Faith, Family, Friends, Fellowship, Food, and Fun



Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Texas Aggie Cookies



I finally got to make some Aggie cookies for a customer. I see a few things I will do better next time, but these are not bad for the first batch.


For more cookie pictures, or for ordering information, check out Sweet Station on Facebook.

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

All Saints' Day

I did it! I made some simple saint costumes using pillowcases thanks to Catholic Icing and Shower of Roses. Another suggestion from Lacy at CI was to use a t-shirt that is turned inside out. If you cut out the neckhole just right, you get a little St. Francis cap, too.

Here they are: Blessed Kateri, my little angel, and St. Dominic.

I'm already planning for next year.

Monday, October 31, 2011

Costumes for All Saints' Day

I am a procrastinator this year....no, I just didn't have time to even try to put together costumes for my kids. I just started my candy/cookie business on October 1, and it's off to a good start so I've dedicated a lot of time to that.

I must admit my knowledge of saints is still in the beginning stage and since this will be the first year we can attend the celebration, I am frantically trying to put something together. I quickly turned to Catholic Icing for ideas. There are so many wonderful ideas that I became overwhelmed and started putting them altogether in a spreadsheet. That's my OCD kicking in and it's okay if you laugh at me. Anyway, I found that all you really need is a good robe (pillowcase with holes cut or an adult t-shirt turned inside out if you're really in a hurry) in brown, white, black, maybe red or green. For a veil, you could use a skirt. Some costumes require rope around the waist. Then you add some accessories. It seems so much simpler when written this way, but looking at all the fabulous ideas on the blog was overwhelming.

So I stayed up a litle late last night making a spreadsheet. I am grouping all girls' costumes and then all boys'. Then I am grouping them by color of robe. Last is a column listing what accessories are needed. It makes it seem so much simpler (in my head at least).

If anyone can tell me how to attach a spreadsheet or put it on a website you can link to, let me know so I can share. Until then, if you leave your email address, I'll be happy to email a copy of the unfinished spreadsheet to you.

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Snack Time- Time Saver




For the first week of school, I found myself arguing with the kids about which snacks they could have. I wasted so much time trying to explain what was healthy and what was not, so I made a list of acceptable snacks. Then I made this picture "menu" so the kids could choose for themselves. The first few days we used it, they tried to ask me if they could have Oreos or candy. I just pointed them over to the pictures and told them if it isn't there, they can't have it. Now they take care of their own snacks and I have more time to get the smaller kids theirs.


This list comes in handy when I am making my grocery list as well.

Friday, October 7, 2011

#160 Make Your Own Puzzles




















I was cutting boxes to make slotted disks when Lauren took the pieces and started putting them back together. It hit me that I could make my own puzzles using empty food boxes. You can make simple puzzles for 2-3 years olds by cutting 4-6 squares out of a picture with few details (Cap'n Crunch Cereal), or you can make them harder by cutting more squares, and by using scissors with different patterns.
For over 150 more fun and inexpensive things to do with kids, check out my Summer Bucket List.
You will need:
empty boxes, scissors, a paper cutter, baggies, pencil, ruler


1) Cut the face of the box away from the rest of the box.


2) Using a ruler, draw your puzzle design on the back. The more puzzles I made, the more designs I created.


3) Using scissors or a paper cutter, cut the pieces out.


4) Store in a baggie.

Saturday, September 10, 2011

#103 Marble Painting

You will need:
masking tape
cardstock
tempera paint
scissors
small containers for paint
lots of marbles
paper towels
another adult to help you if you have more than one child
a container to roll the marbles in such as a cut cereal box. Make sure it is 1" wider than the paper on all sides. Flats from soda cases are the best. 1. Fill containers with enough paint to cover the marbles.

2. Tape the paper inside the box.

3. Drop 2-3 marbles in the paint and swirl the container, making sure you cover the marbles.

4. Take the marbles out and place them on the paper.

5. Tilt the box back and forth to create different patterns.
6. Repeat with different colors.






7. Let dry and carefully remove from the cardboard.





Each masterpeice is unique, just like my kids.

