Treasure Basket: Puzzles

 

Here's what's inside:

:: Chunky puzzle pieces from our Melissa & Doug Sea Life puzzle.

This is the *easiest* basket to put together!  And, not surprisingly, Juliet loves them - the colors, the shapes, and since they're made of wood and non-toxic paint, I have no qualms about her putting them in her mouth.  I often mix and match the pieces since we have several of the M&D Chunky puzzles.

While none of these things are choking hazards, I always observe Juliet while she explores these baskets.

Click here to read my very first treasure basket post for details on the how and why behind treasure baskets. Click here to view my treasure basket slideshow on the Counting Coconuts Facebook page.

~Thank you for your comments!~

Calendar Cards: Disney

I made some new calendar cards in honor of our upcoming trip to Disney World.  They do include Disney images, but since I'm not selling these, I *think* I'm allowed to share them with all of you. :)

Click here to download

Please keep in mind that I format these myself, so they're not perfect, but they'll certainly get the job done. : ) Also, as with all of my printables, these are for your personal use only - please do not sell or offer them in a giveaway. Thank you and enjoy!

~Thank you for your comments!~

Disney Family Night: Snow White

One of the (many) things we're doing in preparation for our big trip to Disney World is to have a Disney Family Night about once a month until we leave . In short, we pick one of our favorite Disney movies and then create a themed night around it. It's a fun way to bridge the long wait!

One our recent movie nights featured Snow White and the Seven Dwarves...

 

Did you know Snow White takes place in Germany?  Or at least that's the country associated with this movie.  Strange, though, because I really see no German connections in the movie, do you?  Anyway, I went with it and followed a German theme. :)

Activities

:: We mined for gems.  I used one of our empty sensory tubs, filled it with plain rice and buried lots of acrylic gems within it.  James used various "tools" (small fish net, slotted spoon, spatula, tongs, etc.) to excavate the gems.

:: We cast coins into our wishing well. I added some small pebbles and water to a medium sized metal bowl, and gathered some coins in a small basket. I created a sign that said "I'm wishing... Throw coins into the well and make a wish".  James LOVED this activity and threw all 40 coins into the well (one by one) and made a wish each and every time.  So cute.  The metal bowl makes a satisfying "ting" kind of sound whenever a coin hits it. :)

:: We looked at the German items from our Europe Continent Bag.

:: We played "Guess the Dwarf" by acting out the various characteristics of each dwarf.

:: We listened to songs from the movie while prepping dinner.

:: We watched the movie (of course!).

Food

 

Keeping with the German theme, here's what was on our menu:

Appetizer: Gold Mining Sticks (mini pretzels sticks with melted cheese {aka gold} for dipping)

Dinner: Forest Berries (mixed berries), Sneezy's Sausage (grilled bratwurst), Grumpy's Potatoes (German potato salad)

Desert: Snow White's Sweet Apples (sliced apples with a bit of drizzled caramel)

Beverage: Witch's Brew (root beer) - for this I removed the label and since it's a dark beverage it really does look a bit sinister. : )  James was actually a bit nervous until he tasted it!

Decor

I decorated our place settings with the typical red, yellow, blue color scheme of Snow White.  I also  bought a big bunch of apples and arranged them in an apple picking basket, I gathered some of our woodland forest animals, and I set a large mirror near the table (think: "mirror mirror on the wall..."). 

~Our little Snow White~

Overall a very easy and enjoyable evening!  We also had a Finding Nemo night, which was a blast - I hope to post about that soon! Click here to see our other Disney nights - more to come!

~Thank you for your comments!~

Practical Life - Applying Sunscreen

The idea for this work came from one of my Facebook readers (thank you, Mary!) and I thought it was absolutely brilliant given our current season. Here in Bermuda the sun beats down on you and I make a point to cover my kiddos in sunscreen whenever we're out and about. James is well old enough to learn to apply sunscreen himself and, knowing Mr. Independent, he'll love having free reign of that bottle!

To do this work, James will first use one of the wipes in the large container to clean his face. He'll then squeeze a small amount of sunscreen from the bottle onto the small dish. Holding the mirror (the silver thing in the photo), he'll use his finger to dab a tiny bit of sunscreen on his face, applying a little at a time until he has complete coverage. He'll then use another wipe to clean his hands (and face since this is a schooltime activity).

~Thank you for your comments!~

Treasure Basket: Sounds

A basket filled with things that make gentle sounds.

Here's what's inside:
:: Glass jar filled with various beans
:: One of the sound cylinders from our set
:: Maraca (from my trip to Mexico)
:: Crocheted bells
:: Cherry teether
:: Baby "rainstick"

While none of these things are choking hazards, I always observe Juliet while she explores these baskets.

Click here to read my very first treasure basket post for details on the how and why behind treasure baskets. Click here to view my treasure basket slideshow on the Counting Coconuts Facebook page.

~Thank you for your comments!~

Final Disney Countdown!

