It's not hard to sit down with your kids and make a list of things to do before the summer ends. (granted, some of these are still INDOOR activities). And THANK HEAVEN'S for Pinterest, so that my searching for activities was made easy! UPDATE: Our favorite activities we've done multiple times. And we're still making summer lists EVERY SUMMER. But here's some ideas to get you started. (I made the pics mini, because there's SEVENTY FIVE + of them, but if you click on them, it should show up full size!) 1: Glow sticks in the bathtub. (I had to cover the window with a blanket some days because they wanted to do it when it was still light out!). 2: Writing your ABC's with licorice strings! Learning and eating a treat could NEVER go wrong! (A fav)3: Photo shoot. Any mom can have a photo shoot with their children, and you can find tips and tricks on Pinterest on HOW to photograph your children.4: Cloud watching. I had to make two. And it teaches your kids the correct name of the cloud.5: Fossil Digger. They have dino bones at the Dollar Tree. Burry them, and get your paint brushes ready to dust away dirt.6: Sponge Finger painting. Cut and soak up ANY sponge. I used makeup sponges I already had.7: Mini rainbow volcanoes. Because science is AWESOME!8: Make a book + illustrations. I folded it and got it ready. They started writing/drawing. 9:Balloon tennis. We got free paint stick stirrers at Walmart and used our 'personality balloons' found below. 10: Ding Dong Ditch w/a gift. Any neighbor you choose or think needs a pick me up! 11: Teach diversity with eggs. We're all the same on the inside remember? 12: Teach about the moon phases with Oreos. Then get you each a mug-a-milk ;) 13: Hand shadows and other objects. This also helps my kids be less scared of the shadows in their room at night.14: Plastic sheet cover your homework sheets=dry erase. I use to scan them and print for my children, (which I don't think was stealing since I bought the book and let my children keep practicing the same page. It was for personal use only, I didn't sell them or give to other children. Just to clear things up for those concerned in the comments below. But I've found that making it dry erase is a better way to practicing the same page over and save paper and ink! 15: Puppet show. UPDATE: I have now made my own PVC PIPE PUPPET THEATER.16: Shave with daddy. With popsicle sticks of course. (my kids used my pink leg shaving cream:) 17: Play angry birds on the nook. (This was a mandatory pick, obviously by my kids)18: Pick any animal day. Pick ANY animal and teach them everything you can find about it. We've done Cheetah and ostrich and even crickets. 19: Play hotel. You can play ANY 'pretend' game, but my kids love to put mints or chocolates on their pillows with flowers, and vacuum the room. (I'm soaking up every moment while they're young enough to think that cleaning is fun). 20: (wow this picture is small). Make Japanese chain cut outs. The kids will be amazed that they're all connected. (I tried to make the people holding hands, and FAILED. The hearts were easier).21: Create a silly holiday. I got this particular idea from my S.I.L. We made August 20th our annual donut day. You can customize it yourself to anything! Dutch Oven Day, Smore's etc! 22: Floating raisins. We've all done this, but I have to be honest the kids weren't THAT into it. 23: Blow up a balloon with vinegar and Baking Soda! YES, the kids LOVED this one. 24: Grab your nets and go Creature Catching! We caught a frog, a praying mantis and a dragon fly all in one day. 25: Helping cook. Doing grown up things is funner than kid things right? Of course be cautious in age and working around hot stoves and knives. 26: Make pony bead necklaces! My son loved this just as much as my daughter. (or pasta necklaces, tho ours always break.) And twice we've made fruit loop necklaces to bring and eat during church.27: Water paints are cheap and fun (for adults too).28: Lava floor. Dont touch the floor to survive. 29: Dry erase marker mirror faces! She's doing kissy lips...30: Melted crayon hot rocks. My sister showed me this technique. You bake rocks and then start drawing! Be careful to not touch the rocks though. 