Conditioner-Dough

We are headed out to brunch this morning and I’m just not sure how my son is going to be.  Restaurants are not really his thing and with a lot of family there I’m sure he’s going to be distracted and not want to sit and be patient.  Patience for a 3 year old boy is just not heard of!  I decided I needed to pull some tricks out of my hat to keep him entertained so threw some new things in the “busy bag” we bring out to eat with us.  My co-workers are credited for this one (thank you Kim and Ellen!!) since they were doing this in their group the other day and I knew it was something my two would really enjoy.  Here’s what you need

1/2 cup of cheap conditioner

1 cup Corn starch

Plain and simple dump the ingredients together and mix them up (really that is it, nothing complicated here!!).   I will say that I added lit bits of extra corn starch to the mixture at a time until it was no longer sticky to the touch. Place it in a ziplock bag for storage (or in my case transport) and your good.  I didn’t even give them tools to use like I usually do with play dough, just their bare little hands and boy did those little hands smell good after!!  Hope yours enjoy it as much as my loves did!

Fingerprint Flowers

Spring has finally sprung!!  With spring comes Mother’s Day so we are beginning to get ready.  We decided to create our cards today and used our fingers to make a beautiful keepsake.  All you need are:

Card stock

Washable ink pads (make sure they are washable or you will have stained little fingers!!)

Markers

Little fingers!!

Give each child a piece of card stock and place the markers and ink pads in the center where everyone can share them.  I demonstrated a few different ways to use fingerprints to create flowers and set them to it.  When they’ve created their flower they can then use the markers to add stems, leaves and a Mother’s Day message.  Enjoy!!

Goop!

I’m tired today.  I had a horrible night’s sleep and by mid-afternoon needed the kids to be involved in something where they weren’t fighting and I could sit back in a chair and veg-out for a while!  What better than goop to keep them busy for a half hour or so!  Easy and fun (though messy with little ones who don’t understand yet to keep it on the tray, thankfully mine are old enough!).  Here’s your material list

Shaving Cream

Cornstarch

Bucket or tray

Warm soapy water

Towel

All you need to do to create this moldable, sticky goop is mix in the bucket or tray equal parts of the cornstarch and shaving cream (you can play with the amounts to create different textures as well).   Period, nothing else, besides letting your children explore the cool texture.  When they’re done they can dip their hands in the warm soapy water to scrub up and towel dry.  Same for your bucket and surface, some warm soapy water and it all disappears.  Hope your little ones have a blast with this!!

Cinna-Bunnies

Easter is right around the corner (so strange in March, but oh well!) and we are pulling out our fun Easter activities.  For snack today my kiddos wanted cinnamon buns, so to usher us into the Easter holiday I turned them into Cinna-Bunnies.  Very easy and yummy!  All you need is

Roll of Cinnamon Buns (I prefer Pillsbury)

Non stick spray

Cookie Sheet

Pop open your tube of cinnamon buns and separate them into rolls.  Instead of then placing them in the pan as a roll, unroll each one into a rope.  Take your rope and first break off a small piece at one of the ends and roll it into a ball (this will be the bunny’s tail), then take the rest of the rope and make a figure eight, leaving a bit of each end sticking out of the top of it.  At the ends squeeze the loose pieces into a point for the bunny ears.  Place the ball of dough in the bottom circle of the figure eight (this is the bunny’s butt).  Place them on the cookie sheet you’ve sprayed with the non stick spray and bake according to the package.  My kids really liked these and had fun using the frosting to create bunny fur on their bun.  Have fun and eat up!

Mermaid Tails

My daughter loves to play dress up, mostly with my clothes and shoes, but every now and then she makes a special request.  We just read “Fancy Nancy and the Mermaid Ballet” so of course this meant she needed to dress like a mermaid.  At first I panicked and wasn’t sure how I would go about creating a mermaid tail, for her and then I realized I was trying to make it too difficult.  Here’s all you need

Bath towel

Elastics

Safety pin

Hold the towel vertically and wrap one of the short sides around you little one’s back toward their belly so the corners meet at their belly button and fasten them together with the safety-pin.  At the opposite short end take each corner and wrap an elastic like your making a pony tail a few inches down each side to create the tail effect.  That was it, nothing fancy, but she adored it and now keeps the towel safely tucked into her costume box!  Have a great day watching you little one use their imagination!

