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Browsing articles in "A Toddler Trick for outdoors"
Rainbow Rice – a Toddler Trick for indoors and outdoors
A friend from my coffee group back home in New Zealand got me on to making this amazing “rainbow rice’! I think it’s a great alternative to sand and is vibrant and fun for your toddler to play with! Your toddler can play with it pretty much any where!!! at a sand table outside, in a empty bath tub, paddling pool or in big bowls/containers you have lying around the house. It’s cheap, fun, easy to make and any spills are easily vacuumed up in minutes!!!! Joey also suggested you add in some shells, spades, cars, rakes which I thought was a great idea!
This toddler trick is perfect for any toddler! Parent supervision at all times to ensure none is consumed! =)
Go to african babies don’t cry blog to find out the amounts and how to make this amazing rainbow rice!
What you need:
- - White wine vinegar
- - Food coloring
- - Zip lock bags
- - Rice
This rice is also great to pop inside old plastic bottles to make maracas or I-spy bottles!
Joey has started her very own business called Rainbows which specializes in selling colorful cloth nappies. Check it out!!!
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Collecting ‘things’ – a Toddler Trick for the outdoors
When we go on walks it is great to have a purpose to our wanderings. Over the past few weeks we have been building a great collection of sticks. They are all shapes and sizes, colours and degrees of ‘bendiness’. I have a project in mind for the sticks – but that will be another blog when I have time to get creative. In the meantime we have a growing collection of sticks and our skill at finding “big” ones and “little” ones is getting better all the time. If you can find more than one of anything, it is certainly collectible and a great way to focus a toddler’s attention away from tired legs or wanting a snack.
What you need:
- - A bag for your collection (or use your pushchair)
- - Time and patience
What to do:
1.Your toddler may spontaneously start collecting for you – as mine did - finding sticks every time we went for a walk. However to get the ball rolling find a special stick, sea shell, leaf or empty snail or cicada shell and show your toddler, then see if you can find another one together.
2. It won’t take long for the idea to gain momentum and your toddler will be able to find the collectibles for themselves. This is when you can start talking about the different sizes, colours, shapes and designs of what you are finding.
3. As your collection starts to grow it pays to get a little more discerning. Particularly with older toddlers you can talk about finding items of different size and colour, then discarding the ones who don’t measure up (if you are allowed to).
4. Then comes the question of what to do with what you are collecting. We have a rule of not collecting anything that is living so much of what we pick up is easily disposed of back in the great outdoors – but there is a great deal of pride attached to what is collected and my toddler does like to bring them home to show Dad or anyone else that cares to pay attention.
5. If you keep your collection in a bag then you can add and subtract to it as you go for a walk. A large jar is a great place to deposit your shell collection – including empty cicada and snail shells as well as seashells.
This is a really simple idea that can turn a walk that is going a bit ‘grizzly’ into a lot of fun for young and old alike. It is also a talking point when you get home and although having a bag of sticks hanging around can be a bit annoying it is well worth the inconvenience.
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Life Sized Chalk Drawing – a Toddler Trick for outdoors
Those who are regular readers of this blog will know that we love chalk drawing – particularly on the pavement. So this week’s blog is a really good opportunity to get your chalk out and draw a life sized image of your toddler. But you don’t have to stop there. Your toddler can have just as much fun drawing you or you can work together and create a chalk drawing of another family member. It is a great opportunity to talk about colours and different parts of the body; plus it generated an awful lot of giggling when we tried!
What you need:
- - A packet of chalk
- - A piece of pavement big enough to lie on
- - A dry day
What you do:
1. Get your toddler to lie still on the ground; this can be the hardest part and the ‘trick’ might be to do a little demonstration with tracing around your legs first so they can see what you are trying to do. Or, you can trace around a doll or soft toy to start with – they are very good at lying still.
2. Trace around your toddler with a piece of chalk. Be as quick as you can and talk about drawing around the hand, arm, foot, leg, tummy, head etc as you go.
3. Once you have completed your tracing get your toddler to stand up and they should be able to see a pretty good image of themselves!
4. Now the real fun starts – older toddlers in particular will enjoy helping you fill in the blanks. Ask lots of questions…where are your eyes, what colour is your hair, your shorts, your shoes?? I am sure you get the idea. You don’t have to absolutely colour everything in but you end up with a really fun toddler sized drawing.
5. Other members of the family might want to be traced too and your toddler can have just as much fun helping you to do the tracing as being the subject of the artwork.
Happy drawing!
TweetShadow Play – a Toddler Trick for outdoors
My daughter discovered her shadow last week which resulted in hours of fun with her new best friend. This is a simple, fun game to play outside with your toddler on a sunny day. It will help them learn about shadows and how the sun creates them.
