Blockfest in Raleigh - Math & Science for Kids under 6!!

Blockfest is back! Blockfest is an interactive exhibit where children and their parents visit stations designed to raise awareness of early math and science by playing with blocks, and it's for kids under 6. This sounds absolutely incredible and has a pre-k teacher's stamp of approval.

The exhibit, which is held November 30 and December 3, is hands on and specifically designed for families with young children.

Wake County's Project Enlightenment is sponsoring this event. Pre-registration is required but the event is free. 

I made Play Dough - VERY EASY!

We took the morning off of traveling all over Wake County to make some play dough for my daughter's preschool. I am NOT Suzie homemaker, but I thought this turned out well.

My adorable assistant.

 

I got this recipe from babyparenting.about.com. I will list the recipe as I read it and then tell you how I'd change it for next time.


RECIPE FOR PLAY DOUGH:
1 cup flour
1 cup water
1 tbsp powdered alum
1 tbsp oil
1/2 cup salt
2 tbsps vanilla
food coloring

Mix all dry ingredients first, then add oil and water. Stir thoroughly and cook on medium until consistency is that of THICK mashed potatoes. Then add vanilla. Separate mixture in half and add food coloring, kneed until it looks like play-dough and the color you desire. Repeat with the second half.

Next time I will only add 1 tbsp (or less) of vanilla. It seemed like a lot, and I'm not sure what it really "does" for the recipe other than make it smell better. Vanilla is too expensive.

A little hint, it gets VERY clumpy while cooking. That's OK. It gets better as you play with it and kneed in the food coloring and vanilla. Also, I will wear gloves next time. I made orange play dough and my hands are red and orange now, although it is fading fast.

MacDonald Woods Park in Cary - Very Shady (in a good way)

We ventured to Cary, NC to check out another park today. This time I heard about a park on Seabrook Avenue in Cary off of Cary Parkway from a nanny I met at the Kidstowne Playground in Apex. What a great place for a play date! It's called MacDonald Woods Park.

This is perfect for when it's hot out, as it is very shady from all the beautiful, grown trees that cover the area. I don't know what they call the material they put down, but it's a squishy flooring that's perfect for little trippers! My kids fall all the time, and they fell no less than five times each this morning, and NO BOO BOOS!

There were two separate jungle gyms (one for bigger kids and the other for littler ones), a little sandbox (very clean sand), a merry-go-round (pint sized), swings for both little and big kids and so much more. I'd recommend going on a play date there, as most of the moms seemed to live in the near vicinity and weren't very social with us or our kids. I think, though, it was just an off day. We met a great mom there, of twin 2-year-olds, who was incredibly friendly.

Also very cool, which we had no idea about when we were there: there is a great greenway that bisects the eastern side of the park and leads all the way to the US Hwy 1/64 pedestrian bridge, and that leads to the Kids Together Play Area at Marla Dorrel Park, which I LOVE!

HIGHLIGHTS: Shaded park, good for kids toddler and preschool age due to the variety of playground equipment, love the flooring on the ground. Also, there is apparently a basketball slab and picnic tables.

LOW LIGHTS: Parking was street only, from what we could tell, and we had to walk about a block to get there. The entrance to the playground is a bit steep, so you probably need to hold little one's hands walking down & it's a little bit of a hike for me.

COST: Free!