Cat in the Hat Parfait

Tomorrow, March 2nd is Dr. Seuss’ birthday!!  Every year at my house we celebrate this event with a salute to this wonderful author!  Usually we make a batch of Oobleck (the recipe is here under Sensory Activities), but this year I decided to add a Cat in the Hat inspired treat to the day as well.  Here’s what you’ll need

Sliced Strawberries

Vanilla Yogurt

A tall clear glass ( I used  a mason jar)

Spoon

With your spoon simply layer the strawberries and yogurt to create the Cat’s hat for your little ones to snack on.  If you prefer a sweeter snack substitute the strawberries with red jello and the yogurt with Cool Whip.  I will tell you, you’ll need a steady hand to not get it all over the inside of the glass, but really could an activity get any simpler?!  Hope you enjoy Dr. Seuss’ birthday and read lots of his great works on March 2nd!!

Home-Made Finger Paint

During my son’s nap today my daughter decided she wanted to paint.  When we went to get our finger paint, however, we were out!  Since she really wanted to paint I decided to try a recipe for home-made finger paint I had tucked away and boy was it a hit!!  She painted for over an hour and made things for everyone!  Here is what you’ll need

3 Tbs sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup cornstarch

2 cups water

saucepan

spoon

food coloring

bowls for each color

paper

newspaper

In your saucepan combine the first 4 ingredients and warm slowly until it has thickened.  Pour into the bowls and let it completely cool.  When it’s cool add your food coloring to create the colors you want.  Cover your work surface with the newspaper and set your child up with a piece of paper to begin their work of art.   I provided my daughter with sponge stamps, brushes and popsicle sticks to assist her in her exploration! Hope your little one has as much fun as mine did!!

Valentine Mice Book Marks

We are completely snowed in here in the Northeast so what a great time to get started on our Valentines!  My daughter is in kindergarten and is just learning to read so really wanted valentines to reflect that fact.  We finally decided on these easy to make mice.  There is some prep work for these on your part (unless your child wants to help with the cutting), but once that is complete the project itself goes quickly.  Here’s what you need

Various Colors of Construction Paper

Glue

Scissors

Yarn

Markers

From the different colors of construction paper cut various sized hearts, some will be for bodies, some for ears, some for eyes and some for noses.  Cut a length of yarn for each mouse and you can either braid this or tie a knot in the end.  Spread some glue on one half of the largest heart and place the length of yarn in the center before folding the heart in half (this creates the mouse’s body).  Now glue the other, smaller hearts to look like the nose, eyes and ears.  We then used the markers to create the eyes and mouth and to write on the back of each mouse, “Be my reading buddy!”  So simple!  Have a great Valentine’s Day!

Penguin Foot Art

I’ll admit it, I’m addicted to hand and footprint art projects!  I love them, they are adorable and such a cute way to keep track of how your little one is growing.  This one is for my daughter who has loved penguins since she was small (her imaginary friend was even a penguin named Pengwee).  It’s a simple project, cute to hang on the fridge for the winter and then a treasure to tuck away in a safe spot to look back on how tiny their feet once were!  All you need is

Black, white and orange washable paint

Paint brushes

Construction paper

A bucket of warm, soapy water

A towel

Have your little one take off their shoe and then help them paint their toes orange, outside edge, heel and ball of their foot black and their arch white.  Carefully let them step onto the construction paper, pushing down gently and then help them pull their foot straight up for the best result.  The messy foot goes right into the warm, soapy water for a quick wash and then to the towel to dry and you are almost done!  We then used construction paper to make eyes and a beak for our penguin and stuck it to the still wet paint.  There he is, your very own foot penguin!  Have fun!

Let It Snow!

My kids have been not so patiently waiting for it to snow, so this week when it did of course the forecast was for it to turn to rain before I got home from work. Knowing they would not be so happy if they got home and the snow was no more I grabbed a large tub and scooped up as much snow as it would hold, covered the top to protect it from the rain and left it on the back porch. When we were done with our respective school and work days the fun began, even though outside it was a mushy, rainy mess. Here’s what you need

A large storage container

Fresh snow

A large towel

Waterproof Mittens

A laid the towel on the floor of my kitchen and placed the tub on top of it. My only instructions were, you need to keep mittens on while you’re playing in the snow and there is no throwing it. They were in heaven!! We might not have been able to go outside in the now pouring rain, but they got their fill of scooping, rolling, stacking and packing snow right in our own kitchen. Have fun and let it snow!!