Sidewalk paint: Take 2

We had another go at sidewalk paint yesterday. I made the paint the way you are “supposed to” with corn starch instead of flour this time. I also used washable paints instead of food dye after reading a comment left by Cindy on this post. We haven’t had issues with food dye staining on clothes yet, but I do know that it can be hard to wash out and both kids were wearing shirts I would like to keep stain-free. The kids painted with brushes until Johnny dumped all the bowls out, at which point Emma decided to come in (and Johnny soon followed). I don’t know if they were less into it because they didn’t like the texture with the corn starch as much as with the flour, or if it was just that they are both still sick (especially Emma, who is on week three of being sick nearly non-stop now) and so weren’t feeling very into doing anything. It was easier to get a nice paint texture using flour than corn starch, but the corn starch was easier to clean up since it didn’t stick to paint brush bristles. They didn’t try finger painting like last time, but Johnny did a lovely job of decorating his hands and feet (and clothing):

Emma’s hands, feet, and clothes were spotless, as usual.

Picnic Table Talk: Jump, Skip & Hop!

Picnic Table Talk this week is all about physical activities and outdoor games. We are really fortunate to have a lovely yard for the kids to play in, and when the weather is nice they will spend most of the day outdoors. I wrote a post back in February on keeping toddlers active indoors, so here are a few of our favorite things to do outdoors:

• Exploring: Both kids love exploring the yard and neighborhood – finding plants, flowers, birds, and other animals. We sort of live in the middle of nowhere, which means we get lots of animals: deer, groundhogs, and wild turkey in addition to the more common squirrels and birds.
• Outdoor toys: This summer we made a thrifty sandbox using an underbed storage bin. We have a couple Little Tikes climbing toys, one inherited from a friend and one that I picked up for $5 at a yard sale. We also have a trike and a ride-on toy, also picked up at yard sales for $3 apiece.
• Art: My kids love homemade sidewalk paint as well as chalk. Not exactly active, but a fun outdoor activity.
• Picnics: It’s always a treat for my kids to eat on a blanket outside, and I love the minimal cleanup. Also not that active, but picnics are always preceded and/or followed by active outdoor play.
• Walks: Emma and Johnny love to wander around our neighborhood.
• Water: Our town regulates summer water usage pretty heavily (even during super wet summers like we’ve had this year), so this is somewhat limited at our house, but both kids are happy to engage in any water-related activity.
• Balls: Throw them, kick them, chase them – endless fun!

What are your favorite ways to stay active indoors and outdoors?

Blog Favorites: Crafts requiring minimal materials

• 4 Crazy Kings shows how to make Easy Toilet Paper Tube Stamps. Materials used: toilet paper tubes and paint. Haven’t got paint? See the post for some substitution ideas.

 

• Make a nature collage using a lint roller as described at the Frugal Family Fun Blog. You can even turn your collage into a placemat! Materials used: a sticky lint roller and plants from your neighborhood.

 

• Make your own foam bath toys as seen at Pink and Green Mama. Materials used: craft foam (and scissors).

 

• Looking for outdoor water play ideas? Try this aluminum foil river from Filth Wizardry. Materials used: aluminum foil.

Sidewalk paint

Inspired by posts on several of my favorite blogs, we decided to try out sidewalk paint. We didn’t have corn starch, so I substituted flour. That worked pretty well, but flour doesn’t wash out of paint brushes as well as corn starch, so we’ll be buying some corn starch to use in future sidewalk chalk adventures. The paint was really easy to make (equal parts flour/corn starch and water, add food coloring and stir), and this activity kept both kids entertained for the better part of an hour.

They started off painting daintily with paintbrushes. I offered them larger brushes (which I still think would work better), but they wanted to use these little tiny ones.

Next they experimented with drip painting, followed by finger painting.

Finally, Johnny decided to use the sidewalk paint to give himself a foot mask, as well as to deep condition his hair. When they were done I carried them straight from the patio to the tub for a much-needed bath.

Here is their final masterpiece, fully dried:

Thrifty Sandbox

MATERIALS:

• 1 underbed storage box (this 74-qt one was $17.00 at Target)
• Sand
• Sand toys
• Warm weather
• Kids

Outdoor play

One of my New Year’s resolutions was to get the kids outside more. We had a big snowstorm Sunday morning, so Monday there was plenty of beautiful snow for Emma to play with. It was even close to freezing, a vast improvement over the –10 Fahrenheit temperatures we had last week.

Emma had a wonderful time playing in the snow castle Mike built her, and throwing snowballs. Getting Emma to come inside to warm up is always the hardest part of playing outside, so I have to make sure I have a good activity/treat to bribe her back inside with.