Love is Patient and Kind

^{One of my favorite Bible scriptures is found in I Corinthians 14:4-8. For me, it is a guide showing how to love. To tie up this month's Love Theme, I wrote a prayer reflecting on this scripture, so that I may be a better example of love to my daughter.}  

⁴  Love is patient and kind; May I patiently answer my daughter's questions even when it seems like she asks a million a day. When I am tired at the end of the day, help me show enthusiasm towards her when she asks me to play during bath time because sometimes I would rather just play on my phone.

Love does not envy or boast; Allow me to take a back seat when Miss E is doing an art project differently than I imagined it to be.  It's okay if she wants to create a play dough bug with two legs.  I do not know the best way to do everything, and my daughter's ideas are valuable.  

It is not arrogant ⁵ or rude. When she is taking too long to get dressed because she is having trouble getting her clothes on, let me not get frustrated with her pace. Instead of abruptly taking over her job of getting dressed to speed things along, I will show her strategies to help her learn to get dressed. 

It does not insist on its own way; I don't need to push my daughter to try all the playground equipment when we go to park. If she goes down the same slide 20 times, enable me to realize her own way of playing at the park is okay.  

It is not irritable or resentful;^[b] After a full day of family fun, show me how to be understanding when Miss E has a meltdown at the end of the day because she is exhausted rather than wishing she would show a little more appreciation for the effort I made to give her a beautiful day.  

^{6 I}t does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Grant me wisdom to know when I have treated Miss E with unfairness. When I make a mistake with her, help me apologize to her.

⁷  Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. ⁸ Love never ends.  Allow me to to keep believing that our love will last forever even when there will be days when the sweet cuddles, love notes, pushing the swing, and playing with stuffed animals seem like a distant memory.  May I continue to model the path of love for my daughter, so that she may love others with a pure heart.  Amen.  

Note - Bible verses are in bold text, and my words of prayer are in italicized text.  

The Playful Parenting Series

A big thank you to all my readers who have followed the Playful Parenting series.  Your interest and enthusiasm in the topic made writing and presenting the material even more of a pleasure to me.  For those who have missed some of the tips or want to go back and read them again, I hope today's post will help you find the posts that interest you.

I began the series by sharing Why Play? It Makes Kids Happy.  Of course, play has cognitive and social benefits, but I feel the most important reason to offer unstructured play to children is to bring them happiness.


Playful Parenting Tip #1 - Clothing gives advice how to dress kids for play.  If you want your child to play freely, you need to dress your child to play freely.  


Want to know which toys encourage unstructured play?  Read Playful Parenting Tip #2 - Toys for a very simple list of the kinds of toys that support imaginative play.  


One of my daughter's favorite play materials is junk, and Playful Parenting Tip #3 - Junk and Nature Toys shows how her imagination soars by giving her access to some things that normally would end up in the trash.  


There are oodles of toy organizing ideas featured on Playful Parenting Tip #4 - Toy Storage.  Offering an organized space makes it easier for your child to play.  


Making art playful is another way to encourage unstructured play, and Playful Parenting Tip #5 - Art as Play illustrates how to support this with your children, and it shows how we organize our art space.  


The most popular post in this series is Playful Parenting Tip #6 - Take Play Outdoors.  Dozens of bloggers reminisce about their favorite outdoor memories along with my tips for unstructured play outdoors.  


Playful Parenting Tip #7 - Devote Time to Play demonstrates how parents and caregivers can best utilize unstructured playtime with their children with simple ideas to implement in the home.



The Golden Gleam will continue writing about play and parenting after this series' end, so if you have any topics you would like me to cover, please comment below.  If you have enjoyed this series, and would like to follow along with more of our playful ideas please like The Golden Gleam's Facebook Page.

Joy in Minutes #7

#7

Read a Book

Favorite Friday - Land Art Heart

Every other Friday, I feature an activity that was inspired by another blog.  I worked with Sun Hats and Wellie Boots for The Heart Project, a compilation of over 70 bloggers' heart images to inspire ideas for Valentine activities for kids and a fundraiser for the American Heart Association.  We love spending time outdoors, and I wanted to recreate the Heart Shaped Nature Sculpture featured in The Heart Project eBook.  


