Rain cloud in a Jar

My daughter can’t get enough of science experiments. She will ask for one after another. I don’t always have all of the ingredients around but rain cloud in a jar is a simple experiment with materials you will have on hand!

You will need:

  • blue food coloring (or hey-you could do any color, go for the rainbow)
  • shaving cream
  • dropper
  • water
  • clear mason jar/vase/glass

Fill the glass jar with 3/4 cup of water (leave room for the “clouds” aka shaving cream). Next put some shaving cream on top. We went a little crazy as Maddy wanted a giant cloud (cumulus-big, white & fluffy).  You could also talk about the different types of clouds: cumulus, cirrus, stratus, nimbus. There are more clouds but those are the main 4 and that would be more for older elementary students. This cloud demonstration could be fun for any level!

After putting the shaving cream on top get a bowl or small cup and mix a few drops of food dye with water.  This will be the rain.

Have your child use the dropper to get some rain and put it on the clouds. This works best if you insert the dropper about half way into the clouds and squirt it out.

Soon they will see rain fall through the clouds when they get so full of the water they can’t hold it anymore!

This can be repeated with different colors and different amounts of liquid. You can have your child hypothesize what they think will happen before they put the drops in and make a conclusion afterward.

The science behind this: Clouds are made when water vapor (gas) turns into liquid water droplets. They form on little particles that are floating in the air (like dust).

If you see puddles outside but then they disappear where did they go? They evaporated (liquid to gas-water vapor). The water vapor travels through the atmosphere to create the clouds. When too many water droplets are in the clouds and it gets saturated, it rains. This is a very simplistic version of some of the water cycle but if you want to dig in more I suggest going here: https://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/k-4/stories/nasa-knows/what-are-clouds-k4.html .   If you scroll down there is also a link at the bottom of that website explaining how clouds form for kids in grades 5-8.

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25 Ideas for Advent Calendars (&Crafts)

Today there are many advent calendars that can be bought, ranging from simple chocolates to complex lego advent calendars.  There are wine, book, superhero, and just about anything advent calendars that can be bought for a price.   I remember having certain Christmas traditions in my home as a child and want my children to experience similar fond memories when they are older. So I purchased a German Christmas pyramid second hand (as they can be very expensive and knowing children, it most likely will break).

I also decided to buy an advent calendar for my children.  I decided one sturdy wooden advent calendar would do the trick!  I saw many beautiful lit ones for higher prices; however, I felt they could easily be broken.  I finally decided on one I purchased at Lowes.

Now, the big question is, what should I fill each day with? So many options, but such a SMALL space. So, only very small items fit, such as two Hershey kisses or two small mini candy bars and the door wont completely shut. I didn’t want to start off with something too grand in the first door. My kids were excited about chocolate, so that’s what I did, two very small pieces of chocolate.

For the other doors, I will have some small chocolates in a couple, but I have many other cute and fun items for the kiddos. I’ll leave a very small piece of paper in the day that will have a clue to where their item is located. I was going to go into scavenger hunts, but lets be real, I would rather relax for a couple minutes after bed (or do this post), instead of trying to come up with an elaborate hunt they will be done with in 5 mins!  Since my children can’t completely read yet, I decided using pictures might be best.  So in day 2 I will put a picture of a christmas tree. They will run to the tree and see a pack of fruit flavored candy canes under the tree to hang up on the tree.

