Google+ Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas: January 2012

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Love Bugs - A Valentine Craft & Writing Activity


Beware of the Love Bugs!
With Valentine's Day on the horizon,
 they are making their debut.
They love all things red & pink 
and are of course incredibly cute.

Have you seen them?
With smiles as sparkly as a gem 
they are hard to miss,
but beware as they flutter about 
that they don't give you a buggy kiss.

LOVE BUGS

The Lil Divas used various craft supplies 
that we had on hand to make their love bugs. 

What We Used:
 construction paper
 pipe cleaners
buttons
heart stickers
 gems 
wiggly eyes
scissors
glue

What We Did:
I simply told the Lil Divas to create a Love Bug -
the rest was left completely up to them.

They decided on the materials 
based on what we had on hand & then got creative. 



She was in full "concentration" mode.



Cute, right?
Of course I mean both of them!


Here's the youngest Divas creation -

she got some good cutting practice with this activity.
She is trying to master making hearts at the moment.

Kindergarten Writing

I had the Oldest Diva write about her love bug
to reinforce/practice her writing & spelling skills.


We worked on using proper handwriting, correct sentence formation and phonetic spelling of any words she did not know.

Here's what she wrote in case it isn't clear enough:
My Love Bug
It is big.
It is frendle.
Her name is Love.
She has 14 harts.

I think she did a great job 
& her writing has come a long way.

Of course we also had to make some
Fuzzy Love Bugs

These little guys are just too cute!

What We Used:
large pom poms
pipe cleaners
wiggly eyes
foam
glue
scissors

What We Did:
1. Use large pom pom balls for the body.
2. Add eyes 


3. Cut out a heart shape from foam for the feet.



4. Add pipe cleaner antennas & a foam mouth.



5. After some drying time - go ahead & play!
You won't be able to resist these little guys!



Books:

Bern

Monday, January 30, 2012

Valentine Craft: Colored Pasta Wagon Wheel Heart

I have a fondness for colored pasta crafts.
It's so easy to color pasta & rice,
yet it really just looks so lovely.

Wagon Wheel Heart

Don't know how to color pasta?
Here's how I do it -

How To Color Pasta
What You Need:
pasta
food coloring
alcohol 

1. Add a few drops of food coloring 
& alcohol inside a ziploc bag.

2. Add macaroni & shake to mix well.

3. Place on paper towels and allow to air dry.



4. Optional (but so pretty!) - add glitter


How to Make a Wagon Wheel Heart

What You Need:
colored pasta
card stock
glue

What To Do:
 1. Outline your heart on card stock using glue.


2. Fill it in with glue.


3. Add your colored pasta to your glue outline.



4. Continue until you have completed your heart.


Allow heart to dry & then display.


A fun and easy craft that 
even little hands can help with
& that really looks great!

Books:


Bern

JumpStart.com - A Virtual World Where Kids Explore, Learn & Play (Review & Giveaway)



A few weeks ago the Lil Divas and I were given the opportunity to explore a paid membership on JumpStart.com by the folks over at Knowledge Adventure. We had previously explored the free version online but the paid membership gave the entire family access to the Jumpstart World, so both Lil Divas were able to create and play along with their own avatars called Jumpeez, which they truly enjoyed.


What is Jumpstart.com & what does it have to offer?
JumpStart.com which launched in 2009, is a virtual world provided by Knowledge Adventure - the creators of many award-winning educational products.  JumpStart.com provides kids aged 3-10 years old (that's the target age group) the opportunity to review and master math and reading concepts by exploring magical worlds, discovering games, viewing videos and reading storybooks all aimed at helping them learn in a fun and interactive way.



Our experience with Jumpstart.com
The Lil divas have really enjoyed playing on JumpStart.com. The games all have different levels so we are able to adjust them to suit their needs which I really like. The more games they play, the more coins they earn. The coins can be used for fun things like adopting pets, purchasing clothing and accessories, etc... 


There is so much to do on JumpStart.com and they are always adding or updating new games and/or features that I am sure we have only touched the tip of the iceberg. Over the holidays there were fun Christmas related activities to enjoy like snowball fights, ice skating, building a snowman and turning into an elf. Now that Valentine's Day is on the horizon there are lots of hearts to be found and a giant chocolate candy box maze to wade through. These little changes offer fun new things to explore often.


The Lil Divas have great fun exploring everything the virtual world has to offer. One of their favorite things has been hatching and training their very own dragon in the Enchanted Sanctuary. The youngest Diva really enjoys MarineLand - an underwater world where she can complete fun missions that are well suited to her age. The Oldest Diva has lots of fun in AdventureLand where she underwent vigorous training to learn how to defeat the pesky Punky Punks!



Want to play?
I am super excited to announce that the kind folks over at Knowledge Adventure are offering one lucky Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas winner a 3 month membership to JumpStart.com. This membership includes access to JumpStart.com with 100's of member only learning games. You also get access to Mathblaster.com (what a perk!) plus 4 downloadable games (an $80 value)! 

