Marble run

Another idea from my fav blog Made by Joel. It's made from a cereal box (actually two since it is handy to have some extra pieces for the bottom part). Calvin loves any kind of toy involving rolling, a ramp, a relay, etc. This was his 1st introduction to marbles, too. I was very cautious at first, but he's only been rolling them through this & through paper towell rolls, so I think we're safe. If you make one, notice the bottom of it; a piece of the 2nd cereal box was cut out and folded over so that it props the box back ever so slightly - this keeps the marbles rolling and keeps them in the box.

What's for breakfast?

A certain toddler I know really gets a kick out of pouring his own cereal milk. So, that is what we do! It actually seems to do something to help the morning mood - particularly if he is not into eating at the moment or if he is still a sleepy bear. On a very practical level, I can get everything on the table and sit down without worrying about the cereal getting soggy and without having to get back up and get the milk, since toddlers don't always sit down right when asked. (It's the small details, isn't it?)

Squeezing Oranges

We love oranges at our house, & I thought it would be fun to do a little OJ squeezin' with Calvin. It was slightly harder for his little hands to adequately squeeze the orange than I thought it would be, so I think we'll try this again in a few months. We did get to drink some delicious juice, though!

Cute Cakes

There are so many cakes books out there these days, and I love them all. But it is only a small percentage of cakes inside that I feel like I can make without tripling the size of my kitchen or adding a commercial oven. I was super excited when I found this book: Birthday cakes for kids by Annie Rigg at my library. The cakes inside are wonderfully adorable and would be a hit at any party . . . but they also won't give the baker a nervous breakdown. Many of them offer simpler lines and shapes that you can do easily with a pan or two and some basic cutting and stacking. A few of them are more advanced, particularly on icing/piping skills. There's a particularly cute "fluffly sheep" that's covered in marshmallows. Some of the simpler designs include train cars, a tractor, a firetruck, a hot air balloon, and a sweet & chocolatly bear face. My favorite? The marmalade cat. How cute is this little kitty? Happy baking!