For over 200 more ideas of Summer Fun, click here.

Shaving Cream Swirl Art

This activity was so much fun...and just as messy. This must be done outside, trust meIf your kids are young like mone, you will need an adult helper. 1. Spread a layer of shaving cream as easily as you can into a glass or plastic container.

2. Squirt a few drops of paint into the shaving cream. Repeat, making sure you keep the colors apart. We squirt ours into the 4 corners.

3. Run a knife back and forth, creating a swirl pattern.


4. Lay a piece of cardstock onto the shaving cream and pat it down, making sure every part of the paper is making contact with the shaving cream. 5. Lift the paper and quickly scrape the excess shaving cream off with a knife or paper towel. The knife left neat marks.

6. Let your masterpiece dry while you make more.

7. My kids probably would have used a whole ream of cardstock if I would have let them. Let the pages dry, pressing them under weighted items to prevent curling.

8. You can use the finished product to make cards.

Costume Organization



There are 2 little girls in our family and both of them LOVE dressing up. Our little boy likes to dress up in his old Halloween costumes, too. We used to put their costumes in a basket, but we just ran out of room. This is my solution.

Organizing my arts and crafts supplies


I have seen this idea on several blogs and in the Lowe's magazine. I decided to organize my arts and crafts supplies, but now I want to buy another shoe organizer to hang in the pantry and keep all my pasta bags, seasoning packets, chocolate chip morsels, etc.... anything that comes in a bag.

Monday, August 29, 2011

Get Ready For School Routine ...a little trick to make it better.



My oldest has ADD. When she was in KG, each and every morning was a struggle no matter how much we prepped the night before, however, we did not know at that time that she had ADD. In first grade she was diagnosed so it made my husband and I more patient, but it was still frustrating, especially since the medicine does not kick in until we have left for school.


Lauren started 2nd grade this year and Caleb started Kindergarten. We wake them both up at 6:30. Caleb is ready no later than 7. Lauren needs constant reminders on eating, putting her socks and shoes on QUICKLY, brushing her teeth, and letting me do her hair. She is sooo sloooow. We even turn the TV off which isn't fair to the little ones. This doesn't make for a great morning for anybody.


I racked my brain for a better system. A picture chore chart might work for some, but she does some things upstairs and some things downstairs. Plus, out of sight, out of mind. The chart must go with her.


It finally hit me.


I bought a package of 5 plastic bracelets at King Dollar, and I wrote a task on each one. 1) Get dressed; 2) Eat; 3) Socks and Shoes; 4) Brush your teeth; 5) Hair. When my husband or I wake her up, we put the bracelets on her. After she completes a task, she takes the bracelet off.


It worked beautifully this morning. I am not sure it made her go much faster, but there was a lot less arguing and nagging on our part and she could look at her wrist to see what was left to do.


Monday, August 8, 2011

Road Trip Fun for Kids


NOTE: For a list of over 200 free and inexpensive things to do with kids, see my Summer Bucket List here.

We are about to go to Austin for a few days and from there we have decided to head to the beach. With 4 kids. Under that age of 7. You know what that means. Fighting. Lots of fighting.

When we drove to my aunt and uncle's house last month, I started making up my own Road Trip Bingo. I brainstormed things the kids would see along the way. I tried not to have too many restaurants. I added water towers and oil derricks. I came home and created my own bingo boards using a simple spreadsheet and pictures I copied from the internet. Since my kids ARE so young, the method of play will be simple. Anytime the kids see one of the items on their sheet, they will mark it off of their board. I'm not sure there will be a prize for the 1st one to finish, but we're thinking of having "good behavior tickets" and we may give them some extra tickets upon completion.



Another idea I'm excited about is one I found on I Can Teach My Child blog. Make your won Paint With Water pages....pack them in a gallon-sized ziplock bag...add a paintbrush....don't forget your cup with a lid and a strawhole for the paintbrush and you're ready to go.

