Popsicle Stick Reindeer Ornaments

I don't know how I spent most of my life without making one of these Popsicle Stick Reindeer Ornaments before, but somehow I missed out as a child since everyone else seems to have made them. Now, I get to live vicariously through my children's crafts!

How to make Flubber

We've been trying to introduce our boys to some of the Disney classics, and recently we watched Flubber. I had forgotten how hilarious that movie was and made me miss Robin Williams even more. Since the movie was such a hit, I knew my boys would love making their own Flubber! And they did.

To make your own Flubber, you will need Borax, clear school glue, water, two bowls, glitter, spoons, and food coloring.

Popsicle Stick Christmas Tree Ornament

We go through a lot of popsicle sticks around here. Recently, my 5 year old and I made Christmas trees out of popsicle sticks, and it was interesting seeing his unique twists on the classic. Mine is on the left, his is on the right (his reminds me of trees we made 2 years ago):

Soda Bottle Jet Pack

I have to be careful not to leave my Pinterest page open, or my boys will start scrolling through and demanding we do every single craft they find on it…soda bottle jet packs were one of those demands.
We don’t drink a lot of soda, so my 6 year old went nearly crazy waiting for two 2-liter soda bottles to be consumed, washed and dried. But when they were, this is how we made the jet pack with things we already had on hand:

Shape Crafts

I thought it would be fun to give my boys a bunch of shapes and see what they created…

It looks like utter madness, but my 6 year old said his was a bad guy trap and explained in great detail how the bad guy would get led into the trap. The boys had fun, it kept them entertained for a good half hour, and they got to use their imaginations! Plus it was super cheap.

All I did was give them each a piece of construction paper, a glue stick and a bunch of shapes I had cut out of construction paper and set them to work. Perfect for a hot summer day when everyone’s bored.

How to Make Slime

Here’s a fun project to do with kids on a rainy day…and the best part is the fun can last for weeks. I found the “recipe” on pinterest via Tinkerlab and was shocked to see both of my boys spend ages playing with the slime.

All you need is some Elmer’s Glue, Borax and water, and food coloring if desired! I halved Tinkerlab’s recipe because that’s the amount of glue I had and it was plenty of slime for my son to play with…

I took 2 oz white glue and mixed it with 2 oz lukewarm water. Now’s a good time to add the food coloring. In a separate bowl I mixed 1/2 tsp Borax with 1/4 cup water. Then I slowly added the Borax mixture to the glue mixture while stirring, only adding until the mixture begins to form into the wonderful consistency of slime.

My 4 year old helped with the mixing and was so excited…the same day he sat and quietly played with his slime for 45 minutes, cutting, rolling, etc…

When not using your slime, store it in an airtight container until it starts stinking (ours is going on a few weeks and still smells fine).

I’ll be linking up to What Are Little Boys Made of?, Preschool Corner Friday, Fun Stuff Fridays, and Kids Get Crafty.