kids · parenting · Uncategorized

Sidewalk Chalk Mosaics

Have you had a chance to make a sidewalk chalk mosaic yet? We love them. Every aspect of it is satisfying, from planning a design, to putting down the tape, coloring and maybe especially peeling off the tape for the big reveal.

My girls had been begging to do another sidewalk chalk mosaic ever since the rain washed away their last one. Thankfully, the Easter bunny brought them more chalk and tape. 🐇

Anna Claire, our ten-year-old, was very strategic about choosing the day to do it, watching the weather so that they would get the maximum number of days to enjoy it before the next rain.

Last time I did most of the tape work. This time the girls did it without help. We have learned you don’t have to be too perfectionistic about it. It will look good no matter what.

We have also learned it is wise to sweep the area or pick up any debris so the area is clean before you start taping. If you don’t, the tape won’t stick and stay put as well.

It is also worth mentioning that we did not use a template. I have read that others “combed Pinterest” searching for a template. You certainly could! We personally opted not to because we felt like part of the fun is creating your own design.

If you do create your own design, it’s helpful to decide what the outside shape will be, then just be sure to the smaller shapes you create inside are polygons: triangles and trapezoids look best. Lots of angles!

You can put in some additional planning if you want the design to be symmetrical. We opted for more abstract.

We also had better chalk this time, “much more pigmented” (the words of Madeline, my six-year-old) and we loved the names of the colors: Macaroni and Cheese, Mauvelous and Granny Smith Apple, to name a few. We have decided we would like to be hired by Crayola to choose the color names!

A new box of chalk is so satisfying

For this project you will need:

Uncategorized

Movies to watch with kids during quarantine

So many parents have been reaching out on social media about what to do with their kiddos during this time.

It can be hard to find movies that are fun for the family without any inappropriate language or violence. I am starting a list here that I will build on and add to. While they aren’t educational, quite a few are based on books and I find my oldest often wants to read the book before or after watching. These are safe and enjoyable and we are all reaching for that right now. I hope these bring joy to your home as they have to ours. Feel free to share any you’ve discovered in the comments.

  • Stargirl (Disney+)
  • Jinxed (Netflix)
  • Hop (Netflix)
  • A Dog’s Purpose (Amazon)
  • Bridge to Terabithia (Netflix)
  • Because of Winn Dixie (Disney+)
  • Wonder (Amazon)
  • Freaky Friday (Disney+)
  • Aladdin (Disney+)
  • Mr. Popper’s Penguins (Amazon)
  • Scales: Mermaids are Real (Netflix)
  • Wonder Park (Amazon)
  • Trolls: World Tour (Amazon)
  • Onward (Disney+)
  • Mrs. Doubtfire (Amazon)
  • The Parent Trap (both versions Disney+
  • Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (Disney +)
  • Diary of a Wimpy Kid movies (HBO – free 7 day trial)
  • Alice Through the Looking Glass
  • BFG (Netflix- be sure to check out this BFG Dictionary and word search. So fun!)

Bonus – Shows/Series:

  • Just Add Magic (Amazon)
  • Odd Squad (PBS Kids)
  • Kids Vs. Food (Amazon)
  • A Series of Unfortunate Events (Netflix – mine loved the SERIES. The movie, not so much.)
  • The Healing Powers of Dude (Netflix)
  • Good Luck Charlie (Disney+)
  • Stuck in the Middle (Disney+)
  • Muppets NOW (Disney+)

(FYI: I’m a parent of two girls, ages 6 and 10 so this list will apply more to that subgroup.)

essential oils · kids · parenting · quarantine

DIY Scented Crayons Using Essential Oils

Have you ever made your own crayons? I was looking for some fun homeschool activities to do with my kiddos and stumbled on a recipe for making your own crayons and someone suggested scenting them.

I am personally allergic to artificial fragrance and we don’t use it in our home, but I do have and love essential oils!

Here is what you will need for this project:

  • Old crayons (broken with paper peeled off)
  • Muffin/cupcake pan
  • Cupcake liners
  • Butter spray or olive oil spray
  • Essential oils

Here are the steps:

1. Preheat oven to 250. If crayons are not already peeled and broken into small pieces you will need to do that.

2. Decide if you want each crayon to be a different color or if you want rainbow crayons. Either way, you may want to divide your broken crayon pieces up into piles by color.

Peel paper, break into pieces and sort by color.

3. Place a liner in each section of the muffin pan. We sprayed lightly with cooking spray so the liner would come off easily. Then add crayons. I recommend placing the pan on a foil lined cookie sheet.

4. Place the pan in the oven and leave in for 15 about minutes.

5. Pull out and add two drops of desired essential oil to each crayon, then return to oven for another 15 minutes. My daughter felt it was important to color code the oil with the crayon color (pictured below).

She color coded the oil with crayon color. 🌈

6. She was eager to use her new crayons so we placed in the freezer for a half hour after we removed from the oven.

If you appreciate nostalgic stories I thought I would also share my first experience making my own crayon. I was about seven or eight: I remember being bored as a kid and taking my old pieces of crayon, and wondering if I could melt them to make a new one like the multicolored ones I had seen at church. I was little so I wasn’t allowed to use the stove or oven, but I could use the sun’s heat. I had an idea. But I would need a container. It just so happened that it was Pillsbury cinnamon roll day at my house, and so I asked my mom to save the cup the icing comes in. That cup would be perfect for my crayon experiment. It was summer, so it was hot enough I thought. I put my broken crayons, paper peeled off, in the icing container, and set it out in a sunny spot. I came back out several hours later, and just as I expected I had lovely melted rainbow wax. I brought it inside and let it cool off and was so proud of that crayon.

**Did you know there was such a thing as National Crayon Day? It is March 31, the day I am writing this. Mark your calendar for next year and this may be the perfect activity for celebrating it. 😊