Academics – Page 15 – Butterbees and Bumbleflies

STEAM Celery

Today I wanted to share some ideas for you using something that might already be in your fridge!! (Also be sure to visit my post about Bell Pepper shamrocks for another idea of a way to use bell peppers.)

If you’re like us, I buy celery for a specific recipe, and then the rest of it just sorta sits there until I throw it out. We aren’t big fans of eating raw celery like some folks are. (If you are fans of it, please, don’t consider this blasphemous. HA!) So, I saw somewhere (sorry, I don’t still have the original link) about painting with celery, and I thought that looked fun. But I also have done celery science with students in the past, so I thought that would be cool too. So, we tried both things, and I thought I’d share with you these ideas in conjunction with always trying to share a lot of STEAM ideas for you, and give you some ideas to use up what’s already in your kitchen in new and different ways! 🙂

Celery Science is as simple as just cutting some stalks of celery and sticking them in water you have colored with food coloring! It’s a great way to teach about capillary action, and how plants absorb water. If you split the bottoms of the celery stalks, the water climbs faster than if you don’t – so that also makes a great experiment. It’s most fun to watch the leaves change color, so this is a great use of the leafy part of the celery if you aren’t using it in a salad. (Did you know celery leaves add a great flavor and lots of vitamins to your salad without the stringy yuck of the rest of the celery plant? The leaves are also great to chop up like an herb and add to soups and stews!) Be sure that you allow a couple of days for your science project so that your little scientist can watch over time and really see how much gets absorbed into the plant.

Another fabulous use for the other end of your celery is as a stamp for painting! Use a strong rubber band to hold the stalks together for those smaller hands to be able to hold on and grip the stamp. They make beautiful flowers, or cover the whole page using several different colors for some fabulous texture… this would make an awesome background sheet for your 2016 calendar!

Do you have another idea on how to use celery in a creative way? Please share in the comments!!

Baby Gear

This weekend I attended a baby shower for a friend, and it prompted me to do a post for mamas of the tiniest Baby Bees – the ones that haven’t even been born yet.

I remember before we had Becca, trying to navigate a world of baby gear was intense. What was a NEED, what was a WANT… and which product was just right to fit the needs and wants that I had? When we had Grayson, we had a very specific list of things we knew we would need, and of course, even tho it’s only been two years, we’ve found new products that we love that weren’t even available when she was coming along.

So, here’s a short list of the products that we have used with one or both of our kiddos that we find to be super helpful – and why. Please note that each of these is an affiliate link, so if you choose to purchase from this link, you not only get a great product, but you help our family out as well. 🙂 (So thank you!)

Gerber Unisex-Baby Newborn Sheep 4 Pack Flannel Receiving Blanket, Sheep Green, One Size
You seriously can NOT get enough receiving blankets. They are VITAL for any baby, but especially if you end up with a spitter like Grayson. The sweet little thing still at almost ten months spits after eating. We have at least two receiving blankets in the diaper bag at all times. And, after we had Becca, we sent my mom to the store to buy more of these. Trust me – you need a lot. For Grayson, we have ten receiving blankets and fifteen of the cloth diaper burp cloths… and it has totally happened that they were all in the laundry at once.

Graco Sweet Slumber Sound Machine, White
We learned quickly with Becca that white noise can really make a huge difference in how baby sleeps – and it also works great to drown out the noises that might be made by others in the home while baby is in bed. Because we knew how much she loved her sound machine, we purchased a second one before Grayson was born, and actually took it with us to the hospital. Truly from night one he has slept with the sound machine on. I firmly believe that the consistency and the comfort of the noise is what helps both of our kids be such awesome sleepers!!

Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature Added Comfort Starter Set
We really struggled to find good bottles that worked for Becca to reduce gas. Then, when Grayson was coming along, we discovered that none of the bottles we had tried with Becca were still on the market, so I couldn’t buy replacement nipples. Which was VERY frustrating. So, I went to the store and started looking… and discovered that the bottles I had originally looked at for Becca but didn’t buy were still on the market… so we went with those, and have never looked back. We absolutely love Tommee Tippee products, and these bottles are absolutely fabulous! This is the exact starter set that I bought, and we have loved using them. They are also super easy for Grayson to hold himself now that he’s holding his own bottle.

Munchkin Arm and Hammer Diaper Pail with Refill Bags, 10 Count
You know it’s a product we like when I tell you we have two of them… and this is one of those products! We have one in both the upstairs and downstairs bathrooms. They are easy to change, the refill bags are sold at every store we shop at, and the refill bags are very inexpensive (I can get a box of 10 for $6.) Plus, I like that it has a baking soda container in the lid! If I’m able to smell the diaper pail, I can just add fresh baking soda, and instantly, no more smell! I also love that it’s baking soda, and not something with a flowery fragrance. No smell at all is much preferred in our house.

WubbaNub Infant Pacifier – Giraffe
This is one of those products that wasn’t around when Becca was born (or if it was, we didn’t know about it), which is probably fine since she didn’t take a pacifier very long. Grayson, on the other hand, is a pacifier guy. So much so that we own two of these adorable giraffes (we’ve lovingly named them Geoffrey 1 & 2 – a nod to one of our favorite stores). They are a fabulous way to never lose the “paci,” “binky,” “plug,” or whatever nickname you want to call it. Plus, you just throw it in the washer when you need to launder it! SUPER easy. Love love love love love this product!! (Also – Soothee pacifiers are the ones given to you in the hospital for a reason. I’ve talked to LOTS of moms, and the vast majority of them spent money on other brands of pacifiers, but the free one they got at the hospital was all their baby would take. Soothee is THE brand of pacifier for baby!)

