Drive-In Movie

 

To a child there is no better toy than a large cardboard box! 

A simple box is a valuable toy that can provide hours, days and even weeks of entertainment

when children are allowed to let their imaginations soar.

 

Below is one idea you may want to try for a family night.   

Drive-In Movie

Provide one large cardboard box for each family member. 

Stores that sell large appliances are usually helpful if you call and ask. 

You will need to plan ahead, as many stores crush their boxes after opening.

 

Supply family members with a variety of materials to design their car. 

Ideas:  paper plates, cups, construction paper, crayons, markers, pictures from magazines, tissue paper, wrapping paper, foil, styrofoam meat trays, cardboard tubes, tape, scissors, etc.  Let your imagination be your guide.  Then let the car designing begin!  It might be helpful to start your car design process the week, or several days, before the family movie night.  

This will allow imaginations time to explore, think and plan.

 

Don't forget to make a "license plate" for the back of each car identifying the driver.  You can print out car owner's names on a 8 1/2 x 11 piece of paper from your computer or

 design and hand print your own creation. 

Also, don't forget a steering wheel!  A paper plate works well for this feature.

 

If you want to incorporate more learning into this activity, you can have children identify letters in their name from newspapers or magazines. 

They can cut the letters out (fine motor skills) and glue together their own design.

 

So, the big drive-in movie night has arrived!

Put on your pajamas, find your favorite pillow, pop some popcorn, find your favorite drink and hop into you car.  The small brown lunch bags are great to fill with popcorn for this event.

 

Then... let the drive-in movie begin!

 

 

Photo source:  Hidden Splendor Publishing ©

Photo source:  Hidden Splendor Publishing ©

Photo source:  Hidden Splendor Publishing ©

 

Family night at least once a week is a valuable time to form stronger relationships

 with family members and create wonderful memories! 

 

When you tire of the drive-in movies, why not whip out the board and card games?  If it is pretty outside take a family walk or bike ride, go swimming, throw a ball around, have a sing-a-long or any other activity that your entire family can enjoy together! 

 

Wishing you many magical moments!

 

Inspired from the book:

Miraculous, Magical Moments in Minutes:

Over 500 Quick, Easy Activities for Adults and Children to Share

by Becky Baxa

Available from http://www.Amazon.com

in both Kindle and Paperback versions

 

The 21st Century Parent Challenge

Take the 21st Century Parent Challenge...

Today, have you:

...looked at your child in the eyes ?

...smiled at your child?

...shared a laugh?

...shared some un-interrupted time together?

...turned off all electronic devices and had a face-to-face conversation?

...listened to your child's hopes, dreams and fears?

Poem's Source Unknown
Photo source: www.mar.henderson.k12.nc.us

Inspired from the book:

Miraculous, Magical Moments in Minutes:

Over 500 Quick, Easy Activities for Adults and Children to Share

by Becky Baxa

Available from http://www.Amazon.com

in both Kindle and Paperback versions

Butterflies!

 

Movement caught my eye. 

 A flash of color burst open and then floated away. 

Butterflies had arrived!

 

Such incredible colors.  Such amazingly graceful movement.  Such a wonder to behold.

 

Photo property of Hidden Splendor Publishing ©

 

 

As butterflies float on summer breezes

it is a great time to incorporate butterfly activities into your play time! 

 

Today's post goes beyond the usual ideas of

observe, journal, photograph and research kind of activities. 

However, don't forget about  those valuable learning activities!

 

Take what you learn outside and apply that knowledge to an activity/craft project inside.

 

When teaching new concepts it is always best, if you can, to start with the real item and then go to the abstract, applying the hands-on knowledge to your activity/project.

 

COFFEE FILTER BUTTERFLIES

 

 

Supplies Needed:

    

     Large coffee filters

     Pinch type clothespins (wooden ones are shown, but plastic ones work well also)

     Colorful chenille wires - 1/2 per butterfly

     Eyes - wiggle eyes and white glue OR a permanent marker (supervised by an adult!)

