Summer Messy Play Activities for Preschoolers

Fun In The Sun - 6 Tips For Creating A Mud Kitchen For Your Kids

Kids love mud! And as dirty as they may get, it’s time to advocate messy play so they can learn new skills the fun way. The fastest and easiest way to encourage your kids to get outdoors is to build them a mud kitchen.They'll be tripping over each other to get outside

Building your own mud kitchen is a creative, cost-effective way of enabling messy play for your kids while saving money on an expensive play kitchen. 

You can build your mud kitchen in your own way, and in the end, your kids will have the perfect environment in which to get their hands dirty anytime.

This post contains Amazon affiliate links for your convenience.

Photo: Jelleke Vanooteghem/Unsplash

Six tips to create your own mud kitchen

1. Use What You’ve Got

Poke around your garage and see what you can recycle to save money on your mud kitchen. You can use wood, recycled pallets, and old timber for the construction. Old cookware and bakeware, utensils, and decorations can also be used to finish out the kitchen,

Remember, the idea is to ignite your child’s imagination, so your DIY mud kitchen doesn’t need to resemble a brand-new toy kitchen set. 

2. Stove Tops Add to The Fun

While it’s great to leave some things up to the imagination, it’s a good idea to make your play kitchen resemble a real kitchen by creating a stove top. You can paint the burners on a piece of timber or wood, and you can even add broken or thrifted appliances to your outdoor kitchen to enhance its appearance. You can also use good, old cardboard to create a play stove.

3. Bake Mud Cakes

The fun part of having a mud kitchen is that your kids get to play with mud and get as dirty as they want. All you need to make mud cakes is some sand or soil and water. You can use old cookware and bake ware to contain them and shape them like cakes and cupcakes.

Parents can get involved by showing kids how to create funky-shaped cookies with cookie cutters and molds or add colored pasta to the mud for added texture. This kind of sensory play is an important part of childhood development, but above all, it’s a whole lot of fun.

Pistachio Pudding Play Dough

4. Set the Table

A mud kitchen is a fun way to teach your child table manners. Guide your preschoolers through setting a table and laying out the dishes. Show them the way to arrange cutlery and allow your children to bring some garden leaves to create napkins for a rustic table setting.

5. Add a Sink

Since you’ve introduced messy play to your preschoolers with colored pasta and mud cakes, it’s a good idea to take care of the cleanup. The most logical way to do this is to add a sink to your mud kitchen! To create your sink, use a silver or grey bucket and fill it with water or a big flower put with the bottom plugged works nicely too.

Add a hose in the bucket so that there’s an accessible faucet. This is a great way to teach children how to clean up after themselves. Add some dish washing liquid and a sponge so you can wash all the cookware the kids used before bringing it back into the house!

How to Make your own Dish Washing Soap

6. Dress For The Occasion

Every chef needs a chef’s hat and apron, so make sure to get these for your child. They will love it! Plus, the apron will offer some protection from mud splatter while playing. Rubber boots are a good idea too. Preschool age kids and toddlers love to wear galoshes!

How to Make your own Chef Hat

 

Have fun with your kiddos and their mud kitchen. You may want to wear some rubber boots yourself! Encourage your children to enjoy free and imaginative play, and you can bet they’ll learn tons of kitchen tricks in the process. Pretend play is the best way to learn!

Recommended Reading:

Pretend Play and Play Date Ideas from Adventures of Kids Creative Chaos

Fun Books about Galoshes from Amazon

Helping Your Kids Stay Fit and Healthy

 Get Started with these Quick Parenting Tips Today

All parents want their children to be happy and healthy, but it's often difficult to encourage our kids to follow a healthy lifestyle, especially if they have grown used to sweet treats and like to spend a lot of their time in front of their screens. If you’re a parent who is concerned about their child’s health, or would just like a few useful tips to keep in mind, below are a some simple suggestions on how you can help your children stay fit and healthy. You know how to do it, getting started is the hard part. So, here's your motivation.

This post contains Amazon affiliate links for your convenience.

Diet

A good place to start is looking at your children’s diet and whether or not there need to be some changes here. You don’t have to feed your kid all organic food to make sure they maintain a good diet, and obviously, not all households can afford the more expensive products. If you want to make sure your kids are eating well, make sure they get plenty of fruits and vegetables and lots of good carbohydrates. 

