Preschool

Vegetable Soup Water Table Play Activity

August 7, 2018 by Stacy Craft 3 Comments

You can create this vegetable soup water table play activity with things that you probably already have in your kid’s playroom and your kitchen for lots of summer fun.

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Playing with our water table is almost a daily activity during the spring and summer for us. My kids enjoy playing with it just as intended but I also like to occasionally provide themes to spice it up and keep it interesting.

We decided to be a pretend chef and cook up a vegetable soup water table play session this week.

If your kids love sensory activities, don’t miss the 10 Second Edible Baby Sensory Play Activity, Cookie Cereal Baking Bin and the Fall Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Bin. And if you need a way to organize your kid’s dress up stuff, read this!

Vegetable Soup Water Table Play

Making vegetable soup in our water table entertained my 4 year old for about 30 minutes. My 9 month old even got in on the fun, although his attention span is not as long!

What You Need:

Water Table or even a plastic storage bin or a bowl could work.

Pretend Vegetables

Plastic Spoons/Bowls

Water

Vegetable Soup Water Table Play Set up

Reason #3849 that I love water table activities – it is so easy to set up. As a busy mama, things that take just a couple of minutes to set up are the best kind of activities!

I just gathered up our play vegetables, plastic bowls, and spoons. If you don’t have play bowls and spoons, just use some plastic ones from your real kitchen! My daughter decided to add in some fruit to our vegetable soup, so we went with it.

Once it was ready, she spent some time washing her fruits and veggies (it is amazing what our kids pick up on watching us in our daily lives).

Drop the veggies (and fruit if you are using it) into your water table and fill it with water. It seems like such a simple idea but just offering the simple task of “making soup” completely reinvigorated the water table for my little one.

She spent time creating different recipes. Of course we “tasted” each one. She even washed the dishes after we tried each new creation.

I love that she can be creative and practice life skills while playing pretend. Not to mention that we all got some nice outside time as well.

Don’t mind the little one. He is trying to make “bulldozer soup” a thing.

Here is a bowl of her delicious soup that she created. Seeing your kid’s imagination at work is a rewarding experience.

I also love that I can keep a toy that we have had for a while (note the baked on dirt that no amount of scrubbing will remove) fresh and fun.

This vegetable soup water table play activity is a simple water table idea to encourage creative play. Would your kids enjoy this cooking theme for the water table?

Pin this Vegetable Sensory Soup for Later!

Need more summer fun activities? Check out this list of the Best Water toys for toddlers!

Preschool Easter Basket Fillers Under $5

February 23, 2018 by Stacy Craft Leave a Comment

Find tons of preschool Easter basket fillers under $5 for both boys and girls!

When you have a bunch of Easter baskets to fill, being frugal in the process is something that our Easter bunny needs to do! We have 5 baskets to fill with the new baby this year so I decided to come up with some items under $5 that could be used to fill those baskets.

The list in this post is geared towards your preschool babies aged 3-5. Don’t forget to check out the Infant Basket fillers under $5 if you have a baby under 1. And since we literally still have Halloween candy hanging around our house, I am leaving candy off this list. No need to worry, I am sure some chocolate bunnies will find their way into the baskets but I want to focus on non-candy items for this list.

Affiliate Links are used in this post. A small commission may be paid to me at no extra cost to you and that helps to support this page. Please see my disclosures page for additional information.

Preschool Basket Fillers Under $5:

Unicorn Sunglasses for Girls and Blue Shark Sunglasses for Boys!
Crayola Color Wonder Coloring Kits – Baby Shark or Paw Patrol – I love the size of these, great to throw in your purse or diaper bag for restaurant entertainment.
Play-Doh Multi Pack
Egg & Chick Shaped Sidewalk Chalk and this Unicorn Horn Chalk is perfect for your Unicorn loving kiddo.
Bath Crayons
Crayola Bath Bombs – to turn their bath water fun colors! The pretty colors will look great in a basket too!
Shark Shaped Water Squirters – Fun for backyard or pool play.
Toothbrush – A new toothbrush with their favorite Princess on it is required after all that Easter candy! My kids love these light up toothbrushes too.
Bunny Ears Headband
Water Bottle with Wonder Woman or Black Panther characters.
Bunny Kid’s Plate
Trolls Blind Bag or Ryan’s World Blind Bag – I really do not get the blind bags but my preschooler LOVES them.
Sand Bucket Set – Fun if you have a summer beach trip planned.
Mini Sand Vehicles – I am planning to use these in our sand/water table
Paint Your Own Easter Canvas – They have several different choices, cute inexpensive craft. Add some paint or Markers for a complete Easter Art experience. Only $1 Each!
Spring Girls Bunny Tee or Boys Bike Riding Shark
Light Up Bouncy Balls – this comes in a multipack so it is good if you have multiple baskets or Eggs to fill.
Jelly Bean or Chocolate Bunny Kinetic Sand
Berenstain Bears & the Easter Story Book – Reminds us of the reason we celebrate Easter
Emoji Stickers or Spa/Makeup Stickers
Shopkins – I do not understand the appeal of these either but my 4 year old is obsessed.
Barbie Color N Style Purse – little purse craft kit that you color and bedazzle
Confetti Eggs – These look like fun to smash outside!
Mini Jenga Game
Crayola Washable Paint
Baby Doll Play Food
Hurricane Disk Pool Toy
Lego Easter Chick Kit
Sand Tools – Another toy we will use in our sand/water table until our beach vacay
Silly Scents Markers
Hatchimals Egg
Paw Patrol Bubble Glove – Perfect for outdoor fun
Spring Colored Jump Ropes
Playground Kickball
Pool or Outdoor Spash Balls
Plastic Bat & Ball
DIY Slime Kit
DIY Stress Balls
Jeli Rez Jewelry Making Kit

If you need other ideas, check out this list of personalized items for the Easter basket for kids. And if you have teen girls at your house, here are tons of teen personalized items they will love too.

Have an Infant’s basket to fill? Check this out for practical fillers under $5.

Easy Dress Up Station

July 16, 2018 by Stacy Craft Leave a Comment

Are dress up clothes taking over your house?

I have enough issues with regular laundry to then pile on top a bunch of princess costumes, my house was becoming a wreck quickly.

I wanted to create an area in our play room that would be fun to play and use but that would also create some organization for all of the stuff! This easy dress up station was just the right fit for our little princess.

(Affiliate Links are used in this post. A small commission may be paid to me at no extra cost to you and that helps to support this page. Please see my disclosures page for additional information.)

By creating some order to our princess mess, I found that my daughter is actually playing with this stuff!

Before she either couldn’t find her stuff because it was wherever she dropped it or I had shoved it in the bottom of the closet in an attempt to clean up. Now that she can easily see her pretty dresses and jewels, she usually becomes Belle or Sophia once or twice a week!

And if LOL Surprise Dolls are also becoming tiny little residents in your home, check out this LOL Organizer.

What you Need for the Easy Dress Up Station:

Adjustable Garment Rack

Princess Wall Art

Wood Wall Clear Knob Organizer – I got mine at Hobby Lobby and can’t find the exact same thing. These are really pretty and these are reasonably priced and would be cute.

Lots of Princess dresses, play jewelry and little girl high heels.

Setting Up the Easy Dress Up Station

The adjustable garment rack took less than 15 minutes to put together and that was the first thing that I did. Once that was ready, my daughter helped me hang up all of her princess dresses.

The dress up area isn’t just limited to princess costumes. She can dress up as a chef, vet, or a girly super hero.

I stored extra dress up clothes and play shoes at the bottom of the rack. (Don’t mind that missing Elsa from the blue shoe! Hey, they still work!)

Next, I had my daughter stand in front of where the mirror would go. I did this because I wanted it to be a “kid friendly” mirror. (not hung so high that she wouldn’t even be able to see her face)!

We hung the mirror so that she could see her full princess ball gown in all it’s glory.

The princess wall art was hung level with the top of the mirror. The hooks went right under the art so that she could easily reach her purses and jewels.

I set our vanity next to the easy dress up station so that she can move right on to hair and make up once she gets dressed. I love that this area provides a fun play area for kids to use their imagination.

Plus it helps to get the princess dress mess off my floor.

If your pretend play costumes are causing chaos, I hope you try this super easy dress up station solution for your playroom!

Once your playroom is in order, check out this bathtub toy organizer hack so that you can see the bottom of your tub again!

