Kidamerinks Activities: Jello Play-Doh

We had an "unplanned" afternoon the other day with nothing to do, so I decided to make some new Play-Doh for my Kidamerinks. 

I Never Buy Play-Doh.

In my opinion, it is a Total waste of money. It is so much easier and cheaper to make!

I have tried many different recipes for Homemade Play-Doh, and the one we've been using lately seemed to be doing the trick. 

But, I had seen a few recipes online that used Jello as a base for Play-Doh and I wanted to test it out. 

I was a bit Skeptical.

But, Oh. My. Word.

It makes the BEST Play-Doh in the world. 

I used this Play-Doh recipe, from Playdoughrecipe.org.

It's AWESOME and uses a LOT less salt than my previous favorite recipe so your hands don't come away feeling like you have crystals growing on them from all that salt!!

Here's what you do (for those of you intimidated by making your own Play-Doh):

Ingredients:

1 Cup White Flour

2 Tbsp. Salt

2 Tbsp. Cream of Tartar

2 Tbsp. Cooking Oil

1 Cup Warm Water

1 3oz package of Jello

I never buy Jello, but I have had this Peach Package of Jello in my Pantry for at least a year... so that's what we used. It would be fun to get some fun colors though, and now I'm going to start stocking up on Jello when it goes on sale!

Combine all of the ingredients and mix well. I let my Kidamerink do this part, since he is always wanting to help!

Then over medium-low heat, continually stir the Play-Doh (about 5 minutes) and be careful not to burn.

The Play-Doh will gradually get thicker and thicker until it starts to pull off of the sides of the pan and forms a thick ball. When it forms into a ball, pull off of the heat and let it cool for a few minutes. 

When it is cool enough to handle, knead for a few minutes until soft and pliable, then let it cool completely.

Then let your Kidamerinks' have some good ol' fashioned fun!

This Play-Doh was seriously the best one we've made so far. It smelled good, it wasn't too salty, and it was very pliable and had a good texture. It was almost like the consistency of clay, but a little bit softer. It was so smooth... that's the only way I could think of to describe it. 

You have to try it!!

Kidamerinks Activity: Bath Time Fun

When it comes to Bath Time in our house, I realized that I'm sort of grumpy about it. 

I don't know why, but Bath Time is generally not fun for us (me)...

I typically make my Kidamerink shower in the morning when I am getting ready because it is easier, faster and more convenient for me. 

And, I HATE -- hate is a very harsh word -- I mean dislike Bath Toys. 

They get all slimy and grow things on them after a while, it is just gross. 

About a year ago I threw out all of my Kidamerinks' bath toys because I had just had it. I know, I'm a mean Mom. I would bleach them and clean them, but there were still things growing inside those rubber duckies, those little boats and those darn squirting whales.

I replaced the bath toys with the Rubber Alphabet that sticks to the walls simply because they wipe off clean and there is less growth of "who knows what" on them! :)

My Kidamerink occasionally asks me where his submarine and boat went... and I don't have the heart to tell him that I threw them away!

Poor Kid.

Anyways, so I'm not a fun Mom when it comes to Bath Time. Maybe your bath toys don't grow things on them... so this may not be a problem you encounter, but our bath toys do!

Well, I was on Pinterest the other day (love it!) and saw this Frugal Bathtime Fun idea from

MommySavers.

You just put food coloring in ice cubes and let them have fun chasing them around the bathtub before they melt. Then, the water changes colors!!

We made some in fun shapes. I got these ice cube trays at Ikea for $1.99 a while ago. I've also seen fun shaped ice cube trays in the dollar spot at Target and at the Dollar Store. In fact, I saw some Halloween Themed ice cube trays at the Dollar Store today. Wouldn't that be fun?

You simply fill up the trays with water, then add 1 drop of food coloring in each "cube." I used a Q-Tip to mix them a little, then put them in the freezer.

My Kidamerink had a blast with these!! He thought it was so cool. The water turned green from mixing yellow and blue and he thought that was the most amazing thing ever. 

**Rest Assured: I was nervous about it leaving a "green" ring on my bathtub that I had just cleaned, but it went down the drain and didn't leave any residue! 

