Wow, a week since my last post! Time is flying! We were hanging out poolside with the in-laws in sunny Palm Desert, and are now roaming the beaches just outside of San Diego! The grande finale is tomorrow… Legoland! The boys are beyond excited. I’m just hoping that it doesn’t rain, because I neglected to pack much in the way of water proof shoes for our trip!
I hope you all enjoyed your Spring Break! If you missed the Spring Break DIY series I posted last week you can find them here, here, here and here. Bye for now! I’ll see you later this week!
Science & Art swirled up into one! This is my favorite project yet, and the last in the series! A huge thank you to Shannon (A Mom’s Year) for suggesting this art project. I was eager to try it, and I’m excited to share it with you!
All you need for this project is the following:
1. A plate 2. Milk (2% or higher) 3. Food Coloring 4. Dish Soap (That’s it!!)
1. Fill the plate with a thin layer of milk. Next, put in drops of food coloring.
2. Then, add a few drops of dish soap into the center of the food coloring, sit back, and watch! (I should mention that I tried this first with eco-friendly dish soap and it didn’t really work, so stick to the hard stuff for this!)
KA-POW! The milk fat instantly reacts to the soap, creating art!
Wow, right?! It will spin for quite a while, and if you add more drops of dish soap into the dark areas of food coloring you can keep the action going for quite a while.
If you want to see milk art in action, you can check out this video that I found:
Looking for more DIY’s to do with kids? Here are some more good ones:
At a doctor’s appointment recently, my oldest was entertaining himself with a paperclip, bending it into shapes to pass the time. When we got home I found these images online, and was able to show him examples of amazing things that can be made with wire, skill and some creativity.
Just to give you an idea of age appropriateness, my seven year old was able to make this bone by himself, but my five year old would have needed help if he had been home. Supplies for this DIY project are easy, you just need some thin wire and a pair of pliers! I tried to make a chair and found out that constructing anything three dimensional was harder than I’d imagined. That’s where skill would come in handy! Regardless, it was so much fun to play with a new medium! I’ll definitely try this again!
Here are some of the inspiring pics that got us started – aren’t they amazing!
I like projects that are simple and easy to prepare. In my opinion, the set up should not take all day if the enjoyment only lasts ten minutes. This is the easiest volcano you can make, believe me! And kids of all ages like to see things explode! All you need are the following:
WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
1. A tray, or dish, that is large enough to catch all the “lava” that will come out! 2. 1 tablespoon baking soda 3. Red food coloring 4. A can, or plastic cup 5. Paper bag 6. Vinegar
DIRECTIONS:
1. Cut halfway up all four sides of the paper bag.
2. Put the paper bag upside down over top of the can or cup.
3. Tear a hole in the top of the bag, above the opening to the cup.
4. Push back the torn edges and tape to the inside of the opening.
5. Fill the cup 3/4 full of the vinegar.
6. Add in a couple drops of food coloring.
7. Have the kids decorate the tray for full effect.
8. Finally, add in the baking soda and watch it go! You can add more baking soda and vinegar to keep the “lava”, and the fun, flowing.
As you can tell from the smiles this activity was a hit! (My oldest is fishing out the Lego Ninjago skeletons that he’d thrown into the volcano as it was exploding… yes, boys will be boys!) I’d definitely do it again!
I hope the Spring Break DIY’s this week help to make any rainy days a lot more fun! I know I’m having fun making them. And there are more to come…!
I would rather jab my eye with a fork than play Pokemon cards again. Really. Can anyone else relate? Thanks to some quality phone time with a good friend, I know I’m not alone in this. I just needed to change my attitude and step it up a notch… for everyone’s sake! If you’re in the same boat, and are looking for activities that you can do with your kids over Spring Break, or on rainy weekends, I’ve put together some sanity-saving DIY’s this week!
Have you heard of yarn-bombing before? I posted an example of it here… but I’m not a knitter, so I won’t be doing that. When I discovered eyebombing last week, I thought “HOW FUN! The boys would love this!” And I was right! My oldest and I spent a half hour placing eyes strategically throughout the house to surprise his younger sibling. It was really fun for us eye-bombers to watch all the faces being discovered with glee. And, now the younger one is excited to surprise his brother the next time he’s out.
This one’s good for the kid at heart too, don’t you think! I would love to hear what YOUR favorite activities are to do with kids! Oh, and stay tuned for more, because I’m only just getting started!
Sorry for the silence around here last week! Between the teachers strike and sick children I found myself very busy… and then I ended up in the ER, and well, there was not much energy left after that. All is well now, and Spring Break is here… so, there will be some pajama days in the future!
PUMPKIN & APPLE SPICE MUFFINS [GLUTEN FREE]
INGREDIENTS:
1 2/3 cups gluten free all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon xanthun gum
2 tablespoon ground flax seeds
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice**
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 apple, peeled and finely chopped
Topping:
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice**
3 tablespoons sugar
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Combine first 8 ingredients in a large bowl; make a well in center of mixture. Combine pumpkin, butter, and eggs in another bowl and add to dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened. Fold in chopped apple and spoon into greased muffin pans, filling two-thirds full.
Combine 3 tablespoons of sugar and 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice; sprinkle evenly over muffins.
Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans immediately, and cool on wire racks.
**Tip: No pumpkin pie spice? Substitute the following: 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp ginger, 1/8 tsp nutmeg & 1/8 tsp cloves. Mix together for the equivalent of 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice.