Travel Activities for Kids on Road Trips Under $15 to Free

June 25, 2018 by Stacy Craft Leave a Comment

Travel Activities for Kids on Road Trips Under $15 to Free

We recently took a beach trip with our 7 month old and 4 year old. Driving 7+ hours with two kids requires lots of planning. I wanted to have some travel activities for kids, snacks and extra patience packed for the drive.

And if you are going to the beach and need to know the #1 beach item to take with you for an infant, read about that here.

Affiliate Links are used in this post. A small commission may be paid to me at no extra cost to you and that helps to support this page. Please see my disclosures page for additional information.

Since we used to make a trip from our home in Houston, TX to Memphis about every 6-8 weeks for the first two years of my daughter’s life, I am pretty experienced in things that work well in the car. I have compiled a list of things that we used on this trip or have used on previous trips to make the journey a little easier on everyone.

Amazon Road Trip Toys & Activities Under $15

Pop Snap Beads

I put a few handfuls into a solo cup. The cup fits into the carseat cup holder and the kids can assemble chains or jewelry. If they use all the beads by making a super long chain, I will refill the cup. These beads snap together so there is no chance of a string being dropped and all the beads falling off. Good for a car ride and something different than the usual car activities.

Colorforms Reusable Stickers & Background

Do you remember playing with these as a kid? I do! I loved being able to create a sticker scene with all of my favorite characters and then pull them all off and start over. Lots of the current characters are available for your kids – Peppa, Paw Patrol, PJ Masks. These are a great activity for the car, airplane, a restaurant or even just quiet time at home.

Magnetic Dress Up Board

Magnets in the car are always a win in my book because I envision them staying stuck where they should be and not all over my floor. My daughter has been playing with her magnetic dress up board since she was 2 or 3 and still enjoys it at 4.5 years old. We always have to have all thing princess and girl so we love the Frozen and Minnie sets. They also have a Minions and Cars set too that will be perfect for my baby boy in a couple of years!

Melissa & Doug Water Wow

Wow is right. Simply put water in paint brush holder and shut the top. Your kids will paint with the water and all of the pretty colors will magically appear. The best part? Once the water dries, the color evaporates and they can paint again and again.

I bought my daughter a set of these when she was 2 and we are just now having to replace them 2 years later because the paper finally wore out after being painted so many times. She has so much fun using these books, especially in places where painting is not typically allowed like in the car! This pack has 3 books and if you need less, they also have a 2 pack. I keep these in my diaper bag too for times that we might get stuck somewhere and need a distraction.

These might just be my favorite travel activity for kids!

Lacing Cards

Encouraging learning and fine motor is what we do as moms (even if it is in a car)! These lacing cards accomplish just that. The kids think it is fun and we can feel good about them doing something besides watching a screen (and don’t think I am getting all judgey, you better believe a screen will make an appearance in our car during a trip.)

The ocean themed lacing cards were my choice since we were travelling to the beach. The princess, zoo, and transportation cards are also very cute.

WikkiStix

These are pieces of yarn covered in wax. The sticks are moldable and can be twisted and formed into shapes. I like to print off free playdough mats to use when playing with these wikkistix. They are mess free! Picklebums has a great roundup of playdough mats that you can use.

Dollar Tree Travel Activities for Kids

We took a quick trip to the Dollar Tree right before we left. As always they have a million things that you didn’t know that you needed! Since everything is just $1, it is great for little car ride surprises.

Here is what we got:

Stick on By Number Mosaics – These little kits surprised me! They were lots of fun and super economical.

I kept the stickers up front with me and let my daughter pick one number to do at a time to cut down on lost pieces and mess. These were actually really good quality and reminded me of kits I have purchased at craft stores for much more than $1!

Velvet Mickey Mouse Mini Poster Coloring Art

Mini Character Puzzle Tins – Attach magnetic tape to the puzzle pieces and they can work the puzzle on the cookie sheet in the car. Make sure you use a really thin magnet. I used one that was too thick at first and the puzzle pieces will not fit together right if you do that.

Travel Activities for Kids that Dollar Tree Stocks:

Playing Cards

Big Pack of Stickers

Coloring & Activity Books

Crayons

Dry Erase Boards – They had cute little character boards in the school supply aisle that were perfect lap size

Snacks/Candy/Treats

Baby Dolls/Barbie type dolls

Trucks/Cars

School Workbooks – lots of age appropriate workbooks are available.