     Decorating medium:  watercolors, markers or crayons

 

Alternative:  If you do not have clothes pins, use a whole chenille wire wrapping it around the middle of the coffee filter, twisting and then bending antennae on the ends of the wire as shown below.

 

Photo source:  www.workitmom.com

 

 

Directions:

 

     1.  Flatten out the coffee filter.

 

 

Photo source:  www.crafts-for-all-seasons.com
 

 

     2.  Decorate the entire coffee filter

               Ideas:  When using markers to decorate your filter, you may want to lightly spray the     

                           finished design with water.  Watch the colors run and swirl together.

 

                   Whatever method of decorating you use, make sure if the filter is wet to allow it to

                    dry before proceeding.   Laying the wet filter in a window sill or in the sunlight

                    speeds up the drying process.

 

    3.  With thumb and pointer finger,  pinch the filter in the middle drawing up the outside edges

          and gathering it in the middle.

 

Photo source:  www.imperfecthomemaker.com
 

 

 

    4.  Open your clothes pin and slip in the pinched filter. 

 

    5.  Cut a chenille wire in half.  Bend this in half and curl the ends for the

         butterfly's antennae.  Clip the antennae inside the front of the clothespin.

 

    

Photo source:  Hidden Splendor

 

 

6. Add wiggle eyes on the top of the end of the clothes pin using white glue or use a marker

to draw on your eyes.

 

 

Photo source:  Hidden Splendor

 

Photo source:  www.meaningfulmama.com

 

Of course, if you have been a reader of this blog for very long, you know books need to be involved somewhere!  Your local library or educational web site can provide more information about beautiful butterflies to enhance your learning experience.

 

Below are a few of my favorite butterfly books.

 

1. metamorphosis!  caterpillar to...   by FLIPTOMANIA   www.Fliptomania.com  This is a flip book and totally awesome.  As you flip the pages of this book a caterpillar goes through all the stages until on the last page it is a butterfly.  I LOVE this book!

2.  Gotta Go!  Gotta Go!  by Sam Swope with picture by Sue Riddle.  This book travels through the life of a little caterpillar through metamorphosis and migration.  It covers the entire life cycle of a butterfly.  Totally cool book with catchy phrases kids will love.

3.  The Butterfly Counting Book by Jerry Pallotta, illustrated by Mark Astrella.  Count butterflies by twos and learn about butterflies from around the world with this book.  Do you know the word for butterfly in Hawaiian, Italian, Mexican, German, Russian, French, Japanese, Polish, Swahili, Philippines, or Chinese?  This book will teach you and show pictures of native butterflies from their country.  Adults even love this book. If you love other cultures and languages this is a great book.

4.  The Butterfly Alphabet  A Scholastic book by KJELL B. SANDVED.  The photographs in this book are so beautiful.  Close up photos of each letter of the alphabet found in the wing of a butterfly are showcased.  This book is remarkably amazing!

5.  Caterpillar to Butterfly  A Scholastic book by Elizabeth Rodger.  This pop-up book is popular for the younger child and tells the butterfly's story scientifically well.

6.  Caterpillar Hides Away  a Parragon Publishing Book illustrated by Katie George.  This book covers colors, camouflage and metamorphosis and is great for children 2-4 years old.


Of course, these are just a few of the many fun, educational butterfly books available.  Why not take a trip to the library and see what you can find?

Inspired from the book:

Miraculous, Magical Moments in Minutes:

Over 500 Quick, Easy Activities for Adults and Children to Share

by Becky Baxa

Available from http://www.Amazon.com

in both Kindle and Paperback versions

Let Them Be Kids!

When my children were between the ages of 4 and 9 we lived in a place that was very flat geographically.  However, we had a ditch in our front yard that collected with water when it rained.   The boys would watch it fill with anticipation  and as soon as the storm would pass they threw off their clothes, pulled on their rubber boots and headed for the ditch. 
Squeals of delight and fun would follow.  They would come in exhausted, tired, dirty and happy.  Their underwear would be quite gray, but their radiant smiles brightened the room in contrast,
making the dirt an unimportant factor.

