Tiny Talk Tuesday

I just found out about a fun blog carnival called "Tiny Talk Tuesday" hosted by Not Before 7. James says so many cute and funny things (at least they are to us anyway!) and I think this would be a great way for me to keep track of them!

~James is 3 years and 3 months~

• "Well... I think I need a blue popsicle." ~ First thing out of James' mouth the other morning.
• "May I be excused? Yes I may, yes I may." ~ What James says before he leaves the dinner table.
• "This doesn't taste like chocolate!!" ~ So says James after tasting potato salad for the first time.
• "His name is Mr. Pocodeeo" ~ The cute and totally random name James assigned our adopted fish. :)
• "Baa baa black sheep happy happy wool..." ~ I LOVE James' version of this song!

~Thank you for your comments!~

Shiny Happy Paper People

James and I had so much fun making paper people together. Before I tell you how we made them I hope you'll indulge me by letting me share a personal story with you first...

One summer, I think it was the summer of 1986, I was a huge fan of the cartoon, "The World of David the Gnome". (Does anyone else remember this show? Here's a YouTube clip.) Anyway, it was all about gnomes and the adventures they had in the forest in which they lived. I loved the show and so I decided to make a set of paper gnomes to play with whenever I wanted to. They brought me such joy and provided me with many, many hours of magical play. Would you believe I still have them? I *wish* I could share a picture of them, but they are locked away in a storage facility in the US. :( Anyway, I tapped into that memory the other day when James and I were coloring together. We started drawing little people and it suddenly dawned on me that we could cut them out and laminate them.

Moments later I had my scrapbooking paper out and I was busy cutting little shirts, pants and heads. I don't think I stopped smiling the entire time!

James was SO excited when he saw what I had set up. I told him we were going to make some paper people and he enthusiastically said, "Great idea, Mama!!"

James had such fun choosing the outfits (which matched surprisingly well!)...

and he took great care in gluing each piece onto the white cardstock.

I was beaming at the thought of sharing this special memory with my son. And, for old time's sake, I made myself a little gnome.

After we created the bodies we drew on some hands, feet, facial features and hair. James decided what color eyes and hair everyone should have. :)

Back in the 80's I had to use tons of scotch tape to get the laminating effect, but now, 30 years later (gasp!) I simply slipped our little creations into the laminator and voila! out came a set of 10 sturdy paper people!

We'll use these "friends" (as James calls them) for imaginary play, for story time, and even for counting. I numbered the backs of them so James, my number-loving maniac, could put them in numerical order if he feels like it.

I'm linking this post up to a few of my favorite blog carnivals: We Play, Sharing Time, and Tot Tuesday.

Frozen Fun

I was recently reminded of a very fun activity James and I did last summer (click here to see that post). I decided to replicate it and add few new twists to it, too.

James and I created a frozen block of ice that we filled with colored cubes of ice, plastic gems and some water creatures (that big orange thing is a jellyfish!). The idea was for James to "excavate" the items from their frozen state. :)

Pretty colors in the ice

James LOVED this experiment and tried a variety of techniques to melt the water such as salt, sand, warm water and sugar (obviously I knew ahead of time that some of these wouldn't work, but I wanted James to try them out and discover that for himself!).

Curious hands

Frozen treasures

It was so fun to watch James with this activity because he looked at it so differently now that he's a year older. He definitely took more interest in the science behind it. He quickly realized water and salt were the most effective tools and really went to town with the salt shaker. :)

I laid out a variety of tools as well, such as paint brushes, a sponge, a spatula, a dropper, and a small hammer. (Thanks to The Picky Apple and her post about Ice Smashing for giving me the idea about the hammer!)

We laid chunks of the block out on the patio ledge to watch the sun melt the ice.

We will definitely do this activity again - James learned a few new things and it provided us with 2+ hours of outdoor family fun - oh and it kept us cool on a very hot July day!

The Felted Pear Giveaway Winner

I am thrilled to announce the very lucky winner of the Felted Pear Giveaway is...

Elizabeth, from Heartfelt Homemaking!

Congratulations, Elizabeth! I have your email address and will be in touch with you to get your shipping information. :)

Also, I just want to say very special thank you to Susan for sharing her time and talents with us!

Shell Collages

James and I had SO much fun making these! We gathered a bag of shells from our ever growing collection and set off to the beach. James and I talked about the different animals and things you find at the beach and in the ocean. Then we worked together to create some collages (or 'pictures' as James calls them) of them using shells, sea glass, bits of coral and broken pottery.

starfish

crab
fish turtle
Hooray for nature!!

Beach Sensory Tub & Playdough

Since I forgot didn't get a chance to make a sensory tub for June, I've created two for the month of July - our 4th of July tub is used only indoors and this beach tub is for outdoors only. (I'll have two tubs -indoor/outdoor- to share with you in August as well!)

James can't get enough of the ocean and beach! We're there every chance we get. So you can imagine how thrilled he was about having a bit of the beach at home!