(Almost) Free Travel Activities For Kids

When you are traveling, money has probably already been spent on travel expenses, lodging and entertainment when you get there. But when you are trying to survive a long drive or plane ride with littles, a few new things can be worth it because it literally helps with sanity.

A couple of new items are fun and exciting for the kids but there are plenty of things that you can also do extremely inexpensively or for free to create entertainment on the ride as well. Travel activities for kids don’t have to cost a lot to be exciting. Here are some cheap ideas to make the car ride more fun.

Gift Wrap Everything

Do you remember the first Christmas or two with your baby? Remember how they had more fun with the wrapping paper and boxes than with the 3 million toys that you and your family gave them? That is the concept here! If you buy a couple of new items, wrap those up. Even better, over the course of the week before you leave, select a few car appropriate toys that you already own. Wrap those toys up too! The mystery of unwrapping will be so fun, the kids won’t care if it is brand new or something they just have not seen in a week. (Do your kids love the cheap blind bags? This is a DIY variety!)

I keep all of the wrapped toys and activities within my reach and pass them out as needed. My favorite container to use to contain this is a trunk cargo organizer (I use this one). I like the trunk organizers more than a plastic bin because they are collapsible so it gives you a little more flexibility. If you want to collapse it once you arrive at your destination, you can save some room.

I also do this with snacks. An animal cracker is so much more fun to eat after pulling it out of a pretty package. I keep the savory and sweet snacks separated in my bag so that I am in control of preventing 4 snacks of M&M’s in a row. I pack some healthy stuff too but treats are kind of a given on a road trip! Your kids will love unwrapping all of their stuff on the road to where you are going!

Just remember to pack a couple of plastic grocery bags to control the trash and dispose of it at your next gas station stop. Brightly colored tissue paper makes a good gift wrap for this and seems to create a little less mess than traditional wrapping paper since it tears away so easily. I just lightly tie a little ribbon to secure it or you could use tape.

Printable Worksheets

There are lots of free printable worksheets available that you can find on Pinterest to print off. Tracing letters, simple math problems, and easy problem solving activities can be good choices to pass the time on a road trip. These are great travel activities for kids that are fun and educational.

Preschool Scavenger Hunt

Scavenger hunts are a fun and inexpensive way to pass the fun. We use Do A Dot Paint markers to mark off the found items. Paint is always more fun than a regular pencil and these are no spill. I like this scavenger hunt for younger kids since it has large pictures.

I hope these travel activities for kids help you on your next road trip or plane ride. We survived our road trip with no meltdowns (even from the baby!). And if you are looking for a fun Staycation idea for your kids, check out this awesome Slip N Slide Hack.

No Junk Stocking Stuffers for 3-5 Year Old Girls

November 5, 2018 by Stacy Craft 12 Comments

30+ No junk stocking stuffers for 3-5 year old girls under $5 that you can buy online! Make shopping easy and affordable this holiday season.

Back in October, I wrote a post about no junk Halloween favors to hand out at trunk to treats or class parties. It was pretty popular, mostly because I think parents are tired of finding tiny little trinket toys all over their house. You know, those things that get played with for 1 minute and then thrown on the ground as the kids move on to the next thing.

That got me thinking about Christmas and stockings. Stockings can easily become a breeding ground for junk if they become a last minute after thought. I wanted a big list of stocking stuffers for 3-5 year old girls that was under $5. Yes, I wanted inexpensive but not junk.

My last parameter was that I didn’t want a stocking full of candy. There will be candy in my soon to be 5 year old’s stocking (thanks Santa) but this list doesn’t include any food/candy. Only toys, accessories, crafts and essentials are included in this stocking stuffer list.

(Affiliate Links are used in this post. A small commission may be paid to me at no extra cost to you and that helps to support this page. Please see my disclosures page for additional information.)

Meal Time

I have one kiddo that dislikes meal time and fun dinnerware can sometimes help that situation and encourage eating. These cute items are perfect stocking stuffers for 3-5 year old girls.

Zak! Frozen Divided Plate – This brand of kid plates is the very best in my opinion. I previously bought other brands and this is the only one that has stuck around for 4 + years. The colors stay vibrant and they don’t warp in the dishwasher.

Zak! Frozen Water Bottle – We can always use a new water bottle for lunch boxes or to take in the car. If you have a Frozen lover, check out this Ultimate Frozen Gift Guide.

