Summer Fun: Recycling Bug

A while back in school my son's class was asked to make litter bugs. They had to use items around the house that could be recycled. I save random stuff all the time because I love to be crafty and I can always find uses for most things I save. My husband however would say differently. 

This project was so much fun putting things together and making something so cute and fun. 

This project was made using a water bottle, milk tops, kleenex box, dixie cup, magazine pages, hot glue and googly eyes. 

We cut the the bottle in half and used a page of a magazine to stuff the top. Then I hot glued the dixie cup to the top of the bottle on the inside. I then glued the bottle of them bottle back other the dixie cup. 

The kleenex box was used to make the wings. The feet are made from several milk tops and the face too. I took a red milk top and cut out a smile for the bugs mouth. 

There are so many great items you can use to create a bug. Dig through the trash can and recycling bin and get your crafty ideas going. It's so much fun to see what can be created with trash. 

Summer Time: Fun Fort

Boys love forts and they are so easy to build.

My boys really enjoy climbing through blankets and dark places. We made a fort using my stash of blankets, the sofa, chair and coffee table (more like a hiding place for blankets).

Mr. I helped me round up the blankets and over lap them onto the sofa and coffee table to make an area where they could crawl through. 

Mr. E enjoyed playing around in it and trying to pull it down. He's kind of like Godzilla. 

This is Mr. I peeking out.

We also found another fort idea on Pinterest and like doing it too. You just use a fitted sheet and cover your couch or as my mom use to say it, "sofa". I tried finding it again to post it here but can't seem to find it.

Summer Time: Chalk People

We love playing outside with the sidewalk chalk. It never gets old and we always find so many things to do while we are playing. 

This particular day we decided to outline everyone and have them make themselves into ninja's or whatever they wanted to be. 

The neighborhood kids even joined in. 

Here is what the kids drew. 

We have also make sidewalk paint as well. Click here for the post and directions on how to make it. 

Summer Time: Bean Play

The other day I was looking for something that both of my children can do together. It's hard because there is such a big age difference. Mr. I is 7 and Mr. E is 2. 

I decided to get out my beans that I have been saving for cold winter day but never got around to using them. 

I just opened the bag and poured it into a bowl with little things that I save for projects. I added a formula scoop, bread tags, measuring cups, milk tops and a couple of other random toys. 

I put a table cloth on the floor and let the boys explore. They played for hours using the cups to scoop and pour. The little guy enjoyed dumping the whole bowl over and over so mommy had to play clean up a couple of times. 

Mr. I liked calling the beans good deeds and bad deeds. Here he is showing good deeds. 

This is good deeds and bad. The good deeds out weigh the bad deeds. I took the opportunity to explain what each are according to what God would like us to do. He must of been paying attention at church. He had a lot of good answers. I was proud. :)

Summer Time: Silly Putty

Here's some gooey fun for the summer. My son loves to do science experiments and here is one that is sure to please any little guy. It's sticky and messy just what every boy enjoys. 

We used school glue and liquid starch. We got the starch at Wal-Mart in the laundry aisle. 

We started by adding equal parts but ended up having to use more glue and starch to get to the right consistency. 

We started by adding glue into a bowl with a little food coloring. Mr. I loves the color red so we had to use it. 

Then I added the liquid starch and just started mixing and kneading it into my hands until it turned into something like silly putty. 

We had fun making it and playing with it as we mixed it up. It also worked on newspaper however ours was a little sticky. 

Summer Time: Rain Sticks

This summer has been super busy for us. We are making crafts like crazy. Trying out science experiments and going to everything we can find. 

My son wanted to make something using a paper towel roll and I thought why not make a rain stick. We looked on Pinterest of course and took some ideas from a couple of different places and made two different ones. 

Supplies:

Paper towel cardboard

Rice

Tape

Wax paper

Foil

Cardboard 

Our first rain stick we poured the rice into the tube and used foil on the ends. I cut out round pieces of foil and taped them on. 

The other rain stick we used wax paper on the ends and taped it up one end. 

Cut two strips of cardboard and fold them accordion style. Placed the cardboard inside the tube and added rice and tape other end.   

Decorate the rain stick with whatever you like markers, stickers, construction paper, etc...

We tested them both out and my son liked both but I liked the one with the cardboard inside. It's sounds more like a rain stick. 

Have fun shaking! 

Father's Day Tie

Here's a fun project for Father's Day that Dad is sure to enjoy. 

Supplies:

Felt

Scissors

Glue

Yarn

Hole punch or something to make a hole

Paper

First you want to make a template of a tie on a piece of paper. Pin the template onto the felt as shown here. 

Next cut out the tie and decorate with other felt pieces.

Punch two holes into the top part of the tie on both sides. Thread the yarn through and tie it up like a necklace.

Happy Father's Day!

(BTW - I made my ties in the car.)

Summer Reading Programs

Barnes and Noble - Read 8 books and get a free book.

Half Priced Books - Read 300 minutes and receive HPB Bookworm bucks.

Local Library - The Metropolitan Library System is doing a summer reading programs for children birth and up. The offer prizes and coupons as you reach your goals.

The Daily Oklahoman - For ages 5-12. Win prizes in random drawings when you send in the answer for the week.

Scholastic Summer Challenge - Children log minutes and complete challenges for daily prizes.  They can also read for the World Record.

Book Adventure - Children read books and take quizzes to earn prizes.

Chuck E Cheese's - Earn 10 tokens for reading for two weeks.

Summer Time - Magic Mud

Today we got our hands messy with magic mud. 

Mr. I and Mr. E loved playing with it. They used the cars to drive through it. Mr. B even enjoyed it. (14 yrs.) 

The magic mud is like a goppy liquid but hardens when you poke it. 

To make it all you need is corn starch and water. I also added food coloring but it's optional. Add about 5 tablespoons of corn starch and about that much water or more and mix.