Gardening with Kids: Easy to Grow Plants

Spring has definitely sprung, which means it’s past time to plant our garden. It’s been such a beautiful spring this year with lots of sunshine and warm weather! I love planting a garden. It’s such a fun way to get kids involved and learning about where our food comes from. And fresh veggies from the garden are delicious! Some plants are definitely easier to grow than others. I rarely have luck with carrots, and corn always looks fun while it’s growing, but is so hard to grow cobs with all their kernels that I’ve given up on them. Here are a few plants that I’ve had continued success with in the past.

Pumpkins

Who doesn’t love pumpkins? Pumpkin plants get huge and although they have slightly pokey vines, they are so fun to watch grow. We like to guess how many pumpkins we’ll get from each plant.

 

Sunflowers

I love planting sunflowers with my kids. They are quick to sprout, grow really fast and produce beautiful flowers. And if I’m feeling ambitious, we harvest the seeds from the flower to grow the following year.

  

Peas and Beans

Fresh peas and beans from the garden are delicious. I always buy the bush variety instead of the pole variety so I don’t have to string them up. But I’ve seen lots of super cute teepees on Pinterest made from the pole bean variety, a few poles tied together and seeds planted at the base of each pole. I’ve been very tempted to try this out, but bush beans and peas are super easy to grow and require very little maintenance. The Blue Lake type is my favorite!

What do you like to plant with your kids?

For more ideas on how to garden with your kids, check out our Pinterest board “Gardening with Kids”.

To learn more about one of Seattle’s best preschools and drop-off childcare programs visit www.blossomingbudspreschool.com and www.blossomingbudscottage.com.

Spring has Sprung! Indoor/Outdoor Adventures with the Kiddos!

We’ve had such a wonderful April! The weather has been gorgeous and we’ve had just enough rain. Spring is such a fun season in the Pacific Northwest. Flowers are starting to bloom and the sun is up longer in the evening. It’s the perfect time to get outside and explore. I’m sometimes a little less inclined to bundle up the kids on a rainy day to get outside, but then there are the days where I’m so thankful I did because we all needed to get out of the house. Here are a few indoor and outdoor adventures we’ve been on and really enjoyed!

 

A Walk through the Arboretum 

Explore nature at Washington Park Arboretum, count budding flowers, stomp in mud puddles and hunt for insects. Located near UW campus, kids can have a great time with a scavenger hunt or simply exploring this beautiful park.

Tugboat Storytime 

Hop on board this 100-year-old tug boat and get ready for Tugboat Storytime! The stories are geared toward ages 2-8 years old and feature stories about kids, boats, and the sea. Check out their calendar for up to date information.

Take the Water Taxi to West Seattle 

For a boating adventure, check out the Water Taxi which leaves from Pier 50 and arrives at Seacrest Park in West Seattle. It’s only $4.75 for a 15 minute ride and kids 5 and under ride free.

Everett’s Imagine Children’s Museum and Forest Park

The Imagine Children’s Museum in Downtown Everett is a blast. Every third Friday, the museum has free admission from 5:30pm-9pm. Then check out nearby Forest Park has a fantastic water-spray playground and a free animal farm. Fun for the whole family!

I’d love to hear about your spring adventures too!

To learn more about one of Seattle’s best preschools and drop-off childcare programs visit www.blossomingbudspreschool.com and www.blossomingbudscottage.com.

Non-Candy Easter Basket Ideas!

Spring is finally here, which means that Easter is right around the corner! This year it’s earlier than usual, which means there is not much time to fill those baskets. In a constant effort to encourage healthier choices, I decided to skip all the treats in our Easter Baskets this year. In the past, I usually included one or two sweet treats, since I know how much they enjoy the treats, but I also know that special toys are a delight too. This year I decided to theme the baskets for what the girls are super interested in. Here are some other non-candy ideas I found and loved for Easter Baskets!

