Push Pin Geo Art

A few weeks ago, I saw a great picture of a push pin geo board using a cork board, push pins and rubber bands. I wish I had the link.  It was such a simple idea, that I thought I'd give it a try with my kids.

I purchased some cork trivets from Ikea, some push pins and a mega bag of assorted rubber bands.

I laid the materials out for the kids and before I could show them how I wanted the activity to go, they had already started making works of art on their own. I swear that 9 times out of 10, I have a very specific idea in mind for an activity and then the kids totally change it. I have had to learn to just roll with it.

This was a great activity. I worried that Jellybean was a little young to be messing with push pins, but it turned out to not be a problem at all. I can see us breaking this out regularly. They'll also be fun to use in conjunction with Buddy's kindergarten curriculum. Right now they are working on shapes.

Teddy Bear was pleasant as usual and just hung-out in his high chair while we played. Sweet boy, I can't wait until he is big enough to play too.

Have a Happy Day!

~MJ

DIY High Contrast Mobile

Teddy Bear is becoming very social. He regularly complains (loudly) when we aren't giving him face time. So, I feel bad when I have to leave him to his own devices. I really can't have my face in his face all day long (sad, but true). I decided that Teddy Bear needed more stimulation, basically something to look at other than my face, so instead of purchasing a fancy mobile, I decided to make one.

I did a Google search for high-contrast images. It came up with a whole slew of them. I had an elaborate scheme for making them into a mobile, but then decided that no one has time for that. Simple is good. And even better? He actually looks at the pictures and likes them.

Recently, he has been figuring out how to bat at the pictures and the toys hanging on his play mat. There is a lot going on in his little brain. So fun to see him learning and making connections. That is definitely one of my favorite things about being a parent.

Hmmm...very interesting.

Have a Happy Day!

~MJ

Alphabet Boy

Yesterday morning Buddy asked me to look up the Greek alphabet on my computer. He'll often ask me to look up images of different alphabets. Mostly, he wants to look up images of "spooky alphabets" or "letters made from things." Today it was Greek. After he looked at the Greek alphabet for a while and had me print it out, he then asked for print-outs of the Phoenician, Russian and Hebrew alphabets. He mulled over his print-outs the entire day.
Later that day, after seeing his aunt who spent 18 months in Korea, he asked me to print out the Korean alphabet.

He then asked for a piece of paper so he could work on writing in Korean.

Seriously, that's my boy.

Have a Happy Day!

~MJ

Chain Letters

It's amazing having a child who is obsessed with the ABCs. That kid will make the alphabet out of anything and everything if given a chance. One of Buddy's new favorite activities is stealing one of my necklaces and creating letters out of it.  I have to admit, it's so fun using a simple necklace and watching how the letters can morph into one another.

Today we had fun doing the entire alphabet together. D put together a montage of our efforts.

ChainLetters from A Happy Song on Vimeo.

Have a Happy Day!

~MJ

Color Sort- Let's Learn Colors

Jellybean has been having a little trouble with her colors. So, I decided to put together a simple game to help her. I pulled out some sheets of dollar store craft foam in red, yellow, blue, green and orange. Then I pulled out our tupperware of puff balls and asked the kids to sort the colors.

Yes, we were still in our pajamas. Why do you ask?

After the puff balls had been sorted, I asked the kids to run through the house and find two or three toys that matched each color.

They did an awesome job

and were pretty proud of themselves.

At the end of the activity, I asked Jellybean to name the different colors.  She now has Orange, Red and Yellow down pat (at least for now). We're still working on Green and Blue.  3 out of 5? That's a good morning's work in my book. When we were finished, Jellybean surprised me by breaking into a rendition of the Rainbow Song. "Red and yellow and pink and green, purple and orange and blue. I can sing a rainbow, sing a rainbow, sing a rainbow too."  This was also a good opportunity for Buddy to exercise his teaching skills. He loved helping Jellybean learn her colors. He's a good big brother.

Before we could clean everything up, the game devolved into "Dump the Puff Balls on Jellybean." It was a natural conclusion.

Have a Happy Day!

~MJ

Chalk Numbers

We love getting out the sidewalk chalk when the weather begins warming up.  Usually you will find Buddy working on his ABCs. Here he's decided to switch it up and work on his numbers.

You have to love the beanie with a propeller.

There is something about having a large canvas that makes this activity so much more fun than writing on a piece of paper inside.  I love seeing Buddy's imagination and art skills blooming. Now he is drawing pictures for himself.  Though, I miss his requests to draw clocks on the driveway. Good thing Jellybean is starting to make requests. Today I drew an entire family of bunnies for her. 

Have a Happy Day!

~MJ


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