Play Dough Ring Stacker/Counting Activity

{This is a look of intense concentration.}

Before spring break started, I picked up a couple of kids' craft books from the library, just in case. Although we did not do this over break, it still was a good one to try out. This simple activity was inspired by The Little Hands BIG FUN Craft Book by Judy Press.


Materials:

• play dough (see recipe)
• wooden skewer (you could also use a stir stick/thin straw)
• Cheerios (or other "O" cereal)

Directions:

1. Make a small mound of play dough on a table. Tip: If you want, you can do this on a place mat.
2. Insert the skewer, pointed side down. Tip: If you are out at a restaurant, grab a stir stick or thin straw if they have them. This would also work if you are concerned about the sharp end of the skewer.
3. Let your child stack the Cheerios onto the skewer. Older kids can use this as counting activity. Toddlers can just use it for motor skills practice. Be prepared for a few Cheerios to get broken while children are sliding them onto the skewer. Don't worry, though, you child knows what to do with these! Note: The play dough does end up with some crumbs in it. I just brushed them away before we put the play dough back in its designated peanut butter jar. If it really bothers you, be prepared to toss some play dough. This is yet another reason to have homemade play dough. It saves you money, so it's harder to feel bad about it out as needed.

My Most Recent Craft FAIL

Remember when I said we took a trip to Dollar Tree, and I picked up all sorts of odds and ends for crafts and activities, most of them things that might not typically be thought of as craft materials? Well, one of the items I got at that time was a two-pack of plastic star-shaped ice cube trays. My original plan was to make some star-shaped sidewalk chalk using this recipe. Then, after having such a great success with my bunny-shaped scribble cookies, I was excited and wanted to try making some star-shaped scribble cookies. This was not exactly my best plan ever. I did end up with some usable scribble cookies, but the way I went about it should be classified under "DON'T try this at home!" In retrospect, it would have made much, much more sense to make the chalk first.

A couple of years ago, when we first started making scribble cookies, I tried the microwave method. I wasn't really a fan of this method at that time, and now, I am convinced that this is the entirely wrong way to make scribble cookies. I just needed to confirm this once and for all. Melting crayons in the microwave just plain stinks, literally and figuratively! It doesn't save you much time, and the temperature of the melted wax gets painfully hot if you happen to spill it on yourself or try to remove the container without a hot pad.

Since it is so hard to pour the molten wax into shaped containers like the palm tree-shaped ice cube trays from a couple of years ago without getting hurt, I decided it was worth a try to make the scribble cookies in the star-shaped ice cube trays this time. Obviously, they are not meant to go in the microwave. I knew this, but I still felt I had to try. After 10 minutes of microwaving, initially 4 minutes, and then checking again at 2 minute increments, I finally had most of the crayons melted enough to make scribble cookies. Unfortunately, I also melted 2 of the star compartments! There were at least 2 more that also got small holes in them, and although they did not melt all the way through, they definitely started leaking melted wax. (Why only 4 out of 20? Rightfully, this was such a disastrous plan, I should have ended up with more carnage.) Thus, I had melted wax on the microwave's revolving glass tray. (This cleaned up easily with a utility knife once it hardened, so at least that wasn't a huge deal.) But that's not all that went wrong with my plan. I then cracked one of the trays while trying to remove the scribble cookies, after letting them cool for an hour, and I had to use a butter knife to chisel them out, resulting in more damaged scribble cookies.

In the end, I had 7 star-shaped scribble cookies, which looked very nice, but I lost 11 others in the process of making them. That's hardly worth it to me. The good news is that I salvaged all of the broken bits for more scribble cookies which I will, from now on, be making in the oven! So, if I decide that I want to make more star-shaped scribble cookies in the future, (Fourth of July maybe?) I will need to buy a silicone mold. And I probably will because my brain doesn't seem to accept failure as absolute, just a piece of the puzzle that needs to be tweaked, and twisted, and turned until it finally fits into place. I wonder sometimes if this is how people like Thomas Edison ever felt, that if he just keep trying, eventually it will actually work out the way they envision it in their minds?

{Melted Tray = Craft FAIL!}

Spring Bunny Scribble Cookies

I was not even planning on doing a project yesterday, but this just came about. Logan was grumpy about something and he dumped out the entire crayon bin. While it was his responsibility to pick these up, I did end up helping him in a way. I noticed there were tons of broken bits of crayons again plus many, many cheap-o crayons, the kind from from restaurants, birthday party goody bags, and the like.

These crayons have a huge redeeming value, in my opinion. While being pretty awful for regular coloring, they make excellent scribble cookies. The cheap crayons tend to be smaller and easier to break into bits (one of the reasons they do not work the best for coloring), which is great for scribble cookie prep work. Also, their wrappers tend to come off easier than the good crayon wrappers (Crayola, for example, which does a double layer of wrapper), again, making them ideal for scribble cookies. I'm not suggesting that you buy cheap crayons, but if you happen to be given them, hang on to them and give them a new life as scribble cookies.

