Summer Fun: Microwaved Ivory Soap | Wendolonia - StumbleUpon When I came across the idea to microwave Ivory soap on The Cyber School Mom Diary’s fantastically comprehensive Supermegatotally Thrilladelic Not Bummer Summer list, I was instantly intrigued. “What happens when you microwave Ivory soap?” I asked. “Try it and see!” Chrissi told me. “It doesn’t damage anything and it’s cool.” I immediately added it to our summer fun list and once Wyatt saw it he was dying to see what happened. Soap! It definitely did not disappoint. We started off with a hunk of plain old Ivory soap . How cool is that? I’d also like to take a moment to note that I’m mortified by how dirty my microwave is in this picture. Anyhoo, the kids were thrilled by this project and have been begging me to do it again since the first exciting result. Have you ever microwaved Ivory soap? If you’re visiting Wendolonia for the first you may be interested in checking out some of my other kid-centric posts:
Before & After: Crazy Beautiful Toy Kitchen :: Green Your Decor 23.2K Flares23.2K Flares × LOOKING for more DIY play kitchens? Click here for a roundup with lots more projects, photos and ideas, including a DIY toy workbench for a little boy! And if you like this post, Subscribe to Green Your Decor for more DIY projects and green ideas! I like to think of myself as pretty crafty. I usually post the “after” picture first, with a before picture later. Gorgeous! Read the details at Giggleberry Creations. Looking for more DIY projects? Futuristic Construction with The Boy I'll get directly to it today. Visitors are on their way and my abode needs an overhaul NOW-ish. I'm going for the "illusion" of clean. Wish me luck. Here's what the boy and I got up to yesterday! Tutorial: Kids' Futuristic Construction Set You will need: Cereal boxFoam meat trayEgg cartonPaper bag (or whatever paper you have on hand)Wooden skewersPair of scissorsWax crayonsPencilSharpieHole punchAssortment of round things to use as templatesPVA glue Take your cereal box, open it up and draw out a goodly amount of circles and rings using round things (bowls, cups) as templates. Cut out all the circles. With a paper bag (or whatever paper you happen to have around) and PVA glue, make paper beads by rolling your paper up into long tubes and cutting the resulting tubes into sections like so. Cut the cups out of an egg carton. Using a foam tray as your base, poke the wooden skewers down into it, pointy end down. Go ahead my little one, build to your heart's content. Look at him.
50 Life Secrets and Tips Memorize something everyday.Not only will this leave your brain sharp and your memory functioning, you will also have a huge library of quotes to bust out at any moment. Poetry, sayings and philosophies are your best options.Constantly try to reduce your attachment to possessions.Those who are heavy-set with material desires will have a lot of trouble when their things are taken away from them or lost. Possessions do end up owning you, not the other way around. Become a person of minimal needs and you will be much more content.Develop an endless curiosity about this world.Become an explorer and view the world as your jungle. Stop and observe all of the little things as completely unique events. Try new things. Read “Zen and the Art of Happiness” by Chris Prentiss.This book will give you the knowledge and instruction to be happy at all times regardless of the circumstances.
{macramé: half knot spiral} washer & wingnut bracelet By Kate on October 25, 2011 Hello there! I finally got around to posting after a hectic few weeks. I’ve been working on a big project which is all done and dusted now so I will be making more frequent updates between now and Christmas…phew! I sincerely wish there were more hours in the day! I’m hoping to post another Halloween craft in the next day or so. It’s comprised of a’half knot spiral’ (and is even easier than the square knot bracelet I showed you previously). A few people left comments about the last bracelet saying it looked like it may take too long to make. By the way thanks to all you lovely people who ‘liked’ my facebook page. Full tutorial after the jump! How-to Please note: I have used different colored cord in the tutorial so that it’s easier for you to figure out whats going on! 1. 2. 3. Note: You fasten this bracelet as you would a friendship bracelet.
papier-mache easter eggs For Easter I made papier-mache polka dotted eggs. I created them using small water balloons and tissue paper then I filled them with candy and toys and sealed them shut. The egg can hold a surprising amount of candy and the tissue paper seems delicate making for a delightfully heavy and yet fragile object, much like real egg. Also like a real egg you have to break the shell to get at what’s inside. I like things you have to destroy to open. You’ll need: water balloons (they make the egg-iest shape)white tissue paper (one sheet will make about three eggs)colorful tissue paper (one sheet will make many eggs, so you don’t need much)a 3/4 inch hole puncha paint brush you don’t care much aboutliquid laundry starcha sturdy shot glass to hold your egg while you’re working with ita way to hang the balloons to dryenough time to let these dry overnight, and a few hours to let them dry after filling and sealing them (you’ve been warned) Note: I tried a few variations on the starch. Why the loop?
60 Small Ways to Improve Your Life in the Next 100 Days Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to make drastic changes in order to notice an improvement in the quality of your life. At the same time, you don’t need to wait a long time in order to see the measurable results that come from taking positive action. All you have to do is take small steps, and take them consistently, for a period of 100 days. Below you’ll find 60 small ways to improve all areas of your life in the next 100 days. Home 1. Day 1: Declutter MagazinesDay 2: Declutter DVD’sDay 3: Declutter booksDay 4: Declutter kitchen appliances 2. If you take it out, put it back.If you open it, close it.If you throw it down, pick it up.If you take it off, hang it up. 3. A burnt light bulb that needs to be changed.A button that’s missing on your favorite shirt.The fact that every time you open your top kitchen cabinet all of the plastic food containers fall out. Happiness 4. 5. 6. How many times do you beat yourself up during the day? 7. Learning/Personal Development 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13.
