Psst, does anyone else think that summer days without school can be loooooooooong? Oh man, tell me I’m not the only stay-at-home mom who has ever looked at the clock at noon and thought “Really????? That’s it????” Today by that time, we had already read a bunch of princess books, cleaned up the playroom, made juice popsicles, painted some wooden dolls, done hair three times, done a load of laundry, played on the Slip N Slide, finished a summer project (twice), torn through and then cleaned up the dress-up area, had an outdoor lunch, and dabbled in the water table. Yup. Then we went on to swim lessons, the library, and the grocery store. By that time I was well and thoroughly cooked and gave the still-peppy girls tv dinners in front of a nice, long movie. Ahhhh.
Anyhow, our summer project today was homemade sidewalk chalk paint, and it was a big hit. We’ll definitely be doing this one again.
How to make your own sidewalk chalk paint: Get a bunch of cups (we used leftover paper cups from the grad party) and put them in something that will keep them from spilling (in our case, a large tupperware was perfecto). Put 1/4 cup of cold water and 1/4 cup of cornstarch in each cup. Then add a few drops of food coloring to each cup and stir gently.
That’s it. You’ve got sidewalk chalk paint and the kiddos can use old paintbrushes to create (washable) masterpieces on your patio.
As always, these little babes are quite serious about their crafting. Quite:
It cracks me up how they watch each other so intently. The twin stink eye rivals any quality-control system I’ve ever seen:
They can (and do) crouch like this for hours. If I tried to do this I’d be in traction:
Fun stuff:
Can you read what they wrote?:
Oh yeah, we’re splattered and we’re sassy:
Tomorrow Ro and Ree are trying out a new camp called Steve & Kate’s, and if they like it we’ll make it a twice weekly adventure. Has anyone tried it before? It sounds really neat.
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This is a fun project. Very cute those girls of yours.
ReplyDeleteThat is a great idea! We are going to do that ASAP! We do play-dough and Popsicles a lot - I'm glad to add this one to the fun (and then they go outside to play) summer crafts! Cool!
ReplyDeleteRapunzel!
ReplyDeleteLet us know about the camp experience. It sounds like a great, albeit spendy, experience, and you would be able to relax for part of the day. What you described today made me need to rest.
Going to have to try that out! Very cool! Funny that you said that summer days are looooooonnnnnnggggg!! I was thinking today was Thursday and I stopped and almost cried when I realized it was only Tuesday AND it was only 10am!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteOne of our favorites! We have it on our need-to-make-again list. :o)
ReplyDeleteWe just finished day 2 of summer vacation and the kids are already complaining that they're bored. GAH!!!
ReplyDeleteI love the philosophy of the summer camp you're planning for the girls. Homeschoolers have known about this type of philosophy for years. Much easier to teach them when you find the subject that interest them most and find a way to teach the rest of the subjects through that "lens".
My kids both like to experiment with food in the kitchen so I asked if they wanted to try a cooking class this summer. They were thrilled and can't wait to get started.
Steve and Kate's looks awesome.... I'm a homeschooling mom of 5...that philosophy looks right up our alley! Although we don't live in CA!!
ReplyDeleteThat looks cool! Loving the "make your own paint" idea. We are trying Swan Lake Ballet Camp and Magic Treehouse Camp. By the time we do a couple of worksheets (loving the Tri-C Summer Review workbooks..they jumble up the Kindergarten curriculum so that every day is a mix of concepts...very engaging for Sara), play, clean up, all that eating, maybe a playdate, a run to the grocery, and some swimming...this summer is killing me already.
ReplyDeleteMake 'em paint the side (although 5 feet off the ground) of the house.
ReplyDeleteThey might enjoy a potholder loom, flower loom, or circle (hat) loom. Or - learn the crochet chain stitch. Or - a beginner's (primary grades)typing program for the computer. Or - the "architect" kit. Maybe learn to play an instrument?
ReplyDeleteWe LOVE Steve and Kate's camp. This is the 3rd summer my kids are attending S&K's camp - they love it!
ReplyDeleteWe go for the whole summer which is less pricey per day. And they feed the kids lunch! No more packing lunches... HOORAY! We roll out of bed and ship them off to camp.
My 5 year old squats just like that, and it pains me to watch him ;)
ReplyDeletethat camp looks SO fun - can't wait for the girls' review!
Great idea. I love the last picture!
ReplyDeleteOoo...we're going to have to make some of that paint for sure! Thanks for the instructions.
ReplyDeleteNow, that camp looks AMAZING! Do adults get to go too??
M3, Speaking of wet sidewalk chalk, check out my recent blog, the one titled "A Scene from the Cat in the Hat." It will make you laugh. By the way, I learned about wet sidewalk chalk from you! Thanks for the great ideas!
ReplyDeletehave you heard of something called summer camp?:) I couldn't live with out it!! I am going to try that side walk chalk...
ReplyDeleteHmm here's another thought for your little twin-ados, does your local library have a summer reading program or other summer reading activities?
ReplyDeleteThanks! I was just having one of those days of now knowing what to do. This will give me a day's worth next week. Today we had a shaving cream fight. I put pictures up on the blog.
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