Fine Motor Pattern Activity

Fine motor and pattern making come together with this easy to set u activity for preschoolers and kindergartners. This activity is engaging and educational, and it is so much fun too!

If you have been reading my blog for a while, you know that I love both fine motor and sensory play for kids.  I love to create easy hands on play ideas too. This one is perfect for kids, and it is so cheap to create too, which is more important than ever. You might have most of the supplies needed on hand, and if not, no sweat, your local dollar store will have everything you need.

As this activity does have small parts, be sure to carefully observe your kids while they complete this activity.


Supplies needed:
A pipe cleaner
small clothespins 
pearler beads




Directions:
Using the small clothespins, create a pattern. 
As you can see I went with green, yellow, purple.
Offer your child the beads and encourage them to thread the beads onto the pipe cleaner in the same pattern.



This is an awesome and engaging activity for small hands. They will benefit from the fine motor busy work later in their handwriting efforts, and the pattern making skills are also pretty important as it helps them make predictions about what comes next while putting their logic and reasoning skills to use.

Harper is now in the first grade, but she still enjoys pulling this activity out of our busy bags and making some eye catching deigns.

You can find more fine motor activities here.
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Adorable Valentine's Day Books for Preschoolers

If you are looking for some holiday inspired reading materials, you are going to love this list of Valentine Books for Preschoolers! These titles are fun, friendly for little readers, and are perfect for getting in the holiday spirit! These titles are ones that both of my kids loved, and I am sure your kids will too.


This list contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I will earn a small advertising fee at no cost to you.


Valentine's Day is the perfect time to give the gift of a good book, to inspire a love of reading in preschoolers and toddlers. These titles are so much fun for kids, that they will be turning the pages and devouring a good story! This list also is great for kindergartners who will be able to read these ones on their own.

While you are here you can check out some of my favorite Valentine crafts including:
Death Star Valentine Box
3D Lady Bugs

Ways to Keep Tweens and Teens Entertained This Winter

 Winter is the time to introduce tweens and teens to new, screen free activities. If you are looking for inspiration for busting boredom while teaching new skills to older kids, you are going to love these ideas.  From knitting to financial know how, this collection has something for a variety of interests.


Making a quilt is a great project because it teaches useful sewing skills and produces a good blanket to keep them warm once they're done. Try getting some simple quilt patterns from here and see what kind of project your teen will produce from there on out.



Keep a teens hands busy while creating a useful item with knitting kits. Make a scarf with the included pattern and knitting tools. These are so much fun for kids of all ages and they will love wearing their creation all winter long! 



Give kids the chance to have fun while developing financial literacy. This game is perfect for a variety of ages and will help pass the time on a snow day. Cash Flow for Kids is from the Rich Dad line of goods, and packs a lot of fun into a compact package.


Y'art Kits are the perfect crafty escape for a winter day. These are easy to create works of art with yarn. Harper and I loved this unicorn kit from Play Monster and it only costs about $11. We are going to order the Pug Y'art Kit too because it is so cute!



Knitting is the thing to do this winter, and this Hat Not Hate Loom Kit is the perfect way to get started. This makes it so easy to make a toasty hat for yourself and to share. Buy more yarn and keep creating hats, which are so much more fun to share than hate. Order for $25.


In the 1980's my cousin was really into Latch Hooking Rugs. I was always a little jealous of her creations and wished my parents would buy latch hook kits for me. 40 years later, my daughter has been latch hooking some impressive works that would have my cousin jealous! Order these for about $15 from Play Monster for a fun crafting session that will have your girls hooked.




Yamaha offers an assortment of high quality musical instruments that are perfect for all ages, including teens and tweens. Something like the Alto Venova makes for a perfect pastime. The instrument produces the mellow sounds of the sax, in a portable and fun to play package. Tweens and teens will love picking up a new skill this winter like playing a unique instrument. 



If you are looking for more ways to craft with tweens and teens check out these ideas.
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Winter Personal Care Favorite Finds

 Are you looking for ways to switch things up a bit in your personal care routine? I have been trying out some different products for my hair and skin, and gathered some of my favorites here to share with you.


Samples were provided for consideration and photos.


Birch Babe has a variety of great products for your hair, skin and face ranging from whipped body butters to some incredicle shampoo and body bars, which are my new favorite thing. Check out the shop and find a few new favorites starting at about $12.


This would have been awesome for the holidays, but with the shipping fiasco which defined the 2020 holiday season, there is no time like the present to give your hair 12 days of high performance goodies from No. 4 Hair Care. This is a great way to try a variety of their products for under $50.


These packages from Health Energy Amazing Life are awesome. They have lavender sleep patches, ear candles, oils and more to help you relax and unwind after a long winter day. Order the package for about $20 for a sensual healing treat.


