News with Naylors

With two boys at home, a pirate sensory bin was very appropriate. My boys love pirates, and were jumping up and down in excitement as I was getting this sensory bin ready. I love all the learning aspects involved here - scooping and pouring, letter recognition, fine motor skills placing the letters on the magnetic tray, creative play, sensory, counting (how many coins did you find?), and a color review (what color is the J?). If your children are interested in pirates, this is a MUST DO activity! Thank you to  Mommas Fun World  for the inspiration in this amazing idea! Supplies: Large plastic bin  Cornmeal - we used three boxes to fill our bin. Magnetic Letter Set Magnetic Cookie Sheet Dollar Store Items: Treasure Chest, Necklaces, Jewels, Toy Shovels, Boat, Skeleton, Pirate Vest, Compass, Telescope (you don't need all of these, just ideas for you to choose from) Items From Home: Toy Pirates, Gold Coins , Printable Pirate Hats Instructions: 1) Fil...

2020 Update: Don't forget to check out  Special Witnesses  (5-Day Lesson Plan to prepare for General Conference).  Can I just tell you how excited I am for General Conference this weekend!? It can be challenging to watch with toddlers (I have two boys - ages 3 & 22 months), so I prepared these busy bags to help my little ones be entertained during General Conference. This past week we learned a few simple facts about the prophet and apostles in this General Conference Family Home Evening , and each busy bag will contain an activity and/or snack that relates to the prophet and apostles.    Instructions for Prophet & Apostle Bags: 1) Print  Pictures of Modern Prophet & Apostles  (from Little LDS Ideas). Cut them out and staple each picture onto a brown lunch sack. You will have 15 bags when you're finished. 2) Fill each bag with activities or snacks of choice. For most of our bags, I placed items that relate to the prop...

With General Conference this weekend, I thought it would be fun for my boys (ages: 3 & 22 months) to learn a little something about the prophet and apostles. My boys loved opening the eggs and looking at the pictures inside - each picture goes along with an interesting, kid appropriate fact about the prophet and apostles. We will have this poster board in view during General Conference and plan to keep my little ones busy with these " prophet & apostle bags " while watching the sessions. Prayer : Song Options :  I Belong to The Church of Jesus Christ - we sang this song while my boys shook their egg shakers (plastic eggs filled with rice and taped close). Follow the Prophet - sing the chorus. Have your child(ren) take turns being the leader while holding a picture of President Monson. March around the room, spin, etc. Introduction : Explain what a prophet is in simple terms. I said something along the lines, "Since Heavenly Father and Jes...

I have had so much fun cooking in the kitchen lately. I found another great recipe from Cooking Classy - Navajo Tacos . You can find also homemade fry bread recipe on her site, but to save on time I made our fry bread from rhodes rolls. The meat filling is delicious and so flavorful. It made enough for my little family (2 adults & 2 toddlers) to have navajo tacos a night and regular tacos as leftovers the following night. Rating: 10/10 (picture to come) Ingredients (Tacos): 1 Tbsp olive oil  3/4 cup yellow onion, diced  2 cloves garlic finely minced  1 lb lean ground beef  2 tsp chili powder  1 tsp ground cumin 1/2 tsp paprika  1 (15 oz) can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed  1 (8 oz) can of tomato sauce instead)  1 (4 oz) can diced green chilis  Salt and pepper, to taste Toppings: Lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, sour cream, olives, avocado, cilantro or salsa Directions (Tacos): 1) Heat olive oil in a 1...

We love holidays! We have two little boys (ages 3 & 1) that really bring the holiday excitement into our home. Every year for Saint Patrick's Day, we have a little leprechaun named, Silly McGilly , that visits our house. He does all sorts of things from bringing chocolate gold coins, changing our milk green, leaving us bubbling pots , hiding magic leprechaun rocks , and preparing scavenger hunts to find a pot of gold. Below you can view a huge list of resources to enhance the holiday with little ones. You can also view what we did at home the past two years. Enjoy! Saint Patrick's Day Crafts Saint Patrick's Day Hunts Saint Patrick's Day Songs (link to come) Saint Patrick's Day Science Saint Patrick's Day Sensory Saint Patrick's Day Treats Saint Patrick's Day WEEK 2016 Saint Patrick's DAY 2017

Here's a list of a few treats that look fun to make for Saint Patrick's Day: Saint Patrick's Day Jello  from Early Learning Mom Trusted. I made these this year, but when I went to the grocery store they were completely sold out of Lucky Charms! I topped these with colored marshmallows from the baking isle instead. Lucky Charm Marshmallow Rice Krispies from The Baking Chocolatess. What a genius idea to use lucky charms to make rice krispie treats! These are on our list to make next year.  Mint Oreo Truffles  from Hossier Homemade. Rainbow Cupcakes  from Skip to my Lou. Pot of Gold Cupcakes  from Baking a Moment. Rainbow Waffles  from Slow Robot. 

Here are a few of our favorite HUNT ideas for Saint Patrick's Day: Alphabet Coin Hunt. Write letters A-Z on office stickers and stick them on plastic gold coins. Hide the coins all around the house (or outside) and give your child a brown plastic bag to collect and identify the coins.  Scavenger Hunts for a Pot of Gold. There are so many great scavenger hunts online that have the clues already done for you. All you do is print them off and hide them where the clue tells you. How easy is that!? We love this scavenger hunt  (pictured below) from Love Grows Wild. You can find other scavenger hunts with printable clues from  Snap Creativity ,  Sunny Day Family , or  Teachers Pay Teachers .  Magic Leprechaun Rocks . These rocks are made with baking soda and a gold coin hidden inside. Hide them around the yard and have your child find them and drop them into magic leprechaun water (vinegar). The rocks bubble and a gold coin floats to the to...

I am not kidding when I say this is the BEST Alfredo sauce. I've been searching for this recipe (slightly adapted from The Recipe Critic ) for many years - one that's packed full of flavor and keeps it's flavor tossed with noodles. This sauce is the perfect creamy consistency and so delicious.  Ingredients (The Best Alfredo): 1/2 cup butter 2 cups whipping cream (1 pint) 3 ounces cream cheese 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon italian seasoning 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper 1 cup grated parmesan cheese (we used the green can) 8 oz. noodles of choice Directions (The Best Alfredo): 1) Cook shell noodles according to package directions. 2) Meanwhile, add butter, heavy whipping cream and cheese cheese to a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat and whisk until melted. Add the minced garlic, garlic powder, italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Continue to whisk until smooth. Add parmesan cheese. 3) Bring to...