Halloween Sensory Activity- Let's Dig out Bones!

I'm a crafter by nature.  I like painting, gluing, and drawing.  Messy sensory activities just don't come naturally for me.  But since Halloween celebrates slimy, icky, things.... I figured we should do a sensory activity.   So tada!  Today's blog post is all about this Halloween Bone Dig Sensory Activity!

Halloween Bone Dig Sensory Activity

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I watch the tv show Bones, so I definitely channeled Dr. Brennon and her squints while setting up the activity.  Usually Chuck doesn't like getting his hands dirty, but for some reason he LOVED digging out the "bones" and squishing the "blood" around.

Ok!  Let's get started!

Magic Fizzy "Sand!"

Once upon a time there was a mom who found herself with a very bored child.  He didn't want to play with any of his toys.  He didn't want to play outside.  And he certainly did not want to do any crafts.  Finding herself at her wits end, this mom pulled out 2 ingredients from cupboard and within minutes, whipped up several batches of wonderful smelling Magic Fizzy "Sand."  She then gave her child the sand and he played and played. After he grew tired of the activity, magic mom waved her magic wand and poof!  The sand began to bubble and fizz, delighting the child once more.  And they all lived happily ever after.

Ok.  Full admission time... I was that mom.  And yes, I found myself with a grumpy child.  And yes, this magic "sand" ended up entertaining him for over half an hour (which as we all know, is like years in little kid time.)

Let's Make Magic Fizzy "Sand!"

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If you find yourself with a super bored or grouchy child, then this activity is for you.  Magic "Sand" is easy to make, smells wonderful, and really does fizz and bubble with water.

Wanna know how I made it?  Keep reading!

3 Ingredient Slime (Borax free!)

Today's craft is going to be a super easy 3 ingredient slime recipe.  I originally found this slime recipe on fellow Rockin Arts Mom  Blog Me Mom 's site.  (She's amazing and her site has tons of other great slime recipes and crafts...so definitely check it out!)  I had to post this recipe here because it's AMAZING!  Erm... just how amazing?  Well, this past week I made 12 batches of slime.  12 batches!  I know, crazy right?  But that's just a testament to how cool this homemade slime recipe is, and how super duper easy it is to make. 

Homemade 3 Ingredient (Borax free) Slime 

 

Yup.  This stuff kept kids aged 2 - 30 something (erm... ok... me) entertained.  And here are the 4 reasons why it's super AWESOME.

1.  It's Borax free.  No scary chemicals lurking here.
2.  It's "edible."  (You could eat it... although I really wouldn't... unless you want to be "regular.") 
3.  You only need 3 ingredients to make it.
4.  You can make it in the microwave.

Excited?  Now let's get started!

Marshmallow Peeps Play Dough

After celebrating many, many Easters.... I've realized something.  I have a love-hate relationship with Peeps.  On the one hand, they're just so cute and colorful.  I want to pinch their squishy blobby cheeks.  On the other hand, they're way too sweet and taste gross on their own.  Blech!  If you dislike the way they taste too, here's a fun activity to try with your uneaten sweets.  Microwave them and turn them into some Marshmallow Peeps Play Dough.!

DIY Peeps Play Dough

I found the original recipe from Tip Toe Fairy.   The dough is fun to make, edible (although yuck, I still think it tastes way too sweet), and will certainly wow any kids at your Easter gathering.  Keep reading to see how we made our Peeps Play Dough!

Make Pretend Play "Dirt"

Does your child love playing with construction toys too?  If so, today's post is just for you.  It's all about dirt, glorious dirt.  Since it's freezing cold outside (and we live in an urban environment), playing in real dirt just isn't an option for us.  But no worries, I whipped up a batch of Pretend Play "Dirt" and we had a blast playing with it inside. 

Make Pretend Play "Dirt"  

The coolest thing about this recipe is that you only need three common household ingredients to make play "dirt."  (It was inspired by MollyMoo's Leprechaun slime recipe.)  So keep reading to see how you can whip up some play dirt at home too

Make Fake Snow from Diapers

Guess what Chuck and I played with today while it snowed outside? Fake snow!  We made some from a Pull up Diaper.

Say what?

Oh yeah.  We visited our nearby science center last week and the kids loved playing with their fake snow.  I found out that the fake snow was made from the same material found inside of diapers!  Wow.  Mind blown.  So of course we had to make it at home. 

Keep reading to find out how we made our fake snow!

Four Winter Toddler Crafts and Activities

Looking for some easy toddler winter crafts and activities?

