We used an old appliance box to protect our floors.  Thanks Lowes – every time we shop we head over to the appliance section and check if they have any boxes they are willing to donate to our projects!
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It was big.  It was crazy.  It was messy.  It was creative – the kids went and got spoons after realizing the paint brushes weren’t as effective as they would prefer.  It was expansive – especially when they started painting on the box, after they were finished with the fabric – just because.  It was crazy and fun.
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After they finished spooning and spattering paint on the linen sheet, we let the “artwork” dry completely for a couple of days.  Then sent it through the dryer for good measure and to use heat to help set the paint.  We then washed the fabric on hot with vinegar.  The vinegar and heat helped “set” the color in – we’re still going to wash these with the colored or dark laundry – just to be safe.
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I think I like our tabletop valentines!

Make Valentine Ornaments.  Mommy Labs made a batch of pink salt dough and then rolled lace over the dough to create a relief impression with her girls.  I just love the finished product!  Lace would be a great addition to a playdough table!

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We made a paper mache moose just a few weeks ago… and this looks like a much more manageable kid-friendly project - paper mache snowmen.  Love her recipe for paper paste!

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What is life without music?  These DIY Casranettes look incredibly simple and easy to make with items commonly found in recycle bins.  Thanks Childhood List!

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Happy browsing and thanks to all of those who have linked up – Myself and the other playtime hosts (hands on: As we grow, Messy Kids, and The Imagination Tree) we appreciate you!

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P.S.  Tomorrow night is a chat on the KOA Campfire community to talk about our vacation dreams and plans with our families.  I hope you can join us  – 1/5, 9pm CST

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After school activities include:
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Make a puppet and put on a show.  Love this tutorial on how to make a puppet from Jellyfish Jelly.  Turn a table (or chair) on it’s side and you have the perfect stage for your show.

Play with a bag of googly eyes.  Jaime of Hands on: As we grow made these bags out of hair gel and added googly eyes for her kids to smoosh and play with.

Create a huge floor maze with masking tape.  Tape is fun for kids of all ages – thanks Adventures at Home for the inspiration

Make modern art with matchbox cars.  Shannon of Tot School dribbled contrasting lines of paint on opposite sides of her  canvases and her girls had fun “driving” their cars through the paint.

Have a playdough Tea-Party – Anna of The Imagination Tree has dozens and dozens of playdough ideas.  Her playdough recipes are some of my favorites!

Make a water wall, or pour rice, even cornstarch if you don’t mind a mess.  Thanks Let the Children Play

Do your kids love creating art?  How about make collages with supplies on hand – love the suggested materials from Kate at  Picklebums.

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What are your kids favorite things to do when they are “on break”?

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Be sure to save all your fun kids activities!!!  Our meme, It’s Playtime, will be back in full-force next week!

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Pasta Noodle Recipe:

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After the dough has “sat” overnight, it becomes more elastic (much less “stiff”).   Knead and play with the dough.  The more it is played with the better your noodles will be!

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Form noodles by making dozens and dozens of “little worms”.  You can also roll the dough out into a sheet and cut the noodles out in thin strips.
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These homemade noodles are a great staple in homemade soups or as the starch in pasta primavera!  Our kids love to eat them with caramelized onions, along with fried cabbage and ground pork.

I thought about getting some soft wood that is used for whittling so I could show Nicholas how to carve. However, the tools used for whittling are sharp so he would only be able to watch me instead of actually participating himself.

Instead, I decided to use Ivory soap for our medium. It is softer than firm butter so you can easily cut through it with a plastic knife or appetizer spreader so it is safe for Nicholas to use without cutting himself.

You can start your carving by drawing a design on the soap with a marker or just scratching into the surface with your knife. Then you just start cutting. It is amazingly easy to cut into Ivory soap. Other soaps won’t work as well because they are too firm.

Once you cut the rough shape of your design, then you can use a plastic spoon or fork or some plastic pumpkin carving tools to smooth out, round out, or make further details on your creation.

Nicholas is very proud of his hand carved arrowhead. He said he enjoys carving and wishes Mommy had bought more Ivory soap so we could do some more carving today.

Soap carving with Ivory soap is incredibly easy and even young kids can do it!

We had soap shavings all over the table though so be prepared for a little clean up after you are done. But it’s soap so we have a very clean table now!

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Many thanks to my co-hosts, for making this weekly link-up a lot of fun! If you are ever looking for more ideas of ways to play with your kids, check out their blogs:

If you have pencils (or pens) toilet paper tubes and a hole punch, you can create your very own tinker toys!  Almost Unschoolers created a set with her kids.

We had a table like this growing up – and I should create one for my kids!  Old electronics, once the batteries are removed, are great toys to practice taking and putting things back together again.  Thanks Irresistable Ideas for the inspiration.

