While searching for things to do with Caroline, I came across this cute little puppet kit at Hobby Lobby.  (How do I love that store? Let me count the ways…)

Even better is that it was half off so it was $2.50.  Pretty inexpensive for a morning of fun with Daddy and then playing with them afterward.

And here is the finished product!

I have four Thanksgiving articles over on Suite101 that have lots of simple ideas for Thanksgiving.  If you are looking for something quick or a new tradition, you should check these out!

Thanksgiving Ideas, Projects and Writing Prompts

Creative Thanksgiving Ideas for Children

Create Meaningful Family Thanksgiving Traditions

Classic Thanksgiving Children’s Picture Books

Let me know if you find something you really enjoy.  I always like to hear the ideas that people find most helpful or inspiring.

Enjoy! 

Caroline absolutely loves the sandbox at the Children’s Museum.  So far we haven’t put one outside for her, but we may look into that next spring.  In the meantime, I wanted to come up with a way she could enjoy a sandbox inside over the winter since she loves it so much.

So here is my solution!

A plastic storage box and sand (purchased at Lowe’s).  Funnels, measuring cups and strainers (purchased at Dollar Tree).  Marbles from when I was a child.

Caroline has loved it!  We put it on a small table in the basement and just clean up the spilled sand when she is done.  Total cost?  About $15 for what I know will be many hours of fun this winter. 

(And, yes, that is a Michigan State cheerleading outfit.  She wears it on game days.  I love having a girl! LOL!)

I have never been into the dollar store scene.  But after reading a few blogs of moms who found some great hands-on materials to use with their children, I decided to give it a go.

When we were visiting my parents recently, I decided to visit all the dollar stores in their town.  Some were junky and some exceeded my expectations. I had the most success at Dollar Tree and it was by far the nicest of the four stores.  Here are some of my finds!

Caroline really likes Pooh and it is the only “character” thing that we do. I found these cute puzzles and they were much nicer than I expected.  I’ve given her the first one and I’m saving the second one for when I need for her to be totally absorbed for a half an hour.  When she gets a new puzzle, she does it over and over.

Caroline isn’t quite ready for the books, but they were so adorable I bought them for future use.  They are full color inside and really nice for only a dollar!  The card sets she can do now. I’ve given one of them to her and am saving the other one for a bit.  I plan on using the workbook pages in plastic binder sleeves like I saw on Chasing Cheerios (and can’t find now) so we can reuse them.

I found these cute Christmas puzzles and special pencils (which were fifty cents, not a dollar).  Caroline adores puzzles so it will be fun to start bringing these out after Thanksgiving.

There were several other things I found, but I’ll save those for another post.  All in all, it was a good first experience and I think I will probably locate the Dollar Trees around here and see if they have good stuff as well.  I also plan on looking into the Oriental Trading Company. I ordered from them in college and as a teacher, but haven’t looked at their catalog or site since having Caroline.

If I lived to be 100 and had endless freetime, there still would not be enough time to explore and research and do everything that I find interesting.  There are too many books to read, instruments to play, places to visit, back roads to drive, and people to talk with. I find the world a fascinating place.

That is why Anna’s post about Homeschooling Heresies resonated with me.  When I read her philosophy and see what she does with her children, it seems very real and alive to me.  I especially appreciated this thought that is applicable whether someone homeschools or not:

Live an interested life. I cannot put this in bold enough face. You are interpreting the world to your child. Is it fascinating for you? Are you engaged in creating, in thinking, in knowing people? Do you make music, take pictures, cook, teach yourself to sew, hike someplace new, learn to fish, eat at a new restaurant, take the back way into town? Are you reading about the history of mental illness, repairing furniture, learning to oil paint? *Show* your child how interesting the world is, and they will love to learn.

We try to live this every day with Caroline.  We are always looking for interesting things to show her, point out, and help her discover.  Today she went to the doctor with me, petted a kitten, pondered the puffy clouds, listened to the thunder, cut flowers from the garden with Daddy, played with my calculator, and watched the birds at the birdfeeder outside her bedroom window.  We have already started demonstrating to her that there is so much to see in the world and so much to ponder.  Even at two and a half, she is already very much engaged in looking at the world around her and discussing it.

I absolutely love this part of being a mommy!