My older kids have just started back at elementary school for the year and I find myself home again with just the littler ones and a chance to dig back into more immersive, age appropriate play.

Last year we had a lot of fun exploring letter themed foods, and this year I think I’m going to see about doing A-Z letter themed sensory bins and activities.

I’m kicking it off with an…

A is for Arctic Sensory Bin Play Idea

This one is fantastic for hot summer days and can be done indoors or out, but it does take a little bit of advanced prep.

Grab some small Tupperware containers, fill them with water and added other animals or items to them if you want to extend the play.

I made mine a bit extra by adding plastic numbers, and glass marbles that matched that number to each container (My son is 4 and knows not to put stuff like this in his mouth, if you’ve got younger children adapt what you add in to be taste safe if necessary).

I was hoping that my son would be able to match up animals on the icebergs with the numbers, but the icebergs ended up being too slippery to really add anything to.  The numbers still ended up being fun as my son was able to break the marbles out as the ice melted.

Freeze your containers the day before you want to do this activity.

Set Up:

• Grab a shallow container (I used a bigger tote for this one)
• Fill it up with water and ice
• Add food coloring (optional)
• Add Assorted Arctic animal figurines (polar bears, penguins, seals, etc.)
• Add scopes and water cups

Exploratory Playtime:

Now that everything is set up, invite your child to explore the sensory bin. Encourage them to use their imagination as they create stories and scenarios for the Arctic animals, fostering dramatic play and creativity. They might enjoy arranging the figurines on the ice or swimming through the water, which enhances fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination.

Offer small containers or cups for pouring and scooping, enabling your child to experience different textures and develop their sensory abilities.

Extending the Learning:

To further enhance the learning experience, consider reading Arctic-themed books to your little ones. Engage in conversation about the animals they played with in the sensory bin and dive deeper into their habitats and unique characteristics. This extension of learning reinforces comprehension and broadens their knowledge of the Arctic region.

Happy sensory play!

@slyspoon Easy Letter Play Sensory Bin – Letter A is for Arctic Adventure (with some number play!) ❄️ Dive into a world of icy exploration on a hot day with this Letter A-themed sensory bin! ❄️ freeze numbers, letters, or animals and ice blocks to extend the play ♬ snowfall – Øneheart & reidenshi

You May Also Be Interested In:

• List of 100 Foods That Start With Letter A
• List of 100 Objects That Start With Letter A
• List of Easy, Low Prep Games, For Toddlers and Preschoolers Learning Letter A
• Letter A is for Ant Craft
• Letter A Tracing Worksheets (Dinosaur Themed)
• Letter A Tracing Worksheets (Mermaid Themed)
• Letter A "Do A Dot" Worksheets (Free Printable) Mermaid Themed
• Letter Themed Sensory Bin Idea – Arctic A
• Letter A "Do A Dot" Worksheets (Free Printable) Halloween Themed
• Letter A Tracing Worksheets (Free Printable) Halloween Themed
• Letter A Coloring Worksheet (Free Printable) Halloween Themed 
• Letter A Color By Letter & Coloring Worksheet (Free Printable) Valentine Themed
• A-Z Activites Resource Page

My sister and I were talking recently. I wanted to throw a “Mermaid for a Day” book themed mermaid party to celebrate my debut picture book, she wanted to throw a mermaid party for my niece who was turning four. Things clicked together and suddenly I was throwing a “Mermaid For A Day” themed birthday party for my niece… and since I’ve thrown many boyish birthday parties for my 3 boys over the years, but never one for a little girl I was understandably over the moon to get to do this, and even more fun to get to theme it after my mermaid book!

Disclosure: This post may be sponsored or contain affiliate links (which means I make a percentage of the sale if you buy something).

Inexpensive, Adorable Mermaid Party Tails!

In the “Mermaid for a Day” book a little girl helps a fish and is granted a wish, which she uses to become a mermaid.

Since that’s a key part of the book I really wanted an easy and fun way for the kids at the party to “transform” into mermaids, and the easiest way seemed to be if I had some fun mermaid tails they could put on to play in.

I looked around online and didn’t want to spend an arm and a leg on play tails. The best online option I found were some like … plastic sack-race bag things that had mermaid tails painted on them.  I kept them in the back of my mind, but they weren’t really want I was envisioning.

After more Pinterest and google searches I saw some people had made their own tails out of beach towels, or sewing projects that looked a lot more like what I had in mind.

I took what I saw and realized having four little kids of my own, I wanted something, cute, inexpensive, and not time consuming to make… so I simplified simplified simplified, and came up with these! I spent $6 and made 12 tails, each tail taking me a minute, maybe two to make.

