Hot/Rainy Day Activities - Make a Tornado in a Jar

~Homemade Tornado in a Jar ~

You will need:

• A tall glass jar (spaghetti sauce or mayonnaise jar works well) with a lid
• Blue food coloring
• Liquid dish detergent

Directions:

1. Fill the jar with water to 1 inch from the lid.
2. Add a few drops of blue food coloring and 1 tsp liquid dish detergent.
3. Put the lid on tightly.
4. Hold the jar straight out in front of you (away from your body) horizontally with a hand on each end.
5. Shake the jar in a very fast circular motion 10 - 12 times.
6. Immediately turn the jar upright.

See the tornado?

*You can even make this educational by teaching your kids the basics about weather and what makes tornados form after your project is complete. :)

For more fun rainy day activities, make sure to check out our other posts - here, here, and here.

Decorating Ideas - Bumblebee Theme Nursery

Decorating inspiration can come from all kinds of sources - a piece of art that you like, a lovey, a toy, etc.  Today our inspiration is a this adorable fleece baby blanket.

Tadpoles Fleece Baby Blanket Yellow Bumblebee

Start by painting your nursery walls pale yellow (make sure you compare the paint chip to the blanket first so the shades are complimentary) and paint the trim a bright white.  You have a few options for furniture, depending on the look you prefer - white or light wood for an open and airy feel, or painted black pieces for a more modern and dramatic look.  After you've determined the general style, add coordinating curtains.  If you choose a more traditional style, white eyelet curtains would look great.  For a modern feel use a simple valance or roman shade.

After you've decided on the basics, it's time for the fun part - accessories!  Add fun, themed touches around the room to bring your theme to life - bumblebee drawer pulls, a bumblebee rug, black and yellow baskets, etc.  Add a wooden towel or quilt rack to the wall to display your inspiration piece (but still keep it accessible).

Hot/Rainy Day Activities - Make a Stuffed Animal Parachute

You will need:

• Plastic bag
• 4 pieces of 12 inch long string
• Hole punch
• A small toy (nothing heavy or with sharp corners - tiny stuffed animals work well)

Directions:

1. Cut the plastic bag into approximately a 14 x 14 inch square
2. Punch a hole in each corner and tie a piece of string in each corner.
3. Bring the strings together and knot them at the end.
4. Tie your small toy to the knot securely.
5. Fold the parachute into fourths with the toy hanging down from one corner.
6. Throw it straight into the air.

Your kids will have a blast parachuting their stuffed animals from all kinds of places!

For more rainy day activities, check out our last two posts.

Create Your Own Craft Corner

Creating a craft corner in your home is a great way to keep all your kids' (and your) craft supplies neatly organized and accessible.  Plus, if you have a designated storage spot you can stock up on the basics while they're on sale (like they are now for back to school shopping).  Here are a few ideas to help you get the most out of your craft storage space -

If you have the space, cabinets like these are a great way to keep all your craft supplies (and even school supplies) contained and organized.  Kid friendly supplies (like paper and crayons) can be placed in the bottom, and the top shelves can be used to store paints,scissors, etc.

If you don't have space to dedicate an entire wall to craft storage, a couple shelves over a desk can store a surprising amount of "stuff."  Even the space right below the shelf can be used, as you can see in the picture above - just screw jar lids into your shelf and you have the perfect place to store all the little things that seem to disappear.

Depending on your space, you can add boxes to store paper (cover plain cardboard ones with pretty paper), colored pencil and marker holders (cover clean vegetable cans with paper), and boxes to hold assorted other supplies (like foam shapes or scrap paper).

Don't let a lack of space discourage you - with a little creativity you can come up with the perfect way to organize all your kids' craft supplies.

Image sources.