Beachy Sensory Tub

Quick little fun fact: did you know Bermuda beaches are known for their pink sand? Click here to learn more.

What's inside:
:: Sand from one of our favorite beaches. We plan on returning it to the beach when we're finished with this tub.
:: Shells - most of these are from our stash, but I bought a few at our local tourist shop.
:: A family of three wooden peg people :)
:: Sea glass and bits of coral
:: Leaves (fallen) from one of the trees that lines the pathway to the beach.
:: Shovel and pail

Sandy Playdough
I love this dough! As always, I used my favorite play dough recipe and kept it a plain color and added some sand to give it an interesting texture. It look just like the sand on our beaches! I found some beach/ocean themed cutters and put out a little basket of shells.

James had SO much fun with this activity and played with it for nearly an hour. He scooped "sand" in and out of the bucket, hid the shells and even made a sand castle!

Here he is making "sand balls". See that furry thing sleeping on the shelf in the background? Nope, it's not a radical new Practical Life work, it's just our kitty taking advantage of the open space. :)

~I'm linking this post up to some of my favorite blog parties: Montessori Monday, The Preschool Corner, Tot Tuesdays, We Play and Sharing Time. Join in and share your ideas!~

The Felted Pear Giveaway

~This giveaway is now closed~

Oh boy, are you guys in for a treat!!

My friend, Susan, author of Chasing Marcus and owner the lovely Etsy store, The Felted Pear, has made a veritable cornucopia of beautiful felt food to give away to one *very* lucky winner!

Just look at this feast! A true rainbow of colors.
And yes, ALL of this will go to one of you!
(note: dishes and bowl are NOT included)

Not only is Susan a felt food guru, she's also a Registered Dietitian. She designed these healthy foods with the four main food groups in mind and has provided enough of it to create several balanced meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner. See the photos below for details of each food group...

Protein

~A chicken leg, a cute lil' fish, a slice of ham, and two eggs~

Fruits & Vegetables

~A banana {removable from the peel!}, the most beautiful starfruit, an eggplant, a carrot, and five sweet strawberries~

Dairy

~An adorable carton of milk, a wedge of white cheese, a slice of cheddar cheese, a bit of shredded mozzarella, and a stick of butter~

Grain

~Two slices of whole wheat bread, 20 (!) pieces of whole wheat bowtie pasta, and two perfect pancakes~

Amazing, right? Each of these items were handmade with care by Susan using child-safe, environmentally friendly materials.

And can I just say that I am beyond impressed with the handiwork and fine attention to detail on each piece of food - from the delicate french knots on the strawberries to the unbelievably uniform blanket stitching on the pancakes!

I'm totally blown away by Susan's generosity with this giveaway. This huge collection of food will completely stock the play kitchen of one very lucky child! In addition to all of the food shown in the above photos, Susan is throwing in some sauce for your pasta! Oh and she's sending it all to you in an adorable "recyclable" bag, the color of which is chosen by the winner. That's a total of 45 items (A $100 value!) - FOR FREE!

You'll find even more fabulous food options at Susan's store, The Felted Pear, where she's generously offering a 20% discount to Counting Coconuts readers - simply enter "coconuts" in the comment section when you check out. This offer is good until July 18th.


You'll have 8 chances to win this amazing bounty! None of the following are mandatory; they simply offer you the maximum amount of entries:

1) Visit The Felted Pear and let me know in the comment section your favorite item in the store and what food item you'd like to see added to the store.
2) Become a fan of The Felted Pear on Facebook.
3) Become a follower of Counting Coconuts.
4-8) Come back to this post and leave ONE comment per day until the end of the giveaway, which is Friday, July 16th at midnight (AST).

This giveaway is open to anyone in the United States (incl. Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Island) and Canada.

Good luck!

Snack Time!

Here are a few Practical Life food preparation activities I recently put together for James. He loved each one! Again, anything involving food or eating usually receives two thumbs up from my little cutie. :) He must take after his mama!!

Table Setting
This activity was made successful thanks to the adorable placemat you see below...
This was handmade by Eva of Handmade Beginnings. I LOVE it! So bright, colorful and extremely well made. Visit Eva's Etsy store to buy one of your own!

Apple Slicing
I wasn't sure how well James would be able to work the slicer, but he put those little muscles to work and was determined to do it himself. And he did!
Buttering Bread
This activity works well with other condiments, too - jam, cream cheese, peanut butter. I made sure the pat of butter was soft enough for James to spread easily across the bread.

He took great care in making sure he covered every square inch of the bread :) and when he finished he ran to get another slice of bread for me too.

Linking up to Montessori Monday and The Preschool Corner - click the links to see what others are doing with their children.

Spinning Yarn

I read this sweet post of a woman who raised her own sheep, sheared it, had the wool washed and carded, then she dyed it and spun it into yarn and then knitted a sweater for her son. It's sort of a modern day version of the lovely story, Pelle's New Suit. I was so moved and very inspired.