Miss E and I created this heart out of sticks and leaves in our backyard. Hop on over to Sun Hats and Wellie Boots to see their beautiful stick heart, and discover other ways to create with sticks.  

If If you haven't yet donated to the AHA for your free copy of The Heart Project Ebook, please go to Hands on as We Grow to learn more about our fundraiser.  The Heart Project is only available during the month of February, so there are only a few days left to make your donation.  
For more outdoor fun, come back next Friday to participate in The Outdoor Play Party.  

Nature Collage Heart - Love Theme

As part of this month's Love Theme, we made this Nature Collage Heart.  I learned how to use contact paper to create nature collages from The Iowa Farmer's Wife when she blogged about creating nature pockets.  
Materials-contact paper-scissors-items found in nature-crayons-hot water-disposable cup
How to Make a Nature Collage Heart

• Collect items from your backyard or on a walk.  Miss E and I collected flowers and leaves found in our garden.  
• Cut out a sheet of contact paper to be the shape of a heart.  Place sticky side facing up.
• Child arranges items found on nature walk onto sticky contact paper.  It helps to press the items down a bit.
• For extra decoration, we used melted crayon on our heart.  This step isn't necessary and should only be done if a child is mature enough to be safe around hot materials. Heat water and place water in disposable cup.  Dip end of crayon in hot water, and press crayon onto contact paper to make dots.   Please closely supervise children during this as melted crayon and water can  burn children if not done safely.  
• Cut a sheet of contact paper into a square a little larger than the heart.  Seal the heart closed by placing the sticky side of the contact paper on top of the nature items on the heart.  
• Place Nature Heart Collage in a window.  

Here is a close up a view of our nature collage.  

This post is shared at the Weekly Kids Co-Op,  Kids Get Crafty, and It's Playtime. 

Chores Obstacle Course - Love Theme

I created a chores obstacle course to tie into our Love Theme for the month of February.  I encourage Miss E to help around the house because I think it is important for all family members to help maintain a home.  Helping someone with chores is one way to show love for another person. With this obstacle course, we were not actually performing chores but practicing through play.

#1

Set up a pile of multi colored and white socks on one side of the room.  On the other side of the room arrange two baskets or boxes.  Label one box for whites and box for colors.  Child runs back and forth across the room to bring socks to the appropriate bin.  
#2
Put out two bowls, bottle of water, and container of pet food.  Child pours water into one bowl and scoops cat food into another bowl.  
#3
Scatter rice or other material across a length of floor.  Place a broom on other side of rice.  Create a square with masking tape to guide child where to sweep the rice.  Child tip toes through the mess to gather a broom on the other side and sweeps rice into the square.

#4
Arrange various grocery items and a grocery bag.  Child puts groceries in bag and carries the bag across a room.

Miss E's favorite station was feeding the cat.  She practiced pouring water long after we had stopped the obstacle course.  She found it challenging to sweep, but I think it was good practice.  It was difficult for her to carry the grocery bag, but she managed to figure out way to carry it by lightening her load.  
This obstacle course supports development of gross motor skills by running, sweeping, tip toeing, and carrying.  It builds upper body strength by carrying heavy objects.  It develops hand eye coordination by pouring, scooping, and sorting objects.  It helps children get physical exercise even if you are inside the home.  

Playful Parenting Tip#7 - Devote Time to Play

This week's Playful Parenting Tip for supporting unstructured play is to devote time for unstructured play with your children.  We have realized the importance of unstructured play with our daughter, and we make it a priority to play with her.  Unstructured play can happen with friends, siblings, or alone, but this post illustrates how parents and caregivers can best utilize unstructured playtime with their children.

Put unstructured play on your schedule.  We devote time to playing with our daughter as soon as she comes home from school.  We play with her for about an hour.  Not all families have an hour, so start with 15 minutes of unstructured playtime. 

Allow your child to choose what to play.   Take your child's lead what to play.  Don't say, "Do you want to play Candyland?" Do say, "It's our time to play together.  I wonder what you would like to play with me."  When this becomes a routine, your child may start planning what she wants to play with you.  

