Livin My Best Mom Life

The weather is getting warmer, and it is finally starting to feel like spring! Who is excited to start going outside and letting your toddler explore? This list of spring activities for kids will help give you some quick DIY ideas to entertain your toddler in hopes you can catch a few extra minutes to relax and enjoy the sun.

Create a Spring Playdoh Tray

Lets hop into spring with a new sensory activity. Create a DIY playdoh sensory tray with seasonal objects! What toddler does not enjoy playing with playdoh? It is so inexpensive to produce your own and so easy to create. My daughter was engaged with this activity for at least 15 to 20 minutes. In toddler time, that is a HUGE mom win! I used a tray I got from the target dollar spot for her to put the playdoh on. It is so versatile and can be used for so many different activities! They always have such great finds.

You will also need a small container to hold all the materials. I found a jewelry container on clearance that had removeable compartments at Michael’s. You could even use a reusable tubberware container to store all the materials. I loved using this specific organizer because I can reuse it again for other activities and it allows me to put big or small objects inside. It is also small enough to fit in my diaper bag for outings. It is the perfect activity to bring to a restaurant or to someone’s house if visiting family.

Some other objects to include:

Pipe cleaners

Cookie cutters (any cookie cutter to match the season)

Pom poms

Gems or beads

Mini erasers

Rolling pin

Playdoh- feel free to create your own, I haven’t had time to do this while working full time yet. Finding a good homemade playdough is on my to do list. ( For the time being, I cheated and just used playdoh brand and added glitter and sparkles to it.)

Spring Has Sprung Sensory Bin

Does your toddler love to snack? Try an editable sensory bin with insects! I used chocolate coco puffs for the dirt and added in some insects from the dollar store along with some editable worms. Grab some tools like a magnifying glass and a shovel so they can explore! We love using our flisat sensory table from IKEA all year long. They can be hard to come by, so if you see one in stock, make sure to grab one!

Water Beads

Water beads have been a huge hit in my house. They keep my daughter entertained forever and are such a great filler in a sensory bin. I love that you can get them in almost any color to match whatever theme you are thinking. They can last for a few days, but make sure to toss them after that because they can become moldy. I love to add in seasonal erasers and scoopers. My daughter is so fascinated with either sorting the erasers or pouring and scooping the water beads from one container to another. Which is a great way to practice hand eye coordination and fine motor skills.

Fun with Bubbles!

Do yourself a favor and grab some bubble wands or a bubble machine! Make sure to stock up on the bubble solution.

If your kids are old enough, you can have them make their own bubble wands out of straws, pipe cleaners, or plastic bottles. I loved doing this in science with my kiddos. We always tried to see who could make the biggest bubble and experimented with making different shaped wands.

Go On a Spring Nature Walk or Scavenger Hunt

Take a walk around the neighborhood and do a color scavenger hunt! My daughter is 21 months old and is starting to learn her colors. Download the free printable here. You can use this outside or inside on a rainy day.

Digging for Treasure

Grab a bucket and a shovel and let them explore outside. My daughter loves digging in the dirt and “collecting treasures.” Sounds so silly, but it is one of the easiest activities you do not ever have to plan for!

What are some of your favorite activities to do during the spring time? Please leave a comment to share.

We are finally excited and ready to share that we are expecting our rainbow baby! My husband continues to be outnumbered by all GIRLS! Baby McShane number 2 is arriving in early August. I’m sharing some details and answering some questions that you may have about my pregnancy and baby announcement.

We knew we wanted to try again for a second as soon as we could, but never in a million years did I think we would still be in a pandemic. Any mamas that have tips of what to expect during pregnancy during a pandemic, please comment!

Although this pregnancy is going by a lot quicker than the first, it has been hard not having my husband by my side at my appointments. I have been extremely fortunate that with both pregnancies I did not experience any symptoms. Due to Covid, we decided not to have a gender reveal party this time around. Instead, we did a low key gender reveal in our backyard with just us and a few weeks later we were finally ready to tell our family. Many wondered why we had waited until 22 weeks to announce and share the news. Quite honestly, after our loss we were scared, afraid, and just wanted to know that everything was going to go okay this time around. We are excited, but overly cautious. We continue to pray for a healthy baby and pregnancy.

Baby Announcement

I knew I wanted our daughter to wear something to tell everyone the big news. I ultimately decided on having her wear a denim jean jacket to spill the beans. It was hilarious seeing how long it took some family members to pick up on the news. Some family members took about 20 minutes to fully process.

To design the “big sis” I used design space in cricut. Design space lets you choose and customize fonts of your choice. I used my cricut maker to cut out glitter iron-on (HTV) to give the jacket a more girly look. As soon as it was done, I weeded and used a cricut heat press to transfer it the denim jacket. I was able to complete the jacket in under 30 minutes and it cost less than $20! I even customized and added some bling by adding flat pearls to the back and front. The pearls really popped in the pictures.

When did you find out that you were pregnant?

I took an at home pregnancy test after realizing my period was late. I have always tracked my period using the glow app so I knew there could be a chance I was pregnant, I found out Thanksgiving weekend.

How did you tell your husband?

I told him on his birthday in December! The timing worked out perfectly. Coincidentally, I have told him on his birthday both times. Seems like a tradition?! With our first born, I gave him a box for his birthday with a fishing hook that said, “our greatest catch coming soon.” It took him a few minutes to process and sink in. This time around, I had snuck a shirt on our daughter that said, “big sis” and had her give him a present. He thought the present was the Lysol wipes she was handing him, until he looked down and noticed her shirt.

How far along are you?

I am currently 22 weeks and in my second trimester. I was able to hide it pretty well until about a week ago. It seems like I’m showing a lot quicker with this baby and have already gained more weight this time around. I gained a total of 25 lbs with my first. It will be interesting to see how many lbs I pack on with this baby. I know every pregnancy can be so different.

Looking for more Ideas on how to announce you are pregnant? Check out these cute ideas:

Use a pet to make an announcement, a letterboard, a digital etsy baby announcement, balloons, a big brother/ sister, the possibilities are endless! Thank you Caitlyn and Megan for your ideas!

Spring Activities for Kids & Toddlers