Strawberry Raspberry Smoothie Recipe

If your kids are fussy eaters, think of creative ways to get them to eat a variety of foods, like making them a healthy smoothie or soup so the veggies and fruits are hidden from view. Also consider taking time to cook meals with your children so they can start to learn this important life skill and about nutrition and what constitutes a healthy diet. We've started ordering dinnerly, an economical food delivery service. Teenagers can cook their own gourmet meals or easy weeknight dinners, you choose the recipes each week.

After School Snack Planning Ideas Printable

Exercise

Sticking to a good exercise routine, can be difficult. Kids are no different. The best way to encourage your kids (and yourself) to get moving is by finding a sport or activity that they truly enjoy. By making exercise fun, kids are more likely to engage and exercise regularly, especially if their friends are involved. Get the family out and moving together on weekends, whether it’s going for hikes or playing Frisbee together in the park.

Outdoor Play Ideas

Oral Hygiene

As well as making sure they’re eating right and getting their hearts pumping, also watch out for your children's oral health. A lot of kids don’t like having to brush their teeth before bed, particularly if they’re already tired and cranky. However, this is an essential routine they need to get into early to avoid problems with their gums and tooth decay, which can be very painful and unpleasant. Make sure your kids brush their teeth twice a day, and be sure to teach them how to floss. If they hate toothpaste, have them brush with water to get the food out and then do an oral rinse.

Is Chewing Gum good for your Teeth?

Mental Health

Physical health is important, but your child’s mental well-being is also crucial to help them stay physically healthy. This isn't always as easy to see, but the best way you can help is by creating an environment at home where your child feels comfortable talking with you about their feelings and problems. If you discover concerning behaviors, ask your kids' teachers if they've noticed anything at school. The pandemic has been rough on everyone, but especially our kids.Make sure you're paying attention, any changes in behavior might be a cry for help. Kids are struggling with depression from being forced to stay inside.

Mental Health articles from Adventures of Kids Creative Chaos

Raising kids is the most challenging thing anyone can do. Keeping your kids fit and healthy is an important part of parenting. Hopefully, these tips will help you find new, creative ways to keep your kids happy and healthy. Be sure to click on the titles between the paragraphs above, for more detailed information on each topic.

As always, thanks for reading. You matter.

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Free Online Relationship Counseling

Are you Struggling to get Along with your Family?

For the next series of posts, we're going to stray a little bit from our regular article topics. We often talk about parenting and share advice for parenting teens, but we've rarely talked about the relationship between two parents. Whether you're married, living together, or co-parenting after a separation, that relationship is a key factor in your parenting success. We want to model healthy, mature relationships for our children, but that is often easier said than done, especially, when you throw in all the expenses of raising a family. However, there are online sources that can help with most of life's struggles. If you're looking for free online relationship counseling, we've got your back.

This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

Is it time to take a look in the mirror?

As you know, we have a series of mommy bloggers who contribute posts to this website, they also help with our Digital Marketing business. As we get new clients,  we sometimes discover that different clients' needs are better suited to one staffer as opposed to another. Sometimes, it's due to work ethic, ability to communicate on a particular topic, or even a staffer's personal passion (or lack thereof)  for a subject. As the editor-in -chief of this website I also have faced conflict of interests, time constraints, or personality clashes with certain clients' content topics. One that particularly comes to mind, is what, at the time, I saw as a lack of interest in the subject matter. 

After working with the client for several weeks, I came to realize it wasn’t a lack of interest that I was facing, but a lack of personal courage. While speaking to the client each week, I enjoyed the conversation and even felt a kindred spirit with her. On the flip side, I dreaded our weekly consultations. I'd find a dozen reasons to put off those weekly calls. I was consulting her on the best way to promote her articles, so calls were a necessary part of the work week. I felt miserable after our calls. I was trying to avoid that feeling. The client was a divorce consultant... 

Every week, she had shiny, new articles to share and we’d discuss the best way to market them. As I read the articles to prep the marketing strategy and create striking image text, I’d become depressed. These articles were hitting home. I soon realized, I was her target demographic. I didn't like the way it made me feel. It was a slap in the face, a weekly reminder that I needed to make a change in my own life.