I'm glad I didn't feel guilty enough (since realizing I'm a bad Bath Time Mom) to go out and buy those fancy water changing tablets or bath crayons etc. This was just as much fun, and a much cheaper alternative!!

Hot Lava

I was searching this week for an activity to share with y'all that went along with our "L" unit. I couldn't find anything, couldn't find anything, kept searching... and still couldn't really find what I was looking for. I was a little disappointed, and tired of searching all of my favorite Preschool blogs, so I wandered over to Pinterest...

I am an admitted Pinterest Addict... it is a new-found obsession of mine (I've only been on Pinterest for less than a month) but it is seriously the best thing ever. And, I get a lot of my ideas from the homepage. (It is an invite only site, so if you need an invite - let me know in the Comments section).

Well, while I was browsing I stumbled across this:

 

It made me laugh, because it brought me back to my childhood. We totally played "Hot-Lava" as kids. We would tear off the couch cushions, throw them on the floor, jump from cushion to cushion and if you accidently touched the carpet, the Hot Lava Monster would get you!! Then you had to take your turn as the Hot Lava Monster. 

Then, when my Dad would get home we would sometimes turn off all the lights, hide in the dark hallway, and when we heard him coming we would run out to the living room and try to pass him before he would throw a pillow (from the couch) at us! 

Those were great times and some of my fondest memories.

Then it hit me. 

I don't always have to come up with some elaborate indoor activity for my Kidamerinks.

Some of the best activities are the ones that require a little imagination with the most mundane objects, i.e. Your Couch!

Hence, the Hot Lava Game!

Which is actually quite appropriate for "L" week.

So after Dinner tonight, I taught Adam about Lava and then we played and played and played. It was really fun to see him in his imaginative state, and for me to get down and play with him and encourage him to use his imagination.

We jumped from Cushion to Cushion, avoiding the Lava as best as we could for about an hour!!

This little Kidamerink got into it as well.
She was our Hot Lava Monster. Whenever we would fall on the floor, she would scoot over to us and "get" us! It was fun. 

Go and use your imagination this week. Play Hot Lava, or make up your own "game" with ordinary objects. Revert back to the Old School days where Hide-n-Seek was the best game ever. Or when Hopscotch was your entertainment for hours. See what you can come up with this week for your "Activity."

My Favorite Things: Eric Carle Flash Cards

Why I love our Eric Carle Flash Cards:

   

1. One of our favorite books around this house is, "The Very Hungry Caterpillar," By Eric Carle. Who doesn't love this book and the illustrations? It's a classic.

 

2. These flash cards are very sturdy. We have had the alphabet set since my son was born and they have survived his toddler years (no other set has lasted as long).

This video is of my Kidamerink right before he turned 2, in December of 2009.

3. My Kidamerink LOVES them. He brings them out at least 2-3 times a week, just for fun.  We have gone from just simply saying the Letter/Animal to talking about the animal, what it likes to eat, what color it is and what the "babies" are named (i.e. Kangaroo's baby is a Joey). 

We also recently bought the numbers set. I like that there are both cards with the number (5) printed as well as the word (five) along with counting examples using the Eric Carle Illustrations.

The Illustrations are vibrant, the concepts are simple, and they are very useful "tools" in our home.

Remember: Flash cards don't always have to be a static tool. Be creative and come up with ideas on how to elaborate on the simple answer - "T = Turtle." Get to know your flash cards and learn about the animals, point out the shapes and colors, name off other animals that start with T. 

As you can see, we enjoyed them when my Kidamerink was young and we are still enjoying them now.

Let your flash cards "grow" with you! 

**This is not a Paid Sponsor, I just really like this product and I think you would too!

Edible Playdough

We are still having rainy days here and it's JUNE!! I can't believe it. I came across an edible Playdough recipe that would be a fun, inexpensive, indoor activity and also a great snack! Use chocolate chips, raisins, and graham crackers (or anything else) to create cool shapes out of this dough.

EDIBLE PLAYDOUGH

1 cup peanut butter
1 cup honey
1 cup powdered milk

Combine all ingredients, add more powdered milk or flour to get the right consistency. Store in airtight container. Enjoy!!

** Do not do this activity with children under 1 due to the peanut butter and honey content.