Mimic how your child plays.  This shows you notice what your child is doing, and children love when their parents pay attention to them.  For example, if your child makes his toy fly, you make your toy fly.

Avoid the use of the word no.  During your scheduled playtime with your child, avoid using the word no. Try to go with the flow of your child's play.  This is the time to let go of the "right way" and let it be the "child's way." If it's a serious matter, you will need to step in as a parent, but try do whatever the child wants to during your play hour. 

It's okay to be bored.  Almost every day, my daughter chooses to play school with her stuffed animals.  To be honest, I get bored playing school every single day, but I smile, find delight in her joy of the game, and immerse myself in the imaginary play scene.  I hope she has no idea I find it boring. 

Put down the cell phone.  Even if you are bored, resist the urge to scroll through your Facebook newsfeed.  If possible, wait till the end of your playtime, to send a text.  You want your children to feel like they are more important than a screen.   

Give your children the gift of play and your time.  

Some of the above tips, I learned from the book Parenting The Strong Willed Child by Forehand and Long.   We were going through a challenging time with our daughter, and I picked up this book I had sitting on my shelf.  The first tip in the book is "Attending to a Child's Positive Behaviors" through play and verbal reinforcement.  Incorporating the advice of attending to our daughter was one of the strategies we incorporated into our home that helped our daughter's behavior to improve.  

Devoting Time to Play is the last tip in the Playful Parenting Series.  If you have missed some of the other tips, please come back next week because I will be sharing a recap of each tip in the series.  

Joy in Minutes #6

#6 - Throw Pebbles into Water

Dandelions!! - The Outdoor Play Party

I am thrilled to be joining the Outdoor Play Party as a cohost with Mama Pea Pod, Greening Sam and Avery, and Learning for Life.  My fellow co hosts are champions of outdoor play, and provide lots of inspiration for getting kids outside to play.  We make playing outdoors a priority in our family, and I am excited to be sharing our outdoor play ideas with the followers of the Outdoor Play Party.

This winter has been exceptionally mild, and we have just started getting the first wildflower blooms here in Central Texas.  We didn't have to travel far to enjoy the the first hints of Spring because we walked down the street to our neighborhood's common natural area.

We searched for dandelions, and learned by early evening most of them start closing up for the night.  I don't encourage my daughter to pick many things in nature, but this area of grass is mowed weekly.  The dandelions would be shredded by the mower anyway.


She blew off dandelion seeds.  When blowing wasn't very successful, she waved them around in the air. 


We canvassed the area to find more flowers, and we found some dainty flowers.  


Does anybody else have trouble getting posed shots with their kids?  It's nearly impossible with my girl, and so I present the photograph entitled "Superhero in a Field of Flowers."  


A few days later, we decided to visit the area again at an earlier time.  This time, there were hundreds of dandelions in bloom.  Since it was an impromptu outing, I didn't carry my camera, but I do have a picture of the blossoms we picked.  Miss and I created a floating arrangement of dandelions by cutting off the dandelions' stems and placing them in a bowl of water.  

• I'd love to hear what you have been doing outdoors with your kids.  Share your ideas for outdoor play activities with us every other week! The linky goes live every second Friday at 12:01 GMT+1. Here are just a few guidelines for sharing:

- Any kind of children's outdoor play-related posts are welcome!- If you'd like us to further share your post (e.g., on Facebook/ Twitter/ Pinterest), please just include a link back to this post (either in your post or sidebar) to help us spread the word about the importance (and fun!) of outdoor play!- Please feel free to grab the Outdoor Play Party button from the sidebar and/or include a text link back.- Each time we will feature an activity from the previous party. - By contributing you are giving permission for an image and link to your post to be republished. (If you have been featured, please feel free to grab the 'featured' button from the sidebar.)

Sensory Story Box - Mole's in Love

For our Love Theme this month, I created a sensory story box for the book, Mole's in Love by David Bedford.  It's the story of Morris, the mole, who goes looking for love and has some trouble finding it.

Items in Sensory Box
-Characters in the story.  I made the moles using thread spools, felt, paper, markers and a glue gun.


