August 20th, 2010 Quick and easy pretend play and toddler activity Posted by Melitsa in Media, Sites to visit, Thought of the week, play activities

“Don’t touch that!”
“It’s hot!”
“Mine!”We’re all familiar with these phrases as they relate to toddler behavior. Toddlers are naturally curious to touch and examine objects.

They don’t have any of the skills yet to hold back and decide whether it’s the right or safe thing to do. They just reach out and act.

There will be plenty of times when our little ones will hear variations of “Don’t touch!” But we can also encourage their curiosity and imagination by giving them opportunities to experience new things with our support.

Going on………………… to read more about my monthly toddler  post , visit Steady Mom

Pretend play is always a big hit with children. Look no further than your kitchen for inspiration!  Most everyone has a wooden spoon, but if not? Improvise! Wooden Spoon Puppets……. to read more about my monthly kids craft post, visit Blissfully Domestic

August 12th, 2010 5 ways to calm the unsettledness of moving with children Posted by Melitsa in Articles, Education, Roundups, Seasonal play, Thought of the week, pretend play

Traveling unsettles children. They are out of their routines and everything is just different. We can’t always bend enough for their needs and that inflexibility leads to conflict.
We’ve just had one of these periods of traveling. Things are not as we expected, which is fine and normal. How would we really know how things would be? We’re adjusting and reformulating plans. Hence my absence from Twitter, Blogging and Podcasting. Trying to get back on track for next week.
One day at a time……….

This is a post I had started for July .

Here are a few toys and ideas to keep them encouraged and positive about the future.
1. World puzzle

Showing them different places in the world.
2. Balls

3.

Only One You
4.pretend play

5. spinny critters

The boys have taken a keener interest in maps now that their dad is round the other side of the world. So we look at different map types every chance we get. Who can find dad the quickest etc?

Balls are a great way to burn off energy.

I need to talk about Only you another time. But it helps when you feel like another fish in a big pond and you know noone.

Kids act out and play through new situations. What better way than through a pretend play set from the region.

Laughing helps …………..we couldn’t have survived this move or traveling without having lots of opportunities for laughter. While the makers of spinny critters probably wanted matching parts. I know this was a super ice breaker and mood lifter when you showed a mixed up animal. “Horse-o-lion”. OK we loved the jokes

These are some of the things we have done recently. What do you do to prepare your child for long distance travel or moving? Would love to hear.

July 1st, 2010 Summer vitamins and Watermelon seed spitting Posted by Melitsa in Homemade, Outdoor play, Sites to visit, Thought of the week, play activities

Do you have your PURTS the new summer vitamin?

Are your toddlers getting their vitamins?

With the start of summer more of us will be aware of covering up our toddlers to avoid skin problems. We’re careful that they eat their greens and munch an apple to get their Vitamin C.

It’s what caring parents do. Vitamins are vital to the health of us all.

I’d like to propose five new vitamins just in time for summer. Release date is worldwide with no known side effects–except possibly the big bi-product of laughter, smiles and contentment.

Give your child PURTS this summer.

Vitamin P

To read more about the benefits of these amazing vitamins please visit my post over at Steady Mom.

Drowning in Watermelon?

What will you do with all those seeds?

Keep your toddler and preschoooler happy with this Watermelon noise maker

Vitamin P

To read more about this craft please visit my Blissfully Domestic post..

Friday 2nd July 2010 is the final day to enter the Outdoor products contest. Easy entry and multiple bonus entry opportunities

June 26th, 2010 Outdoor products for the summer Posted by Melitsa in Media, Outdoor play, Roundups, Seasonal play, Thought of the week, gardening, play activities

Welcome KMGH-TV Channel 7 Denver viewers! Thanks for watching this morning and stopping by for more information about the products I featured on TV.

While you’re here, you can learn more about me and my work on my profile page.

