Happy Halloween

Halloween is just around the corner. I find myself searching for costumes , snacks and trick or treat ideas. This year my kids have already chosen the regular run of the mill costumes ;Batman and Cinderella -- surprise, surprise!! Well so much for my enthusiasm to make a costume.
But for any of you that might be interested , here is a really cool and easy homemade costume idea from a dear friend of mine who is very creative and a super mom of 2 daughters. She makes award winning costumes for her girls every year. This year she made this really cute and easy to make milk box with a straw that I had to share .

Milk Box Costume

What you will need:

A tall narrow box that should fit over your child's body( She used a lamp box)

Red Gift Wrap Paper.

White paper

Paper roll from an empty Aluminium foil or a paper towel roll

Exacto Knife

Scissors

Glue/ Tape.

Printer.

What to do:

1. Cut the bottom of the box and take the flaps off.

2. Measure and cut a circle on the top for the head to go through.

3. Measure and cut another small circle on top for the straw.

4. Make holes in the side of the box for the hands.

5. Cover and glue the whole box with red wrapping paper.

6. Cover and glue the straw with white paper.

7. Then on the front top portion glue the printed logo.(Click Logo to find the logo pic. Enlarge the picture to print it or if the resolution is not good then print it and then enlarge the copy).

8. On the front bottom glue the letters MILK .Either print them out using Microsoft word or paint them on.

9. On the back glue the Nutrition facts (Click here to find the image that you can use to print . Enlarge it to fit the size of your box.)

10. Insert the straw through the small hole on the top and tape it in place.

Let your child wear white clothes complete with a white cap and white shoes . Then draw a white milk mustache on the upper lip. Now your little milk box is ready to go get some candy.

Halloween Snacks

Halloween Jigglers

I found a few really cool and scary snacks for Halloween at the Krafts food website. These are very easy and fun to make with the kids .

Ghastly Goblin Grins

Trick or Treating Ideas.

Every year like everybody else we go trick or treating in the neighborhood. Malls always have some kind of Trick or Treating activities. Be adventurous and try some unique places like your local City hall or Fire Department. Last year we went to our local Police Department and they were very happy to welcome all Trick or Treaters.

Let me know if you have any fun and unique ideas.

Fish Hatching Kit deal

I found this amazing deal for a kit to hatch live fish from eggs in one day.

It has the lowest price I have seen so far, its only $13.99. Click here to see more details.

Summer Activities

Artsy Monday

Here are some activities and tips you can use when travelling with little ones.

You can print some activities to keep the little ones busy from Crayola. They also have excellent tips for parents travelling with kids. I used these for my kids while I was travelling and they did a good job of keeping them happy. http://www.crayola.com/parents/travel/

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Cooking Tuesday

Strawberry Mouse

What you will need :
Strawberries
Twizzler candy
Gum drops
Chocolate chips
What to do:
1.Cut the bottom of a strawberry to create a base for the mouse.2.Cut two gum drops in half . One gum drop will make 2 ears, and the other one will make two feet. Insert the cut gumdrop into the strawberry to make its ears.
Place the other halves to make its feet.
3.Cut the tip of another gum drop to make the mouse's nose.
4.Insert two chocolate chips to make the mouses eyes.
5.Use the twizzler candy to make a tail for the mouse.

Say cheese!!, now you have a Strawberry mouse.

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Virtual Wednesday

A virtual African Safari - The World's First Virtual Game Reserve uses webcams to display wild animals using real time streaming video . Check it out at http://www.africam.com/

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Scientific Thursday

Rising Paper Magic


You will need:
Tissue paper pieces
Comb
Steps:
1.Charge up the comb by rubbing it against a sweater or your hair about 15 times.
2. Now hold the comb over the pieces of tissue paper.
3. Notice what happens ... the tissue paper pieces will be lifted upto the comb as if by magic.
This happens because of static electircity that is created when you rub the comb on your hair or the sweater.