Also going in the baggies are these printable hidden pictures from Highlights magazine. There are 2 pages so be sure you click to see the next page. The 2nd page has about 138 more pages.
I have printed wordsearches for my older kids and here are some "What is Different" pages. Here is another one by Family Fun.
Here are 400 travel game ideas on Family Fun's website.
I am trying to find some "Crack the Code" pages. If I had more time, I'd make my own using my rubber stamp collection. I suppose you could use the symbols on your computer as well.

You could play The Alphabet Game. Start with the letter "A" and find one on a sign, truck, building or license plate, say the word and then move on to the next letter. You can do this as a competition or together as a family for the younger beginning readers. The first one to get to the letter "Z" is the winner!
Another version of this game:
Someone picks a theme (foods, animals, places, girl names, boy names, bands, songs etc) and you pick an item that corresponds with each letter of the alphabet. You can do this several ways... We usually go Person 1: A, Person 2: B, Person 3: C, etc,. But you can do it where each person does A and then each person does B. If you want to get competitive about it, you can do one letter until someone can't think of an item, and that person loses that round!

How about The License Plate Game:Print a U.S. map off the computer and color in the states as you see license plates from each one. For smaller kids, you could copy and paste pictures of each states' license plate.

Pass around a "Treasure Bottle": Use a large soda bottle or a large clean peanut butter jar. Fill it no more than 2/3 full with uncooked rice or birdseed. Then put in about 20-25 small objects (safety pin, plastic bugs, button, M&M, nut, bolt, paper clip, penny, bead, piece of macaroni, tiny lego, and other misc. toy pieces or stuff that is probably rolling around in your kitchen junk drawer.) Keep a count of the items and write down the number of items on the outside of the bottle. Put the lid on tight. Let the kids take turns rolling the bottle around in their hands until they find them all. Kids of all ages love this game. You can make more than one treasure bottle so kids don't have to take turns - put different items in different bottles

Play "Find 100": Choose a color or an object and then count them until you find 100 of that item. Popular Find 100 items are American flags, statues, rivers, water falls, churches, red cars, etc. A competitive variation has each person choose a different item or color of car that passes you, and have a race to 100

There are many more ideas out there. Check out Momsminivan.com for more ideas with printables.

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Summer Bucket List #1 Dye pasta or rice

You will need:

Dried pasta of all shapes and sizes or rice

rubbing alcohol

snack bags

food coloring

measuring cups

yarn to make necklaces or bracelets


1. Add about 1/2 c pasta to snack-sized baggies. We had 8 different colors so we started with 8 baggies.

2. Add 1/8 c alcohol, or just enough to coat the pasta.

3. Add about 4 drops of food coloring and mix the pasta around until mixed and coated.
4. Allow the pasta to sit, turning every 20 minutes or so, for about an hour.

5. Remove pasta to a tray to finish drying.

6. Let kids make jewelry.









Tuesday, July 19, 2011

My Sweet Spencer

I am ashamed to admit that I don't have a journal for Spencer. He is #4 and I always feel like I am chasing my tail around so I'm going to start here and hopefully buy that journal soon.

Today when Spencer woke up from his nap, he was a little fussy so I gave him his milk. He put it down and did the baby sign for "eat" and even told me, "Eeeee." I'm not sure if my other kids were signing at this age, but we're so excited to be able to communicate with him.

His first word was "duck" but it took us some time to figure out what he has been saying because it comes out, "guck."

So many exciting milestones are in the near future.

Thursday, July 7, 2011

Supplies in my Supply Closet

I have made a list of just about everything you need to complete my Summer Fun Bucket List.

