Summer Fun, Family, Friends & Bomb Pops #Sponsored by #BombPop

This post is part of a #sponsored campaign we participated in on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Bomb Pop. I received product samples, a party kit, and a promotional item as a thank you for participating.

Do you have lasting childhood memories of summertime? I certainly do! Some of the things I remember best are our summer vacations, long days playing outdoors and lots of ice cream bought from the ice cream truck that would drive through our neighborhood. Hearing the truck's music just made us all giddy in anticipation. One of the treats I enjoyed best were ice cold Bomb Pops so when I had the opportunity to host a Bomb Pop Summer Party, while we were on vacation in my hometown, I was super excited. What better way to celebrate summer than with family, friends, BBQ and pool time in the sun.

Getting to enjoy time outdoors is one of my favorite things about the summertime. We got all the girls together (yes, it was an ALL girl party!) and headed to the front yard for some bean bag tossing fun. They made up their own rules and played the game however they wanted so it kept evolving and gave us lots of playtime. Everyone (aged 2 - 7 years old) had a blast and worked up a sweat so when we brought out the ice cold Bomb Pops, there were cheers all around. Yay for yummy Bomb Pops in the hot summer sun!

Our Bomb Pop party took place during a NY heat wave so it was HOT! It was a perfect day for the Lil Divas to spend time with their cousins and friends in the pool after working up a sweat playing games in the sun. Everyone got to swim and play pool games to their hearts content until their rumbling tummies beckoned them to dig in to some yummy BBQ. 

We enjoyed a fabulous day filled with yummy BBQ, ice cold Bomb Pops, outdoor games, pool time and special memories made with family and friends. It was wonderful to be able to have this Bomb Pop Summer Party during our visit to my hometown. We don't get to come to NY often enough so moments like these are very special and important to me. It seemed fitting that one of the treats that highlighted my childhood summers - Bomb Pops, would now hold a special place in the Lil Divas memories too. 

What special treats do you recall fondly from your own childhood? Have you been able to share them with your own children?

For more information on Bomb Pop and all their available varieties visit their website and follow them on Facebook and Twitter.

Bern

Disclosure: This post is part of a #sponsored campaign we participated in on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Bomb Pop. I received product samples, a party kit, and a promotional item as a thank you for participating. All opinions and experiences are 100% mine and honest. Your opinion and experience may differ.

25 Summer Activities for Preschoolers

If you follow us regularly you know that I LOVE doing fun things with the Lil Divas - we share lots of them here after all. Today, I am super excited to have Crystal from Crystal & Co. sharing 25 Summer Activities for Preschoolers. Here's Crystal with lots of fun ideas....

Are you on the hunt for summer activities for preschoolers and kids? Search no more because we have you covered. Boredom busters do not have to be expensive and over done. Sometimes we forget about the simple things when we are searching for activities for our kids. Things like skipping rocks, playing kickball and feeding the ducks should never be forgotten. They are inexpensive ways to build lasting memories together. Below is a list of 25 activities for kids that are sure to be crowd pleasers for you and your little one(s).

Summer Activities for Preschoolers and Kids

1. Create a letter of the week craft as you teach them their ABC's.
2. Go for a Sunday drive any day of the week. Here is a list of 10 activities for 2 year olds to keep them busy in the car.
3. Play with Matchbox cars in the dirt.
4. Take a trip to the local library. Here is a list of the best children's books for learning to count.
5. Re-purpose broken crayons into your favorite shape.
6. Visit your local toy shop and just play. You don't have to buy anything. Some of them also offer free story time.
7. Make a bird feeder out of recycled items you already have on hand.
8. Play dominoes. You do not have to play by the rules - think outside the box and build something with them.
9. Go garage sale shopping together. You can find board games, movies, etc for cheap, cheap!
10. Have a picnic at the park, in your living room, or in your front yard.
11. Make a pet rock.
12. Go fishing.
13. Use juice and fruit to make your own healthy popsicles at home.
14. Plant something together.
15. Become pen pals with someone or write a letter together. Preschoolers love to draw pictures for others.
16. Make a trip to the Post Office together to mail your letters. My kids think the Post Office is so fun.
17. Make a lemonade stand. Here are 10 lemonade stand ideas.
18. Play a card game.
19. Go wildflower picking.
20. Play store together.
21. Play dress-up with old costumes.
22. Go for a walk at the mall or the park depending on how hot it is where you live.
23. Play hide and go seek in the house.
24. Watch a movie together. Let them pick it out (with guidelines obviously) at Redbox or on Netflix. Stay in your pj's and watch the movie.
25. Build a fort out of blankets and kitchen chairs.

