Are your kiddos whining that there’s nothing to do for summer yet? Mine are! I think they started saying they were bored after about 5 minutes into our summer vacation LOL! If that’s you, make sure to check out my whole series on summer boredom busters to help give you some ideas. Lakeshore Learning also has a whole section of free craft ideas for kids on their website too! I love doing family game time when there’s inclement weather, or if it’s just way too hot outside to head out. Of course we love the old classics like Sorry, Monopoly, Life, Chess, and Scrabble. And recently I found this fun game from Lakeshore Learning that they really enjoyed playing. It’s called “Allowance” and players earn or spend money as they travel around the board. It’s a fun and relatively fast paced game. It’s also great money counting practice as well. I have a 20% off coupon just for you all too! (Good through 8/31/15 only) Yipee!! Disclosure: I received this product free for review … [Read more...]
Summer Boredom Busters Part 3
Hi all! I have one more day packed full of fun summer ideas for you and your kiddos! I say YOU because, I too like to get involved in these crafts and fun activities! It’s a great way to burn off a little energy, spark some super cool creativity, and today’s ideas are even great for cooling off a little! This post is part of my Summer Boredom Buster Series, click below to see more ideas! I hope you’ve enjoyed this series! Have a fun idea to share? Make sure to leave a comment below! … [Read more...]
Summer Boredom Busters for Kids Part 2
Hi everyone! I’m back with another day of Summer Boredom buster ideas for kids! This is a great series for anyone looking for some fun ideas to fill those long afternoons and rainy days this summer! Click on the images below to see each idea! This post is part of my Summer Boredom Buster Series, click below to see more ideas! Stick around tomorrow for more fun Summer Boredom Busters! … [Read more...]
Summer Boredom Buster Ideas for Kids
Hi everyone! Need some ideas to keep your kiddos entertained this summer? Here is a great list of non-electronic ideas to help get them outside and put their creative energy to good use!http://www.confessionsofahomeschooler.com/blog/2013/06/summer-boredom-buster-sidewalk-chalk-fun.html We’re well on our way into summer and we’re having a great time. We’ve actually been kind of busy so we’re still waiting for those “relaxing summer days” to roll around. But I wanted to share my Summer Boredom busters with you for those long afternoons, rainy days, and anyone looking to have a little extra fun! Click on the images below to see each idea! This post is part of my Summer Boredom Buster Series, click below to see more ideas! P.S. I have several to share, so I’ll be breaking them up into a few posts over the next couple of days so stay tuned for more ideas tomorrow! … [Read more...]
Summer Boredom Buster: Sidewalk Chalk Fun
Welcome to another semi-educational summer boredom buster! Today we’re making homemade sidewalk chalk, yep, from scratch. This recipe is fairly easy, I will warn you it can get a little messy, but all in all it went well! And, what better way to get kiddos outside and playing than some homemade sidewalk chalk! It provides hours of entertainment, while at the same time exercising some of those hand muscles they’ll need for handwriting when the new school year starts back up! It’s all part of my sneaky summer education program…um, yeah… So let’s get down to the nitty gritty shall we? What You’ll Need: A mold (This can be toilet paper tubes, or silicone ice trays. In our case, silicone cake pop molds) 3/4 cup warm water 1 cup Plaster of Paris 2 tablespoons powdered or liquid tempera paint (color of your choice, we did red, blue, & yellow, then mixed for secondary colors) Disposable bowls & mixing utensil (like plastic cups, and a popsicle stick or … [Read more...]
Summer Boredom Buster: Science & Math
Welcome to another semi-educational summer boredom buster! Today we’re experimenting with mystery potions and color mixing! I will start off by saying that I highly recommend you do the science lab color mixing activity O U T S I D E. Outside. Do it outside. Are you outside? Okay, we can begin… Supplies: Plastic measuring containers, bowls etc Safety glasses, you know for effect and all. Water Food Coloring Optional: Eye droppers, measuring spoons A few willing scientists I found this Liquid Measuring Kit from Lakeshore Learning, but you can really use any variety of containers you have on hand. If you’d like your children to follow some recipes, try out my color mixing cards to measure and mix new colors! Otherwise it’s also fun to let your students just mix to their little hearts content. As long as they’re outside. Directions: Mix containers with different color water. Set up the containers on a table outside, and let kids have … [Read more...]
