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!

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I love how these watercolor snowflakes – by Kindell  look like they almost sparkle.  She made them by flicking paint over paper cut-out flakes with a toothbrush.  Fun!

Make a giant indoor snowman out of trash bags.  This looks like a lot of fun!  If only we weren’t out of trash bags.  Thanks Karen – this is on our to-do list!

Sensory tub with fake paper snow from Make, Do and Friend.  She has shredded paper, glitter, strofoam ornaments, and winter animals/trees as part of her kids “wintery” play.

Puffy Painted Snowflakes.  By Share and Remember. These are gorgeous!  Great for the kiddo who lives to paint.

Super simple snow globe tutorial from – Life in Style.  Basically, you glue a figurine onto the inside of a lid, add glitter to the jar, add a few drops of glycerin (optional) and some water.  Put a dab of super glue inside the rim of your lid and screw your snow globe together.

Salt Dough Snowmen, Kim one of the Quirky Mommas, had a blast with her kids this year making salt dough snowmen.  I love how simple her recipe is and my daughter loves the addition of glitter to the fun.

Snowman Pancakes this is a great breakfast if you are snowed in, or wish you were!   Love the bacon scarf!

Maggy of RedTedArt has a fun winter craft, feed the birds.  She uses a cup, lard and an assortment of seeds to create this snowy bird cake.  Check out her blog for a more detailed tutorial (and lots of other activities).

Not enough snow for an igloo?  No worries, Midland Christian School made an igloo out of milk jugs.  They have a video explaining how they created their indoor full-sized igloo.

Mama Smiles, puts a smile on my face.  She had fun with her kids.  They brought their snow inside!

Snow Ice Cream is a traditional post-snowfall treat at our house.  We usually have to eat it for breakfast.  In Texas the snow does not last long.

Don’t want to make a milk jug igloo (me neither – but it looked like fun!)  Here is a more manageable igloo – one made out of sugar cubes.  Marie of Making Memories also has a tutorial on how to make an igloo with marshmallows.

Jamie, my It’s Playtime partner, had fun with her son.  They made sheets of ice and experimented/explored with them.  Her blog, Hands on: As we Grow has TONS of great kids activities!

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Looking for even more ways to play with snow??  I have a massive collection of ideas collected on my Let it Snow board on Pinterest.

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Glitter is huge at our house… and glue!  The more the better!  We dug out some of our old tiny toys and coated them with glue then doused them with glitter.  Love the effect!  We used tacky glue and I was not impressed with how well the glue “stuck” – the kids pealed the glitter off a few days after we hung them.  If any of you make similar ornaments, let me know what glue would be more lasting.  Our glittery toy ornaments were inspired by Martha.  Love her.

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These were my youngest’s favorite ornaments.  Seriously, she is constantly trying to get “her bells”.  Tip:  If you make them with preschoolers, use a plastic upholstery needle for them to thread the bells.  My kiddos were frustrated with the yarn until I remembered we had a stash of needles hidden away!

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I first made cinnamon ornaments when I was a child, the ornaments pictured I made with my oldest when she was a tot.  They have seen a number of Christmases and still look and smell great!  I spritz them lightly with water each season to help rejuvenate the scent – yummy.  P.S.  Make sure your kiddos know that while these ornaments may be non-toxic, and they may smell really good – they are not food.  One of our stars is “missing” one of it’s “points”.
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This ornament was inspired by Junk Garden Girl.  She featured a felt wreath ornament and my kiddos had to make one!  We had lots of leftover felt from previous projects.  This ornament is a great way to put scraps to use!  String the felt squares into a stack then tie the ends together.  Easy.

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Love these ornaments??  We have more homemade Christmas ornament crafts for kids to do and there are several dozen suggestions from blogs I love on my pinterest board: Ornaments.  Cheers and Merry Christmas!

Renee of Adventures at Home had a great time with her kiddos.  They made green playdough and added buttons and confetti to create a Christmas Tree.

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Make and Do used egg cartons to create Christmas Tree ornaments with her kids.  We have tons of egg cartons just waiting for a craft!  Thanks Charlotte!!

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Kylie, of Our Worldwide Classroom, used pompoms to create a garland with her girls and their Christmas tree.