-leaves
-beans for mud
-strips of felt and a container for the molehill
-feathers
-play dough with toothpicks and leaves for a prickly bush
-miniature glasses for moles made out of wire

While we played together with the story sensory box, I encouraged discussion about how the animals could have been nicer to mole when he tried to show them love.  We dialogued about better ways Morris, the mole, could have approached the other animals.  We worked on changing the story line since Miss E doesn't like the parts in the story where mole and the other animals don't love each other.  Her favorite elements in the box were the beans and Mini, the girl mole.  Since she enjoys the beans a lot, I plan to fill the whole box with dried beans once I buy more.



Don't expect all the sensory items to stay in their plastic containers.  By the end of her playtime, all the materials were mixed together, but they were still contained inside the large, plastic bin.  She and I easily sorted the items back into their small containers when it was time to clean up.

This story sensory box encourages children to learn the elements of the story like characters, setting, problems, and solutions.  It allows them to sequence events.  It fosters higher order thinking skills by guiding the children to create different story lines, and to perceive how characters in the story may feel.

This post is linked up with the Weekly Kids Co-Op and Made with Love.

Pipe Cleaner Letters - Love Theme

One of the materials found in our art corner is pipe cleaners.  The other day, Miss was busy working with her art materials and proudly showed me her newest creation that she called decorated letters.  She had used pipe cleaners and beads to create letters.

She gifted me with an assortment of the pipe cleaner letters.  Like many craft projects, they sat on my counter for awhile before I displayed them.  I decided to surprise Miss E with an "I Love You" sign with her letters.  I spelled I and You with her letters, and I made a heart out of pipe cleaners to complete the saying.


Miss E knew how to read "I love you" right away, and grinned from ear to ear when she noticed it hanging above the fireplace.  Sometimes adding my own touches to her artwork isn't always met with enthusiasm from her, but she loved the addition of the heart to the letters.  She later made her own heart to gift to her preschool class for Valentine's Day, but she insisted her own heart be completely covered in sparkly beads.   
This shows that access to art materials allows children to explore concepts in literacy in ways that are meaningful to the children.  
This post is part of Nurture Store's Kids Art Explorers.  This month's material to explore was pipe cleaners, and she encourages parents and teachers to allow children to create with a variety of art materials.  If your children have explored with pipe cleaners. head on over to Nurture Store to share your idea at the Kids Art Explorers Linky Party or at Nurture Store's Facebook Page.  

Playful Parenting Tip #6 - Take Play Outdoors

If you found your way here from Pinterest, it's lovely to have you here.  If you would like to follow my blog more, head on over to The Golden Gleam's Facebook Page, and like it.  Thank you!   


This week's Playful Parenting Tip is to take your kids outside for unstructured play.  


Our outdoor adventures started early with our daughter because being outdoors was one of the few ways to calm our screaming baby girl.  She was outside so much, her second word was moon. She can be engrossed for hours, under the shade of a grove of oak trees with just sticks and pebbles for toys.  Miss E relishes digging in our vegetable beds burying her toy animals.  She barrels down our hilly sidewalks with her tricycle.  She will lay across a big boulder savoring it's cool sensation.  She has dug holes in sand big enough to fit a small girl. These are the memories that I cherish with our daughter, and I hope that she carries some of these memories into her adulthood.


My memories of outdoor play are more vivid than any other memory I have from childhood, and my most fond outdoor memory was playing Little House in the Prarie when we went camping by the stream. 


I asked some of my favorite bloggers for kids, "What was your favorite outdoor play memory from your childhood."  You can't help but realize how important outdoor play is for kids when you read their answers alongside my tips for playing outdoors.  


Make Playing Outdoors a Daily Routine
I feel like the very fabric of my childhood memories is woven out of the feel of dirt under my feet and the smells of the changing seasons.  For me "childhood play" and "being outside" were synonymous. - Creative with Kids

Bring Dramatic Play Outdoors



My friend and I made up shows and played them for our friends.  We danced and practiced a lot, and we were so proud at the end.  - Everything and Nothing: Activities for Preschool

During recess, my girlfriends and I would play act and perform the songs from the movie, Grease.  We made up steps, knew all the words, and practiced every single day.  We took our performances very seriously.  - Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas

