Snip and Snail: everyday fun

Showing posts with label everyday fun. Show all posts

Friday, August 5, 2011

Melted Crayon Art

We have been having so much fun with experiments this summer. Lots of dry ice, baking soda and vinegar, that kinda thing. I saw this melted-crayon-on-canvas project on Pinterest and knew the boys would love it. And oh, did they love it.

They each chose the order of the colors on their canvases and lined them up for gluing. (I wanted to let them operate the hot glue gun, but that got out of hand very quickly.) So I glued, then they took turns operating the hair dryer to melt the wax.

If you have children that can use a bit of patience practice, this is the perfect activity. It isn't too long that they lose interest, but long enough that they must be patient--and the hum of the hair dryer adds a meditative element to the exercise. Just when they are wondering if the wax will ever drip, it begins to. A high ROI index on this one (huge gratification, small patience investment).

And a bonus at the end: we put trace paper underneath the canvas to catch the wax. When we were finished, the boys loved peeling the wax off of the paper--and then realized they could color with their new custom crayons!

Saturday, July 16, 2011

Color Walk, 2.0 :: Orange

Two summers ago, we took color walks. Lots of them. At the time, it was an activity more suited for Big B, although little b happily came along for the ride. This afternoon's plans changed for a myriad of reasons, and instead of hustling and bustling from this engagement to that--we found ourselves at home, ready to explore a world freshly shined by a thunderstorm. With Papa taking a well deserved nap, Big B, little b and I embarked on our first of this summer's Color Walks--an activity little b is discovering anew. It is only fitting to begin with ORANGE, as this is little b's very favorite color. Many more to follow!

Friday, July 8, 2011

Beach Jars

It rained on Big B's 7th birthday last week, so we missed our beach day and I think we all felt its absence. By Wednesday morning we were all itching for sand and salt. During my morning coffee browsing, I came across this link for adorable upside down terrariums. For a slightly different version, we packed up a box o' Mason jars for Big B, little b and their friends to create little bits of the beach to bring home.

What a hit! This crowd loves to hunt for treasure and find creatures--the glass was the perfect, special, take-home vessel. They were careful to keep the sea creatures alive in their buckets and store only the non-living things in the jars.

We set off mid-morning on a beachside treasure walk.

And when we arrived, sunkissed and happy, back home, we each had a bit of the beach to sustain us. At least until next week.

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Summer Solstice: Sun Tea

The Summer Solstice is one of our favorite days of the year. Just when it gets so hot outside we are tempted to complain about it, we are given an opportunity to celebrate the summer, the season, the sun. We are reminded how very lucky we are to live in a place where we can bask in its glory. This morning as the sun was just warming up, we went outside to welcome it, and brought with us a pitcher of clean fresh water and raspberry tea leaves. Big B and little b added fresh mint and lemon balm from the garden.

We stopped to notice the sun illuminating the jewels of our little patch of earth.

We went about our morning, knowing the tea would be steeping, waiting for us.

And steep it did! After a few hours, the tea was a strikingly beautiful color and smelled perfume-y, sweetened only by the sun. The boys laid out a picnic blanket and waited patiently for me to bring glasses, ice, and fresh lemon to squeeze.

We took turns giving thanks for the sun, its warmth, its light, its life force. A quick toast, then sweet, refreshing sun tea on the longest day of the year.

To the sun!

"Be like the flower, turn your face to the sun."

-Kahlil Gibran

Sunday, May 22, 2011

A-Frame Tent, A-Plus Day

Funny, funny universe.

On a weekend laden with best-laid plans, Big B came down with a nasty tummy bug that knocked him out all day Saturday. This morning he woke, bright eyed and bushy tailed, ready to make up for lost time. I knew we were going to stay close to home to allow him a day of recovery, and me a day to finish several organizational projects started during his sickness--but he and little b needed some adventure.

During my morning coffee blogroll, I saw Cakie's A-Frame Tent featured in Grosgrain's Free Pattern Month, and fell in love. I made a quick list for the hardware store and sent the boys on a quest so that I could finish up some chores.

When they returned, we got to work drilling, fitting, hemming and attaching. In less than one hour they had their adventure.

Simple though it might be, there was something special about it being made just for them. It was also a powerful lesson for me: they may not enter it properly or treat it gently--but I did, after all, make it just for them. It is theirs to invent, collapse, rebuild, enter, and love as they wish.

I am sensing a major shift in the tides. Perhaps it is the excitement of summer on the horizon. Perhaps it is this new clarity with which I choose my activities and things. But I am seeing a beautiful light ahead.