Here are some other ideas of items you can leave notes for:

  1. Candy
  2. Christmas books
  3. Plato
  4. wooden /ceramic projects
  5. Felt snowman fun
  6. any kind of christmas project including photo ornaments, easy glitter ornaments, and many other ones on this website
  7. ornaments for the tree
  8. Christmas clothing
  9. Christmas lights
  10. coloring books
  11. Christmas cookies
  12. Baking recipe to make cookies
  13. Sprinkles for cookies
  14. Hot cocoa packet/marshmallows..or homemade hot cocoa
  15. Christmas movie
  16. Christmas mask (2020)
  17. Christmas headband, clips, socks
  18. Small stuffed Christmas santa, elf etc.
  19. Sock Snowman (either made or have supplies to make)
  20. Felt Christmas tree (can make one, or if child is old enough they can make it!) or just an ornament to add to their current felt C
  21. Christmas tree!
  22. Tree Prints!
  23. Salt dough wreath, ornament, or garland!
  24. +Pomander Ball supplies
  25. Felt Snowman Fun!
  26. Singing holiday card/toy/Christmas solar bobble head

ENJOY AND HAVE FUN!!

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The 12 Days of COVID Christmas Ideas

It looks like we will all be quarantined from our extended families for the holidays again as COVID is raging in our area. Having small children in the family makes it extra tough. Instead of the kids remembering not being with their uncles, aunts, cousins & grandparents, let’s have them remember the wonderful time they spent at home. Let’s have them remember it as a special time with the family.

Here are some ideas to try to make the time leading up to Christmas special.

The 12 Ideas of COVID Christmas…

On the 1st day of COVID Quarantining Christmas…

  1. Put up extra Christmas lights to add to the holiday cheer! Add a fun blowup or blow mold to surprise your kiddos! Have your kids help you place items or string the lights-they will LOVE it!

 

 

 

 

 

On the 2nd Day of COVID Christmas…

2. Do a light tour! Drive around to neighborhood displays. Take some hot chocolate in a thermos and cookies! Our local newspaper always features a light tour so we follow them. Many time local news also shares different homes to see. Check out to see if there are any light displays you can drive through in your area. Definitely a de-light!

On the 3rd Day of COVID Christmas…

3. Get family Christmas mugs! My daughter woke up to run into the kitchen for a surprise. I let her pick which one she liked. She picked the gingerbread man mug and called him “cutie.” She told me she would leave him out for Santa to have milk in and he would LOVE it! We had hot chocolate as a family immediately!

On the 4th Day of COVID Christmas

4. Paint Christmas rocks! My daughter and I have been painting rocks with regular acrylic paint for a while since COVID began.

The other day I discovered acrylic markers for painting rocks and shells and this was a game changer. They are so easy to use, less messy, and much better looking! Fun for the whole family!

On the 5th Day of COVID Christmas…

5. Give out the rocks! We love going around the neighborhood and leaving them on people’s doorsteps or tables in the front. Madison gets a thrill knowing she is making someone’s day.  They also teach kindness and that everyone can make a difference. Another option is to leave them in places around the community like parks. Many people trade rocks too.

 

On the 6th Day of COVID Christmas…

6. Make some special breakfasts! You must excuse my poor pancakes, I am a newbie at this. Madison loved them and they did taste good. Kids will LOVE your snowman pancakes…even if they turn out like mine!

 

On the 7th Day of COVID Christmas…

7. Write to Santa! Check with your local community, post office, and online to find where to write. Our local community has Santa write back! There are also many services online you can pay for and they will have Santa write back to you. Another option is a zoom or digital call with Santa!

 

On the 8th Day of COVID Christmas…

8. Make cookies! Each year you might make cookies-but try some new ones! Your little ones will love to help. Yes, we ended up with flour all over us and bellies full of yummy cookies, but it was great! As an extra bonus get your Christmas mugs and cookies and have a movie night!

 

 

On the 9th Day of COVID Christmas…

9. Make lots of crafts! Kids adore crafts and family loves getting them! Look up crafts on blogs and pinterest. Make ornaments, fun photo crafts, and smelly playdough! For extra fun make more for family and deliver it on their doorstep for a nice surprise!

On the 10th Day of COVID Christmas…

10. Read, read, read! Get more Christmas books! There are so many interactive, smelly, sound, and regular Christmas books! Madison has her favorites and talks about some of them year round!

 

 

On the 11th Day of COVID Christmas…

11. Wear matching PJS! It’s so much fun! They not only make matching pjs now, but matching sweaters and hats. It’s fun to wear cheesy and cute clothes and now you can match with your entire family! Turn on some Christmas music and dance in your matching clothes to a Christmas dance party!

 

On the 12th Day of COVID Christmas…

12. Get creative with your advent calendars! Some people do 24 days of books. Check a thrift shop online or marketplace to find cheap books. Stores & online sell all kinds of fun advent calendars with toys, chocolates, cheeses, and just about anything you can imagine. This year I have a wooden advent calendar with drawers. I plan on have a clue for a craft I will complete with Madison each day leading up to Christmas. My sister is going to have something similar for her kids, but have scavenger hunts to find their gifts. The first clue will be in the wooden drawer on the advent calendar.

No matter what you do for the holidays, stay safe and make the most of a crummy situation by turning it into a gift. You are home and make home a special place for you and your family this holiday season!

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Super Simple Glitter Ornaments

It’s a day after Thanksgiving…you know what that means! Christmas time!

My daughter wanted to make ornaments already. I had glitter, glue, and card stock on hand, so this is what we came up with:


Materials:

-glitter glue, glitter, cardstock or thick paper & yarn

 

Use the glue to make your designs. Madison made the round ornament with the glue, while I made the tree for her to decorate. We used a trash bag underneath it for quick glitter cleanup.

When you are done with the glitter, simply let it dry! Cut out the shapes, hole punch, and tie on the string. Simple! A keepsake for many years to come!

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Turkey Pinecone Gobble!

We went on a pinecone adventure!  First we grabbed our magic buckets and took a stroll down the road.  We found the BIG pine trees and searched all around for pinecones.  We filled out magic buckets with little and big pinecones. Once full, we continued our adventure to find any other good objects for future projects. Pinecones can be used for many projects, including some upcoming Christmas ones!

Since it was unseasonably warm here in Pennsylvania, we decided to paint outside so there wasn’t as big of a mess. Besides using a variety of paints, we used glitter of all colors! Some of the trees we purposefully painted blue and green for Christmas tree pinecones!

After allowing the pinecones to dry overnight, we found some googly eyes, construction paper, and leftover foam pieces from an owl project!  The kids cut out feathers and showed mom where to glue them.  Mom used the hot glue gun to glue everything on, however you can use regular glue but it will be more challenging to stay and dry.

You can of course decorate your turkey any way you like with any materials! Get creative and enjoy!

Gobble Gobble!!! Happy Thanksgiving!  Be safe and stay home if you can (quarantine)!

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Fall Fun!

Make a beautiful fall collage with leaves from around your yard or neighborhood! My 3 year old LOVED it!

Our family likes to take walks and LOVE to collect things from nature for crafting. The other day we decided to find some colorful leaves.

To make a collage you need:

-various leaves

-contact paper

That’s it! It’s very simple, but so much fun! We made 3 of them so far and gave them as gifts!

First, cut a piece of clear contact paper and take off the sticky side. Lay it on a flat surface.

Lay the leaves on the sticky side of the contact paper and arrange them in any way you like. When you are happy with the way your leaves look, cut another contact paper sheet the same size as the original one. Lay it flat on top of the leaves and smooth it out with your hands. Then boom, you are done! Hang it in a window to admire it or give it to someone as a gift! Madison gave some to her cousins, grandparents and her family!

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Turkey paper puppet!

Gobble gobble!  It’s almost thanksgiving time!

Since it’s getting cooler (or it is suppose to!), thanksgiving crafts are a great activity for your kids, especially with covid keeping us home!

The first craft we have is a turkey paper puppet.  It is simply, easy, and many of you may have all the materials at home already!!

 

What you need:

-Paper lunch bag (or if you do not have it, brown construction paper and a popsicle stick can work)

-Googly eyes (or you can use a marker or construction paper)

-Construction paper (for the beak, feathers)

-Colored feathers (or construction paper)

-Glue or Gluestick

 

Then all you do is have your little one glue the eyes on, cut a beak out of construction paper and glue it on the front. Put the little gobbler underneath the flap of the bag, glue the feathers and WA-LA! You have an easy turkey!  Enjoy!

 

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A Happy COVID Halloween!

This year’s Halloween was quite different than others. We decided to skip trick-or-treating due to the pandemic and do a very small family gathering with our own version of trick-or-treating.

Start by decorating the house and getting in costumes!

Next, add the kiddos!

 

Time for fun, games, and crafts!

A great activity is painting pumpkins! To keep it clean and organized have a paint set and brush for each kiddo with their own cup of water. You can use cardboard box lids to keep it clean.

 

For the next craft we used paper toilet rolls to make Frankenstein (or Frankie as my daughter likes to call him).

You will need: toilet paper rolls, googly eyes or buttons, glue, tape, black construction paper or foam sticky paper.

I cut out the black hair, eyebrows and mouth ahead of time and stuck each one in a plastic baggy with the green construction paper. Each kid got a bag and pulled out the green construction paper and taped it over the toilet paper roll. Next they pressed on the stick foam hair, eyebrow and mouth. If you don’t have sticky foam colors then you can use construction paper. They chose their own eyes by using googly eyes or buttons and glued them on!

Next we did a Halloween piñata! The kids used a badminton to hit it then Aunt Amanda helped out with a big pole. Once it spilled open the kids got playdough, bubbles, and candy…yum!!

Next we made lots of spooky treats like meatballs, jack-o-lantern grilled cheese & clementines and mummy hot dogs!

Grandma baked sugar cookies & had each kid decorate their own box to hold them with foam stickers (leftover takeout containers). They used icing and sprinkles…yum!!

Instead of trick-or-treating around the neighborhood, we went trick-or-treating around the house to each door! The kids LOVED it and ran to each door multiple times!

 

As if this wasn’t enough, we did a Halloween dance party and Halloween egg hunt (Easter eggs filled with Halloween goodies and pennies).

To end the night we had a campfire & smores! Happy Halloween everyone and stay safe!

 

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Leaf tracing fun

Leaf tracing is easy, fun, and inexpensive! I might even enjoy it more than my kids!

All you need is white paper, crayons, and leaves!

 

Go outside and collect all different fall leaves, even strawberry plant leaves, tall grasses, any leaf will work!

 

Then, place the leaf underneath the white paper and use the crayon to rub on it! Make sure you hold the paper down and leaf with one hand while you are coloring.

I also find the stems and veins of the leaves show up much clearer if you flip the leaf to the back and trace it.

 

Enjoy this easy creative craft and post your pictures below! 

 

 

 

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Letter Activities

If you have a preschooler or even a toddler you can do some fun craft activities with them! Today we focused on the letter “M” since my daughter’s name is Madison.

We read an ABC book and focused on the letter M. Next we did Madison’s favorite: crafts!

M is for marshmallows! This activity is fun because your child not only gets to eat some marshmallows but starts to learn letter recognition.

Yes, those are yard sale stickers. We didn’t have any blank ones left so we used what we had!

For this activity you will need to cut the letter M out of construction paper and glue it onto another paper. Next, use dot stickers and have your child put them on the letter m. Finally, have your child or yourself put glue dots on each sticker and stick on marshmallows. If you have an older child you can have them do patterns with marshmallows in different colors and count marshmallows.

All you need for this craft is buttons, glue, and paper. If you don’t have buttons you could use other items like stickers or pom poms. Use the glue to draw the letter M and then have your child put on the buttons!

She had so much fun she kept asking for more M arts and crafts. Other M activities could include drawing 2 moose antlers and stapling/taping them to make them into headband. Making M monsters by writing the letter M and adding googly eyes and many hands/legs/tentacles, whatever your child wants would work too!

We decided to end the day with movement!

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