Constellations

Making Constellations out of marshmallows and toothpicks is a great way to learn about different constellations, while getting some creative juices flowing....and there's the benefit of sneaking a few of the marshmallows as a bit of a snack!

I have a book that shows the night sky and lays out the constellations, so I would definitely recommend getting some kind of a reference book from the library for this activity.

After making our real constellations, we like to make up our own. The kids design them and then come up with a cool name. Maybe someday we'll find those in our night sky:)

Got Milk?

Here's a really short and surprisingly entertaining activity for milking a cow:

Take a rubber glove (I just got some cheap ones from the grocery store in the cleaning supplies), poke a tiny hole in a few of the tips of the fingers, fill with water, and then watch as your children attempt to "milk" the cow.

(She may not look all that amused, but she had been laughing before this pictures was taken.)

The Battle of the Great Wall of China

In our History class we had been talking about the Great Wall of China. My kids LOVE talking about other countries and, more importantly, the really cool landmarks around the world.

I thought it would be fun to have a battle at the Great Wall. Why not? I put out big boxes, our piano bench, and any other longish, tallish things that could serve as the basis of the wall. Then I draped blankets over top.

                                 (Notice the feet sticking out in an attempt to sneak over.)

We ended up with a pretty long wall. I had then balled up a bunch of newspapers as our ammo. We had two people on each side of the wall. The objective was to invade the other side without getting caught. We could crawl under the wall at any point, but if we got hit with newspaper while trying to cross over, we had to return to our own side.

It was really fun and we all enjoyed throwing newspapers at each other. We kept "invading" the opposite side, but the game never really stopped.

Murals and More

Previously I wrote about painting my son's bedroom. It wasn't my first experience painting walls in bedrooms. I respect the classy look of the neutrals that is big right now in home decorating, but it's definitely not for me. I'm big on colour and I love adding personality to a space.

In our first home I painted a mural in my baby's bedroom. I based it on the jungle-themed bedding we had purchased. Here are some shots:

I did the drawing freehand and then painted with acrylic paints, mostly because I have the most experience with those and am therefore most comfortable. If you ever want to paint a mural but are not confident in your drawing skills, you can use a projector to get your image up and trace around that.

I even added a little accessory to the room:

My mom is really good at cutting out wood, so I drew her up a pattern and she cut out this hippo plate for me.

When we moved into a new house I couldn't exactly bring the wall with me, but we still had the same bedding. I was pregnant with our fourth baby and I wasn't planning on buying anything new. I also didn't want to put in the effort of painting another giant mural. So I went smaller:

Canvas is nice for many reasons. I could paint them anywhere so I wasn't trapped in a specific room for hours, I can move them around, and when I get rid of the bedding I can pass them along so somebody else can enjoy them.

Either option works. Dare to experiment!

Unicorn Party

  After the fun cat party we had, and with the continued love of Beanie Boos, my daughter decided to have a Beanie Boo unicorn-themed birthday party. That was actually pretty helpful as far as the piñata was concerned, since it was very similar to the cat one I previously made:

  Papier mâché one balloon for the head, a balloon for the body, some toilet paper tubes for the legs, and use bunched up papier mâché for the ears and horn. After painting, use tissue paper for the mane and tail. Don't forget to leave a hole at the top!

  We had a few games lined up as well:

1. Unicorn Ring Toss - one person has 3 rings (we used glow sticks to make the rings) and has to try to toss them onto the "horns" (party hats). 

2.  Pin the Horn on the Unicorn - I'm sure everyone is familiar with this style of game. It can be adapted to any theme of birthday party. I drew a unicorn on a poster and made different coloured horns out of construction paper. Boom! Done.

3. Musical Balloons - There were a bunch of balloons on the ground of varying colours. When the music stopped they had to grab one.

4. Piñata time!!!

  When games were done it was time for lunch and cake (and cupcakes!). For lunch I had the kids make their own English muffin pizzas. This was great because they could choose their own toppings so everyone was happy! 

  I also had a little too much fun coming up with the dessert:

  Cupcakes!!! Some buttercream frosting took care of most of the decorating. Chocolate chips helped the eyes, and then I found a secret ingredient: Starbursts. Microwave a Starburst for 7 seconds (at least that's what was perfect in my microwave) and it will become soft enough to mold and smooth out. It will then harden in that shape. I used those for the ears and horn.

  The cake took a lot of icing, but it was worth it. I did use one cupcake for the muzzle, and those chocolate chips came into play again for the eyes. For the legs, ears and horn I used Rice Krispy treats. They took a little bit of extra icing, but they ended up looking great.

  I'm not a fan of the taste of fondant. When I go to kid birthday parties I rarely see kids eat it. I have been told that there are good homemade fondant recipes out there that taste really good, but I haven't encountered one yet. I'm sure it would make cakes like this a lot faster with decorating. For now, I shall stick with my tried and true buttercream. For me it just doesn't get any better.