homemade sidewalk paint

This activity is so fun, easy, and inexpensive.  The kids loved mixing up their paints and then creating their masterpieces in the driveway.

Materials needed:

Cornstarch

water

food coloring

container with lid

Directions:

Scoop a few spoonfuls of cornstarch into a container.  Add water and stir until it is the consistency you wish for  ( You may have to add more cornstarch and/or water until it is the desired thickness).  Add a few drops of food coloring and stir.

The paint dries almost immediately once it is painted on the concrete.  You can cover any leftover paint with your lid for your next painting adventure!  Just add water if it thickens up before the next use.

sensory caterpillars

This activity took us a while to complete but the kids loved doing it and were (surprisingly) very patient. This is a good sensory activity for preschoolers that I found in The Mailbox magazine.

Materials needed:

Several cut circles from construction paper
popsicle sticks or pipecleaners (for antennas)
glue
Different "sensory" materials ( we used cotton, aluminum foil, uncooked macaroni shells, glitter glue, foam stickers, and feathers)

Glue a different sensory material on each circle. As we were gluing we talked about how each material felt. Was it soft, smooth, sticky, etc.? You can also talk about what each object looks like....hard, shiny, sparkly, dull, etc. You may need to help younger children with the squirting of the glue.
Finish your caterpillar with a face that has antennas attached to the top. You could also add legs if you are really ambitious.....we stopped with the antennas.

Let your project dry for most of the day or overnight before displaying on a wall. This was indeed one of my kids favorite activities!

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whiteboard fun

Materials needed:
Whiteboard
Dry Erase Markers

This is another great activity to keep kids busy and practice writing & drawing. My kids can stay entertained for several minutes with their dry-erase boards and markers. You can practice shapes, numbers, or just have fun drawing with these nifty markers!

cheap & easy disposable paint containers

My kids love to paint. The bad part is always the cleanup, though! Here is a great way to make paint holders to separate your paints.

Materials:
Cardboard egg carton
scissors

Just cut the carton into sections. I usually make four 3-color sections for the kids.



Just fill each section with desired amount of paint!

stamping fun

Materials:
Several large ink pads
Sheets of paper
Several patterns of stamps

This is a simple and fun activity that you can do anytime. The kids love it when I pull out the stamps!



You can buy the large stamps several places. My mom got this set with the inkpads from Oriental Trading Company. These are the beach theme stamps. I saw more fun ones in the catalog that I may order later!

fireworks

You can do this simple and MESSY activity to celebrate the 4th!

Materials:
* Dark construction paper
* Glitter glue sticks

Help the kids make the fireworks by squirting the glitter glue on the paper and showing them how to spread it out like a star or "fireworks". Then let them go at it and have fun. It takes about a day to dry so be sure to find a place to store it while it dries (out of reach of curious hands).

Tip: I let them do this with their shirts off.....so I had less glitter in the washing machine.

magic nuudles

Materials Needed:
thick paper or foam sheet
magic nuudles (can be found at craft & hobby stores)
wet washcloth or paper towel
marker

This can be used to practice fine-motor skills and reinforce shapes. You could also use this activity with letters or numbers.

Take a marker and draw a shape on your paper or foam. I also like to write the word out for the kids.



You use your magic nuudles by slightly wetting them to stick to each other or the foam surface. Use the noodles to outline the shape, letter, or number.
Note: The noodles are nontoxic if your child does happen to put them in his or her mouth.





This is a super easy, educational activity......ENJOY!!