Disney Surprise Scavenger Hunt

My husband and I had so much fun surprising our kids this past week with a Disney scavenger hunt. They been asking for years to go and for years we have been savings to go and we are finally doing it. We are so excited and yes, I think my husband and I are more excited than the kids!

 Here is how is how we decided to do it.

 I made these clue cards with the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse theme.

After printing off the cards, I read card 1 and card 2 to them. After saying the magic words (Meeska Mooska Mickey Mouse) from card 2, they were given clue #1, This is when they started the actually Disney scavenger hunt. 

The last thing the kids had to do as part of the Disney scavenger hunt was use a Mousekatool from clue #6 and then use it on a Mickey Mouse scratch card that I handed to them to reveal the secret. For our Mousekatool, we attached a penny onto Toodles using a glue dot. 

There are several tutorials on how to match your own scratch card. The tutorial I used was from Artmind.

The template for the Mickey Mouse scratch card and the Disney surprise scavenger hunt can be DOWNLOAD HERE. There are three options for the Mickey Mouse scratch cards: You are going to Disneyland, You are going to Disneyworld, and You are going on a Disney cruise.  

I thought I would get a bigger reaction from them but I think it took awhile to sink in. After we told them we were going to the beach as well, they got really excited. Ha, we should have just skipped Disneyland right? Now that we have talked about it and shown them pictures, they are very excited!

Fun Halloween target game with Nerf guns

We are getting excited for Halloween and put together these Nerf targets for a fun Halloween activity. The sweet payoff of this activity is it takes little time to put together but provides hours of entertainment. 

DIRECTIONS:

I started by downloading and cutting out these 3 pumpkin carving templates. 

-Frankenstein

-Ghost

-Pumpkin

Next I used milk boxes and glued one piece of construction paper to the front of the box and then glued on the templates. 

Then decide what parts you would like to use as the opening for the target and then use an X-ACTO knife to cut out.  

That is it and now your are ready for target practice!

Busy Bags: Round 2

This is round 2 of our favorite busy bags. If you missed Busy Bags: Round 1, you can find it here. 

PATTERN STICKS

These pattern sticks were made using color coding labels. I used this TEMPLATE to make the pattern cards and laminated them. Then put the color coding labels on the Popsicle sticks. You can make as many different pattern cards as you would like.

NUMBER WHEEL

Here is a free PRINTABLE for the number wheel. Once I printed it out, I glued it onto cardboard. You then write numbers 1-10 on a clothespin and have your child clip them on to the correct number of dots.  

BUTTON SNAKE

You can find free instructions on how to make this from Mama Gab. There are different versions of this activity but I liked this one because of the felt shapes. This activity was given to me and the person that gave this to me added a snake tail, eyes, and tongue. I think it is so cute.

POPSICLE STICK PUZZLES

These Popsicle stick puzzles are a popular activity but they are nice because they kids enjoy them and there are so many options on what pictures to use. These Popsicle stick puzzles represent the four seasons and are graphics of mycutegraphics.com You can print out each picture from HERE, cut on the dotted lines and then use Mod Podge to glue them onto the Popsicle stick. I store each puzzle in a snack size Ziploc bag to keep them from getting all mixed together. 

All of our busy bags activities are stored away in a Ziploc bag and then we have all the bags in a plastic bin so they can be easily stored away. Do you have any favorite busy bags? I would love to share your ideas!

Busy Bags: Round 1

I have participated in a few busy bags swaps and have made several of my own. I love having extra and fun activities for the kids. There are a few activities that my kids seem to never get bored of and so I wanted to share of some of our favorites. UPDATE: Round 2 of busy bags can be found here

KIDS CLOTHING LINE

My mother in law has a real clothes line that she still uses to dry her clothes so my kids love this activity because it is just like Grandma. This activity is probably there favorite! You can found a free instruction and pattern download from Money Saving Mom. 

POPSICLE STICK PATTERNS

These Popsicle stick patterns is something I made for my kids. This activity is more challenging for younger kids but my oldest boy who is 6 loves these. There are 2 sets of patterns. 

DOWNLOAD set 1

The first set are easier patterns and there are 8 cards. 

