Spaghetti Art 08/20/2010
 
Picture
You need:
Spaghetti
Food Coloring
Paper Plates

Cook the noodles and then add food coloring. Have a few colors ready. Decorate your paper plate with noodles. It is pretty art work and they stick. Try holding it upside down, the noodles will not fall off!

I think we could have made actual pictures but they had more fun just playing with the noodles, watching them stick, and making designs.
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Picture
Art and water play in one!

You need:
paint brushes
water
containers

Put some water in a container and let the kids paint the fence. This was great because it was very hot out and the water evaporated quickly. They could paint for a long time with out running out of space. They did end up painting the fence, picnic table, and patio stones.
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Pinata 08/16/2010
 
Make your own pinata!

You need:
newspaper cut in strips, water and flour mixture (mix until it feels like watery paste), a balloon, and a bucket.

One of my favorite things about this activity was that it took all week!

On Monday we blew up the balloon and put it in the bucket. I can't believe I forgot to take pictures of us making the pinata!! Oops.

We put our first layer of paper on and then set it outside in the gazebo to dry overnight.

Tuesday and Wend we did the same thing. It was hard and not going to be easy to break!
During nap on Wend I filled the pinata with small reptiles and dinosaurs. I didn't buy  anything new for this, I just raided the playroom. Then I added another layer of papermache over the opening and left it to dry.

On Thursday we painted the pinata. They had a great time doing this and were full of paint by the end. We mixed colors too and the final pinata ended up mostly brown from all the colors.
This was my favorite part. I gave the pinata to my son to try an open. He tried to hit it, bang it with a stick, step on it, and roll it. I told him to try to throw it on the sidewalk as hard as he could. It still took several throws!

He loved the animals and called it an egg.

It was amazing how long the same animals that sat in the playroom were now very special. He played with those all afternoon.
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I got this idea from another blog. I can't find it right now to give credit. I will add a link as soon as I do find it!
You will need:
Clear Contact Paper, pieces of colored copy paper, tissue paper, sequence, and other things that will stick and preferably let light shine through.

I taped the contact paper to the window with the sticky side facing in and placed three pie tins next to the window with different things they could stick to it.

I quickly found that the light colored construction paper let more light through. I wished I had used regular light weight colored paper. My daughter loved the colorful sequence. The tissue paper was the best and I wished I had more of it in more colors.
Paragraph.
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Monday August 24th /Nature Walk / Rocks

Toddler and Preschooler
You need: to take a walk outside

Today you can find Rocks.

As you walk collect rocks.
Discuss their size, shape, color, textures, and if they are pretty.

Bring your rocks home and paint them to be pet rocks!
You can give your rocks hair, googly eyes, nose, and mouth.
You can let your toddler paint the rock and after it is dry, you can put the face on it for them.
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Monday July 20th / Jewel and Gem Goop

Toddler and Preschooler
Warning: Not for toddlers who still put everything in their mouths.

2 cups rock salt
1/2 cup white glue
6 drops food coloring

1. Mix rock salt and food coloring
2. Add glue, mix 2-3 minutes
3. Mold and sculpt with your hands
4. Place on cardboard to dry

5. You can use these to make necklaces, bracelets, or secret pirate treasures!

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Wednesday July 8th / Twinkle Twinkle Song and Star Project

Toddlers love to sing. No worries about you not being able to carry a tune, they could care less. Today try Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.

Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are!
Up above the world so high,
Like a diamond in the sky!

When the blazing sun is gone,
When he nothing shines upon,
Then you show your little light,
Twinkle, twinkle, all the night.

Then the traveler in the dark,
Thanks you for your tiny spark,
He could not see which way to go,
If you did not twinkle so.

In the dark blue sky you keep,
And often through my curtains peep,
For you never shut your eye,
Till the sun is in the sky.

As your bright and tiny spark,
Lights the traveler in the dark,
-- Though I know not what you are,
Twinkle, twinkle, little star.

You can cut out stars of construction paper and hang them from the ceiling in your toddlers room. Add a little glitter to each one. When it is bedtime and dark, lay down and shine a flashlight on the stars. The glitter will "twinkle" as you sing together!

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Thursday June 18th / Coffee Dough Master Pieces

Do you love the small of coffee? Do your kids love to play with play dough? This activity combines these two things!

Toddler and preschooler

You need:
1/4 c instant coffee
3/4 c warm water
2 c flour
1/2 c salt

1. Mix water and coffee in a small bowl

2. Combine Flour and salt in a big bowl

3. Add the water and coffee into the flour and water

4. Instant Dough!

5. PLAY

6. Bake finished products sculptures at 300 degrees for 30-45 minutes

7. If you would like to preserve your sculptures, apply shellac

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Wednesday June 17th / Nature Walk / Stick it!

Toddler and Preschooler

The weather has been so beautiful here! It is time to get outside and enjoy it. Before you go on your next nature hike grab a piece of contact paper.

You need:
One sheet of contact paper

Things you collect on your walk

You have two options. You can collect things and stick them as you go on your walk. Or you can collect different objects and stick them when you get home.
I was worried I would drop the contact paper and once if is filled with dirt it won't stick anything else. Things that will stay are small and light objects like flowers, leaves, etc. You may have to discuss and show your child that larger things will fall off, like big rocks.

You can also put these on a piece of construction paper and put the contact paper over it.

Now display it! You can talk about your walk for many days to come and all the things you found.

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Toddler and Preschooler
This is an activity that your child can't really do alone side of you but can play with after you make it. Hot wax and small children really do not mix!

You need:
broken and old crayons
round tin can or muffin tin
candy molds?
oven

1. Remove all paper from crayons
2. Sort by color or mix 'n' match colors
3. Put muffin tin in oven (about 6 minutes, check often)
4. Place in freezer
5. Flip over and rub hot water over muffin tin, crayons will fall out.
6. Make pictures!You will either have a very large crayon with one color or a "rainbow" color crayons.

Now make beautiful art work and hang it up!

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