Summer list

We scratched some things off our summer to-do list. There are still plenty to do though. We are not heat-loving people, so humid and hot summers are the worst time of the year for us. So, our list did not have many outdoor activities - those will be for the fall.

Here's what we did do (in no particular order):

-have a goo-making playdate. Instructions from our older post.

-have a science playdate. We did not organize that one. We made Poop. Yeah... But it was a lot of fun. And I think everyone including adults learned a thing or two. Wanna try this? Here's a good how-to.

-melt crayon bits in the car parked outside (required 3-digit heat index). I don't remember where we got the idea from. But here's what you do: put the bits of the crayons in the silicon mold, put the mold into a baking pan, and leave it on the dashboard. Park the car in the sunny location (beach parking is great). The verdict is - it works! Crayola crayons melt the best, cheap ones separate into solids and wax (though I did not have this problem when I did this in the oven).

-ride a boogie-board. It took some time to find a beach that allows boogie-boards, but it was a lot of fun.

-speaking of the beach. Sand casting seems to be a trend of the year, but we did not try this yet. The easiest one requires a bottle of glue, the more complicated one - plaster of paris. Here's the how-to from Family Fun magazine.

-another popular trend is Giant Bubbles. This video convinced me to give it a try. And it was a lot of FUN! Our neighbors stopped to admire them. We are still looking for a perfect soap recipe, it seemed that it has to be thicker than usual - the best soap so far was jelly-fied old bubble soap.

-fly a kite. Beach IS the best place for the kite. Again, not all the beaches allow kite-flying. We opened the kite-flying season this april on the lawn by the Washington Memorial in DC. It's always windy there.

-swing in a hammock. Bliss...

-grow some food. It's not true that growing veggies will make your child like them. So, grow something your child likes. This way she'll be more interested in watching them grow and helping you tend to them. For us the veggie that kiddo loves best is "cucumberry".

-go ice skating. Yes, there are rinks that are open year-round. It's nice and cold there (don't forget a sweater). The kids loved the ice "shavings" that the guys on hockey skates made for them. I guess snowballs are really cool when it's super hot. :-D

-make popsicles. I love love love my Zoku (and Magic bullet). Best way to make my picky kid eat a cup of fruit is to turn it into a popsicle. Her favorite one is Watermelon: puree watermelon with apple sauce and a dash of sugar (if using unsweetened apple sauce).

-learn to make friendship bracelets. I'll write a post on that later. To my great surprise I found a way to make bracelets that 5yo can do.

-make a rag rug. We're still working on this one. We're weaving it, so kiddo could help. It's big.

-do free crafts/activities. This is always a great opportunity to try something new. Many craft stores offer weekly make-&-take craft sessions, and some sports stores have camping inspired activities. You can also check your local library, museum or state park.

-read. If you need an incentive - join a reading club at the library. Kids get prices or certificates at the end of the summer. Another cool trick that would work with older kids - read a first chapter to them. Tell them that if they want to know what happens next - they have to finish reading the book themselves. Put/take books in the places where your kids are bored otherwise (bus rides, doctor's office, etc). My daughter loves to read in the car. She does not get car sick, somehow...

tie-dye

I had a 10 year old in my care this week, so I finally had an excuse to try tie-dyeing. I bought a Tie Dye Kit and a bunch of t-shirts. We watched the DVD that came with the kit, and the girls picked their favorites folds. We had enough t-shirt to try all the basic folds: spiral, "bull's eye" (best on bandanas!), vertical and horizontal stripes and crinkle.

Here's what we've learned. Tie-dye is fun, easy, and the results are great. The girls were very happy with their t-shirts and proudly wore them the next day, telling everyone that they've made them themselves.

The kit came with everything we needed: dyes, soda ash, rubber bands and gloves (and a DVD and instructions, of course). I used the regular kitchen gloves, because they stay on better, especially on the small kids' hands. In addition to the kit, you will also need gallon size ziplock bags, one per each item you paint.

The process was not very messy, but it took a long time, and there were a lot of "Are the t-shirts ready?" We made some Jello while the folded shirts were pre-soaking in soda ash solution.

We had t-shirts of different quality, all brand new, the best results were on 95% cotton/5% spandex t-shirts from Target; the worst on 50/50 cotton from Hanes. We also dyed worn, washed, not-so-white-anymore socks, and these turned out great. 

We painted 10 t-shirts, two pairs of socks, bandana and a hand towel. And there still was some dye left. The dyes have to be used within 2 weeks of mixing, so if the package says that you can paint 10-15 shirts, make sure to get that many.


Here are some of the t-shirts we made:

a) two-color spiral.

b) two-color vertical stripes (stripes are the easiest to make)

c) three-color spiral.

d) three-color horizontal stripes.

Dandelions

Spring is here! In fact, we had a record high heat last week. We're starting the garden. Kiddo said that she's "going to grow flowers and mommy is going to grow food and leaves" (aka Basil). But more on this later...

Right now N. is the most excited about the dandelions. She takes her basket and goes outside to pick some flowers. Dandelions should be called "The official flower of the Childhood". The child never gets "no" if she wants to pick up a bouquet of dandelion, or make a diadem. On contrary, she might even get her parents to help her.
And how exciting it is to watch the yellow flowers turn into big white fluffy balls; and then blow hard on them and watch them fly away...
No, there is definitely no other flowers that bring as much joy to small children as dandelions.

(photo by Mamalya)