Your guide to activities and fun things to do with your preschoolers, toddlers and kids in kansas city, KS

The Art of Legos.

by Jenny Meade

June 01, 2009

We spent a few years living in San Diego, and one of our favorite spots there was Legoland. Having two little boys, I am quite familiar with the intricate details of building with legos.  Like, for instance, a viking ship, helmed by SpongeBob's best bud, Patrick, and crewed by the likes of Batman, Indiana Jones, and a bunch of clone troopers:

 So yea, I  know legos.  But here's something even better. Starting Last weekend through September 7th, you can take your little builders to see The Art of Legos at Crown Center. Now that guy is serious. 

Easter fun at home - and it's green!

by Jenny Meade

April 07, 2009

 For little kids, the topic of the horrific death of a man they are taught to adore in the form of a baby only four months earlier is perhaps a bit much to explain - the stuff of nightmares, one would think.  Which is probably why most parents choose to spend more time focused on the egg hunts and pastel colored eggs and the rabbits made of chocolate.  So, here's a couple of fun things to do at home besides break out the vinegar and food coloring tablets.

• arrange jelly beans in a clear jar and see who can count how many beans are in the jar. Then dump them out and count them for real, and give a prize to whomever was closest.
• draw a bunny face onto a white paper plate, then staple ears to the top and have your child glue on cotton balls and color in wherever they want.
• put dried beans or pennies inside a couple of plastic eggs and shake them like maracas!

 And what about after the holiday is over? What to do with those egg shells after you've peeled and eaten your yummy hard boiled eggs?

• Keep a bowl ready by the side of the sink to collect the egg shells and let them dry, instead of throwing them away or pushing them down the disposal.  Once you have a good sized pile, use a wooden spoon to mash and grind them into smaller bits.  Then sprinkle them in the garden - egg shells make good nutrients for the soil.
• Re-use the empty egg carton to collect and store plastic eggs for next year's egg hunt.  You can also use egg cartons to hold extra golf balls, or even help daddy organize all those little screws and nails in his toolbox.  You can also use them later for mixing paint colors.
• Have little girls? Decorate the egg carton with paper, stickers and markers and turn it into a little jewelry and keepsake box. 
• Boys collect things too - like paper clips and bottle caps. (Don't ask my why, they just do.) Those things fit nicely into egg cartons, as well.

For more fun and crafty Easter ideas, check out some printable coloring pages and more from our friends at Family Education.