10 Fun-Filled Play Ideas for the Beach

beachplay6

Planning a trip to the beach this Summer? Looking for a few play ideas to have in mind for once the kids get bored of playing in the waves? ((Does that ever happen??)) Well, if it does, here are a few of our favorite play ideas for the beach… or sandbox! 1. Play Sand Bakery [...]

Connect with Your Kids: Camping …or Camp-In??

camping7

Do your kids crave a camping adventure? Whether you’re planning a trip to the great outdoors, or pitching camp in your own backyard, Joyce from Childhood Beckons and I got together to share some simple camping activities to keep the kids entertained! Tasty Camping Treats Banana Boats — Whip up a tasty campfire treat! Make [...]

Summer Fun with Kids — Making Mega Bubbles

megabubbles2

Making mega bubbles is fun for the whole family! We did this little activity many times last Summer (inspired by a now-retired blog), and watching the girls’ reactions always makes me smile. Bubble solution is made with 6 cups distilled water, 2 cups Joy dishwashing detergent, and 3/4 cup light corn syrup. Stir the solution gently and [...]

Sponge Bomb Yo-Yos

spongebombyoyo3

There was renewed interest in the sponge bombs when we made them into yo-yos! This time I held the sponge bombs together with ouchless hair elastics instead, and they worked very well indeed. A piece of elastic attached made them instant yo-yos!! (As with anything else, be sure to supervise the kiddos while playing.) When [...]

Sunday Snapshot — Lego Building Fun

legocabin2

This Lego set was an awesome gift from Emily’s Uncle Glenn. It took Emily almost TWO FULL DAYS, but she built it!       And she built it all by herself. This is the LEGO Creator Log Cabin 5766 – which is totally awesome. There are instructions for 3 different building projects, and Emily had [...]

Water Beads and Glow Sticks

waterbeadsglowsticks3

I had some clear water beads chilling in the fridge, and since we’re in the midst of a heat wave this Summer, I thought now might be a good time to let the kiddos play with them. Note — Water beads are designed for use in floral arrangements, and not as toys. They are non-toxic [...]

Outdoor Nature Discovery Lab

dsnaturestudy2

During a recent trip to the dollar store, Emily asked if we could spend an afternoon creating a “nature discovery lab”. I thought that was a great idea, and as it turns out, we were able to use a few inexpensive items from the dollar store to make our nature discovery lab even more educational [...]

Outdoor Tea Party

outdoorteaparty4

The girls enjoyed an outdoor tea party — and had a blast pouring out little cups of water, stirring them up, and saying “cheers” before pretending to sip their tea. So civilized!! They were so happy to bring their little tea set outdoors and with “real water”. For Clara, this was great fine-motor practice! For [...]

BIG Play in Small Spaces

bigplaysmallspaces4

Recently I posted a list of What to Do with the Kids this Summer with 10 simple ideas. A lovely reader (Hi, Judith!) commented to say that she lives in the city and is looking for play ideas that don’t require a lot of space. So I reached out to some of the most creative [...]

Building Fairy Houses

fairyhouses7

Just as I was about to tackle the pile of dirty dishes in the sink, the girls asked if they could do some crafting. Well! They didn’t have to twist my arm!! Those dishes can wait. Instead, I put together a super-quick, CUTE, tiny, fairy house building kit for them. It’s made with some leftover [...]

Father’s Day Gift Kids Can Make — BBQ Sauce

bbqsauce2

Looking for an easy Father’s Day gift idea that the kids can make?? The girls and I have been hard at work making and canning batches of homemade BBQ sauce for a gift to Mark this Father’s Day! ((Shhhhhhh… it’s a surprise!)) Mark loves to cook on the grill. I’m pretty sure this is because [...]

Sunshine Crafts and Activities for Kids

sunshinecrafts7

Here are some of our favorite crafts and activities for kids that celebrate sunshine — no matter what weather you happen to be experiencing at the moment. Besides, sometimes it’s more fun to make your own sunshine! Sunny Indoor Beach — If the weather is not cooperating, why not make your own sunny beach indoors? [...]

Ice Cream in a Bag

icecreaminabag1

Making your own ice cream in a bag is definitely a great activity to include on your list of What To Do With The Kids This Summer!! It’s super quick (takes about 5 minutes) and it’s VERY easy to do! Also? Super FUN!!! And the smiles totally made my day! Then there was the taste [...]

More Tips to Make Cleaning Fun

cleaningfun

Clara and I had a lot of cleaning to get done this week, so we filmed a short video with parenting tips to show how we make cleaning fun. You can watch it on our NEW YouTube channel. – 5 Ways to Make Cleaning Fun for Kids Pst! Be sure to click on the “subscribe” button [...]

Simple Science for Kids — Make a Rainbow

makearainbow4

Here’s another learning activity to add to the list of Things to Do with the Kids this Summer — Make a rainbow with a hose! This is a simple way to demonstrate that when sunlight shines on water droplets at a certain angle, the water refracts the beams of sunlight to separate them into different [...]

Cloud Dough Recipe & Ice Cream Shop

cloudicecream3

Have you tried playing with cloud dough yet?? It is totally awesome! We made two big batches of it for a cloud dough ice cream shop — LOTS of pretend play FUN! I’m not exaggerating when I say that the girls played with this stuff for hours, and it was another great use for our [...]

Summer Fun with Kids — Water Pistol Target Range

watertargets2

Here’s another activity to add to the list of things to do with the kids this Summer — Make your own water pistol target range! Emily and Clara had such a GREAT time with this, and it’s super easy to set up. Start by stacking some paper cups into a pyramid shape, as shown below. [...]

Rainy Day Fun — Pretend Pizzeria!

cardboardpizzeria10

Need an idea for what to do with the kids on a rainy day? This pretend pizzeria kept Clara happily occupied and provided plenty of imaginative play time fun!   We had already recycled our cardboard cafe into a cardboard classroom, and now it’s been recycled yet again into a pretend pizzeria. We used a [...]