Toddler School - Week 3 - Getting Ready for Christmas

This week for Toddler School, I thought it would be a wonderful way to get ready for Christmas by doing some really fun Christmas activities with Baby Jay. She had a great time!

Toddler School - Week 2 - Library Fun

This was week 2 of our Toddler School journey. Check out Week 1 here. I was able to bring the kids with me to the Library where I work part time. Baby Jay LOVES the Library! There are so many things for kids to enjoy. I thought it would be great to incorporate the Library into this week's Toddler School.

Beginning Toddler School

Baby Jay has started Toddler School. She is 19 months old now. This is just our time to play together. With a part-time job, 4 kids, homeschooling, and all the other activities we do, it can be difficult to find one-on-one time with each of the kids. This is a great way for Baby Jay and I to have our time.  Are you thinking about beginning Toddler School with your little one? Here is what our first week looked like.

How We Began Toddler School

What to Do With Old Crayons???

I work part-time at our local library. I'm blessed enough to be our Children's Librarian. We have Story Time every week for preschoolers and young elementary home school kids like Jay. Once a year, we replace the used crayons with brand new ones. We wondered what to do with all the old ones. We decided to make new ones! Want to do this for yourself? Read on!

This is how I made new crayons out of old crayons.

How to Host an Easy Tea Time Party for All Ages

After reading Tea Party Rules by Ame Dyckman, Jay, my first grader, wanted to have her own Tea Party. I thought it would be great to include all of my kids plus another family. The kids range in age from 18 months to 15 years old. There are 4 girls and 3 boys so I needed it to feel a little less girly. I called it a Tea Time Party to help with that. With 4 kids, a part time job, homeschooling, and starting a new church, I also needed it to be easy.

Hosting an Easy Tea Time Party for All Ages

 

Jay made an invitation for the family that we wanted to invite. I drew a tea pot on construction paper. She cut it out and glued it onto another piece of construction paper that was folded like a card. She wrote the invitation message inside and the names on the outside. Very easy. She really enjoyed making it.

We started with food because what's the point of a party without food, right? I bought a dozen donuts and cut them into four pieces. I also bought Little Debbie Marshmallow Treats and a package of Butter Cookies. My friend, the other Mom, made Pigs in a Blanket (they were very yummy!). 

Now for the tea. I ran a pot of hot water in the coffee pot. We had regular tea bags and Apples and Cinnamon Tea Bags. We steeped the flavor of tea bag we wanted in a cup, added sugar, creamer, pumpkin pie spice, or cinnamon, then some cold water from the refrigerator. We also had orange juice or grape juice if anyone preferred them over tea. 

I bought clear Chinet plates, Chinet napkins, and Dixie Plastic Cutlery. This was an easy and fairly inexpensive way to be "fancy" and kid-friendly at the same time.

For our Tea Time Party activities we played board games and the kids took turns playing the Wii. We all had a great time! 

For more Tea Party ideas check out my Pinterest Board It's Tea Time!

Peppermint Foot Soak

Do your feet ever get tired, achy, and hot? Lately, that's what I've been dealing with. I decided to do some research on a good foot soak recipe. I found a great recipe for a

 Peppermint Foot Soak.

It just so happens that I have Peppermint growing in my garden! I also have a Dr. Scholl's Foot Spa, like the one pictured below.

Peppermint Foot Soak Recipe

4 teaspoons dried peppermint leaves

2 cups Epsom salt

Add 1 teaspoon of mixture to warm water.

I picked about two handfuls of peppermint leaves, washed, and wiped off the excess water. I then dried them in the oven on the lowest setting for about 30 minutes. When cooled, I removed the leaves from the stem and powdered them with a wheat grinder. You could probably do this by hand or with a blender or food processor. You can also use Peppermint Tea Bags. Each bag is 2 teaspoons of dried peppermint leaves. 

Making Art With Nature

Jay had the best idea the other day! She decided to make a craft with items she found outside. With a stick, leaves, pebbles (and a little help from an adult with a glue gun) she made a butterfly. I think it could look like a dragonfly, too. Didn't she do a great job?