Anyway, I scooped up all of these crayons, took all the wrappers off, sorted them into bowls by colors, and then decided to try out my new bunny-shaped Wilton silicone mold that I found on clearance at Target after Easter for just $3. The silicone mold worked very well, and once they were cool, I was able to pull the scribble cookies out easily, with no wasted muffin cups like when I make them in muffin tins (which is still a great method, I am just happy to have had success using a mold!). The end result made me quite happy, lots of colorful bunny crayons, which I think will make good gifts. Also, I think black, white, gray, and brown bunnies are cute, whereas these colors of regular scribble cookies seem a bit on the blah side. I may keep these fun bunny cookies on hand since I am still hoping to do a busy bag swap, and I know they could be perfect for that.

{In the process of filling the mold...}

Materials:

• broken crayon bits
  
• sharp knife (optional)
• silicone bunny mold (or other shape)
• cookie sheet (optional)
• oven set to 275 degrees Fahrenheit
• bowls for sorting crayons (optional)

Directions:

1. Gather up all your broken crayon bits or cheap-o crayons if it's time to get rid of those. (Tip: I usually save these in a bowl as they accumulate and then use them when we have enough for a project.) 
2. Make sure all papers are removed. I usually just do this while I am saving them, but since this was a spur-of-the-moment decision to use up the cheap-o crayons, I had a bit of paper peeling to do. Kids can also help with this step.
3. If the pieces are too big, break them into smaller pieces. Kids can help with this. Adults can also use a sharp knife for this. (Tip: As I am breaking them, I like to sort them into bowls by similar colors: blues together, greens together, reds together, etc. You do not need to do this, but I don't see the purpose of making a couple dozen or so of mixed-up crayons. Even if they are all a bit different, they're still essentially the same. This way, we end up with crayons with blends of assorted hues of the same color, which the OCD side of me appreciates.)
4. Preheat your oven to 275 degrees. (ADULT USE ONLY)
5. Fill the silicone bunny mold with broken bits of crayons. Kids can definitely help with this step. You can fill them almost all the way to the top. (Tip: Before baking, I like to the mold onto a cookie sheet. This makes it much easier to take them in and out of the oven without spilling crayons or melted wax.)
6. Bake for 12-15 minutes at 275 degrees. Scribble cookies do not have to be completely liquefied, just melted enough so that there are no big chunks remaining. Set aside to cool completely. This took about an hour for this batch.
7. Once scribble cookies are cool, you can peel them out of the molds, by inverting them, pushing them inside out if needed. These recycled crayons are fun to color with, and they also make nice homemade gifts. (Tip: Just make sure to supervise young children. Scribble Cookies do look like treats, and I still catch Logan, at 3 1/2 eating them at times.)

A-Mazing Rainy Day Fun!

One of our activities last week over spring break was to take a trip to Dollar Tree. I let the kids each spend a dollar, and of course, my personal budget was whatever I wanted! Logan chose a toy 4-wheeler, and Mia opted to get two boxes of Easter candy, which were on sale 2/$1. My only rule other than they each had just $1 to spend, was that they had to bear with me while I cruised up and down nearly every aisle of the store looking for inspiration for crafts and activities. I found several things that I am sure I will tell you about at some point, but one thing in particular is the subject of this post: a roll of blue painters tape that I acquired from the hardware. Truthfully, I was not previously aware that this store even has a hardware aisle, but I am glad I checked, because there are lots of possibilities there. Anyway, I grabbed this roll of painters tape, although at the time, I wasn't even sure what it would be used for. I just knew it would be handy, and I was right.

The night before last, I had the idea to take the roll of painters tape and make a maze on the floor. This was after the kids had gone to bed, so they were not in my way, waiting impatiently for me to finish! I figured that both kids could enjoy the maze, considering that Mia had a half day at school due to conferences, it was supposed to rain, and I was feeling cruddy with my sinus infection. I decided to use the whole roll of tape, but I don't remember how many yards of tape were on the roll. My maze does actually have openings at both ends, but I don't think it is necessary to design a maze that way for this purpose. I'm a tad bit perfectionistic, so it had to be functional, in my mind. Plus, I tried to make all of the lanes approximately the same width, which again is not really necessary, except in the mind of Meg.

The kids have had fun driving through the lanes or attempted to walk them, in Mia's case. Logan's favorite part of the maze seems to be the "E" shaped parking spots that I constructed. In the end, Logan has enjoyed this far more than his sister, but they point is that it is still being used. In fact, he has been chattering away and driving his vehicles through it for the past 45 minutes or so, which is why I am able to write this post.

{My Little Man is enjoying the painters tape maze!}

Mia was concerned that it will be a problem when it comes time to vacuum. I, however, did not worry over this. We never manage to vacuum more than once a week, excepting extreme disasters, which are out of my control, anyway. The tape is peeling up a bit in places, so it is definitely not permanent, just an amusement to last through the weekend. Maybe.