How are you keeping your little ones busy this summer?

Here are some more Activities for Kids -

• 80+ Summer Activities for Kids
• Summer Learning Activities
• A to Z Boredom Busters
• Travel or Staycation with Kids
• 36 Savvy Travel Tips for Families

Crystal is a Dallas Mom Blogger, who runs the mommy resource and solution site Crystal & Co.! She loves to share activities for kids, teach busy families how to meal plan and share real easy recipes. She is a fast-paced mom of all boys, five to be exact (including twins), who is in the trenches of homeschooling. 

Homemade Coconut Sand Play Dough Fun

Play Dough is such a wonderful sensory play activity for children. It fosters fine motor skills, engages creativity through play and when you make your own it brings in all types of math and science into the mix too. Today, I'm excited to have Jaime from Frogs and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails here to share some homemade play dough fun that's perfect for summer. Here's Jaime...... 

We love play dough and usually cant get enough of it. We not only buy it in the stores, but we enjoy making our own too. I have one trusted recipe I use for most of our homemade play dough. That might sound boring but don't worry, we find fun ways to make it new and exciting each time. You can add scents and colors to this play dough to give each batch a unique experience. That is just what we did when we made our Coconut Sand Play Dough. This was a new and unique playdough for us and it is by far one of my boys favorites right now. I am still stuck on the Cucumber Melon Play Dough we made but mommy is out ranked by the kids.  

After we made our coconut play dough we set out to find a few fun ways to play with it too. I'm excited to share what we did with you and hope that you and the kids can have some play dough fun too.

To make coconut play dough follow the link for our favorite homemade play dough above and then just add coconut extract while cooking it. We left out glitter this time and added sand to the finished playdough while playing for a fun texture and great sensory experience. 

What We Used:

A tray, bowl of play sand, seashells, glass stones, and our homemade coconut play dough. If you do not want to make homemade playdough you could just try adding sand to white play dough. You will not have the scent but you can still have the fun texture while playing.

What We Did:

I set everything out on a tray (from the Dollar Tree). I then had my oldest 4yr come to the table to play. We flattened out the play dough and added the sand to it, kneading it together. We then flattened it out on the tray. 

My son decided to start by making a face with the shells and stones. This is one way you can play with the play dough.

Coconut Sand Play Dough Faces with seashells and glass stones

Once he was through making faces he decided to completely cover the playdough with all these shells and stones. Now we had a fun Play Dough Masterpiece.  
   

    

I recently saw a wonderful seashell craft on Local Fun For Kids and wanted to make our own version so we took our play dough and made sand playdough ornaments out of it. We flattened the play dough and took a glass cup and used it as a cookie cutter to get a circle shaped ornament. Then we used a straw to make a hole at the top (to add string or ribbon later). Lastly, my son added seashells and stones to the play dough. Then we left them to dry out for a few days. Next, we added some ribbon so we could hang them up.

I am sure there are lots more ways to play and create with this Coconut Sand Play Dough. What would you and your kids do with this invitation to create?

All kids are different and only you can decide how you let your kids play and what materials you let them play with. My children are supervised when 

playing. Please keep this in mind with any post you read of mine!

Hi, I'm Jaime. I am an everyday stay-at-home mom. I have 3 boys ages 4 yrs. to 8 months old.  I love to find fun activities, crafts and recipes for us to do together. I then enjoy sharing them with others in hopes they may find something for their family to enjoy too.  My blog is  Frogs and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails. You can also follow us through our Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, Sulia, Google+ and our G+ community, All Things Kids.

Easy Craft Stick Bookmark Craft for Kids

Reading is a priority for us. We enjoy reading together and it's something we do daily but I have to admit that it gets a little hard to keep up with our daily reading during the summer. To keep the Lil Divas motivated to read this summer we are taking in part in a few awesome summer reading programs, delving into some fun new chapter book series and enjoying lots of crafts and activities.

One of the crafts we recently enjoyed was making our very own personalized bookmarks. I wanted to encourage reading and give the girls a chance to express themselves creatively. We all loved how they turned out. The bookmarks were super to make, each one was unique and it served as great mommy-daughter time because even I made one.

What You Need:
Jumbo Craft Sticks
Sharpie Permanent Markers (Assorted Colors)

What To Do:
Provide your child with the craft sticks and markers and let their creativity be their guide! The great thing about this craft is that they can do whatever they like - draw a picture, create a pattern, write words, etc. It's entirely up to them.

