Bubble prints are so much fun! It rained here today, so I thought this would be a good alternative to blowing bubbles outside. I’ve seen this project featured around the preschooler circuit, but I was surprised at how much Emily enjoyed this activity. To make your own bubble prints, you will need: 1 Drinking Straw […]
1 Second Time Machine
July 16, 2009 by
One of the advantages of being married to a tech-geek (who also happens to be a pack-rat) is there is never a shortage of old computer equipment for pretend play! This afternoon, Emily asked me if there was a way to stop time, which reminded me of a clip from the movie The Science of […]
Snowman in July
July 13, 2009 by
Emily’s favorite book is Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein, and we have read it together again and again. One of the poems, Snowman, was the inspiration for today’s activities. The poem is about a snowman who is determined to try to see July. Emily made her snowman out of white Model Magic, and […]
Hot Dogs for Sale!
July 11, 2009 by
Emily was convinced that today was “Recipe Day”, and since we had some rain, it seemed like a perfect day to try out some homemade play dough! You can find the recipe we used here. We made ours in pinks, reds, and golden yellow colors so Mark could help Emily make some pretend hot dogs […]
Animal Hospital
July 2, 2009 by
Oh, our poor stuffed animals have been feeling quite unwell this afternoon, and several required hours at the hospital. Fortunately, Dr. Emily is an excellent doctor and she made them all feel better! Once I gathered up some supplies from around the house, Emily became immersed in her own imaginary world. We used one of […]
Bottle Cap Tic-Tac-Toe
June 18, 2009 by
Emily has been playing lots of Tic-Tac-Toe with Mark lately, and they have been using up quite a bit of our scrap paper to play. This bottle cap version uses just one half of an 8 1/2″ x 11″ piece of paper and 10 bottle caps (5 of each kind). Be careful to make sure […]
10! Show Round Up
June 15, 2009 by
In case you missed today’s 10! Show, here is the clip!View more news videos at: http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/video.Here are links to the projects we demonstrated on today’s show: Spin Art Lazy Susan Style Block Prints from Foam Meat Trays Making Paper Kites Beads from Old Magazines Paper Marbling — This is Awesome! This segment was so much […]
DIY: Sticker Book
June 9, 2009 by
When my parents were visiting last week, my mom brought a few stickers for Emily. We realized that Emily didn’t have a sticker book, so my mom made one for her. I think it looks great, and Emily really enjoyed arranging all her new stickers in it! The pages are sheets of waxed paper. Works […]
Rain, rain, go away!
June 5, 2009 by
We have been trying to make the most out of these last several rainy days. Thankfully, tomorrow’s forecast is looking much better. This afternoon, I visited a new store in town. They just opened up, and their prices are phenomenal! The selection is a bit lacking, but they make up for it with the absolute […]
Fabulous Keychains Your Kids Can Make
June 1, 2009 by
Tucked in among our craft supplies, I found some keychains I had ordered a long time ago from Oriental Trading Company. They weren’t much to look at, but they had little photo frames in them, and the kids could paint the frames. These would be okay for keeping the kiddos occupied, but personally I wouldn’t […]
Dress Up Play
May 27, 2009 by
Another rainy day here, so I took the girls on an adventure to our local thrift shop where we spotted this beautiful dress for just $5.00! Emily wanted to use it as part of her growing collection of play dress up outfits. How could I resist? Look! It even twirls! Her favorite dress up outfits […]
Spin Art (Lazy Susan Style)
May 26, 2009 by
We had a rainy day this afternoon, so while Clara was napping, Emily and I had a pocket of time for a fun messy art project. I remember making lots of spin art as a kid, but I had a battery-powered kit which included paper and paint. The kit was fabulous, but once the batteries ran […]
Patriotic Wreath Craft
May 25, 2009 by
Happy Memorial Day! Here’s a simple craft Emily enjoyed in-between picnics, barbecues, and working in the garden. To make your own patriotic wreath, you will need a star-shaped hole puncher (I found this one at Big Lots for $1), some red, white, and blue construction paper, glue, a paper plate, and a pair of scissors. […]
Block Prints from Foam Meat Trays
May 21, 2009 by
I started saving our foam meat trays to make our own block printed cards, and Emily enjoyed the entire process of this activity! To make your own block prints, you will need: foam meat trays, water-soluble block printing ink, brayer, cardstock, and a large spoon. We used the opposite end of a paint brush to […]
Bean Face Mosaic
May 18, 2009 by
Emily informed me this morning that she wanted to make a smiley face. I have no idea why she chose to make such an angry face this afternoon, but she kept telling me this was a picture of a bad guy who is very very VERY ANGRY. To make bean faces, you will need heavy […]
Slacker Saturday — Paper Boats
May 16, 2009 by
For this week’s Slacker Saturday activity, Emily and I made paper boats! She liked decorating hers with crayons, and get this…. they float! For a little while, anyway. At least until the paper becomes too soggy. These are very simple to make, and you start off with a simple paper hat. There are only a […]
$5 Friday — Window Crayons
May 15, 2009 by
I was so happy to find these Window Crayons, and I scooped them up the minute I saw them at Target for just $2.70! I have let Emily use window markers before, but the ink seems to run out rather quickly, and the kids have to be really good about putting the caps back on […]
Butterfly Paintings — Lessons in Symmetry
May 12, 2009 by
Like most 5 year old girls, Emily adores butterflies. Today we painted butterflies and I introduced the concept of symmetry. To make your own butterfly painting, start with a sheet of paper, and fold it in half. Draw half of a butterfly, as shown. I used watercolor markers (just $2.50 for a pack of 8 […]