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Fun Fridays

Amaze your friends and family with these cool juggling tricks.Watch Nick and Dave as they teach their friend Pilar to juggle.Watch the video here and learn to juggle.

Guest Appearance on Friendship Day

On the occassion of Friendship Day , Vasanti a friend of mine invited me to contribute a favorite recipe of mine on her food blog. She has been my friend since childhood and has an amazing award winning food blog called Signature Concoctions. Click here to see my contributionon her blog . Happy Friendship Day to all!!

Fourth of July Week Activities

Artsy Mondays

Fourth of July Fireworks Straw Painting

What you will need:

Straws
Liquid Paint ( Red , White and Blue)
Heavy white paper
What to do:
1. Drop a blob of paint on the paper.
2. Blow through the straw , this will cause the paint to spread out like fireworks.

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Cooking Tuesdays:

Ice cream in a bag
What you need: (this is enough for 1 scoop of ice cream )
1/2 cup whole milk or half & half
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
6 tablespoons Rock salt ( found in the grocery .. regular Morton salt does not work)
Ice cubes
1 pint size Ziploc bag
1 gallon size Ziploc bag.
What to do:
1. Fill the small Ziploc bag with the milk, sugar and essence and seal it well making sure nothing will spill out.
2.Fill the large Ziploc bag halfway with the ice cubes, rock salt.
3. Put the small bag in the large bag and seal the bag well.
4. Now shake the bag till the ice cream is done .. takes about 5-10 minutes.
Enjoy!!

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Virtual Wednesdays
Pay tribute to the stars and stripes with these online games at Kaboose.
Their games include the following :
-Match the state capital with its home state on a unlabeled map of the U.S
-Brush up on your history with an Independence Day trivia game.
-Test your knowledge of the history of the American flag.
-American geography while being tested on how well you know the states in the map of the U.S.

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Scientific Thursdays

Float or Sink Playdough
You will need:
A big bowl of water
Play dough

Steps:
1.Fill the big bowl with water
2.Place a ball of play dough in the water.
3. Observe what happens .. does it sink or float?
4.Now take the ball of play dough out and mould it into the shape of a boat.
5. Place the boat shaped playdough in the water.
6.Does the boat shaped playdough sink or float?
Since the ball of playdough weighs heavier than water it sinks. But a boat made out of the same ball will float. Water pushes the boat upwards supporting the boat. The shape of the boat also plays an important part in helping it to float. There is more surface for the water to push upwards on the boat than on a ball of dough.

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Fun Fridays

Information about 4th of July Independence Day

Independence Day is the birthday of the United States of America and is celebrated on the Fourth of July each year. Independence Day is the anniversary of the day on which the Declaration of Independence was adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776.
John Adams, one of the founders of our new nation, said, "I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward for evermore." Independence Day was first celebrated in Philadelphia on July 8, 1776.
In 1941, Congress declared July 4 a legal public holiday.

Weekly Activities

Artsy Monday

Make Scratch Art

What you need: Paper, crayons, black tempera paint, a drop of dish soap, paintbrush, paperclip.

What to do:

Color a sheet of paper with bright crayons. Make stripes, blotches or any pattern you like. Press hard to make a thick layer of crayon all over the paper. Paint a coat of black tempera (poster) paint all over the top of the colorful crayon layer (add a drop of dish soap to the black paint so it will stick to the crayon wax). After the paint is dry, scratch a design into the black surface with a bent paperclip. The bright crayon colors will show beautifully through the black. Scratch art fans will also enjoy the 5 great scratchboard examples in the KidsArt Gallery.

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Cooking Tuesday

Fruit Kebab


Summer is in full swing and the grocery stores are brimming with colorful, delicious summer fruits. The kids can make some easy fruit kebabs and enjoy a healthy , delicious snack.

