World of Possibilities

Today was a wet day. Joshua is not is any shape of the word an indoor child. So keeping him amused while being inside all day can be a challenge. With him starting at kindergarten though, some of the other boys have introduced him to the world of Lego. Now don't be deceived we have had Lego in this house for ages, most of it is actually Scott's from his childhood. But until recently Joshua hasn't taken the slightest bit of interest in it.

Now that Joshua understands what can be achieved with Lego & it's finally cool to play with. I've found it's a great distraction tool, while not loading him up with cartoons on these rainy days. Of course being into diggers & Buzz Lightyear, the first things built are a excavator, pick-up crane & rocket ship. After these 3 essentials are built he lets his mind wonder & constructs just about anything & everything.

From massive things which entail every bit of Lego he owns, to things that come out which are only constructed with 4 bits of Lego, which you have to understand is a massive laser gun :) Oh the possibilities!

I love quiet play with a passion.

What do your children do on rainy days?

Keep Happy

The Imagination Team

Flying Fish

If your looking for a cheap & easy indoor activity, go for flying fish! They are so simple to make & Joshua just played with it for ages. He asked me to make more so I ended up making handfuls of them, he loved throwing around 5 of them all together. Too cute!

Here's how!

Materials

Page from an old magazine

Pencil

Ruler

Scissors

Directions

Using the ruler, pencil, and scissors, mark and cut a strip of the magazine page that is as long as the page and 1 inch wide.

Mark a line on each end of the strip that is 1 inch from the end.

Cut a slit halfway into the strip at each point. (At one end of the strip cut from the top halfway down to the middle, and at the other end cut from the bottom halfway up to the middle.)

Bend the strip into a loop and push the slits together so that the loop closes.

Toss the fish into the air to see it fly.

It's that simple!

Keep Happy

The Imagination Team

Jelly

If your like me and buy Jelly in those small container at the supermarkets for your children, because they are portion controlled, I have found a cheaper way!

I started saving the tubs. Now that I have 6 of them, I just buy the packets of jelly, sometimes they are as cheap as 99c on special, that way you can really stock up!

If you always forget to make it in advance you can now also get cold water jelly which sets in just 30 mins.

I make the jelly & pour it into these tubs. So for 99c I get 5 tubs, which for me last a whole week! ( I only have one child) but you get the idea. If your feeling creative you could add fruit pieces to the bottom of the tubs before filling with Jelly. Kids love jelly. It certainly is cheaper then Ice-cream tubs. For families that have 3 or more children, this can save heaps of money throughout a year! There are heaps of flavors out there, so don't think your limited to just plain old lime or strawberry.

Keep Happy

The Imagination Team

Playdough!

Play dough, It is one of the biggest things children love to play with. Along side things such as paint, dirt, and toys. My little one loves play dough, but I can not get my head wrapped around the price companies charge for those little tubs of colour.

The solution? Make your OWN!

Now you might be thinking, Play dough is technical!, I can't make that!

You would be surprised, it really isn't that hard at all. I DO recommend making it when your little one is either asleep/ entertained/ can't wander somewhere, as you can't leave the stove once this thing gets going, otherwise you will burn the mixture. But for kids that are interested in making it, and not just playing with the finished product, they will enjoy it!

The Ingredients:

1 cup Plain Flour

1/2 cup salt

2 tblsp (tablespoon) Cream of Tartar

2 tblsp Baby oil (makes the dough keep & makes it smell nice, makes a huge difference)

1 cup Water

Food coloring of choice

The Method:

1. Pour water into a pot, and add desired color, swirl around to mix.

2. Add flour, salt, cream of tartar and baby oil.

3. Turn heat onto medium, don't be tempted to turn it up high, or your dough will burn before becoming play dough.

4. The mix will be almost a liquid consistency, stir constantly until mix becomes a dough ball. Now you will need a bit of elbow grease towards the end. I used a butter knife to scrape the dough that forms around the wooden spoon, as it becomes hard to mix once you have a ball of it on the end of your spoon. Also don't stress about the layer of play dough that will form on the bottom of the pot, you won't get this off while trying to keep the dough mix moving around the pan.

5. Once the mix is cooked it will become a darker color then the liquid form. You'll know when your dough is ready to take off the heat, when your dough comes together as a ball, and you loose all the pale liquid mix, I just keep rolling the mix around until i'm certain it's gone.

The play dough cooling in the fridge. Notice the darker color & rough appearance.

6. Time to cool the dough. Your mix will be HOT!!!!!! So instead of picking up your mix to transfer to a container, I recommend placing your desired container on the counter & rolling your dough ball out of your pot & into it. No fingers please. I learnt the hard way. :) The mix will in no way look like the store bough play dough just now, be patient kiddies :). Place your containers in the fridge, and allow the dough to cool. No need to cover them, as the heat will cause moisture to build up, and the little skin that forms on the dough is easy rid of.

7. After your dough is cooled, knead your dough for around a minute or until smooth & it will now look just like the store bought stuff! :)

Storage:

I keep mine is glad ziplock bags. Tubs/ containers are also great. Any container that keeps air away from your dough does that job. Store in a cool dry place.

And there you go, homemade play dough & no compromise :)

Keep Happy

The Imagination Team