We would re-enact favorite books like The Boxcar Children or fairytales on our outdoor "stage" - the patio. - Toddler Approved

My cousins and I would play in the playhouse my dad built for me.  We would play there everyday pretending to be anything and everything.  - Mama Mia's Heart2Heart

Use The Whole Body Outdoors



When I climbed trees, I would climb really high.  I loved looked down at everything.  As a ten year old, it made me feel free.  - Growing a Jeweled Rose

Roller skating shows to Madonna and Michael Jackson in the garage.  - Busy Kids = Happy Mom

We lived in a cul de sac in New Mexico, so I could roller skate pretty much year round.  I'd pretend I was at ice skating camp, in a skating competition, or figure skating. I LOVED roller skating. - The Iowa Farmer's Wife

Running through the sprinklers on a hot day. - Inspiration Surrounds, Creativity Abounds

We used to have a huge snow mountain, and I'd have my german shepherd jump on my "crazy carpet" and come down with me.  She also loved climbing the mountain on the opposite side of me , and when I would get to the top, she would jump over my head.  - Glittering Muffins

Playing street games like Lagori.  We would run around with old cycle tires and have tire races.  - Putti Prapancha

I loved riding my bike across the mud flats and going across all the bumpy parts.  Also, balancing myself as I walked along a log that went across a stream.  - Puddles and Gumboots

Riding on my big wheel bike in the backyard and swinging on our swing. - Mess for Less

Spend Hours at a Time Outdoors



I spent many hours playing jacks on our front porch.  I tagged along after my two older brothers riding bikes for very long distances, climbing hills, skating, swimming, sledding, catching fireflies, and shooting off fireworks.  Those were the good ol' days - totally unsupervised in a small Kansas town. - Kindergarten for Teachers and Parents

We were lucky enough to spend six weeks every summer in the Italian countryside where we pretty much lived outside and just coming back for meals!  We camped out under sheet tents, hunted snakes, picked plums and roasted them in an outdoor fire, made mud pies, and made up performances for the adults. - The Imagination Tree

My brother and I would ride off on our bikes with our friends and not come back until lunchtime, and sometimes not even then when we brought a lunch. We would come back covered in mud for tea.  We had made dens, climbed trees, caught frogs and newts, fished, and rode bikes around the village. - Rainy Day Mum

I remember heading off through the meadows and to Bluebell Wood, just a small group of friends, with no adults around. - Nurture Store

We played for hours in the most unique sandbox of all time - an old fish pond my parents had drained and filled with sand. - Imagination Soup

Always being up in the trees was so quiet and peaceful.  If I found the perfect limb, I could recline and spend the whole day reading.  Dilly-Dali Art

I was never inside.  I was out climbing trees, building forts, and setting traps for the neighborhood bullies.  My parents owned a pickup truck, and we would load the bed of the truck with blankets and sleep outside. - Sense of Wonder

I rode my banana seat bike everyday, all day.  My parents added a basket to the front, so I could carry my toys, and I always had a friend on the back riding along with me. - Teach Preschool

We grew up on a farm, and we had a daisy bush as a big as a small car, and if we crawled inside, it was hollow, like a giant igloo.  We played there so often we wore a deep crater in the dirt underneath, and I loved lying there in the shade looking up through the flowers or reading books. - A Little Learning for Two

I grew up in Maine, so we were outdoors all the time even during tough winter months, building igloos, sledding for what seemed like miles, making snow angels, and participating in snowball fights. - Carrots are Orange

Build and Create Outdoors



Running water through the tunnels we dug in the sandbox.  -Hands on as We Grow

My siblings and I would turn our outdoor spaces into rooms and houses. One big tree branch was mine and another was my sister's.  The area under a large forsythia bush became a house which we divided into four rooms.  We'd spend hours designing, furnishing with rocks and sticks, playing, and "visiting". - Come Together Kids

My sister, our best friends, and I would make dens out of fallen branches in the woods behind our house.   They were quite fabulous, and we would hold secret meetings there.  - Curly Birds

We tried to make a campfire like real American Indians, and we made it in secret.  When we finally managed to have something that resembled a fire, it started to rain.  - AngeliqueFelix.com - The Magic of Play

