Hersheypark Christmas Candylane- Day 9

"The magic of the holidays comes to life at Hersheypark Christmas Candylane. With two million twinkling lights, rides for all ages, festive decorations, and Hershey's Product Characters decked out in their holiday best, there is something for all to enjoy!"



I leave you with one of our family tradition, Christmas stocking pictures; my mom knitted all of us personalized stockings and requested I take a picture of the boys next to their stocking ever year.






Bedtime story day 9- Clifford's Christmas

Holiday Treat for the Birds- Day 18

Holiday Treat for wild life- Day 18

Materials:
Cranberries
Cereal- Good way to get use up all that marshmallow cereal...you know the kind your kids ate all the marshmallows but not the healthy stuff.
String
Plastic Needle- I believe there called bone needles; they aren't sharp and won't puncture a young child.
Popcorn- It’s not very easy to string; we ended up just eating it ;)

Instructions:
Cut thread to desired length, tie a knot in one of the end and attach the needle to the other end. Start stringing cranberry and cereal one at a time by inserting the tip of the needle into the center of each piece. Keep sliding fodd further down on the thread making room for more; it's best to slide the cranberries and cereal to the end of the thread to prevent knots. Tie off the needle end, make sure that it is well-secured and then gently attach outside. I placed our cranberry-cereal garland on the fence along the back of our yard; it allows the squirrels and birds to enjoy their winter treat without creating a mess for me to clean up later ;).

Pinecone Bird Feeder- Day 8

Pinecone Bird Feeder- Day 8
kaboose

Materials:
Pine cone
Paper plate
Butter knife
Smooth peanut butter
Birdseed
Ribbon or yarn
Scissors

Instructions:
Cut a long length of yarn or ribbon to hang the bird feeder.
Tie the ribbon in a knot around the pine cone near the top (about 3 sections down). Tie a knot in the end of the ribbon. Use the knife to get a large clump of peanut butter on the paper plate. Use the knife to spread peanut butter inside the pine cone and around the edges. Sprinkle the birdseed over the pine cone.
Roll the pine cone in the birdseed that is on the plate. Hang the bird feeder on the tree.

*Apparently this activity also makes a tasty afternoon snack*

Bubble Fun

Are you looking to put a twist on swimming? Add kid friendly bubble bath solution to a kiddie pool; as the kiddos splash around the more bubbles produced.

Another idea I’ve heard but have yet to try is filling a kiddie pool with blowing bubble solution; give a bubble wands to each child for them to blow bubbles using the solution inside the pool. To create a mega bubble, one at a time inside the kiddie pool, have a child stand inside a hula hoop; raise the hula hoop up over the child to make a giant bubble.

Ball Drop

Ball Drop
Baby Play (Gymboree)

“Balls, bowls and anything that bangs are big hits with older babies. How can you get all those elements into one playtime? Just provide your baby with some lightweight balls (like whiffle or tennis balls) and a big metal bowl or plastic basket. Then show your baby how to drop the balls into the container. When the balls hit, they each make a different and interesting sound. Your baby will be intrigued by this simple activity and will gain and understanding of cause and effect. “

Muddle Puddles

An unplanned but a kid exciting activity, our inflatable pool sprung a leak causing the water to steadily pour onto the deck, down to the grass below- creating a lovely waterfall like flow and a nice muddle puddle. While my two year old was more interested in playing in the extremely wet sand in the sandbox, my baby was all about splashing in the mud.

Over the past two years I’ve hung up my neat freak apron, realizing boys will be boys and if their wearing the same clothes they started the day in…well then it was a boring day. :)

Totally Tubular

Totally Tubular
Baby Play (Gymboree)

"Your baby may not have entered an ocean, lake, ore even a kiddie pool yet, but large swim tubes (*I purchased ours at the “Dollar Tree”*) provide plenty of fun on dry land, too. Sitters and crawlers alike enjoy using the tubes for sitting support. Or Play a game of peekaboo in the rings. Just sit him/her down in one on a soft surface, stack the rest of them up to his/her chest, and lift them off while calling “peekaboo!” enthusiastically. Babies who are more mobile will take pleasure in creeping and crawling in and out of several tubes placed on the floor.”

Jello Fun

Jello Fun

Materials:
3-6 large boxes of Jello
Large bowl(s)
baby bath tub or large container

Instructions:
Prepare Jello according to directions on package, once jello is firm place in baby bath or large container, take outside and let your child(ren) play in it. You can give the child(ren) spoons, measuring cups or any other household items to use while playing with the Jello.

Winter Sun Catcher

Winter Sun Catcher
Family Fun

Materials
Ice cube tray
Food coloring
Round cake pan
Ribbon
Plastic cup

Instructions
First, create colorful ice cubes by adding one to three drops of food coloring to the water in each section of the tray. Use only a few matching colors, as they will run together in the pan later. Freeze the cubes completely.

Fill a round cake pan about two-thirds full of water. To make the hole for the ribbon, set a plastic cup full of water in the pan. Place the pan in the freezer for an hour or so. Put the colored ice cubes in the pan, then let all the liquid freeze solid. Remove the plastic cup, flip the sun catcher out of the pan, then hang it outside with ribbon.