EtsyKids Design Challenge for August: Paisley

Each month EtsyKids Team members are challenged to create a unique item within a chosen theme. This month's challenge, "Paisley", was picked by last month's winner fluffygirlboutique. EtsyKids members will have until August 19th to submit their entries, and voting will be open to everybody from Saturday, August 21st to Friday, August 27th. So, be sure to come back to the EtsyKids blog for a new post on the 21st to see all of the entries and VOTE! In the meantime, please click here to get a sneak peek at some exciting entries so far!

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Refresher Course...

This weekend is a magazine weekend for me...I have tons to catch up on. While reading Parents, I came across a quick reference guide for fixing boo boos - I thought it appropriate to share with the onset of back to school and all :)

Cut or Scrape:: If there's bleeding, apply pressure to the site until the bleeding stops. Then clean it under luke warm water and gently pat dry. Bandage if needed.

Burn:: Immediately hold under cool running water or apply a cold, wet towel until the pain subsides. Cover any small blisters with a loose bandage or gauze and tape. Call a doctor as soon as possible if burns are on the face, hands or genitals or it they're larger than a quarter inch.

Nosebleed:: Have your child sit upright, but don't tilt their head back. Loosen any tight clothing around the neck. Pinch the lower end of the nose close to the nostrils and have them lean forward while you apply pressure for five to ten minutes.

Splinter or Glass:: Use soap and water to wash around the splinter. Take clean tweezers and remove. When a splinter is hard to remove - leave it alone for a day or two and see if it comes out on its own. If your child steps on a piece of glass that isn't a single shard you can easily remove...gently wrap with a clean cloth and head to the ER. Even the smallest shards can lead to infection if not removed.

Eye Trauma:: If your child has severe pain, constant tearing, light sensitivity or blurry vision after being poked or hit in the eye - hold a cold wet cloth over it and head to the ER, they may have scratched the eye's surface and will need to be treated.

Bite or Sting:: If the stinger is still in - scrape with your nail or credit card to remove. Tweezers can squeeze more venom into the skin. If your child has trouble breathing, is coughing or develops a hoarse voice, hives or swollen lips or tongue - call 911.

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Indoor Water Fun for Toddlers and Preschoolers

Have you seen the water tables some preschools have? It's basically a table with a deep basin they can fill with water, sand, oatmeal or an assortment of beans to serve as a tactile station. At every station like this, kids typically have to be pried away and told to do something else, or they get squeeze out by other kids who want to play too.

I participate in a little mom's preschool co-op for my three year-old. On the day I talked about rain, snow, wind and water, our free play activity was my own "mom" version of a water table. Because the outside weather wasn't conducive to outdoor water fun, our fun had to be inside. Whether your looking for inside fun because the heat index is over 100, or it's pouring rain, or their is a foot of snow outside, tuck this little activity away to keep your little ones active and engaged.

I used two under bed storage bins, filled them 1/3 full with warm tap water, had a plastic watering can for each child, plastic cups in different sizes and measuring cups. If your kitchen isn't fully tiled like mine, consider setting this up in another location with a tile, cement or linoleum floor that can withstand getting wet. Even the garage would work in some climates. Just be sure you choose a safe location and monitor the amount of water on the floor so children can safely move around without getting hurt.

Since I was doing this a preschool activity, I needed the kids to make it home somewhat dry, I used plastic store bags to make 'smocks' for each of them. I flattened out the bag and cut out a shallow C shape from the middle of the bottom 'seam' of the bag to make an neck opening. Leave 3 inches of the seam on both ends, these will be the shoulders of the smock. Next cut open both sides of the plastic bag all the way to the bottom seam. Snip the handles apart to create ties. This should resemble something like a scrimmage jersey.

Slip their head through the opening in the bottom of the bag, and tie the handles securely at their hips.

If you're doing this at home with your own kids, swimming suits would make it extra fun, especially in winter!

Keep a stack of towels on hand, because try as they might, water will get on the floor and you'll want to wipe it up periodically so your feet don't get cold and wet and to keep it safe for them.

These kids played with this set up for a 30-45 minutes, with no sign of getting bored.

To do this activity outside, prop the storage bins up on buckets or set up two folding chairs facing each other, using the seats to set the water bin on, making it accessible from both sides and would allow up to four kids to participate.

* * This activity requires constant adult supervision! Do not ever leave a child playing with water unattended. A child can easily drowned in just a few inches of water.

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An Apple a Day

Farmer's Market Fruit Burp Cloth Set by IcingOnTheCupcake
Back to School Apple Clippie by GracefulGirls
Apples Personalized Bag Tag by SunnyDayTags
Back to School Clips by xoxotova
Apple-que Navy Corduroy Jumper by AveryLane
4 Laminated Apple Lacing Cards by PreschoolDolls
Personalized Back to School Stickers by LittlebeaneBoutique
M2MG Prep School Bling Converse Shoes by dara43
Penelope Fall Apple Dress by seworiginals

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Another HOORAY!

Be the first to read the Autumn Edition of Modern Handmade Child ~ day over for me, I love it!

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from Julia....

Find something you're passionate about and keep tremendously interested in it.

Julia Child

...and if I might add - do enough other stuff so you don't get burned out ;)

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EtsyKids Design Challenge - We Have a Winner!

Congratulations to the winner of this month's challenge 9.Pet Deer....Twirl Skirt 2-6 by fluffygirlboutique! Fluffygirlboutique is run by talented mother of two, Renae. It is a charming store filled with twirly skirts and apron dressed in beautiful array of colors and patterns. You can view more of Renae's creations by following this link.

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