The Mama Workshop |

05/25/2017

Stencil Cat Art for Toddlers

We’re making cat art today (made mostly by my daughter)!

She loves cats. She has a leopard blanket she carries everywhere and a little Meow (as she calls it) that she cuddles with. It’s really cute! Every time she sees a cat, she says, “Meow, Mommy! Meow!”

So, I thought it would be fun to make a stencil out of cardboard and do some art! She was all about the paint. She did, however, end up painting her face. So, there’s that. But, that’s to be expected with a two year old.

It washes right off with water. So, it’s really not a big deal. My only suggestion is to wear clothes you don’t care about getting paint on because it doesn’t come out of your clothes. But, it comes right off of skin.

Read on to see how to make the Stencil Cat Art:

05/19/2017

Color Sorting and Sensory Activity

The Very Hungry Caterpillar has so many activity possibilities! Yesterday, we did a color sorting and sensory activity using our plastic fruits and veggies we have. I’ll be sharing more about it below.

A couple activities we have done already are a Days of the Week Caterpillar Craft and our Grocery Store Scavenger Hunt game that go along with the book. They’re both so much fun!

We also did a Watermelon Cardboard Fruit Stamp activity that I shared on Instagram! The caterpillar eats a watermelon slice on a Saturday. So, I thought this would be fun to do! My daughter loved stamping the paper! To see all the steps, hover on the photo below and click the little right arrow to scroll through the pictures.

05/15/2017

Grocery Store Scavenger Hunt

We’ve been reading The Very Hungry Caterpillar at our house and we wanted to continue the fun. So, I came up with a way for my kiddos to review the fruits in the story while helping me at the grocery store!

Check out the book box craft we did that reviews the days of the week: The Very Hungry Caterpillar Craft. It’ll get your child familiar with the story before doing the grocery store scavenger hunt game.

My son loves to help me put things in the grocery cart. Sometimes, he sneaks in things I don’t want in the cart (cookies anyone?). So, hopefully this grocery store scavenger hunt helps me not have to put 5 boxes of cookies back on the shelf.

Keep reading to find out how to make the cards and how to play the game:

05/09/2017

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Craft

This month we’re focusing on The Very Hungry Caterpillar. So, we made a days of the week pocket craft to put in this month’s book box!

If you don’t know about the book boxes that Beth from Days with Grey and I have been collaborating on, you can check out the last couple book boxes: Mouse Count and Owl Babies

But to review, a book box contains your child’s favorite book that’s easy to read paired with some activities that help your child retell the story to you.

This month we’re doing The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. Here is an Amazon affliate link for the book in case you don’t have the book yet: The Very Hungry Caterpillar (it doesn’t raise the price for you; it just helps our family).

To go along with the book and to help retell the story, I made a Days of the Week Pocket Caterpillar out of cardstock.

Read more to find out how to make The Very Hungry Caterpillar Days of the Week Pocket Craft.

04/18/2017

Replacing Yelling with Love {& What It Teaches Kids}

It’s so much easier to be kind and loving when the kiddos are behaving.

They give me a hug. I want to give a hug back. They want to cuddle. My heart melts. They break a lamp. I yell and become monster mom.

Please note: I am not always monster mom. But, she comes out in some trying moments. #keepingitreal

It’s in those moments of tantrums and deliberate disobedience that I have to exercise love and kindness.

Why?

My kiddos are toddlers. They’re learning how to behave. I’m an adult. They look to me as an example of how to behave.

If I yell because they frustrated me, what am I teaching them? I’m teaching them that it’s okay to yell when someone upsets you.

How many times have I told my son, “don’t yell at sister like that,” after she took his favorite hot wheel? Countless times. Probably a bazillion times. So, if my son decides it’s a great idea to draw on the couch with a sharpie or cause some sort of toddler tornado, should I yell? No. Does he need discipline? Yes. But, how would I want to be treated if I made a mistake?Continue Reading…