The Itsabelly Blog

Give the Gift of Reading - Check out The Gifted Grasshopper

When I first found The Gifted Grasshopper I was impressed with the organization of their website and totally enamored by their product.  I love books and I especially love books that make my little one's face glow after she flips through the pages and points to the pictures. 

The Gifted Grasshopper is a perfect way to send that special gift of reading to a child if you're a parent, grandparent, relative or friend looking for something educational.  The books can be gift wrapped with a cute stuffed grasshopper and placed in a re-usable book bag for your child to carry his favorite books in.  You can find books for baby through third grade from a hand picked selection of wonderful children's literature.  Customized book bags, gift certificates and even party favor gift bags starting at $7.99 are available.  Gifts under $30 may also fit your needs.  This company was created by two former first grade teachers so you know they'll have your little one's interests at heart!  The Gifted Grasshopper definitely gets a thumbs up from Itsabelly!

DIY Non-toxic Playdough Recipe from Green Mom Finds

Our daughter really loves mushing her hands into and picking playdough apart into little pieces.  Makes a nice clean up job for mom after baby's done and on to the next toy.  I'm so glad we don't have much carpet in the house!  I was browsing through all of my favorite blogs today and was happy to stumble upon Green Mom Finds recipe for non-toxic playdough.  So, if you need a rainy day activity with your toddler try making playdough together - a fun, sticky mess.  Oh, and if she decides to eat it, it's non-toxic to boot!

From Green Mom Finds - Making your own non-toxic play dough is a super fun rainy day activity you can do with your kids:

2 cups flour
1 cup salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cups water with several drops of food coloring added*
4 teaspoons cream of tartar

Mix ingredients together in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly until mixture thickens. Remove from heat and turn dough onto a plate to cool. Store in a covered container or plastic bag. Finished creations can be baked slowly in the oven until hardened, then painted.

*You can also add vegetable juices or mashed up vegetables, such as carrots, beets, or spinach for color instead of food coloring.

Cranium Creates a New Line of Preschool Games & Toys

Cranium Bloom is a new line of preschool games, books, puzzles and toys.  I recently reviewed two games called "Let's Play Count & Cook Game" and "Let's go to the Zoo, Seek & Find Puzzle" via Mom Central. 

I thought the puzzle was unique in that once it's assembled your pre-schooler picks a card with an animal on it, finds it and circles it with an erasable pen directly on the puzzle.  The game has whimsical characters, happy colors and is easy to follow (you can play it in 10 minutes which is perfect for your little one's SHORT attention span).  The Seek & Find Puzzle is a nice way to spend time with your pre-schooler when you're stuck inside the house during these cold, wintery months.

The "Let's Play Count & Cook Game" is a great way to introduce your pre-schooler to the kitchen and cooking.  He just might end up being a great chef one day!  The game allows your child to pick a recipe, roll the die, move your chef the number of spaces shown on the die and determine if you landed on an ingredient that is needed for the recipe.  The player who adds the last ingredient is top chef and opens the secret window on the game board for a surprise!  You can also use the actual recipes provided with the game to cook something up with your child.  It's a creative, fun and great way to introduce your child to the joy of cooking (or joy of messing up your kitchen, wink)...look out Rachel Ray!

You can find all 14 Cranium Bloom games exclusively at Target.  You can also shop on-line at Cranium.  The Count & Cook game is priced at $12.95 and the Seek and Find Puzzle is $9.95.