I also didn’t like that I was broke. I could easily benefit from utilizing her services, but I couldn’t afford it - or wouldn’t. The fee for the program was $1000.  Most of us don’t have the budget for an unexpected $1000 monthly expense. If we do, our budget considers it an emergency fund  for broken water pipes, a new furnace, or other homeowner’s expenses. The kind of things that  you and your partner would share the blow of the expense. “Sorry, Honey,  I used our emergency money for a divorce consultant.” Yeah, that’s not going to go over well for anybody, right? Keeping those kinds of secrets is exactly why you need a relationship consultant. So, most of us suffer in silence, hoping it will all work itself out. It won’t.

Fast forward two and half years later, here I am. Those articles were the catalyst I needed to start the process of removing myself from a very broken relationship. This meant shaking up the lives of many people, making difficult decisions, and hoping that I was doing the right thing. In the end, I made the right choice. Things aren’t easy, life comes at you way too fast, but emotionally, I’m in a much better place. If only I’d taken advantage of other free online marriage counseling or the many online mental health services sooner, I could’ve avoided some issues and been more prepared to help my children deal with the upheaval it placed on their lives. 

We’re still working out the bugs, but all in all, it was the best decision for everyone involved. Sometimes, you just have to step back and evaluate your situation. Change is scary. If three years ago, someone would've told me that I’d own my own home, be responsible for the note on two cars, two houses, and all the other expenses that take their toll on a head of household, be a single parent with two teenagers in public school, and working outside the home, I would’ve told you that you that I couldn’t do it. Me, the advocate for “You can do it!” would’ve said, I’m not strong enough or capable enough to pull off the life of a professional single mother. I would've rather rolled up in a ball and never got out of bed. 

At the time, I didn’t realize that I was depressed. I had a series of health setbacks. I’d become comfortable in my unhappiness. It was a mess, but at least I knew how everyday was going to play out. Ugh. They all played out the same way. There was no hope for the future, only hope to make it through to the next day- to survive another day. My kids had been feeling the same way. Are we all Disney happy now? No, far from it but, even in these trying times, we all have hope for the future. Stay tuned for more on this story.

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3 Things You Need To Know About Service Dogs for Kids

Service Dogs for Kids

While a service dog requires a bit of upkeep, it can also help kids with disabilities to manage their health, development, and happiness. If you believe that your child could benefit from a service animal, do your research.

This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

You’ll want to answer the following questions: 

• What conditions merit the use of a service dog? 
• How do you care for these pets? 
• What is training like? How do they help? 

We’ve compiled the top 3 things you’ll want to know about owning a guide or hearing dog for your child. Use our list to help you decide whether obtaining a service dog is right for your family. 

There Isn’t Just One Type of Service Animal

Contrary to what you might see on TV or in movies, there are dozens of different types of training a pet can go through to become ready for service. These can help guide, care for, and watch over kids with different kinds of disabilities.

Types of trained pets include:

• Hearing
• Walker or Balance
• Social pets
• Guide pets
• Seizure Alert
• Dogs for Psychiatric Disabilities

These animals help kids with different types of difficulties in day to day life that can be fulfilled by the pet. 

For example, seizure alert dogs are trained to alert people when a seizure is about to occur. Social dogs, on the other hand, are great at helping kids with developmental disabilities interact and engage with other people. 

Trained pets help people of all ages, independence levels, and backgrounds. You can find more information about training and assistance for service dog owners on the SDRA website.

Service Animals Don’t Need a Certificate to Work

A common misconception when contemplating a guide or a seizure alert animal is that it may be difficult to get around with it. The opposite is true. There are policies in place to protect your rights so that you aren’t given a hard time with the pet in public.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) states that service animals are allowed to work with or without certification. This means that businesses and organizations are not allowed to prevent you from traveling with your pet. Many businesses have made it a policy to not ask whether a dog is medically necessary or not.

Working Dogs Are Still Dogs

While you may be getting a service dog to simplify your life and aid your child, the dog is not only a helper. The animal is trained and registered officially to provide assistance for owners, but it is still a dog. It requires all of its needs met as well. Just like any normal dog, it needs exercise, food, water, and plenty of love.

