celebration Home-made Play Dough

 Eloise loves play dough and glitter so this celebration play-dough was a great hit! play-dough is  great sensory play for kids. Grab some cookie cutters and a rolling pin and Eloise plays for hours when shes given play-dough. This recipe is one of the best recipes I have tried. This play doh was a great hit the past new years and will be made this year for new years too. This is super easy and gives kids all ages hours of fun. you can add vanilla or peppermint extract to make it scented for extra sensory fun.

What you need to make play dough:

1 cup flour

1/4 cup salt

1 teaspoon oil

3/4 cup boiling water

glitter 

(not needed) but if on hand 1 table spoon of cream of tarter  

if you want it scented for extra sensory play add in a teaspoon of coconut oil or any type of extract

Directions to make play-dough:

1)mix flour salt and glitter into a bowl

2)boil water 

3)mix oil water and scent oil in with dry ingredients 

4) mix with hands till its a consistent dough then let the kids play.

5)  when done place in a zip lock bag or a container to use again

Christmas tree ornaments

    Here are a few different Christmas tree ornaments we made this week with Eloise and Kyler.  Eloise loves to make crafts. When we have time we have been making different  Christmas  tree ornaments. Well this week at play group we got to make a few different ones. 
 I thought it would be great to blog these simple ornaments that are toddler friendly to make. These are very easy and cheap to make they would make great gifts for people too. 

Snowman / Reindeer

what you need to make these is  clear bulbs foam balls red paper google eyes. brown pipe cleaner and red pom pom, orange paper for snowman's nose and black circle stickers for snow mans mouth. Fill bulbs with paper or foam next glue on eye.  Next glue nose on and stick stickers on to make mouth after wrap pipe cleaner for antlers.

Christmas tress (Popsicle stick)

You need green Popsicle sticks 3 to make a triangle. Next cut brown or yellow Popsicle stick in half. Glue them as stems onto your tree. When dry glue on bells gems or buttons onto the green part as ornaments on the tree. When done tie a string onto it to hang. Very simple for kids to make.

Glitter ornaments 

To make these all you need is clear bulbs, glitter glue, ribbon. Let child squeeze colours of their choice of glitter glue into the bulb. Make sure they spread the colours all around in the bulb. Next put cover on bulb and let child shake the ornament. When glitter glue is fully spread around tie a ribbon bow onto it. Then its ready to hang on your tree.

Sensory Play dough cookie cutter tree girfts

With Eloise in stepping stones last year I thought it would be a great idea to make sensory play gifts for the kids in her room at her school. Eloise loves play dough so I figured that would be a great gift. This gift also  would help with working on their grasp and sensory needs. I made the play dough mint scented so that it used more then one of their senses. these gifts are fun to play with and also very inexpensive to make. Eloise is still using her extra one I made just for her at school. this is a great activity for kids to play with when its not very nice out.

What you will need:

green play dough (I used mint oil for scent)

Christmas tree cookie cutters

clear treat bags I used Christmas zip lock bags

beads or mini crystals  Eloise chose crystals




What you need to make play dough:

1 cup flour

1/4 cup salt

1 teaspoon oil

3/4 cup boiling water


(not needed) but if on hand 1 table spoon of cream of tarter and glycerin 

food colour green 

scent (mint oil)

Directions to make play dough gifts:

1) mix flour salt in a mixing bowl

2) add in wet ingredients  mix well

3) when play dough is done break into balls

4) roll ball out place cookie cutter in center

5) take excess  dough off around cutter edges

6) make sure dough is as thick as cutter 

7) add in the mini crystals as ornaments on tree

8) place in a mini zip lock baggie add tag then pass out

Pine cone Christmas tree ornament

    Eloise loved making this craft. It was nice to get out and look for pine cones during a nature walk to make these. It's that more special that we took the time to pick them out ourselves. this is a simple craft that was easy for Eloise to make herself except needed mommy's help with the glue gun.  we made a few to hang on our Christmas tree you can make them in colours of your theme for your tree.


What you will need:

pine cones

glue gun or white glue

pom poms

 ribbon

mini bells


Directions:

1) tie string to top of pine cone

2) place spots of glue on random pieces of the pine cone

3) where you put glue place a pom pom or bell

4) when the pine cones pieces have enough to make it look like mini Christmas trees the ornament is done.

5) hang on your Christmas tree

melted snowman sensory bag

    Eloise loves sensory play this was a great idea. I saw different sensory bags thought of  this and had to make for her. We have made a few different sensory bags but this one turned out awesome. It is a great winter one and with Eloise loving her felt snowman wall. I thought it would be perfect for her to play with.

what you will need:                                             

foam

clear hair gel

zip lock bag

scissors

glue

a little water

Directions:

1) cut out eyes mouth nose and a hat from the foam

2) in zip lock bag pour gel

3) next mix in glitter and some water 

4) then add in eyes nose and mouth and seal bag with no air in it

5) next glue the hat to the bag

6) when glue is dry give to your child to play with supervised

special drink for the kids

        Eloise loves kool aid but I do not let her have it much.  As a child my nanny made me a few different special treats and drinks.  This was a hit with Eloise and a few friends kids.  I put it in a clear glass you you can see in pics. To make this special summer drink you need to make ice cubes with kool aid any flavor of your choice.  When ice cubes are ready pour a cup of sprite or ginger ale pop and add ice cubes to it as the ice cubes melt the colour and flavor of the drink changes.  I made this a few different times through out the summer.  With different flavors it was a hit every time.  This is even a great idea for party's.  If you don't like pop you can use water and add extra ice cubes.

pumpkin craft with hand print leaf

    Halloween and Thanksgiving  are two of my favorite  holidays. This craft makes a perfect decoration.  I love to decorate and this is great to keep for years to use. This is a simple craft for toddlers or older kids to do on their own with little help. Eloise enjoyed placing all the squares on her plate and picking different orange pattern papers. This jack o lantern is perfect thing to make each year for keepsakes of your child s hand but its can be different each year thanks to using different patterns of paper.  If you just want to make pumpkins for fall decorations. Instead of jack o lanterns just  don't cut out face on black paper.

What you will need:

 card-stock paper in different patterns but in oranges

green card stock paper 

brown and black card stock paper 

glue 

paper plate




How to make:


1) cut orange card stock into squares

2) cover paper plate in glue

3) place orange squares to cover paper plate

4) next trace child's hand on green cared stock and cut out

5) cut a stem out of brown card stock and glue it to back of paper plate sticking out

6) next glue hand to stem as a leaf

7) use black card stock to cut out eyes nose and mouth

8)  clue face onto the pumpkin

9) let dry hang as decoration