Light Table

I scored myself an old, used light table for super cheap. These things are money!!! Only problem was that it was a little sad looking and didn't even work!! Haha! I figured it just needed a new light bulb, but turns out it was an electrical issue! Some how Husband was able to figure it out and got it working again! He also took the table apart and sanded the whole thing down for me! If that's not love, I don't know what is! Haha! I planned on painting the whole thing... grey of course... but ended up loving the natural wood look so much, that we just left it! I love it soooooo much!! Hopefully the girl loves it as much as I do!

I set out the loose parts and the girl went to town creating a few compositions! Not sure why there are those funny lines on my pics, but anyways!

 This one is her Papa!

This one is her! I helped with the hair. Can you guess which side Yulli did and which side I helped with? Haha the girl can be so type A!!

 These are "beautiful flowers in the garden"!


Eeek I love it! Can't wait for more explorations with this thing!!

Best Art Ever!

What happens when you leave the art supplies out and allow children to explore freely?

You get 3 kids who chose on their own to go and sit down to create something. You get 3 kids who created 3 different things on their own. You get a drawing of a butterfly. You get a mixed-media collage for his dad. And you get an architectural drawing of a playground! SERIOUSLY... this makes my heart so happy!!

Ditch the crafts and the instructions and the expectations and they will surprise you with THIS!! 

Yulli People

I've been loving Yulli's drawings of people lately!! They are super adorable and creepy all in one! Totally love it!!

This one is of her family! Those are "buttons" in case you were wondering! Lol

 

 This is the "monkey" baby inside her aunties belly!! Not creepy at all =P

 These are some thank-you cards she made for her Chinese school teachers!

 This is an aunty... I have no idea which one! She just learned how to draw hearts and suns, so those are usually included in her drawings!

This is her cousin Eric. He is wearing a belt and a "boy" headband... "because boys can wear headbands too"!

This is me and the Kalbster!! And of course hearts and the sun!

 



Me again!!

Will you look at that... it's me again! Check out my fancy long lashes and teeth and even a tongue!

This one is of her cousin Kayla, walking her dog Sparky (green blob) and I think that's a castle in the background!

This is The Hunchback of Notre-damn ME again! Haha! I have a lovely flower headband and a polka-dot shirt! I also have giant hands and feet with lots of fingers and toes! But check out how skinny my arms and legs are!! Haha!

Snip snip Cut!

SCISSORS!! Someone commented on Yulli's cutting skills the other day, which lead into a whole convo about scissors... so naturally here is a whole post on scissors!!

If you really break it down, using scissors is super hard! You need hand strength, wrist stabilization, hand-eye, fine motor and bilateral coordination etc. etc. Yikes!! There is no better way to develop scissor cutting skills then exposure and opportunities to practice. Yulli started using scissors when she was 2 years old because she showed interest in it. Obviously every kid is different and I don't think they fully develop the skill until they are 6 years old. No need to push it or freak out but definitely give them lots of opportunities to try. You'll know whether or not your kid can handle it or not. It's important to set some ground rules like "stay sitting while cutting" and "cut paper only", and to constantly remind them of the rules. We've only had one hair cutting incident so far (knock on wood) Haha. Just keep an eye on them and they should be fine... or they might give themselves a fancy new haircut lol!!

Keep in mind that not all scissors are created equally! There is nothing worst than giving kids dull scissors just because you think they are "safer". Ughhh can you imagine how frustrating it would be and how much harder it would be to use dull scissors that don't cut properly and just kind of folds the paper. I would get discouraged quickly, so imagine how a child just starting to learn to cut would feel!

Yulli has a whole whack of scissors... all different types! Haha I bet you probably didn't know there were so many different types of scissors for kids. I always like to give her choice and exposure to different types so she can decide what she wants to use. Here are some of the different ones that we like and some things to take into consideration.!

The most popular type is probably the blue pair... with one small hole for the thumb and a bigger hole for the other fingers. I think these are called fiskar scissors... or is that just a brand? Or both? Anyways, notice in contrast, the pink pair has 2 holes that are the same size.

Another thing to take into consideration is type of tip. The blunt rounded tip is probably safest and best for little kids. When they're more advanced and can handle it, give them sharper tips for better precision or delicate cutting.

I also really liked the spring scissors for beginners. You just push that little yellow lever down and it helps the scissors automatically spring back open with each squeeze. These are perfect for when they are just learning and/or have limited hand strength and co-ordination.

 

 This green pair is my favourite! It is also a spring scissor but notice it has no holes. You just squeeze it together to cut and it will spring back open. So super easy to use and super great for beginners! It also has a lovely case and is nice and compact. I actually bring this one with me when we eat out at restaurants. It's perfect for cutting up her food! We gave her auntie who had braces a pair because she often found it difficult to chew. Her great-grandmother, who has no real teeth also has a pair too! Haha best scissors ever!

This super cute heart shaped one is also a spring scissor with no holes but also no lever either. It's really easy to use; just squeeze! Can it BE any cuter?

So there you have it, lots of different scissors!
Some other tips I have for you are:

-Remind them to point their thumb up since there is a tendency to turn their wrists for some reason. You can draw a happy face on their thumb nail as a reminder or even put a sticker on there if it helps.

-Start with thicker paper like construction paper or cardstock which is easier for them to hold because it's less flimsy.

-Give them narrow strips of paper to start because they can cut right through with one snip.

-Lots of people advise to draw little straight lines for them to practice cutting on and then advancing to curvy lines and then shapes. But no lines and no real "objective" is best in my opinion. Just giving them a chance to practice and have fun is best. If you give them a line to cut and they can't do it or it's not perfect, it can totally be discouraging. I think kids will naturally be attracted to cutting on lines but it's better if there's no actual pressure to. I remember giving Yules some paint chip cards that have lines that divide the different shades. She was playing with them one day and decided on her own to cut on those lines. Cutting on lines will come naturally, so no need to fret!

Ok that's all I think! Happy cutting!!

Row row row your boat...

Yules wanted a boat... so I made her a boat! It's just a standard cardboard box boat, but the oars I jigged up are pretty awesome and maybe borderline genius! Well I think so at least!! I simply used wrapping paper tubes, cut some slits and inserted another piece of cardboard! Sometimes the simplest designs are the best!!! Now the monster can go on boating adventures all she wants!

 

 

Play Update!

Here's what we've been up to around here!

1. Yules has decided that her favourite color is "rainbow"! Hmmm, I don't think the girl understands the concept of favourite color yet!! Haha! Anyways, she's been into drawing rainbows, which is perfect since St. Patrick's Day is just around the corner!

2. Painting snow!

3. Then using that painted snow to make slurpees! Yum!

4. Sorting numbers and letters! Can you guess how they are sorted?

 (No holes/Holes)

(Curved lines/Straight lines)

(Holes/No Holes)

5. Drawing snowmen!

 

6. Making "dumplings"... she came up with that all on her own! Love it!

 

7. Painting and mark-making! We used a paintbrush, a cut up straw, a fork, a piece of cardstock and of course fingers!

 

8. Making alphabet noodle soup!

 

9. Cooking Easter treats for bunny rabbits!



7. Apparently the bunnies need a menu to order from, so she made them a menu!

 

 

 

I loved this activity for so many reasons! It was totally child-led and such a natural and organic way to incorporate literacy and allow her to practice printing her letters. I also loved seeing her interesting food choices!


Anyways, that's a glimpse of what we've been up to around here! Have you played today?