Creative Crafts With Cardboard Tubes!

We all know they are everywhere! So, why not make a creative use out of them? Parents are always looking to use regular household products to create inexpensive, fun and entertaining projects for their children. Thanks to our good friends over at Happy Hooligans we have found this list of 22 ways to use these otherwise disposable products! 

22 Things to Make with Cardboard Tubes:

Click on the highlighted descriptions to see a full tutorial for each craft or activity.

Fall Decorations with Cardboard Tubes:

Use a cool paint process to make some fall napkin rings.

Make a turkey table topper for your Thanksgiving table.

Round up some fabric scraps and a few crafty odds and ends for some adorable toilet roll owls.

Crafting for Halloween:

The kids will love making a quirky monster mobile out of cardboard rolls.

A spooky crow or owl is a very fitting decoration for Halloween.

Our toilet roll mummies help little ones develop their winding and wrapping skills.

Winter Toilet Roll Crafts:

These cardboard roll snowmen are just the cutest little things, aren’t they?

The hooligans LOVE playing with our toilet roll Nativity set.

Cardboard Roll Christmas Crafts:

Fleece, batting and a cardboard roll makes an adorable Santa Claus.

Make a set of cute reindeer ornaments for your Christmas tree.

This snowman ornament would be great for the tree or as a gift topper.

Spring Crafts:

Summons up some April showers with a colourful rain stick.

These Easter chicks in paper nests are just too sweet.

Peeps!  Everyone loves Easter peeps, right?

And don’t forget about the Easter bunnies!  Check out our paint chip bunting too!

Bracelets and Cuffs:

Make some simple toilet roll cuff bracelets.

Anklets can be made using cardboard rolls and colourful duct tape.

Skill Building Activities:

Make some cool 3-D structures with tubes and a low-temp glue gun.

Toddlers love to drop things through our cardboard Drop Zone.

Arts and Crafts:

Create a unique piece of art for a kid’s room, toy room or classroom.

Turn a long cardboard tube into a torch.

Cardboard Tubes for Play:

In a pinch, a sturdy kitchen roll, makes an excellent bubble wand.

Make a set of simple “stand up” paper dolls.

Well?  What do you think?  Did we inspire you?  Now, it’s your turn to inspire me!  If you have a favourite cardboard roll craft or activity, I’d love to hear about it!

Now, I’ll bet you’re wondering how you can re-use all those Keurig K-cups you have stashed too!  Don’t worry!  We’ve got you covered: 25 Ways to Re-use Your K-cup pods.

10 Fun Fall Activities for Kids to Do in the Backyard

Fall is right around the corner!! The weather will cool down, leaves will change and good 'ole Pumpkin Spice Lattes are back at Starbucks! Here are some great ideas for outdoor Fall activities from our friends over at Happy Hooligans...Check it out! 

Each of the activities described contains a clickable link that will take you to the detailed blog post.

 

Rake up a leaf maze or leaf labyrinth!

Pick up some decorative corn cobs for sensory play! This fine-motor activity keeps the hooligans busy for days on end!

Set up a fall sensory bin using found items and thrift-shop materials.

Fall play on a mirror!  An display of autumn dollar store items is doubly interesting to explore when set up on a mirrored surface.

Collect a big bucket of chestnuts.  Kids LOVE shelling them, and then using them for sensory play.

A corn and chestnut run will keep little ones entertained for hours!

Make a leaf slide!

Set up an invitation to play with sensory materials on a mirror under a canopy of leaves or the clear, blue sky.

Explore a variety of harvest items.  The hooligans love dissecting sunflowers!

A nature table laden with gourds, candles, pinecones, bark and other natural element provides loads of discovery and learning.

Quitting Your Nanny Job

We have all been there....  Looking for a way to leave our family but cannot come up with the best way to go~  From Seaside's perspective, we would never want our candidates to blow off work for fear of confrontation especially if its a new job as it makes EVERYONE in the process look unprofessional.  We prefer a notice delivered with kindness.  I found this great new "Nanny Magazine" online and thought I would share it with you as it also seems to have great content for our field of expertise!

I also thought that the history was important to share as well, you can read about this Nanny Magazine here.

Teaching Styles: #3 Reggio Emilia

Day #3 of our teaching tour, Reggio Emilia! 

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The Reggio Emilia Approach is an educational philosophy focused on preschool and primary education. This is a style that is relatively new to the education world. During the post-World War II era, a “…desire to bring change and create a new, more just world, free from oppression, was urging women and men to gather their strength and build with their own hands schools for their young children.”Beginning in Italy, the first Reggio Emilia modeled school was opened in 1963. 