Summer Boredom Buster: Bridge Activities
Welcome to another day of Kids Summer Boredom Buster ideas! Today we’re taking a break from mindless fun and going towards a little educational refresher. I don’t know what the difference is for my kiddos, but they seem to love the Carson Dellosa Summer Bridge activity books. And since they’re literally ZERO planning on my part, I love them during summer too. Keeping up with your students reading, math, and other basic skills over the long summer break is important. I’m not sure if this happens to your kids, but it seems like a few weeks after school is out my kids seem to forget everything they’ve learned the previous year. Of course Carson-Dellosa also offers a TON of other great resources, and they’ve just made their website even easier to navigate! Check out the NEW Carson-Dellosa website! www.carsondellosa.com. Carson-Dellosa asked hundreds of teachers and parents how they wanted to shop online. Based on customer feedback, the new and improved … [Read more...]
Summer Boredom Buster: DIY Play-Doh
Welcome to another day of Summer Boredom Busters by Erica! Today we’re making DIY No Cook Play-Doh! Okay, so I know this stuff has been around forever, but it’s still a great summer boredom buster. Tho’ I will admit, last time I made it it was a little sticky! But with the amount my kids go through I thought it was worth it to try making our own homemade play-doh one more time. Really it’s mostly flour and water, so the cost is very minimal as well. Especially if you have four kiddos who love play-doh! I did alter my recipe a bit from last year, so I think this one worked better. Here we go… Ingredients: (This recipe will make exactly the amount you see in the image below. Each one is about 1” dia. x 4” long.) 1 1/2 cups cold water 4 tsp. vegetable oil 3 cups flour 3/4 cup salt 2 Tbsp. cream of tartar (Located in spice isle. This helps dough keep longer and helps with elasticity.) Food Coloring or Koolaid to color the dough Directions: In … [Read more...]
Summer Boredom Buster: DIY Bird Feeder
Hi everyone! I had so many ideas for the iHomeschool Network blog hop last week that I decided to extend it a little on my blog so I could share everything. So today we’re talking about DIY bird feeders. I love the idea of watching all those cute feathered friends cruising around in our back yard. So we could get a closer look at some of them we thought we’d try to see if we could get some of them interested in our bird feeder. It went okay, we had more big pigeon type birds than all the little colorful ones we’d hoped for, but hey, at least our bird seed didn’t go to waste. Keep on reading to find out how to make your own bird feeder. And this isn’t just a summer thing, make sure to help feed your feathered friends all winter long too! Materials Needed: 1-liter empty soda bottle 1 to 2 wooden spoons craft knife and marker small eye screw Bird seed Directions: Clean out the inside of the soda bottle with warm soap and water then allow to dry. … [Read more...]
Summer Boredom Busters: Moon Dough
Hi everyone! Welcome to day 5 of my Summer Boredom busters series. Some days I wonder what the heck I’m thinking. For example days when I say “Hey kids, let’s make some moon dough.” I really dislike moon dough. My kids really like moon dough. Who knew a little flour and some baby oil could keep my kids busy for so long? Now I must admit, I have a love/hate relationship with moon dough. My kids love it, and I hate the mess it makes! That said, we braved the mess and made some of our own for super cheap. We also did it outside. Which I would HIGHLY recommend. I’m just sayin’. Supplies: 4 cups flour 1/2 cup baby oil Optional: Crushed pastel chalks to color dough Directions: In a large container, mix flour and baby oil until well blended. Mixture will be smooth and pack easily together in your hand. To color the dough, add in a finely crushed piece of pastel chalk. I found the red one worked best to color the … [Read more...]
