Archive for May 2011
This activity is messy, but not at all difficult and can easily be adapted for different ages. If your child has sensory issues, it can also be an opportunity to work on breaking down some of those barriers as well.
For this project you will need the following:
1. A piece of stiff cardboard, foam, or poster board
2. Salt ( 3/4 a cup)
3. Flour (1/4 cup)
4. Water
5. 1 tsp. cream of tartar (optional)
6. Print out of the Earth
7. Food coloring (optional)
First, glue your print out of the earth onto your piece of poster board. I ran out of poster board, so I used the top of a gift box, which worked great. My print out is a little sad, but Charlie’s not picky, so we jut went with it. 
The next step is to make your map paste. Combine the salt and flour and cream of tartar in a bowl and then slowly add water until you have a paste-like substance. The cream of tartar is supposed to help with the consistency, but if you don’t have any, you’ll just have a chunkier paste. Add drops of food coloring if you’d like your map to have a color other than white–we used green. 
Take your paste and then spread it over the land areas of your map. You can be as precise as you like depending on the age of your child. Charlie was about three when we did this, so we were just glopping the paste onto the land parts of our map. As I’ve mentioned in the past, he also has some sensory issues (which are improving!), so he wasn’t thrilled about touching the paste. I ended up being the paster for the most part. If your child doesn’t mind, encourage them to create mountains, valleys, and maybe a river channel. For older children, you can find a topographic map and encourage them to match it as much as possible.
Allow the paste to air dry and you’ll have a three-dimensional map. After it was dry, Charlie loved his map and spent a lot of time checking it out (some with his mouth I will confess). Might not have been exactly what I envisioned, but if he enjoys it, then who am I to judge?
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Katy is a mom of one ( with two on the way) who loves art, mystery novels, and anything involving peanut butter–she blogs about raising her little miracle at Bird on the Street.
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Blast those darn piggies with water balloon Angry Birds! Inspired by the mega popular video game Angry Birds this takes the game outside into the sun for fun all summer long.
Earlier this year we featured a post by contributing writer Kim about playing real life Angry Birds. Well because of that post I finally downloaded the game and have been not so shamefully in love with the game ever since. When the sun finally came out I knew we needed to adapt Kim’s post into something for outside in the sun. So of course we needed to include water balloons and a little art too! To say we had fun would be the understatement of the century- this was incredibly awesome.
- Gather your materials. You will need some water balloons, a permanent marker ( optional) and some washable sidewalk chalk . The washable chalk obviously comes off when hit with a few balloons so it’s great for this activity. You may also want a bag or bowl to rest your balloons in so that they aren’t on the pavement where they may pop.
- Start by filling your balloons.
- Carefully add angry faces with the permanent marker.
- Draw your pigs ( if you aren’t familiar with the game these piggies are your targets). I did the green, he did (some) blue!
- Get ready to smash those pigs! This can also be a lesson in sizes .
- Aim!
- Get those bad pigs!
- Keep blasting .
Between balloons I would pretend to tweet a whistle and announce ” Clean Up Crew – Time Out!” then quickly retrieve all the pieces of each water balloon. Please be sure to dispose of them carefully, and keep them out of your children’s reach as deflated balloons are unsafe for kids. We used neon balloons so the bright colors would be easy to spot. - We kept going back to make more “birds”.
- At the end of the game I had my son be the final cleaning crew looking for balloon pieces.
I hope you have fun things planned for the summer but don’t worry if you don’t just check out some of the other links below! This link and learn is my go to place for inspiration! Although I admit to falling way behind on reading. Hopefully while we are on vacation I can hide under the covers and catch up while other family members wrangle the little people. Have a wonderful week.
All week we have been celebrating MeMeTales new Mobile Reader App ‘s launch but really what I have been celebrating are the expanded options that kids have for reading favorite stories. One option I hope every child gets every day is to cuddle up next to someone they love and read some great books. In the spirit of celebrating reading MeMeTales is giving away a prize pack of 20 of my favorite picture books. The full list ( click to see ) includes In The Town All Year Round, Whoever You Are , Freight Train, Anamalia , Corduroy and 15 more!
MeMeTales’s philosophy is to make reading “The funnest ever!” And having 20 new books is a great way to start having fun.
How To Enter
All you have to do to enter this giveaway is answer How do you make reading fun at your house? Leave a comment telling us the answer and you will be entered into to win this wonderful prize that celebrates literacy at home.
Extra entries- up to 2 extra ways to enter:
1. Download the MeMeTales Free Mobile Reader App
or
Check out MeMeTales website if you don’t have an iPhone, iPod or iPad.
Come back and leave a separate comment saying you’ve done it and you will have extra chances to win.
Fine Print T he giveaway closes June 4th at 8pm PST. The winner will be chosen by random using random.org.Contest is open to residents of Canada and the USA only. Please ensure your email address included in the comment so we can contact you if you win. This Contest is closed.
After reading Speakaboo’s Sleeping Beauty on our iPod with the MeMeTales Mobile Reader App I was inspired to make a fairy wand to go along with the fairies in the story. I wanted to show parents how easy a fun and very sparkly wand can be to make . I asked my son if he wanted to be a part of this craft and I got a resounding ” No.” Even after I suggested making it a Bat-wand he wasn’t convinced. So I made it myself and even though I have no need for a fairy wand i have to say I have been casting some awesome spells with it.
- Gather your materials. You will need some sticky back foam if it’s sparkly even better! You will also need a drinking straw ( milkshake ones work great), a pen or marker, scissors and curling ribbon.
- Start by drawing a butterfly ( or shape of your choice) on the backing of your foam.
- Cut out and use as a stencil for the other side. We used two different colors of foam but using the same is a great choice as well.
- Peel the back off the foam, press the straw into it.
- Sandwich the straw in between the foam.
- Add the ribbon.
- Curl the ribbon on the edge of the scissors blade ( adults only please).
- Now cast some stupendous spells!
Book
As mentioned above the inspiration for this craft came from Sleeping Beauty by Speakaboos , which we actually listened to using our MeMeTales App instead of reading our selves which was a fun change of pace. Books are so versatile and reading, listening or playing with them are all ways to immerse your kids into a life long love of stories and the written word.
Add Your Craft
Do you have a fairytale inspired craft? Add it here :