For the first seven years of my life, we lived in a small brick house on my grandfather's farm.  I liked to "help" him by building dams in the furrows he carefully dug out for irrigation.  He was incredibly patient with me and my not-very-helpful desire to be involved in every aspect of farming work.  - Mama Smiles

We would spend hours upon hours in the woods behind our house.  One January, I carried our Christmas tree out to our "play house", a clear spot in the trees.  I had borrowed an electrical outlet from my Papa.  I spent all day hacking on some poor tree with screw driver  to get that outlet to stick in the tree.  I was so proud, and sap covered, when I finally got it.  Beaming with pride, I called the cousins to watch me light it.  I was disappointed when the lights didn't come on! - Kids Stuff World

Make Discoveries Outdoors



When we spent part of the summer at my grandparents' farm, my grandmother made us frog catching nets.  My sister and I would circle the pond for hours trying to catch frogs in our nets. - JDaniel4's Mom

My favorite thing was to flip over rocks and find bugs. - No Time for Flashcards

If we ever had snow, I loved looking for animal footprints in the snow. -  Red Ted Art

When I was elementary age, I played by the lake collecting turtles, frogs, and snakes. -  Play Away Online

How can you provide opportunities for your kids to create similar memories of playing outdoors?

Next week's Playful Parenting Tip will be about spending quality time playing with your child.

Joy in Minutes #5

#5

Walk a Dog

If you don't have a dog, borrow a dog from a friend or family member.  Some animal shelters allow visitors to walk dogs too.  

Heart Handprint Tree - Favorite Friday

Each Friday, I feature an activity that was inspired by another blog.  I worked with Roopa from Putti Prapancha for The Heart Project eBook, a compilation of over 70 bloggers' heart images to inspire ideas for Valentine activities for kids and fundraiser for the American Heart Association.   I was instantly drawn to the simplicity and beauty of the Heart Tree she included in the eBook.  I thought it would make a lovely Valentine's decoration for our home, and it would be a project Miss E could accomplish.

Materials
-foam heart and flower stickers
-piece of cardboard
-green construction paper
-glue stick
-scissor


Directions to Make Heart Handprint Tree

• Trace child's hand and lower arm onto construction paper.
• Cut out the hand/arm print.
• Glue onto a piece of cardboard.
• Arrange stickers around the fingers to look like leaves on a tree.

When we completed the tree, Miss E decided to make a handprint flower, and I helped her to accomplish this request.  We decide to use a mix of heart and flower foam stickers because we didn't have many heart stickers left in our collection.  

Directions to Make Heart Handprint Flower

• Trace child's hand four times onto construction paper.
• Cut out hand prints.
• Cut out long stem from green construction paper.
• Arrange four hand prints in circular pattern on top of the stem and glue down.
• Arrange stickers around the handprints to make a flower.

Heart Math - Love Theme

We used chestnuts from our Winter Nature Table to explore concepts of measurement.  Non standard units of measurement can be used to develop children's measuring skills as long as each object is about the same size.  If you don't have chestnuts, you could use items like pennies, same size buttons, almonds, or uncooked pasta.  
From construction paper, I cut out three different size hearts and gathered three different size measuring cups.  
She learned about volume by filling each of the three cups with chestnuts, and she compared their different sizes by counting how many chestnuts filled each cup.


She measured each heart's area by placing chestnuts on top of the heart and counting how many chestnuts it took to cover it.  
She discovered each heart's perimeter by placing chestnuts around the edge of the heart and counting how many chestnuts it took to surround it.  


We talk about our favorite thing each night before bed, and Miss E said that playing with the chestnuts and hearts was her favorite part of the day.  Isn't it great that we can make math playful for kids and teach them at the same time?!

Valentine's Day Family Book - Love Theme

I created this "We Love You" book for a Valentine's gift for my four year old.   It ties into this month's Love Theme because it shares the love each family member has for our daughter.  

Materials-family pictures-foam sheets or paper-glue-permanent marker-pipe cleaner-scissors
Directions-Print out family pictures.-Trace heart onto each picture and cut picture into shape of heart.-Glue one picture onto each foam sheet or sheet of paper.-Write "________ loves you." onto each sheet of paper with permanent marker.  -Create a cover titled "We Love You".-Punch a hole into each foam sheet with scissors or a hole puncher if you used paper.  Position the hole in the top left corner of each page.  -Secure the pages together with a pipe cleaner or string.  


