Come Together Kids: ... to Play

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September 30, 2011

Mini Marshmallow Shooters (or Pom Pom Poppers)

A few months ago, when I was first introduced to Pinterest, I came across this idea from Real Simple. I thought it looked like something the kids would enjoy, but we just never got around to doing it over the summer. Then this week the kids had a day off school and it was the first day it didn't rain in what seems like ages! I gathered up some balloons, plastic cups, mini marshmallows and pom poms and we had a great time. These little contraptions are really easy and inexpensive to make, but boy, can they really launch a marshmallow!

Here's how we made ours ( I made a few small changes from the original idea)

You'll need:

* plastic cups (ours were 9 oz)

* balloons ( ours were 12")

* mini marshmallows (or pom poms)

* scissors (not pictured)

And here's what you need to do:

1. Cut the bottom part off of your plastic cup. I found it worked best to double up the cups and I cut off the bottom third.

See how there's two cups nestled together?

2. Tie a knot at the end of your balloon and cut off about 1/2" from the other end.

3. Now stretch the balloon over the end of the cup. I found it worked best to put the balloon on the top part of the cup where the lip is, otherwise the cup would bend too much when I put the balloon on. Perhaps if you have a sturdier cup, you wouldn't need to use two cups together and you could put the balloon on the cut end (like in the original), but our way worked really well for us. (UPDATE: A commenter said she used a empty yogurt container and it worked well ~ good idea since some brands tend to be pretty sturdy, plus you're recycling!)

That's it! Now it's time to do some launching! Just put your marshmallow inside the cup on the knotted center, then aim the cup away from you, pull back on the outer knot and launch away!

**NOTE** The marshmallows went MUCH farther than the pom poms, but I have enough problems with food in unwanted places inside the house. There was no way I was going to intentionally encourage the kids to shoot more food around! Therefore, my rule with these fun new toys was marshmallows outside, only pom poms inside. (I know I'll still be finding pom poms in hidden corners for the next several months, but at least they won't be covered with ants!)

Check out the fun we had at a local park (our backyard was too much of a muddy mess)

Ready to launch!

We drew a launching line with sidewalk chalk.

He loved it!

Several marshmallows in at a time don't go as far, but it was fun to watch them burst out.

We also shot a pom pom straight up in the air, then tried to catch it in the cup.

It's a little tough to see, but we drew targets in chalk on the cement.

He's marking the spot where my marshmallow landed ~ Look how far it went!!!

These were so inexpensive and easy to make and sooo much fun, that we'll definitely be launching some more marshmallows (outside, of course!) and pom poms (inside, but not at each other!) soon!

September 16, 2011

Fall Fun Checklist

At the start of Summer vacation, I made this Summer Fun checklist and it was a big hit. It gave the kids something to be excited about and it gave us inspiration when we had nothing to do. Although we don't have nearly the amount of free time now that school and sports have started, there's still a bunch of fall-themed activities we could put on a Fall Fun checklist.

Just as with the Summer list, I simply wrote down a list of ideas on some patterned paper, added a few embellishments, and put it in a frame. We'll use a dry erase marker to check off the fun things we do throughout the Fall season.

Here's our list (some are fall-related, others are just fun things we can do over the next few months)

It's not as long as our Summer list, but the kids were still excited to see it.

Sharing our Fall plans at:
Tatertots & Jello
Be Different, Act Normal
I heart Naptime
The Sunday Showcase
Under the Table and Dreaming
Sundae Shake Up
Craft-O-Maniac
Running with Glitter
Homemaker on a Dime
Beneath the Rowan Tree
C.R.A.F.T.
Skip to My Lou
Making the World Cuter
Lines Across my Face
Today's Creative Blog
Reasons to Skip the Housework
Stay at Home Nation
Not Just a Housewife
The Mommy Club
Momnivore's Dilemma
Bear Rabbit Bear
The Idea Room
It's Playtime
Momma's Kinda Crafty
Craft Junkie Too
Sun Scholars
Ladybird Ln.
Someday Crafts
Just a Girl
Creative Jewish Mom
Sugar and Dots
The Frugal Girls
Design Dazzle

August 10, 2011

Paint Swatch Scavenger Hunt

I saw THIS awesome idea at Frugal Family Fun Blog a few months ago and thought it was such a cool idea.

The kids always love picking out paint swatches when we go to Home Depot, so the other day, I grabbed a bunch too. Then I just punched a hole in each card, attached a few cards with a piece of string and let the kids loose in the backyard to see who could find the best match.

Close match for this berry

This gray matches the latch on the fence gate

Found a match in the sandbox

This dead pine branch is the perfect rust color

Looks like a close match for this patch of dirt

This little leaf might be the winner!

The kids had a blast and we definitely plan on doing it again. My "big" kids had fun, but it would also be an awesome way to practice colors for even the littlest preschooler.

I chose earth tones this time because I planned on having them do it outdoors, but bright color swatches would be perfect for a playroom scavenger hunt or autumn hues would be great when the leaves start changing colors.

July 26, 2011

Change of Plans

Today our horrendous heat wave finally broke a little bit. Instead of temps in the 100's, it was only in the low 90's. (seemed so cool, by comparison!) Even though we had fun making the Hot Car Crayons the other day, we were definitely getting tired of having to stay indoors for most of our days because outside was so unbearable.

With the *slightly* more mild forecast today, I loaded the kids' bikes into the van for some bike riding fun. My older two just mastered riding without training wheels this summer and my youngest just got a "new to her" bike last week. They had fun riding the paths at our local regional park. (For all my local Maryland readers, Meadowood Regional Park is awesome for beginning bike riders)

Riding on the one-mile paved path.

Her first "real" time bike-riding

They rode around the path several times, then we planned to go home,

change into our swimsuits and go for a swim in the pool.

However, as we crossed the little bridge back to the parking lot,

we thought the little stream looked really inviting.

So, we changed our plans!

We thought we'd just walk down next to the stream, but before we knew it, we were all wading in the shallow water. No water shoes, no bathing suits, just their sneakers and regular clothes!

As the photographer, I was standing

in the middle of the stream too!

(at least I had on flip flops!)

Moments after this next photo was taken,

they started screaming about seeing a "river lobster"!

It was their first time seeing a crayfish

and they loved looking for more of them.

Watch out for the "river lobsters"!

They even found a large hanging vine

and took turns swinging on it!

Big sister!

Middle brother!

Little sister!

They ended up soaked, but it was

such a fun change of plans and we loved it.

July 19, 2011

Make-your-own "Lava" Lamp

I'm embarrassed to even admit how much time I've spent on Pinterest this summer. I always plan on just looking for a few cool ideas after the kids go to bed, but the next thing I know, it's 2 a.m. and my mind is spinning with all my new "pins" and the fun I'll have with them. The downside is that the kids have to deal with a tired mommy the next day, but the upside is that I find cool ideas like THIS Lava Lamp.

As soon as I saw it, I knew it would make it onto our Summer must do list. I suspected my kids would get a kick out of it and they did!

Here's how we did it:

1. Gather your supplies ~ cooking oil, water, food coloring, an empty water bottle, and Alka Seltzer antacid tablets.


Oops, the Alka Seltzer tablets didn't make it in the picture.

2. Fill your bottle about two thirds of the way with oil then fill the rest with water, leaving about an inch free at the top.

Partially filled with oil

It was fun adding the water and watching the layers separate.

** NOTE ** We liked watching the water layer "sink" to the bottom, but we had to wait awhile for the bubbles to disappear for the next step. Adding the water first, then the food coloring and finally the oil, wasn't quite as fun, but it was a bit faster.

3. Add several drops of food coloring. (If you did the oil first, then the water, it'll take a little while for the drops of food coloring to "break through" and tint the water.)

Mommy adds the food coloring.

4. Take an Alka Seltzer tablet and break it into 3 or 4 pieces. Then drop a piece in and watch the magic.


The kids are looking annoyed that I made them stop for a picture first!

5. As soon as the tablet hits the layer of water, it will start to fizz and the colored water will erupt!

4. The bubbles will stop as soon as the tablet dissipates, but it will start up again as soon as you add another tablet. If the oil layer starts to become cloudy with tiny bubbles, just let it settle for awhile and then you can do some more.

My kids loved it so much they worked really hard to be good so they could "earn" more antacid tablets to do it over and over again.

July 11, 2011

Instant Snow

Who says you can't play with snow when it's 90 degrees outside in the middle of the Summer?


This "snow" is so cool ~ literally!

I first saw this stuff several months ago when we went to a local children's museum. The kids loved playing with it, so when Grandma needed gift ideas for my son's birthday, I suggested this fake snow . Because his birthday was in February I ~~forgot about it~~ decided to save it until it would be more of a novelty. Now that it's the middle of summer and real snow is a distant memory, I took it out this weekend and the kids have been playing with it non-stop!

Apparently it's made out of a polymer similar to the absorbent gel inside a disposable diaper. It comes in a powder form and expands significantly when water is added.

Two teaspoons straight out of the package

After adding 1/2 cup of water.

Once the water is added, it's light and fluffy, just like real snow. It even feels cool to the touch (something about the water evaporating creates the coolness). It's not really cold ~ think fridge temp, not freezer temp ~ but it's noticeable.

My son loved playing with it.

He added some plastic baseball figures into the snow.

A blizzard ballgame!

We mixed up just 15 teaspoons of the powder to get quite a bit of snow and still have a TON left in the package. It won't melt and you can supposedly re-activate it with a little more water if it starts to lose it's moisture, but I'll probably toss it after a week or so and make up a new batch. Oh, and if ~~your kids decide to throw some at each other~~ some spills out onto the floor, it vacuums up easily.

NOTE:

I was not asked to review this product and we bought it ourselves (well, Grandma did). I just think it's REALLY cool and wanted to share it with you. However, I am an Amazon associate, so if you do decide to pick up some for yourselves and click through this link to buy it, I'll get a very small percentage of the purchase price. (which would be a cool way for me to pick up some more craft supplies to share with you! ;) )

We got this 1 lb package because it seemed to be the best value

But it also comes in smaller sizes.

Taking our Blizzard over to:

Skip to My Lou
Making the World Cuter