sunny day and rainy day activity

Summer Activity #3 - Rainy day activity

Inside Sand Box

I found recipes for moon dough on pinterest and decided to give it a try.  Turned out great and has become our favorite rainy day activity.  We call it our inside sand box.

Recipe: Mix 6 to 8 cups of flour with 1 cup of baby oil (see note below).  That's it.  You can adjust the amounts a little to get a texture that you like.  My daughter plays with her kitchen toys in it and makes "dessert".  Sometimes we bury dinosaurs.  Now my son is old enough to play with it and we add cars.  

I recommend laying down an old tablecloth and keeping the moon dough in a plastic bin.  I just put the lid on the bin when we are done and shake off the table cloth.  I've had the mixture for over a year now and it still works... Although we've lost a lot over the year due to playing outside of the box so we need to make more.  

Note:  I use aloe or cocoa butter baby oil for this mixture.  The regular scented baby oil smelled too strong and gave me a headache.  If you are sensitive to smells, I recommend looking for these different oils.  Or even just mineral oil.

SUMMER ACTIVITY #4

Sidewalk Paint

I bought my kids sidewalk paint and they had a blast.  But it was used up quickly and a bit expensive.  I found recipes on pinterest to make your own and tired it out.  Here is my take on home made sidewalk paint:

3 Tablespoons of corn starch

3 Tablespoons of water

a spoonful of washable kids paint

Mix the corn starch and water in a small resealable bowl.  Add enough paint to turn it the color you would like.  The mixture should be a little runny.  Use paint brushes, foam brushes, old paint rollers, or anything you can think of to paint on the sidewalk.  This creates a very vibrant picture, unlike chalk. 

 Many recipes out there call for food coloring but I wasn't going to risk ruining clothes.  My 20 month old loves painting and he gets it all over him.  He even knocked over the bowl and his shoe turned green.  But since I used the washable paint to dye my paint, it all came out in the wash.  

I don't have a picture right now because it rained before I was able to get out with the camera.  Maybe next time.