ABC Jar Find It Style

Being the mother of a 4 year old is a lot like being a boy scout... We have the same motto anyhow. Always Be Prepared. For me, that means always have a change of clothes, baby wipes, a snack and toys on hand.

In my purse you will always find a few small toys. While I like for Roo to play with cars, action figures and puzzles- I want to keep him entertained and I want him to learn or to brush up on what he knows via playtime whenever it is possible.

I created the perfect size toy for carrying in a handbag or diaper bag. This is ideal for pulling out on a long car trip or at a restaurant.

To make an ABC Jar : Find It Style  you will need:

a small baby food jar ( I used Beechnut Stage 2 size)
beads
foam abc beads
glue

Make sure your baby food jar is clean and dry.

Pour your beads into the jar, filling it 3/4 of the way full

Add 10-15 ABC Foam Beads

Line the lid with glue
Seal the jar
Shake

There you have a DIY toy that will help kids with letter recognition and keep them busy shaking the jars to find more letters.

My idea behind this was that Roo knows his ABC's really well, practicing letter recognition out of the sequence he recognizes the alphabet in would be good practice.

Whenever I pull the ABC Jar out of my purse I get an average of 6 minutes of entertainment while Roo is shaking and spotting letters.

minions puppets

This super simple popsicle stick craft brings the fun of the minions to your craft time! These are great for book-markers or as the star of a dramatic play session!

There is nothing like a toy you make yourself! On a rainy day a little imagination can go a very long way. We made these DIY minions puppets on a whim and had so much fun playing with them! I know your kids will like them too! They came together in a few moments time and kept the kids entertained for at least an hour!  

To make this easy Minions Puppet Craft you will need:

craft sticks

Blue and Yellow Paint

Craft Eyes

Instructions:

Paint the bottom half of the craft sticks blue.

Paint the top half yellow.

Add an eye and here you have easy minions puppets!

If you have an idea for handmade puppets for toddlers and preschoolers I would love to hear about it in a comment. 

Spray n Splash 2 Review

Summer is nearly here and that means my family will want to spend as much time in the water as possible. My son was delighted to see that we got a Spray 'n Splash 2 from Blast Zone. This is going to be one of those items that gets used day in and day out this summer. I can tell already.

The Spray 'n Splash 2 brings the fun of an inflatable water park right to your back yard! It is fun for kids from 3 to maybe 10 or 11 years old.  It features a slide, a climbing wall and water fun!  

The weather in Ohio isn't quite warm enough for water play, but that didn't stop my husband and I from setting the Spray 'n Splash 2  up for the enjoyment of our little guy. We were pleased with how easy the Spray 'n Splash 2 was to set up. It was seriously as easy as removing it from the package, unrolling the inflatable, plugging in the blower and using the included stakes to secure the inflatable. We had the unit ready for play in a matter of minutes. The included blower is extremely powerful. The Spray 'n Splash 2 was completely inflated in under 90 seconds.

My son had no trouble figuring out what to do with this amazing toy. We showed him how to get up the climbing wall and he was heading up it and sliding down in no time, he was ready to go again and again. If it was this much fun for him without water, I can't wait to see his reaction in a few weeks when it is swimming season.

I really liked how durable the inflatable is. I liked how simple set up was and how such a large inflatable can easily roll up to about the size of a large sleeping bag for easy storage when not in use. I like that there is a sprinkler type tubing that attaches to the top of the slide to keep kids giggling and to make sliding down easier. An added bonus is that when the weather isn't right for swimming you can add little balls to the pool for a super fun sliding ball pit experience.

The Spray 'n Splash 2 is 17' long, 8' wide and 8' tall. It is made for up to 4 kids, but keep in mind, only one child should be on the slide at a time.  I love that the pool and the slide are connected so there is no need for kids to get out of the pool to climb the slide, which will help keep the water clean for longer amounts of time.

I have been very impressed with this product. My son loves it too. My husband even had to smile when he saw how much fun our son was having climbing up the wall and sliding down. I foresee this inflatable water park being used and enjoyed for many years to come. 

Blast Zone offers Bounce Houses, and Commercial Inflatables in a variety of shapes, sizes and price ranges that are sure to delight children of assorted ages. 

One very lucky reader is going to win a Spray 'n Splash 2 Inflatable Water Park. This giveaway will begin on 5/10 and end on 5/17. I hope you will come back and enter to win this prize that is guaranteed to make you the envy of all the kids in the neighborhood!

You can purchase the Spray 'n Splash 2 on amazon or on the Blast Zone website. If you use the coupon code BOUNCEBLOG you can save 10% on your purchase on the Blast Zone website.



***Note this product can hold up to 200 pounds***