Hot/Rainy Day Activities - Learn to Sew

Sewing is a great indoor activity, and one that kids of all ages will enjoy.  (And don't worry - even if you've never sewn before you can learn right along with your kids!)  For younger kids start off with a blunt plastic needle, yarn, and plastic canvas.  Older kids can learn basic stitches and even how to use a sewing machine.  You can find simple instructions for basic stiches online.  If you're interested in a book that helps you teach your kids how to use a sewing machine, check out this one. 

After your kids have learned the basics, you can work on fun projects such as stuffed animal clothes, a pillow, or even a blanket.

Don't forget the essentials - such as how to sew a button on.  This will come in handy for your kids later in life!

Baby Shower Gift Ideas

Baby showers are always fun, but sometimes choosing a gift can be difficult, especially if the gender of the baby is unknown or the parents haven't decided on a nursery theme.  Loveys and toys can be a great choice - a lot are gender neutral and you can never really have too many.  Here are a few ideas -

- Gender Neutral -

Green Bear White Dots Security Lovey

Carters SmileyHappyFriends Sweet Baby Bear Lovey

- For Little Boys -

Carters Blue Brown Puppy Dog Security Lovey I Love You

Tiddliwinks Transportation Bear Blue Car Security Lovey

- For Little Girls -

Carters Pink Mommys Sweetheart Bear Security Lovey

Bunny Rabbit Plush and Polka Dot Security Lovey Set

These are just a few of the many items we offer - make sure to visit our site for even more loveys, toys, crib bedding, wipe cases, etc.!

And don't forget - all orders over $75 ship free!  And orders under $75 are a flat rate of only $6! 

Make sure to check us out for all your baby needs!

Hot/Rainy Day Activities - Costume Boxes

Rainy days in summer usually mean bored children - without the option of playing outside, kids run out of things to do fast!  (This also happens on days when it's too hot to play outside!) Thankfully, there are lots of fun things that you can do to help the time pass more quickly.  One idea is to make costume boxes - here are a few ideas to get you started:

• Dress Up Box: Go through your closet (and your husband's closet) and pull out old shoes, old ties, old scarves, etc. You can also give your child a specific dollar amount and allow her to pick things out in a thrift store to put in the dress up box. And a tiara is a must for little girls!
• Baker/Chef: a thrift store is the perfect place to find cookie sheets, spatulas, plastic mixing bowls, cupcake tins, etc. If you sew, let your child pick out fabric and make them a chef hat and apron.
• Fisherman: use a dowel rod and attach a piece of string and a paper clip (the hook). Cut out colorful fish from construction paper and attach a magnet. Is your child learning his colors? Each time he catches a fish, have him name the color. Is your child learning the alphabet? Write an upper and lower case letter on each fish. Is your child learning his numbers? Write a number on each fish. You get the idea...
• Teacher: notebooks, pencils, colored pencils, books, ruler, stickers, etc.  And don't forget to add some teddy bear students.

The sky is the limit with these boxes!  Let your kids help you come up with even more ideas!

How do you occupy your kids on rainy/hot days?

Decorating Ideas - Alphabet Nursery

An alphabet themed nursery is a great choice if you don't know the gender of your baby.  It's a neutral theme, but so adorable that it will never feel boring.  We're using these sheets as our starting point/inspiration piece.

Carter's Just One Year Alphabet Fitted Crib Sheet

Start by painting the walls a soft color - yellow would be a good backdrop, or even khaki.  Use painted or light toned wood furniture - you don't want anything too dark or heavy.  Add a simple valence or drapes in a coordinating color.

• Accessories are the fun part, and where you really get to use your imagination.  Here are a few ideas - Stamp/paint the alphabet on your walls - create a border around the top of the room, stamp letters randomly on a wall, or over windows and doors.
• Paint your child's name over his/her crib (this can be done after your child is born).  Or hang wooden letters on the wall above the crib (make sure they're out of reach of little hands).
• Make your own artwork - paint a single letter on a canvas and add a matching picture (such as D is for dog - use a stencil if you prefer).
• Frame pages from an alphabet book for artwork.