Starling Super Dew Multitasking Oil is never greasy and won't clog pores. This is a must try for your beauty routine for about $20 a bottle. I love this anti aging oil for the dry winter months.



This Viola hair mist perfume is a lovely addition to a beauty routine because it leaves your hair smelling wonderful for hours after application. I loved the warm notes this mist brings to my hair and how long lasting the aroma is. Order for $56 a bottle.



Axe is an awesome way to make sure the guys in your life are looking out for their hair and skin this winter too. Grab some texturizing cream,body spray or a Total Fresh Gift Set from Walmart. You will appreciate how affordable their line of products is while being effective.


Deodorant is something that everyone needs, but some of the options aren't super healthy.This is where Smarty Pits comes in with aluminum free deodorant for all, in wonderful scents like Coconut Mango and Almond Biscotti. Prices start at about $13 and this is a really effective option for smelling fresh all day long.



No Fade Fresh has some really fun hair color options. Get at home color depositing results in a variety of awesome colors! This is a great way to maintain a constant color without weekly salon visits. Fresh No Fade is perfect for keeping gret hair even during a pandemic! You can find this at Target for about $15 a bottle.



Ziri Red Clay in Paste helps remove dirt and grime while reducing unsightly acne and black heads. This is a secret weapon for beauty that doubles as a few minutes of at home spa care. Order for $35 and treat your skin to a detox.

 

DIY Flower Arrangements To Try During The Lockdown

 After the global pandemic, people don’t prefer to visit a bouquet store in Dubai. Moreover, many flower stores have also shut down their physical stores from the city. Are you running out of ideas on how to make flower arrangements at home?


Don’t worry; here, I will share some exciting ideas for DIY floral arrangements. For that, you need different types of flowers, rubber bands, ribbons, and other essentials, which you can order from online flower delivery Dubai. In this article, I have listed the flower names and explained the steps to make an attractive flower arrangement at home.

Try These DIY Floral Arrangement At Home

When you visit a bouquet store in Dubai, you may have found that florists make attractive bouquets within minutes. Well, you can also try these do-it-yourself flower arrangements at home.

Simple DIY Bouquet

To make a simple DIY bouquet, you need Purple Dahlias, Earl Grey roses, and Ruscus flowery plants. For making an accurate bouquet size, make it one and half times of the container. Remove the thorns and leaves of the flowers that will prevent bacteria.


Next, you can blow the center of the rosebud gently to open up quickly. It helps the bud to breathe and increases the size of the bloom. Make sure that you keep it away from heat and sunlight.

Floral Arrangement for Bursting Summer

It’s one of the best floral arrangements in Dubai. You need different types of flowers and greeneries, including Delphinium, Hydrangea, Jasmine, Roses, and Greeneries.

For this arrangement, you need to add some greenery to the container to hide the stems. Prepare a grid with the help of tape; it will hold the flowers in a small container. Wrapping the flowers and greeneries with tape is one of the easiest ways to make an arrangement with only fewer flowers.


When you are creating a grid with tape over the mouth of the vase, consider the number of stems you will be using for the bouquet. Before you put the flowers and greeneries into the vase, wrap the mouth of the vase by hiding the edges of the tape that you used to make the grid lines.

Wild Beauty Floral Arrangement

For making a wild beauty floral arrangement, you need spray roses and greeneries. Bring flowers of a single color or two at maximum and combine with two types of greeneries. While choosing greeneries, go with a hardier and a lighter.


While designing, make one side higher and let it overturn the other to look like a slightly S-curve design. Arrange the greeneries in the container before you add the flowers. Although it seems counter-intuitive, it will give a wild look to the floral arrangement. Add more greeneries to the container so that it will hold the flowers in position.

Lush Bouquet

The lush bouquet is one of the best floral arrangements that you can do-it-yourself. You need Dahlias, Chrysanthemums, and flowery plants to make this floral arrangement. If you don’t find these flowers, you can buy them from different online flower stores.


When you are making this arrangement, ensure that you add different types of grasses and greeneries for texture. Combine lighter flowers with deeper reds to make a lush centerpiece bouquet.

Farm-Stand Flora

It may be a little expensive floral arrangement as you need a good quality container. However, you can go with a neutral palette, which may not cost you much. You can choose from a variety of flowers and flowery plants, including Celosia, Zinnia, Cosmos, etc.


Choose darker foliage and add bare branches in the container with the flowers to give it an attractive look. You can order all of these items online if you don’t find them on a farm stand.

Final Words

Hopefully, you have learned about different DIY floral arrangements that you can arrange at home easily. Consider these factors while making a flower bouquet for any occasion.


You can try other floral arrangements by experimenting with different flowers and greeneries. If you have ever made any bouquets at your home, please share them in the comments section.