Featured products

Sport Brella

At the park, beach, pool or campsite, the SKLZ Sport-Brella gives you instant protection from the sun, rain, and wind with its domed shape, side flaps and 125 SPF. Its umbrella action open mechanism allows it to be set up in just three seconds and fits the whole family. Includes top wind vents, side zippered windows for efficient airflow and additional visibility, internal pockets for gear and valuables, convenient carry bag and tethers/ground stakes for use when necessary for additional stability. $69.99, sklz.com

Thermacell Outdoor Lantern

The ThermaCELL Outdoor Insect-Repellent Lantern is the best option for keeping mosquitoes and other insects in any outdoor setting. The Patio Lantern is both a powerful insect repellent device and a functional and portable, long-lasting outdoor LED lantern, with both functions being usable separately or together. Providing a 15×15 ft mosquito-free zone, it is 98% effective (tested and used by the Department of Defense and the United States Army), making it the most effective insect repellent device on the market. It is also non-toxic, safe and non-intrusive, being DEET-free, silent, portable and odor free. Rather than a harmful toxin, ThermaCELL utilizes allethrin, an artificial version of a natural insecticide found in chrysanthemum flowers. Weighs only 13 ounces. $31.99, mosquitorepellent.com

Pottyflip

Pottyflip is a full size, clean, safe, portable, disposable and biodegradable child potty that folds out from a palm-sized package. Easy to carry several in any purse or handbag, it is also easy to use. Just unwrap, flip open and it is ready to go. After use, fold it back up and dispose of the whole potty. No mess, no fuss. No more dirty public restroom seats or trying to find some hidden corner for a child to go to the bathroom. Also environmentally-friendly, it is fully and rapidly biodegradable. $24 for a pack of 12, pottyflipusa.com or at stores throughout North America.

Snack-Trap

The Snack-Trap is a child feeding product (designed for toddlers/kids ages 1-5) that minimizes wasted snacks and saves associated clean up time while promoting the development of self-feeding skills among infants. Consists of an attractive, colorfully imprinted, tip-resistant, handled cup that allows toddlers to grasp and hold the cup themselves with a unique, patent-pending lid with slits that allow toddlers to see and retrieve food with ease themselves but automatically closes when the toddlers remove their hand. 4.99, snacktrap.com, or at retailers throughout North America.

I’m giving away these 4 items. All as seen in the TV segment.

• Green Sport Brilla
• ThermaCELL Outdoor Insect-Repellent Lantern
• Potty Flip (2) unopened.
• Green snack trap with a dinosaur.

Four winners will be randomly chosen, each person winning one item.

To enter, leave a comment and tell me which two of these products you’d most like to win and why.

Please leave your e-mail address so I can reach you easily if you win.

For bonus entries, you can do one or more of the following – be sure to leave a separate comment for each extra entry:

• Follow me on twitter at @playactivities and tweet “@playactivities is giving away awesome outdoor products at http://tinyurl.com/2wqqazq . Enter today! “
• Subscribe to the RSS feed for play-activities.com
• Subscribe to the Play-Activities newsletter
• Subscribe to the Raising Playful Tots newsletter found here
• Post an entry on your own blog about this giveaway and link back ( trackback)
• Subscribe to Raising Playful Tots, the play activities podcast through iTunes. Come back and leave a comment here.

Contest details ( closed)

The contest will close at 11:59 p.m., MST, Friday 2nd July 2010. Four winners will be chosen using random.org. I will do my best to match the item to the person’s first or second choice, however I cannot guarantee that. If a winner does not want the assigned item, another item will not be offered, they will forfeit their win and another person will be chosen. After e-mailing the winners, they will have 48 hours to respond before I draw another name. I will publish the winners first names on my site after they have confirmed. Continental U.S. Entries only.

Disclosure: I was not paid to appear on TV or review these products. I did receive free products so I could show them during the segment. I was given the option to keep all of the products, however, I am choosing to share the love and give them away to readers. I will personally pay shipping fees to mail products to the winners.

Good luck