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The Chocolate Muffin Tree is such a fun blog full of great crafts.  Last week they made Christmas Trees out of spin art.

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And my favorite one from the week was the drinking straw tree created by, Lorie, of Reading Confetti – too cute!
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Thanks again to all who participated!  And double thanks to my co-hosts:

Let the Children Play

Messy Kids

Imagination Tree

Hands On: As We Grow

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Link back if you love us, know that by linking you give us permission to feature you and your images. Cheers!
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Love these ideas, follow my Pinterest board all about Thanksgiving – I am adding new ideas and finds daily!

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Do you have a tradition to help instill an attitude of gratefulness in your kids?  I’d love to hear about it!

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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:

Lego blocks are one of our favorite things to play with.  All. Day.  Long.  The kids absolutely love building and creating.   Red is my son’s favorite color.  He’s thrilled with his costume – and I was thrilled with how easy it was to create.  All it took was a short trip to my local Lowes.

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How to Make a Lego Costume?

Spray paint your boxes.  We needed to do about 5-6 coats.

Cut out neck, arm and leg holes.

Add “circles” and arm straps – and viola!  You’re a Lego!

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We would love for you to check out the sponsor for today’s post.  Lowes has tons of Creative ideas.  They are on facebook and have a fascinating magazine full of DIY tips and inspiration.

Thanks Lowes for sponsoring Quirky Momma this month!!

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Have you been inspired by a costume?  I’d love to hear about it or see what your kids will be wearing for Halloween this year!

The costume idea that most enthralls my kids will win a $50 gift card to Lowes and we’ll feature the best of the ideas mentioned in a round-up “Best Costumes” post for next week!

No road trip with kids is complete without a set of I Spy Bottles.  Here are some that Happy Hooligans made with her kids.
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Do you have any great kids travel tips or activities?  I’d love to hear about them in the comments or in our live chat with the KOA Camping Community next Monday, 9pm CST.

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I hope you enjoy browsing all the other great kids activities that are linked up each week. Just a reminder: Please link back to us… and only family-friendly, kid related posts please. By linking up you are giving us permission to use your photo and feature you.
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Examine, Investigate and Explore

Tykes love to explore their surroundings.  Explore volume by pouring with kids.  Explored the changes in consitency as they added water to  floam from soap flakes eventually playing with bubbles. Explore the outdoors on a scavenger hunt with some nifty cards from Saltwater Kids.  What boy doesn’t like to get dirty?  Allie of No Time for Flashcards watched her son explore in dirt.  Anna of the Imagination Tree enjoyed exploring with shaving cream with her girls.

Fine Motor Skills

Are you looking for ideas to keep little fingers occupied?  Here is a collection of a Dozen Playdough Activities, a variety of discovery boxes are great for open-ended play.  Chasing Cherrios helped her kids develop fine motor skills with a cheese shaker and toothpicks, while Lilla-A made a tool and gadget wall (*swoon*).   Mya and Me had fun making towers of cherrios.

Messy Art

Dip balls into paint and have fun rolling them around on a canvas in this Ball Painting Project.   Use a variety of items for your kids to paint with, including this one from Paint on the Ceiling – a toilet brush.  Two year olds love to make handprints – here is a collection of different handprint crafts for your kids to enjoy.  Don’t want to use a brush?  How about painting with balloons?  Or using toy cars to paint masterpieces?

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These activities were gleaned in part from our weekly kids activity meme, It’s Playtime. If you have any activities you’d love to have added to our collection please join our link-up or leave a note in the comments.  I hope to update this page semi-regularly as I discover more activities.

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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

This corsage is super simple to make!  Frog, Goose and Bear made a bracelet with duct tape (sticky side out) then attached their finds to the band – genius!

Paint by moving magnets with Joyfully Weary.  I just love the expression on her son’s face as he figures it out!

Use CDs and objects to explore color with a light table – Great fun from Happy Hooligans.

Sometimes the simple pleasures are the best!  These straw rockets remind me of a high-school cafeteria.  Good times!  Thanks Tinkerlab for reminding me to enjoy these with our kids.

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Happy linking!  Reminder:  Please keep posts family-friendly, and play-related.  By linking up you are giving us permission to use an image and feature you.
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