Sticky Windows, Fall & Winter

Winters are long and cold where we live, so I try to come up with some fun indoor activities to keep MC busy (Pinterest helps!). Something I came across on Pinterest that I thought would be fun to try was a sticky window. However, being a huge fan of the holidays, I wanted to make these sticky windows more festive.

The first sticky window was for Halloween. I drew a pumpkin on the backside of clear laminate and taped it to the sliding door. I cut up construction paper, yarn, and strips of tissue paper in Halloween/fall colors (orange, green, brown). I had MC help me tear the strips of tissue paper into smaller pieces (she loves this activity, and it's great for fine motor). MC explored the sticky laminate for a few minutes, and then I showed her how to stick our goodies to it. It didn't hold her interest for as long as I hoped, but she still had fun. I saved the extra pieces for another day. 

The next sticky window I came up with was a maple tree. My family owns our own maple sugaring business, so it's on our minds a lot. I found some fake maple leaves for a couple dollars, drew a tree on the back of some contact paper and taped it to the glass slider. MC loves nature and being outside, so if I can somehow bring nature indoors, I will. 

The next was a ghost with white tissue paper. Again, I cut strips of white tissue paper and had MC help me tear the strips (a great fine motor activity) into smaller pieces. Hint: If you spell anything out, like I did, make sure you spell it backwards... My "Boo!" looks like "!ooB", haha!

This sticky window was for Christmas. We also happened to be learning about the letter D! So, on top of the tree, I drew a D tree topper. I gave her some Christmas bows to stick on and also some diamonds (starts with D) cut out of contruction paper. One thing I should have done differently is gone over the lines I drew several times so the tree would show up better. 

I plan on continuing with my holiday themed sticky windows throughout the rest of the year, so stay tuned for more sticky window ideas!

Jack-o-Lantern

Today, MC's Aunt Tata came over to visit (MC can't pronounce her real name so "Tata" is what she calls her). Since I'm not a fan of pumpkin guts, I suggested that she carve one with MC. It would be her first pumpkin carving experience! They chose a pumpkin (that came from our garden), and MC "watched" as Tata cut out the top.

Then, she helped de-gut the pumpkin...

...and pick out the seeds (my plan is to include them in a nature sensory bin I plan to make for MC in the near future; watch for the blog).

Then, we went inside (mostly for warmth) to carve the face on our pumpkin. Apparently, the pumpkin carving process takes a lot out of a 1 1/2 year old, but a banana did the trick!

When, Aunt Tata was finished carving the face on our pumpkin, we put it into my walk-in closet with a flash light inside of it, and turned off the light to show MC the final result.

She loved it, and was very excited to show her "puntin" to her daddy when he later got home. I laid out the pumpkin seeds on paper towel to dry. I will use them later in a nature sensory bin. 

For now, we are enjoying MC's first jack-o-lantern, who is now sitting outside on our deck. Happy Halloween!

Thanks Peter Cottontail!

This year for Easter, Peter Cottontail was very generous. MC got two Easter baskets! The first had items in it like bubbles, a new dress, a noise book, a slinky, a plate, and some bunny ears. However, the second basket was all edible! It was filled with marshmallow Peeps, Jello jigglers, gummy worms, and edible grass. MC got a kick out of this. After about ten minutes, there was candy all over the house, underneath our feet, and stuck to MC's pajamas (and yes, those are ladybugs on her pj's). 

My husband and I also received a few goodies from that generous old bunny, including something neither of us has had since we were kids: Kool-Aid Bursts! With it also came a flashback. So, anyway, I put them in the pantry along with the candy I was planning on saving for later (somehow most of the candy has disappeared...wink). Last night, my husband pulled his Kool-Aid Burst out and said "Oh cool, it still comes with the whistle!". A whistle? Who knew!? He showed me how the cap becomes a whistle, which I somehow completely missed as a kid, and yes, it really works! 

MC is too young to appreciate the whistle, but I'll have to remember to show her in a few years. Just thought it was something to share, in case you, like me, had no idea! Happy whistling!