Taking care of a dog can be fun, but it is also expensive. Be sure that you are ready to take on the financial and time investment that a dog requires. You need to afford veterinary appointments and food, have the time to give the dog baths, and take it for walks. Be sure that you are ready before taking on this responsibility.

The Bottom Line

A service dog can do great things for your child’s health and development. It can help them to navigate the world around them more freely. It can help with their confidence and happiness. It can even preempt and assist with health issues like seizures. 

Be sure that you think about what it means to own a guide animal before you make the purchase. Use these tips to help you figure out whether you would like to bring a service dog into your child’s life.

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DIY Home Repairs, You can do it!

Solutions to these 3 Common Home Issues

While there is plenty of joy involved in becoming a homeowner, maintaining your home can prove a costly affair in many ways – especially if you have pets or children. Luckily, remedying any persistent home repair issue is easy when you know where to start. Here are some DIY solutions to the most common home issues that could pop up at any time. DIY home repairs? Yes, you can do it!

This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

Damage to the roof 

If you're to prevent any lasting damage occurring on your roof, it's important to keep your roof shingles and your gutters in tip-top condition. Old and flimsy shingles can lead to nasty leaks, which can result in irreparable damage to your ceiling and the foundation of your home, while clogged, or broken gutters will not aid the water in flowing off the of the roof efficiently. The accumulation of water is certain to lead to the erosion of your roofing and, in time, significant leaking too. It can also lead to leaks in the walls and foundation, depending on your structure. The solution to this problem is to rope in the professionals to conduct repairs and to strive to call them back at least once a year to maintain the roof. That's how you can easily do it. If you want to do it yourself, check out the roof shingle repair video below. 

Don’t have the money necessary to get the job done and stuck with a bad credit history in your name? It may be time to consider loans for bad credit.  Sometimes, you just need a little extra help, right?

Clogged toilet

A clogged toilet can often mean the need to call on plumbers for assistance – which can tug at the purse strings. You'll probably be relieved to discover that there are a variety of other options available to you if you're trying to save your cash for other necessities. Of course, the first step is always to try your luck with a plunger. However, if that doesn't work, the next best thing is to try using some baking soda and vinegar. Yes, it really could be that simple!

Throw a cup of baking soda into the toilet bowl and leave for a minute or two. You can follow the baking soda with two cups of white vinegar. The vinegar naturally reacts with the baking soda, causing it to bubble – so add it bit by bit to avoid overflowing. Leave to sit once again for a few minutes before flushing the toilet. In many cases, the baking soda and vinegar concoction will be enough to loosen the clog and allow the water to move along smoothly. Bet you didn't know that! You can always try some Liquid Drano, but it's got a hefty price tag.

Need some extra help? Watch this video on how to unclog a toilet with a snake. You might not want, but you CAN do it!

Stains on your carpet

Whether your dog is the one responsible for the mud stains on your cozy woolen rug, or your youngest kid spilled juice all over the freshly vacuumed carpet, nothing can cause a homeowner stress quite like a bad stain on the carpet or upholstery! It feels so permanent. According to Wellness Mama, aside from using nasty chemicals to get rid of it, there are several natural stain removal solutions that you can try. For instance, you may choose to make a paste using warm water and baking soda. Apply it to the stain and leave to dry. Once thoroughly dry, you can vacuum up the residue, and the stain should lift along with it. If that doesn't work, watch the video on carpet stain removal below.

Now that you know how best to tackle the most common home repairs, there's no need to stress about these common home issues any longer, be confident that you can do anything you set your mind to do. Remember, you just need a positive attitude and some great YouTube videos on DIY home repairs!

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How To Prepare Your Child For A Standardized Test

So, It's Time for a Standardized Test...

Standardized tests are a common strategy applied to gauge a student’s learning capability and the school’s or teacher’s performance. There is a common misconception about standardized tests among parents that these tests are designed to evaluate school performance and don’t necessarily judge students' abilities. 

However, standardized tests are an important part of a student's academic life. In some cases, standardized tests are essential for grade promotion, graduation, or even securing a driving license. As a parent, it is your duty to prepare your children for this test, so they can deliver their best.

