| |
|
|
| |
|
We never have time to be bored at Nana's.
There's always something to do.
So. . . if it's raining and you have to stay indoors, or you're just tired of all your toys and games today, ask a grown up to help you with some of our favorite things to do. They sure make the "nothing to do blues" go away quick around here.
A secret for Grandmas and Moms: You can buy a small bottle of glycerin at almost any pharmacy. Keep it on hand for rainy days. Add a few basic items from the kitchen and you can produce hours worth of fun!. It sure beats listening to the kids sing the "but... there's nothing to do..." blues all day long.
Hugs and cookies ,
"What I hear, I forget. What I see, I remember.
And what I do, I understand."
 Chinese Proverb
Be like a postage stamp.
Stick to one thing until you get there.
author unknown
|
|
Make Some Water Colors
 and
Paint a Picture
Mix the vinegar and soda together in a little bowl; add the corn starch and glycerin when the soda stops foaming. Stir in the water a little at a time, until your paint seems about the right thickness. This makes about 1/4 cup of stuff. Divide it into three or four little jars (baby food jars are perfect) and add about a drop of food color to each one. We usually make red, yellow, blue and green. Now find some paper, a brush and have fun! |
Here's what you'll need for each color
1 tablespoon of vinegar
(either white or cider is OK)
2 tablespoons of baking soda
1 tablespoon of corn starch
1/2 teaspoon Glycerin
1 teaspoon of water
2 drops of food coloring
|
One of my all time favorites is to pull out an old steamer trunk filled with outrageous clothes from decades past and let them 'play dress up'
|
Blow Some  Bubbles
Make Your Own
Here's what you'll need:
1/2 liquid dishwashing detergent
1 cup water
2 drops food coloring |
Mix all the stuff together in a jar with a tight cover. Make a bubble wand using some wire, or use a purchased bubble pipe or wand. Store your bubbles at room temperature when you're not using them. |
|
|
Here's what you'll need:
A grown up person to HELP you.
1/2 cup table salt
(not kosher or sea salt)
1/2 cup hot water
1/2 cup cold water
1/2 cup cornstarch
a few drops of food coloring in 3 or 4 colors |
Make Some Play Clay
and
Create  Critters
|
Mix the salt and hot water in a large pan. PLEASE - don't ever use the stove without a grown up to HELP you. OK? So.. ask your helper to bring the salt and water to a boil over high heat. Put the cold water in a small bowl and stir in the cornstarch. Add coloring now, if you want your clay to be red or green or yellow. We usually leave ours white and then paint our little critters with acrylic hobby paints. Now, add the cornstarch mixture to the boiling salt water and stir hard to keep it from lumping up. Continue cooking the clay over low heat until it becomes stiff.
After the cooked clay is stiff, carefully turn it out onto a bread board with a big spoon. Let it cool completely and then knead it until it gets smooth. Now it's ready to use. Or, you can wrap it up tightly in plastic and store it in an air tight container for a few days.
Your clay critters can be preserved by letting them air dry at room temperature for 3 or 4 days, or by baking them in the oven at 200 degrees F for about 2 hours. Remember, you promised not to use the stove without a grown up to help you.
To make Christmas tree decorations, roll out the dough about 1/4 inch thick, then use cookie cutters to make ornament shapes. Use a toothpick to make a hole at the top for a string or ribbon. Bake until dry and decorate any way you want.
 Write a Play - then invite some friends over and Act it OUT!
|
Tear Up Last Week's
Newspaper  and
Make Some Papier-Mache` |
Here's what you'll need:
1 cup white flour
2/3 cup water
Newspaper strips
(torn about 1 1/2 inches wide)
A hint - newspaper tears best from top to bottom. If you're not getting even strips easily -
turn the paper around and tear from the other direction.
A small disposable container of some sort to use as the base for your project. A little cereal box, an empty plastic milk carton or soda bottle, a strong balloon that's partly inflated
|
Mix the flour and water in a good sized bowl. It should be about like thick glue when you've mixed it all up. If you want it to be thicker or thinner - add more flour or water a LITTLE bit at a time.
Put down a thick layer of newspaper to work on - so you won't make a mess on the table. Dip a strip of newspaper into the paste, gently pull it through your fingers to take off any extra paste. Now put it smoothly on the base for your project. Repeat with another strip and this time crisscross or overlap the first strip. Repeat again and again, until the base is completely covered in newspaper strips and the whole thing is about 1/4 inch thick. Set it aside to dry thoroughly.
When your project is dry you can decorate it with poster paints or hobby acrylic paints, bits of braid, buttons, lace, ribbon or anything that pleases you.
|
Make Some Finger Paints |
 Here's what you'll need:
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup water
3 tablespoons glycerin
a few drops of food coloring in assorted colors |
Mix the flour and water in a good sized bowl. Divide the mixture equally into three or four smaller bowls. In each small bowl - stir constantly as you add 1 tablespoon glycerin and a drop or two of food coloring.
Put down a thick layer of newspaper to work on - so you won't make a mess on the table.
Set a dishpan or large bowl of water nearby to rinse off hands between colors. Have fun! Hint: Pictures of the Kid's hand prints are a favorite on the fridge at our house - cause then we can see how big they've grown. One year we even got a white sweat shirt with everyone's hand prints all over it in primary colors of acrylic hobby paint. We still love that one!
Keeping kids busy while the weather outside is frightful and dinner is "not quite ready" can be a real challenge. When faced with this dilemma... we've printed off several of the wonderful Paper Craft projects from Yamaha, and set up a kid's table with scissors and paste.
We chose projects simple enough to be completed in an hour or two, yet intricate enough to hold their interest. |
|
|
|
|
|
