Bubbles in a Bowl and Other Water Experiments

My kids are always asking to blow bubbles, but now that the weather is colder, it's hard to get outside (and with the amount of bubble liquid that my kids spill I'm not going to attempt having them blow bubbles indoors).  Today after we did a sink/float experiment in the kitchen, I thought of a super-easy solution - put some water and dish soap in a bowl, hand each kid a straw, and voila - instant entertainment!  Just for fun, here's the train of thought that got us here...

Homemade Checkers Game from Duct Tape!

I've been wanting to introduce my kids to the game of Checkers, so I created this homemade version with a mat made out of colored duct tape (Duck tape brand) which turned out totally cute!  When my husband went to the hardware store to buy some black duct tape to 'fix' our chairs, I asked him to also pick up a roll in a different color or pattern, and he came back with purple Duck tape.  (If you're wondering about the chairs - since the kids have been using them, all our leather chairs have ripped, and the black duct tape solution was the best we could think of without spending tons of money on new furniture for the kids to destroy - thank goodness we never have guests!)  Anyway, with my black and purple rolls of duct tape, I set off to make a checkerboard mat...

8 Montessori-Inspired Learning Activities with a Battleship Game

Games that are meant for older kids can be used for fantastic early learning activities for the younger set.  I recently found a travel-sized Battleship game for $5, and my 3-year-olds have been having a great time using it for all sorts of neat Montessori-inspired educational activities.