Crafts

Kid-Sized Geodesic Dome

What do you get when you combine: 1. A chance encounter with Straws of Enormous Size:   2. An awesome website, designed by a math teacher with a passion for angles:   3. Cheap labor:       4. A really HAPPY cat?               You get kids who know &hellip Continue reading »

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Whatever floats your boat!

Alternatively entitled, “1001 Uses for Old Taekwondo Boards, Use #1” Our son, like every other child in his Taekwondo class (so I hear), has an under-bed full of these boards. The sheer joy derived from breaking them evidently grants the boards immunity from ever being discarded. This leaves us with a lot of boards which, &hellip Continue reading »

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Going Green (For St. Patrick’s Day)

Leprechauns invaded our home during the wee hours of the morning. They broke into my pantry, swiped my potatoes, and hid them throughout the house. The milk was green. My fresh-baked loaf of bread was green. Try eating a tuna salad sandwich on green bread. I dare you. Does anyone know of an earth-friendly, “green” &hellip Continue reading »

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Two-for-One Space Shuttle: Valentine Box and Monster Truck Piñata

Our nation’s farewell to the beloved space shuttle has been at the front of our minds this past few months, so it’s no wonder that when I asked our 2nd grader what type of Valentine’s Day box he wanted to decorate (thinking of the oatmeal-can rocket ship, or the ubiquitous construction paper-wrapped shoe box) he &hellip Continue reading »

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Fingerpainting with Pudding – Fun for the Bigs and the Littles

  It’s been harder to find activities that are fun for both of the kids – the one-year-old as well as the eight-year-old – but this fingerpainting activity kept them both busy for nearly an hour (and not just the kids – Jason had a blast playing with his new camera lens). Finger painting with &hellip Continue reading »

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Water: Fun for the Bigs

We have 48 hours of stuck-at-home time as the Big Winter Storm blows through the area.  “Big” is relative, as we’re only 50 miles from the US/Mexico border, but there you are. This is Part Two (see Part One). Oh Groundhog Day Tree, Oh Groundhog Day Tree… We borrowed the Ice Bauble idea from the &hellip Continue reading »

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A Few Christmas Vacation Science Projects

Looking for something fun to do with the kids over Christmas break? Here are a few science projects I’ve found on the web. This has two Christmas suggestions. Identifying mystery powders, includes a decision chart and backstory (I’m guessing Mrs. Claus isn’t very good at food storage safety). Requires basic household supplies: baking powder, baking &hellip Continue reading »

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Crochet a Border on a Store-Bought Lap Blanket

Woohoo – fast and easy Homemade Christmas project. The store-bought throws that are $5-$10 at every store during the holidays often have a whipstitched edge, which works perfectly as a base row for a personalized crochet border! Talk about an easy AND satisfying first crochet project – lots more useful than making crocheted washcloths and &hellip Continue reading »

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Santa Loves Doggies…

… And so does Boo! He’s making his favorite four-legged friends a special present this year. Dog Biscuits 2-3/4 cups whole wheat flour 1 cup oatmeal flour (or oatmeal) 3/4 cup powdered milk 1 cup finely chopped carrot 1-1/2 teaspoons cinnamon 3 tablespoon wheat germ 1/2 cup peanut butter 3 T oil 1 T molasses &hellip Continue reading »

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Train and Truck Set

The finished set has: a train engine Caboose for the train, or a camper for the pickup A truck (can be a semi or a pickup) One semi trailer One tanker 4 trailers/cars. The truck can be used as a pickup (using the caboose as a camper), or as a semi-truck. We had to make &hellip Continue reading »

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