DOWNLOAD set 2

The second set are more difficult patterns and there are 6 cards. 

PAPER CLIP MATCHING

This activity is really easy to put together. All you need is colored paper clips and matching paint samples from your local paint store. My kids have fun sorting the colors and linking them together. For durability I would recommend laminating your paint samples. 

ALPHABET MATCHING

For this activity, I used 2 inch square wood disc and alphabet letter stickers. To keep the stickers from falling off, I put Mod Podge over the stickers. You can use these wood disc to play alphabet matching game, practice name spelling, and for older kids practice sight words. 

BE READY for round 2, next week I will be sharing more favorite busy bags ideas!

Color focused activities for preschool

I have mentioned before that I will be starting preschool for my little man who is going to be two in September. I have been working on my lesson plans and activities. Many of these activities I did with my older and I am so excited to spend time with my younger son doing some of the same activities.  Here is some fun things I have planned.

Color bingo

Download your free color bingo here

 

Since my little man is still young, I wanted to create a game for him that would only focus on a few colors at a time so he won't get overwhelmed. This set I made includes bingo calling cards and four bingo boards. 

Apple carton color sort

I have seen a lot of color sorts with people using muffin tins but didn't want to necessarily go out and buy one. However, we do buy a lot of apples from Costco and the apple carton works great

  

Pill container color bead sort

I was in line at the dollar store when I saw this 7 day pill container with all the different colors. I love finds like this and it will fit in well with my colors preschool lessons. I like these containers because they are small and compact, you can take them apart or keep them together, and they are great for small objects.

After sorting the beads, it also makes a great music shaker. You can have your child also practice twisting the containers together to tune up their fine motor skills.

Clothespin color wheel

Download your free color wheel here

I made this color wheel awhile back when I did a toddler busy bag exchange in my neighborhood. It was around Easter time and it was hard to find clothespins for all the color, so I bought wooden clothes pins and used Easter egg dye to stain the clothespin. However I do think Rit dye would be even better.

Dice color game

 

 The first dice I made (one the left) for my boys was so well used, I had to make another one. For the dice on the left I used scrapbook paper and mod podge. For the dice on the right I used felt and hot glue. These dice provides hours of entertainment and can be used in so many different ways to teach colors and numbers for when they are older. Some of our favorite games are color scavenger hunt or what we call color hop.

For color scavenger hunt, your child rolls the dice and for example if they  lands on red, then they have to go find something red in the house and bring it to you (It goes great with the apple carton color sort).

For color hop, lay out color mats all over in the room. Have your child roll the dice and then  race to whatever color the dice lands on. Of course  you can give them a little bit of a head start so they can figure out what color was rolled and where the color is in the room. 

File folder game

Musical color hop

For musical hop, you turn on some music and have your child walk around the circle. You stop the music at any time and when the music is stopped, your child also stops and then names what color is in front of them. You can add some gross motor skills by having them do various actions such as crawling around the circle, hopping around the circle, etc.  Even though my 4 year old already knows his colors, he still loves to play this game.

Other fun color focused activities

Color matching board from Childcare Land

Color match car parking from The Princess and the Tot

File folder games from File Folder Fun or Confession of a Homeschooler

High five hand felt from Toddler Toddler

Sorting Legos from The Unlikely Homeschool

Fun Toddler activity with flip books

  

 My little boy likes to flip through things and I needed something to keep him quiet during church so I came up with these toddler flip books. They were so easy to make and he loves looking through them. They are so many different themes you could do and it is great way to keep a little one distracted for awhile, even more four year old likes to look at them. I first laminated them, did a single hole punch in the top corner and them put all the pictures on a single binder ring. Below you will you find a link for some of the flip books I put together as well as a link to the clip art website I used.

 Transportation Theme

 

Color Theme

Ocean Theme

Bugs and insects theme

Free summer fun in Pearland and other surrounding areas

Thanks a friend who told me about free things to do in Houston area in the summer time, I was inspired to compile this list of her ideas as well as my own. I hope this helps you have some summer fun and don't forget about the beaches either. Also, keep in mind that many of these activities go on year around.