Moana Silverware Set – Kid size silverware makes it easier for little ones to eat without messes. Their favorite princess on the front just makes it more fun.

Bath Time & Hygiene

The daily routine will be much more fun with some special bath products.

Frozen Kid Bubble Bath – Princess bubble bath is fun and tear free.

Sudprize Bath Bombs – My kids love bath bombs! This one turns the water a bright color without staining your white tub.

Crayola Sugar Cookie Slime Soap – OMG! Slime meets soap in this cool little product. How cool! Icky slime with holiday scents to get you clean? My kids will go crazy for this! Also available in Jolly Jellybean & Artic Mint.

Munchkin Bath Crayons – If my kids can make a mess, they are happy. These are nothing that a little wipe down after a bath can’t clean up and the kids enjoy them.

Munchkin Bath Letters – I actually got these for my 1 year old but my 4 (almost 5) year old has been playing with them like crazy lately. She loves for me to give her words to spell since she now recognizes letters.

Oral-B Princess Battery Toothbrush – I use a Sonicare and I know my daughter will love brushing her teeth like Mom.

Frozen Toothpaste – Essentials with characters are so much more fun. True story, I would not buy my daughter a toy at Target this weekend. She was sad until I told her she could pick out some toothpaste. My kids are easy to please!

Unicorn Lip Balm – Lip balm is great because little girls feel like it is makeup but with no color, there is less of a mess chance.This one is in a cute unicorn shape.

Character Band Aids – My kids go bananas for bandaids. These are even better than stickers. My daughter will have 10 bandaids on by Christmas dinner, I promise.

Accessories

Wearable accessories make fun additions to the girly girl’s stocking. My daughter loves dressing up and a few accessories will surely put a smile on her face.

Cat & Jack Hairbows – I love the Cat & Jack brand at Target. It is nice quality at a good price. These cute little bows would fit perfectly in a stocking.

Kid Sunglasses – Sunglasses are always a fun little treat. Sunglasses remind me of the beach even if it is cold & dreary outside.

Magic Gloves – A pair of warm gloves to go with those cool shades!

Crafts

I like arts and crafts because they are typically inexpensive and unlike some other “cheap” toys, they provide an activity for kids and get used.

Sidewalk Chalk – This might seem like something better suited for an Easter basket, but my kids love playing outside even if it is cold.

Barbie Color & Style Purse – this would be a fun little coloring craft that is under $5 to include in a girl’s stocking.

Crayola Coloring Book – coloring books are a great way to occupy the kids and provide a minute or two of quiet time.

Play Doh Multi Pack – Play Doh is always good for entertaining kids.

Nail Polish – Polishing the nails is basically an art form. I like that this polish is non-toxic.

Crayola Twistables Crayons – These are the BEST crayons. They are encased in plastic to prevent breakage.

Model Magic – Modeling clay is a great way to encourage imaginative play and building.

Silly Scents Colored Pencils – Scented coloring elevates the expereince. My daughter got some of these over the summer and has really enjoyed them.

Trolls Giant Coloring Pages – Huge fun for a small price tag.

Toys

Here are several toy options for stocking stuffers for 3-5 Year Old Girls under $5.

Bottle, Rattle & Pacifier Set – If your little one loves baby dolls, this is a cute set for her baby.

66 Pcs. Lego Set – My daughter has legos on her Christmas list. I love that you can get this educational toy for less than $5.

LOL Surprise Dress Up Dolls Activity Kit – My daughter loves anything LOL doll related! If you need more than 20 other LOL Gift ideas that are not the dolls, check out this post!

Crayola Slime – Slime gets a bad parental rap in my opinion! (don’t hate me!) I have strict rules about it but we love it at our house. My daughter’s favorite is to slime her toy figurines and LOL Dolls.

Frozen Lip Gloss & Mirror Set – We have this and my daughter loves to apply the lipstick. The mirror is plastic so there it won’t break if dropped.

Books

Of course books are always a welcome purchase at my house. Reading to your kids is super important and there are quite a few choices that you can find under $5.

Fancy Nancy Book – We are into Fancy Nancy right now but there are lots of book options under $5.

Wipe Clean Workbook – Doing Pre-K school work is more fun with a dry erase marker!

I hope this list of stocking stuffers for 3-5 Year Old girls helps Santa fill those preschool stockings this year. Merry Christmas!