Tub Time With Ice

This idea came from www.makeandtakes.com (A new favorite site of mine) Let me know if your kids love it as much as her kids did. Click here for step by step instructions.

Aunt Annies Soft Pretzel Recipe

Aunt Annies Soft Pretzel Recipe

**(The web site recommends cutting the recipe in half unless you want to feed an army)

1 1/2 tsp live active yeast

1 1/2 cups 110 degree water

1/2 teaspoon brown sugar

dash of salt

4 cups flour

1/4 cup warm water

1 tablespoon baking soda

In a large bowl combine live active yeast with 1 1/2 cups 110 degree water, brown sugar and dash of salt. Let sit 5 minutes

Add 4 cups flour mix well and knead for 5 minutes

Put in greased bowl and cover with damp towel and let sit 1 hour in a warm place.

Divide into 8 to 12 pieces -we divided into 16 pieces-and they were still pretty thick.

Roll into rope and shape , dip into 1/4 cup warm water that has baking soda mixed in.

Bake at 500 degrees for 8 minutes

Brush liberally with melted butter and sprinkle with kosher salt or 2 tablespoons mixed with melted butter and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar or parmesan cheese and garlic salt and serve with marinara sauce.

(pepperpaints.com)

Food Coloring Flowers

You can get a $4 bunch of white carnations at the local Walmart. Then get out your flower vases ready with water. Don’t use the flower food it may come with, it didn’t work as well. Then pour in about 10 or so drops of your desired food color. Cut your flower stems off a few inches and place in the water.

I got this idea from an awesome blog, www.makeandtakes.com. I love this blog. She has so many great ideas plus tons of links to other great blogs. I'm sure I'll post other great ideas from this creative lady.

ABC Book

Make an ABC book with your kids this summer. Pick a letter (or a couple of letters) with you kids and head out with your camera. Have your kids find things that start with your "letter of the day." Be creative. Some letters are going to be a lot harder than others. You can use a photoshop program to put all the same letters on the same page, or develop you pictures and make a collage. Once you get all your letters done, you can mod podge you finished pages on chipboard or heavy card stock to make a book.

If you are impatience, you can have a one day alphabet scavenger hunt. Go somewhere like the Zoo or downtown where there is a lot to see. Try to find something that starts with each letter.

Also, if you don't want to bother with the mod podge, buy a cheap photo book with at least 26 slots.

Or to make it an FHE activity, do your gospel ABC's. Cut pictures out of the Friend to make your book.

Smiley Daddy & Me Magnet

What You'll Need:

• ¼ c salt
• ¼ c water
• ½ c flour
• Cookie sheet
• Acrylic paint
• Paintbrush
• Toothpick (to make designs in the soft dough)
  
• Acrylic sealer spray
• Magnet
• White craft glue

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.
2. Mix together flour, salt, and water. Dough should not be sticky; you should be able to work it in your hands. If it is too sticky add small amounts of flour until you get the consistency that you want. Be careful not to add too much flour as your creations will crack!
3. Use dough to make whatever shape you want. The example is two faces, but your kids can use their imaginations. Don't make them too large. They are more easily broken.
   
4. Place cookie sheet in oven and bake for 2 ½ hours.
5. Remove from oven and let cool completely.
6. Paint.
7. Get a grown-up to spray the entire surface with acrylic sealer spray.
8. Glue a magnet to the back and let dry.

(http://www.kaboose.com/)

Holiday Lanterns

Lantern How-To
Cut construction paper to 6 by 9 inches; fold in half lengthwise. Fold edges back 1/2 inch for rims, and crease; unfold. Glue a 1/2-by-9-inch strip of decorative paper on each rim. Cut slits from middle fold to rims, spacing 3/4 inch apart. Shape into lantern: Open paper; bring the ends together to overlap slightly; staple. Staple 3/4-by-8-inch paper handle inside lantern. Glue on construction-paper stars (made with a craft punch).

How fun the the 4th of July or even Memorial Day

Summer School!

