Melty Summer Fun – Paintsicles!

Posted on June 21, 2011 by maryk

One of my kids favorite summer art activities was painting with frozen paint on a stick. In other words… PAINTSICLES!

They’re simple to make. We always used little bathroom size dixie cups but you can use any kind of freezeable containers. Even picking up some ‘popsicle’ makers from the dollar store and dedicating them to paint can be fun!

All you have to do is:

  1. Squirt washable paint (a thick poster paint or tempera paint works best) into a dixie cup.
  2. Freeze a bit
  3. Add a popsicle stick (yes, torture I know, you’ll have to get the kiddo’s to agree to eat a popsicle or two)
  4. Freeze solid
  5. After they’re frozen hard just peel off the paper and get ready to paint.

If the day is the perfect temperature… it’s as much fun as scribbling with Mom’s lipstick. :) The warmer it is, the brighter the paint will be and of course… the quicker the melt.

Have fun!!

Posted in Art, Backyard Play | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Let’s Make Puff Paint!

Posted on March 22, 2011 by maryk
I’m on a tear right now to uncover ways to inexpensively duplicate the cool effects provided by certain products on the market that are simply too expensive… or too toxic… to let young children go wild experiencing them. Today I’m sharing a recipe I’ve discovered that I haven’t yet tried. (But I will soon!) So enjoy… and come back and share your feedback!!!

Homemade Puff Paints

ingredients:
1 Tablespoon self-rising floor
1 Tablespoon salt
Food coloring
Enough water to make a paste

directions:
then you mix them all together and voila! you have your paint. use paint brushes or cotton swabs to paint on cardboard. it works best to brush paint on thickly. when you are finished microwave your painting for 5-10 seconds, do not microwave for too long! and that’s it. homemade puffy paint.

Thanks goes to sandy toes & popsicles!

Posted in Art | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

10 Stress Reducers for Kids

Posted on October 27, 2010 by maryk

Life is full of potential stresses. The every day variety, like time crunches and spilled milk… and those bigger life stresses, like divorce, selling a home, accidents and such.

Kids get stressed too. And sometimes when a child is stressed they act out in ways that cause more stress. It might help if we add some stress reducers into their environment and explain to them the basic ways to help themselves feel better when they’re angry or upset.

Deep Breathing (practice together with them when they’re NOT stressed so it will become an easy thing to do when they ARE stressed)

Self-Talk (“I can wait for my turn”, “I can listen carefully”, etc.)

Ask for Help (“I need help!”)

Here are some tangible tools you might want to use:

  • a slinky toy
  • Hair gel and glitter sealed with tape inside a Ziploc plastic bag. Put a second bag over the first, top to bottom, and seat it with tape, too. Do not overfill, leave space for the mixture to move around when child squeezes the bag.
  • A quiet place with pillows, stuffed toys, and favorite books.
  • Use a Homedics SS-3000 Soundspa Lullaby, a musical night light that rotates images from one of three revolving discs while playing a choice of soothing natural sounds or lullabies. Retail cost is around $20 – and really, this is one of those very useful things that parents often pack or giveaway when their child outgrows the crib… don’t. It’s just as soothing for a 4-6 year old as to an infant.
  • Back rubs
  • a fish tank
  • Slime. You’ll need 8 oz. of white craft glue like Elmers, 2 cups of water (divided), 1 1/2 tsp. borax powder (available in the laundry section of most grocery stores), medium bowl, large bowl, spoon, plastic container with lid.
  • In medium bowl, combine the glue and 1 cup water, stirring constantly
  • In a large bowl, combine the remaining water and borax powder. Stir until dissolved.
  • Pour glue mixture into the borax mixture, stirring constantly. A glob will form as you stir. That’s your slime!
  • Store in sealed plastic container. Do NOT pour Slime down the drain. Avoid contact with the eyes and mouth.

I hope some of these ideas relieve some of the stress at your house too! Please feel free to share any ideas you have about what helps you or your child relieve stress!

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Paper Pumpkin Centerpiece

Posted on October 11, 2010 by maryk

This is actually one of my favorite Halloween centerpieces. And the bonus is that kids find it fun to make… even the 3-4 year olds can make this pumpkin and be proud of the results. They are usually amazed to see it actually take the roundish shape of a pumpkin!

It’s made with construction paper, glitter and a paper towel tube!

To get the easy instructions head on over to Lakeshore Learning where you’ll find the Paper Pumpkin Centerpiece and more!

Posted in Art | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Pumpkins – the brass tacks

Posted on October 4, 2010 by maryk

It’s that crispy and colorful fall season here above the equator… and that means Halloween is just around the corner. It’s October so we’ll be playing with Halloween oriented activities over the next couple of weeks.

It’s not too early to start decorating your home – indoors and out. So today I want to share with you a very easy but fun craft that will work those small motor skills in a fun way.

