Crafts, DIY, Parenting, Activites and More - Paint Covered Kids

fizzing fireworks art & science project

6/17/2015

We want to share one more fun 4th of July themed craft! Today we made fizzing fireworks art which is both a fun craft and a mini science lesson!

Materials:
- coffee filters (we used about 8 but you can do as many/few as you like)
- kitchen sized trash bag
- food coloring/kool aid in varying colors
- baking soda
- vinegar
- squirt bottle

Directions:
1. Lay the trash bag on a table and place the coffee filters on top.

2. Pour vinegar into the squirt bottle and pour baking soda over the top of all of the coffee filters.

3. Put a few drops of food coloring in various places on each coffee filter. (On a separate note, I didn't have any red food coloring so I opened up a package of fruit punch kool aid and sprinkled it instead. If I do this again I will only use different colors of kool aid because the smell of the kool aid masked the smell of vinegar and worked just as well or better than food coloring.)

4. Now for the fun! Using your squirt bottle (set on mist/spray) begin spraying the baking soda and food coloring covered coffee filters and watch the colorful, fizzing reaction!

5. When you're done making fizzy reactions let the filters dry. (We took ours outside so the sun could accelerate the drying time.) Once they're dry you have fun, colorful coffee filters that you can display as art or even use to create coffee filter flowers by following this tutorial!

We hope you had fun! Check out the science explained below to teach your child about the reasoning behind why this experiment/art works!

The Science Explained
In this experiment, the fizz is produced by a chemical reaction between baking soda and vinegar. Baking soda and vinegar react, and one of the products of the reaction is carbon dioxide gas. This gas forms bubbles that are surrounded by the liquid. The laundry detergent makes the bubbles last longer, and a foam is produced. The volume of the gas produced and trapped in the foam is much greater than the glass can hold, so some of it spills over the top of the glass.

Baking soda is sodium bicarbonate. Vinegar contains acetic acid dissolved in water. Sodium barcarbonate reacts with most acids. The products of the reaction with vinegar are carbon dioxide gas, sodium acetate, and water.

The reaction of sodium bicarbonate to form carbon dioxide gas is the basis of its use as a levening agent in baking. Cakes are solid foams. The foam is produced when bubbles of carbon dioxide from the reaction of sodium bicarbonate are trapped in the batter. As the cake bakes, the batter dries, and the trapped bubbles of carbon dioxide form the holes in the cake.

two fantastic fireworks crafts

6/15/2015

The 4th of July isn't very far away and we're sharing two fun and easy crafts you can do with your kids!

Splatter Paint Fireworks
Materials:
- straw
- paint (we used liquid tempera)
- white paper/construction paper
- water

Directions:
1. Mix a little water with a little paint. Your goal is to have a consistency that can be used to create droplets on your paper.

2. Once your paint and water combo is done, put a few drops onto your paper. Then get your straw and blow air onto the drops to create a starburst effect with the paint.
It can take a little practice but we found that if you rotate the paper every so often you can direct the paint where you want.

Straw Paint Prints
Materials:
- 5 bendy straws
- paint (we used liquid tempera)
- tape
- white paper/construction paper

Directions:
1. Tape the straws together and bend the straws outward with the bend in the center.

2. Dip the straws into the paint and place the paint dipped straws onto the paper to create a print.

3. When you've finished and your art is dry you can add a little sparkle with glitter and glue or a combo glitter glue.

Our kids had a ton of fun making these! We hope you enjoy them too! Check back later for more cool art projects and fun activities!

fireworks sensory bottle

6/15/2015

Here is a fun craft you can make with your child that is also a toy! With only a few materials you can easily create a sensory bottle. Today, we're creating a 4th of July themed bottle.

Materials:
- clean, empty plastic bottle
- red, white, and yellow pipe cleaners
- blue food coloring
- hot glue/superglue
- sparkly confetti

Directions:
1. Cut the pipe cleaners in half and/or thirds to get varying lengths.

