Small Lightbox DIY

What a fun, functional, educational and perfect "toy" for kids! These lightboxes are so versatile and can be used to teach little ones endless subjects in a new and engaging way. I've seen lots of different  DIY lightbox tutorials online lately. I decided to take ideas from many different ones and make my own. You can make them any size you'd like, but these individual sized boxes are perfect for little hands and can be very easily stored. Plus it helps minimize the arguing and maximize the fun! :) 

 

What You'll Need (I found most of my supplies at the Dollar Tree!)

A clear plastic box with a lid

a push light with batteries

Foil

mod podge

white tissue paper (if the bottom of the box you buy is not already opaque)

Various see-through items to play with such as: craft stones, beads, clear colored page dividers, cups, xray printouts, etc.

 

 

I drew letters, numbers and shapes on the backs of these craft stones with a permanent marker.

We sorted in many different ways.

 

Directions:

 

Using mod podge, line the sides and inside of the lid with aluminum foil.

Line the bottom of the container with a single layer of white tissue paper if your box is not already opaque.

Turn on the pushlight and turn the box upside down so the light shines through the tissue paper and play in a dark room.

 

The fun is endless with the lightbox! I used the clear dividers to cut out letters and shapes. My sister has even printed out x-rays onto clear overheads. And a great part about this project is that you can store all the supplies in the box until your little ones are ready to play again!

Messy Play Date

This is a great summer activity. We had a messy play date! Ours consisted of the following stations:

Colored water mixing station:

Use recycled plastic jars and containers for mixing. I used recycled honey bears filled with water and food coloring. Kids were able to mix the colors to make new ones. It was fun!

 Water Table: 

 Cornstarch Paint Finger Painting:

Line the fence with art paper. Mix several bowl of corstarch, water, and food coloring. 

 Shaving Cream Slip n Slide:

Three cans of cheap shaving cream and a slip and slide did the trick. 

We also had a bubble machine and a fun sprinkler going. 

Perfect for when the weather is warm! 

Sticky wall

You can find a bunch of ideas on Pinterest for this activity. All you need is contact paper and painters tape. Both of which can be found at the dollar tree (my most favorite store!). Tape a piece of contact paper on the wall with the sticky side out. Gather any random or theme based objects to stick to the wall. These can include, paper scraps, tissue paper, shapes, flowers, animal cut outs, beads, etc. This is a fun activity for the youngest to the oldest little ones.

Little Pintesters: Wacky Sacks!

I found THIS fun idea I wanted to try for the kids I teach in the nursery at my church. It looked simple and fun so we gave it a shot.

All you need are balloons (larger are better), playdough (I made my favorite recipe. Found HERE), and a permanent marker

You start by stretching the balloon open as much as you can. The adult has to do this. It's too hard for little hands. The orginal post said to shape the playdough into a snake and have the child stuff it into the balloon. We just did little chunks. It was easier for the little ones.

 Now close the balloons and draw some funny faces with a permanent marker.

 Now have fun with them! Squish them, toss them, play hot potato, play catch, shape them into funny shapes, and when you're done playing with them you can take the playdough out and let the fun continue!

I would give this project a 9 out of 10.

Why? They were super easy to make and the kids loved them so much we had to make more for siblings. My little ones even wanted to keep them during their nap. It doesn't earn a perfect 10 because the faces started to wear off. My little one kept asking me to redraw it.

There you go! Wacky Sacks! So fun!



Introducing. . . Little Pintesters!: Dying Rice and Pasta

Hi! This is Angela. We're starting a new kind of post on this blog. We will periodically write all about activities, projects, learning games etc. we have found on Pinterest (our favorite resource!). We'll have our little ones test them out so you won't have to! Then we'll rate the activity and how well it worked with our kids. And we'll give suggestions for improvement and whether it would work better or worse with kids of different ages. Your comments are appreciated!

 

Dying Rice and Pasta

I found this activity here: http://thebakerbee.com/2011/09/28/crafts-for-toddlers-rice-noodles/

 

You'll need:

rice or pasta

rubbing alcohol

parchment paper or foil (I used foil- it worked well)

food coloring

a large bowl (preferably one that will not get stained)

spoon for stirring

 

put a couple tsps of rubbing alcohol and 6-10 drops of food coloring into a bowl

add 2 cups of rice or pasta of your choice and stir until it is fully coated

 

set it out to dry on a piece of foil for an hour or two

 

Use it to do art projects, beading, sorting, or in sensory bins like my kids did here.



 



They seriously loved it!! They spent at least 30 min digging out little pompoms and beads and burying plastic dinosaurs and cars. After lunch they asked to play again for another half hour! It was huge a success!

 

I give this project a big 10 out of 10!

It is so versatile that it can work for kids of all ages. The possibilities are endless!

If you've had success dying your own pasta and rice please comment and tell us how your kids played with them.

 

Little Pintesters. . .signing out.



 



Sidewalk Painting

 What you will need: 

cornstarch, food coloring, water, tray or large lid to put paint on, painting tools or just your hands!

Mix together a couple tablespoons of cornstarch, a few drops of food coloring, and enough water to make your paint runny. Place on an large lid and have fun painting. 

 I took out fly swatters from an idea I found here, but they preferred just to use their hands. I would recommend changing your little ones into clothes that are okay getting dirty and possibly stained with the food coloring. Bath time was a must after this fun but messy activity. 

 This paint is liquid when you touch it but it can be picked up with your hands easily. When it dries it turns back into powder. The little ones had fun exploring with the consistency and getting all messy. 

Shaving Cream Sensory Activity

This is a messy outdoor activity. I took out a couple of trays with a bunch of random toys from the house on them. Then I covered them in shaving cream. I gave the kids brushes to "uncover" the toys. They had their own ideas and just started covering themselves with the shaving cream from head to toe. I actually recommend being careful because it can get in their eyes. My littlest one had a hard time keeping it out of his eyes but it wasn't a huge deal. Bath time followed this activity :) I found the idea on Pinterest, including this website. 

I Spy Jar

Here's a fun quiet activity for church or any other time you need the kids to be quiet. I found it here. I didn't use as many objects, but maybe I'll use more next time. I put ten objects and I took a picture of them and taped it to the outside of the plastic jar. Then I put rice in it and closed the lid very tight. I'll probably end up hot gluing it too.

Metamucil Slime

What you need:

1 tsp Metamucil

8oz water

microwave safe bowl

microwave oven

Time required: 15 minutes

1. mix 1 tsp of metamucil with 1 cup of water in a bowl.

2. Microwave for 4-5 min.

3. Let the mixture cool slightly, then repeat step 2

The more you repeat it the more rubbery it will be.

4. After 3-5 runs in the microwave pour slime on a plate or cookie sheet to cool.

(You can store it at room temperature in a baggie for months. It will last indefinitely in a sealed bag in the refrigerator.

Kids will love playing with this slime/flubber. Not intended to be eaten :)

I didn't come up with this recipe. My husband got it from a cub scout day camp he attended last week.