Edible Butterflies

Since I have 3 girls, over the years I have done different butterfly snacks. Here are 2 of them.

Butterfly treat bags in 2010:

They are snack sized ziplocs, filled with robins eggs and jellybeans and M&Ms then twisted and clipped with a clothes pin that my kids decorated with glitter paint.

Then, we had Butterfly cupcakes in 2010:

 These are jumbo marshmallows cut in 1/2 then dipped (sticky side down) in sprinkles. Gummy worm bodies. and voila! done!

All these treats were for a Butterfly Bash for my middle daughter's 1st birthday:

 Who is now 3! Sniff!

Valentines - 2

My daughter and I had a lovely time making THESE.

I think she (4) was a little too young for these, and would suggest making these with an older kid.

They weren't "hard" but they were not toddler friendly in the making process.

Nonetheless, they were cute and fun and what she wanted to make.

The front read "You BLING a smile to my face"

She wrote her name ALL by herself 10x!

It was a good day. :)

Winter Break Activity #2 - SCIENCE - Borax Snowflakes

mason jar

pencil

pipe cleaners 

string/yarn

borax

boiling hot water

Directions

1. Form your pipe cleaners into a snowflake shape or whatever shape you desire, while you boil water.

2. Add water to your mason jars.

3. Mix in borax. Stir it but don't worry if it isn't completely dissolved.

4. Attach your pipe cleaner shape to the string and hang it from the pen/pencil while submerging it in your jar.

5. Let it sit overnight, or do this at breakfast and check on it obsessively all day and right before bed pull them out. (that is what my 5 year old did.) We made a bunch of these - I had about 15 different mason jars lined up they looked like this...

but imagine my whole table lined up!

Here are the finished products....

Hang them on your tree or pick them apart to see how it happened, again my 5 year old did this. :)


PS - If you do it with white pipe cleaners here is the result:

Both are cool. :P

Quiet Activity - Bracelet Making

As promised, no more fuzzy ball activities - but they may come back! ;)

Here is what you need for this activity: Pipe Cleaners, Straws, and a pair of scissors.

Take the scissors and cut the straws into several different sizes. I had the kids do this.

Use the pipe cleaner to be the string for the bracelet.

Hook one end, although you don't need to because the fuzz on the pipe cleaner prevents sliding.

Then go to town and string your straw beads!

Wrap the end around the hook and make a bracelet.

Perfect for birthday parties, friends on a play date, Friendship bracelets...the possibilities are as endless as your supply!

This can also be done with string and straw beads!

Something fun and easy and quiet! 

Quiet Activity - Pipe Cleaners!

Since I am on bed rest I have had to come up with a few more quiet activities than I usually do.

Here is one that we used to do in the schools, and I forgot how much toddlers love it!

Here is what you need:

A handful of pipe cleaners and a strainer! That's it!

 even my 8 month old was into this activity!

 In the holes the pipe cleaners go!

This was perfect for what I needed it to be...20-30 minutes of pure concentration, quiet time and fine motor building.

So easy, and fun.  I will be bringing this out again!

Spider Web - for Halloween

Woah! That last post had an overwhelming response with the comments! Thanks! :p LOL

This project was inspired by my son:

Who is 3 and really wanted to be a spider for Halloween. So I obliged.
Here is what what you need:

2 Cans, Paint, Pipe Cleaners, Paper, Rubber Bands

Tear off paper from the cans(we were using these tonight otherwise write on the can what it is before ripping off the label!) Then cover the cans with Rubber Bands.

Next dip in paint and Roll, Roll, Roll.

While it is drying cut the pipe cleaners into 4 pieces. Like the length of your finger.

Then let the kids twist them into each other until all 4 pieces are used up.

My daughter didn't see where I was going with this...
Then glue the spider to a desired location and cut the paper into a web shape or circle.
Done.

Pipe Cleaner Fun

All you need is Pipe Cleaners and an imagination. Here is what we came up with today...

A pair of glasses...

A flower...

Action Figure Boy (we added yellow hair)

Action Figure Girl
Bracelet and rings (see above)
We also made a dinosaur and a boat for our action people. The kids are now putting them on top of their Thomas Trains by bending the legs over them since they can bend around them,

30 minutes of twisting and maneuvering these pipe cleaners and an endless list of things to do with them. Maybe we will make magnets out of them when the kids are finished playing with them.

Ring Toss

What you need...

6 Water Bottles, Rice or Rocks or Wheat (that is what I used cause I'm a W), and pipe cleaners.

What you do.

Run the bottles through the dishwasher and let them sit out and open overnight. (I had to because the kids who used these at my son's party were covered in cheetos) Fill the bottles with the wheat.

First Try

Then we talked about funnels.

Second Try - you will never learn how to do things better unless you try it in the first place.

Screw the lids on.

Whip out the pipe cleaners and make rings out of them by twisting the ends together.
I let them try it first...

Then I finished them up. We identified the colors in Spanish and English,
Lucas knew 2 in Chinese?

Then we took them outside and played for a while.

We put this on our outside shelf. Next to the chalk and other things we have made in the past. This would be a great game to play in the winter! My kids also liked to line up the bottles and see which ones they could "score" on. Which gives me an idea for next week...

Tye-Dye Butterflies

Or Flutter-byes as my 20 month old daughter calls them. Here is what you need.

Pipe Cleaners, Coffee Filters, Water Spray Bottles, Clothes Pins, and Markers.
Thank You to D for letting me come over and bring Art Day to her house again!

Color the Filters with Washable Markers.

Spray the heck out of them and leave them out to dry.

Bring them in and lay them flat.
Now Fold.
and again...
...then wrap around and twist with pipe cleaner.
Curl around your finger to make antennae, and open the wings.
Done.

L and E decided to throw them into the air and see if they could fly.

These were easy and you could easily turn them into fridge magnets. We took L's home and put it in his treasure drawer...more on that later.