31: Teach and learn smallest to biggest. Have them organize objects like toys, blocks and talk about sizes. Most kids dont even learn this before school.32: Go camping :)33: Messless Makeup. I took empty makeup containers and pored in fingernail polish. My daughter still thinks it's real, and I dont have to clean up any messes.34: Balloon Characters. Draw a face and then name them. (WARNING: your kids will be crushed if these ones pop, tears MAY BE SHED).35: INDOOR Picnic. Make sure to use a NON favorite blanket ;)36: Play School. Learn while playing? okay.37: Make a band. My kids LOVE to make noise. Not recommended while husband is sleeping from working a night shift ;)38: Write and make letters to family members. use LOTS of stickers. 39: Teach you kids about the world.40: Teach your kids about outer space. 41: Exercise. You can be their instructor and try giving COSMIC KIDS YOGA a chance! They'll love going on a Yoga Adventure! 42: Make an obstacle coarse with crape paper streamers. I used our hallway. They crawl and step over all of it while trying not to touch the streamers.43: Act out a story. You dont need great costumes for this. Our bedtime stories come to life with T-shirts and sweaters. (wolf and lil Red below). 44: Make Dino fossils out of play dough and toy dinosaurs. Imprint and then let it dry. 45: Go to a fish hatchery and feed the fish bread :)46: Fly a kite. We did this a 100 times this summer. We went through quite a few plastic kites. Next year I'll be making fabric kites (with the left over kite sticks from the broken ones). 47: Make a Japanese Hanging Fish :) A big catch.48: Have a Tea Party. Mini foods and mini cups are a hit with BOYS AND GIRLS.49: Play dress up. See what your kids come up with. WINK~ 50: Go geocaching. My kids love 'treasure hunting' and BEG to do this EVERY single day. One of our favorite family activities. 51: Blow Wish Flowers. (AKA: dead dandelions). Or go Dandelion picking with baskets.52: Make popsicle stick puzzles. Storing a puzzle in a rubber band is brilliant enough I think. (using a photo is fun too)53: Make GIANT bubbles. Poke a hole in the bottom of a paper cup, or cut off the bottom of a water bottle. Dip. Blow. 54: Go swimming. My kids both did GREAT this year. We over came some MAJOR water fears.55: Color-Trace Leaves. If you haven't done this before...get to work. 56: Hand Print Art. Elephants, flowers, lions, reindeer, turkeys etc... it's endless. 57: Ice cube paint. Freeze water and food color in ice trays. Freeze with a toothpick or popsicle stick. Go outside if it's warm and enjoy some cold painting. 58: Play Mail Man. (with the mail you wrote and decorated earlier) 59: Go on a hike. Or run on a hike in my son's case... Nature hikes, scavenger hunts etc. 60: Make homemade lava lamps. Thanks to my friend Jess who taught me.61: Mini Marshmallow construction. Give them toothpicks and you've got a good hour of down time.62: Make mini bun pizzas. This way your kids can decorate their own.63: Paint and Roll Marbles. (Or in our case, hungry hippo balls)64: Make cookies. Let them do everything but work with the oven. Make matching aprons if your ambitious! (I got the kids aprons at the dollar store;)65: Potato stamps. (A fav) 66: Make a pinecone bird feeder. You'll enjoy the fruits of your labor all summer while bird watching. 67: Make and Play Play Dough. 68: Go through a car wash. (And if your in our family, tell scary stories:) This is a new major high-tech car wash in our area... 69: Have a water sprayer fight! recommended outdoors;) (also good to fill up with 1/4 vinegar and give your kids toothbrushes to clean the base boards...Yes I'm aware of child labor laws, but for now...it's a game to them)70: Scavenger Hunt. (A fav)71: A picnic. A regular one. Nothing's better than a spot of shaded grass on a hot day. 72: Build a fort! I wanted to post this one for inspiration because my blanket forts weren't picture worthy. My kids LOVE watching movies in a fort tho. 73: Write and send snail mail to loved ones. (That blue flying eagle is considered snail speed now thanks to the internet).74: Tear drop volcanoes. Put baking soda on a tray. Fill paper cups with vinegar and food color. Use a dropper to create fizzy foam!75: (no pic) Go Dollar Store shopping. Give them each 1-5 bucks and they're in heaven.
Get the world-famous elephant toothpaste formula recipe at Steve Spangler Science. Find instructions for our popular Elephant Toothpaste Experiment here!
The one thing I seem to have a problem with during Christmas is finding cool little things to make a perfect stocking stuffer, so I’ve been paying close attention to things “Bug” picks up in town and while watching TV the smaller toys he seems to really take notice of and recently my little cousin, whom I keep quite often had a kaleidoscope and much to my surprise my son really enjoyed playing with in and asked for one of his own so I knew it would make a perfect stocking stuffer this year so when I discovered Kaleidoscopes To You and their wonderful selection of kaleidoscopes I was thrilled and even more so when they agreed to allow me to host a review and giveaway right here on my blog!! About Kaleidoscopes To You (Taken From Website): Our history involves two decades of business experience at shops you may have visited in the Midwest. We started making kaleidoscopes out of stained glass at Wisconsin's #1 tourist attraction in the 1982, the House on the Rock. Karl was 16 at this time. From there, we added a second store at Mineral Point, Wisconsin, and a third in Galena, Illinois. During college, Karl opened a third location in in Red Wing, Minnesota called The Glass Scope. Karl's degree is a Bachelor of Fine arts with a Glass Blowing and Painting emphasis and ultimately decided to represent many of my friends' kaleidoscopes in our galleries. In 1994 we opened Crystal Kaleidoscope, a kaleidoscope store specializing just in kaleidoscopes at the Mall of America. We closed our Mall of America operation in 1997 as we saw the rise and potential of the internet. We went online in 1998 and own Kaleidoscopes To You. We have been smiling ever since. With this wealth of experience, we can suggest kaleidoscopes in various price ranges, or help you find a really fantastic hand made kaleidoscope by a skilled artisan. We are members of the Brewster Kaleidoscope Society and regularly attend events to stay up to date with the latest and greatest designs and new, emerging artists. We feel we try our best to understand the entire scope industry. We've even traveled the world extensively in search of new and old kaleidoscopes, which are rather rare. We appear in various kaleidoscope books and publications as a shop featuring fine kaleidoscopes, and as Cozy Baker (a recognized authority) says in her book, "Kaleidoscope Renaissance". Our Thoughts: I was sent the Classic Tin Toy Kaleidoscope by Schylling to review and it arrived very quickly and I couldn’t wait to try this kaleidoscope, I can remember having kaleidoscopes as a kid and making small ones in art class so I have always loved kaleidoscopes and I have to say I’ve really enjoyed having the Classic Tin Toy Kaleidoscope by Schylling Durable around and the colors and shapes this kaleidoscope makes is very pretty and I just love the colors used in it. This kaleidoscope is very durable being made of tin so I have no fears that “Bug” will tear it up and I feel like its going to be a favorite in our house for a long time to come. As I have owned many kaleidoscopes both super cheap ones to my dads super expensive one and I feel like the kaleidoscope I was sent to review is one of the best I have ever owned and I would totally recommend it to anyone with younger children who loves looking at different designs and bright beautiful colors! Bottom Line: I feel like the Classic Tin Toy Kaleidoscope by Schylling will be a favorite in “Bug’s” stocking on Christmas morning and I just can’t wait to set down and look in it with him. I’m also loving that this kaleidoscope is made of tin so I have no fears that he will break it within a matter of seconds and it’s large enough that he will be able to hold it and turn it comfortably! If you are looking for a fun, unique stocking stuffer this year I recommend checking out the selection of Kaleidoscopes at Kaleidoscopes To You!!!! With their large selection and super affordable prices your sure to find the perfect kaleidoscope for you or your little ones! Buy It: To purchase the Classic Tin Toy Kaleidoscope by Schylling visit the Kaleidoscopes To You website! Win It: Kaleidoscopes To You has offered one of my readers a Classic Tin Toy Kaleidoscope by Schylling to help you stuff those stocking this year! Mandatory Entry: Visit Kaleidoscopes To You and tell me your favorite kaleidoscope! Please remember to leave your e-mail address if it’s not visible in your profile. Want or need extra entries? Check out how to grab em’ below! (Mandatory Entry must be complete for these to count) 1. Become a public follower of my blog (2 extra) 2. Follow me on twitter @sgrant2005 and tweet this giveaway (can be done daily) 3. Subscribe to my feed via a reader 4. Blog about this giveaway with a link to this post and to Kaleidoscopes To You be sure to leave me a link (5 extra) 5. Follow Kaleidoscopes To You on Twitter 6. “Like” Kaleidoscopes To You on Facebook Giveaway ends Dec 12, 2010 @ midnight CST. Winner will be chosen at random, using random.org and contacted by e-mail and has 48 hrs to respond before a new winner is chosen. This review is based strictly my opinion. Others may have a different opinion with the product listed above. I did receive the Classic Tin Toy Kaleidoscope by Schylling mentioned above complementary for this review. No monetary compensation was received.
Summer is in full swing, and one of our favorite summer activities {and really all year round} is visiting our local library. It is free indoor fun {hello air conditioning} and my kids love going. We love story hour and and the children’s area, and we love finding new books to read. We have our …
What can you do with 400 cups? First there was the castle tower... Which came toppling down with the touch of Bandit's tail. They would of been upset, but the fact that Bandit took off running and was scared to death was too funny. Then the Coliseum- or the cup-iseum as they called it. And the Eiffel Tower- or you know, the cup-fel tower.... That one took us a couple tries. The last fall was my fault- Rylan warned me not to add another cup to the tower on the top...but I didn't listen and I was the only one who could reach. After that they told me I had to take a picture after each cup I added... We are working on a line that can reach up to the ceiling, but we haven't perfected the structure yet. A straight line starts to lean and fall when it's about 5 feet tall. If we curve the edges it can get a few rows higher. 6 feet is our max height so far. A curvy line is on the agenda for tomorrow. They are also pestering their dad to get a couple more bags of cups....
Hattifant's Kaleidocycle is a fun paper toy for the small and TALL. There are several designs available, some even to colour in. Time to become crafty!
Awesome Spring Writing Prompts for First Grade. Narrative, Informative, and Opinion Writing organizers and draft pages included in fun spring themes.
from my personal collection
32 Enthralling Summer Reading Books For Kids Of All Ages
It's always fun when Carol Carey starts to thin out her collection. I get to buy things I don't see anywhere else. And Carol says she has items to contribute to the goody bags and raffles table -- good news for collectors!
The Muscular System: Part 1 of 5My interest in teaching Human Anatomy sparked even further when we reached the muscular system study in our Apologia Anatomy and Physiology book. There are so many insightful components to this unit that we can teach our children, especially around the way our bodies move. First and foremost, we are to honor our Father with our bodies. "What? Know ye not your body is the temple of the Hold Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For
40+ Gift Ideas Made by Kids
Shop Little Tikes Fairy Cozy Coupe … and other curated products on LTK, the easiest way to shop everything from your favorite creators.
Family movie night is a weekly tradition in our house, and the kids have been counting down the days till we could get our hands on the new SING movie. SING is the perfect movie
PlayDrMom shares a great activity to go along with Mo William's book, "I Love My New Toy!"
This 'All About Me' resource is packed full of pages to get your students reflecting and sharing about themselves at the start of the school year. This is a great way to get to know your students and to build community within your classroom. It also has goal setting sheets for back to school, or for any time, of the school year! With both printable and digital options, it has everything you and your students need for the start of the school year! This resource includes a downloadable 'All About Me' printable book. Once you download this product you will also have access to a link for the Google Slides product, and directions for how to access and save it. This product is also enabled to be used with TpT Digital. This will give you access to both printable and also a digital version of this resource to share with your students. This All About Me Book includes: • This is me! • I am _____ years old • The letters in my name are... • My favorite food • My favorite drink • My favorite color • My favorite toy • My favorite animal • This is my family • One place that I visited this summer • Something fun that I did this summer • This is how I write my name • Some words to describe me are.... • Two things I am good at • One thing I want to learn this year • My friends are • An activity I enjoy in school is • Something I learned during the first week in school is • I want this year to be • All about my year! (Also included are 5 additional pages to provide British spelling for the relevant pages) What others are saying: ★ This was a great beginning of the year activity with my kids. - Meredih ★ A favorite of mine and my students! - Rachel ★ Such a fun beginning of the year activity. I even had the student fill them out someone else in our class. - Chelsea Related Products • All About Me & End of Year Memory Book - Bundle | Distance Learning • End of Year Memory Book | Distance Learning | Digital Resource Included • End of Year - Reflections and Memory Book | Distance Learning ⚏⚏⚏⚏⚏⚏⚏⚏⚏⚏⚏⚏⚏⚏⚏⚏⚏⚏⚏⚏⚏⚏⚏⚏⚏ Customer Tips: How to get TPT credit to use on future purchases: • Please go to your My Purchases page (you may need to login). Beside each purchase you'll see a Provide Feedback button. Simply click it and you will be taken to a page where you can give a quick rating and leave a short comment for the product. Each time you give feedback, TPT gives you feedback credits that you use to lower the cost of your future purchases. I value your feedback greatly as it helps me determine which products are most valuable for your classroom so I can create more for you. ☺ Be the first to know about my new discounts, freebies and product launches: • Look for the green star next to my store logo and click it to become a follower. Voila! You will now receive email updates about this store. ☺ ⚏⚏⚏⚏⚏⚏⚏⚏⚏⚏⚏⚏⚏⚏⚏⚏⚏⚏⚏⚏⚏⚏⚏⚏⚏
Who doesn’t love those high-quality, family heirloom baby clothes that were skillfully hand-made by Great-Great-Grandmama after which they were preserved and passed down through the generations?
This is a guest post from Janis Meredith at Jbmthinks. Kids are expensive. First, there’s diapers, baby equipment, clothes, food, doctor visits, and eventually college. When they got in school, we face another expense: the cost of keeping them busy. I’m not advocating that we should keep our kids busy every moment. But as they get older, their attention span gets more and more sophisticated. At that point, you can generate your own activities to keep them busy, or get {Read More}
Made by gluing together Popsicle sticks, this post-ice-pop house is the perfect craft for kids to make.
Kids can make their favorite toy an astronaut doll with aluminum foil and their imagination. It's great pretend play for our next generation of explorers.
Crafters of all ages will love getting creative with these fun and easy projects. From handmade jewelry to science projects, paper crafts and pom-poms, these crafts for kids will delight little ones and adults alike.
In the last few weeks, I’ve seen a passel (fun word of the day!) of great FREE or low-cost ideas and thought to myself, I should do a blog post about that. Hopefully, you’ll find somet…
Zim Zam Games were very popular back in the 80s, the current versions of that old favorite, tether tennis, will bring fun and family together this summer.
What was your favorite childhood game? Do your kids play it now? These classic childhood games are loved by every generation.
Get your kids psyched about STEM and STEAM with interactive activities they can do at home. They'll be amazed to use science, technology, engineering, art, and math in a setting that feels nothing like school.
Today, "Guantanamo" has come to be synonymous with a prison. But the naval base that houses that prison has a long and storied history.