Our trip to Disney World is just around the corner and as such we are in serious countdown mode! We're still using this countdown I made, but I decided to create something fun for our final countdown...

I made 35 little envelopes and put a note inside each one. (The envelopes were made with basic cardstock folded in half and stapled on either side. I added a little Disney-themed washi tape to the outside and numbered each one.) Each day, James will find the envelope that coordinates with the number on our other countdown and remove the note inside of it.

The notes indicate various activities- here are a few examples:
:: Dance around to "I Wanna Be Like You" from the Jungle Book
:: Only 3 more weeks until we leave for Disney World! Have fun looking through our Mickey Mouse mini unit!
:: The Tramp takes Lady to dinner one night... what do they eat? Have that for dinner tonight!
:: Is the shoe a perfect fit? Pretend you're Cinderella and try on Mom and Dad's shoes!
:: It's your un-birthday today! Enjoy a cup of tea just like Alice!
:: Merida is from Scotland - find her country on a map and then read the story on our iPad!
:: Today's the day!! We're off to Disney World! Put on your new Mickey Mouse shirt and LET'S GO!!

There are sooo many ways to create a Disney countdown. Pinterest is full of inspiring ideas! One way that I was really considering is the simple paper chain. It brings back all sorts of good memories from my primary school days, but in the end I decided against it. The chain is something we already do during the Christmas season, and I want to keep that separate and special.

What kind of countdown do all of you Disney goers create?

~Thank you for your comments!~

Treasure Basket: Soft

A sweet little treasure basket filled things oh so soft. :)

Here's what's inside:
:: A large and beautiful rainbow silk
:: Fabric number
:: Counting cookie
:: Knitted bunny
:: Fluffy "pillow"
:: Velour fabric square
:: Wee dolly

While none of these things are choking hazards, I always observe Juliet while she explores these baskets.

Click here to read my very first treasure basket post for details on the how and why behind treasure baskets. Click here to view my treasure basket slideshow on the Counting Coconuts Facebook page.

~Thank you for your comments!~

Practical Life - Folding Clothes

In order to keep up with all of the laundry in our home I do a wash about once a day. Doing this makes life and facing the laundry basket so much easier come the end of the week! James already puts away his own clothes, but I still fold them. Until now, that is! I know James isn't really going to dig this new life skill, but it's a very important skill to learn and one I'm excited to teach him. I (and his future wife) will appreciate his help in this area! :D

Included in the basket are three child size, cotton, logo-free t-shirts (appliques can bunch and make folding a bit more tricky for those just learning), and a pair of plain white socks. After my initial instruction, James will roll out his work mat, select one item from the basket - let's say a t-shirt - and lay it out flat on the mat. He'll then fold it over length wise just once, fold the sleeves in, and finally fold the bottom of the shirt up so it meets the neckline.

~Thank you for your comments!~

Disney Family Night: 101 Dalmatians

One of the (many) things we're doing in preparation for our big trip to Disney World is to have a Disney Family Night about once a month until we leave . In short, we pick one of our favorite Disney movies and then create a themed night around it. It's a fun way to bridge the long wait!

James' (current) favorite Disney movie is 101 Dalmatians. He's really into puppies right now, and was ecstatic that we were going to spend a whole night focusing on puppies!

When I plan these nights I have four main "departments" in mind - food, decor, music, and activities. So, for decor, I try to lightly transform our kitchen/family room into that theme. I don't go ALL out, but just enough to give James a sense of being a part of the movie we're celebrating. He gets *SO* excited and filled with anticipation when he knows I'm decorating the kitchen, and I often catch him peeking through one of the windows to catch a preview! :)

For our 101 Dalmatians night, I printed off lots of little paw prints, cut them out, and taped them all over our kitchen & living room! I also arranged several of James' stuffed puppies in various places - hanging out of cabinets, sitting atop the counter - so it'd look like they were climbing all over everything. :)

I made some "puppy ears" for James. They seriously took me two minutes to make. I used one of my headbands, cut out two dalmatian ear-shaped pieces out of black felt and paper-clipped them to the headband. Easy peasy!

While dinner was cooking, we played a few games. One was "Find the Bone" - I bought (and later donated to our neighbor's dog) a real dog bone and hid it somewhere in the house. James put on his puppy ears to "listen for clues" on where to find it. I also printed off some activity sheets from here, and made a puzzle out of an image I found on Google Images. In an effort to add an educational twist to the night (I'm a teacher, what can I say?!), I created and printed out a little blurb about why dalmatians are fire dogs.

For dinner I tried to keep the movie's locale in mind - England. Here's what was on our menu:
:: Rolly's Chew Sticks (aka large pretzel rods)
:: Perdita's Pie (aka shepard's pie) - this is actually a long time favorite in our house. I know we don't make it quite the way the Brits do, though, and I'm sure it's very Americanized. It's super yummy - crumbled hamburger, gravy, and peas, topped with a thick layer of mashed potatoes and sprinkled with a bit of cheddar cheese.
:: Pongo's Punch (aka milk with tiny chocolate chips) - in the movie, the puppies are directed to a farm where they receive fresh milk. I was glad to be able to offer James milk with his meal and still keep in theme with the movie! :)
:: Lucky's Biscuits (aka bone shaped sugar cookies) - these were our dessert and were yum-may!
:: Patch's Pupcorn (aka popcorn) - we used the kind that has salt and pepper seasoning because it gave the popcorn a subtle dotted look. :) We enjoyed this halfway through the movie.

