I was looking through some old photos recently and I was reminded of how much we used to play with beach balls in the house when the kids were younger. It was such a simple way to keep the kids active and happy when we were stuck indoors - plus it was super inexpensive and easy to set up (two of my favorite qualities in a kids' activity). Back in the day, this one was right up there with our Life-Sized Building Blocks, Construction Sensory Box and Upcycled Inventor's Box. The idea is so great, … [Read more...]
Super Special Sensory Play: Ice Cream Playdough
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...]
Making Snowmen… Inside!
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...]
Best Homemade Playdough Ever: Jell-O Playdough
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...]
13 Kitchen Science Projects to Blow Your Kids’ Minds
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...]
11 Ingenious Ways to Keep Kids Active When Stuck Inside
We're having a major snow day today- no school, around 8 inches of fresh snowfall... and no power! Which means that after an epic 4-hour neighborhood backyard playdate, I have happy kids, sopping wet snow clothes with no dryer at my disposal, and still about 8 hours of day left to fill. Today is the PERFECT day for this post. Thank you Kristin... We were all waiting for the rain and snow last year when El Nino was expected to hit. My husband even bought a generator in preparation. We … [Read more...]
{Play Idea} 17 Unique Materials for Building & Creating
Summer has hit full stride and all the free time off school has lost its allure. We've been swimming, hiking, adventuring and more! So, now it's time to explore new activities that will satisfy the kids' natural curiosity and endless amounts of energy. We've picked our top 17 building activities, using everything from newspaper to marshmallows. Most of these items you'll have at home, so pick an activity from the list this afternoon when boredom hits your house. … [Read more...]
Quiet Time Trick: Make Calming Lavender Play Dough
We've talked about the amazing benefits of play dough. We've shared the best play dough recipe ever. We've even made play dough toolkits. So we can all agree that we love play dough. But did you know that it can also be used as a great calming activity for kids? By adding the soothing, calming properties of lavender to our favorite playdough, this activity is sure to calm even the wiggliest of kids on those long summer days. … [Read more...]
Ultimate Play Dough Play Resources – All in One Spot
Image Credit (cropped & text added): © Chris Parfitt | 05.11.08 | CC by 2.0 You know we can't get enough of play dough play around here. Today Amanda of Not Just Cute is back with everything we need to maximize the kids' interest in play dough play as well as ideas on how to maximize the learning benefits of this fabulous art material. Read on for the ultimate round-up of play dough recipes and activities! Play dough is a staple of childhood. Like story time and hide and seek, it's an … [Read more...]
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