Painted Hopscotch Mat

We originally had the opportunity to guest-post this project at Living Life Intentionally last month. Posting it here in case you missed it!


Are cold, rainy, or snowy days keeping your children from running off pent-up energy outside?? Bring an outdoors game inside with a Hopscotch Mat!  I taught my kids to play hopscotch in our driveway this summer. They loved it...and of couse, I was then cajoled into hopping through many a game with them. An indoor version takes a little time to prepare initially, but then it can be rolled out in a couple of seconds for instant fun. 

Supplies needed:

• 2 1/2 yds canvas
• acrylic craft paints in several colors
• stiff 1/2" paintbrush
• a large bowl or pan--square, rectangle or circle
• pencil
• measuring tape
• puffy paint (opt)
• sewing machine OR hot glue gun
• 4 fabric scraps and dried beans (for Beanbags) OR 4 Rocks

The canvas I bought at Walmart was 60" wide, so I bought 2 1/2 yards and cut it lengthwise to make 2 mats--one for my daughter and one for a gift.

To finish the raw edges, fold them under 1/4", then fold under again and stitch all around. If you don't sew, you could hot glue them under.

For the hopscotch squares, I decided it would take forever to tape them off in order to paint straight lines. Instead, I had this rounded-square bowl in my cupboard that would work perfectly. You could use a square pyrex dish, a rectangle dish, or a large round mixing bowl. Even a combination of shapes would make a fun design! You probably want your bowl to be approx. 10-12 inches diameter.

Measure your bowl and then determine the center of your canvas width. Make some pencil dots to mark the center and give yourself some guides for the squares. At first, I tried painting the rim of the bowl and stamping it on the canvas...but it was too thin a line and hard to hold the slippery bowl.

So then I just traced it with a pencil and painted over the pencil lines with a fat paintbrush. Much easier!

I painted the lines (with a stiff brush) as evenly as I could, knowing they would not be perfect without tape guides. Afterwards, I went back over the lines with my brush fairly dry and feathered out the edges to look like chalk dust.

Now, for the numbers. You could print out your own fun numeral font at home on cardstock to make stencils, but I opted to save time and buy a $4 set of stencils at Walmart. I love these 4" whimsical numerals.

Measure the placement if you want to be precise--I'm more of an "eyeball-it" kind of girl. Holding the stencil with one hand, I dabbed the paint inside (not too thick!) and carefully peeled the cardboard away.

Then I touched up any rough spots and filled in the gaps.

Only one thing more needed for the game: Beanbags...or rocks.


If you don't sew, just find 4 clean rocks and paint them different colors. For mine, I used 4 fun fabric scraps to make little beanbags. I cut 2 squares of each color to measure approx. 3 1/2" x 3 1/2". With a 1/2" seam allowance, they turned out to be 2 1/2" square. Stitch around 3 sides and the very edge and corners of the fourth side, leaving 2 inches open. Clip all the corners, then turn right side out and poke out corners.

Spoon in dried beans or rice so it is fairly full but not stuffed.

Now fold in the raw edges on the open side and stitch closed. One final thing you may want to do is add a few squiggles of Puffy Paint on the underside of the mat to keep it from slipping on a wood or tile floor.

If you're a little rusty on hopscotch rules, refresh your memory here or here.  And now your Hopscotch game is all ready for some energy-burning, indoor fun!

Embrace the Matchbox Cars! Some Sorting Thoughts.

Does this look familiar?

What about this?

If you have boys, or a girl who simply loves all things cars, then you have probably stepped on a Matchbox in the dark of night and vacuumed up a Hot Wheels hubcap or two.


I have learned to embrace these toy car messes for two reasons: 

1. They are not dirty.  As opposed to spilled Ritz crackers crunched into the carpet or the jelly from a pop-tart mashed into the couch cushions, a car mess may look crazy,  but when it comes down to it I can clean it up in about 60 seconds.
2. Cars are great for imaginary play, my boys and my little girl have spent HOURS playing with cars throughout the years.  Cars are great for pretend play, and they teach sharing (just in case you don't have 2 or 3 of every single car you own!)

I have also discovered that a tote full of cars can be a quick tool for some basic review for your little ones. Yes, that huge pile of cars that you constantly box up to take to Goodwill can be put to educational use!

I may not have time every morning to sit down and review a book on colors, among other things, with my little guy.  And although it is important to have that lap time with him on a daily basis (and we attempt it!) he honestly seems to learn better with "hands on" training.
One way we have turned car time into a fun, educational moment is by car sorting.  My 4 year old also enjoys this game and is a big helper! She is thrilled because we often create a rainbow with the different colors.  Who doesn't love rainbows?

Next we piled all the cars back up and sorted them by style (ex. Diggers, Trucks, Racing Cars, Convertibles, etc.)

With a little imagination, I'm sure you can come up with a million ways to teach your kids to sort and organize cars.  This has also been a great way to teach counting.  My little guy does not always enjoy working in a counting board book or with flashcards, but he loves counting and moving his cars from one spot to the next.

Soon there will be a day when the little cars under our feet are boxed up in the attic, waiting for the day when a small grubby hand, sticky with the jelly of some futuristic pop-tart, will run them across the carpet again.  Make the most of these messes on the floor, and don't be afraid to occasionally turn play into something educational!

