Colorful building blocks



Going into the winter season those days of outdoor play will become a bit less and less, even though we are still advocates for playing in the rain and not-so-nice weather, we still all need those back-up free play toys laying around the house for when we need them. So here's a great craft project you can do with the kids which will also be a perfect addition to that "indoor" toy bin. 

 

Why do we love this so much?  Because... the simplicity of these blocks give the child a chance to explore the beauty of color while still having fun and using their imagination to create games, activities and engage in important simple play. Doesn't get much better than this!

 

We stumbled upon this cool project at Handmade Charlotte, and we encourage you to visit and explore their many other beautiful play inspired projects. Just click here for the original post and full project instructions.

 

The perfect baby bean collection

Playground cheer!

A popsicle stick craft for our boys

In honor of our wee little men, here is a great simple craft that would perfectly go hand in hand with our popular Aviation Tee.

 

Magnetic Airplane Clip

Add to your fridge's growing collection of homemade art by constructing this magnetic airplane clip. Use it to show off your child's latest artistic endeavors.

 

Make It:

1. Paint one spring-style clothespin, two craft sticks, and one mini craft stick in your child's favorite colors.
2. Once dry, glue a craft stick on top and bottom of the clothespin as wings, and the mini craft stick as the tail.
3. Cut a triangle from crafts foam and glue it upright atop the mini craft stick.
4. Once dry, glue strong magnets on the bottom of the clothespin. 

Birthday gift idea - in one package, pair a little box of the supplies needed for this craft along with our Peekaboo Beans Aviation Tee.  

This craft is courtesy of Parents.com

Meet the Playground Staff

Ever wonder who is running the show?  What the "Playground" is?  How we become inspired and continue to create and grow?  Here's a quick behind the scenes look at all us ladies & Derrick (our sole brave man) who make up the team at the Peekaboo Beans Playground.  

 

The Peekaboo Beans "Playground", located in Richmond, British Columbia, has been busy planting a unique and special working environment with a family first philosophy.  Together as a family we watch our garden grow and thrive through a strongly rooted value system.  Our garden grows when we fill it with like minded individuals, water it with positivity and embrace change.

 

Peekaboo Beans is a vine like no other as we support and promote a work life balance for Moms.  We believe that everyone deserves to be a mom but still be YOU, all while loving what you do each day.  With rejuvenating yoga classes, relaxing chair massage, super fun monthly play dates and even personal grocery shopping, Peekaboo Beans brings to bloom a true mommy mecca. 

 

As we plant the seeds, add some water and watch it bloom we live by the vision of working culture specifically geared to what working mamma's need.  Imagine in-house daycare, shopping services, exercise facilities, spa services, meal preparation, and many more family support systems right at your finger tips.  This is MOM Inc.  A place where, through support and family values we can have every Mom arrive home happy, healthy and present for their special little Beans!

Quiet time

 

A few months ago while driving in the car my daughter said she was bored and wanted to watch a DVD. I suggested that instead of watching a DVD why not try to sit quietly and listen to the thoughts inside her head. I explained that it’s important for kids to learn how be with their own thoughts and reflect on what’s going on in their world and use their imagination. She agreed to try. After a long pause she had brought up some interesting thoughts about previous experiences she had while playing with her friends. It led to great conversation and in that moment I became aware of how we are always eager to fill empty time for children with electronic devices and constant background noise, taking  away opportunities to develop their own thoughts, opinions, questions and imagination.

 

Since then she often tells me what she’s thinking about, therefore creating thought provoking conversations between us which give me an opportunity to learn more about her and her dreams. It’s so enjoyable to hear her stories and talk about them together.

So, instead of TV, electronics and other noisy distracting devices, give your child their own time for quietness and the opportunity to explore their thoughts and ideas that are constantly going through their own head. 

Balancing School and Play

Balancing School and Play
 

As we are heading into another school year I know many parents will be paying close attention to their child’s academic progress, keenly interested in how they are mastering the concepts of reading, writing and math. It might be easy to overlook the necessity of play and how it contributes to our child’s education. Play contributes to very important aspects of learning such as language skills, math skills and creative problem solving. In fact it is the balance between structured learning and free play that allow a child’s whole brain to be engaged daily to maximize learning potential.

 

In Kindergarten children are given daily opportunity within the classroom to engage in free play activities, intermittent with their experience of learning academic skills. But by the time they reach grade one and two the time for play is being restricted to short break times and the focus shifts to academics. My daughter commented during the second week of Grade 2 how much she missed being in Grade 1. When I asked why Grade 1 seemed so much better she said ‘because there is just no time in Grade 2 to play.’

 

Now that children are in the process of adjusting to the routines and expectations of going back to school the free play of summer is quickly becoming a distant memory. What happens then to daily play time? Recess and lunch time does offer some opportunity for movement and free play but the time is short. Physical Education class again offers the benefits of movement however the experience for children is still that of a structure activity with adult imposed expectations and rules. For play to offer its full set of benefits to children it must truly be playful!

 

As parents we need to commit to making time this year to for our children to just play outside of school hours. No schedules, no teaching, no expectations or pressures, just time to play. This is one of the most effective ways we can support our children’s education and ensure that their whole brain is engaged in the process of learning.

Going into the winter season, it may become a bit harder to get kids outside and playing freely so help them out a bit and give them some inspiration that will keep them busy and use their creativity.  Why not create a mud pie play kitchen outdoors, send them off on a bug hunt, set up after school outdoor play dates, get the kids involved in outdoor chores, enjoy your dining time al fresco, even go as far as bringing their indoor toys out and see what happens.  Break the rules, let them get dirty and have fun!  Their growing brains need it.