This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

How To Prepare Your Child For A Standardized Testing: Relaxing the day before is always a good idea!

What Is a Standardized Test?

A standardized test is a testing system that is based on a standard approach. In standardized tests, the question is the same for everyone, the duration of the test is the same for everyone, and even the evaluation process of answers remains the same for every student. 

Independent school entrance examination (ISSE), California achievement test (CAT), Secondary School Admission Test  (SSAT), Preliminary scholastic aptitude test (PSAT), and General Educational Development test (GED) are some commonly-known standardized tests.

Why Standardized Tests Are Used?

A standardized test is a tool applied to evaluate the effectiveness of institutional practice.  It provides a uniform platform to measure the performance of schools and students. A standardized test can gather information about the state education system, a school program, or the performance of a single student. It helps to determine a student's strengths or weaknesses and to certify their ability.

Different Methods of Standardized Test

Standardized tests are designed to evaluate the aptitude of a student. Unlike the regular tests that measure the subject-specific knowledge, the standardized test evaluates creativity, verbal ability, abstract reasoning, and mechanical ability. There are different methods of standardized methods. The most common methods adopted by schools are true or false questions, multiple-choice questions, and essay questions.

What Should Your Child Bring to a Standardized Test?

There are different rules for different tests. If students are allowed a calculator, you should check whether the model is approved by the authority. If your calculator is not approved then you should check out a smart site with good reviews for buying another model of calculator. Pen, Pencils, watch, water, and other essentials should be with your child while attending a standardized test.

How Do You Prepare Your Child For Standardized Tests?

Parents can play an important role in preparing a child for a standardized test. There are a number of ways that you can take an active role in your child’s preparation for a test. Let’s read on to know more about them.

Know About the Test

Usually, teachers notify parents before a standardized test. You should know the purpose of the test and whether the result will affect your child or the school. Also, make sure you know the exact schedule of the test and whether you need to prepare your child for the test.

Communicate With Your Child

Communicate with your child about the test. Try to find out if he/she is prepared for it. If there is any area or subject that they are less than confident about, try to solve the issues with them. If necessary, go through the previous mistakes and review them. Practicing more will boost their confidence.

Build a Positive Mindset

A positive mindset can make a huge difference in test performance. As a parent, you should try to build up your child’s confidence. Try to convey the message that you are 100% confident about them. No matter how the result is, you would be glad if they try their best.

Go Through the Test Instructions

Review the test instructions with your child. Make clear how much time will be provided and how many questions are to be answered. Try to convey the importance of that particular test to your kid; it will instill a ‘can do’ attitude within them. Tell them they should try to answer all the questions, even if they are unsure about the answer, as it will build their confidence and critical thinking skills.

Follow a Healthy Routine

A good night's sleep can have a huge impact on test performance. Try to get your child to bed early so that she can be relaxed on the test day. Most of the time, students' bad performance on a test can be tied back to the reason they lacked a good sleep the night before. Also, follow healthy eating habits that will ensure your child’s physical well being.

Build a Relaxing Atmosphere on Test Day

On the test day, stay cheerful and relaxed. Make some nutritious breakfast that will provide stamina throughout the test. Avoid foods that can cause any digestive issues to your child. Overall, follow a regular routine that your child follows for any regular test. Give some words of encouragement to them, so they feel confident.

Debrief After the Test

After the test, go through the parts that were tough for your child. Talk to your child about how they feel about the test. Try to get an insight into how they dealt with the problems they faced. It will help them process her own strategies and do better the next time.

How to Deal With Pre Test Anxiety

Some students develop anxiety over facing a test. Needless to say, extreme anxiety should be treated so that it can't have any negative effect on the test. If your children feel anxious about the test, then you have to put things in perspective for them. Tell them no matter how they perform, you will be proud of them just for braving the test.

Melt Anxiety Card Deck for Kids

On a final note, while standardized tests are not high stake tests, they can have an impact on your child’s studies. So prepare for the tests on a regular basis by checking your child's homework and their study progress. Be an active part of their academic life, so she feels encouraged. Your involvement in their studies can make a big difference to both their academic performance and personal growth.

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What is a Standardized Test? How do you Prepare your Child?