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We Tried It! – Milk Colors

September 3 by Steph (MPMK Founder)

  These magic milk colors have been on our to-do list for a long time (like ever since I first got on Pinterest long).  I'm sure you can tell by the photo above, this project is the perfect mix of art, science, and fun.  I've seen the idea several places over the last few months.    I'd highly recommend checking it out (hint: there are two equally exciting bonus activities).     It's a good bet you already have everything you need for this one in your … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Art + Kid Crafts, Learning & Engaging, The Make & Play Vault, We Tried It Tagged With: at home science experiment, kid craft, kitchen science, milk colors, painting with milk, toddler craft, toddler science

How to Set Up Natural Play Spaces in Your Back Yard

August 6 by Steph (MPMK Founder)

Such cool ideas on how to set up a natural play space for your kids in the backyard (part of a 4-part series) - bye, bye plastic slide - hello forts and logs!

Recently, one of my neighbors sent out a group text asking if anyone had logs from cut-down trees for a friend who had some cool plans for her backyard. It immediately reminded me of the Natural Play Spaces series we did a few years ago and I sent it to her. Looking over it, I remembered how wonderful it was and wanted to share it with you guys with summer being here.  I hope it inspires you to look at your backyard in a whole new way this summer! I've written before about how much I value … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Creating & Exploring, Natural Outdoor Play Spaces Tagged With: getting kids outdoors, how to set up a natural play space, natural play spaces, outdoor play

Super Special Sensory Play: Ice Cream Playdough

March 5 by Kristin

Ice Cream Play Dough. This amazing play dough looks, feels, (and smells) just like real ice cream BUT DOESN'T MELT - such a fun activity for birthday parties or other special occasions!

On Tuesday I wrote about how my family has been affected living in the epicenter of the American coronavirus outbreak and I plan to continue writing about our experiences in the coming days. Late last night, though, we got word that every school in my kids' district is closing- and we will be participating in at-home, mobile learning for up to 14 days.  Needless to say, I'm scrambling for ways to make it work having my kindergartner, 3rd and 5th graders home while I also need to work. One of … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Creating & Engaging, Kristin, Sensory & Interactive Play, The Make & Play Vault Tagged With: arts and crafts for kids, easy crafts for kids, ice cream dough, ice cream dough recipe, play doh recipe, play ideas, playdough recipe, rainy day play, sponsored, tactile DIY for kids

Making Snowmen… Inside!

February 12 by Kaley

Making Snowmen inside! Say it with me, "Do you wanna build a snowman?"

You know how we love a good messy sensory art project here at MPMK. So far we've tackled Jell-O Play Dough, DIY body Paint, and even Dr. Seuss' Oobleck.  So what's next? Why, indoor snowmen of course! Kaley's here today sharing with us... I always think of sledding and building snowmen as the quintessential wintertime activities. Unfortunately, we don't live anywhere near snow. I didn't want to rob my little one of all that winter fun, so I had to get a little creative. With a few boxes of … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Creating & Exploring, Kaley, Sensory & Interactive Play Tagged With: Christmas craft, cloud dough, do you want to build a snowman?, Frozen play activity, homemade dough, indoor snowmen activity, making snowmen inside, play snow, sensory activities, sensory activities for kids, winter activity

Playtime: Valentine Fortune-Tellers & Knock-Knock Jokes

January 22 by Kaley

I don't know about your kids but mine are totally obsessed with knock-knock jokes - they think they're hilarious and absolutely love getting a laugh when telling one.  So I know they're going to go nuts for these adorable Valentine Fortune-Tellers. Be sure to click for the printable with all 14 Valentine-inspired knock-knock jokes! Do you remember folding fortune tellers back in elementary school? (Maybe you called them cootie catchers?) If I wasn't busy playing M.A.S.H. with my BFFs, we were … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Creating & Engaging, Holiday Projects, Kaley, Seasonal Fun, The Make & Play Vault Tagged With: How to fold cootie-catcher, how to fold fortune teller, kids Valentine's, Kids' craft, playtime activity, Valentine's Day craft, Valentine's Day Knock-Knock Jokes

4 Simple Summer Routines for Beating the Summer Slide

June 6 by Steph (MPMK Founder)

It's only a few weeks until the last day of school for us and I know summer vacation has already started for many of you! To help you prepare for a wonderful summer filled with lots of relaxing, playing, connecting, and - yes - even learning, I've asked my good friend Mariah of Playful Learning to stop by and share her tips. To say Mariah is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to education, is an understatement. She has 20 years of experience working in the field of education and a Master of … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Creating & Engaging, Educational Activities, Parenting Tagged With: activities for beating the summer slide, learning activities for kids, summer learning activities, summer learning ideas

Best Homemade Playdough Ever: Jell-O Playdough

April 25 by Kaley

This recipe went totally viral a while ago and it's no wonder - it's smells wonderful and so silky smooth - my kids' absolute favorite!

Homemade playdough - If ever there was a quintessential DIY this is it!  Parents and children have been happily cooking up this stuff at home for decades.  Today Kaley is sharing her favorite play dough recipe using another kid classic: Jell-O (because it just wouldn't be an MPMK post without some sort of twist). You're going to love this recipe.  Kaley promises it comes out silky smooth and I could practically smell the fruity scents wafting from my computer as I read her … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Creating & Exploring, Sensory & Interactive Play, The Make & Play Vault Tagged With: diy play dough, favorite, home made playdough, homemade play doh, homemade play dough, homemade playdough, jello playdough, play doh, play doh recipe, playdough recipe

13 Kitchen Science Projects to Blow Your Kids’ Minds

April 2 by Kaley

13 Kitchen Science Experiments that Will Blow Your Kids' Minds - the perfect rainy day activities to keep us busy during school break!

With spring just barely arrived, I think it is fair to say we could all use a few good indoor activities to keep the kids engaged about now. I usually turn to arts and crafts, but lately I have been trying to introduce a little more science to my little ones. Since I don't want to leave the house when the weather is so terrible, I definitely don't want to be running all over town looking for specific materials for our experiments. So I've rounded up 13 kitchen science projects that use … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Educational Activities, Kaley, Learning & Engaging, Sensory & Interactive Play, The Make & Play Vault Tagged With: at home science, at home science activities, at home science experiment, indoor activities for kids, indoor play ideas for preschoolers, kitchen experiments for kids, kitchen science, kitchen science activities, kitchen science experiments, preschoolers, science experiments

Online Summer Classes for Kids that are Perfect for Down Time

June 12 by Kristin

If you're like me, this summer you might find yourself desperately needing something to fill the space between the trips to the pool and the park play dates.  Sure, it's great to spend time outside and get all the energy out.  But, summer is long. There are a lot of hours in the day and parents are like cruise ship directors in the summer. Kids want to know, what are we eating and what are we doing next? We've rounded up a list of 9 different free online summer classes that you can use … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Creating & Engaging, Kristin Tagged With: summer activities, summer activities for kids, summer classes

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