Supplies Needed:

• Fabric (of your choice) I got this 4 yards for $6 bundle at Walmart in the scrap fabric section and it was perfect! There were a lot of other fabric options that would have worked, but the nice thing about lace was that I didn’t have to worry about it fraying they way I might have with some of the other fabrics.
• Elastic Bands (I used mini colorful hair elastics) that were $1-$2 for a huge pack
• Scissors 
• Ruler (Optional) 

Tutorial:

Step 1)

I grabbed my 4 year old and measured his waist (about 24 inches) and used that as my starting point.  I folded my fabric in half (hotdog style) and cut out a straight piece that was 24″ wide at the top, then cut it along the fold so I had two 24″ pieces.

Step 2)

Next I moved to the bottom of the fabric and put my finger in the middle of the bottom edge, and maybe 4″ up from the bottom along the left side and pulled it together, kind of bundling the fabric, before securing it with an elastic band.

Step 3)

I repeated step 2 for the other side, until I had two tail flipper looking sections.

Step 4)

Then I added one more elastic around both sides holding the flippers together and kind of hiding the small gap that having the two separate fins had made.

Step 5)

Finally I grabbed one more elastic and used it at the top to secure the tail around my child’s waist. Done and done.

Honestly the whole process took only minutes.  I was able to make a nice bundle of tails very quickly and inexpensively. I think they turned out really cute, and they were a huge hit at the party…. which I was so busy enjoying that I forgot to activity take pictures of the tails… this is the best I’ve got.

If you’re interested in seeing the book I based these off of, here’s a link to “Mermaid for a Day.”

 

@slyspoon If you have a mermaid party in your future, this is a great DIY tutorial to make inexpensive mermaid tails that the kids love (without Zoe, we’re spending a ton of time) I use them for a party we had a couple weeks ago, and kids ages 3 to 10 were big fans. #CapC#CapCutm#mermaidtailm#mermaidbirthdaym#MermaidBirthdayPartym#MermaidPartyIdeasm#MermaidPartyDecorm#mermaidtailsm#MermaidPartyDIYe#nosewmermaidtaile#nosewdiym#mermaidpartyfavorsm#mermaidpartythemem#mermaidpartysuppliesm#mermaidtaildiy ♬ The Little Mermaid (Marimba Remix) – Harry Goes Boom!

Mermaid For A Day	Dinosaur For A Day	Dragon For A Day	Penguin For A Day
A kind girl becomes and mermaid for a day and plays underwater games with other mermaids including seaweed hide and seek, swimming with dolphins, and exploring sunken pirate ships.	A kind boy gets his with to become a dinosaur for a day. He plays games with other friendly dinosaurs including coconut soccer, building a fort, and throwing stones into a volcano to make lava splash.	A kind boy gets his wish to become a dragon for a day. He spends the day playing with other friendly dragons. They fly together, squish clouds until it rains, make s’mores with their fire breath, and more.	An honest boy gets his wish to become a penguin for a day. He spends the day playing games with other friendly penguins including hockey, having a snow ball fight, fishing, and so much more.

Mermaid For A Day Preview

My daughter turned one this month, and for each of my children I’ve done a smash cake for their first birthday (mostly for the pictures) and knowing that my baby girl is my only girl, and my finale baby, I really wanted a simple smash cake for her.

The problem was that we’d just spent the last month in another state visiting family, and we’d just driven home (a tidy 20 hour of driving time… that we’d driven straight through… because we were feeling slightly insane, which is a story for another day).

Our kids did fantastic, but upon pulling up to our home we had time to drop off some of our crew before taking my eldest to the doctor for a suspect ear infection (which was confirmed that night).

And also… I had to do so much school shopping in a very short amount of time since my older kids started school the following week and… I’d done nothing.

So picture chaos across the board, unpacking, sick kid, school shopping, and lots of emotions coming down from a month of endless activities and fun with grandparents.  It was just a lot.

All of that is just to paint a small picture of me, wanting a smash cake and small family birthday party for my baby, while also feeling so totally overwhelmed and like I was drowning in life. (Did I mention my husband drove out with us, then flew home to work for the month, before flying back out to drive home with us, which left me as a solo parent with 4 kids – 1 under 1 – for the whole month.)

Anyway.  Yes I was super burnt out, and so I cut some corners, but still made it happen, and honestly I’m super happy with this 5 minute cake.  It did it’s job, I got the pictures, and no tears were shed.

How to make a smash cake in five minutes:

Supplies Needed:

• A normal sized bakery cake
• A sheet of semi firm plastic (I used shrinky dink film that I’d washed)
• Can of store bought frosting

Step 1)

Open your cake, and tape your plastic into a tube shape.

Step 2)

Carefully put that tube through the center of your cake.

Step 3)

Lift super gently while also picking up your cake and pushing a bit in that middle part from the bottom (prayers here are also a good idea)

Step 4)

Pull out that perfect round slice of cake and put it on a plate, scrape off the store frosting and frost to your heart’s content with a frosting of your choice

Step 5)

Enjoy your little one with their smash cake, and serve slices of the bigger cake to your guest or other family members.

