Coupon for FREE Happy Baby Organics Food

No longer available...

Go here to print yours and here to find a retailer near you.  These are likely to go fast.  Thanks, Money Saving Mom!

Foam Stickers

I picked "Sports" as our October theme since it's football season, but I have been getting too distracted by Halloween and haven't done much with it, so I saw these foam stickers at Michael's the other day and bought them to come up with an idea later.  I made another matching activity since S caught onto the Halloween die cut one quickly. 

I also let him just stick them on paper (I gave him the odd colored ones).  We have used regular stickers in the past, but his tiny hands have a hard time with them, but the foam ones were perfect!  I peeled the backing partly away and let him finish it before he stuck it onto the paper.  It was great fine motor skill practice.  After I wrote his name and date, he wanted to write his "ABs". 

Any other foam sticker ideas out there for little ones (because I have a lot left over)?

Thomas the Tank Engine $1.99

Learning Curve has Thomas the Tank on sale for $1.99.  Shipping is free through 10/16.  The site may be running slow due to volume.  He would make a great stocking stuffer!  Thanks, Saving with Shellie!

Autumn Leaves are Falling Down

We did a new felt board activity a few days ago and S liked it, but not as much as "Five Little Pumpkins".  I got the song from the book, The Encyclopedia of Infant and Toddler Activities, that I checked out from our toy library.  I know I really need to work on my freehand cutting.  I could print out a template, but I always try to do things like this in a rush because I get excited to try it immediately. 

Autumn Leaves are Falling Down

(sung to the tune of "London Bridges")

Autumn leaves are falling down,

Falling down,

Falling down.

Autumn leaves are falling down,

All through the town.

Red and yellow, orange and brown,

Orange and brown,

Orange and brown.

Red and yellow, orange and brown,

All through the town.

Free Sample of Little Duck Organics Snacks

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Go here to request a free sample of Little Duck Organics Snacks.  Thanks, Money Saving Mom!

Die Cut Pop-Up Book

This morning I thought of another use for my extra die cuts.  You can make a pop-up book with anything though.  For those of you who have never made a simple pop-up book, I will attempt a tutorial below:

1.  Materials.  Scissors, glue, pop-up figures, paper (the number of pages you want plus one sheet for the cover).

2.  Fold all pages in half and cut two slits (about 1 1/2 in. apart) in from the crease in the middle of the page (unless you want your pop-up to be off center).  Note:  If you click on the photo above, you can enlarge it to see the slits.

3.  Fold the tabs inward.

4.  Place your pages inside your cover and glue the outsides of each page to the next page and to the front and back cover.

5.  Glue your pop-up figures to the front (not top) of each folded in tab.

6.  Add text if desired. 

You can make a pop-up book for anything (tell a story, use photographs, make a pop-up greeting card, teach a concept...).  You can also use more than one tab per page.  Just cut two slits per tab.  Enjoy!

Die Cuts

My mom made these Halloween die cuts for S (if you don't have access to a machine, you can just cut some free hand) and I came up with these two activities over the weekend.  The first is a matching game.  I lay all four cut outs on the floor in front of us, then I hand him one of them and ask him, "Can you find the other ghost?"  He then lays the ghost in his hand on top of the one on the floor.  This is repeated with each one.  I modeled this a few times for him before I let him try and thought aloud, "Hmm?  No, that's a cat.  Oh, look.  There's the ghost!"

The other thing I did with them is make stick puppets.  He likes to "fly" the bat and say "boo" or "meow" with the ghost and cat.