This toddler trick is perfect for any aged toddler!
What you’ll need:
- - a bright, sunny day.
- - somewhere outside
- - a garden, playground or park
How to play:
1. Get your toddler to stand in the correct direction so that they can see their shadow. They will naturally investigate it!
2. Get your toddler to jump up and down, wave, shake their legs and arms and watch their shadow copy them. You can explain to your toddler that their shadow will always copy everything they do!
3. Try playing the game “tag” where the idea is to ” tag” the other player by stepping on their shadow. First, help your toddler find his shadow. Change directions and move around so he can see what effect it has on their shadow. Then try chasing the shadow or pretend your shadow is chasing you. Your toddler will find it very funny. When you stand on their shadow say you are “it”. Then it’s your toddlers turn to step on yours.
We will have a few more shadow play ideas for you and your tricky toddlers on Friday!
TweetWorm Rescuer – a Toddler Trick for outdoors
When the weather takes a turn for the worst it’s time to get your wet weather gear on and go rescue some worms! You may not of thought as this as a career but your toddler will take it very seriously and you will be an over night super hero! The weather is never as bad as it looks so once you get out there the fun over takes the fact that you may be getting a bit damp! However this is not an activity for torrential rain, cyclones, lightening storms or hurricanes! Pick warm wet days with good visibility and not much wind.
This toddler trick is great for all those toddlers that can walk confidently.
What you need:
- - Wet weather gear
- - Bucket
- - A warm rainy day
How to rescue the worms:
1. Once your toddler is dressed in their wet weather gear, grab a bucket and head outside. You want to stick to the footpath as the worms will be popping out of the damp, wet grass looking for a dry surface.
2.When you spot a worm, get your toddler to pick the worm up carefully and put it in their bucket. This is a great time for your toddler to analyse the worm. How does it feel? How big is it? How long is it? Where is it’s eyes? Your toddler will be fascinated with the experience.
3. It’s now time to rescue the worm. Explain to your toddler that they were wriggling out of the grass as their was too much water getting into their homes and now it’s up to them to find the worm a nice dry home! Under trees at their roots are always a good dry place.
4. Get your toddler to place the worm down carefully in their new home you have found for it. Praise your toddler so they now they have done something good!
5. Once you have rescued one worm, go find another and another and another until the worm rescuer calls it a day!
If you don’t have any luck finding any worms then there is always next time! It’s an adventure on it’s own just looking for them! Who knows you may find some other insects or animals to rescue!
NOTE: you could be a tricky mum/dad and take a few worm lollies with you and sneakily bury them for your toddler to rescue if your not having much luck finding any real ones!
TweetPeanut Butter Bird Feeder – a Toddler Trick for outdoors
There were many reasons why we enjoyed visiting my great aunt but helping her to fill her bird feeder was definitely one of them. I must have been quite young at the time but I can remember watching the birds eating the seeds and enjoying the antics of all the different species that came to feed. While food is plentiful at this time of year for most birds, coming into autumn can be a good time to start a bird feeder that you can tend over into the winter months. There are some elaborate feeders around to buy but our ‘peanut butter pinecone’ feeder is not only fun to make, it is cheap, easy for little hands and it only takes a couple of minutes to create.
Building a bird feeder is a Toddler Trick for all ages, with some older toddlers managing to make their own alongside you. Please be careful in using peanut butter around children who may have allergies – any other nut butter can be substituted but it does add to the cost.
What you need to make one feeder: (we usually make two or more in one go)
- - A pine cone – or any other cone you can find! You can hang several small ones in a cluster to good effect.
- - Small bag of bird seed – pet shops, some hardware stores and supermarkets are also good sources
- - Peanut butter – a large jar of the cheapest unsalted brand you can find, the birds aren’t fussy
- - A spatula for spreading
- - A bowl
- - String or yarn for hanging the finished cone.
What you do:
1. This can get a bit messy, but that is all part of the fun. I would recommend working with a floor cover or in an area that you can sweep up. An apron for all those participating is also a good idea.
2. If you are worried about messy hands I would tie the string to your pine cone before you start. Usually the bottom, or fattest end of the pine cone is the easiest. Be sure to leave enough length in the string to tie around a branch or railing.
3. Using the spatula drop a couple of good spoonfuls of peanut butter onto one side of your pine cone. Show your toddler how to spread the peanut butter into the cracks on the cone. My toddler used a plastic spoon and did a great job of covering the cone and herself with a couple of taste tests along the way.
