What's better than water?

This idea has saved me when I just need a few minutes. To finish dinner, make a phone call, or just eat a candybar in peace. Cheap, dollar store spray bottles. Fill 'em up with water, hand one to each of the kids and send them into the back yard. They spray the sidewalk, their bikes, each other, and love it.

Another one for kids is to put them in an empty bathtub with a pile of shaving creme and some kid paint brushes. Make sure they don't have clothes on that can't get stained though. After they paint everything, including themselves, let 'em wash it back off with a bucket of water. This will keep my girls entertained for honestly an hour and a half. It's how I pack for trips!

Cute Kid's Craft E-Book for Free!

I've just scanned through this, but it looked promising. Most of the crafts look a bit more advanced than I like to take on with my kids, but there is a recipe for silly putty and how to recycle old crayon bits.

I swiped the idea from the Utah Deal Diva, which is a great coupon/thrifty site I follow.

There's a 50-page downloadable Kid's craft guide available here. Enter your "junk" email address and click "Skip Other Offers" and you'll receive a cute guide filled with tons of neat projects for kids!

Quiet Activity

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A Great Church Activity!

Ella can't dump them, they don't come out as easily as they go in! I hold a handful and she has a great time popping them into the perfect sized hole. Best part is the whole activity is completely silent (well not always. . .)

Nature Bracelets

Most kids love being outside, and toddlers are fascinated by everything around them, which is very refreshing. I like being reminded that ants and rocks are amazing. To help your budding naturalist, let him or her make a nature bracelet.

ITEMS NEEDED
Clear packing tape
Scissors

INSTRUCTIONS:
Cut a piece of packing tape long enough to go around your child's wrist and overlap the ends with the sticky side of the tape up. While playing outside or on a walk, encourage your child to find differently shaped leaves, flower petals, grass blades, and more and stick them on his or her tape bracelet. When you are done, cover the bracelet with another piece of packing tape, sealing those natural treasures inside. Cut off of your child and let them use it as a bookmark or anything else their little heart desires.

Bubble Bottle (The Foamerator!)

Like most kids, Sydney loves bubbles, but she also loves to hold them and pop them and is a little sad when they all blow away or pop before she can touch them. That makes this her new favorite toy.

ITEMS NEEDED:
Scissors
Plastic water bottle
Used towel
Rubber band
Shallow bowl
Dish soap

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Cut the bottom off a plastic water bottle.

2. Cover the open end with a circular piece of towel that's a few inches wider than the bottle. I just used an old washcloth without cutting it, but this way would be less bulky). Secure the towel with a rubber band.

3. Dampen the towel with water, then dip it into a shallow bowl of dish soap. Blow gently through the mouth of the bottle to create snakes of tiny bubbles.

NOTES

If you notice fewer bubbles are coming out after a bit, spray a little more water on the washcloth and you'll be swimming in bubbles in no time!