Tag: preschool

DIY – Crocheted Double Pocket Hug

Welcome back friends! Do you crochet? I do! I feel calm and cozy when I’m crocheting, and fiercely proud whenever I complete a project.

My daughter is entering Kindergarten this year and, while I’m sure she’ll love it, I believe she’ll need a little comfort while she’s away. Pocket hugs are a small token that can be tucked into a pocket to remind someone we love that we care for them, even if we’re apart. Zoey carries hers in a pocket of her backpack.

I created two different sized pocket hugs and when I held them together, I admired how much they looked like a cookie with frosting so I had the idea to attach them together. Et voila! Now we have a double pocket hug that looks like a cookie! You could use any color of yarn for this, the possibilities are endless!

Let’s get started!

SUPPLIES
  • Two different crochet hooks (I used sizes 3.75mm and 4.50mm)
  • Two different yarns (I used sizes 2 and 4)
  • Scissors
  • Yarn needle or small crochet hook
  • Hot glue gun
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Using the smaller yarn and hook create a magic ring and chain two.
  2. Stitch one triple crochet into the magic ring, then repeat twice more for a total of three triple crochets.
  3. Stitch one double crochet into the magic ring, then repeat twice more for a total of three double crochets.
  4. Chain one, then stitch one triple crochet into the magic ring for the heart’s point, then chain one again.
  5. Stitch one double crochet into the magic ring, then repeat twice more for a total of three double crochets.
  6. Stitch one triple crochet into the magic ring, then repeat twice more for a total of three triple crochets.
  7. Chain three and slipstitch into the magic ring.
  8. Slipstitch into the back loop of the beginning three chains of the heart.
  9. Single crochet under both loops of the first triple crochet from the first round, then single crochet again into the same stitch.
  10. Repeat step 9 on the second and third triple crochets of the first round.
  11. Single crochet under both loops of the first double crochet of the first round.
  12. Repeat step 11 on the second and third double crochets of the first round.
  13. Single crochet under the chain.
  14. Single crochet under both loops of the triple crochet, chain one and then single crochet back into the same stitch.
  15. Single crochet under the chain
  16. Single crochet under both loops of the double crochet.
  17. Repeat step 16 on the next two double crochets of the first round.
  18. Single crochet under both loops of the triple crochet from the first round, then single crochet again into the same stitch.
  19. Repeat step 18 on the next two triple crochets of the first round.
  20. Slipstitch into the back loop of the ending three chains of the heart.
  21. Slipstitch into the magic ring one more time, snip off the yarn and pull the loose end through the final stitch tightly to secure it.
  22. Pull the loose end of the starting yarn to pull the center of the heart in tightly.
  23. Using a smaller crochet hook, weave the starting yarn and ending yarn into the heart.
  24. Repeat steps 1 through 23 again with the larger yarn and hook.
  25. Once both hearts are done, heat up your glue gun and apply a steady amount of glue to the back of the larger heart, within the confines of where the smaller heart will lay, then press the back of the smaller heart to it. If there are any loose edges gently lift them up, apply glue underneath and press it back.
  26. Once cool, give your pocket hug to someone who needs it!

How to Play – Sophie’s Seashell Scramble

Part of the fun in raising Zoey is finding things that delight and educate her; I want to find fun, creative board games to play with her during our family game nights! This week we played Sophie’s Seashell Scramble by Educational Insights for up to 4 players! 

Zoey has loved this game since before she even knew how to play! She would pull everything out and play with the Sophie and the seashells, honestly it’s surprising that there are no missing pieces! Then we learned how to play the game together, and she loves it even more! She loves picking up the shells with the Sophie pincers; we find it super fun and easy collecting and replacing the seashells to the mats and back.

Let’s play!

IN THE BOX
  • A game-board (part of the box)
  • A Sophie pincer
  • A spinner
  • 20 seashells in five patterns
  • 4 seashell snack mats
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Remove everything from the game box, then scatter the seashells onto the seascape on the inside bottom of the box.
  2. Give each player a seashell snack mat.
  3. The youngest player takes the first turn. Play then passes to the left of that player and onward.
  4. On your turn, spin the spinner, pick up the Sophie pincers, and follow the directions below according to your spin. Then it’s the next player’s turn!
    • Pattern: Find a shell that matches the pattern (the color of the shell doesn’t matter) and use Sophie to pick it up and place it on your seashell snack mat.
    • One Shell: Pick any one shell from the seascape and use Sophie to pick it up and place it on your seashell snack mat.
    • Two Shells: Pick any two shells from the seascape and use Sophie to pick them up and place them on your seashell snack mat.
    • Big Wave: A big wave is crashing the shell-collecting party. All players lose a shell back to the seascape.
    • Hungry Otter: Use Sophie to take any shell from another player and place it on the matching space on your seashell snack mat.
    • Otto the Octopus: Take any shell from for seashell snack mat and place it on the table next to Otto. Spin the spinner, if you land on Otto or the pattern that matches the shell you chose you can take your shell back and take any other shell from the seascape. If you don’t land on Otto or the pattern that matches your shell, Otto tosses your shell back into the seascape.
  5. If you’re the first player to collect all of the shells to match the ones on your seashell snack mat, you win!

ENJOY!