Have a Kiddo who loves to live outside?  Make mud or sand bricks for him to build with using an ice cube tray.

My kids personal favorite “building” activity is creating structures with marshmallows and toothpicks.  Looking for something more healthy?  Try Grapes.

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Use a set of lids.  On each lid paint a different element of the scene.  Stack the lids to create a 3D image.

Use Glue to create the “lines”.  After the glue has dried, paint over it and your “leaves” will have a great pop factor! Thanks Having Fun at Home.

We’ve enjoyed Ball Painting before, Casa Maria has a version where you squirt paint in the box lid, then smash it with a papertowel roll.  The results are stunning.

Here is a Whirly-Gig Toy that you can make yourself with just a bit of wire, add a “person” and your child can watch them swing.

Henry at Hands On: As We Grow enjoyed exploring in his yard with some scrap wood.  He made balance beam bridges.

Bowling.  WHo said it needs to be played indoors.  Here is an outdoor DIY bowling game.

Have kids and want to keep them outside?  All you need is some string and two sticks.  Frugal Family Fun shows us how to make gigantic bubbles.

Practice jumping and catching with a homemade Kick board.  Sometimes the simple activities are the most engaging.

We made these Marshmallow Guns for our nephews last year for Christmas time.  They were a huge hit!  Outdoors is best.  I am still finding a stray marshmallow underneath a dresser or two.

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Like this post but are looking for activities for other age groups of kids? Check out our other age sets:

Activities for One Year Olds

Activities for Two Year Olds

Activities for Three Year Olds

Activities for Four Year Olds

Activities for Five Year Olds

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Let the Children Play – Play Loving BLogs
The Imagination Tree – 40 Ways of Autumn Play
Hands On: As We Grow – 26 Tin Can Activities
Messy Kids – Ideas with Apples

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Wax mixes differently than watercolors.  The kids at Child Central Station had fun blow-drying crayons.

Practice mixing by “Squishing Colors” colors with Picklebum.

Preschool Projects has a great idea to send secret messages to your kids through their painting projects.

Science Sparks changes the colors of flowers in a recent science experiment.

Make your own Kaleidoscope with the JellyFish Jelly blog.

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Do you have a kids activity that you’d like to share with the world?  We’d love to hear about it!

Link up (and if you love us, link back).   Note:  All posts must be family-friendly, kid-related and we just might feature you   By linking up, know you are giving us permission to do so.
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We all know what baking soda & vinegar will do when combined.   Let your child discover this magical chemical reaction for themselves.  Make sure you’re somewhere that messes are easy to clean up (I prefer the cul-de-sac in front of our house!).

Choose a small plastic soda bottle, grab a box of baking soda, a jug of vinegar, & a funnel. Put a few drops of dish soap in the bottle ahead of time to make the result more visible.  Then throw out the rule book.  No measuring.  No input from Mom.  Just let the kids explore & see what happens!

If they’ve never use a funnel in a functional way before, show them that when you put the funnel into the neck of the bottle, it is easier to pour your powder & liquid into the bottle without spilling.

 You can talk together about what is happening.  The acid (vinegar) and the base (baking soda) are having a chemical reaction, releasing carbon dioxide gas.  The bubbles are visible because the dish soap captured the carbon dioxide.

I like to purchase a 5lb bag of baking soda from Sam’s Club.  It’s not too expensive & allows for plenty of experiments.  A gallon jug of vinegar is also relatively cheap & then you’ve got plenty of liquid to add to your baking soda for many more repititions!

Because….your child will not be satisfied with one go-round of this!  I guarantee they will want to do it again & again!

A Little Delightful has a great printable to help you plan lunchboxes. No more eating PB&J three days in a row!

I Heart Organizing has a great snack system. In her fridge she keeps a basket full of snacks for lunches and for after-school treats.

DownTown created a list of tons of great, healthy snacks. We are on the go a lot more during the school year and snack more often. So many great suggestions to tide us over.

Does your preschooler come home with hundreds of papers, projects and artworks? Mine do! I love this “binder plan” from MondoCherry.

Organizing our preschool really means organizing my life. A mom over at SheIsDallas uses a household notebook to neaten her life.

We have a craft closet that is exploding – and I love this idea from I Can Teach My Child. She uses a hanging clear shoe holder to organize supplies. No more hunting for colored chalk!

…and lastly my favorite! This is a mom of all boys… one starting kindergarten this year… and I just love how she organized her “school” closet – wish I could replicate it!

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What advice do you have for moms prepping for preschool?

KinderCare will choose one lucky participant and make donation in their name to the Reach Out And Read chapter of their choice!