I am thrilled to be participating in this busy bag swap as one of the out-of-towners! I have the joy of spending my days caring for 2 little ones: Eli (2 1/2) and Lucy (3 weeks). I (sporadically) blog about life at ShipleyStation.blogspot.com
As for my free time....hmmm.....don't seem to have much of that lately with a 2 year old and a newborn around the house:) However, I know there will be a day hopefully not too far off when I will see it again! When that time comes, I will spend it hanging out with my sweet hubby, reading, crafting, sewing, cooking, and (hopefully) catching up on blogging.
When you were a child, what was one of your favorite ways to spend your day? I loved arts and crafts as a child, and had a special affinity for sponge painting t-shirts....random? I know....
What is your fondest memory with your mom as a child? My favorite memories with my mom are summer weeks spent in the hill country. We would rent a cabin by the Guadalupe River each summer and spend our days canoeing and doing nature crafts.
What does special time with your child look like? My most favorite thing to do with Eli is to curl up on the couch and read books with him any time of the day. He loves this focused attention from mama, and I love that I get to cuddle my fast-movin' boy and watch him delight in new stories, characters, and concepts.
What is your favorite outdoor activity to do with your child? My favorite outdoor activity with Eli (and now Lucy) is such a simple one: our morning walks. When Eli wakes up, I throw him in the stroller with some milk and a quick breakfast, and we walk in the peaceful stillness of the morning. I enjoy the quiet at the start of my day, and Eli is constantly on the lookout for sprinklers, puppies, and bunnies. I love this time with my boy (and girlie).
My favorite blogs are:
What is a tradition that you would like to hand down to your children? We are still in the process of creating our own family traditions, but I hope and pray that our children will remember our advent and Christmas celebrations as centered on Christ and so much FUN!
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Shades of Color Board:
For older kids: remove all shapes from the board. Have them gather and attach each set of shapes in the correct color column.
For older kids: remove all shapes from the board. Have them gather and attach each set of shapes in the correct color column.
For younger kiddos: give them only one set of colored shapes at a time. If needed, direct them to the correct color column and help them match up the shapes with the shapes on the board. When the first column is completed, proceed to the other colors until the board is complete.
I was actually impressed that my 2 1/2 year old was able to do this really well with a little guidance from me on which column to place them in.
Rectangle Color Matching Game
This one is for the younger kiddos and focuses on color matching. Simply gather all the rectangles for your toddler and have them match each one with the correct colored rectangle on the board.
Square Counting Game
This one is geared toward older ones that are working on counting and number recognition. Have your child collect all of the squares, then match each numerical square with the square on the board containing the correct number of dots.
Felt Picture Board
This ones is just for fun and useful for all ages. Let you child create pictures and patterns by attaching the shapes to the felt* included in the activity bag.
*So, I was so excited when I found 'stiff' felt at Hobby Lobby because I thought it would be easier to work with. I bought it, and put it in the bags without first testing it out....Mistake! Apparently, velcro doesn't stick to the stiff felt as well as it does to the regular stuff, but I didn't figure this out until I was taking pictures for this blog post after I had already sent my bags to CS. So, use it or don't- just know that the shapes don't stick terribly well. So sorry about this!
Though fairly simple, I hope this activity will be useful in working on many skills with your kiddos: it encompasses concepts including matching, counting, number recognition, shape recognition, and of course light/ dark color concepts. I think this will be fun and challenging for a variety of ages. Hope your kids enjoy it!
SHADES OF COLOR
Though it was a bit nutty getting my activity completed with a newborn around the house, I had such fun brainstorming, creating, and seeing it all finally come together. I must say, it wouldn't have happened without my hubby, mom, and Kirby helping me finish up at the last minute.....you guys are amazing!
Walking By the Way had a great version of this activity. I started with her concept and went from there.
Supplies List
(4) 12 x 12 sheets of scrapbook paper in four different shades of blue
(4) 12 x 12 sheets of scrapbook paper in four different shades of green
(4) 12 x 12 sheets of scrapbook paper in four different shades of yellow
(4) 12 x 12 sheets of scrapbook paper in four different shades of orange
(4) 12 x 12 sheets of scrapbook paper in four different shades of red
Total for Colored Paper 20 pages x 57 cents each @ 50% off= $5.70
52 sheets of 8 1/2 x 11in paper in neutral color for the main board and 2 small game boards
13 sheet of 8 1/2 x 11in paper in white for instructions
Total for Backing Paper 4 packages of 25 sheet/ pkg x $9.99 each @ %50 off = $19.98
3 lg. packages of sticky back velcro
Total for velcro: 3 packages x 9.99 each @ %50 off = $14.99
9 pieces of felt (cut into thirds)
Total for felt: 79 cents x 9 sheets= $7.11
Total for laminating at Mardel = about $10.00
Total Cost per bag= About $2.22
Here is what I did:
1. First I created an excel document for the main board and two game boards to figure out what size shapes I needed to cut
2. After printing all the game boards, now it was time to cut, cut, cut! Thankfully, I borrowed my friend's Cricut machine to cut out all the shapes and letters, and this made my job A LOT easier. Otherwise, I would have been cutting out 540 shapes by hand....no thank you:)
3. Next came laminating, which was quite a job in itself, but thankfully, I had the help of my hubby!
4. After cutting out all the lamination, with the help of my mom and Kirby, I attached velcro to all the game boards and shapes...1600 pieces of velcro to be exact....not that I was counting or anything...
Downloads:
Instructions
Instructions
We'd love for you to feel free to use the files that the ladies in our Busy Bag Swap have worked hard to create, but please keep in mind that the printable images and files on this site are some of our ladies own exclusive designs. They have been generous enough to freely share them.
The terms of use for using the free printable crafts and activities are as follows: You may share these printables with students, friends, neighbors and family or even with your child's class full of children. As long as you share for personal use only. Please do not post printables on a web site - instead provide a link back to the original posting on this site. Linking to the original page is both welcome and appreciated.
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