This craft is really versatile. The idea is to get your kids to line up a collection of mini-pumpkins along your walkway with a message for visitors. Whether they choose a simple BOO! or something more elaborate is totally up to you.

What You Need:

  • a mini pumpkin for each letter in your word (don’t forget the exclamation point!)
  • pins, metal brads, thumb tacks, or stickers
  • sharpie markers

What You Do:

Decide whether you are going to use brads, tacks, pins or stickers.

  • Decide what word or expression you would like to use. (some suggestions are eeeek!, BOO!, Happy Halloween, or Welcome)
  • Use the Sharpie to draw the letter on the pumpkin (this is primarily to guide you in placing the tacks)
  • One by one push the tacks into the outside skin of the pumpkin spelling out each letter.
  • If the skin is too hard to push anything into it you can use a toy hammer. If that doesn’t work then pick up some three dimensional stickers to use instead.
  • Line them up on your front steps or porch for a welcome to all the spooks in your neighborhood.
Posted in Art | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Rainbow Pasta

Posted on September 27, 2010 by maryk

There are so many interesting shapes and texture of pasta available today, and it’s really fun to watch them turn into a riot of color with this simple recipe. Regardless of what shape you choose to color your child will find dozens of ways to use them.

Glue them on paper and make cards, string them for necklaces and bracelets, use them as game pieces (‘wagon wheels’ make great pasta checkers :) or most fun of all… make clever pictures using colored damp spaghetti (it sticks to paper when damp, but it may not when dry, so grab that glue stick!) And of course, remind kids – especially toddlers – not to eat the pasta.

What you will need:

1 1/2 cups rubbing alcohol
food coloring
1 cup dried pasta of your choice

Place the rubbing alcohol in a jar of a size appropriate for your chosen pasta. Stir 3 teaspoons of food coloring into the alcohol and add the pasta.

You then allow the pasta to soak in the dye for several hours. The pasta is ready when it reaches a deep, rich color. Drain the pasta and place in a single layer on paper towels. When it’s dry it’s ready to be used in any way you and your child can imagine! (Consider reserving the dye in a covered container for future pasta projects. It will keep!)

Have fun!

Posted in Art, Games, Toys to make and play with | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Buttons and More Buttons!

Posted on September 20, 2010 by maryk

There is something mesmerizing about a box or bag or bowl of buttons that stimulates the imagination. The sizes, the shapes, the colors, the weight, I don’t know just what it is that trips our triggers and calls us to touch them and want to use them but you’ll find your child is not immune.

Two of the great things about buttons is their availability and their versatility. Regardless of age, there is bound to be a project that simply invites a button or two to show up. Along with their intended function as a fastener, we can use them as decorations, or game pieces, or jewelry, or….

A fun button activity for a wide variety of ages comes from combining 2 items kids love… buttons and pipe cleaners!

BUTTON BEINGS!

You need:

  • Buttons
  • Pipe cleaners
  • Permanent markers
  • Craft glue
  • Wiggly eyes
  • Craft beads

What you do:

  • Gather child/ren and materials
  • Encourage imagination
  • Thread buttons on pipe cleaners
  • Mold pipe cleaners into interesting shapes; tails, wings, legs, antennae, arms, more (remember, pipe cleaners are easy to twist together. For added strength for heavy buttons twist two or more pipe cleaners together)
  • After body is complete as desired add on a mouth with a marker and glue on as many eyes as your creature desires.

For more than 40 additional button craft projects head on over to ArtistsHelpingChildren.org where you’ll find a variety of ideas and instructions that take you beyond mere button stringing!

And if you haven’t yet accumulated a jarful of buttons, click on the image below and grab a big bag of buttons for cheap! ;-)

Posted in Art, Games, Toys to make and play with | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Group Game – This Is My Nose

Posted on September 16, 2010 by maryk

Cooperative games and activities foster interpersonal relationships… and are not only great for groups of children at daycare, schools and camps but family gatherings too.

Groups games are fun in and of themselves AND you can ramp up their effectiveness and value by framing the game with a story or simply pointing out an interesting facet of the game. Doing this before you start to play also adds to the conversation after the game when players share how they experienced the game… what they liked and what made them like it.

Continue reading →

Posted in Games | Leave a comment

Simple Pre-K Reading Activity

Posted on September 14, 2010 by maryk

When our young children start to show an interest in reading it’s usually noticeable by their exclamation that they can ‘read’ their favorite book.

In other words… that book you’ve read over and over and over again has somehow :-) become their first reader!

Continue reading →

Posted in Reading and Books | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Kid-made Gift – A Spoon Rest

Posted on September 9, 2010 by maryk

I love it when kids make gifts that are truly functional! You get to show them off while using them too! One thing I wouldn’t be without in my kitchen is a spoon rest. Oh sure, you can grab a small saucer or something to set your stirring spoon on in order to avoid making a mess on your stove top or counter, but that can’t compare with this delightful Helping-Hand Spoon Rest made by a child in your life.

Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Cooking and Food | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment