PUFFY COLORS SCIENCE
You know those disposable foil lasagne trays? Well those are perfect container for this activity! Really any container will do! You’ll also need to baking soda, vinegar and food coloring. Also icecube trays (or small bowls) and pipettes to squeeze out the liquids (or a turkey baster).
Pour a thick layer of baking soda to cover the bottom of the container. Sprinkle food coloring all over the baking soda. You can do a special design or pick colors as you choose. Then, with your pipette or baster, squeeze up the vinegar and shoot it out onto the color creation. Watch as your colors become puffy with this scientific reaction!
Link to pipettes: https://amzn.to/3YUXVqz
LOVEY'S BIRTHDAY PARTY!
Have you ever decided it was time to celebrate a loved stuffed animal’s birthday? This is our go-to, especially on a boring, gloomy day! To celebrate, you can do all of the things! Take the lovey with you for a favorite activity out and about… make your lovey's favorite meal… wrap presents for your lovie (have kiddo pick from around the house and wrap thenselves)… make a special card for your lovey… lastly, bake a cake or desert for your special stuffy! You can literally tell your children, “Oh! Tomorrow is Fluffy’s Birthday!” and go from there!
REMOTE CONTROL RAMPS
Do you have a cornhole set? Do you have a doormat? Do you have a remote control car begging to do some cool stunts? Do you have a bored 8 year old?!
This activity is as easy as it sounds and for some reason, so much fun. We like to get creative here… space out the corn hole boards, angle them, etc. My big kids have a fun time seeing if they can get their monster trucks to flip or how much air they can get! Also can break out that sidewalk chalk and draw an RC course with the ramp as a stunt!
"SCOOTER CITY"
Do you remember the square scooters used in gym class many years ago? The ones that if you didn’t balance just right, you’d topple right off? Yep. Those. They are seriously amazing for balance, core strength and coordination. They also are easy on wood floors!
We have 2 scooters and use them both inside and out. Inside we have mixed the rug and set up a little “course” in our living room from time to time. We also have had scooter races.
My all time favorite activity is "Scooter City", however. We pick a smooth, flat cement space (think driveway, under deck, cul-de-sac, etc.) and grownup or kiddo can draw roads and city structures. The task is for 1) the big kids to create things in their cities they want to have and 2) zoom around on their scooters from place to place depending on the situation or problem you present them with. Sometimes, the adult is the “dispatcher”. I relay the problems that are happening in "Scooter City". Sometimes it’s a leaky pipe, water main break, kitten stuck in a tree, bank robbery, crossing guard needed, you get the idea. Sometimes we use props (fire hose, bucket, stuffed kitty, whistle, etc). Regardless, it gets out SO MUCH energy. The little boys play along as well, but drive toy cars on the streets of "Scooter City" instead.
Link to scooters: https://amzn.to/42kvIMG
Link to awesome chalk we love: https://amzn.to/3Tro8ft
BIG KID BOOT CAMP
This is exactly what it sounds like. Yep. Boot Camp for Big Kids.
Do your kiddos have a handful of things that you’d love to see them master and become more self-sufficient with, but really don’t know when to fit it in or it’s a power struggle to do so on a daily basis? We do. Always. So we picked a day for “Big Kid Boot Camp”.
Listen, I talked this one up for a solid week. “I bet you cannot wait to be able to tie those shoes by yourself!” And, "Can you imagine how much quicker brushing your teeth will be once you can put the toothpaste on super quick by yourself?!” It got them so excited and amped up. We picked three things for each big kid that we NEEDED them to master (or at least have some confidence with) so that our daily routines could flow a little more smoothly. Some examples... tying shoes, brushing teeth, snapping seatbelt, knowing address/phone number, turning on the shower themselves, etc.
I bought a blank deck of playing cards and made each Big Kid his own punch hole cards. The boys carried their hole punchers and boot camp cards with them and in order to pass boot camp they needed to complete each task 3 times. Once my husband or I saw that they could do the task, we let them punch a hole for each one. They LOVED the hole punching. They also loved the icecream party we had after to celebrate boot camp accomplishments!
Link to boot camp cards: https://amzn.to/3LxCoBs
DOOR DASH
Nope. This isn’t what you think. A bit different than the food delivery service/app. This game is great for kiddos 5 years old and up. All you need is a piece of paper and a pencil. The goal of the game is to guess the correct or closest to correct number of items within a house. For instance, “How many doors are there in the house?" Your big kid(s) will walk around quietly asking the question to each family member and writing down the guesses. The family member has to name a guess within 5 seconds of the big kid asking. Then, you will set the big kids loose to count the items around the house and see which family member will win the door dash! Some other fun ideas include: windows, chairs, cabinet knobs/handles, curtains, etc. You can even add a fun twist and the “winner” may get some kind of prize, like no dishes for the day or an extra dessert treat!
BOX PLAY!
Boxes. I don't know about you, but Amazon, Sam's Club, and diapers are our life right now and have been for a long time and will be for the foreseeable future! We have so many boxes! They add clutter... take up space... can be living room obstacles... but we definitely love them and welcome them and the creativity they invite.
What can you do with a box?! I’m sure you have used boxes to make your own creations, and I’d love to hear some of those ideas in the comments below! We have made them into anything from pretend air conditioner units to space shuttles! One of the best things that we have used to decorate our cardboard boxes with are paint sticks! They are so easy and smooth to draw with and dry extremely quickly.
Some of our box creations have lasted only a few days and some have lasted weeks at a time! I hope you can use a box in a fun way to add some entertainment in your kiddos’ busy days!
Links to paint sticks:
DEMOLITION DERBY
If your kiddo is a fan of messes and cars, this activity is for you!! Super simple and fun! Cover any surface with butcher paper or even a plastic tablecloth and tape a piece of paper down to secure. All you need is finger paint and cars (I used yogurt for my toddler still mouthing everything)! Start with a few dots of finger paint on the paper and a splat or two on the cars themselves. Kiddos love to watch the car make tracks and to smash cars into each other as well!
Butcher Paper: https://amzn.to/3n9K3Mr
Finger Paint: https://amzn.to/41LrBsB
ABC FASHION HACK!
When school is starting up, you may have a little person or little people who are starting to learn and recognize letters and sounds! When I homeschooled my kindergartener and his buddy, we focused on one letter a week and to reinforce our learning, they wore these letter bracelets! We referenced them throughout the school day and also discussed the objects on their bracelets that started with the letter focus! We switched out letters and buttons every Monday and it was a huge hit along with a fun component to learning! This would work perfectly for pre-k kiddos or early elementary and to pair with what your little ones are learning in the classroom.
Charm bracelets: https://amzn.to/3sZuVnh
Charms:https://amzn.to/3Ltjo6f
BIG KID CORNER
It’s all fun and games when you have a baby sibling until they become mobile! For us, this is when things got tricky with bigger kiddos. Baby was trying to explore new spaces and new toys , yet big brother or sister was NOT interested in having their space intruded. Instead of constantly moving baby or siblings’ items, having big sibling meltdown over sharing everything, and having baby cry because toys are constantly being returned to their owner, we decided to dedicate a corner of our living room to the “big kid”. This space was blocked off with a baby gate(s) and was cozy— just for him. We added a little rug and a surface to play on. He could stash anything he wanted to keep safe and for his hands only in that space. This really eliminated a lot of refereeing on my part, and created a safe space for all siblings so each could co-exist as peacefully as possible!
Baby Playyard Gates: https://amzn.to/3RAVqKb
HANGING WATER PLAY & BED BIN!
Hanging plant pots make awesome containers to hang off of bunk bed rails and double as a fun water play container for little people! We have had bunk beds for over 5 years now, and while these plastic plant hangers are no longer in stock, these similar ones (check links) are awesome for hanging over the bunk rail to hold books, trinkets, stuffies, water bottles, etc. Also! When my little people were toddling around and in walkers, we hung an extra planter over the arm of a deck chair, filled it with a bit of water on a hot day and the baby was able to play and not dump the water!
Planters:
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FAMILY READING TIME
It’s your turn to make reading magical! A few years ago, we started a family tradition called “Family Reading Time“. It sounds so simple, and it actually really is. It just takes a little bit of prep and some creativity and intention. I picked out a book bin for each of my kids (even the baby at the time). I intentionally placed books that would be of high interest to them within the book bins. Sometimes the books are from our bookshelf, sometimes I make a surprise library visit, and sometimes they are holiday related or seasonal! I try to rotate them out once a week. The kids are only allowed to use these books during our family reading time each night! Sometimes, I throw in some special things— a stuffed animal reading buddy, a plastic figurine to read to, or sometimes I set up the living room like a camp fire circle and everyone has their cozy nook. During this time, we play soft music and no one talks. Daddy reads, mommy reads, kiddos read. Uninterrupted 5-10min (sometimes longer, but rarely). At this stage, reading for kiddos may look like browsing through books, looking at pictures —and that is okay. This is an awesome time for kids to learn that everyone needs a healthy, solid 5 or 10 minutes to quiet down and focus on literacy!
Book Bins: https://amzn.to/3LJ1TPu
MESSY PLAY SPACE
We all know they love to get dirty and messy. This includes digging, scooping, building, burying, and, of course, demolishing! Our old backyard was small. We found that the kiddos were wrecking all parts of the backyard. I felt bad redirecting them every time we went outside— it got old quickly! So… we decided to just give them their own space so that they could be messy, dirty, and do whatever they wanted to with it! It started out as a small pit of dirt, which extended into a mud kitchen, and a bench made out of tree stumps. The corner of the yard became our haven! It gave them a space where they could be kids, and we as parents, didn’t need to clean up the entire yard each day! Win, win all around!
𝐇𝐢𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 ТԻḘᾸṦṲԻḘ 𝐁𝐚𝐠𝐬
We have found with our kids, that hiking and walking goes a lot more smoothly when we set a purpose. They become so interested in "the mission", that they forget about their tired feet, chilly hands, hungry bellies, or any other complaint that may hinder a nice hike. I started creating "Treasure Bags" that are easy to hold, open and close and will not rip! We use them
over and over and the kids LOVE filling them with whatever we can find! Sometimes we set a goal of finding all green items, or assign a number (I.e. let's find 4 yellow things). We have even tried to collect items that start with different letters of the alphabet! You can turn a "Treasure Bag" hike into anything!
All you need is a gallon plastic bag that zips or closes at the top, a piece of duct tape, a hole punch and some twine or string! Looking at the front of the bag, put a piece of duct tape around the top left corner to wrap from front to back. Then write your kiddo's name on the tape. Punch a hole into the duct tape square and tie twine through the hole to make an easy handle to carry your bag with! Super quick, super cheap, super doable! You can even have your child decorate their "Treasure Bag"!