Concerts/Performances
Discovery Green
Free concerts and performances. They also have other free events such as kids workshops, kayak boat rides, and exercises classes.

Miller Outdoor Theater
Free summer concerts, musical theatre, music concerts, children's theatre, and more

Summer fest at Southdown Park (Only May and June)
Relax to the tunes of a live band every Friday night during the months of May and June at Southdown Park from 7-9 p.m. Food vendors will be on hand selling a delicious variety of foods while the Splash Pad and playground will be available for the kids

Inside fun
AMF bowling,
Free bowling for kids registered in the Summer Unplugged program. Two games per day. (Shoe rental not included)

Playscape at Sugar Creek Baptist Church
Free indoor ground with slides, gator pit, and toddler area.

Sky Lobby at JPMorgan Chase Tower
View Houston from the Sky Lobby on the 60th floor, The Sky Lobby is open to the public during the working hours of 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Monday - Friday.

Preschool Music Time at Westside Event Center
Children will be introduced to the foundations of music while singing and dancing to their favorite songs. (Space is limited so you may want to get there early)

• Mon 6/17, 10:30 am
• Mon 7/15, 10:30 am
• Mon 8/19, 10:30 am

 Museums
Check out the following website to learn about the following museum. http://houstonmuseumdistrict.org/free-admission-times/

Always free

• Asia Society Texas Center (all spaces except Louisa Stude Sarofim Gallery)
• Contemporary Arts Museum Houston
• Holocaust Museum Houston
• Houston Center for Contemporary Craft
• Houston Center for Photography
• Houston Museum of African American Culture
• The Jung Center of Houston
• Lawndale Art Center
• The Menil Collection
• Rice University Art Gallery
• Rothko Chape
• Art Car museum (not part of Houston museum district)

Specific free times
General admission only

• Children's Museum of Houston - FREE Thursday 5 – 8 pm
• Czech Center Museum Houston - FREE first Monday of the month 10 am - 4 pm
• The Health Museum - FREE Thursday 2 – 5 pm
• The John C. Freeman Weather Museum - FREE Thursday 12 – 4 pm
• Houston Museum of Natural Science - FREE Thursdays 3-6 pm through summer. 
• The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston - FREE Thursday 10 am – 9 pm

Summer Reading Programs
HEB Buddy Reading Program
Barnes and Noble  Summer Reading
Half Price Books, Feed your Brain Summer Program

*Check your local library for specific reading programs as well. 

Water fun
Centennial Park Splash Pad
Splash Pad Hours of Operation: 9 a.m. - 9 p.m 

Gateway fountain at Discovery green.
Open daily from 9:00 am - 7:00 pm

Hermann Splash Pad at Memorial Hermann

The fountains at Pearland Town Center
At night the fountain light up in color

Sam Houston Port Tour
You won't get wet on this boat ride but you can enjoy a 90 min boat ride along the Houston ship channel. The vessel features air-conditioned lounge seating as well as standing room outside on the boat's deck and they serve you a free soft drink. Reservations are required ahead of time. 

Silverlake Splash Pad
2715 Southwyck Parkway
Pearland, Tx 77584

Southdown Park Splash Pad 
Splash Pad Hours of Operation: 9 a.m. - 9 p.m. 

*Click here for a link to splash pads all around the Houston area.

Workshops
Bass Pro Shop
They offer free crafts, BB shooting range, shooting arcade, and more.

Bayou Bend Detective Days at Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens
Self-guided outdoor detective adventures feature educational themes ranging from plants and trees to sculpture and architecture. Every Bayou Bend detective receives an Investigator’s Kit as well as a bottle of water for keeping cool during the hunt.

Home Depot
Free kid workshops on the first Saturday of each month.

Houston Center for Contemporary Art
HANDS-ON HOUSTON is a free craft-activity open house on the first Saturday of every month. Each month, a teaching artist demonstrates a craft related to the current exhibitions

Lowe's
Free kid workshops are held every other Saturday at 10:00 am. You need to register your child before you can attend. 

Summer Art Detectives: Gallery Investigations + Sketching + Show
At the Museum of Fine Art, investigate new works of art every Thursday at the Summer Art Detectives program.