Now, since I can't raise my own sheep (though I *wish* I could!) and since I have no access to the sheep on the island, I ordered this gorgeous roving (appropriately named 'Paradise on the Playground') from here and decided I'd learn how to spin my own yarn!

I saw this tutorial on making a homemade spindle and quickly created one of my own.

Then I saw this post on Childhood Magic which recommended these spinning videos from YouTube: drafting, spinning and finishing. After watching the videos I set to work...

I split and drafted the wool into several bunches and began spinning. Because I couldn't spin and take pictures at the same time I have no photos of me in sheer spinning bliss. :) It was a bit tricky at first, and I did modify the way I held the roving from the way that's shown in the video (I wrap mine around my right wrist), but it wasn't long before I was a spinning machine!

I kept at it and practiced spinning into the wee hours of the night. I couldn't stop once I got hang of it! I felt so happy and content while spinning, and I kept thinking about how ancient this craft is. In this day and age when everything is done for you in the name of convenience, I felt honored to put the effort into creating something special with my own two hands.

And here's my first bit of hand spun yarn...

(This is post washing, hanging and drying.)

It's not anywhere near perfect, but I love it! Now the question is what shall I knit with it??? A sweater or a pair of wool socks isn't really practical for Bermuda. I would love to hear your suggestions!

Linking up to some of my favorite blog carnivals - click around for some really inspiring ideas!

Round-up

I've been wanting to do a "round up" post for some time now. I think it's such a great way to support fellow bloggers and spread the word about all of the amazing ideas that are out there. With over 200 subscriptions my Google Reader is FULL of good things - here are few that caught my eye recently...

Organizing the Jelly Beans created this adorable bus counting activity and is generously offering to share it with anyone who'd like a copy (me!).

I love this simple lemonade recipe over at Wee Folk Art. Definitely something I will be making with James very soon! Click around on this blog because there are lots of craft tutorials you'll want to try out.

Lindsay, from Bytes of Memory, is one of my favorite Tot School mamas - take a look at her recent Tot School post where her cute little guy made an adorable frog out of various materials.

I keep meaning to tell you all that I had the honor of meeting - in person! - Natalie, author of Mouse Grows, Mouse Learns and creator of the ever popular, What My Child is Reading. You'll find TONS of children's book recommendations here. She's such a lovely person and it was a real treat to spend time with her!

RedTedArt shows you how to make rainbow cookies... yum!!

Pretty much everything on Childhood Magic is brilliant - the wool name banner, the toy snake, the giant bubble wand, and the star lantern tutorial are at the top of my must make list.

If you're looking for a blog that has it all - crafts, giveaways, tips & advice - take a look around at Mommy Moment.

Elise, over at Inspiration Surrounds... Creativity Abounds, made these felt flowers a while back. They are SO beautiful and I think they'd be perfect for our nature table.

The Picky Apple is a fantastic blog with tons of great recipes and recommendations, most of which are starred in my Reader. Check out this post about the scratch-n-sniff paint she made - SO FUN!

We all know and love The Activity Mom! She has a seemingly endless supply of clever and creative ideas. This ABC Hunt was a big hit with James.

My dear bloggy friend, Susan of Chasing Marcus, has (finally!) opened an Etsy store where she sells all of her gorgeous felt food creations. I have the great honor of hosting a giveaway of her food very soon, so stay tuned!

I always enjoy reading the 5 Question Friday posts over at All About Aidan and I'm so inspired by her 365 project.

The Sippy Cup Mom wins the Most Ingenious award for making this alligator cake for her daughter's birthday. That's one lucky little girl!!

This was fun to put together and I think I'll *try* to do it monthly. :) My next round-up post will be a collection of the many fabulous Montessori ideas I've seen recently.

Past Giveaways

2012
Jumbo Paperclips / Winner: Puddles and Mud
Montessori Services-For Small Hands / Winner: Frontier Dreams
Montessori Print Shop / Winner: Vanessa Hoffman
Montessori At Home! & Montessori Print Shop / Cris
Ruby & Sue / Hillary
Guide to The Magic For Kids / Traci

2011
Space Materials / Winner: Irby Road
Alphabet Crayons / Winner: Little Learner's Lounge
Montessori Print Shop / Winner: Life Flying By
Spring Cleaning / Winner: The Preschool Experiment
Montessori At Home! / Winner: Samantha Lee
Fruits & Numbers / Winner: Jen Raubenolt

2010
Moon Dog Farms / Winner: The Russian Thiele & Sippy Cup Mom
Mudpuppy / Winner: The Adventures of Bear
Cookie Cutters / Winner: All About Aidan
Spinny Speller / Winner: The Montessori Bee
Alphabet Box / Winner: The Ramblings and Adventures of... a S.A.H.M.
The Felted Pear / Winner: Heartfelt Homemaking
Storytelling Fun / Winner: A Mommy's Adventures
ABC Twiggles / Winner: Bytes of Memory
The Felted Pear / Winner: Kite Koop