12 Ideas for Fun Summer Days at Home

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collage for summer ideas

Fun Summer Days at Home

When my kids were young, I liked to try to do some fun things that weren’t a part of our normal school year- to make summer days more fun. These are simple, inexpensive or free ideas that really just let kids be kids. There’s no need to get fancy or expensive. Kids’ imaginations are the best toy, when encouraged to be used, and simple fun is usually the most fun!

So- before summer bids farewell for another year, here are some simple, yet fun ideas you can enjoy with your kids.

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Hand Print Art

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Easy Hand Print Art Ideas that Kids Love!

I LOVE summer! I love having more time to do fun things with the kids- used to be my own home-schooled kids, now it’s my homeschooled grandkids!

Here’s a super fun project I just did with my son Nate’s kids this week. I bought a pack of fabric paints and some tee-shirts at Michael’s craft store. To assure that the paint wouldn’t bleed through to the back side of the shirts, I inserted a big book into each tee shirt.

 

Supplies:

*Colored T-shirts

*Fabric Paint

*Paintbrushes

*Book/magazine/cardboard to go in between the shirts

Hand Print Art Is A Perfect Activity

Hand print art with Grandma

The kids chose which colors they wanted to use and how to decorate their own shirt. With Ella and Lynn, I painted their hands with white fabric paint. You pretty much have to cover their hand with a thick coat. Then carefully, hold their hand and place it on the shirt. Wash that hand up and repeat with the other hand.

Hand print art with kids Hand print art

Then I let each child write their name with color of their choice and add decorations like flowers, hearts, whatever they chose to make. Using Fabric Paint pens for their name is a very special way to make the shirts unique to each child.

Hand print art

When my kids were little sometimes I  added the meaning of their name as well.DIY Kids Tshirts

The finished projects looked so cute and the kids were really proud of what they had accomplished.

(BTW, a great idea for Father’s Day is to get a tee shirt for Dad, paint each child’s hand or foot and make a print on Dad’s shirt. Using a tube of fabric paint, write the child’s name and date below their print. Rick wore his shirt for years! It’s a fun personalized gift! )

This project was simple and a ton of fun!

Pin to Pinterest For Later:

~Marilyn

 

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 50 Rainy Day Activities for Kids

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Rainy Days getting you down?

It’s true- after a few days of rainy weather, the kids are just bored and full of energy, and you feel worn out trying to keep them occupied.

Here’s a few ideas to spark some new interest and add a little fun to these otherwise gloomy days.

All these ideas cost very little, or nothing at all, and they can all be done from the comforts of home.

I have included some activities for all ages- preschool, elementary age, and even teens. (plus it always amazes me what little ones can do if they see the older ones doing it.)

We’ve used so many of these ideas in our own home over the years!

You might even see your kids all excited when a rainy day comes!!

1. Bubble stuff– let them don raincoats and step out to blow bubbles in the rain

2. Play dough

Here’s a less crumbly type of play dough you can make, and the kids will enjoy helping to make it and choose their favorite color to distinguish theirs from everyone else.

  • 1 c. flour
  • 2 tsp. cream of tartar
  • 1 c. water
  • 1/2 c. salt
  • few drops liquid food coloring
  • 3 Tbsp. cooking oil

Mix and cook in saucepan on medium heat until mixture coagulates into a ball. Cool. Store in air tight container.

3. Outlining– gather a bunch of objects- jar lids, combs, Popsicle sticks, cookie cutters, bottle tops, containers, etc. and let the kids place them on a sheet of paper and trace around their outlines.

4. Gluing shapes– cut a bunch of rectangles, circles, squares, triangles, and so on from construction paper and use glue sticks to glue them down in creative arrangements. If you have older kids, they can cut the shapes out for you.

Continue reading  50 Rainy Day Activities for Kids

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Winter Donut Time

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Here’s a fun activity to do as a family or with friends on cold winter nights.