Takeaways

My daughter wanted nothing to do with her cake, not the frosting, not the inside – nothing! (though she did want a bite of the outside of the cake when it came from my fork later) but I still got some cute pictures and in this chaotic time of life for me, I’m counting this cake and experience as a total win. (also all my boys were so excited for their little sister and the cake escapade, they are for sure her biggest cheerleaders)

10/10 would recommend this approach to anyone wanting a simple, easy, inexpensive smash cake.

I’m kicking off a picture book author Interview series and I’m excited to start by sharing the picture book “Mermaid for a Day” by Juliet Jenson with all of you.

Disclosure: This blog does accept sponsored posts and may contain affiliate links (which means I make a percentage of the sale if you buy something).

First, can you tell me why parents and caregivers might want to pick your book?  Especially when there are so many mermaid books out there? 

Juliet: There are lots of wonderful mermaid books out there, but I wrote “Mermaid for a Day” half for kids and half for caregivers.  I wanted to write the kind of book that kids would want to have read to them again and again, while also writing the kind of book that parents would be eager to read to them.

What I really mean is I wanted to create a book that is fun, beautiful, adventurous and full of magic, so it’s exciting for kids.

And I wanted to make it short, easy to read aloud (it rhymes), and to let the pictures do most of the talking for the parents.  I know for my own kids, I love reading to them before bed, but some nights the books they want read to them are 50 pages long, with dense text, and I die inside a little.  Don’t get me wrong, I love those big books during the day, but before bed I want something fun, and also something short enough to keep their attention. (I’m usually reading to my boys ages 4 & 7 if that helps set the stage)

Can you briefly sum up what the story is about? 

Juliet: Sure.  It kicks off with a little girl saving a fish who grants her wish to become a mermaid, but only for a day.  She spends the rest of the book doing what I think we’d all want to do if we were mermaids as kids,  she swims with dolphins, plays dress up with other mermaid friends, builds seashell puzzles, paints with an octopus, plays seaweed hide and seek, explores a sunken pirate ship and more.

Each page is a mini activity that kids can hopefully relate to, with a mermaid twist to it.

What inspired you to write this particular book?

Juliet: Well my daughter had just been born, and I’d been looking for a creative project and this just kind of came to me.  Kind of Animorphs for 5 year olds. I typed out the first few drafts of the story while doing middle of the night feedings, and it was just so fun I couldn’t stop.

Do you have a favorite page?

Juliet: I honestly love so many of them, but I think my top two might be the first page of the book, where she’s throwing the fish back into the sea, or the seaweed hide and seek page. I just feel like visually, they were the two the came out so much better than I dared to hope.

Thank you so much.  One last question, if you could have any super power, what would it be, and why?

Juliet: I would definitely love either super speed or the ability to stop time for everyone except me.  🙂 I have so many ideas and things I want to do, but there never seems to be enough time to do even a fraction of them.

***

Thank you so much for sharing this, and if any readers are interested, “Mermaid For A Day” is on sale now on Amazon with both a paperback and ebook, and soon it will be available through all major book retailers.

Buy “Mermaid For A Day” From Amazon

Mermaid For A Day	Dinosaur For A Day	Dragon For A Day	Penguin For A Day
A kind girl becomes and mermaid for a day and plays underwater games with other mermaids including seaweed hide and seek, swimming with dolphins, and exploring sunken pirate ships.	A kind boy gets his with to become a dinosaur for a day. He plays games with other friendly dinosaurs including coconut soccer, building a fort, and throwing stones into a volcano to make lava splash.	A kind boy gets his wish to become a dragon for a day. He spends the day playing with other friendly dragons. They fly together, squish clouds until it rains, make s’mores with their fire breath, and more.	An honest boy gets his wish to become a penguin for a day. He spends the day playing games with other friendly penguins including hockey, having a snow ball fight, fishing, and so much more.

Mermaid For A Day Preview

5 Easy, engaging and affordable Letter E activities for your preschooler that can be done with only a few minutes of prep and will (hopefully) engage your child for far longer. From a fun craft to a game that encourages exercise, these activities are designed to make learning at home a breeze. So let’s dive in and discover fun letter E activities you can use to engage with your child.

E is for Elephant Eating Game

A fun activity to when learning the letter E is the Elephant Eating Game. This game is perfect for getting your child up and moving, while still learning the letter E. 

To prep you will need a cardboard box, to print (or draw) an elephant image, an empty cardboard tube (paper towel tubes work great) and some letter “E” Cutouts. (Printable E and Elephants Below)

Make your elephant by pasting (or drawing) the elephant image to/on your box and cutting out around its nose.  Then add the cardboard tube to be the elephant nose.  I used hot glue because it seemed fast and easy to me.  I’m sure tape would work great too.