2. Twist the pipe cleaners around your finger to create a spiral.

3. Put the twisted pipe cleaners and confetti into the bottle.

4. Fill the bottle with water.

5. Add one drop of blue food coloring to the bottle, screw on the lid and shake.

6. Hot glue or super glue the lid into place. You might find it more effective to place glue on the rim before screwing the lid into place but, you will have to work quickly or the glue will dry before you get the lid on.

You can have your children help put the items into the bottle to make it a group activity and you can make all sorts of different types of sensory bottles. A great place to look for items is the dollar store. It just needs to be small enough to fit into the mouth of your bottle and it will work! We hope you enjoy this cheap and easy craft!

diy edible ice cream playdough

5/30/2015

Today we had a lot of dramatic play fun with edible ice cream playdough! It was easy, cheap to make, and entertained us for quite a while! Let us know what you think!

Materials Needed:
- Cake icing (any flavor will work. We used Betty Crocker icings in raspberry lemonade, chocolate and lemon)
- Powdered sugar
- Fun tools like an ice cream scoop, bowls, and spoons (we also used some of our pretend ice cream things like sprinkles and syrup and I grabbed actual ice cream cones at Target for 1.39. Lilly thought they were a great addition!)
- Olive oil
- Large bowl and spoon
Directions:
1. Mix one cup icing and 2.5 cups powdered sugar in a large bowl. I had to use my hands to mash it together for the proper consistency.
2. Once it is mostly mixed, you might find it to be a bit crumbly. Add a little olive oil to make it stick together.
3. That's it! You're done!

The little one had a good time too!

When you're done creating fantastic concoctions, you can put the playdough in a sealed container and use it again later. If it's crumbly, just add more olive oil to smooth it out.
We hope you enjoy this fun activity! 😃

diy valentine's day poppers

2/13/2013

These cheap and easy to create party poppers will be a big hit with my daughter’s classmates. All you need to do is gather your materials and get started!
You will need:
– toilet paper rolls
– candy and small toys/trinkets
– tape
– scissors
– wrapping paper (as thin as you can get; don’t get the expensive stuff)
– ribbon
First, you cut each toilet paper roll in half.

Second, you stuff it with your candy and toys.

Third, tape the roll together (very little tape; you want it to be easy to pop open) and wrap it with your paper.

Fourth, twist the ends of the paper together and tie it with a ribbon and your done!

the fun jar

2/5/2013

I am always frustrated when it comes to finding things to do with my toddler. I save a ton of things to Pinterest but when I go to find an activity inevitably I don’t have what I need or it takes too long just to figure out and find all of the appropriate materials. So, I don’t get to even half of the fun things that I have pinned. So I came up with the idea for “The FUN Jar”. By spending a little extra time (ok not a little…it took me a couple of weeks) compiling all of the activities that I liked and creating a printable document with directions and materials lists I will be able to access all of the fun activities in a matter of seconds. You can also jump in on the fun by printing my FREE “FUN Jar” printable!!
How does it work?
First you have to print out the packet. Then, inside the packet are directions for 29 activity bags that you prepare ahead of time. I know that sounds like a lot but most of it is done for you. By creating these bags ahead of time for some of the more in-depth activities you can get started with your impatient little toddler more quickly and clean up is also fast. Keep in mind there are over 90 activities and you only have to prep for 29 of them. As long as you have purchased everything else that is on the materials list you will have everything you need to do each activity.
Once you have prepared all of the activity bags and have printed everything out you just need to cut up the different “activity cards”, fold them and place them in some sort of jar or container. I haven’t made mine yet but I would suggest making it really decorative and fun looking so your child will be eager to help you select an activity.
Now you are ready to select your first activity. You can use the color coded activities to make sure your child doesn’t draw an outdoor activity when it is raining. Let your child draw a piece of paper and then you can simply walk over to your box of activity bags and supplies and get the appropriate bag/supplies. Some of the activities don’t even require you to use anything special but are things we sometimes forget to do with our kids.
The goal of “The FUN Jar” is to make your life easier and to enrich your child’s life. Let me know what you think! I’ll be posting updates as I begin to use my own “FUN Jar”.
You can access the free printable here.