1. Art basket: For the budding artist!

Paint smock, new water colors, coloring book, colored pencils, and sidewalk chalk

 

2. Beach basket:  For an upcoming trip to the beach!

Beach towel, sunglasses, sand toys and flip flops

3. Gardening basket: For those who love to dig in the dirt!

Seeds, character gardening gloves, bug catching box, gardening tools, watering can

4. Spa basket: For the girly girl of the family!

Bubble bath, nail polish, lip gloss, small purse

5. Inspiring Chef basket: For mom’s little baker!          

Play food, cookie cutters, sprinkles, apron, cute cupcake papers

6. Racing basket: For the kid that loves things that go!

Cars, small race track, book about cars, toy train

7. Mishmash basket: For kids that love all sorts of fun!

Giant bouncy ball, play dough, bubble gun, Frisbee, board game

Other ideas:

1. a new book
2. stickers
3. puzzles
4. water bottle or sippy cup
5. fun and colorful socks
   

What fun things are you filling your child’s Easter Basket with this year? Do you tend to lean toward food or toys or something else?

To learn more about one of Seattle’s best preschools and drop-off childcare programs visit www.blossomingbudspreschool.com and www.blossomingbudscottage.com.

Easy Activities for a Classroom Valentine’s Day Party

It’s that time of year again! The time for red and pink, hearts and too much candy. I am forever trying to figure out non-candy treats and in years past have found some adorable ideas on pinterest! (Check out my  previous blog for some non-candy valentines).  Now that my oldest daughter is in Pre-K, I am looking for a few easy Valentine’s themed activities that would be great for a classroom party.

Science Experiment: Dancing Hearts

For this cute science experiment from Playdough to Plato, all you need is four alka seltzer tablets, a glass, a box of conversation hearts and 1 cup of sparkling water or tap water. Drop the tablets into the water. Let them fizz and bubble a bit and then add a few conversation hearts. Watch them dance and wiggle in the glass. To take it to the next level, you could also try a variety of combinations. In one glass put only sparkling water and conversation hearts, then in another use alka seltzer tablets, tap water and conversation hearts and in the third put alka seltzer tablets, sparkling water and conversation hearts. Then see which hearts dance the most.

Art Project: Shake it up: Valentine Painting!

This is such a great for a no-mess painting art project from Sunny Day Family! By collecting a jar per child, you could easily have a dance party and make this art project at the same time! All you need is a clean, empty jar with a lid that fits, washable paint, a few candy hearts or dried beans or marbles, and cardstock. First cut out a heart from the cardstock to fit in your jar. Then add a few drops of paint to the bottom of the jar. Add the dried beans or candy hearts close the lid and let your kids shake it up! Once they are done shaking, pull out the hearts and let them dry. Then add them to cards or use them as decorations. For more ideas on what to do with the dried hearts, check out this website. 

Giving Back: Valentine’s Day Food Drive

Another idea that to help spread the love through the entire month is to give back to the community. This February, we are participating in the Fill your Heart and Food Driving Box Campaign. It’s a great way to teach kids about food insecurity and to give back to the community. We will collect red packaged food at the Cottage for the entire month of February. Then at the end of the month, we will donate the food to our local food bank. To learn more about this wonderful program and to join in the fun, check out fooddrivingbox.org.

For more ideas like these, check out our pinterest board “Love is in the Air: Valentine’s Day Ideas”!

I’d love to hear about your valentine’s day party activities too! We wish you a happy Valentine’s Day and a month full of love!

To learn more about one of Seattle’s best preschools and drop-off childcare programs visit www.blossomingbudspreschool.com and www.blossomingbudscottage.com.

A Fresh Start to using Non-toxic Products for the Family

Happy New Year! How are those resolutions going? One of my goals this year was to find better non-toxic household products. I recently downloaded the Think Dirty App to scan all my products. It’s a great app that tells me how the products I’m using rate on their “Think Dirty” scale. I’ve been scanning everything in my house including shampoo, cleaners, lip balm, bar soap, lotions…everything. Once I scan a product, the app gives a rating of 1-10, 10 being most toxic. I was so surprised to find that a lot of products that I thought were great still have a lot of toxic chemicals in them. I like to stay around 3 or under on the Think Dirty ranking.

Here are a few of my favorite brands and products:

Seventh Generation hand soap in Citrus and natural all-purpose cleaner

Desert Essence Coconut Shampoo, Conditioner and Detangler

California Baby Body Wash and Shampoo and Calendula Body Cream for Kids

 

For more inspiration on clean, non-toxic products, check out our Pinterest board “Best Non-toxicProducts” 

I’d love to hear about your favorite non-toxic products in the comments below!