Click here to see our other Disney nights - more to come! Next up is Finding Nemo!

~Thank you for your comments!~

August Sensory Tub - The Wizard of Oz

Several of you suggested I make a Wizard of Oz sensory tub, and since that happens to be one of my favorite movies, I was totally up for it!

I only used things I had on hand already (meaning I didn't spend any money on making this tub) and so I had to be a bit creative as a result (meaning some of things in this tub are a bit of a stretch). :)

Here's what's inside:
:: The Yellow Brick Road - yellow Lego bricks. Perfect for my Lego lovin' boy!
:: Poppies - red fabric flowers. Yes, I know these aren't what actual poppies look like. :)
:: Lion(s), Tiger(s), and Bear(s) - one each from our Toob collection.
:: Apples - I made these little knitted apples myself. They, along with the tree in the lower right hand corner, remind me of the scene where Dorothy and the Scarecrow get into a row with the apple trees.
:: OZ - two chipboard letters.
:: Emeralds from Emerald City - a few plastic "gems".
:: Over the Rainbow - colored wooden beads on a string. Surprisingly, James likes this the best! Initially, I thought about making this a lacing activity, but I knew James wouldn't really enjoy that. I spaced the beads out enough that they move a bit on the string, which makes the whole thing really nice to hold. Sort of meditative.

Things to represent Dorothy:
:: Basket - just a cute little basket I found at the thrift store.
:: Toto - a black dog. I didn't have a Terrier on hand, but this Labrador works just fine. :)
:: Farm house - a small wooden house.
:: Heart - I was excited to find this little heart in Dorothy's gingham pattern! It represents the whole "home is where the heart is" theme of the movie.
:: Ruby slippers - I couldn't believe it when I found these Barbie shoes in our toy collection. Years ago, before I had children, I was a nanny and a frequent babysitter. I bought and kept a stash of toys at my house for whenever those kiddos came over. :)
:: Hair bow - I would like to have made two gingham hair bows (one for each of Dorothy's braids) but I didn't have that sort of ribbon on hand. So, glittery red (like the ruby slippers) was the next best thing!
:: Kansas - a puzzle piece from our USA puzzle.

Things to represent the Tinman:
:: The oil can - just a tin cup with a handle. Perfect for scooping, collecting, and pouring all the little things in the tub.
:: Axe - this is from our "x" language box.
:: Heart - one of the small glass hearts used during our Valentine's Day theme.

Things to represent the Scarecrow:
:: Scarecrow - the same small scarecrow button we used in our harvest sensory tub.
:: Hay (Scarecrow's stuffing) - pieces of raffia.
:: Diploma from the Wizard - a tiny piece of paper that has THD written on it, rolled up, and tied with a teeny tiny piece of ribbon. I was racking my brain (ha!) trying to think of what I could use to represent Scarecrow's brain. I remembered the Wizard gave Scarecrow a diploma and in that scene he bestowed the degree of THD (Doctorate of Thinkology) upon him. :)

Things to represent the Lion:
:: Lion - from the lions, tigers, and bears trio as noted above
:: Medal of Courage - like I said, I had to use what I had on hand, and this one really threw me for a challenge! I used a piece of red ribbon and a little lapel pin James received from VSB camp.

Things to represent the witches:
:: Glenda's floating orb - you know, the one she floats down in when she arrives in Munchkin Land. I used a pink reusable ice cube ball thingy.
:: Star from Glenda's wand - a little silver star made of fabric.
:: Wicked Witch's Broom - another item from one of our language boxes.
:: Flying monkey - just a little monkey from our Toob collection. I thought about adding tiny wings to him, but decided against it.

James is 5 now, but he still very much enjoys sensory tubs. However, now that he is a bit older, I've been including some theme-related educational materials to accompany our tubs. For example, for this tub I gathered the Kansas magazine and map from our Which Way USA collection. I also added the Wizard of Oz book, which we've been reading nightly, and "Pet Tornado" - this thing is really cool, you swirl it around and it creates a little tornado inside the container. James loves it!

~Thank you for your comments!~

PlanetBox Giveaway WINNER!

Thanks to all who entered the PlanetBox giveaway!! While it took me a long time to go through all 982 comments(!), I thoroughly enjoyed reading each and every one of them. :)

The winner of the Complete Rover PlanetBox set is...

Sabrina Johnson!

Congratulations, Sabrina! Please contact me (countingcoconuts1@gmail.com) within 48 hours to claim your prize. If I do not hear from you by then, I will need to select a new winner. Thanks!