{Another view of the maze}

No painters tape on hand? I have used masking tape for different games in the past. It's not as colorful, and it takes a bit more effort to remove, but it does work. Also, a couple of weeks ago Logan came up with this awesome idea to make a maze using our wooden blocks. I believe that this is the inspiration for my painters tape maze. I was looking for a way to make it more extensive and harder to move when he is driving his cars and trucks through the maze. Painters tape definitely gets the job done. The downside is that it really is a one-time use material. Fortunately, it only cost $1, which I consider affordable rainy-day fun.

{This block maze was Little Man's brilliant idea! I was just the construction foreman.}

Note to Self...

I found this little shamrock planting kit for $1 at Target back in March, and I thought it would be a an easy activity for Brett to do with Logan while I took Mia to a birthday party. As expected, the seeds started to sprout quickly, which is always good for planting with kids. The only problem is that there was only one leaf on each stem for the longest time, and I wish I had know that sooner. (The packaging was not particularly helpful with the timetable for germination or anything along that line, but again, it was very inexpensive, so I can hardly complain.) It turns out that it takes about four weeks for the sprouts to actually form three leaves and look like recognizable shamrocks! So, our shamrock seeds, which were planted just one week before St. Patrick's Day didn't really look like shamrocks until we got into April. For future reference, plan to plant shamrock seeds just after Valentine's Day to avoid this.

Mommy Needs a Makeover?

While I have been busy being someone else's mom, I have started to let myself go, apparently. I didn't realize it had gotten so bad until last night when I was at Art Night with Mia. We were sitting at a table in the school cafeteria while she worked on her shell creature craft. That's when Random Teenage Boy on the opposite side of the table informed me, "My mom has that exact same sweatshirt." At this, I stopped and looked at myself. I wasn't even wearing a sweatshirt. Whew! Dodged that one, right? Then, he looked at me pointedly and repeated himself, this time somewhat louder, "My mom has that exact same sweatshirt." Although his words had no inflection whatsoever, making it impossible to tell how he felt about this, it was now clear that he was, in fact, speaking to me. Then, I understood that he was referring to my very boring, basic, blue fleece jacket that I was wearing for pure practicality of the in-between seasons weather we are having. Obviously, I knew it wasn't high fashion when I put it on, but I had not really cared at the time. Now, I am rethinking this...

Especially after this morning's trip to the Kroger pharmacy. I have another sinus infection, which makes five since school started. UGH! Frankly, though, my misery of having yet another sinus infection has been paled by the exchange between Pharmacy Boy and myself. I have seen this particular kid before and wondered how old someone has to be to work there. He needed the pharmacist to verify the prescriptions before he could hand them over to me. While ringing up my antibiotic and nasal spray, he said something that made me inwardly cringe. It was, "Thanks, MOM... I mean, ma'am!" Oh my! I could tell that he was pretty mortified, something akin to when you think, I wish the floor would open up and swallow me whole. So I said nothing, because truly, what could I say that would make that situation any less awkward? And just for the record, unless I had a very busy "extracurricular life" in say, eighth grade, I am not nearly old enough to be this boy's mother!

Ever since this experience, I have put in more of an effort with my appearance, or at least I think I have tried harder. It seems that I may be sliding a bit in this department, though, considering these two highly embarrassing moments that have taken place within the past 24 hours. Barring any recent scientific advancements that would allow me to get an injection of much-needed self-confidence (alas, I am aware of no such treatments), I think it may now be time to consider a mommy makeover. To be clear, I am not desiring to be more attractive to teenage boys. However, I would settle for looking like less of an obvious MOM-type figure to them. Is that too much to ask for?

Shell Creature Craft

Here is another simple craft idea that Mia made at her school's Art Night tonight. She dubbed this little friend a "shell creature." I love the smoochy lips and long eyelashes that she drew. This craft reminded me a bit of when we painted rocks, although there was no paint involved tonight, which made it even simpler and less messy. This is definitely a good craft for kids of almost any age to enjoy.

{Shell Creature by Mia, Age 6}

Materials:

• sea shells
• googly eyes
• glue dots
• craft foam
• permanent markers
• scissors (optional)

Directions: 

1. Use glue dots to adhere googly eyes to a clean, dry shell. I think a smoother surface would work better, but we didn't test this on a bumpy shell, so I don't know for sure. Tip: Instead of trying to peel off the glue dot with your fingers, place the back of the googly eye directly onto the glue dot and then peel it off and place it on top of the shell.
2. Draw the creature's face. Permanent markers work well for drawing noses, mouths, eye lashes, and other features.
3. Add more decorations as desired. Mia included some craft foam hearts, which were also attached with glue dots. You could add many other items such as other possible materials: beads, buttons, sequins, yarn, ribbon, small pebbles, and construction paper, for example. Use scissors to cut shapes from paper or foam, or trim lengths of yarn for hair. 
4. Make several shell creatures and find a fun way to display your new friends.