Feeling crafty?

I've been wanting to look up some "how-tos", so I thought I'd take some time to put a lot of links into one blog post.

First, I have been intending to get some PVC pipes for the kids to just play with. They are very inexpensive and so much fun to build things with, so there is now a reminder on my phone to get some in a few days. Here are some links I found on making toys and crafts out of PVC.

Rola Bola (this site is so cute!)

Train whistle (definitely doing this one!!)

Pipe flute (lots of how-tos to pick from on this one!)

Ladder Golf

Rackets (genius!)

Baby/toddler toy to lay under (definitely need to do this too for our new baby!!)

A smaller version of the toy rack

Toddler parallel bars by the same people....genius!

Deluxe Kid Wash (been meaning to make this for a while!)

Another more simple sprinker

Super soaker guns, and guns of all types!

Marshmallow gun (how-to video.....this is a really cool gun, and I think the guy is funny!)

This site has lots of homemade toy ideas! (where I got the marshmallow gun video) Some of my favorites are Checkers, Mancala, swings, puppets, play-dough and sorting toys!

We have also had a TON of fun making our own hula hoops! They are super easy and very inexpensive, and they last for years!!!

Since I posted my eHow link, here are a couple of other how-to articles I posted on things we have also done in the past and loved!

Imitation Floam

Jump ropes out of nylon loops

And speaking of nylon loops, this is a very inexpensive book that has quite a few really cute crafts in it using nylon loops or plastic laces.


One more....here are some fun science experiments to try!


I need to stop there for now. There is just so much that it will take all day! I think we will be making a lot of these in the next few days and weeks ahead. I will be sure to post pictures of all our creations!

Homemade self-contained gardening system!

Whenever I find something I really like, I try to look for instructions for a homemade version of it. And here it is. Homemade earthboxes! I would love to make a few of these!

Gardening

Have you seen the commercial for the Topsy Turvy tomato planters? We are going to make some of these this week!!! Here is a how-to guide for making your own! Enjoy!

Fun recipes for homemade paint

I haven't tried any of these yet. This was sent to my local homsechool group. They sound like so much fun, especially if you have young kids.

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For bathtub finger paint

1/3 cup mild liquid dish detergent
1 tbs corn starch
food color
1. mix detergent and cornstarch
2. pour into several plastic ice cube trays
3. add different colors of food coloring to each section and stir with a small spoon.
Last...paint the tub !

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like oil paint

2 TBS. liquid dish detergent
2 TBS. tempera powder paint
1/2 tsp. water
Mix together and paint!

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pudding paint

1 large package of instant vanilla pudding (3.4 oz)
2 cups ice cold water
food color
1. whisk pudding and cold water together for 2 minutes.
2. refrigerate for 5 minutes.
3. divide pudding into several small bowls or muffin tins.
4. Add food coloring to tins or bowls. 5 to 7 drops should do it.
Now paint! If you eat it it's OK too.

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Shaving cream paint

1 can shaving cream
food color
Squirt small amounts of shaving cream into muffin tins and add food color.

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Face and body paint

2 TBS. solid shortening
1 TBS cornstarch
4 or 5 drops of food color
1. mix shortening and corn starch until smooth.
2. add food color and stir till smooth.
It washes of with soap and water.

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Jiggler paints

1 package of sugar free flavored gelatin
2 tbs. hot water
Mix and cool then paint.
If you use unflavored gelatin you can add different colors.

Homemade playdough and a "VERY 2" little boy!

Don't ya just love little ones? :) Oh the joys of having a 2-year-old!

Last week we had a sugar incident, and that same day Jonathan had asked why I put "very" in front of Jacob's age in my email signature (very 2). I used that incident as an example, and he was able to understand what it meant. LOL!

Well, today I have another perfect example!

