Hello hello!
While we’ve had our fair share of adventures this summer (more on that soon!), we’ve also been spending lots of time at home, along with everyone else.
While I obviously never would have chosen this situation or the devastation it has caused, I have loved seeing James and Lilah learn to entertain themselves better than ever before.
Still, we all have off days and some mornings it’s clear that we need a little something extra. I love having a few “back pocket” activities for days like this to help turn things around and I have found some good ones lately! I hope you love them too and I would LOVE to hear about any fun, low key activities you’ve been enjoying at home.
Sago Mini kindly sent us two of their boxes and we loved them! Each box has a theme (we received the Road Trip & Story Telling themes) and has a few different activities. The boxes have a mix of crafty type activities and super high quality little toys to encourage imaginative play.
My personal favorite element was the little car and felt road. James and Lilah have both been super into playing with cars and building roads lately and I know this will become a great extension of that play theme.
I also love the story telling beans! This is an activity where the child chooses a bean and imagines a story based on the image, drawing more beans to elaborate on their story. I would extend this by inviting the child to draw their story and writing it down for them. I love activities like this that encourage creative thought!
I also want to note that all of the activities were super age appropriate. I really hate it when there’s a kids craft or activity that looks really cute, but is way too hard for the kids and I wind up doing it while they watch. Not the case with these!
I requested a promo code if anyone would like to try the boxes (I don’t get any $ from it, just a little discount for ya): use MONTESSORIISHMOM15 for 15% off either the monthly or annual subscription, valid though September 30!
(Note: I received two complimentary boxes but was not otherwise compensated)
So the 3D Build & Play is basically a little 3D printer that lets kids make their own toys….kind of crazy, right? It heats up these little strips of eco-plastic and the child cranks the handle to fill the little molds. Then you just pop them out and play! The little toys are very simple, but perfect for combining with other toys like Legos or blocks.
This is meant for kids 4+ and James will be 4 at the end of September. I will say he does need help with it, but he also loves it and asks to use it almost every day. He needs an adult to help hold the little machine still while he cranks but I imagine with practice, he’ll stop needing that. I also imagine he’ll be able to make some really cook creative things after practicing with the molds.
(Note: This set was sent to us for free but I was not otherwise compensated.)
This one is so simple, but James and Lilah have been loving it!
James has basically become pen pals with his best friend during this time and our friends sent us some of this paper and it’s been a big hit! It’s amazing how something as small as a new kind of paper can inspire a renewed interest in art and creativity.
I would love to hear about any fun at-home activities you’ve been loving!
Montessori abc Book
My Montessori abc book uses phonetic sounds. Montessori teaches phonetic sounds, rather than letter names, to help children learn to read.
The book also uses one letter and image per page. This helps the child focus and not be overwhelmed. Photographic images are used to spark curiosity and encourage the child to learn about the real world.
You can purchase the book here!
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1 Comment
Let me start with, I have missed your blog so much! I’ve learned so much from it over the years. 🙂 The sago mini box looks amazing and so creative! I also want to play with the 3D builder! I’m looking for new creative ways to engage the kids this fall during this crazy time. These are awesome ideas. Thank you!!