Here's what the Lil Divas and I made:

Aren't they fabulous?! We LOVE them and all 3 of us have been making daily use of our personalized bookmarks.

What will you & your child(ren) create?

Bern

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. Although they have been added for your convenience, I do receive a small commission for items purchased via my links. Thank you.

Tips & Tricks for Traveling with Kids {The Sunday Showcase 6/22/13}

Tips & Tricks for Traveling

with Kids!

It's summer time and that means day trips, extended vacations and lots of time spent in our cars. I LOVE family road trips but they are not without their stressful moments when the Lil Divas are involved. I was super excited to see the awesome tips, tricks and activities shared on last week's linky and I just had to share them with you. 

100+ Ideas for Traveling with Kids (Fun-a-Day)

Entertaining Babies & Toddlers When Traveling (Mums Make Lists) 

15 Car Trip Music CD's for Kids (JDaniel4's Mom)

License Plate Game (KC Edventures)

 Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas:

  I know summer just kicked off but this is actually the BEST time to prep your kids for school.  If you have a child entering Kindergarten in the fall you'll want to follow along with me (and 5 other awesome bloggers) on our Get Ready for K Through Play series this summer!

Week 1 focused on Language Development

Week 2 focused on Social & Emotional Skills

(click any of the above photos for more info)

If you're looking for even more inspiration check out our
Get Ready for K Through Play Pinterest Board

Do you have any tips, tricks or activities that make traveling with kids easier?

Please share them with me in the linky and/or comment below.

If you have been featured, grab a button you deserve it!

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<a href="http://www.momto2poshlildivas.com/"><img border="0"src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhprF8IjC0dTiFiH618BgolG0r9NI3Ge6zX_thLmfI72KoHLyurLJBIhKq6yP8y_KQsBWUR7Ur-T2OBIeiRFf1-QUbF_12X0M9-Iq1UfjYfkfYtHROSyFvTec9fvJfOc5oyiskZw8bGFkc/s1600/sundayshowcase.jpg" /></a>

The Sunday Showcase is hosted on FOUR blogs!

Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas
Here Come the Girls

Inspiration Laboratories

Learn Play Imagine

Each blog showcases their own features so be sure to check them all out!

If you are here for the first time please read this informational post for the full details.  Anything kid friendly and/or child centered is welcome!  You are welcome to share more than one post,  but we don't accept links for giveaways,  shops, or downloads for purchase, etc.  They will be deleted.

If you're linking up we encourage you to visit other links & our Pinterest board!  

*Important* 

Please note that by linking up you are giving us permission to use a photo (with proper link to you!) in our featured section and on our Pinterest board!  

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Link up and share your child centered ideas with us!

Bern

50 Summer Fun and Learning Activities for Kids

I took our first week of summer as an "off" week to decompress. I didn't have a schedule or anything set to do. We just went with our whims and did things as they came up or as we thought of them. While it was a nice (and much needed) change of pace after the last few overly busy weeks we had, I knew it wouldn't be ideal for the entire summer. The girls had way too many opportunities to argue and disagree and by Wednesday, the week was feeling l-o-n-g for this mama.

I've had lots of ideas floating around in my mind of things I wanted to do with the girls this summer but I hadn't had the opportunity to sit and make our Summer Fun List, yet. I knew I needed to get it done, stat if I wanted to maximize our summer days and minimize the Lil Divas bickering. Here are the 50 learning and play activities that made the cut for 2013.

 Activities, Play & Craft Ideas

1.  Decorate Popsicle Stick Bookmarks
2.  Wet Chalk Art
3.  Watch the Sunset
4.  Visit a Water Park
5.  Experiment with a Potions Lab
6.  Have a Family Game Night
7.  Play Outside with Sidewalk Paint
8.  Make BIG Bubbles and DIY Wands
9.  Colored Glue Art
10. Make & Fly Paper Airplanes
11. Make Ice Cream in a Bag
12. Visit the Children's Museum
13. Have a Picnic in the Park
14. Try Fabric Batik Art
15. Go to the Beach
16. Make & Play w/Ice Boats
17. Have a Movie Marathon
18. Explore Shaving Cream & Corn Starch
19. Go Bowling
20. Make Bubble Snakes
21. Go Swimming in the Pool
22. Paint with Balloons
23. Visit the Science Museum
24. Watch Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian before Trip to DC.
25. Have an Ice Cream Sundae Party
26. Play Balloon Tennis
27. Make & Play with our own DIY Origami Fortune Tellers
28. Visit a Nature Center
29. Salt Painting
30. Paint with Seashells

Learning Fun Activities

31. Write a Comic Strip Story (printables here)

32. Learn 5 Facts about the Niagra Falls before our trip

33. Read Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs then watch the Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs Movie & Make Meatballs for dinner together.

