tray table kitchen...

there's a lot of truck play in this house.  

a LOT.

it's nice to create new ways to play with the toys that we have out all the time, but seem to get passed over for those beloved trucks.

i've been contemplating getting a little kitchen for leo.  we really don't have much room for it, though.  so instead, we created our own.

with our handy-dandy folding tray table (which i honestly think i need about three more of considering how much we use it), some dry erase markers, and a sheet of paper, this is what we created...

a little stove with an oven!

we gathered some random objects and some play food, and got cooking...

pinecone muffins in the oven... 

some french toast on the stove...

we eventually needed a refrigerator for the story stones blueberries...

i got a pretty good serving of french toast, with a pile of syrup, and some blueberries sprinkled around.

not too bad for a fold away kitchen ;) 

color scavenger hunt...

we've been making it a point to take some nice, slow walks around the neighborhood lately.  when we have nothing planned, we just head outside, and take it all in.

while we walk, we've often been doing a little something, as well.  a few days ago, we drew pictures of things that make us happy as we walked.  this time, we had a little scavenger hunt for colors.  

gather just a few things...

• some colored stickers (we used stars we found at the thrift store)
• some matching colored paper (i cut it down into small, manageable pieces)
• a stapler

and put them together to make a little booklet...

then head outside, take a leisurely walk, and see what you can find...

each time we saw something that was red, yellow, or blue, leo would take off a sticker and place it on the matching page.  

when we got home, we talked about the things we saw, counted how many stars we used, and just felt refreshed from a sweet walk together.

it's a great activity for color recognition, fine motor skills (peeling the stickers), and getting some fresh air :)

wanders...