Kids in the Kitchen: Slime! September is in full swing and we thought we’d celebrate by doing Back-to-School week! My oldest kiddo just started pre-school and Kate is now the mother to an official kindergartner. This week we’re going to have *five* posts. Hear that? A post every single day of the week you lucky duckies. Do you guys remember this?? I was so obsessed with that stuff and I totally remember the commercials. If you’ve ventured into science fun like this before then you already know that 97% of home projects require the same 2 ingredients. Start by dissolving a teaspoon of Borax in one cup of water and set it aside. Now pour the Elmer’s glue in a separate bowl. Add some water to that glue and then stir in some food coloring. Once that’s all stirred up, just pour your Borax mix into the bowl. See? It will be wet and soft at first but you just have to keep kneading it. I have to say I actually prefer the white glue. This is their favorite part. And soon it will look like this. Homemade Slime aka GAK
Kaleidoscope Rice It’s about this time of year where I really start to hit a wall when it comes to entertaining a toddler in the house. When the temps dip below 20 degrees, we can’t stay outside in the snow for extended periods of time, so it’s up to me to come up with a whole host of projects that’ll engage him (and, well, engage me, too). I’ve committed to coming up with more new ways to engage my toddler in sensory play (activities that simulate toddlers’ senses including touch, smell, taste, sight, and hearing). This DIY kaleidoscope rice is the perfect project to engage kids in exploring colors with their hands. RELATED: 29 Indoor Games Your Kids Will Absolutely Love Supplies: 8 cups uncooked riceFood colorsWhite vinegarZiploc baggies Instructions: Step 1: Add 1 cup rice to a bag. Step 2: In a small bowl combine 1-2 tablespoons vinegar along with one of the food colors. Step 3: Add the vinegar mixture to the rice and seal the bag. Step 4: Squish the vinegar mixture all over the rice.
How to See the Stars on the Longest Winter Nights | Winter Constellations &a... We are now only a few weeks away from the winter solstice Dec. 22. Anyone who lives in northern latitudes might have noticed how late the sun is rising and how early the sun is setting lately, especially since the end of Daylight Saving Time earlier this month. Most people think of the winter solstice as the shortest day of the year, but stargazers tend to see it as the longest night of the year. On this date, the sun is above the horizon roughly 9 hours, varying with latitude. One result of this long night, combined with the southern position of the sun, is that a very large part of the night sky can be seen in one night. Then, as morning twilight begins, the spring constellations are visible: Hercules, Boötes, and Virgo. Long December nights During the months between autumn equinox and winter solstice, the lengthening of the night almost keeps pace with the sun’s movement against the stars, so that the constellations visible at the end of evening twilight hardly seem to change.
Magic potion #1 By Kate on February 2, 2011 My 3½ year old son is into magic at the moment and wants a (working) wand for his birthday! In our ‘boredom busters‘ post one of my readers, Jo, came up with the fabulous idea of making magic potions – naturally I thought my son would love it. So here’s the lowdown on magic potion #1: Get a handful of red cabbage, chop it up and pour boiling water over it to produce a blue dye. Get some lemon juice and add a few drops to the cabbage juice. Watch it turn the most AMAZING pink! Here’s the science: Red cabbage juice contains a natural pH indicator that changes colours according to the acidity of the solution. Anyway, it’s a really cool little experiment and my son wants to do it every day at the moment. I’m going to do a whole series of posts on magic potions so keep your eyes peeled. I’ve also got some valentine craft coming up in the next few days.
Crystal Egg Geodes - Martha Stewart Easter - StumbleUpon Geodes can be grown without using egg dye. The resulting crystals are clear to milky white, like quartz. While large chicken eggshells are suggested in this process, larger eggshells can be used. This Easter craft from Jim "Figgy" Noonan doubles as a science project, offering an opportunity to show kids the crystallization process at work. Resources: If you don't want to blow your own egg or would like to try a larger eggshell, pre-blown shells are available from The Eggery Place. sewing tutorial | KIDS | crafts | handmade gifts | bread bags | fort kits | diy hang tags | saltwater-kids I had one of those "where the heck have I been" moments last week, when my nephew brought his Build-A-Fort kit to Thanksgiving - complete with sheets, clips, rope, suction cups, and more. The kit was a handmade birthday gift from his friend Joli. When I emailed her, she sent me a link to this tutorial over at BLOOM - thanks Joli! ...How did I miss this? Fort building is a wonderful open-ended activity, because it can be played with in a variety of different ways. I did make one adjustment to the tutorial to cut down on time, and added an accessory bag, but for the most part, my kit is the same. Oh yeah, and I made a custom tag to explain the gift, as well as a matching birthday card using this tutorial. This particular kit was made for a little girl in my son's preschool class. Now to the Thrifty part of the gift... Here is the breakdown: ... so if my math is correct, that comes to $10.00! to check out the mini-tutorial click the button below: more kits & a great tip! fort kit in action!
water party: sponge ball tutorial Wednesday, March 23, 2011 Whether you call it a Water Party, an Under the Sea Party, or a Splash Party, we’ve got you covered. This party is now available for purchase in our shop. Photos by Nicole Hill Gerulat. ©One Charming Party.