Here is a website that has lots of coloring pages and worksheets you can print off. It will help you make sure your kids keep up on their letters and numbers during the summer.
abcteach.com

Darling Headband Pattern

Go to here for the super cute and easy pattern. Also, go here for other cute ideas from Heather Bailey. (Thanks Heidi. I got the blog from you and your mother-in-law. I love it!)

This One Is For The Birds!

Just because you don't always see them, doesn't mean that all the birds have flown the coop. Bird watching is a fun way for you and your kids to get some quality time with Mother Nature. Birds teach all kinds of biology lesson to kids of any age--from learning about different species to understanding evolution! Now all you have to do is attract the birds and watch in wonder. Here's how:

Feeding your Feathered Friends

Materials:

a large pinecone

yarn

peanut butter or vegetable shortening

bird seed

a bowl and spatula

Knot a length of yarn around the pinecone so you will be able to hang it outside. Spread peanut butter (if allergies are a concern, you can use shortening, but it won’t be quite as sticky) all over the pinecone, then roll in bird seed until it’s well-coated. Hang outside in a squirrel-hostile spot. Voila! Lunch is served!

Build a Better Birdhouse

Materials:

an empty ½ gallon paper milk carton

scissors

masking tape

a brown marker

string

optional: all-weather glue and strips of bark

Rinse the milk carton in plain water and dry thoroughly. Use the scissors to poke several holes in the top and bottom of the carton to allow condensation and water to escape. Cut a hole in the front of the house (decide what kind of bird you want to attract, and size the door accordingly.) Use dull masking tape to cover the entire carton, sealing the top. Have your child color the taped exterior brown to look like natural wood, or glue strips of bark to the carton. Finally, poke a hole in the top, tie a loop of string through it, and hang in a quiet place where residents will be safe from predators like squirrels and snakes.

Binoculars for Beginners

Materials:

two cardboard tubes from rolls of toilet paper

yarn

glue

hole punch

crayons, stickers

Glue the two rolls together side by side. Let dry. Stand upright; punch one hole on each exterior side of one end. Cut a length of yarn long enough to loop through holes and go around your child’s neck. Knot it through each hole. Decorate “binoculars” and go on a bird-watching expedition.

What To Do With Broken Crayons?

Is your child’s art box a jumble of crayon stubs and broken bits? Don’t throw them out! You can use crayon scraps to make beautiful “stained glass” window hangings and even more crayons.


**To make stained glass, you’ll need:

- waxed paper
- crayon stubs
- a crayon sharpener, carrot peeler or grater (depending on your child’s ability level)
- an iron
- a few sheets of newspaper
- yarn and a hole punch

Cut two large, matching pieces of waxed paper and lay one piece flat on your work surface. Peel the paper from your crayons. Have your child sharpen or grate the crayon bits over the paper in a decorative design. When finished, top with the second piece of waxed paper and the newspaper. Then, iron the paper on low until the crayons have melted enough to hold both pieces of paper together (keep lifting newspaper to check). Let cool. Trim edges and punch a hole at the top. Add a yarn hook and hang in window. Better than Chartres!

**To make your own super-special crayon shapes, you’ll need:

- candy molds in your favorite shape (available inexpensively at craft or gourmet stores)* or an ice cube tray
- assorted crayon bits
- your choice: paper cups and a microwave or a muffin tin and an oven

Peel the paper from the crayons and separate by color. If melting in the microwave, put each color into separate cups and melt in microwave on low, checking frequently. If melting in the oven, separate in different cups of a muffin tin and melt on low, again checking frequently. (Crayola warns that overheated crayons will create fumes.) When melted, pour hot wax carefully into molds. If your child has the patience, you can let one layer cool and then add another in a different color for multi-colored crayons. Let cool thoroughly and pop out. Voila!

* Throwing a skating, garden, or princess party? Find molds in a coordinating shape to make crayons and you’ve got eye-catching party favors made from your child’s scraps!

(www.education.com)

Expereiments With Water

If your kids were anything like I was, science is fun. National Geographic Kids Website has some fun science projects using water. The best thing: they explain why the experiment works. You don't have to try to figure it out on your own when your kids as WHY?

Floating Paper Clip
An Ice Idea
Floating Egg
Stuck Up
Bottled Vortex
Indoor Rainbow

Have Fun!