DIY colored sand

what you need

• Salt
• baggies
• food color
• vinegar 
• plates
• school glue
• paper
• plastic tub

What to do

1. pour salt into baggies 
2. and color
3. add a cap full off vinegar
4. zip and shake until salt is fully coated
5. pour out on to plates to dry over night
6. repeat for other colors.

To make sand art

1. make designs with school glue.
2. coat glue with colored sand
3. let dry

 Then you can just play in the left overs.

video

Melted bead wind chime

what you need
• beads
• muffin tin
• coil closures for bracelets or necklaces
• Clear string. We used bead n stretch
• nail polish or crazy glue to secure the knots
• and either nail clippers or wire cutters to cut off the excess coil after your beads are done melting.
• you're also going to need something to tie your finished melted beads to. We had an old winter time that I took part and just put back together with our new parts. You might be able to use a coke can or one of the wooden rings from needlepoint. Get creative.

What to do
1. First you can align the bottom of your muffin tin pan with the single layer of beads

2. Then you're going to add one of those little coils near the top but not too close to the top
3. Once you have all tins filled put them in the oven at 400 degrees leave in for 25 to 30 minutes 

4. Take out and let cool hang out and let cool the plastics released from the bottom of the pan on its own.

5. Once cool remove and cut off the excess coils. 

6. Assemble your wind chime reinforce your knots with crazy glue or nail polish.

Foam paint ( video included)

What you'll need:
•school glue
•shaving cream
•food coloring
• zip lock bag
• tiny rubber bands (optional)

Directions:
1. Mix equal parts glue and shaving cream in to zip lock bag.
2. Add food is coloring.
3. Let out air, close bag and smush around until fully mixed.
4. pull paint to one corner and tie as at rubber band above the paint to keep the paint at one corner to help little hands paint easier.
5. Snap the tip off and paste piping style

Our Experience:
Messy: yes, we did it in a kiddy pool to contain the mess.
Easy to make: yes. It's very quick to throw together.
Fun: absolutely.

It was near in doing it again over summer break because I know my daughter will love it.

Video

Dollar Ben Bargains - Building Blocks

Our Experience: 

I feel that all the best crafts and activities for toddlers come from the dollar section. After all the rip, break and lose soo much. Today we are busting out the dollar building blocks. 

We have not ourselves invested in Legos as of yet simply because the cost a pretty penny and my toddlers would lose them. We love the idea of Legos so when I spotted these at the bottom of a Target dollar section I had to have them.

The kids are definitely enjoying these blocks. I say money well spent.

Always take time to scan the dollar section anytime you're there you never know what neat things you'll come across.

Jack and the bean stalk activity (video included)

What you'll need:
• dry beans
•Paper towel
•Zip lock bag
•Tape
•water

Directions: 1. Fold paper towel in to small square about 2in x 2in (doesn't have to be exact)
2. We paper towel with water until nearly dripping.
3. Place bean on the center of the paper towel
4. Insert bean and wet pepper towel into the zip lock bag.
5. Press air out and steal bag
6. Tape bag in a window that gets morning sun if possible.

Our Experience: 

It was a smooth going activity. i already had a a sprouted bean to show them so the knew what we were trying to make happen. We planted that in soil after the the bean project.

We also watched Mickey and the Bean Stalk before jumping in to this activity, just to get everyone extra interested. Best part no clean up. yay for mommy!

Video

Neon Colored Rice (video included)

What You'll need:

• White rice
• vinegar
• food colors
• Rubbermaid container with lid
• baking pan

Directions: 

1. Feel you container with rice about half full.
2. Add 4-6 drops of food color
3. Put the lid on the container
4. and shake until rice is fully coated with color
5. pour rice on to the baking pan to dry.

Our Experience: We love Neon colored rice, like really. Its so simple to make and easy to store. we can dig in it, we can search for things in it and take our hot wheels off roading in it. Its our favorite.

video

Silky Soft Play Dough

No cook, 2 ingredient dough. 

You need:

• 1 part conditioner
• 2 parts corn starch
• food color (optional)

Directions:

1. Mix together the conditioner and corn starch. Add more or less for each ingredient to achieve the desired consistency.
2. After the dough is formed some separate the dough  for each color you like to make
3. Add the color and knead the dough until the dough is fully colored.

Our experience:

I had a hard time getting it to the right consistency.It ended up being dry and sticky at the same time. It reminded me of Moon Dough  but when we placed it down on the table and then went to pick it up i would stick. Using cookie cutters didn't work well with this dough. It flaked a lot like the Ice Cream play dough we made but it wasn't a big deal it swept up fine. It was very soft and smelled wonderful. Left our hands soft as can be. At first i thought i didn't like it but i changed my mind as we continued to explore the dough. It wasn't what i had expected but Haven enjoyed it and it kept his attention quite a while...for a toddler that is.

Color Sorting Activity For Toddlers

This is his proud face

You Need:

• An assortment for colored objects ( We used foam shapes we found at the Dollar Tree and the dollar bin at Target)
• Contraction paper (Dollar Tree)
• Tape 
• Pen

Directions:

1. over lap the sheets of paper to make columns to sort the shapes
2. Tape the sheets to your work space
3. label the sheets there proper colors
4. Sort with your child.

Our Experience:

Haven was a ball of energy today! What made this activity work was patience. He was bouncing every where but he was doing it. After i saw he knew what he was doing I'd put he shaped on the wrong color and ask "Does it go here?. He'd tilt his little head and answer "Noooo." and move it to the correct spot.  He also enjoyed reversing the roles and asking me " Here?", and I'd say "Nooo." Then he'd move it to the correct spot. It was a fun and simple activity that we both enjoyed.