Scatter your letter E cutouts around the room and let your preschooler gather them up and feed them to the elephant down its long nose. My son loved this game especially because he got to crumple up the “E’s” so they would fit down the nose.

After we fed the all the Letter E’s to the elephant my son wasn’t ready to be done, and thought it was just as fun to feed the elephant the other letters as well, then try to guess which of the crumpled papers were “E’s” and feed and refeed the elephant.  Honestly, for us, this was a 10/10 engagement, and I was ready to move on way before my son was, which is always a win in my book.

Bonus points if you use both capital and lowercase letter E’s, and different fonts to help with letter recognition.

(Click the images below to download and print if wanted)

 

E is for Exercise

Physical activity is great for children’s development, and it’s so easy to make fun at this age. 

You can do any number of activities, but for us… Cosmic Kids Yoga is always a win, and in the name of Letter E, we watched her Easter Yoga video for our Exercise movement (I think there is also an Earth Day one, if you want to keep an E theme, but honestly all exercise is a win).    

Or you can find fun way to incorporate letter E activities by doing an exercise routine that involves E-related movements. For example, you can have your child do jumping “Elephant” jacks or “Eagle” squats which is pretty much the normal movement while incorporating a little bit of animal fun. 

 

E is for Envelope Exploration

This one takes a small amount of prep (less than 5 minutes) but was also a good time. Below I’ve got some printables that include letter E things and non-letter E things that you’re welcome to use for this. 

Print out and cut out the letter E, and non letter E pictures and put each one in their own envelope, then hide those envelopes around your house.

Have your child go “Exploring” looking for the envelopes, then have them open what they find and decide if the picture inside starts with letter E or not.  If you’ve got a younger child, you can also just do the Letter E things and practice really annunciating the “E” sounding start to each item as you have them say it with you.

After we had all the envelopes collected we also ended up spreading them out and playing a pumped up memory game, where we tried to guess which envelopes had letter E things in them, and if we guessed right we got to keep that envelope/picture.

E is for Earth!

Another fun activity that adapts really well to some outside play is making Earth Day style crafts. These are great for any time of the year, as it’s always worthwhile to be conscientious of our planet.  This craft is a great way to celebrate our planet, and also provides an opportunity to teach your child about the environment and the importance of taking care of it. 

Encouraging your child to be environmentally conscious from a young age is important for their future, and taking about caring for our Earth is the perfect way to start. 

For this I started by checking out our recycle bin to see if we had anything that was blue in it that we could use (we did) if you don’t blue paper, or tissue paper would also work great for this.

Then I handed my son a pair of craft scissors and a little box and we went for a walk and gathered up some nature treasures, mostly in the form of grass and leaves.

After our walk we came back and cut up our blue recycling into little bits and trimmed some of our nature treasures, and grabbed some glue.

I printed out an earth for us (free printable below) and we glued our blue stuff in the ocean areas, and our green stuff on the land areas, making what I thought was a fun a pretty unique craft.

E is for Egg-Experimenting

We did this right around Easter, and you actually don’t need eggs at all, but we had so many laying around and it was E themed so… it happened.  Looking at this post some time of the year that’s not April? No worries, I think it would have worked just as well with only the cupcake tin.

I put some baking soda in our plastic eggs (or in a muffin tin) then added a few different colored drops of food coloring, then added more baking soda over the top so the colors were hidden.

Then I gave my sons a bunch of vinegar in our pipettes and them them squirt it in our different cups until the erupted and they could see the different colors.  This one was so engaging and fun that my ten year old, who is reaching the too cool for these kinds of things stage, couldn’t resist getting in a playing a bit with this one.

There you have it, 5 letter E activities that you can do more or less on a whim, and that we had a great time with.  If you’ve used them or have ideas I’d love to know how it went if you wanted to drop me a comment below.

You Might Also Be Interested In:

• List of 100 Foods That Start With Letter E
  
  
• List of 100 Objects That Start With Letter E
  
  
• 5 Easy Letter E Activities 
  
  
• Letter E is for Easter Egg Craft
  
  
• Letter E Tracing Worksheets (Free Printable) Mermaid Themed
  
  
• Letter E "Do A Dot" Worksheets (Free Printable) Mermaid Themed
• Letter E Tracing Worksheets (Free Printable) Dinosaur Themed
  
  
• Letter E Tracing Worksheets (Free Printable) Halloween Themed
  
  
• Letter E "Do A Dot" Worksheets (Free Printable) Halloween Themed
  
  
• Letter E Coloring Worksheet (Free Printable)  Halloween Themed
  
  
• Letter E Color By Letter & Coloring Worksheet (Free Printable) Valentine Themed
• Letters A-Z Resource Page