Today We Play Kits

10/05/2021

*Transcription* Hello everyone! I have been putting off this message, but I have to come on here and announce that I will not be continuing making kits. I have another business and that other business was affected very greatly buy COVID and during the summer that business rebounded quite a bit. I was hopeful that it would slow down a little bit in the fall and give me some time to try to balance both of them, and that just did not end up happening. I do love my other job very much, but unfortunately it does mean that I do not have time to develop and make more kits.

I appreciate everybody who supported me last fall and winter. It really got me, personally, through that really difficult time, and I hope the kits helped get your family through it as well with some fun and joy and colorful artwork and wonder of science projects. I really encourage you to continue with sensory and science and art, there's so much out there. Unfortunately, I'm so sad to say that I am not going to be part of that, and our kits are not going to be part of that.

Someday, I hope maybe I can do some seasonal kits. I'd really hoped for a Halloween one, Halloween is one of my favorite seasons and I love spooky sensory and science activities. But, the time to make those just has not presented itself yet, so I have to be realistic and admit that I am done with this project.

Thank you so much again for being along for the ride, and I'm sorry to have let you down. Thanks so much!

06/14/2021

How simple a summer prompt can be! Two paint colors, a box, some paper.

Using sticks, leaves, hands; going with the flow!

05/29/2021

If you got the April Showers kit, it included the Mud Kitchen sensory bin! Now’s the time to take them outside, and no fancy mud kitchen necessary. This is play in progress for ages 12, 9, 6, and 2. If you don’t have older kiddos to guide the way, try simple prompts - “Can you make me some cupcakes? What can we find in the yard for sprinkles?”

Let the mud be your guide!

05/28/2021

Do your kiddos ever go through paper like crazy? Here’s my best tip for kids who are into the process, not the product. It requires very thick watercolor paper, watercolors, and a bin. Let them paint and experiment with painting, drawing, color mixing to their heart’s content. Then, let them dump in the water! Play with the watercolors that lift from the paper, then dump it out and start again!

There’s not a pretty finished product, but it lets kiddos paint and experiment without wasting paper!

05/18/2021

Pulled out the light board from Light Show for this rainy day and my daughter contributed the play food and then we used the blocks to mix colors to match the foods! I wrote a blog about making a light table at home, but this one is linked there too: https://www.todayweplaykits.com/blog/light-tables-on-a-budget

I use Guidecraft Jr blocks but Magnatiles work, too! https://www.amazon.com/Guidecraft-Jr-Rainbow-Blocks-Educational/dp/B006QB4QES/ref=asc_df_B006QB4QES/

05/01/2021

As promised! Frog life cycle sensory bin! I cooked cous cous with some green and pink food coloring to create squishy, slimy frog eggs, rinsed, and added a water to make the pond. Then added fake flower leaves and these amazing frog life cycle toys. Scoop, squish, hide, and learn!

Link for toys: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08BFB5777/

04/29/2021

Spring is all about growing! If you’re interested in life cycles at all, the Fossil Gorge is the place to be right now. Toad mating season is happening and you can catch a lot of adult toads, some egg strings, and there are even itty bitty tadpoles in the shallows. I’ll post some at-home sensory ideas to follow up tomorrow!

04/27/2021

We picked up stepping stone kits from Michael’s - on sale for $9.99 right now. It was pretty simple to mix the concrete (and it washed up very easily). It was a big hit with my 6 year old, my 2 year old was doing well enough until I “helped too much” and she stomped in it 🙈😂. But, we rallied and it’s a forgiving project that turns out very cute!

04/22/2021

Happy Earth Day! Throwing back to 2019 when my oldest made Flower the Recycled Robot! Raiding the recycling bin for robot parts is one of the simplest crafting prompts imaginable - and Light Show kit families already have a glue gun. So get to it!

Flower still resides on our mantle 😉.

Highly recommend the Magic School Bus recycling book and episode for a kid-friendly overview of recycling: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6tx1v5

04/21/2021

Beyond the Kit activity!

We experimented with coloring white daffodils by cutting them and putting them in colored water (we used food coloring). I’ve done this with white carnations and white roses, but these daffodils are the best results so far - the veins that carry water to the plant are perfectly showcased!

This is an easy one, so give it a try! If you’re local to Iowa City, I have an abundance of white daffodils to share, just ask! :)

04/20/2021

I'm making my last kit deliveries today - April Showers and Light Show are officially sold out! The official announcement is up on the blog:

I launched Today We Play kits in October 2020 as a way to help parents cope with virtual schooling and quarantine. I have always searched for ways to share my love for messy projects with as many kids as possible and I’ve been overjoyed seeing photos and watching videos of Kit Kids’ joy and wond...

04/19/2021

Rainbow Rain is a dreary-day classic! Simulate the water cycle as the "clouds" get oversaturated and drop their "rain" into the sky!

In your kit: Shaving cream, rainbow watercolors
You provide: class jar or dish

Fill a deep baking dish, jar, or bowl with water. I like a glass bread dish because it's nice and long. Spray shaving cream on top, then drop colors on top of it. These tiny droppers can be stiff, so you can help, use a pipette, or pour instead of dripping. Watch the side of the container as the colors fall!

You can also use a piece of watercolor or photo paper and make shaving cream prints afterwards, just use a toothpick to swirl the colors on top of the shaving cream, lay the paper down, pull it back up, and scrape the excess off.