bathtub paint

2/4/2013

I’ve had this pinned in my “Kid Boredom Prevention” board for a while and I finally remembered to do it. On a separate note, I remembered because I am currently working on a project that will make all of the fun ideas that I find for my daughter to do easier to remember and access. I’m calling it “The Fun Jar” and will post it as soon as it’s finished. It’s going to be great and a HUGE free printable so be on the lookout. Anyways…back to the paint.

All you do is mix cornstarch, water and a few drops of baby shampoo in a cup or bowl and then pour it into individual containers. I chose to use an ice cube tray because it gave me a bunch of spots in a condensed space. Then you drop one or two drops of food coloring into each section and mix it up a little more. There you have it! Bathtub paint! It is super easy and doesn’t stain. Trust me. Since we started doing this she has knocked it into the floor several times and I was easily able to clean up the bathmat and the floor. I do recommend adding the food coloring over an area that is easy it to wipe down and doesn’t stain easily because straight food coloring that has not been mixed into water and cornstarch can stain. My husband proved this when he was making paint on the edge of the tub and spilled just food coloring. I now have red grout as proof.

Quick & easy toddler activity

1/29/2013

I wanted a few fun activities for Lilly that don't involve super messy things like paint and shaving cream. While in the dollar tree I found a big bag of colorful puff balls and knew I could use them for multiple things. When I got home I pulled out an ice cube tray and a pair of tongs and told her to pick up the puff balls with the tongs and put them in the ice cube tray. She spent quite a while doing this activity and she really enjoyed herself. After she has mastered the tongs I will add new elements like putting specific colors in specific spots and transferring them from one container to another. Plus I can give her tweezers to make it more of a challenge. (I started with tweezers but she couldn't figure out how to use them properly.)

The other activity I used was from a really nice site for toddler and preschool activities called www.prekinders.com. I found a fun activity to teach patterns using conversation heart candies. She enjoyed placing the candies on the correct colors and lining them up properly but the pattern idea was a bit over her head. However, she did spend about 25 minutes participating in this activity so I say it was a success. She was really excited when she realized that they were candy.

DIY felt "letters" for dramatic play

1/14/2013

I found a really cute little metal mailbox in the dollar bins at Target and instantly thought that I could make some special little "letters" to go along with it. They aren't actual letters but, she's not quite old enough for that so they work well.

You will need:
- various colors of felt
- pretty and sturdy scrapbook paper
- pen
- hot glue
- very thick and sturdy paper (I used a piece of junk mail that was mailed without an envelope)

First I had to decide what size the letters should be. After that I cut out two identically sized pieces of felt from each color. Then I cut a piece of paper from the thick junk mail to fit in between the two pieces of felt. This makes the letters sturdier and feel more real. I guess you don't have to do this but I think it added to quality. Once I had all of my starting pieces I simply hot glued them together sandwich style with the paper in between the two felt pieces.

After creating the base for my letter I experimented with using more felt for the address labels and stamps, but the ink blurred and it didn't look very good so I abandoned that. It would work if you wanted to embroider the felt but I'm too lazy for that. So, I realized that I would have to use paper. I dug around in my scrapbook drawers for some pretty paper that was also a little thicker than your average paper. I found some pink and blue that had the bonus of some sparkles so it is more special. Then I simply cut out squares and rectangles for the addresses and the stamps. (I blurred the address on the top letter but you get the idea.)

Finally, on the back of each letter I added some dash marks to denote the "envelope flap" that would normally be there. I used a fabric marker for this but you could probably use a sharpie and it work just as well.

