planning (I want to make spaghetti - do I have what I need?) and even as far as cost analysis (How do I get the best value for my money? How can I stay on budget?). I studied many aspects of food and budgeting in college and actually still use a lot of my old assignments in real life. With all this in mind, let me share with you some fun ideas of things that I have done in the store with kids.

I have asked them to...

Find things that are a certain color
Find a specific food (cucumbers, apples, etc. - Mia is learning how to do this).
Count how many jars of peanut butter they see
Help me pick out the biggest (or smallest, prettiest, etc.) piece of food
If you have $1.00 and a donut costs $0.50, can you afford it? Will you have any money left over?
I have $10.00 and need to get these 4 things. Can you find the best price?

 There are lots of  other things that you can do, and as always, the questions you ask will depend on the age and understanding of the child. In our family, I want to have Mia involved in all sorts of things, from cooking, to planning, to shopping, and even storing food (canning, drying, freezing, etc.). I'm hoping that by the time she is 10, she can at least make Spaghetti all by herself (she may need help lifting the pot full of water and noodles), and by the time she's 14 (if not earlier) I want her to be able to plan a week long menu of dinners, and make a grocery list. When she's 16, I want her to understand how to find the best value at the grocery store. This kind of knowledge will help her a lot in college, as well as in her adult life. She will be able to use these skills as well as her budgeting skills to be able to save money and live well below her means.

Have any of you done something like this? At what age did you start? What activities or concepts with you focus on?

Helping: Helping in the Kitchen

I love to cook, bake, decorate, create, and anything else you can think of in the kitchen (except for cleaning up. I don't think that I will ever enjoy that). Happily, we noticed early on that Mia was always wanting to know what was going on in the kitchen. Quickly, it became too much to hold her and try to prepare food, especially when trying to cut up vegetables or raw meat. So this past Christmas, we thought that we would get her her own little pretend food, pots and pans, and a little chef outfit. Oh, and a shopping cart to carry it all. Now when we cook, she can "cook" with us, but not be in our arms. Of course, this concept only worked for a few weeks, and we had to think of something else.

I thought that maybe if she could see what we were doing while sitting in a chair, then perhaps that would help. I was on the right track, except for the fact that I was using a sharp knife and Mia has small and curious fingers. But then I realized that I still had cilantro leaves that needed to be pulled off the stems. I gave some of the leaves with stems to Mia, and then showed her how to pull off the leaves. This was perfect! She understood it right away and had lots of fun. She was engaged in her task, and I was able to do everything else I needed without worrying about where her fingers were.

Now of course when you do this with your own children, you will need to decide what they can do based on age and skill. For example, I wouldn't give Mia a knife since she's not even two years old yet. But I can give her tasks like pulling grapes off the stems, tearing lettuce leaves for a salad, or adding pepperoni to the pizza. Mia is also learning to put plates and forks on the table. Have you tried something like this with your own children? How old are they and what task did you give them?