We love to set aside a cold night to put a fire in the fireplace, and then have Dad make donuts. This is something he learned to do as a kid!

We just use canned biscuits (you can make your own donuts for a healthier option and we’ve done that too, but this is easy and quick). It has become our tradition now to do it with some of the grand kids every year, (especially during the Christmas season) but it’s great fun on any cold winter night!

Kids can help out by cutting the donuts, and also coating them after they are fried!

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Caramel Popcorn Balls

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Looking for a fun activity for one of those boring winter days? Here’s something that is a favorite treat in our family.

This is a recipe I got from a cookbook I received as a wedding gift. I was always looking for fun recipes that the kids could help me make that would create great memories. Each year I would make these with the kids for them to enjoy, but also for them to give as gifts when other kids came to visit.

They are easy to make and oh so yummy!

This year, ‘Granddad’ (maybe you know him as Uncle Rick!) helped me make up a batch to share with the family!

Here’s the recipe:

Continue reading Caramel Popcorn Balls

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How to Make Snow Cream

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In honor of the snow we received over the weekend, I’m re-posting our family-favorite recipe for Snow Cream!

Every good snowstorm we have (which isn’t too frequent here in Virginia!), we reserve a nice clean patch of snow with the promise of this treat in mind,

We made up this recipe when our oldest boys were little. Now, everyone looks forward to when Dad makes this special winter treat.

  • 1 1/2 to 2 c. sugar
  • 2 Tbsp. vanilla
  • 2 c. milk
  • 2 eggs
  • 3 qt. clean snow

Continue reading How to Make Snow Cream

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Autumn Leaf Rubbings

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leaf-rubbings-pic-monkey

Every autumn, while on a fall walk, we choose leaves from several different types of trees to use for making Leaf Rubbings.

It’s a very simple little project that even toddlers can do, and it’s one of those little traditions we have always enjoyed doing year after year. Perhaps you made these when you were a child, as well!

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A Fun Tradition for Family Trips (and happier travels!)

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family trips

Taking a vacation is always a very exciting time. As the weeks and days gradually bring you closer to the date to leave, you can feel the swell of anticipation in the air. The only problem is, that in order to reach the glorious vacation destination, you have to take a trip; and if you have children, you know that traveling can often be a bit of a stressful experience.

I mean, I get it! It’s hard to sit in a vehicle for hours upon hours (and to kids- an hour seems, I think, at least double what it does to an adult!) when you are already excited. All those emotions and antsy-ness, and small spaces are bound to create some…. “moments”.

So, in an effort to make the actual traveling time a little bit more fun for everyone, I began a little tradition.

Continue reading A Fun Tradition for Family Trips (and happier travels!)

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Dig, Dig, Dig It’s What We Like To Do! ~ Preschool Thursdays

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Thursdays-Preschool-gardenPreschoolers LOVE to have their own little flower bed or even pot of flowers to put on the deck or porch.

It’s a fun trip to the store to pick our petunias or impatiens, home to plant, and then the daily watering is a fantastic way to teach responsibility. It provides a real visual when they forget to be responsible and the flower begins to wilt.

But, conversely, when it does well, what a joy for  your little one to share and show to Daddy and others when they come to visit.

I taught them how to deadhead the flowers too by picking off the dead blooms. It brings new life to the little plant.

So many life lessons can be learned by a little flower!

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Recipe Box: Snow Cream

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Snow Cream
Snow Cream
from Homemade with love, a treasured Family Recipe by Marilyn Boyer

Every good snowstorm we have, (which isn’t too common here in Virginia!), we reserve a nice patch of snow with the promise of this treat in mind. Rick made up this recipe when our oldest boys were little, and everyone looks forward to it when he makes it for us.

  • 1 1/2 to 2 c. sugar
  • 2 c. milk
  • 2 Tbsp. vanilla
  • 2 eggs.
  • 3 qt. clean snow

Combine sugar, vanilla, milk, and Continue reading Recipe Box: Snow Cream

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