So, there you have it! This was super easy and she really enjoys checking her mailbox and delivering mail. It took a little longer than I had planned because I had to re-think my original design but, that has been figured out for you and would take you considerably less time. Have fun!

a felt christmas tree toy

11/27/2012

I'm sure you have seen the felt Christmas tree project on Pinterest. However, I am kind of lazy sometimes and I made mine even easier. It didn't take a very long time and she really enjoyed it. All you need is a piece of poster board, a hot glue gun, some green felt and some sparkly ornament looking gift tags. I found mine at the dollar store.

First you roll up the poster board to make a cone. I had to cut off a portion of the poster board to make the size and shape I wanted. Then you wrap the poster board cone with the green felt and hot glue it. Finally, you take your blingy, ornament gift tags and hot glue little strips of the same green felt (in my case the scraps) to the back of each tag. I also hot glued two star gift tags together to make the star tree topper. Voila! Done! It took me maybe 15 minutes and was well worth the time.

Cute & quick diy Owl shirt

10/19/2012

I wanted to do something with Lilly's handprint for a shirt. I saw some cute activities for paper crafts involving handprints and decided up transfer that idea to clothing. I found this cute owl craft and thought it would work really well.

First I free-handed an owl shape on a piece of paper and traced around the edge with a fabric marker. It's gave me a reference for where the handprints needed to be. I then painted Lilly's hands with purple fabric paint and let her make the handprints.

Then I used the lid to some oil to create eyes. I also free handed a nose and legs. Then I painted the eyes white with acrylic paint and placed a black dot in the center for the pupil. I also painted the nose and legs orange and added a little more purple to the handprints so they would "pop". And finally, I outlined everything with gold.

I'm pretty excited about how it turned out and I can't wait to see how cute it is on. She had a great time and I am sure she will be eager to tell everyone that she helped in the process.

diy pretend make-up for toddlers

10/15/2012

I have seen the pin that shows how to make play make-up from empty make-up compacts and nail polish. My daughter is very interested in mommy's make-up but can't be fooled by toys masquerading as the real thing. So, I headed out the Dollar Tree to buy compacts that I could empty of their contents and eye shadowy/powser/blush colored nail polishes. I had my arms full of nail polish and compacts and this dollar project was entering the double digits when I had a light bulb moment. All of these people are going to all this effort to chisel out the make-up from the compact and then painstakingly pour nail polish into each section while trying not to pass out from the fumes. Why not just pour some Mod Podge over the top of the already existing make-up? It is basically Elmer's glue and isn't going to hurt a kid any more than nail polish. I decided that I would give it a try and if it didn't work it only cost me a couple bucks. I bought a powder compact, eyeshadow, blush and a lipstick. I painted Mod Podge in a relatively thin layer over all of the make-up. After it dried you could rub all over the covered areas without any make-up coming off. My daughter loves it and I know that it is safe for her. I did attempt Mod Podging lipstick by dipping it into the Podge but if you accidentally step on or smush the lipstick it cracks the coating and makes a mess. I'm still trying to think of a way to do lipstick. However, the powder, eyeshadow and blush all worked out great!

Note: Depending on how thickly you coat the make-up with Mod Podge it could take up to a week to dry properly. I poured a very thick coating on the powder and it looked normal after about 1 week.

A very pink painting party

9/17/2012

I did quite a bit of crazy crafting for Lillian's birthday. So I'll just let you look at some photos and describe everything that warrants description under each of the photos. In the future I will document my late night crafting craziness while it is occurring but, since this blog is new and I wasn't prepared in advance, I obviously can't show you the "making of" photos...unless you have a time machine I can borrow. :)

one dollar fun

9/15/2012

Lilly loves to paint! So, I thought it would be fun to emulate Olivia Newton a little bit and get physical with our paint. I grabbed a roll of butcher paper leftover from her painting party and rolled out onto the patio.

We has fun stepping into the paint and then walking on the paper, making handprints and just rolling around like pigs in mud. She thought it was great fun and I liked its cost and easy clean up. Plus, now I have a very interesting piece of art. I'm thinking it would make some pretty fantastic wrapping paper.