Bingo stampers (dot)
Borax (For MYO Bouncy Balls)
Bubble Wands
Buttons
Candy Molds (Plastic, found at hobby stores in cake decorating)
cardboard from cereal boxes
Cardstock
Colored pencils
Cookie Sheets
Corn syrup
Cornstarch
Cotton balls
Cotton swabs
Crayons
Different colored Sharpies
Dishwashing liquid-Dawn
Dixie cups or empty yogurt containers
Empty boxes of all sizes for #s 58, 151, 147, 160, 155, and 60)
Empty plastic containers with spouts for #148 (syrup, ketchup, jelly)
Extra white flat sheets for painting
Felt
Flour
flour-self rising
Foam stamps for painting
Foil cupcake liners
Foil-heavy gauge (for #159)
Food coloring
Fuzzy balls
Giant boxes
Glass Jars (empty)
Glitter
Glue-Elmer's
Goggle eyes
Hole punch
Ice cube trays (different shapes)
Ink pads and rubber stamps
Kool-Aid packs (for #25 and SnS watercolors)
Lemon Juice for #115
Liquid bluing (crystal rock garden)
Liquid dish soap
Liquid starch
Marbles
Markers
Medicine droppers
marshmallows
Muffin tins
Old toothbrushes
Paint by Number ($ Tree)
Paint Rollers
paint: powdered tempera,fingerpaints, etc...
Paintbrushes (various sizes)
paper
Paper bags big and small
Paper cutters (scrapbook style)
Paper on a roll
paper plates
Paper towel tubes
pasta-different shapes
Perler beads
Pipe cleaners
Plaster of Paris figures to paint
Plastic squeeze bottles
Popsicle sticks
Print Doodle Art Pages
PVC Pipes
Q-Tips
Rice
Rock salt
Rocks to paint
Rubber gloves
Salt
Sand
Sand molds (found 2/$1 at Dollar Tree)
Scissors
Sequins
Sharpies (all colors)
Shaving cream
sheet (flat)
Shortening
Small paper cups (Dixie Cups)
Soil & seeds & pots
Sponges
Spray bottles-check dollar store
Squirt Bottles (saline solution)
Stencils
Stepping Stone kits
Stick-on jewels
Straws
String
Sun Catchers to paint
Tempera paint
Tissue paper squares
Toothbrushes for #152 (6/$1 at Dollar Tree)
Toothpicks
unsweetened Kool-Aid mix
Vegetable Cans
Vegetable Oil
Vinegar (MYO watercolors)
Water colors
Wax paper
Wrapping paper tubes

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Summertime Fun "Bucket List"



For a complete list of supplies I have on hand (aka shopping list), click here.

Summertime fun does not have to cost a lot of money. Being the OCD listmaker that I am, I have a list of things I am going to do with my kids this summer. I am grateful to those that have shared their ideas with me.

If you choose, you can make your list on index cards and put them in a cute "bucket" so the kids can choose their activity of the day.

If you have several friends who are interested, you could have a craft day where each mom prepares the materials for one craft and you set up tables at someone's house where the children can go from table to table doing many different crafts.

1) Dye pasta/rice and let kids create jewelry and pictures.{Pasta, yarn, alcohol, baggies, food coloring}
2) Paint rocks (I don't know why, but kids love to do this). A note from my friend, Sandy, an experienced KG teacher and mom of 4 grown children:have your kids paint two rocks---one white, one black. Put out in the sun for a couple of hours, and then go check on them. The white rock will not be as hot as the black. Then... they could paint them according to the temp (white rocks....snow pic; black rocks---orange sun, etc {Paint and rocks}
3) Make stepping stones (kits at Hobby Lobby) and paint these.
4) Paint by number (at Dollar Tree).
5) Fingerpaint. Click here for a recipe to make your own.{liquid starch, powdered tempera paint, freezer paper}
6) Paint with foam stamps and rollers (Oriental Trading Company has 2 sets).
7) Print Doodle Art pages and color
8) Homemade crayons-Melt little crayon stubs in foil cupcake liners. Cool and color with your new creation. See #208 for another idea for old crayons.
9) Bingo stamper (dot marker) coloring pages from Oriental Trading Company. Here are some free printable dot pages from DLTK, Making Friends, and Early Learning Activities.
10) Paint little plaster of Paris figurines found at Wal-Mart or Oriental Trading Company.
11) Paint sun catchers
12) Paint salt dough ornaments {flour, salt, water}
13) Father's Day: Make a crossword or wordsearch about Daddy
14) Father's Day: Make a pennant banner
15) Father's Day: 10 things I love about Daddy
16) Father's Day:Using a transparency and Sharpie markers, make a stained glass picture for Dad.
17) Father's Day: Make a questionnaire for the kids to answer about Dad's favorite things.
18) Father's Day: Use tissue paper squares to make the word "Dad" or "Father"
19) Use perler beads (fusion beads) to make a picture for Dad.
20) Do rubbings of leaves, coins, a comb, etc...
21) Sand art- buy empty bottles at Hobby Lobby or Oriental Trading Company. Recipe to make your own colored sand here.



22) Make fingerprint pictures
24) Make stick puppets and have a puppet show
25) Make homemade popsicles
26) Make paper bag costumes/vests
27) Decorate visors with jewels or foam shapes
28) Make a windsock
29) Make a mobile
30) Make a mosaic with paper or tile pieces
31) Make Rice Krispie Treats
32) Make homemade ice cream
33) Make ice cream in a ziplock baggie recipe here. {milk, sugar, vanilla}
34) Make homemade play-doh recipe here. {flour, salt, unsweetened Kool-Aid, vegetab
35) Ice Sculpting: Make lots of ice cubes (we have different shaped ice trays), drop food coloring in them, and let the kids build scupltures outside.Here are some pics of my kids with their ice cubes.
36) Go to a pottery painting place. Ours has specials on Wednesday.
37) Go bowling. Grand Sation has bowling, an arcade, laser tag, and mini-golf. Scroll down for Kids Bowl Free info. It's M-W, F 10-7, and Th 10-4.
38) Find out if your theater has specials for the summer. Ours has a $1 movie each Tuesday and Wednesday.
39) See if your library has a summer reading club. Our library has events for kids every Tuesday.
40) See if your bookstore (Half-Price Books) has a summer reading club. Ours does, if kids read 15 minutes each night, they get a $5 gift card. Barnes and Noble gives a free book after each child has read 8 books. H-E-B will give away a T-shirt after 10 books are read.
41) Get snow cones or buy a Snoopy Snow Cone machine and make them yourselves.
42) Go to the closest zoo. I have heard Cameron Park Zoo in Waco is nice and there's a splashpad nearby.
43) Go on a family bike ride.
44) Just play in the sandbox
45) Go to the closest Children's Museum. Admission is $5 each at the Children's Museum of the Brazos Valley.
46) Go ice skating at Arctic Wolf.
47) Go to a waterpark
48) Go to an amusement park
49) Go to the beach
50) Go fishing
51) Go camping (even in the backyard). It hits 100 degrees here daily so we could even set up a 2-3 man tent in the house.
52) Go ride Go Carts
53) Play miniature golf
54) Go to the Omni if you have one
55) Games Day
56) Puzzles Day- We have found tons of great puzzles at Dollar Tree. Dora, Princesses, Tinker Bell, Cars, Mickey Mouse, Pooh, and more.
57) Gather giant boxes and let the kids make a "city" in the backyard (firestation, school, McDonald's). Check out these adorable pictures from Frugal Family Fun blog.
58) Spray bottle painting. I found this blog with more examples. I bought each of my kids a white flat sheet at Anna's Linens for $4.99. Can't wait to let the kids loose on this one. {sheet, liquid watercolor paint, spray bottles}
59) Lite Brite
60) Spin Art
61) Lemonade Stand
62) Make S'mores
63) Plant a garden
64) Make soap
65) Make candles
66) Play dress-up with the girls (make-up, mani/pedi, and hair) or have a spa day.
67) Indoor scavenger hunt (save for a rainy day)
68) Outdoor scavenger hunt
69) 4th of July-Handprint painting flag (palm is blue, fingers alternate red and white)
70) 4th of July-Paint popsicle sticks like U.S. flag
71) 4th of July- Use red, white, and blue stars to create a sign for the door
72) 4th of July- Make a windsock
73) 4th of July- Make these cute stars to hang or use as a table decoration
74) Make a fort with blankets (rainy day)
75) Let the kids make a scrapbook using all the pictures you took of their Summer Fun.
76) Make a "fortune teller" to decide what to do today. See blog post with pictures here.
77) Go to a splash pad.
78) Create a sprinkler fun zone in your yard (Slip 'n slide, etc...) Family Fun magazine had a cute "kid" car wash you can make out of PVC pipes.
