Rainy Day Activities

Is your child bored? Are they driving you crazy because they have "nothing" to do?

On this site you will find 35 homemade art materials, activites, and crafts your child with LOVE to make and or do. Have fun. Maybe you can find one you can do too! :)

http://www.artfulparent.com/artfulparent/

Kool-Aid Playdough

These smell fantastic!

Supplies needed:
1 cup self-rising flour
1/2 cup salt
1 cup boiling water
1 tablespoon oil
2 Kool-Aid packages (unsweetened) different flavors

Mix the first 4 ingredients together. Divide in half, add a package of kool-aid to each half. Knead well. Keep in air tight containers or ziploc bags.

Borrowed from: http://www.squidoo.com/kids-craft-a-lot

The Toddler Station

Visit the Toddler Station for tons of wonderful ideas for your growing toddler!!!  This site is created for toddlers from the age of 1 1/2 -3.  It builds skills of all kinds.  Enjoy.

http://www.preschoolexpress.com/

Huggies Brand Brigade®

Ever think about getting PAID for trash?
Huggies® partnered with TerraCycle® to help reduce the waste of the plastic diaper packaging.  TerraCycle® is eco-friendly and wants to recycle the bags into something useful. 


Check out the TerraCycle® website to learn more on how to ship (for free), get paid in $$ or in points or you can even donate your earnings to a non-profit organization or school of your choice.


http://www.terracycle.net/en-US/brigades/huggies-brand-brigade.html
GET PAID FOR TRASH!

Best Cereal Cookies

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup veg. oil
3/4 granulated sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup maple syrup/brown sugar
1 cup Reese's Puff's cereal (or 1 cup of your favorite cereal or 2 if
you prefer not to use oats)
1 cup uncooked oats (or 2 cups if you prefer not to use a cold cereal)
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1 pkg (6 oz. or 1 cup) semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional)

What your little helper will need:
1 medium mixing bowl
1 large mixing bowl
1 wooden spoon
1 mixing spoon
cookie sheet
wire cooling rack
2 tablespoons
cooking spray (parent does the spraying)
measuring cups and spoons

Directions:
In medium bowl stir together flour, baking soda and set aside. (your
little helper can do this part)
Mix together oil, sugar, egg, and vanilla.  Add maple syrup.
Add flour mixture, cereal, and oats.
Use tablespoons to drop onto lightly greased cookie sheet. (little
helper can help)
Bake at 350F for about 11 minutes.
Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to cool on rack.

Yields: about 40 cookies.

Note: To make it healthy you can substitute unsweetened apple sauce
for the same amount of granulated sugar and even a part of the brown
sugar without effecting the taste.

Recycle that tee shirt-Make a bowl

This is a great idea for a homemade gift, to savor a favorite tee, a home school lesson, or just a fun activity.

You'll need:
Tee shirts
a cookie sheet
wax paper
glass bowls
saran wrap
foam brush
Mod Podge (you can find it at a craft store)
Note: If you want to protect your cookie sheet use foil

If using foil, cover cookie sheet with foil to protect it.
Cover foil with wax paper.
Cover bowls with plastic wrap. Turn bowls upside down on cookie sheets.
Cut tees so they just drape over bowl to meet cookie sheet. (Make a stencil)
Coat wrapped bowls with Mod Podge using foam brush.
Lay tee pattern side down on bowls.
Coat with Mod Podge. Keep it smooth and don't move the tee!
Let it dry for at least 12 hours.
When dry carefully peal away from bowl and smooth edges.

They should look beautiful!! Have fun ;)

Chalkboard Anywhere

Do you want to make a fun surface for your kids to draw on thats safe and wipes off easily?

Chalkboard Paint is your answer!

You can paint it on walls on boxes as a pencil/marker/crayon holder. Sorry, it will not work on house hold doors!
You can by this product at Walmart, or any craft store.

Homemade Finger Paint

Materials needed:
2 cups flour
2 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups cold water
2 cups boiling water
Food coloring

Directions:
Mix the 2 cups of water with the 2 tsp salt.
Add the 2 1/2 cups cold water; stir until smooth.
Gradually add this mixture to the 2 cups of boiling water.
Boil until the mixture become smooth and think.
Separate into as many cups as you wish to have colors.
Add food coloring to the containers until you get the desired color.

