Summer Fun

Well a full week with the Grandbabes has me so excited.  I have so many plans.  From picnics, lake days, crafts and games.  Many of these I plan on sharing with you today so that maybe you can share them with your kiddos.

Let's see what are some big hits?  Well paint toast was one.  Easy really.  Melt butter and add food coloring.  Let them paint their bread with clean paint brushes.  I keep a set for just this reason in my kitchen that is only used for food.  When they are done we broil the toast into yummy edible paintings.  See for yourself.

Another great thing we did was glow in the dark tag.  Mixed up a bowl of bubbles with the inner liquid of glow in the dark sticks.  This is about a 25% mix of glow in dark liquid to 75% bubbles for us.  Watch out though.  There is glass inside many of the sticks and you do not want it in your mixture.  We used a strainer once it was all mixed up.  But then outside in the dark we had lil hand prints all over us.

When the Grandbabes are here we have a no no rule to electronics.  We want to get out and play during the day.  Tag football at the park or swimming at the lake is a great way to start off.  Add in cookouts, craft time during the heat and fun cooking together.  Soon you have memories built that will be laughed over even as adults.  If you need some ideas you can check out these two books.

Go Out and Play which has favorite outdoor games from KaBoom!  Of course at the lake we had to play Marco Polo.  As I already said we did our own version of tag too.  There seems to always be a hop scotch design on my sidewalk also.  But when is the last time you saw kiddos playing leap frog or doing the limbo?  We did that at Dairy Queen for their family day fun.  Also had face painting too!  At home there was golf in the back yard, swinging of course as well as learning to play marbles.  Granny M even made a marble sack for each of the kiddos.  Summer is fun time but this can also be for a weekend party.  Just gather the kids, some cold drinks and get out there and live!

So you live in Texas like I do and say whoooa!  It gets hot out there.  Well that is true.  That is why we like to do crafts mid day.  To bring us inside and cool off.  You can use Sneaky Art by Marthe Jocelyn as a guide for some easy fun ideas.  Our lil friend Romy already dresses her bedroom furniture up.  So when I saw this idea in the book I knew it was one that kids like.  Be it adding socks to chair legs or mittens to doorknobs.  Just a fun silly way to get a day going.  I like the idea of making lucky pennies to share in the community.  Just cute as can be.  But my grandbabes were all in on making a fairy door for our big ol oak tree outside.

We have been having a blast.  If you want more information on these books then check them out here.  I was blessed to have them sent to me by Candlewick Press for review.  And they have come in quite handy.

Sneaky Art by Marthe Jocelyn

9780763656485 ∙ March 2013 ∙ Hardback ∙ $12.99 ∙ 64 pages ∙ 8 years and up

For young artists, tricksters, and crafters, here is a hip, friendly how-to manual for creating removable and shareable art projects from easily found materials. The sneaky part is in the installation! Each work of art is custom-created for display in public places. This utterly unique guide offers a stylish and sweet “made-you-look-twice” spirit of fun meant to put a smile on the faces of strangers and loved ones alike.

«“Crafty (and sneaky) kids are going to love this…Fun all the way around.” – Booklist (starred review)

Go Out and Play!: Favorite Outdoor Games by KaBOOM! by KaBOOM

9780763655303 ∙ March 2012 ∙ Paperback ∙ $11.99 ∙ 104 pages ∙ 5 years and up

Go outside and play! Here, at your fingertips, are how-to's for more than seventy best-loved games, all set to spread the fun of active play to kids of all ages. This lively, infectious guide to games runs the gamut from classic to contemporary: freeze tag, blindman’s bluff, red light green light, four square, duck duck goose, and so many more. It’s all sparked by KaBOOM!, a nonprofit with a passion for creating outdoor play spaces nationally and around the world.

«“This top-notch compilation makes a great resource for children and their friends, as well as families and adults who work with youth.” – School Library Journal (starred review)