Kids Activities Category
Toddler Footprint Butterflies – Mother’s Day Gift Idea
With Mother’s Day approaching, I have been thinking about things to make for my Mom and Grandmas. Each year, I like to do something new with the kids and create a unique, one-of-a-kind, gift for them. I realized that last year, I never really shared our footprint picture we made.
You are My Sunshine – Handprint Sun
My kids love painting and doing art projects. Instead of doing our normal finger painting project this time, I wanted to do something different. It was a cold, gloomy day so we needed some sun! My sons are two and three and really enjoyed each step especially tracing their hands (well I traced most of them but my three year old did a few as well).
NEED:
- Yellow Paint
- Yellow construction paper or scrapbook paper (I had different shades in my scrapbooking supplies so I used a few different ones)
- Paper Plate (or yellow paper cut into a circle)
- Pencil/Pen to trace
- Scissors
- Glue
If you are using a paper plate, paint it yellow and let it dry. Meanwhile, trace about 20 hands on yellow paper and cut out.
Glue the hands on the back of the plate layering them.
Take it Further: Add a smiley face or write “You are My Sunshine” on it and give it to a loved one!
**Make sure you check out the handprint flower my son did a couple years ago. A definite hit with their Grandmas!
Fab Five Friday – 5 ‘Other’ Uses for Foam Pool Noodles
With summer coming to an end, I have been thinking about new fall activities and re-purposing summer toys. Yesterday, I was in my garage and noticed a few foam pool noodles that we didn’t really use this summer. I knew I could find some new uses for them so the search was on and this weekend I plan to start my projects. But for now, here are my top 5 favorite uses I found for pool noodles.
Photo Courtesy of HappyBrownHouse.com
1. Over-sided Beads & Lacing Patterns: I know my sons are going to have tons of fun with these. Sara posted on Totally Tots this great idea to slice a few different colored noodles. Write a letter or number on each piece. Little ones can lace them in order, copy patterns, or spell words. I can see hours of fun and learning here. Deborah from TeachPreschool.org takes it a step further and cuts a slit in each one. This allows the kids to connect them to create chains.
Photo Courtesy of lindsayandandrew.blogspot.com
2. Marble Run: Lindsay from LindsayandAndrew sliced noodles in half and created a little ‘race track’ for marbles.
Photo Courtesy of InnerChildFun.com
3. Hammer Time: I can’t begin to tell you how much I love this idea from Valerie over at Inner Child Fun. She attached pieces of pool noodles to cutting boards and then the kids can use their toy hammers to hammer golf tees into the noodles. I am just going to say this is the first one I am going to make this weekend. My 2 & 3 year old sons have been attached to their toy hammers this past week and want to hit/hammer everything (including the walls, tables, and even each other).
Photo Courtesy of Parents.com taken by David Roth
4. Backyard Play: Parents.com has a few ideas for using the pool noodles in the backyard making a Target Station, Rings, Wicket, and more.
Photo Courtesy of LoveofFamilyandHome.net
5. Wreath: Tonya from Love of Family and Home made this super cute Autumn wreath and the form is a pool noodle!
Do you re-use pool noodles for outside of the pool?
How to Make Homemade Moon Sand {So Easy}
My sons always want to dig, get messy and play with their shovels. This summer has been extremely hot and with an infant, we aren’t spending a lot of time out in the heat. I have heard from people that flour and baby oil mixed creates a homemade moon sand. I decided to try it out to give my little guys a way to dig indoors.
NEED:
- Flour (14 cups)
- Baby Oil (20oz)
- Container (I used a long under-the-bed plastic tote that was $8 at Target)
Simply mix the flour and baby oil and you have homemade moon sand! The measurements do not have to be precised. I used about 12-14 cups of flour and a whole bottle of baby oil. You can make a smaller batch in a smaller container if you prefer. I used a larger one because I have two sons that would be playing with it at the same time. It was better than I thought it was going to be. The texture was perfect. It can form/mold when compacted, yet easily fall apart with pressure.
My boys like to drive cars in the ‘sand’ so we make roads and hills.
They also love to make castles (I think they may like destroying them more though).
They could play with if for hours if I let them. It is a little messy, but messy is fun! Oh, and it smells good!
*A little tip, if you have any rings on, I recommend taking them off before you mix or play with it. I didn’t take my ring off when I mixed it and played with them. Afterwards I realized I had flour and ‘sand’ caked into every little crevice.
Mother’s Day Gift Idea – Handprint Flower
If you are looking for something cute to do with your toddlers or kids for Mother’s Day, this is easy and there are so many things you can do with it! Use pink or red finger paint for the ‘flower’ and paint a stem/grass (this was the best I got out from my 22 month old). I always use card stock instead of copy paper, because it is thicker and shouldn’t warp from the paint.
Here are some different ideas you can do for gifts for Moms, Grandmas, etc.:
- Make a card with the flower on the cover
- Attach a picture of your little one next to the flower and frame it
- Do some ‘flowers’ on wrapping paper for the present or on a gift bag
Nifty Tip:
I always take a picture of the artwork and upload it on my computer. Then not only is it forever saved, but you can use it to print copies, make photo gifts (mug, shirt, mouse pad, etc), or use it in a photo book.
***Click here for another finger paint gift I did with my son.
***Or you can make a Handprint Sun or Footprint Butterflies.
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