I'm officially over winter.  Buh-bye shortened days!  Buh-bye cold weather!  Buy-bye staying inside!  Oh, how I wish it were already spring.  But, until warmer, sunnier days come, Chuck and I are going to persevere and have fun indoors.  Here are four crafts and activities that have kept us busy, happy, and sane for the past couple of weeks. 

1.  Cereal Box Gingerbread Men

I cut out a whole bunch of gingerbread men from my empty cereal box stash.  (Yes, I'm a proud cardboard hoarder!)  Then, I brought them to the library and let the kids decorate them with googly eyes and foam stickers.  The older 2-year olds had fun making funny men and the babies just watched their moms do the craft. 

Chuck's attention span:  He probably spent about 5-10 minutes on this activity before he lost interest.

2.  Hand and Foot Reindeer Wreath

 

I've seen versions of this craft all over the internet... and thought they were so cute and perfect for the holidays.  I traced Chuck's hand once to make a template for the wreath and horns.  I also traced Chuck's foot to make the reindeer's head.  Then, I glued everything together and he helped me add foam shapes and googly eyes.

Here are the different components of the wreath:

Chuck's attention span:  He probably spent about 10 minutes on this activity before he lost interest.

3.  Homemade Play Dough

I followed this craft clay recipe and we had tons of fun rolling, cutting, and shaping our clay.  Unfortunately, our ornaments cracked when they dried.  Boo.  But, we had such fun manipulating the stuff that I kept leftovers in a sealed bag in the fridge.  It didn't dry out and we got to play with it another day. (Right now the "play dough" is still in our fridge... so we'll try it out again this week.)

He used a blunt plastic knife, measuring spoons, measuring cup, and an olive jar (our makeshift rolling pin) to play with the dough. 

Chuck's attention span:  This activity was a hit!  We spent about 30-45 minutes on two separate days playing with our "play dough."

4.  Water Bead Play

Again, I saw a ton of other mommies raving about these beads so I had to give them a try.  I found mine at Michaels in the flower section.  The beads are made of a special polymer that expands in water.  The resulting beads look a bit like boba balls and are slippery and firm.  They also bounce a bit if dropped.

Here's what the water beads initially looked like ...

After a couple of hours, our beads grew and Chuck had a blast scooping them from container to container.

Warning:  Yes, they can be a choking hazard.  I repeatedly told him that the beads weren't food and I made sure to watch him while he played.  Once we were done with the beads, I threw them away in the garbage can.  (You can't pour them down the drain because they can clog your pipes.)

Chuck's attention span:  This activity was a hit!  He spent about an hour just scooping the beads from container to container.


So, for all you mamas out there who are also stuck at home with young ones... stay strong!  We can make it through winter!  Hopefully one of these ideas will help keep you sane this week.

Happy crafting, friends!

Microwaving Ivory soap

Yup.  I was shocked too when I saw the results.  But it really works.  We tried making this puffy soap with a friend.  Chuck didn't seem too excited by the transformation, but his friend loved it.

I just took a bar of Ivory soap, cut it into quarters, placed the pieces in a bowl, and microwaved for 2 minutes.  (Note: It's got to be Ivory soap.)

Why did it expand?  Well, unlike other brands of soap, Ivory soap has a lot of air inside. As you heat the soap, the water vaporizes and the air expands, causing the soap to poof out.  (See Steve Spangler for more information.)

I had to wait a couple of moments before I could touch it because parts were pretty hot.  The texture reminded me of crumbly cotton candy.  As we played with the soap, it slowly broke down into a fine powder.

You can still use it as soap... but I'm going to use the soap powder for another reason....homemade laundry detergent!

Weird, wonderful snow dough

What does the weather look like in your area?  Around here it's been wet and cold.  Ick.  We had a bit of snow last week and then yesterday it ice-rained.  Ick ick ick.

As you can probably guess, Baby Chuck and I have been staying in quite a bit.  To battle the stir-craziness, I've been crafting and crapting things for him.

Feeling inspired by the snow, I made snow dough by mixing 2 C of cornstarch and 1/3 C of vegetable oil.*   The resulting dough was velvety soft and crumbly.  (Hubby described it as having the consistency of wet sand.... except that it's dry.)

Everyone had fun playing with it.  I enjoyed making "snow balls" and Baby Chuck liked crushing them with his tiny fists.  


Ooh.  I see a patch of sunshine.  Ok, we gotta enjoy it before it disappears.  Hope the weather is nicer where you are!

(*Sorry.  I had a brain fart and completely forgot where I found this recipe so I can't properly cite it.  Big thanks to one nice blogger.)