4. You can choose to cover both sides of the cone with peanut butter (we did) or just one if you don’t want to get sticky hands.
5. Next, place the cone in a bowl and pour in some birdseed. Be careful to explain to your helpers that this is for the birds to eat, not us. Pick up handfuls of the seed and pat firmly into the peanut butter. Use as much of the seed as you can push into the peanut butter. My toddler loved holding up handfuls of birdseed and watching it sprinkle over the cone.
6. And that it is. Time to hang your cone and watch for birds.
7. It can take a day or two for the birds to find your creation – don’t get disheartened, they will come. Be careful to hang your feeder on the tip of a branch which is most likely to be out of reach from cats and other predators.
8. Unlike a lot of feeders this version is pretty much weather proof. Peanut butter stands up well in the heat and in the rain – ours withstood a couple of storms and didn’t lose much seed at all. Once the seed is all gone, give the cone a bit of a wash and start again.
Milk Bottle Water Can – a Toddler Trick for outdoors
This is a really simple, inexpensive, watering can to make. But even better, because you keep the lid on the top, spills are kept to a minimum. The water doesn’t come out particularly fast (unless you squeeze the bottom of the bottle) so a small amount of water can go a very long way and you minimise the number of watering ‘accidents’ you have. Your milk bottle watering can, can also go on walks with you and replacements can almost be instantly made should it go missing. We are using ours to water our tomato plant on a daily basis.
This Toddler Trick is great for all toddlers!
What you need:
- - Empty 1 litre milk bottle with lid attached
- - Large nail
How to make:
1. Use the nail to punch about 10 holes on the opposite side of the milk bottle to the handle – at approximately the same height (as shown in the picture below)
2. Put about 4cm of water in the bottom of the milk bottle, screw the lid on tightly and then show your toddler how to water. The flow will be just a trickle…if you want anything more than that, squeeze the end of the bottle while your toddler is watering.
Grow My Own Tomatoes – a Toddler Trick for outdoors
My mother wasn’t blessed with green fingers but that didn’t deter her from trying to teach us some gardening basics and growing little tomatoes outside our kitchen window was a regular summer feature. We all enjoyed picking the little sweet red tomatoes and eating them that night for dinner. I now enjoy passing on the same experience to my toddler and for about the cost of two punnets of cherry tomatoes we got a sturdy tomato plant, a plastic bucket and enough potting mix to fill the bucket. This blog is all about the planting and harvesting…we will be tracking the progress of our tomatoes on Facebook and look forward to sharing regular updates.
This toddler trick is perfect for toddlers of all ages – older toddlers will able to be a lot more involved in the day to day care. This is a late spring or summer activity as you will need to have warm conditions for growing.
What you need:
- - A large bucket (we got ours from the $2 shop) Or you can plant directly into the garden if you have your own
- - Tomato plant – bigger the better! (we picked ours up for $1.99 from our local garden centre)
- - Potting mix or soil to fill the bucket
- - Nail for punching drainage holes in the bottom of the bucket (can use a drill if you’ve got one)
What to do:
1. Punch drainage holes in the base of your bucket so that your plant won’t get waterlogged.
2. With the help of your toddler, fill the bucket with potting mix or soil almost to the top.
3. Dig a hole in the middle (older toddlers will love helping to do this).
4. Carefully remove the tomato plant from its little pot; this is a job for large hands and you do need to take care that you don’t snap the stem in the process.
5. Loosen the soil around the tomato plant’s roots and place in the hole. Get your toddler to help cover the roots with soil and spread some more soil to top up the bucket.
6. Water the plant generously. This is another fun activity for your toddler to get involved in; look out for our next post on making your own watering can from a milk bottle!
7. Place the bucket in a warm, sheltered position. If you are experiencing really hot days then you will want to make sure they are in shade during the hottest part of the day. A handle on your bucket makes it really easy to shift around until you find the right place.
8. Water daily. Make this part of your toddler’s routine and make checking on your tomato plant a highlight of the day. Point out new leaves, the flowers as they appear and then the tiny green tomatoes as they start to grow.
9. As your plant grows you may want to put a stick (or stake) into the bucket and tie your tomato loosely to it; or you can opt to have it cascade over the bucket and roam freely. This last approach is not for the purest but it is a good option if your toddler has a passion for sticks and keeps stealing it out of the bucket like mine did.
10. Select a special container or bowl for picking and displaying your tomatoes. They will arrive in one’s and two’s to start with but as the days go by you might be able to clip a branch full – just like the vine tomatoes you buy in stores.
11. Heap lots of praise on your budding gardener and make sure everyone knows that they grew the tomatoes – they will be the best tasting tomatoes you will ever eat!!
