Shaving Cream Painting Playdate

Shaving cream painting playdate (http://www.growingajeweledrose.com/2012/07/summer-sensory-play-shaving-cream-and.html)
I know I said pictures, but I forgot again.  This playdate was not super eventful, the shaving cream painting was moderately fun.  I thought it was going to be a lot more fun using the colored ice, but it was very similar to just plain shaving cream play.  The kids enjoyed the sensory experience of it, but the use of color didn’t add anything.  We swam, played bubbles, ate popsicles and treats, and had a mini tea party.  I think next week we will have a tea party playdate (H’s request), but still do a project/activity.  Pretty soon our playdates will change a little as we gear up to do a more
‘co-op/school’ experience. 
Since this playdate wasn’t super eventful and I don’t have any pictures for you.  I am posting some of the kids in the kitchen. 

                                                    Washing Dishes

                                                 Making Sandwiches

                                                     Yummy!

                                               Making Smoothies
                                               (word to the wise....keep your blender unplugged until ready to blend)

And a bonus....our favorite smoothie recipe:
                         3-4 handfuls of frozen strawberries
                         1 banana (fresh or frozen)
                         3 cups of yogurt (soy)
                         2 TBSP ground flax seed (Omega 3s!)
                         1 cup spinach (any greens)
                         3 probiotic capsules broken open (not really necessary depending on yogurt type)
                         Splash of orange juice or almond milk for easy blending

Ice Excavation Playdate

Tuesday we hosted our playdate and darn it, I forgot to take pictures!  I froze some small plastic toys in blocks of ice, so the kids could do ice excavation as found here (I love pinterest): http://chasingcheerios.blogspot.com/2011/08/excavating-toys-from-ice.html 
This was a good crowd, 7 kids and 4 adults total.  We only had one hammer which was the tool of choice for this project.  H promptly broke his toys free with a few well placed bangs and was pretty much done with the project, then he passed the hammer on so the other kids could have a shot.  I found it to be great fun to watch how each kid handled the project a little differently, some tackling it with more gusto than others, but all remaining engaged.  Then we had some free play and pool time.  This pool has been a great source of fun for the little ones, I am so glad we got it.