Baby F's firetruck using the playsilks I mention below.
Family Games
-We all enjoy playing
Wildcraft
as a family. It's fun enough to entertain everyone while teaching us
all about the uses for many common herbs at the same time.
-
This chess/checkers set has been a big hit for the past two years now.
-
Stratego The Chronicles Of Narnia (of course any version would do but my girls love Narnia)
-
Outfoxed
-
Bananagrams
-
Sneaky, Snacky Squirrel
-
Shut the Box
-
Auf Dem Lande (it appears to be unavailable on Amazon right now but you might be able to find it elsewhere reasonably priced)
-Bird Bingo
-
Harvest Time
-Birds of Summer
- Baby F (
age 2) Like his siblings before him, Baby F loves Ostheimer wooden animals and people so we are hoping to add a couple more to his collection. Perhaps
this Mama bear to go with the baby bear he received last year. His current favorite books are
Bunny Roo, I Love You,
Llama Llama Red Pajama,
Oliver Finds His Way and
Mommies Say Shh. He is getting
this sweet book this year.
These playsilks are used everyday by Baby F as well as L.
- K (
age 13) has recently taken an interest in painting so she will be getting
this painting set for Christmas this year.
She still loves
her own pocket knife
and carries it with her wherever she goes
knowing it will come in handy. Since reading is her favorite pastime
I'll share her two favorite book series:
The Chronicles of Narnia and
Lord of the Rings. She has read each series more times than I can count! If you happen to have any Narnia fans in your home
this post shares some Narnia related gifts we have given K through the years.
- C (
age 10)can not get enough of her
St. Therese and Her Family Paper Dolls that St. Nicholas brought. I laminated them all to keep them safe from younger siblings (K still recalls an incident with two year old C bitin
g the heads off of her Little House paper dolls). Her and K both love all of the
L.M. Montgomery books and the
Anne of Green Gables DVD is on K's wish list.
this balance board is also a favorite of both her and K...actually, come to think of it L loves it, too!
- Little L (
age 7) will tell you that, hands down, his favorite toys (besides his beloved shark stuffed animals) are his set of
interlocking blocks and
Fagus vehicles (pictures are his excavator, dump truck and conveyor belt). I highly suggest the set of 92 blocks over the smaller set for more building options (and especially if you have more than one child. He also loves
wooden trains tracks and trains and as of this year is obsessed with anything John Deere so we are getting him
a tractor that resembles the one on our property.
- We bought K a
Skuut wooden balance bike when she was around 2 years old and it has lasted through the rough riding of all three of my children (each of them riding it for about three years, from age two to age five when we get them a regular bike with pedals). It's still in good enough shape that it will be passed down to baby F, too! My children have all been able to transition to big bikes without training wheels thanks to using the Skuut first.
- Some favorite
baby and toddler gifts
We have had
these baby blocks since K was a baby and all four of my babies loved them. Baby F received
this push wagon
for his first birthday. He loves it so much we actually brought it with
us to this tiny house. We also brought along his favorite stackers
this one and
this one, and his
nesting bowls. Those four toys are really what he plays with most.
Each one of my children received
sheepskins
or as we call them "lambies" as babies for sleeping on and later for
play. C even used her up until she was about three or four. The ones we
have are no longer available but the one I linked too seems very
similar. I also made sure to get each one of my babies a
teething necklace shortly after they were born. They seem to help with teething pain. All of our children wore
these wool overalls
as babies and they continue to be one of my favorite cozy wears for
Baby F. In fact he is getting a new pair this year for Christmas. I
usually pair them with some cozy hand knit booties and a
wool long sleeve shirt.
- Safe, good quality
art supplies are very important to our family. They encourage endless artistic expressions. Giving children lesser quality supplies only leads to frustration when they can not create what they are envisioning in their heads due to what they are using. Not only that, the good quality supplies last longer. We have had the same sets of
Stockmar block crayons and
stick crayons since K was a toddler and they are still going strong. I did, however, purchase both of the girls special sets for homeschooling just to keep them nicer and out of the boys' hands. We use
Stockmar paint for all of our painting (and I also used it when I lazured the girls' bedroom walls back in Oregon).
Stockmar modeling beeswax is a staple in our home. All three of my older children requested a new package of it for Christmas this year. For colored pencils, we prefer
Lyra triangular giants. Their colors and blending capabilities are spectacular and their triangular shape promotes proper grip.
- Speaking of artistic endeavors, both C and K love to needlefelt and wet felt with wool.
This kit from Nova is a great starter kit for children (or even adults!).
-For the
knitter in your life (or yourself) I highly recommend the book
No Idle Hands: The Social History of American Knitting. Also these
blocking mats and
blocking pins have been a huge help for me the past couple of years.
These knitting kits from Stitch and Story have been a big hit in our home and you can get 20% off with code FRONTIER20
- Last year my children all received
these breakfast boards for Christmas. They use them everyday and love caring for them with hand washing and monthly beeswaxing.
- Words can not say how much I love my
Pioneer drying rack. Before I had this I was using cheap, poor quality metal drying racks that would rust or break within months of use. Not only that but they were never big enough to hold all that I needed to dry. I was constantly replacing them (and the clothing they ruined). But the Pioneer is the perfect size for my growing family and such good quality that I think I will be passing it down to my children in the future.
- The
Oh She Glows Cookbook is by far my favorite c
ookbook. I have had it a couple of years now and I still use the recipes in it on almost a daily basis. Her
new book is just as amazing, too!
- If you know anyone who loves
fermenting or wants to try it out I suggest the book
Fermented Vegetables.
We devour everything I make from this book and have some cranberries
fermenting on the counter for Christmas. To go along with it I would
suggest some canning jars, and
this set to start out with.
Another fermentation idea is some
water kefir grains. We use simple
canning jars for the ferment and then
these bottles to make it bubbly
afterwards.
- My whole family uses
Klean Kanteen water bottles on a daily basis (I even bought one for my Mom). We use different sizes, depending on the person, from the sippy cup up to the 40 oz bottle. We stick with the simple brushed stainless instead of the painted ones because I have found that the paint eventually chips off of those ones.
-For anyone young or old I can't say enough good things about
good quality essential oils and a diffuser.
Just please remember to exercise caution with all essential oils and
really research before using them, especially around children.
I'll let you know if I think of anything else. If you are looking for age specific suggestions and or have any questions - ask away!
2018 Holiday Gift Guide
making lussekater
those curls though!!
Life has been a bit too hectic these past couple of weeks as we try to unbox our belongings and fit them into this house. I have already donated about 50% of our belongings and am still going. If anything, this house situation has really cemented my minimalist tendencies and is helping me to let go of even more. I am grateful for that. On the other hand, I am not so thrilled with the stress the clutter gives me. I planned on schooling up to Christmas week but I realized trying to teach while my brain is an utter mess just does not work. It hinders and harms our schooling so last week we decided it would be best to call off school and convene again after Epiphany. I am so glad we did. I have been able to be more present with my children an focus on this beautiful season. I was even able to clear out and clean up a space in our living room so we could put up our Christmas tree.