Fuzzy Felt Quiet Toy Tutorial

A Fuzzy Felt shape set is a great Quiet toy to keep a little one busy. You can make an easy flannel/cardboard set, but it can also be upgraded a bit with a carry case to make a nice gift for a little friend with a big imagination. The appliqued name takes a little time...a quicker variation on that could be felt letters that are straight-stitched onto the side with one color of thread.


Materials: Denim or other durable fabric for carry tote, flannel, 3-4 colorful fabric scraps of fabric or felt for name applique letters and pocket, fusible webbing, 2 buttons or velcro, various thread colors, 2 sheets of heavy plastic canvas, felt squares in various colors, ponytail holder, scissors.

To make the fold-up carry case, cut a large denim rectangle (22.5" x 14") and 2 smaller white flannel rectangles (11.5" x 14").
Cut 2 narrow rectangles of denim for handles (10" x 3.5").
Cut a rectangle of colored fabric for a pocket (9.5" x 8")
Cut name letters from scraps of colored fabric and iron them to fusible webbing for applique.



First, machine applique the name letters onto the outside of the denim—fold denim in half and turn so the fold is at bottom and then place the letters where you want them. Pin, open denim, and machine applique.



I pinned a rectangle of scrap fabric to the back of the denim to give more durability.

For the pocket: Turn under one long edge of the pocket and zigzag stitch. Now turn the zigzag edge approx. 1 inch down, right sides together, and stitch from top folded edge down to the zigzag edge, leaving a 5/8” seam allowance. Repeat on other side.

Cut the extra fabric at the corners and then turn the pocket edge right side out. Press. If desired, make a buttonhole in the top edge...or sew velcro to the pocket and case.



Pin the pocket to the outer side of the denim so the folded edge of denim is at bottom. Stitch around the 3 sides of the pocket, leaving top open.

To make handles, fold one strip of denim lengthwise and sew down the long edge, leaving a 5/8” seam allowance. Turn it right side out. Repeat with other handle. Press flat so seam is in middle of strip.



Attach one handle to one outside top edge of the carry case, with the seam up on each. Check placement so both sides match. Stitch close to edge.



Turn one long side of flannel in 1/4” and zigzag stitch. Repeat with other piece of flannel.

Now pin the flannel to the denim case, right sides together. Be sure handles are tucked inside.



Also, at this point, you will want to add a loop for buttoning the case closed. Grab a ponytail holder and pin it between the denim and flannel so the big loop is down inside the case like the handles. Pin it so you can stitch across it.


Place the zigzag edges of the flannel in the middle. These will be left open to insert the stiff plastic canvas. Stitch all around the outer edge of the case and flannel with a 5/8” seam allowance. Stitch back and forth across the handles and loop a couple of times to make them secure. Clip corners to reduce bulk. Turn right side out.



Sew a button to the outside for the loop to close over. Sew another button under buttonhole of pocket.



Trim the 2 sheets of plastic canvas to fit inside. Insert. If desired, stitch across the open edge of the flannel to attach it to the denim. I decided to leave mine open so the plastic can be removed and the case is washable. It's snug enough that the plastic won't come out.

Finally, cut out felt shapes to play with...I searched online for simple silhouettes of animals and cars and things, and then adjusted the size before printing and cutting them out for patterns. Lots of geometric shapes are great too. Put the shapes in the pocket and your Fuzzy Felt set is ready for play!

Pretend Play: Breakfast on a Cruise Ship.

Yesterday we enjoyed a lovely morning on a cruise ship...and didn't even leave home for it. A scrapbook-paper-porthole on the wall and a couple of clipart seagulls circling over the table helped set the scene. Then I donned my white shirt, black bermudas, white gloves, and became a Cruise Ship Attendant for our morning o' fun.


I confess my first-hand knowledge of cruise ships is pretty much...nil. I have heard that your towels get folded into all kinds of nifty little animals each time you come back into your cabin, but I do not have those kind of folding skilz. So I kinda had to wing it as to the whole Cruise Ship scene.


The table was set with white tablecloth, lots of glassware (gulp!), and cloth napkins. Definitely a first at my breakfast table! I dusted off some cute little juice glasses and prepared a carafe of OJ.


Our breakfast menu included boiled eggs served in egg-cups, toast & jam, cut up fruit, and a yogurt parfait bar for the kids to make their own concoctions. Huge hit! And it was all served with silly Cruise Attendant antics. Oh, I meant to play some perky classical music in the background, but forgot to start the CD.


The kids loved it! After serving their breakfast (pretending to walk on a ship that was rolling slightly), I told them some of the activities that were available for their enjoyment today...
  
First up...Bingo on the ship deck. Happily, we each won a round.


Next we tried a little Art activity. This was a Stained Glass Butterfly project, an idea I found here. 
 

They turned out really pretty, and I learned a valuable lesson: washable markers are not as washable as expected when the one-year-old colors on the table and himself.


Finally, we left the ship on a little excursion and “rowed over” to a deserted island to enjoy a relaxing siesta. I made a blanket fort over a card table in our living room and set out books with special snacks and refreshing lemonade. We all piled in and read several stories together and talked about living on a deserted island. The consensus was that none of us would like it much...there was no access to ice cream.


It was such a fun morning! Have to confess, I don't always give my children a solid chunk of devoted, undivided attention and play time like I ought to—there's always laundry to throw in, floors to sweep, email to check. This Pretend Cruise was a blast for all of us.

...Even if there was not a single Swan towel in sight.


Linking to these great parties: