4th of July Fun--Part 3

Cute, Cute, Cute crafts for your kiddos!  This looks like so much fun!  Gotta try it!

Liberty Shackers

Activity Wednesday

This is a great summer activity if you're in a part of the country that is warm in the evenings.

Camp Out Time

Pull out the tents and sleeping bags and camp out in your back yard.  Don't forget to throw a tarp down so the bottom of your tent doesn't get too wet in the night.  Refresh the batteries in the flashlights and let the kids play light tag or imaginary swords.  

Serve up burgers and beans cooked on the barbeque.  Pop some smores in the microwave and serve up toasty warm.  Don't forget the hot chocolate and cider.  

Lay under the stars and see how many you can count.  Or snuggle in the tent and tell ghost stories.  Or it your kids are still little, tell some of their favorite fairy tales or old family stories.  Check your local library for books about camping or their favorite characters going camping. 

And don't forget to take lots of pictures to document your "camping trip."  

All the fun of camping with the convenience of indoor plumbing and without the costly price of gas.

4th of July Fun--Part 2

This is a fun craft to do with your little ones.

Sparklers

Materials:
black or dark construction paper
glue
various glitter colors

1. Spread glue on construction paper into unique shapes resembling fireworks. You can also blow those a straw to spread the glue into new shapes if your glue is thin enough.
2. Sprinkle with glitter. Allow to dry slightly and then shake excess glitter back into container.
3. Repeat with new glitter color until you reach your desired effect.

Here is the link to the original post and illustrations.

Tackle it Tuesday--Craft projects

This is going to take me more than one day, but if I don't get started soon, I'm not sure it will ever get done. I have a few craft projects that I started early for Christmas, but I can't seem to get much done on them. Till I realized, I always have a few minutes here and there. I'm just not utilizing them like I should. So today I'm challenging myself to cut out at least half of the altered puzzle pieces that I've started so far. That just entails trimming and sanding about 12 puzzle pieces, not even further embellishing them. So I'd better get started. I figure a few minutes here and a few minutes there, I should be able to get them done.

Other than that, we're just up to the usual. Baby Girl has a Dr apt, Big Boy has swim lessons, and there's Discipleship Group tonight. Wow, I guess this is a fuller day than I thought it was going to be.

What are you tackling today?

Teaching Tuesday--Sensory Writing

I got this idea from a great newsletter provided by Preschool rock.  I've recreated it here with a few adaptations.  The original article can accessed by following the link on the title of the activity.  

Sensory Writing

Materials:

Salt

Cookie sheet with edge

1. Fill cookie sheet with enough salt to write in.
2. Demonstrate for the child how to write in the salt.  Your child can start out making simple to complex drawings and graduate up to letters and numbers.
3. Give your child letter strips or a sheet of paper with the alphabet clearly marked on it to practice shapes and figures.
4. You can also use alphabet stencils for the child to trace letters with his fingers.
5. Use this activity further to introduce vocabulary words related to the feeling of the salt and cookie sheet.  Which is rough and which is smooth?  
6. Encourage your child to describe what it feels like and what he is doing.
7. When your child is through with a drawing, help him to gently shake the sheet back and forth, clearing the picture and allowing him to start again.
8. This activity can also be done with sand and you make add water to either once your child tires of writing.  Use the addition of water to talk about how it changes the properties of the salt or sand.  What is different?  What made it different?  What can he do with the elements now?