Monday, February 7, 2011

Pipe Cleaners

Here is another activity I did with my girls one snowy morning. This actually held their interest for awhile. All you need is a colander and some pipe cleaners. Show them how to shove the pipe cleaners into the small holes in the colander and you're all set. They were entertained for probably 30 minutes or so. And 30 minutes of peace when you are all suffering from cabin fever is awesome!
Pipe Cleaner Play

Saturday, February 5, 2011

Barrettes

barrette, craft, homemade
A few weeks ago I bought a bag of hair clips from Hobby Lobby promising myself I was going to make clips for my girls but I just haven't found the time to do it. Yesterday the little one went down for a nap and the biggest one fell asleep on the couch so I rounded up my felt, fabric scraps, hot glue and got to work. I was only able to crank out 5 since the oldest didn't sleep very long and was feeling sick when she woke up.
Barrettes

I was happy with my results though and can't wait to make more. They were so easy and much cheaper to make than buy!
Barrettes

Snail Mail

I really have been looking for new activities to keep the kiddos busy during these last days of winter. A friend of mine posted THIS link on Facebook and I have found some great new ideas there Last night while I made supper, I employed one of them...Snail Mail. I got out all of my Stampin' Up stamps that I haven't used in years, a washable ink pad, crayons, a load of stickers, and cardstock. I told the girls to just decorate the papers and we would send their mail creations to friends.
Making Mail

Newspaper Sculpting

Another great cabin fever idea that I got from the same friend who gave me the "Clean Mud" idea is newspaper sculpting. All you need is a stack of newspapers and masking tape. Just roll up the newspapers, tape and let the kiddos create.
Newspaper Sculpting
We made a teepee for our Little People to camp out in.
Newspaper Sculpting

Clean Mud

I am seriously experiencing some cabin fever, running out of things to do and trying to keep my girls from fighting most of the day. We have been cooped up quite a bit due to weather and illness. SO.....I went online looking for some new ideas. I had a friend of mine mention that her son's preschool class had made "Clean Mud" and it was so easy. I googled it and found a recipe and we made it.
Clean Mud
Basically you shred up 2 toilet paper rolls, grate a bar of Ivory soap, and add warm water until you get the consistency that you want. My youngest daughter (almost 2) had the most fun shredding the toilet paper up because she tries to do this frequently throughout the day and we usually tell her, "NO!" My oldest daughter (4 1/2) had more fun actually playing with the clean mud.
Clean Mud
It was not quite the hit I was hoping it to be but it was still fun, cheap, and easy! I used the recipe that I found HERE. There are also lots of other recipes on this site too for fun things to do.