SLIME

What you'll need:

• 1 tsp borax powder
• 1 1/2 c water
• 1/2 c Elmers glue
• 1 tsp food coloring (unless you want your slime to be white)
• 2 bowls

Directions: In bowl mix glue and 1/2 c water. Add desired food coloring. In the other bowl mix 1 c water and borax powder. Slowly stir the glue mixture in. Slime will start to form. Knead with hands until mixure feels dry. Discard excess water.

Finger Paint

What you'll need:

• 1 c instant laundry starch
• 5 c boiling water
• 1/2 c soap flakes
• Powered Tempra color
• cold water

Mix laundry starch with enough cold water to make a smooth paste. Add boiling water and cook mixture in pan on stove until it is glossy. Stir in dry soap flakes while mixure is still warm. Let cool and pour into jars. Add desired tempra color to jars. Make sure lids are air tight for keeping.

Edible Chocolate Clay

• 10 oz of sweatened chocolate (chunks or chips)
• 1/3 c light corn syrup
• wax paper

Microwave directions: Melt the chocolate in a microwave safe container for 1 minute. Stir. (If chocolate is not completely melted, microwave an additional 30 seconds.
Stove top directions: Place the chocolate in the top of a double broiler over boiling hot water and stil until melted.

When chocolate is melted, add corn syrup and blend. Pour the mixure onto a sheet of wax paper. Spread the chocolate mixture with your fingers until it's about 1/2 inch thick. Cover loosley with a second sheet of wax paper and let stiffen for 2 hours or overnight. The chocolate will be come very pliable.

Edible Peanut Butter Clay

What you'll need:

• a medium-sized bowl
• 1 c creamy Peanut Butter
• 1 1/2 c instant powered milk
• 3 T honey

In the medium-sized bowl stir all ingredents together until smooth. Form the mixture into a ball with your hands and shape.
note: If it's too dry add more honey. If it's too wet add more powered milk.

Yummy Ice Cream in a Bag

What you'll need:

• 1 T sugar
• 1/2 c milk or half & half
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 6 T rock salt
• 1 pt size Ziploc bag
• 1 gal size Ziploc bag
• ice cubes

Fill the 1 gal Ziploc bag 1/2 full of ice and add the rock salt and seal the bag.
Put the milk, vanilla, and sugar into the 1 pt Ziploc bag and seal it.
Place the small Ziploc inside the large and reseal.
Shake for about 5 minutes or until it has made ice cream.
Wipe off the top of the small bag, open, and ENJOY
note: This recipe make 1 small serving.

Wash off Window Paint

Mix equal parts:

• dishwashing liquid
• washable liquid paint or powered tempera

Paint wipes off with water and paper towel :)

Easy Peasy Face Paint

What you'll need:

• an egg carton
• cold cream
• food coloring
• a small paint brush or Q tips

Place a spoonful of cold cream into each cup. Add 1 to 2 drops of food coloring to each to create different colors, and stir. Apply to face using a small paint brush or Q tips.

Picture Transfer WOW

What you'll need:

• a paint brush
• undiluted evaporated milk
• comics or magazines
• a wooden spoon
• plain white paper

Pick out a favorite picture from the chosen magazine or comic stip. Dip your paint brush into the evaporated milk and lightly paint over your picture. Quickly cover with your plain white paper and rub the paper with the back of the wooden spoon. Wow, your favorite picture had now been transfered to the white paper. Lift and see.

Fun Papermache

What you need:

• Large bowl full of 1 inch squares or strips of newspaper
• Hot water
• 1/3 c flour
• 1/4 c water
• A Plastic bag or small bowl

Instructions: Tear off long 1 inch strips of newspaper. Then, if you wish, tear those strips into 1 inch pieces and place in the large bowl. Completely cover the strips with hot water and soak over night.

Paste: In a plastic bag or small bowl mix 1/3 c flour with 1/4 c water and knead.

Squeeze the excess water out of the strips. Using the paste mold into creations. Let dry and paint and decoriate if you wish.

Edible Clay YAY

• 1/3 c margarine
• 1/3 c light corn syrup
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 T vanilla
• 2 lbs powdered sugar
• Your favorite color food coloring

Mix all ingredients together in a medium size bowl and shape

To store: Refrigerate in plastic container or ziploc bag