Potato Prints

My daughter and I watched an Activity TV on how to make your own wrapping paper out of white paper and a sponge. However we didn't have a sponge on hand so we used potatoes instead to make our stamps. Thanks to Martha Stewart it was easy with this cookie cutter technique! All you have to do is press the cookie cutter into the potato and then take a knife and cut around the outsides and peel off the excess. I tried to cut out other shapes with a pairing knife but using a cookie cutter was easier by far.

Color Etchings

We went to an author signing at our public library and there were lots of kids activities set up. I liked this one because I used to make these crayon etchings as a kid. These were bookmarks from oriental trading that have black wax or something on top and you scratch them off to see colors but you can make your own. All you need is a magazine cover and a black crayon.

When I was little I would take a piece of paper and color it with lots of different colors. Then I would color the entire paper with black crayon thickly so that I couldn't see the picture anymore. I would then scratch off the black to see the colors underneath. When I tried this again as an adult I was a little disappointed with how dull the colors were so here's the trick! Use the cover of a magazine (not the inside pages they are too thin and not as glossy), cover it thickly with black crayon and then scratch it off to revel the colors underneath. This method worked nicely and produced excellent results.

Happy coloring!

Play Dough

I have recently fallen in love all over again with play dough. It is so much fun. It can be used for a variety of things. Just this week we used it to sculpt airplanes, flowers, igloo's, and more.

We also used it to practice making our numbers and letters. And since we had the newspaper out we pushed it on the newsprint and then looked at the letters in the mirror to read them the right way again.

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My mom brought us some play dough for church last week and it thoroughly entertained my 4yr old for a good portion of the time.

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In the past we have made it into a volcano for our baking soda and vinegar experiments.

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You can also mix colors to make new ones!

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All in all play dough is a preschooler must have!

Celery, Daisies, Food Coloring, and Capillaries!

A good way to teach kids about the capillaries in plants as well as humans and how it all works is a simple experiment using white flowers such as daisies , carnations, or Queen Anne's lace and celery! All you need is some food coloring and water!

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We tried celery and daisies after a few days their petals and leaves changed colors. My 4yr old kept checking them to see if it worked and when it work she ran in announcing with delight. They turned colors mommy, they turned colors.

When it was done we had a little science lesson on veins, and capillaries, and how plants and people work. I've included this scholastic/magic school bus link to help you better explain what is happening!

http://www.scholastic.com/magicschoolbus/simplescience/archive/labs/capillaries.htm or here is another good one as well! http://www.reachoutmichigan.org/funexperiments/quick/celery.html

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Pink Cupcakes and Pinkalicious

We had some friends over for lunch and afterwards we had a Pinkalicious Pink cupcake decorating fest! It was so much fun! Even though it was three boys to one girl everybody was laughing and making lots of happy noise while we read this absolutely entertaining book about a girl who just can't get enough pink cupcakes.

You will be certain to find this book a favorite with all ages and genders. I must warn you thought if you enjoy it along with a batch of pink cupcakes you just might find your kids saying Pleeeeeease just one more ..... and you never know what could happen next!


Oh and one last thing. When the your kids come down an rare and acute case of Pinkitous here is a pink drink with a touch of green. Just mix Strawberries, Pineapple, Nappa Cabbage, Agave, and Water in a high speed blender to taste. The trick is not to let the kids watch you make it and they'll never know you made them something healthy! The best part is it's totally Pinkalicious Pink! Wow! A GREEN drink that's PINK!

Baking Soda Volcanoes

Baking soda volcanoes are always a big hit with the kids. I've tried it with kids of all ages it never fails to win them over! My kids will make their volcanoes erupt until they run out of ingredients. I remember when I was a kid one of my first science projects was a baking soda volcano. This is one of my fondest memories with my father as a child. He was always so excited to help me with science projects and I really appreciate the memories and the time he spent making them with me!

All you really need to make a volcano is baking soda, vinegar, and a container to put them in. To make ours we first made a play dough volcano with a small measuring cup from a children's Tylenol bottle pushed into the top. We then poured the vinegar and the baking soda into the cup and walla a mini volcano!

Here is a play dough recipe you can use. http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/curriculum/PEP/playdo.htm

Another really fun thing to do is mix colors. Watch the clip above to see my daughter mix yellow and blue to make green.

Colored Water Experiment

Food coloring, some glass jars, and water is an easy way to discover what happens when you mix the primary colors! I liked this project not only because it was easy and inexpensive but also because it applied to both my four and my two year old. She learned what that blue and yellow make green, and yellow and red make orange and so forth and he had a little color name review. It was a project right on their individual levels and accommodated both of their learning needs!

Making Rainbows

We learned about light today and how it is made up of lots of different colors. This is an excellent activity for a preschooler! All you need is some dish soap, water, a straw and a container to put them in. Then go outside where it is sunny and blow bubbles and look for rainbows.

Daddy came while we were conducting the experiment and asked my 4 yr old. Is light straight when it comes from the sun? Apparently they had already had this conversation because she immediately answered no it is wavy. I was pleasantly surprised. Chalk one up for daddy!

When it gets a little warmer I plan on making some more rainbows by spraying water with the hose and seeing if I can make it work! My kids love this kind of thing! I didn't know that science projects could be so easy!

Here is a link for more on why you see rainbows in bubbles.
http://science.howstuffworks.com/light13.htm

After we were finished blowing bubbles we headed inside and my 4 yr old drew this picture of a rainbow. I told her that rainbows always have the same colors and they come in the same order. Below is the a picture of a rainbow showing the colors in order. She also drew a picture of mommy and told me a story about it. We then listened for the first sound in rainbow and she wrote it in the corner. All in all it was an easy and enjoyable afternoon of colors, rainbows, and letters and we were both happier afterwards!



I liked this article on how to explain to your child why the sky is blue and thought it went well with the rainbow and colors experiment we did here. Maybe one day I'll find a better place for it. http://wondertime.go.com/learning/article/0806-why-the-sky-is-blue.html