Let’s Make Super Soft Cloud Dough

Sorry to be away for a few days. I was feeling under the weather and we also lost a close friend to leukemia. So not the best days recently, but today let’s do something fun and make some amazing cloud dough! This was my first time to make cloud dough and I will say that I like it better than regular homemade play dough. Cloud dough is so soft! Best part is, there is no cooking!! 🙂

And it is so super easy to make and you only need 2-3 ingredients. You’ll need some lotion and some cornstarch and if you want to add some color to it, you will also need food coloring.

Grab a bowl, a spatula, some measuring cups and some wax paper or parchment paper and let’s get started!

All the recipes that I looked at called for using twice the amount of cornstarch as you use for lotion. For example, 1/3 cup of lotion to 2/3 cup of cornstarch or 1/2 cup of lotion to 1 cup of cornstarch. Pour the lotion into the measuring cup (I used the 1/2 cup size) and then put it into your mixing bowl. Use your spatula to get all the lotion out of the cup and into the bowl.

Next add a few drops of food coloring, in the color of your choice. I went with blue.

Using your spatula, mix the 2 ingredients together.

Add the measured cornstarch to the bowl next and stir slowly so the cornstarch doesn’t “poof” all over everything. 😉

When your cloud dough is mostly mixed together, dump it out onto a piece of parchment paper or wax paper and knead it together.

If it seems a little too sticky, you can add a little more cornstarch. Keep kneading until it is smooth and soft.

That’s all there is too it! Now the fun really begins!

You can break it into smaller pieces and roll them into balls. (No, I don’t think you should throw these balls in the house!)

Pinch off a piece and roll it between your hands to make a long thin piece. One thing you can do with long skinny pieces is to make a smiley face.

Use an old rolling pin to roll your cloud dough flat and then use cookie cutters to cut out fun shapes.

I think you’ll be glad you tried this easy recipe for cloud dough! If you made enough dough, I bet your kids will let you play too! 😉

Store in an airtight container. Since this is my first time making cloud dough, I’m not sure how long it will keep. One person said, if it starts to feel dry, add a little more lotion and work it into the cloud dough and it will be good as new.

Hope you have a ton of fun! 🙂

Fun Pencil and Paper Games

Are you looking for an entertaining game to play with a group but you don’t have many supplies handy? All you need for these crazy drawing games is some paper and pencils. Give each participant a sheet of blank paper and a pencil. Let the fun begin!

For the first game one person gives out the directions for what to draw. The funny part is that everyone is given the same directions, but all the pictures look differently. These are the directions we used:

1.) Draw a tiny oval body.

2.) Add a giant head.

3.) Draw 2 short legs and 2 arms.

4.) Draw 2 little eyes and a mouth.

5.) Add 2 ears.

6.) Add a long tail.

Pretty simple, right? Now look at the 9 different pictures we ended up with:

We all had a good laugh when sharing our pictures. 🙂 I think you can easily find the one with the longest tail! Haha!

For our second game, each person thought of something simple to draw. It can be anything you want, but you will be drawing it 4 times so you probably want to make it fairly easy to repeat. For the first drawing, everyone draws with their dominant hand. In other words, whichever hand you write with is your dominant hand.

Drawing #2 is drawn using your non-dominant hand. If you are right handed, this one you draw with your left hand. You can compare the first picture with the second picture to see if you can notice any differences.

For the 3rd drawing, draw the same picture as before using your dominant hand again, BUT draw it with your eyes CLOSED! No peeking allowed! 😉 You can see that it was hard to keep things lined up!

For the last drawing, you must place your piece of paper on the bottom side of the table. Yes, under the table! Again, no peeking! Hopefully you can each find a smooth spot on the bottom side of the table to draw on. Look how crazy these pictures turned out!

Pretty funny! You can probably think of more goofy ways to draw if you want to make the game last longer. Like putting the pencil between your toes or placing your paper on the top of your head. You’ll all have a good laugh when you share your pictures with each other. 🙂 Have fun and happy drawing!

Qtip Dot Snowman

Who is getting tired of snow? We live in Ohio and we still have a LOT of snow. (Just ask our dog, Rusty, because he finds it hard to go potty when the snow is up to his belly!) It’s starting to melt here and I am looking forward to seeing grass again! Today is also windy so being outside is COLD! But we can have fun making a snowman inside today. 🙂

You’ll only need a few supplies…I used half a piece of blue construction paper, 3 Qtips (also called cotton swabs), a small amount of paint (white, black and red) and a small disposable plate.

You’ll probably want to lay some old newspaper down on the table to protect it from any run away paint drops. 😉 Lay your piece of construction paper on the newspaper and the small disposable plate. Have the Qtips within reach.

Put a very small amount of white paint onto the plate. I actually put more out then I needed.

Using the end of one Qtip, dip it into the paint and start making dots on the construction paper in the shape of a snowman. I suggest starting at the top with the snowman’s head to avoid laying a hand or arm on the freshly painted dots.

Make a second snowball for the snowman’s belly.

And then a 3rd snowball for the bottom of the snowman.

Now put a very small amount of black paint on the plate. And get a fresh Qtip.