Note: Not all growing projects are successful. Under or over watering can cause issues…like killing the plant. Raising more than one plant can cover you for this if your budget allows (that was my mother’s tactic). You can also fall victim to attacks by insects and plant diseases; I am absolutely no expert on this and would advise you to head to your nearest garden centre for help as that is exactly what I would do. They will also be able to advise you on the best tomato variety for your climate and for growing in pots.
Strawberry Picking – a Toddler Trick for outdoors
Strawberries are an absolute favourite in our household so we have come up with a great way of having a strawberry picking experience in your own back yard. Over the holidays we were lucky enough to actually go strawberry picking, so we have also given you some tips and ideas of mounting your own strawberry exbidition if you are lucky enough to live near a strawberry garden as there is nothing like picking and eating sun kissed fruit on a summers day.
This toddler trick is perfect for any toddler.
Strawberry picking at home
What you need:
- - Punnet of strawberries
- - 4 -5 small container lids
- - A toddler sized container to collect the strawberries in
How to play:
1. Divide your strawberries between the lids, 3-4 strawberries per lid.
2. Dot the strawberry filled lids around the gardenGive your toddler the container and demonstrate how to pick up the strawberries off the lid and place in the bucket – it won’t take them long to get the idea.
3. Encourage them to sample the strawberries as they go – as that is the best part of strawberry picking and all part of the fun.
4. Wash the strawberries when you get inside and chop up to serve with icecream or yoghurt and lots of praise for the strawberry picker!
Strawberry picking outing
Strawberries really are the perfect fruit for toddlers to pick; with the plants being so low to the ground it makes it very easy for your toddler to pull off the branches and navigate themselves around the garden. Most pick-your-own gardens are very tolerant of children but be sure to ask if there are any ‘rules’ before you head out.
What you need:
- - A pick-your-own strawberry (or other fruit) garden; local papers or a quick internet search should help you to find one
- - Sun block and a sun hat (there won’t be much, if any, shade)
- - Sturdy shoes in case there are prickles
- - Clothes that won’t show the berry stains- red is the best!
- - Water bottle because it is thirsty work
- - Wipes for a quick wipe down before jumping back in the car – strawberry tasting can be messy!
What to do:
1. Select a picking space that is away from others so your toddler can focus on the job at hand. It is best that you hold the container for the strawberries and that your toddler puts their strawberries into the communal lot.
2. Show your toddler how to lift up the leaves to find the red strawberries that are hiding there. Show them the difference between the green and red berries and get them to pluck a few red ones and put them in the container with your close supervision.
3. I had expected an absolute over-kill of strawberry eating but inspite of strawberries being my toddler’s favourite fruit she turned out to be very intent on picking and not so interested in eating! She did nibble on a few (as did we all) but by in large she picked far more than she ateIt really didn’t take long – probably 15-20 minutes of actual picking to fill two large containers between the four of us.
4. My toddler had a lot of fun just running up and down the rows, showing us the big berries she had found and checking out all the strawberries in the containers.
TweetWater Painting – a Toddler Trick for outdoors
We recently discovered that painting doesn’t always have to be messy. Water painting has been an absolute favourite of one of our tricky friends Cooper who showed us how to play it. His mum reports that Cooper water paints the concrete outside, the windows, his toys and sometimes even the family dog! When visiting his grandparents over the holidays a bucket and a paint brush kept him busy for hours. It has fast become a favourite in our house too and we are encouraging the water painting in the hope it will extend to car washing in future years.
This toddler trick is perfect for toddlers of all ages.
What you need:
- Bucket of water
- Paint brush(s)
What to do:
1. Take your bucket of water and paint brush outside, a couple of inches of water is fine as your toddler will want to carry it them selves.
2. Find a safe area for your toddler to paint.
3. Get your toddler started on a wooden or concrete surface where you really see the water marks. They will quickly get the idea.
4. Water painting a bike, scooter or toys are another extension.
Your toddler will enjoy the freedom of being able to paint anywhere they want! Just be sure they understand that it doesn’t extend to when they are using real paint inside.
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Hi I’m Lou from Sydney
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I'm a young mum with a passion for coming up with creative ideas to keep my toddler entertained that don’t cost a lot. Other mums and dads seemed to like sharing my ideas and have encouraged me to develop “Toddler Tricks” an online box of great ideas to keep toddlers entertained.
If you read my blog you will see that I also have a passion for food and with a partner who is a personal trainer we are big on getting out and about as a family. I look forward to meeting other parents through this blog and sharing ideas, stories and some funny moments.Recent tricks
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