Pony Birthday Party

Aaliyah Riding on Pumpkin the pony

We were invited to a uniquely themed "Pony Birthday Party". Fayth goes for Pony lessons at this barn and the fact that the place also hosted birthday parties was well tapped into by her mom. It is a newer place and that is why it does not appear in Google searches as yet. I wonder what it's called. All the time I was there it never occurred to me to ask the ladies what the name of their barn was.  I am going to call it "Pumpkin's Barn". Pumpkin is the name of the pony that Fayth rides regularly. The weather was not the best one for a pony ride neither was the distance to the barn. Both of these factors did not deter us in any way.

The one thing that was turning out to be a deterrent was

Home Made PlayDough

Playdough with Jello

I have gone through so much play dough in the last few months that I decided to make some at home. It is one activity that can keep both my kids busy for a pretty good 45 minutes to an hour. Apart from being a fun activity, playing with playdough has some unique benefits too. It is no wonder that playdough stations are so popular at preschools and at the Strongstart centers.The playdough at these centers is all home made. I have seen the teachers make it along with the kids on more than one occasion.

So what are the benefits of playing with this malleable, colorful substance?

Bean Bags

Made this bean bag with my little soon to be 6yr old helper. She just had her sports day at school and had fun playing with these. When I said I can help her make one, she got all excited. She helped me in assembling all the supplies.  Got her little chair and sat beside me through out the whole process. Bean bags are easy to make and can be made in different shapes and sizes. Bean bags can be used to play games like the bean bag toss, as a warm compress when warmed in the microwave for a minute or they can be used as a door stopper too. So, here is what I did to make my very

Finished Bean Bag

Jeweled Pencil Holder

Jeweled Pencil Holder

Aaliyah and I made this over the weekend. I always wanted to put the empty cans (left over from tomato paste, soups, diced fruit etc.) into good use. I thought of making a pencil holder for Aaliyah's desk. I did all the paper cutting and Aaliyah did all the gluing. The rainbow was from one of her numerous art works that I found crumpled on the floor under her desk. Its giving the can a colorful touch and she loves rainbows. She plans on taking the pencil holder to school next week for her show and tell. She is very proud of her creation and has transferred all her pencils, scissors, etc. from her Tinker Bell pencil holder to this one. Easy and fun craft with your kids.