Add dots to make a face…a few dots on his belly for buttons…add black dots for his stick arms…and more dots for his hat.

Now it’s time for a very small amount of red paint to be put on the plate. And grab a third fresh Qtip.

Add some red dots around the snowman’s “neck” to make a scarf.

And you’re finished! Great job! I hope you had fun making a snowman while you stayed inside where it’s warm! 🙂

Riddles to Make You Smile

It’s cold and snowing some more here! I’m trying not to complain but I could use a break from snow! So let’s see if we can tickle your funny bones with some riddles!

#1.) What do you call it when a snowman has a temper tantrum?

Answer: A meltdown! 🙂

#2.) What does a snowman eat for breakfast?

Answer: Frosted Flakes!

#3.) What does a Snowshark give you?

Answer: Frost bites!

#4.) What’s the biggest problem with snow boots?

Answer: They melt!

#5.) What do you call young dogs that play in the snow?

Answer: Slush puppies!

Hope these made you smile! Stay warm!!

Handmade Puzzles for Kids

A lot of people in the United States are buried under snow along with frigid temperatures outside. I’m guessing there are a few moms that are going a bit bonkers with their kids running out of things to do in the house. So here is a fun project you can do at home that doesn’t take any fancy supplies to make. Let’s try your hand at making a handmade/homemade puzzle! You’ll need a picture (can be cut from a magazine or a coloring book, for example), a piece of cardstock or thin cardboard, pencil, ruler, scissors and glue.

First trim your picture to give it a smooth edge.

Spread glue over the entire back side of the picture. You need to cover all of it with glue so that when you cut it into pieces, your picture will be glued on each piece. Place your glued picture on the cardstock or thin cardboard.

Cut the cardstock around the outside edge of the picture.

My picture wanted to curl up so I placed it under a heavy book for a little while. The next step is to turn the picture over. Decide how many pieces you want the puzzle to be and using your pencil and ruler, draw lines for cutting on the back of the puzzle. I made my puzzle into 16 pieces.

Cut the puzzle pieces apart by following the lines you just drew on the back.

Turn the pieces over and your puzzle is complete!

I made a second puzzle so I’ll share those pictures here too. Cut the picture to give it a smooth edge.

Apply glue to the entire back of the picture.

Place the glued picture on the cardstock or thin cardboard.

Cut the cardstock around the outside edge of the picture.

Draw lines on the back of the puzzle for where you want the puzzle pieces to be cut.

Cut the pieces apart with your scissors. Turn the pieces over and you’re done!

You can store your puzzle in an envelope or small box. Depending on the age of the child you are making this for, you can cut it into fewer or more pieces. Kids can have fun making these puzzles for other kids. Let the kids color a picture for making into a puzzle. If more than one child makes a puzzle, they can swap their puzzles back and forth for more fun. I hope you’ve had fun making your own puzzle! 🙂

Fingerprint Heart Project

It’s almost Valentine’s Day! Are you looking for a project to keep the kids busy or to add to a Valentine’s Day party? This project is easy to do and looks amazing when you are done. You don’t need many supplies and it doesn’t take long to make it. You’ll need 2 half size pieces of construction paper, a pencil, scissors and a couple of markers or an ink pad. WASHABLE markers or ink is the best! 😉 (I’m speaking from experience and from my very colorful finger!)

Keep one piece of your paper for making the project on and the second piece you will need to cut in half.

Take one of the half pieces and fold it in half.

Draw half of a heart on the fold.

Cut out the half heart shape using your scissors.

Put the heart shape aside for another time. Open the heart stencil and lay it on top of the other sheet of paper.

Using your marker or ink pad, put ink on one of your index fingers.

Press your finger onto the paper inside the heart stencil area. (The cut out heart area.) Continue doing this step until you have either made a complete outline of your heart or you have colored the entire heart in with your fingerprints.

When you have finished the number of fingerprints you want to make, remove the stencil.

Isn’t that pretty? You can leave it this way or fill in the rest of the cut out heart area. Actually the stencil looks pretty cool too!

Here is one with the inside of the heart filled in with more fingerprints.

You can use your heart design just to hang it up and make your house look pretty or you can make it into a card to give to someone special on Valentine’s Day. Hope you had fun making your fingerprint heart! 🙂

Another Valentine Card Kids Can Make

Are you still looking for Valentine cards that are simple enough for your kids to make? Here’s another suggestion for you! We’ll call this one the Soda Pop Valentine card. 😉 You’ll need a piece of paper, glue, a black marker, colored pencils or crayons, a pencil, scissors, a cut out paper heart and a straw.

I used half a sheet of pink construction paper for my card. I folded it in half to make a nice size for a card. On the front, using a pencil, draw a soda pop bottle.

With a thin line marker or black pen, trace over the bottle you just drew so that it stands out more plainly.

Color in the bottom 2/3 of the bottle whatever color you’d like your pop (soda) to be. I used brown for Root Beer. I wrote the words Root Beer on my bottle but you can write whatever kind of pop you like to drink and color it the same color as the drink you chose.

