30 Day Challenge Part B

Day 4: Pretend Islands
For this day's challenge, we were supposed to make pretend islands, hop from island to island, and use our imaginations for what would happen if we fell in the water. I wasn't quite sure how this particular challenge was going to work with Baby Bear, but I'm always up for new ideas of entertaining him that do not involve the television, so we gave it a try. I adapted this idea a little, partly based on the suggestions for little ones listed at the bottom of the hands on: as we grow page, and partly based on Baby Bear's interests. This activity did not last for 15 uninterrupted minutes, but we did play this game a few times throughout the day, which probably added up to at least 15 minutes. Papa Bear even got to join in the last round, which was extra fun!

We used couch cushions and pillows to make a bridge to Papa Bear's chair, or island. The objective was to use the bridge to get to the island without falling off.

If Baby Bear fell off the bridge, the Tickle Monster (me) would get him!

Yay! He made it!

Day 5: Playdough Exploration
I love playdough, and so does Baby Bear. Unfortunately, Baby Bear is cutting more teeth, and everything goes in his mouth right now. We tried playing with one of the doughs I already had made, but all Baby Bear wanted to do was eat the dough, not play. The dough was non-toxic, of course, but Papa Bear and I weren't willing to risk a tummy ache to complete this challenge. So, I decided to try a new playdough recipe instead!

Attempting to play with playdough

I found this recipe for Cranberry Playdough on the Little Wonders' Days blog. The texture isn't as smooth as other recipes I've tried, but the color is beautiful, and it smells yummy! We'll share this dough with the neighbor girls since we've still got some left from other recipes.

The dim, night time lighting in my kitchen doesn't do the color justice.

Here is the recipe from Little Wonders' Days:

2 cups of flour

1 cup of salt

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 tablespoon cream of tarter

2 cups of cranberry water (cranberries boiled in water for approx. 20 min., then strained)

Place ingredients in a sauce pan and heat over low heat, stirring until it starts to pull away from the sides.  Once a good ball forms, remove from heat and turn out onto a heat safe surface to cool slightly.  Knead until smooth.