Reggio Emilia is recognized around the world as an innovative approach to teaching. In this approach, there is a belief that children have rights and should be given opportunities to develop their potential. Children are believed “knowledge bearers”, so they are encouraged to share their thoughts and ideas about everything they could meet or do during the day.

• Children must have some control over the direction of their learning;
• Children must be able to learn through experiences of touching, moving, listening, seeing, and hearing;
• Children have a relationship with other children and with material items in the world that children must be allowed to explore and
• Children must have endless ways and opportunities to express themselves.

In the Reggio approach, the teacher is considered a co-learner and collaborator with the child and not just an instructor. Teachers are encouraged to facilitate the child's learning by planning activities and lessons based on the child's interests, asking questions to further understanding, and actively engaging in the activities alongside the child, instead of sitting back and observing the child learning.

The Reggio Emilia approach views children as capable, inquisitive learners and experiences are planned to spark creativity, thinking, planning and reflecting.  

An experience using natural materials is not only aesthetically pleasing, it is also delightfully open-ended, engages the senses and supports valuable connections with the natural world.

Sources:

Let The Children Play

Next Teaching Style: #2 Montessori!

Day 2 of our teaching styles series is Montessori schooling! Read below to learn more about this interactive and fun philosophy and get some ideas for Montessori-related activities.   

Montessori schooling began in the late 1800s by an Italian physician and educator. The first Montessori based classroom was opened in 1907 in Rome. 

This educational style is characterized by an emphasis on independence, freedom within limits, and respect for a child’s natural psychological, physical, and social development. This level of learning is reached by a few specific requirements:

• Mixed age classrooms, with classrooms for children ages 21⁄2 or 3 to 6 years old by far the most common
• Student choice of activity from within a prescribed range of options
• Uninterrupted blocks of work time, ideally three hours
• A constructivist or "discovery" model, where students learn concepts from working with materials, rather than by direct instruction
• Specialized educational materials developed by Montessori and her collaborators
• Freedom of movement within the classroom
• A trained Montessori teacher

The teacher, child, and environment create a learning triangle. The classroom is  prepared by the teacher to encourage independence, freedom within limits, and a sense of order. The child, through individual choice, makes use of what the environment offers to develop himself, interacting with the teacher when support and/or guidance is needed.

Montessori education offers our children opportunities to develop their potential as they step out into the world as engaged, competent, responsible, and respectful citizens with an understanding and appreciation that learning is for life.

• Each child is valued as a unique individual. Montessori education recognizes that children learn in different ways, and accommodates all learning styles. 
• Beginning at an early age, Montessori students develop order, coordination, concentration, and independence. Classroom design, materials, and daily routines support the individual’s emerging “self-regulation” (ability to educate one’s self, and to think about what one is learning), toddlers through adolescents.
• Students are part of a close, caring community. The multi-age classroom—typically spanning 3 years—re-creates a family structure. Older students enjoy stature as mentors and role models; younger children feel supported and gain confidence about the challenges ahead. Teachers model respect, loving kindness, and a belief in peaceful conflict resolution.
• Montessori students enjoy freedom within limits. Working within parameters set by their teachers, students are active participants in deciding what their focus of learning will be. Montessorians understand that internal satisfaction drives the child’s curiosity and interest and results in joyous learning that is sustainable over a lifetime.
• Students are supported in becoming active seekers of knowledge. Teachers provide environments where students have the freedom and the tools to pursue answers to their own questions.
• Self-correction and self-assessment are an integral part of the Montessori classroom approach. As they mature, students learn to look critically at their work, and become adept at recognizing, correcting, and learning from their errors.

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He doesn't think about it. He goes to his shelves (in this case in our art cupboard) selects a tray, takes it to his table, sets up the activity (here it involves getting one of two more items including the place mat and water for the jar), completes the activity, packs everything away or back on the tray and returns the tray to the shelf. 

The mystery bag has long been a favorite children's activity. Usually it is simply a cloth bag or box with a hole for your child's hands, through which she can touch and manipulate objects that she cannot see. To play you will need a collection of small object with which your child is familiar and which she can name. While she closes her eyes, place an object inside the bag and challenge her to identify it by touch alone. If your child guesses correctly, you and your child switch roles. Keep this game going for older children by making it more difficult, using different coins, shells, or geometric shapes, for example.  - See more at: http://www.howwemontessori.com/how-we-montessori/activities/#sthash.xRFRk7Hl.dpuf

 

Sources:

American Montessori Society

How We Montessori 

4 Different Teaching Styles - #1 Waldorf

This is the first day to our 4-day series of teaching styles! 

