play Archives - Bare Feet on the Dashboard

09
Jul
2015

Learn with Play ~ Get 150+ Ideas for Year Round Fun and Learning for Kids of All Ages

Y’all, I could not be more excited. One of my lifelong dreams has come true – to be published in a book! I collaborated with an amazing group of bloggers from the Kid Blogger Network to bring you the new Learn with Play book, available now as an ebook, Kindle, or paperback. In this book you will find fresh ideas with clear instructions for activities, crafts, and so much more for kids of all ages. The book is easy to use and will help your kids to learn through play. The book makes a great gift for parents and educators, and I couldn’t be prouder of this project.

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22
May
2015

20 Ideas for Summer Fun with Preschool Kids

categories: play, preschool, summer

Summer is here and we are ready to play! Are you looking for fresh ideas to keep your little ones entertained this summer? Here are 20 ideas for summer fun with preschool kids to help you have fun with your family during the hot months ahead. Need ideas for your toddler? You’ll find five fun ideas to entertain your toddler this summer here. I’ve joined with my favorite kid bloggers to share our favorite summer ideas for kids and families, so be sure to hop around to the links at the bottom of this post.

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07
May
2015

Glow in the Dark Fun Indoor Play Ideas- A to Z Rainy Day Activities Series

categories: kids, play

Glow in the dark activities are REALLY fun for kids (and you), but they are SUPER difficult to photograph. I tried, really I did, but nothing worked out. So, I’m sharing a few fun ideas for glow in the dark fun with your kids for those hot or rainy days when you need to play indoors and you’ll have to use your imagination to picture them. Thanks for understanding. These are ideas are simple, but will provide endless fun for your family. Be sure to check out the rest of the A to Z Rainy Day Activities Series at Something 2 Offer for more fun indoor play ideas.

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18
Apr
2015

Clean Mud Bubble Dough – The Easiest Sensory Dough Ever

categories: kids, play

We love to play outside, but sometimes need fresh ideas to get the kids engaged. They’ve been really in to bubbles lately, so after making a DIY bubble solution with dish soap and water I was inspired to try a new twist on clean mud dough. Play dough of all kinds is so much fun and give kids a great sensory experience, but making it yourself can be a challenge. This recipe for clean mud bubble dough is pretty much the easiest sensory dough ever and creates clean bubbly fun for your kids. It takes only 3 ingredients and about 5 minutes, plus the clean up is super simple as well. Ready to have some bubble dough fun?

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02
Apr
2015

Kid Art: Turn a Used Cardboard Roll in to a Telescope and Sword

categories: green living, kids, play

Have you noticed how kids will turn something bound for the trashcan in to a treasure? At our house, this most commonly happens with cardboard rolls from paper towels and toilet paper. The Bear (almost 4) loves to turn them in to swords, binoculars, and telescopes. We don’t use a lot of paper towels, so whenever we run through a roll he gets really excited to make an “eye scope”. Usually the roll becomes a telescope until it is too bent to see through and then transforms in to a sword. Paper towel rolls get taped together and made in to “knock-ulars”. For this spring’s 60 Day Junk Play Challenge, we decided to take a few of our old paper towel rolls and turn them in to special works of art.

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12
Mar
2015

Taste Safe Strawberry Lemonade Sparkle Sensory Play Dough

categories: play, preschool, recipes

We are having so much fun with our latest homemade play dough this week. It smells and looks so fun, and the kids have been playing with it nonstop. The recipe is super easy AND taste safe for your little ones. My Pearl Girl puts everything in her mouth, so I try to make sure all of our play dough recipes are taste safe. You can see our sparkly snow dough recipe here, and our chocolate cinnamon scented sensory dough here.

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11
Mar
2015

Easy Disney Photo Booth Backdrop + Our #DisneySide Party

categories: Disney, play

We are a Disney loving family and love to celebrate. We recently hosted a #DisneySide play date recently for some of our sweet friends and today I’m sharing a few easy tips to help you throw your own. I set up an easy Disney photo booth backdrop to take keepsake photos of the mamas and kids, made tasty Mickey Mouse inspired treats, and had a blast. We were so thrilled to be chosen to host a #DisneySide party again this year, thanks to the folks at Disney Parks. For more easy tips and activities to help you show your Disney Side, visit Disney Side Celebrations.

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07
Mar
2015

Jonah and the Whale Hide and Seek Game

categories: jesus, kids, play

We’ve loved reading the Jesus Storybook Bible with our kids and creating interactive play ideas to bring the stories to life for them. Today we played a game of hide and seek to give them a new perspective on the story of Jonah and the Whale. You can read the activities we’ve done to go with the stories of Samuel and David, the Tower of Babel, and Moses and the Red Sea. Read the entire series with activities for all 40 stories in the Jesus Storybook Bible Interactive Play Series here.

We read the story “God’s Messenger: Jonah and the Big Fish” from the Jesus Storybook Bible together, and then played a game of hide and seek. The Bear would hide while Pearl Girl and I looked for him, then we swapped. After several rounds, I brought the game back to the story.

Here’s what I asked him: Did I find you every time? Yes. Did I ever stop looking for you? No. Why did I keep looking for you? Because I love you and never want to lose you. God feels the same way about you and He felt the same way about Jonah. When Jonah ran away, God even used a storm and a big whale to bring him back because God never wants anything to get between His children and Him.

It seemed to really make sense to him, and it was a super fun way to spend a morning.

How do you bring the Bible to life for your kids?
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04
Mar
2015

DIY Outdoor Obstacle Course Play Ideas for Kids

categories: diy, kids, play

We are so ready for spring and getting back to our daily outdoor play routine. While my kids play independently pretty well outside, sometimes an activity or a little direction helps to get them moving. We often set up DIY outdoor obstacle course play for the kids using our existing lawn furniture and their outside toys. The course never looks the same and they are always up for racing around, climbing, jumping, and competing. Today I’m sharing how we set up outdoor obstacle course play as part of the Outdoor Play Challenge. Check out the rest of the Outdoor Play Challenge at Building Blocks and Acorns and grab a free printable play calendar with a whole month of fantastic outdoor play ideas.

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26
Feb
2015

Kid Art: Painting with Plastic Wrap Two Ways

categories: kids, play, preschool

Art play is a great way to get your kids creating and expressing themselves. We love to try new painting techniques in our home preschool, and found two different way to paint with plastic wrap as part of a month long Painting Challenge. With this challenge, it is all about the process of kids creating art, not a Pinterest perfect finished product. We had so much fun and the kids really loved the reveal after peeling off the plastic wrap at the end. Read below to find out what we did, and visit the Painting Challenge page over at Messy Little Monster to find 34 other fun painting techniques to try with your kids.

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Category: play