(Sorry I’m not sure why this picture looks purple!) Now imagine that the straw you have is inside this bottle of pop. (soda) Cut your straw to fit the bottle. Have the bottom of the straw just touching the top of the pop (soda) in your bottle. The top of the straw should stick out above the bottle opening.

Add a line of glue down the length of the straw and hold it in place on your card for just a little bit till the glue can start to set up.

If you have a permanent black marker, you can draw the rim of the bottle on your straw too so it looks more like it is inside the bottle.

Now with a pen or marker write the words, “I “soda” love you!” (I sorta love you!)

Next, you should write on the cut out heart these words…”I love you so much I think my heart might “pop”! 😉

Then glue the heart to the inside right hand side of your card.

If you like, you can add some little lines around the outside of the heart to help make the heart look like it’s ready to pop!

And there you are! All finished! Great job! Who will you share your Valentine card with? Remember to sign your name so the person will know you are the one that made this great card for them. 🙂

Handmade Valentine’s Card for Kids to Make

We’re back with another idea for a Valentine card kids can make. This one involves strawberries and blueberries. Ready? Grab a piece of paper or a blank card, a pencil and colored pencils or crayons and some markers. Start with a half a sheet of paper, cardstock or construction paper.

Fold it in half to make it card-sized. On the front of the card, we’re going to draw a strawberry. Start out by drawing this shape.

Next, add some leaves and a stem.

Use your colored pencils, markers or crayons and color the strawberry. I used colored pencils.

Looking good! Now make some tiny little lines for the seeds on a strawberry. I used a black pen to draw mine.

Your strawberry is finished! Now add the words, “You are “berry” sweet!” to the front of the card.

Open the card and on the inside right hand side, let’s draw some blueberries. I drew 3 but you can draw however many you like. Start with a circle and then add 2 more circles that are partially hidden behind the first one.

Add one small circle inside each of these circles. Then add 5-6 almost triangles to the little circle.

Color the blueberries. You’re almost done! Add the words, “Have a “berry” Happy Valentine’s Day!”

Great job! Who will you give your handmade Valentine to? Remember to sign your name. I hope you’ve had fun making this “berry” nice Valentine’s Day card! 🙂

Handmade Valentine Card for Kids to Make

We’re coming at you today with another fun card that kids can make for Valentine’s Day. All you need is a piece of paper, colored pencils or crayons and a black marker.

My paper is construction paper so I cut it in half.

Take 1 of the pieces and fold it in half to make a nice size for a card.

Now draw a bunch of grapes on the front of the card. Draw circles and partial circles to make the grapes. I used a purple colored pencil but grapes can be other colors too.

Keep drawing and coloring in the grapes until you like how big your bunch is.

Add a brown stem at the top of the grapes.

Use green to draw in a couple of leaves.

Now add a simple face. I used a black marker to draw 2 dots for eyes and a curved line for a mouth.

Add the words “I love you a “bunch”! ” at the bottom of the card.

Open the card and on the right hand side, draw another bunch of grapes like you did on the front of the card. Write the words at the bottom…”Have a “grape” Valentine’s Day!”

Remember to sign your name. Give it to someone special on Valentine’s Day! I hope you enjoyed today’s craft! Have a “grape” weekend! 😉

Stained “Glass” Valentine Heart

We’re back with another great Valentine’s Day craft project! If you saw yesterday’s post about a tissue paper heart activity and you saw that I suggested you save the stencil looking part of that project for another project, this is it!

If you didn’t see that post, what you need to do is cut a piece of construction paper in half. Then taking one of those pieces and fold it in half.

Draw half of a heart shape on the folded edge of your paper. Then cut along the line you drew. When you open it, you will have a heart. 🙂 For this project, we will be using the piece with the heart cut out, but you might want to save the heart to use it for something else.

For today’s project, you will need another half sheet of construction paper, a pencil, scissors, glue and several different colors of tissue paper. First cut a 1″ wide strip from each color of tissue paper. You will need only a short piece of each color. (I had a lot left over!)

Now, take the half piece of construction paper and fold it in half. Lay the first stencil on top and trace the half of a heart on the fold like you did for the first one.

Cut out the second heart so you have 2 matching pieces.

Unfold the 2 pieces. Place the side that you drew on facing up. This will become the backside of the stained “glass” heart. Using the strips of tissue paper, lay one across the heart opening and glue the ends down.

Take additional pieces of the tissue paper strips and place them, one at a time, in different directions over the heart opening…and glue the ends down.

Add a few more strips…

Keep adding strips until all the open spaces of the heart have been covered with tissue paper.

Take the other piece of construction paper you cut the heart out of and apply glue as it is shown in this picture.

Place it on the paper you have been gluing the strips to so that the edges meet and the 2 hearts match up. This will cover up all the ends that you glued down and allow the light to shine through the heart cutout. And there you have it! You’ve made a stained “glass” Valentine heart! Put it up to a window and look how pretty it is when the sun shines through the heart!

Doesn’t that look nice? Make as many as you like (Or as many as your parents will allow!) and put them close to your windows to make your house look festive. 🙂 You could also make a hole at the top and put a piece of string through so you can hang up your stained “glass” art. I hope you had fun today! Check back for more Valentine’s Day ideas soon!