Children learn in a variety of ways. Through play, music, experience and imitation, kids absorb information around them like sponges. In this 4-part series, I will go over a few of the popular teaching philosophies we see today. Each of these teaching styles have their own history and background as well as distinct values and practices. 

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First up, Waldorf education! This style began in Germany back in 1919 and is all about creative play. Waldorf's rich curriculum encourages children to learn by interacting with music, myth, theater, writing, dance, language, and nature. Young Waldorf schooled children are taught to explore both artistic expression and social capabilities from a young age. Secondary school introduces critical thinking and idealism to the mix, encouraging the use of imagination. Throughout a child's time in a Waldorf school, the goal is to combine intellectual, practical and artistic themes to create free, morally responsible and creative individuals that are socially competent. 

Teachers of the Waldorf style (whether parent, teacher or tutor) create an environment that is nurturing and which encourages learning through imitation and experimentation. The "teacher" will demonstrate various activities such as baking, gardening, painting, building etc. to stimulate the little ones' imaginations. Creative and free play is supported. 

As the children grow older, their curiosity grows, leading to experimentation in poetry, music, writing and art. By stimulating a sense of awe from a young age, critical thinking skills are developed. 

A few things that play huge roles in Waldorf education: colors, simple objects, handwork, daily rhythm, forts, musical instruments, natural toys and many more. Below are a few examples of Waldorf inspired activities to check out thanks to Alina's Adventures,  :) 

- Candle illuminated paper scenes 

- Nature painting and stamping

- Peek-a-boo sprites

 

Sources:

http://www.creativechild.com

http://www.alinasadventuresinhomemaking.com

http://www.whywaldorfworks.org

 

A Little Monday Afternoon Pep-Talk

Well another weekend has come and gone. Monday's can be a struggle..I know I am a little sluggish today. SO, here is another inspiring, funny, adorable video from Mr. Kid President. We love this little guy and the video speaks to everyone. Happy Monday! 

Genius Snack Hack Ideas!

Thanks to our friends at Kids Activities, we discovered this holy grail of Snack Hacks! These fun, simple and creative ideas will guarantee a smile at snack time! 

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Get Organized

Have a bin of snacks ready and waiting in the fridge.  This is great for portion control and encourages diversity.  Kids have to eat the whole bin before it’s replenished.  via – Iheartorganizing

Don’t search for your kids cups.  Glue magnets to the sides of their cups and your kids can stick cups onto the fridge.  When they want a drink they can use the fridge dispenser and put the cup back on the fridge. via – Dayna Made It.

Have your fridge organized so you don’t spend time looking for food or forgetting about a veggie or snack. via – Glamorous Housewife.

Cut up apples ahead of time and then wrap a rubber band around the slices.  This will keep them from turning brown. via -  A helicopter mom

Enjoy drip-free popsicles.  Fill the popsicle molds with jello.  Tastes great and are less messy!

Play Date Tips

Give your kids cups of dip along with their veggies.  This is a great make-ahead tip that works well for playdates and parties.  No double dipping!  via – Floor 24

Cut slivers of oranges in a jiffy – no more peeling and picking off the white of the orange!

Layer a cake evenly with the help of dental floss.  You can also use this tip to cut blocks of cheese or rolls of dough.  via – wiki how

Create double decker snack cups with the help of a cupcake liner.  These were a huge hit at a recent slumber party!  via- I can teach my child

Freeze sponges to create a safe, drip-free icepack alternative in a lunchbox.  The kids can even use the sponge to clean up their table before and after they are finished eating.

Transform a regular water bottle into a sippy cup by punching a hole through the lid and inserting a straw. Perfect for a picnic.  Best part, you can dispose of it when you are done.

Portion control snacks with the help of a set of old Easter eggs.  You can even use an egg carton to transport the food.  “Egg” lunches are my kids favorite park treat.  via – Kailo Chic

Quick and Easy Treat Tips

Use a cupcake liner to contain drips when your kids are eating popscicles.   Your kids won’t be as sticky!

Create ice-cream sandwiches quick and easily with mini-icecream containers.  Heat your knife to make cutting them easier.  Then peel the carton away before eating.

Make a single serving of cake in a mere 3 minuets with only 3 ingredients.  This recipe tastes just like a mug of hot chocolate.

Happy snacking!! 

25 Outdoor Water Play Ideas!

Hope everyone had a relaxing Labor Day weekend! Found these great water play ideas from our friends over at Happy Hooligans :) Take a look! 

READ HERE!