34. Play an Online Learning Game

35. Read a Biography

36. Research an Animal & Write 5 Facts you learned about it. (printable - A Teacher's Touch)

37. Play Addition/Subtraction Concentration

38. Read a Book Set in Washington D.C.

39. Practice (& Master) Tying Shoelaces 

40. Read A Bad Case of Stripes and make our own Medicine (Rx Printable, Art Printables)

41. Play Math Fact Candy Land

42. Learn about Shenandoah Caverns before our trip & make Geode Crystals 

43. Play Math Fact Hopscotch

44. Write a Name Poem (printable from Creative Teaching Press)

45. Practice Telling Time

46. Write a Sticker Story

47. Go Math Fact Fishing

48. Keep a Summer Writing Journal

49. Read as many books as we can from Magic Tree House & Junie B. Jones series.

50. Go out & Take Pictures then use them to Write a Story 

Have fun this summer!
Bern

Disclosure: This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

Summer Learning and Fun with cwist

Disclaimer: We are participating in a sponsored blog ambassador program from cwist. As a part of this program we have received paid compensation for placement of digital advertisements and sharing our personal cwist experience via specific postings related to cwist.

Today is the first official day of summer break! The Lil Divas are excited about having a relaxed schedule but with unstructured days ahead I want to be sure we don't let the learning slide. I like to sneak learning into our summer days, in fun and simple ways that grab the Lil Divas interest and doesn't feel forced and rigid. We all need a break from that, including me.

When I received an e-mail from CWIST with an opportunity to test out their site and be a blog ambassador,  I was instantly intrigued by what they had to offer. CWIST features an interactive library of challenges - the cwists - created by parents and educators for children between the ages of 5-11. The challenges are varied. Some are educational with a learning focus while others deal with community service.  There are cwists centered around exercise, sports or physical activity and others that focus on tapping into a child's creativity and imagination.  You can also create your own unique cwists to fit your child's specific goals or needs.

Cwists are fun motivators for kids and a great way to incorporate some FUN learning, physical activity, community service or even bucket list activities into their summer. With each completed cwist children get to choose from parent-approved rewards which can be unique to your child. You can choose something like a trip to the ice cream shop, a visit to the library,  a family movie night, a toy or gadget (from approved retailers) or something you input entirely of your own based on your child's wish. I love how customizable the cwists and rewards are for each child and their age, likes or abilities.

As both a mom and an educator I love what cwist has to offer. My girls enjoy playing online games and apps and cwist taps into that but it provides real life, hands-on activities and experiences which gets them away from the computer and actually moving, thinking and creating.  The Lil Divas were excited about all the cwists already offered in the library and the collection is growing almost daily. They also liked that they have the ability to make "wishes" for certain products and I can approve them and send them on a cwist to earn it.  We are looking forward to trying that out and adding some of our own cwists, which we will be sharing in our next post so stay tuned!

As a teacher, I see lots of potential for utilizing cwists in the classroom.  It would be a fun and engaging way to help students set specific educational or community service goals while having the opportunity to earn prizes/rewards for the classroom for completing their cwists. This would be especially useful for students who may need a little extra motivation.

This summer I am utilizing weekly Summer Fun cwists to keep the girls learning and having fun. Each week there will be 4 cwists to complete. If they complete the cwists they earn a reward. So far our agreed upon "wishes" or rewards include a mini golf outing, a trip to a museum, a bowling day and an ice cream party with a few friends. The rewards are perfect for summer fun and the cwists are fun and engaging so the Lil Divas are excited about completing them.

I'm excited to be sneaking in some math, writing, science and even a lesson on sibling squabbles into our first few days of summer vacation. Here's a "sneak peek" of the Bicker Blocker cwists that I am super excited about:

Yay, for reinforcing sibling peace and a spirit of cooperation in our home during the long days of summer together! 

I am really looking forward to our cwist adventure this summer. It's definitely a fun and unique way to check things off our summer bucket list and keep my girls reading and learning during our summer vacation. I'm excited about creating cwists that are tailored specifically to our goals and I look forward to sharing them with you next time.

In the meantime, head on over and check out all that cwist has to offer for yourself. For even more information, be sure to check them out on Facebook and Twitter.

Have fun cwisting!

Bern

Disclosure: I am a cwist Blog Ambassador. I am receiving compensation for testing the site with my own children and sharing our experience with you. All opinions are 100% mine and honest. Your opinions and experience may differ.