Fisher-Price Booster Seat (Red/White)
We received this as a gift from my parents when traveling to see them when Becca was little, and we used it for her for travel a lot – super convenient. But then with Grayson, it has taken on a whole new level of use. Because we use it for him every day. We just attached it to a chair from our dining room table, and he sits at the table with us instead of in a high chair that takes up a ton of space and is hard to clean. Seriously mamas, don’t spend money on a high chair. This baby is $37 – and ALL YOU NEED. Save your money for diapers. You’re gonna need them. For what seems like forever.

Obviously, we had lots of other products that we love for both kids, but these are my big six money/time savers for you – you NEED these things. Don’t waste your money on others. Moms with older kids – what was/is your favorite baby product? Share it here in the comments!!

Cling Film Art

I recently saw this idea from Rachelle Doorley over at TinkerLab, and decided that we’d give it a try! It was a lot of fun, and adequately messy to make my little hands-on gal really happy. First, she used a spikey ball and a wine cork to make various sizes of dots all over the paper. Then, we covered the paper with cling film, and she set to smearing! It was lots of fun, and the outcome was beautiful, and will look great in our fall designs for her 2016 calendar!

Tape Resist Name Art

Subject: Art

Typically, I share the art portion of STEAM on Fridays in my “Fun with Art” segment, but honestly, we do so much art around here, that sometimes I just have to take time on Thursdays to share art too! SO… today is all about ART! (And tomorrow will be too, so be sure to check back! 🙂

I’ve seen lots of different examples of tape resist art, but I wanted to do something Becca could really take ownership of… without spending a bunch of money on a canvas, or waiting until they were on sale at Hobby Lobby. Instead, I just put some painter’s tape on some regular pink card stock, pulled out some blue, green, yellow, and purple acrylic paints, and we just had a blast. We both painted on each piece, and of course, true to form, she ended up sticking her hand in the paint cup and painting a couple of the pieces with her fingers. She even ended up with some of the paint in her hair (acrylic paint is interesting in hair… does NOT wash out… but after a few days it was all gone).

We both really enjoyed this activity, and now that it’s done, I want to extend it by getting some frames and putting her name in frames in her bedroom.

An important thing to note if you haven’t ever done a tape resist – use painter’s tape, and be sure to peel it off while the paint on the paper/canvas is still wet. It should peel right off.

Squish and Shake – Sensory Activities for Baby Bee

“Sensory” is a buzz term right now. When I was teaching, “sensory” wasn’t on the radar. Which is sad to realize how long it’s been now since I was in the classroom. But, I digress. Sensory activities are ones that engage a child’s senses – preferably multiple senses at one time. Studies are showing that the younger kids are when introduced to sensory experiences, the better they are developing, and their brains are growing stronger, etc. So, here are two simple little sensory activities that you can throw together quickly, though they may require a trip to Dollar Tree.

Sensory Gel Bag – Squish! (engages sight, touch, sound and smell)

What you’ll need:
Some form of gel – be it hair gel, or body shampoo – can be colored, or clear and add your own food coloring. (I really like the apple body shampoo I got at Dollar Tree – it smells so YUMMY!)
Something to put in the bag – I used those little foam animals from the capsules you dissolve in water.
A good solid freezer bag (don’t use a regular bag – it WILL leak)
Some strong book/storage tape

Put tape around the three pre-sealed edges to ensure durability. Put your stuff in the bag, and seal it really tightly – getting all the air out that you can. Then, fold the zipper down and tape it closed. The awesome thing about the gel bag is it’s versatility. If you are in the put-everything-in-my-mouth phase, the bag works great taped to a window, where light can shine through, a closet door in a play room, or it works taped to a high chair table while you’re doing dishes and need Jr up off the floor. Or, if your Baby Bee doesn’t put things in the mouth, you can just as easily hand them the bag and let them squish and squeeze without attaching it to anything! Note – when you attach it to a window, especially, it makes great noises as they squish and slide their fingers up and down on the bag.

Sensory Bottle – Shake! (engages sight, sound, and touch – and possibly tasting the duct tape if your Baby Bee tries to eat it! ha!)

What you’ll need:
A little clear travel size shampoo bottle (or you could use a small empty water bottle that you’ve taken off the label)
Baby oil
Water
Glitter / Sequins
Duct Tape

Fill half of your bottle with baby oil. Then, add a little bit of water. Add your glitter/sequins, and duct tape the bottle closed so little fingers can’t get it open. Hand to baby to shake and have fun!! It’s not only visually appealing, it makes neat swooshing sounds, and it’s also good gross motor practice to shake! Note – you can also add a drop of food coloring if you like! Another added bonus to this activity is that it rolls away – and encourages Baby Bee to get active and mobile to follow – engaging their proprioceptive sense as well!

See how EASY it is to create these sensory activities for your baby? These two are something a super busy mom can find time for any day, once you’ve planned and have the supplies on hand. And they’ll last a really long time.