We went to a local craft store and decided to get more icing coloring for some play-dough (I'm sure you can see where this is going). It colors much better than regular food coloring. We didn't have any red, so I decided to get one. We were walking through the store when, probably about 10 minutes later, I looked down in the basket where Jacob was sitting (he likes to sit in the big part) and, more out of shock than anger, I gasped "JACOB DANIEL!!!" just as a lady was coming toward us. She didn't even try to hide the fact that she was gauking at us, obviously curious what "Jacob Daniel" did. As she passed by, she gave a sympathetic laugh and said "I feel sorry for you!"

Jacob had managed to get the lid off of the icing color! I thought they had seals on them, and I seriously thought he couldn't get into it! But he did! He had red everywhere, but mostly in and around his mouth. He was EATING it! Fortunately we were right by the bathroom, so I picked him up while keeping hold of his arm that was covered with red and walked him into the bathroom. I got it cleaned up as much as possible while trying to keep it from getting on the other kids and the things in the basket.....it got on me in the process. (sigh)

So here are the after shots....after we got all cleaned up!


I have a picture of me too, but you'll just have to trust me when I say it was all over my shirt and hands. :)

Jacob and I made some play-dough for him tonight (betcha can't guess what color!), but I didn't get any pictures of him playing with it. Jonathan and Jayla though were playing with theirs outside earlier in the day, so I did get pictures of them. They each helped make their own too. Daddy even played with it tonight and made a log cabin. :)


This is the best homemade play-dough ever! It is AT LEAST as good as the name brand Play-dough. It looks, feels, smells and probably tastes just like the real thing! Here's the recipe:

In a pan, combine 1 Cup flour, 2 tsp Cream of Tarter and 1/2 Cup of salt.

In a liquid measuring cup (or bowl), combine 1 Cup water with 1 TBSP oil.

Mix the two together and add food coloring (or icing color). Place on stove and cook on high while continuing to stir. Don't let it burn! When it clumps together and pulls away from the side, you can remove it from the heat. It should only take 2 or 3 minutes...very quick! Dump on counter and knead until it is all mixed together thoroughly and cool enough to play with. That's it! Very quick and easy! Thank you Laura for that awesome recipe! :)

F L O A M

What fun! I've been wanting to do this for a long time, and we finally did today. We made our own floam! Okay, technically it is "floam-like dough". We made 5 different colors for a total of under $4, when we would have paid about $35 (plus tax) to buy the same thing pre-made. What a bargain! That tells you how much profit the company makes off of Floam!





The lighting was really bad, so the colors are not good. Jonathan had teal, but it looks sky blue, Jayla's wasn't quite as bright as it appears and the darker blue is actually purple! My hands are now rainbow colors, and the kids' hands have a little color as well from playing with it, but not much. I think after the first time of playing with it, next time probably won't bleed on them.

So here and here are a couple of links and the exact directions for what we did.

The first link says to use food coloring. The second link was actually listed on the first link, and this lady suggested using the Wilton Icing Colors. Well, both of the recipes are a little different. I was really impressed with the pictures in the second link, but I didn't have the Poly Vinyl Alcohol. Long story short, I read both directions several times and decided to combine the two and come up with our own.

This is exactly what we did:

We took a gallon size freezer bag, one for each color. In each one we put 1&1/3 cups of the styrofoam beads, the smaller the better. (I actually took these straight from a beanbag chair!) Next I added 1/2 cup of water/glue mixture (equal parts). I also added a small "smear" of the icing color. I closed the bag and mixed thoroughly until evenly distributed. Next I added 2 Tbsp. of the water/borax mixture. (The first link said 3 and the second link said 1, so 2 seemed to work perfectly!) It almost immediately formed into a ball, but there was still some stuck to the sides of the bag. (This is where it got messy.) I took it out of the bag and scraped as much off the sides as I could and mixed the rest by hand. After just a few short minutes, it was ready to play with!

Jayla was building a wall with hers, and Jonathan was burying a car in his. He wants to use the green to make a dinosaur for a contest (which we need to enter this week). Jacob tried to play with some a little bit, but I think it was too hard for him to manipulate, so he quickly lost interest. The other two played with it for quite a while though. :)