*****************************

Win It:
**Contest ends on 2/13/12**
 One (1) lucky Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas readers
(US Only!) is going to receive a
3 month membership to jumpstart.com

How to Enter:
Check out the types of games Jumpstart.com has to offer
& let me know which type of game you would 
be excited to let your kid(s) try.
(**This must be completed in order for extra entries to count**)

Extra Entries (Optional)
Please leave a seperate comment for each entry!  
If you have already completed any of the below 
be sure to leave a comment!  It will count as an entry.
  1. Follow Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas Publicly via Google Friend Connect 
  2. Join our Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas Facebook family
  3. Be part of the Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas fun on Twitter 
  4. Subscribe to Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas by Email
  5. Subscribe to our RSS Feed
  6. Subscribe to Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas Newsletter (sent just once a week!)
  7. Connect with Jumpstart on Facebook (I'd love for you to tell them @Momto2PoshLilDivas sent you!)
  8. Tweet about this giveaway and leave a link - can be done once a day
Win a 3 month membership to Jumpstart.com with @Momto2PoshDivas #Giveaway ends 2/13/12  




Giveaway Details:
  • This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook.
  • In order to enter you must leave your entry comment(s) on THIS POST.
  • Seperate comments must be left for each additional optional entry!
  • Giveaway ends at midnight on February 13th, 2012 (PST)
  • No purchase necessary to win
  • Must be 18yrs of age or older to enter
  • US residents only!
  • Void where prohibited by law.
  • Odds of winning are based on total number of valid entries received.
  • Winners will be chosen via random.org by 2/18/12 and will have 48 hours to claim their prize.
  • If winner does not claim prize within 48 hrs. or forefits, prize will be reawarded at my sole discretion.

Good Luck!

Bern



Disclaimer: I was provided with a JumpStart membership at no cost by Knowledge Adventure in order to test the products' abilities and give my personal opinions about it. T
his review is my 100% honest opinion of the product & our experience with it. Please remember that your opinions and tastes might differ from mine. 


Sunday, January 29, 2012

Melted Heart Rainbow Crayon Valentines


This year I wanted to do something different 
for the Lil Divas friends for Valentine's Day.
Instead of candy, pencils, lollipops, etc... we made
Melted Heart Rainbow Crayons
I LOVE how they turned out!

Here's How We Made Them:
Step 1 - Enlist lots of help to peel those crayons!
This is the most time consuming part &
I spread it out over a few days because
we had lots of crayons to make.


Step 2: Break the crayons into small pieces


Step 3: Place assorted colors of crayons bits into your baking tin.  You can use whatever you have handy. I keep this heart tin specifically for making our crayons.


Tip: Spray your tin/pan with PAM 
it really helps pop them out in the end!


Step 4: Put into the oven at 250 degrees 
You need only about 8 -10 mins - just until they get melty.


It's so cool to watch the colors collide 
as you take them out of the oven.


Gorgeous!


Each one was unique.

Tip: Let the crayon molds start to set for a few mins (just so they don't spill) then put the tray of melted crayon in the freezer for a few minutes. It's so much easier to pop them right out the tray & they are ready in mere minutes!


We put a few crayons into each plastic bag 
and added our cute little note -
"You're friendship colors my world.
Happy Valentine's Day!"


The Lil Divas are excited to give these out 
to their classmates/friends as Valentines this year.

Bern

This is part of the awesome Collaborative Heart Project Fundraiser
organized by Jaime at hands on : as we grow.


Saturday, January 28, 2012

The Sunday Showcase - Sharing Your Child Centered Ideas!

Welcome to
  The Sunday Showcase -
where we showcase
YOUR CHILD CENTERED IDEAS!
  The SUnday Showcase

We feel confident in saying that this linky is always full of amazing ideas
so be sure to hop around & check out
what your fellow bloggers have linked-up.
We promise you will be inspired, awed and ready to create!

If you are here for the first time please take a moment to read
our informational post for full details -
this is a fun & relaxed linky but there are a few guidelines.

Anything kid friendly and/or child centered is welcome!

We don't accept links for giveaways, shops,
or downloads for purchase, etc.
They will be deleted & we do monitor our links.

If you're linking up with us we do encourage you
to visit some of your fellow bloggers!
We ALL love comments, encouragement, feedback, etc.

One of your 2 Hostesses
 (Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas and/or Classified:Mom)
will be either visiting & commenting on your link(s),
and/or sharing them on Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest. 
We aim to spread the love & we appreciate your comments as well!
------------------------------------------------------------- 
This week's Showcase Features
taken from last week's post:

The "most clicked" idea from last week's linky 
was Jada Roo Can Do's Activity Trays

Some of our Favorite Ideas:

My Creative Family made some awesome

We Can Do All Things shared some creative

Jellyfish Jelly gave a great printable tutorial on 
how to create a Chinese New Year Dragon 

Enjoying the Journey taught us how to make

Pams Party and Practical Tips made Sweet Sushi Rolls that kids would love to eat 

If you have been featured, grab a button you deserve it!
The Sunday Showcase Feature
-------------------------------------------------------------

Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas
Tie Dye Hearts
 Coffee filters, bingo markers and lots of dabbing = beautiful hearts!


Classified:Mom
Kids Craft- Upcycled Penguin Friends

Kids Craft Penguin
Kids Craft- Upcycled Penguin Friends- http://www.classifiedmom.com



Thank You for linking up with us!
Aimee (Classified:Mom) & Bernadette (Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas)