15 Ways to Keep Your Kids Busy when the Power's Out

When the power goes out, it can be extra challenging to keep your kids busy.   You often don't realize how much you rely on electricity until you don't have it for a few hours (or a few days).  As we prepare for Hurricane Sandy ( aka the "Frankenstorm") here on the East Coast, I thought I'd come up with a list of things your kids can do that don't require power.  Many of the supplies you'll already have on hand, others you can easily pick up when you're out at the store stocking up before the storm.

  Click on the link in each title or on the photos 

for a full post with recipes and directions

1.  Make and play with some some Playdoh 

Supplies ~ flour, oil, salt,  cream of tartar, Kool Aid packets,

(NOTE: This recipe does require using boiling water, so if you have an electric stove, make up a few batches before the power goes out)

 2.  Make some GAK

Supplies ~ Borax (found in laundry aisle at Target, Walmart, etc.), white glue, food coloring

3.  Make some Optical Illusion Handprints

Supplies ~ paper, markers, a hand

4.  Make some Marbleized Paper

Supplies ~ shaving cream, acrylic paint or food coloring, paper

5.  Make some Sand Art Using Colored Salt

Supplies ~ salt, colored chalk, plastic freezer bags,  empty bottle or sand art container

6.  Make your own chalkboards (You're not limited to only black paper and square shapes ~ you can make your chalkboards in any color or shape)

Supplies  ~ construction paper, white glue, chalk, foam paintbrush

7.  Play with some Water Beads

Supplies ~ water beads (can be found at the Dollar Store or craft stores)

8.  Paint a Mural on a Shower Curtain 

Supplies ~ plastic shower curtain (from the Dollar Store), acrylic paints and brushes

9.  Make some beautiful, swirling colors in a bowl of milk

Supplies ~ whole milk, food coloring, dish soap

10.  Mix up some Cloud Dough

Supplies ~ flour, oil (baby oil, vegetable oil, etc)

11.  Make a Marshmallow Shooter and have an Indoor Target Practice

 Supplies ~ plastic cup (or empty yogurt container), balloons, marshmallows, pom-poms or ping pong balls

12.  Go on a Paint Swatch Scavenger Hunt

Supplies ~ Paint Swatch cards

13.  Make Your Own Lava Lamp

Supplies ~ Empty plastic bottle, vegetable oil, water, food coloring,  Alka Seltzer tablets

14.  Paint with some Kool Aid

Supplies ~ paper, unsweetened Kool Aid packets, paintbrushes

15.  Make your Drinks Glow in the Dark

Supplies ~ glow sticks,  red solo cups, clear plastic cups that can fit inside red cups, clear beverage

Of course, there's always the other standbys ~ card games, board games, coloring books, etc. ~ but I hope this list helps to keep your little ones busy during any power outages (or anytime you want to be "unplugged" on purpose)

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Brassy Apple

Cloud Dough

I first saw this fun "dough" at the awesome Tinkerlab back in November.  I thought it sounded interesting and it couldn't be more simple to make, but I just never got around to pulling out a container and the ingredients (all two of them!).  Well, earlier this week I decided to let my youngest make a batch while the older two worked on their homework.

It was fun to mix together and has such a neat texture ~ super soft, fluffy, dry, yet moldable.  I can see why it's called Cloud Dough, it really does feel like you'd imagine a cloud to be.

Now wait till you see how easy it is to make.  This is all you need ~ flour and oil!

We used baby oil, but Tinkerlab used canola and it worked fine too.

In a large, shallow container, measure out 8 cups of flour.

  

Then measure one cup of oil.

 Enlist the help of your big brother to mound the flour into a large pile and pour in the oil.

Combine the mixture with your hands until all the oil is mixed in and it holds its shape when squeezed.

That's it!  Time to have fun.

She liked patting it down into shapes.

My son liked building a "wall" using a tablespoon.

We ended up adding just a little bit more oil, maybe tablespoon or so, to help the dough hold its shape just a little bit better without becoming greasy.  You will be able to pick up your molded shapes if you're very careful, but if you squeeze too hard they'll crumble.

Our Cloud Dough was a big hit.   Every day after school this week, the kids have gone downstairs to play with it (which just goes to show that even when you're school aged and there's video games, TV, and countless other "big kid" activities, you're never too old to have fun with the basics).  The texture is fun and it's really not that messy, plus you're likely to have everything you need on hand.

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Tatertots and Jello 
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