I  remember playing as a child in the water filled potholes in the driveway after a summer rain.  If it was a light rain with no thunder and lightning we would stomp around in the puddles under umbrellas.  My cousins and I would hop and splash and fill the air with laughter.
There were few activities as much fun. 

It was that simple, spontaneous play that created fond memories of being a child.

My husband questioned my judgement in allowing this activity.  He had grown up in the city with no water filled pot holes in the driveway and ditches in the front yard. However, after viewing the first session of such delightful, simple fun, he joined the activity! 

Clothes will wash and dry.  Dirt is not a permanent problem.  Relax and have FUN!

Children are the best inventors of fun and creativity...if we let them.

Of course, we must always watch, be mindful of safety and use common sense!

Play with your kids!

Play is a child's work.
Play allows children to be creative.
Creative people think out of the box and become successful, productive, self-sufficient adults.

What will you do today to have fun with your kids?

Follow their lead and jump into the fun!

I LOVE this photo!  Thank you to whomever took it.  The photo source is unknown, as I found it on a face book post. 
If you know the photographer, please share and we will give the credit due on this delightful photo!

Inspired from the book:

Miraculous, Magical Moments in Minutes:

Over 500 Quick, Easy Activities for Adults and Children to Share

by Becky Baxa

Available from http://www.Amazon.com

in both Kindle and Paperback versions

Swirling Rainbow Milk

I reached for the gallon of milk and started to pour a glass.  My arm stopped in mid-air.  Much to my dismay, it had happened...

I hate it when milk sours before we drink it all.  Such a waste!  Now, if you have visited this blog at all, you know how I love to prolong the life of items, turning them into a little fun before their final days are over.  And so it is with the milk.

This reminded me of an activity I used to do with my children.  The activity is sometimes called Swirling or Marbled Milk.  I like to call it rainbow milk.  It is a wonderful demonstration of emulsifiers in action and it is really NEAT!  Whether you have sour or fresh milk this is an activity you can do with your kids that will produce tons of fun!   The nice thing about this activity is that it is quick and easy to do.  It is a perfect activity to do before or after a meal.  If someone leaves some milk behind after eating, no problem!  Whip up this activity.   Do you need entertainment that will mesermize your children while you fix a meal?  This is a perfect solution!

Give this activity a try!   It will sure to be a favorite!

This is what you will need:

Photo source:  www.blogsglowscotland.org.uk

1.  a low shallow container:  cake pan, cookie sheet with sides, styrofoam meat tray, bowl, a large lid,
                                              pie tin, plate with high sides,  plastic storage container etc.
2.  food coloring
3.  liquid dish detergent  (NOT dishwasher detergent)  Dawn or Palmolive are my favorites.
4.  milk - must have fat content - whole milk works best but 2 % will also work
5.  possibly a few Q-tips


Directions:

1.  Pour a little milk in the bottom of your container.
2.  Add several drops of different colors in different places in your bowl of milk

Photo source:  www.twinklemama.wordpress.com

 

3.  Squeeze one drop of dish detergent in the milk mixture
4.  Watch the colors swirl!

As swirling action dies down, add another drop to the milk.  What happens?  How long does the swirling action occur?  What colors are produced when the colors mix?  If you move the dish, what happens to the swirling action?

After observation of the swirling action for awhile, children may want to see what happens if they disturb the color flow by touching a Q-tip to the surface of the milk.  What reaction happens?

Try this experiment with only two colors, then with only three colors.  When you mix red and yellow what color is created?  If you mix red and blue together, what color is formed?  How about yellow and blue?

Inspired from the book:

Miraculous, Magical Moments in Minutes:

Over 500 Quick, Easy Activities for Adults and Children to Share

by Becky Baxa

Available from http://www.Amazon.com

in both Kindle and Paperback versions