What you need: Wooden Skewers Melon Baller
Fruits (Watermelon, Cantaloupe, Strawberry, Grapes )

What to do:
Use the melon baller to make balls of Watermelon and Cantaloupe. Wash Strawberries and Grapes. Now string the fruit into the wooden skewers to make the fruit kebabs. Any way you do it , the kebabs will look colorful and fabulous.

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Virtual Wednesday

Check out Colgate kids website to find manygames , puzzles and activities that teach kids to keep their teeth healthy. http://www.colgate.com/app/Kids-World/US/HomePage.cvsp

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Scientific Thursday

Bendy Pencil

What you will need:A glass of water,Pencil

Steps:

1.Fill the glass halfway with water .
2.Place the pencil in the water.
3. Look at the pencil from the top, bottom and sides.
4. Observe how the pencil looks -- straight or bent?

Light plays tricks on your eyes. When you look at the pencil from the side it looks bent. Light travels slower through wtaer than through air.So as the light enters the water in the glass it slows down and speeds up when it comes out of the water and changes direction making the pencil look bent.

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Fun Friday
Some fun riddles.

What can run but never walks

has a mouth but never talks

has a head but never weeps

has a bed but never sleeps


Answer: A River.

I am very dangerous
Take one out and scratch my head

I am now black but once was red



Answer:A Match stick

Fathers Day Week Activities

Fathers Day is coming up this Sunday 21st June , 2009. This weeks activities are to celebrate and honor our Dad.

Artsy Monday

This is a cute card project just right for Dad.You can find all the instructions here . This project is suitable for kids 3 and up. It takes about 30 minutes to finish.

You will need paper, glue , scissors and crayons.

Print this template and get started to have some fun.

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Cooking Tuesday

Bake some cookies for Fathers day this year and decorate them with dad.

What you need:

Frozen Sugar cookie dough

Cookie Cutters

Icing

Sprinkles or candy for decoration

What to do:

Thaw the sugar cookie dough and then cut it into different fun shapes. Bake them as per instructions.

Once the cookies are cold, cover them with with icing (store bought) and decorate them with candies or sprinkles.

Some of the icings available in the grocery store come with sprinkles for decoration. A great idea for Fathers day would be to cut the cookie into the different alphabets to make up the word DAD .

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Virtual Wednesday

Some fun , touching songs for Dad for Fathers Day.

* Let Dad know how special he is with this adorable Father's Day song. This will touch the heart of even the roughtest and toughest Dad. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMCJ5zylCJ0* "My Dad" is a fun song for dads. Play it for your dad on father's day. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9X6S-PPRso

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Scientific Thursday

Magical Inflating Balloon

Nothing is funnier than watching Dad blow Birthday balloons. His cheeks puff out, his face turns red. Show Dad how to inflate balloons using the scientific principles of heat and expansion.

You will need:

A bowl , a bottle and a balloon.

Steps:

1.Fill the bowl with ice cold water

2.Fill the bottle with hot boiling water.

3. Let them sit seperately for a minute.

4.Now empty out the bottle.

5. Immediately stretch a balloon over the mouth of the bottle making sure no air can escape.

6.Immerse the bottle in the bowl of cold water.

7.Now watch as the balloon gets pulled in and inflated inside the bottle.

The hot water heats the bottle and stretching the balloon over the mouth of the bottle immediately after pouring the water traps this warm air. If a gas is heated in a container that prevents expansion, the pressure of the gas increases. When the bottle is placed in cold water the air in the bottle cools and contracts causing the pressure inside the bottle to be lower than the pressure outside the bottle. This causes outside air to be drawn in, pulling the balloon in and inflating it inside the bottle.

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Fun Friday

Some Funny Fathers Day Jokes:
A little girl asked her dad," You are the boss in our house , right?" The dad happily said, "Yes, I am". The little girl continued ,"That's because Mommy said so, right?"

One day a Dad trying to discpline his children called his kids and said "The person who listens to Mommy, who does'nt talk back to her , and does what she says will win a prize". The three kids said," We know , we know , you get the prize"