Toucan Box

Some time last year I came across the Toucan box. It's a crafting box for kids ages 3-8. For a monthly fee, they'll send your kid a box with 2 craft projects: it includes instructions, all the materials, a little magazine with more ideas and games, sometimes they include stickers, or erasers and such. They always send more stuff than you actually need in case something goes wrong. The projects are always matched with the age of your child. Some projects require drying time, help from a parent, or are especially messy, but those things you're told in the instructions. It's usually one project that takes a little longer, and one that is done quite quickly.

My 4yo really enjoys getting mail and is always looking forward to getting his "blue box"!
The materials are of a really good quality. The ghost pinata we made for Halloween is still hanging in our living room. I was really looking forward to the Easter box, since it included either a bunny race car, or a wooden greenhouse to grow herbs in. Both would have been great for my son, but I was secretly rooting for the greenhouse, since I wanted to do some gardening with him anyway, and we were lucky!

The second project is a paper Easter egg chain to colour with watercolours and decorate with feathers. And since it includes paint, my little artist wanted to start with those.

The box is shipped from England, but I am not sure in which countries they ship. But if you use my discount link, you'll get 50% off of your first box. There is no minimum amount of boxes you have to order, you can just give the first one a try and then see if it is something you'd like to get more regularly: https://www.toucanbox.com/friends/mareike-fwy5

Free things to enjoy during the pandemic

Many companies and websites have risen to the occasion and offer free things to teach and educate, to entertain, or to workout at home. The ones I personally like, I will share here. I'll keep adding to the list when I find new things. Some offers will be limited to certain countries, unfortunately, so most links will be available in Europe and I hope my American readers will have access to them as well.

1) Wash your lyrics
https://washyourlyrics.com/
Tired of singing happy birthday to get your 20 seconds of hand washing done? Enter song title and singer here and get your personal hand washing poster for your favorite song!

2) Schlosspark Theater Berlin - Schmetterlinge sind frei
https://www.facebook.com/SchlosspaarkTheaterBerlin/
The Schlosspark Theater is streaming their performance of Butterflies are free every evening at 8 on their facebook page for free since their theatre had to close

3) Scholastic teaching material from Pre-9k
https://classroommagazines.scholastic.com/support/learnathome.html?promo_code=6294&eml=CM/smd/20200312//txtl/sm/ed&linkId=84269747&fbclid=IwAR1Xr6B76nEXeukvjev2EWgDkNam9ruRgFGH9SNvrqLvYXALd-gRJqqRKwA

4) Audible - free audio books
https://stories.audible.com/discovery/enterprise-discovery-21103929011?ref=adbl_ent_anon_ds_ds_dbb_0-0

5) Makerist

Kostenlose online Kurse bis 25.3.

https://www.makerist.de/topics/gratis-online-kurse

6) Bügelperlen
https://www.buegelperlenvorlagen.com/
I don't know if you all know what ironing beads are: they're little plastic beads you place on a board, then cover them with a sheet of aluminum foil, place a dish towel on it, and then use an iron to melt the plastic so they melt together. I used to do those as a kid myself and loved it. This website will give you loads of free patterns to make with your kids.

7) Colouring Books

- Salamanders

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-7h-GsB_Mhdyhrb_U5ebqRiGDI9CmBCM/view

- Kokadi Babywearing 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/kokadi/files/

8) Easter Activities for kindergarten/daycare kids
https://www.kigaportal.com/ng/ng6/de/ideen/eltern

9) Rezeptbuch gegen Langeweile
https://www.gwrs-fichtenberg.de/archiv/schuljahr-2019-2020/rezeptb%C3%BCchlein-gegen-langeweile/
PDF Download - Aktivitäten im Alltag, Experimente, Sachen zum Bauen und mehr

10) Nähen/Sewing
- Kuscheltiere /plushies
https://cholyknight.com/ lots of free patterns for toys

11) Papier schöpfen - how to make your own paper (German)
https://m.geo.de/geolino/basteln/4346-rtkl-bastelanleitung-papier-selber-machen?fbclid=IwAR2kOHhbqmzKNbW8hkTNFD0qxuNAU0E37kaNlkT2NRC3bF1qbe_WuC92DZU

12) Wochenpläne U3 und 3+
https://www.prokita-portal.de/wochenplan/
weekly things to do with kids under 3 and 3+