Dollar Store Sun-catchers

We got these at the dollar store. A perfect craft for a toddler or an adult. It lasted maybe 30 minutes but was very fun. A messy one though!

Home-made play dough

HOME-MADE PLAY DOUGH!

So fun! The kids helped me make it also. They love pouring the ingredients in the bowl and stirring and things. :) 

Here is the recipe:

In a medium sauce pan combine:

1 cup flour

1 cup warm water

2 tsp cream of tartar

1 tsp vegi oil

Heat over medium for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, until play dough consistency. Remove and put on a lightly floured surface. I used two colors, so I divided the dough into 2 and made a little divot in each dough where I added a few drops of food coloring and folded over and over until the color was evenly distributed. Store in tupperware for a few days. You can add essential oil for smell and I think some make it hard for bacteria to collect and grow. I am just going to toss ours after a few days. Enjoy!

Snow in March

A fun day. Can you believe it snows in March here? Let alone April!?! It's crazy, but the kids will always make the best of it :) And the smell of fresh bread baking...yummy!

Afternoon with Ashley

David took Cody and Eligh on a hike, but Ashley is too young so we had some girl time! First we made play dough that I botched because I wasn't aware you needed to COOK it...yeah im awesome... It was still fun. She loved making making it and then I let her squish around in it. Then I filled the sink with warm water and some fun dishes to play with. Good ones are : funnels, spoons, spoons with holes or slots, measuring cups, whisks. Just lots of variety. Anyways she was messy, wet but happy and that's all that matters :)

"Time Out" at my house this month

My friend Amy started a "time out" group with the ladies from our church and some other ladies. It's like a big play date for toddlers. This month I hosted so we made peanut butter pine cone bird feeders. The kids were good, the snacks were good and the craft was fun. Thanks for coming gals!

Marshmellow Tooth Pick Construction

Tonight I gave the kids a handful of mini marshmellows and a small handful of tooth picks. I then showed them how to make a pyramid. Cody was very inamered with the idea and started sticking his tooth picks into the seperation in our table. Then he added marshmellows and told me they were trees. Ashley ate all her marshmellows and was drumming with the tooth picks :) I let Cody play with my pyramid and he was just exploring it! He took a section off and ate it then rebuilt the section! I was so proud. It's very fun to watch your kids problem solve and discover! 

I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND THIS FOR EVERY TODDLER! 

I know what my kids are like and I never left their sides during this. Tooth picks are sharp and mini marshmallows can be choke hazards, so create at your own risk.

Match Match Game

So I made this game a while ago, but I let the kids play with it for the first time today and I made a container for it out of an old coffee can. The game worked really nicely. We didn't turn them over, we just tried finding matches. Sometime I would hold one up and ask them to find the  match, and sometimes they found matches on their own. It was fun and educational. :)

Our 2011 Halloween Jack-o-Lanterns

I love memories like these :)

BrainQuest Cards

I remember playing brainquest cards when I was in school and found when I looked them up online there were 17 pages of examples that I could print. So I printed them out and glued them on card stalk and put them on a ring. Questions on one side and answers on the other side :)

Cloths Pin Bats

Father's Day 2011

David's Shirt

Travis' Shirt (there is cardboard inside the shirts, thus the odd shapes)

Travis' favorite chocolate, chocolate covered marshmellows

Then wrapped for the dads in wax paper and chilled until Sunday :)

Nick Jr. spring mobile

This craft I did with Cody while puddin was sleeping. It was a backyardigans spring mobile but i just didn't use the backyardigan cut outs. And I added the crystal weights from an old mobile I use for parts. HAPPY SPRING! The funny thing, it started snowing when I went back inside.

My daughter the STAR

Right before we left for the St. Patrick's day parade, I decided to make fun shamrocks for my kids. So literally five minutes later we left the house with fun headbands and little banner buddies.

Waiting for the fun to begin I get approached asking if Ashley can have her picture taken for the paper! Cody was on Travis' shoulders otherwise, I think it would have been a joint photo. :)

Rainy day project with kids

This is pretty standard fare. I drew faces on one side of a paper plate and on a separate paper plate I wrote the kids' names. The I let the kids color on the plates and make the project their own.

The I placed the plates open side to open side and punched holes about an inch apart the whole way around. Next I grabbed some yarn and put tape around the end to make it easier to string through the holes. Once I was almost all the way closed up I put in a baggie filled with beads. You can do this with just dried beans and no baggie, but I didn't have any so I improvised and my obsessive choke hazard awareness prompted me to put the beads in a baggie. Then you finish sewing around the end of the paper plates and tie it off. Next thing you know you have a lovely noise maker that your kids love because they helped make them. :)

St. Patrick's Day Crafts

These two lovely projects are what we made in the craft class with Grandma Barbara yesterday. I love spending time with her and doing crafts. :)