This books supports literacy development by making reading relevant to a child's life.  The book incorporates a pattern, high frequency words, and clear pictures to support early reading development.  

Valentine Ideas Blog Hop

In just one week, we will celebrate Valentine's Day, and you may be wondering what Valentine's Day activities you will do with your kids.  If so, this is your lucky day because a group of bloggers for kids is bringing you a Valentine's Ideas Blog Hop hosted by Mama Pea Pod.

Mama Pea Pod, Let Kids Create, My Creative Family, Hands on: as we grow, La Dolce Vita: The Sweet Life,  AngeliqueFelix.com, The Golden Gleam, Teach Preschool, Critters and Crayons, Living at the Whitehead Zoo, The Iowa Farmer's Wife, Nurturestore, Kitchen Counter Chronicles, The Chocolate Muffin Tree, Jamie's Jumble, The Outlaw Mom Blog, Mama Smiles, The Mommies Made Me Do It, Dinosaurs and Octopuses, Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas, Toddler Approved, Messy Kids, Rainy Day Mum, JDaniel4sMom, Glittering Muffins, Red Ted Art, Mommy and Me Book Club, Putti Prapancha, Dilly-Dali Art, Creative Connections for Kids, Mommy Labs, De tout et de rien: Activités pour le Préscolaire, Imagination Soup.net, Rockabye Butterfly, Classified: Mom, Kids Creative Chaos, A Mom with A Lesson Plan, PlayDrMom, RainbowsWithinReach, Living Montessori Now, Curly Birds, Growing A Jeweled Rose, The Home Teacher, A Little Learning For Two, Sun Hats and Wellie Boots, The Imagination Tree, Mummy Mummy Mum, Critters and Crayons, La-La's Home Daycare, Come Together Kids,Tinkerlab, Dirt and Boogers, Multiple Mummy.

The Golden Gleam is sharing the Heart Cards we featured last week, and I can't wait to discover more fun Valentine's activities on the blog hop for my daughter to enjoy.



If you are a blogger, and have already started your Valentine's Day activities, we would love you to share your ideas on our blog hop.  The linky will be open until February 20th. 

LOVE Luminaries - Paper Bag Challenge

The Golden Gleam is thrilled to participate in Tinkerlab's Paper Bag Creative Challenge.  We were challenged to create an activity for kids using paper bags.  Dozens of other bloggers, linked below,  participated in the challenge.  You are welcomed to join in in by linking up your creative pape rbag activity for kids at Tinkerlab and The Creative Challenge on Pinterest for a chance to win prizes.
My four year old daughter and I created these love luminaries out of paper bags.  Depending on your children's developmental levels, they may be able to help with all or just some of the steps.



Materials-lunch size paper bags-acrylic or tempera paint-heart shaped cookie cutters-towel-screw-battery operated candles (Do not use candles with flames as paper bags could catch on fire.)-glass craft marbles or sand
Directions-Use heart shaped cookie cutters dipped in paint to stamp the front of a paper bag.


-Allow paint to dry.-With a pencil, write a block letter on each paper bag to spell L-O-V-E.-Place the paper bag on top of a towel. Using a screw, punch holes along outline of each letter.  



-Fill the bottom of the bag with glass marbles or sand to weight the bag down.-Insert a tall, battery operated candle into the bag.  I tried with small tea lights, and the outline of the letters wasn't as clear as using the taller candles.  Do not use candles with real flames because the paper bag could catch on fire.  
My daughter enjoyed stamping with the hearts that she created more decorated bags.  She has enjoyed using them in her imaginary play to pretend they are gift bags for a Valentine's Day party.  



This activity supports creativity in children by allowing children to use paint and stencils to create any design they wish on a paper bag.  It builds fine motor skills by using a small object to punch holes into the bag.  It fosters literacy skills by allowing children to trace letters and use the high frequency word, love, in art to decorate their environment.  
We will return with our regularly scheduled Monday feature - Joy in Minutes - next week!