Do It Yourself Bubble Shooter

 
(A version of this post was originally published on KidsActivitiesBlog.com)

 
A bubble shooter: a brilliant mechanism combining bubbles and the act of shooting. If you want to capture my boys attention and have them happily playing outdoors, a bubble shooter is the answer.

 
This Do It Yourself Bubble Shooter was borne out of desperation. At one time we had many bubble wands. They have since disappeared into their secret hiding places somewhere in our garden. No matter, this Do It Yourself Bubble Shooter is so easy to make that any home without bubble wands will probably never have to buy another bubble wand again.

 
To make your Do It Yourself Bubble Shooter, you’ll need some straws and rubber bands. Take a bunch of straws together and tie them together with a rubber band. If you don’t have rubber bands within easy reach, use some masking tape or sticky tape to combine the straws. You can also cut straws to a shorter length; this may be very useful if you don’t have many straws and many children.

 
Mix up a batch of bubble solution, (we love our DIY baby bath bubble solution), and blow away.

 
This play is really satisfying for children as they make lots of bubbles with each breath.

 
You can easily extend and vary this play by :

– Making some bubble art;

– Lining up some toys and shooting bubbles at them;

– Playing musical bubbles (only shoot bubbles when the music is on);

– Counting the number of bubbles you’ve blown, (you’ll need to be quick);

– Having a competition and see who can blow the furthest bubble.

 
Sitting on the garden step with your brother; blowing bubbles through your bubble shooter; enjoying the warm sunlight; enjoying one another’s presence; and all this done whilst you’re still in your pyjamas.

 
Don’t overlook the simple joys of life.

 
Wishing you and your family happy bubble shooting.

N&M: 4 years, 2 months
E: 2 years, 1 month

August 2012

The post Do It Yourself Bubble Shooter by Pauline appeared first on Lessons Learnt Journal.

Edible Straw Painting for Toddlers by Kids Creative Chaos
Teach toddlers to blow through a straw. If they accidentally suck in some paint it’s okay because the paint’s edible. Brilliant.

Rainbow Cupcakes by One Perfect Day

Rainbow cupcakes; for those times when you can’t decide on a colour. (I wonder if this principle will work with wardrobe decisions too?)

 

Carrot Cookies by Famiglia & Seoul

Smiles like that are what it’s all about. Check out how Gina & Grady spent their day making carrot cookies and reading The Carrot Seed.

The post The Weekly Kids’ Co-op: Into The Kitchen We Go! by Pauline appeared first on Lessons Learnt Journal.

First, we did a very watery painting for the background.

Next, we used a spoon and straws to create our tree trunks and branches.
Blowing watery acrylic paint through the straws was hard (and slobbery) work.

M found using a spoon to scoop and dump the paint on the paper much more efficient.
N had no interest in working on his painting so we were down to one art work now.

After our tree trunks and branches dried, we used cotton tips to paint the leaves and blossoms on our tree. N & M (and I) took turns working on this. There was much area for our little cotton tips to cover.

Our Spring Trees!

We did it. It took us three days involving three short sessions. We talked about where the sky is, where grass is, what a horizon is and the different parts of a tree. We explored and tried out different painting techniques. This is our most involved art project to date and it’s shown me how much N&M have grown. It’s exciting and amazing to reflect on the nature of time.

Lesson learnt: number my days that I may have a wise heart.

N & M: 3 years 4 months

This post was shared in the following linky parties:

No Time for Flash Cards Link & Learn

After School

The Nurture Store

Living Life Intentionally

It’s Playtime

The post spring trees by Pauline appeared first on Lessons Learnt Journal.