To learn more about one of Seattle’s best preschools and drop-off childcare programs visit www.blossomingbudspreschool.com and www.blossomingbudscottage.com.

Ready For Holiday Parties? Quick and Delicious Potluck Dishes

It’s that time of year again, the time for tinsel, trees, holiday parties and...potlucks. Every December we are invited to at least one potluck and I am always short on time to figure out what to bring. This year is no different.  But I’m hoping to be more prepared by having some tasty recipes ready to make! Here are a few recipes that look delicious, super easy and quick.

Appetizer: Tortilla Pinwheels from Taste of Home

I love the look of these Tortilla Pinwheels! The combination of olives, green chilies, cream cheese, and tortillas sounds delicious! Prep time for these is 20 minutes and then they chill for several hours leaving you with time to get everyone ready or prep another dish. If you have kids at your potluck, you could make some Peanut Butter and Jelly Pinwheels for a kid-friendly appetizer option to go along with these!

Side Dish: Easy Cheesy Tortellini Bake 

This Easy Cheesy Tortellini Bake is so easy to throw together! 15 minutes of prep time and 15 minutes in the oven and it’s done. You could even add some cooked Italian sausage to make it a main dish.

Main Dish: Make Ahead Fajitas from Mr. Food 

How about these Make Ahead Fajitas if you are in charge of a main potluck dish? They are easy to whip up and have a cook time of 35 minutes. They look delicious and are a nice change from a typical casserole. 

 

 

Dessert: Hello Dollies from allrecipes.com 

This rich dessert is delicious and a family favorite of mine! Hello Dollies combine coconut flakes, graham cracker crumbs and chocolate chips in a gooey bar. It takes less than 15 minutes to throw together, 25-30 minutes to bake and they are fool proof!  

I’d love to hear about your favorite quick and easy potluck dishes too!

For more ideas like these, check out our “Easy Potluck Dishes” Pinterest Board! Happy Potlucking! And Happy Holidays!

To learn more about one of Seattle’s best preschools and drop-off childcare programs visit www.blossomingbudspreschool.com and www.blossomingbudscottage.com.

Thanksgiving: Getting Kids Involved!

Thanksgiving is just a week away! It’s one of my favorite holidays. Halloween and all the candy and costumes are behind us and there’s no need to buy presents! I have started trying is get my kids involved with the Thanksgiving preparations. While it’s hard to have them help with everything, I love getting them involved with the things they can do. And they love it too! Here are some ideas we are thinking about trying out this year!

Thanksgiving Themed Craft Table

I love the idea of a kids table during dinner, but what about the times where the adults are still talking around the dinner table and the kids are done and ready to play. We started setting out a table with art supplies and a craft that the kids can do by themselves and it was a hit! I like to line the kids table with paper and add crayons at the very least. And if I have more time, then prepping an art project is definitely a great way to get kids involved with celebrating Thanksgiving! Mess for Less’s has 50 Turkey Thanksgiving Crafts for the craft table! I also really love the idea of this cute turkey crayon holder from Hoosier Homemade!

Making Table Decorations

Table decorations are great to make for some pre-Thanksgiving art projects! Handprint table runners using fall colored paint, turkey place cards or this cute thankful turkey can make any table more festive! And they are a great way to get the kids involved and excited for Thanksgiving!  

          

         

Easy Thanksgiving Recipes That Kids Can Make

I love having my kids help with a couple of dishes during Thanksgiving! So many great recipes out there are kid friendly to make! My kids love to help stir and create a dish that they know our friends and family will enjoy. With Pinterest just a click away, it’s easy to find kid-friendly dishes that kids can easily make! These Pumpkin Cups from Sheknows Chef Mom are a great option for a quick and healthier dessert option that kids can easily help with! 

For more ideas like these, check out our “Thanksgiving!” Pinterest Board!  

I’m always looking for new ideas! I’d love to hear about your ideas for getting your kids involved with the Thanksgiving preparations too! What do they love to help with?

 

To learn more about one of Seattle’s best preschools and drop-off childcare
programs visit www.blossomingbudspreschool.com and www.blossomingbudscottage.com.