79) Alphabet scavenger hunt- kids must find something that starts with A, then B, etc.... through Z
80) Camera/picture scavenger hunt- if you trust your kids with your camera, send them out to take pics of certain things. We did this with our youth group and had to take pics in a phone booth, on a bridge, etc....
81) Make homemade bubbles. Recipe here. Dollar Tree has giant wands, or you can make your own. {corn syrup, dishwashing liquid}
82) Make homemade goop. Recipe here. {cornstarch, water, food coloring}
83) Make homemade sidewalk chalk.
84) Monoprint painting. See here. {tempera paint, cookie sheet, cotton swabs, paper}
85) Fly kites
86) Make face and body paint. See here. {vegetable shortning, cornstarch, food coloring}
87) Go to an outdoor concert. Here in Aggieland we have the Wolf Pen Amphitheater Saturday night concerts.
88) Service project: contact the local food bank and find out what they are in greatest need of, then ask friends and neighbors to help.
89) Buy window markers and let the kids go crazy...as long as they clean the windows when finished.
90) Make a pyramid out of empty vegetable cans and throw a ball to see how many you can knock down.
91) Make a birdseed biscuit. {birdseed, flour, water, cookie cutter, oil, foil, cookie sheet, straw, ribbon}
92) Make a time capsule.
93) Make homemade lollipops. {light corn syrup, sugar, flavoring oil, food coloring, water, lollipop sticks}
94) Make Jell-o
95) Make cupcakes together
96) Visit new local parks. College Station has over 5 great public parks that have covers over the play equipment. Feed the ducks while you're there!
97) Make liquid sidewalk chalk. {1 c water, 1 c cornstarch, coloring}
98) Make homemade puffy paint.
99) Milk art
100) Movie time at home: make popcorn and have everyone's favorite candy on hand.
101) Texture scavenger hunt: You have to see this blog to appreciate. You make rubbings of certain things around the house and the kids have to figure out what it was.
102) Close-up picture scavenger hunt-Again, you have to see this blog to appreciate. Take pictures of various objects so close, that you only see a pattern. The kids have to find the item in the house.
103) Homemade marbled paper with shaving cream. Another great idea from the Having Fun at Home blog.
104) Ice cube painting. Here are some pics of my kids playing with their colored ice cubes.
105) Make fluffy flip-flops.
106) Paper dolls-My daughter was flipping through one of my activity books and found instructions on making paper dolls. I couldn't believe how excited she was. I got out some scrapbooking templates that have lots of different clothes and hair-styles and she couldn't wait to get started.
107) Paper mache
108) If you're really brave, set out a flat sheet or LARGE piece of paper for each child, plus all your painting supplies that they've already learned how to use, and see what creation they come up with.
109) Rinse out empty soup and veggie cans and let the kids paint them to help organize supplies: paintbrushes, scissors, popsicle sticks, etc....
110) Make "Gooey Gunk"
111) Make "Scratch & Sniff Watercolors"
112) Make "Bathtub Finger Paints"
113) Make "Funny Putty" aka Silly Putty
114) Make your own "Shrinky Dinks" here on Skip to my Lou blog.
115) Make "Invisible Ink"
116) Make "Magic Bubble Paint"
117) Make "Cotton Clay"
118) Buy a 3 foot wooden "stake" at Home Depot or Lowe's. Ask for some wood scraps and let the kids paint yard signs.
119) Make "Jewel & Gem Goop."
120) Make "Sand Castle Clay". Get your sand molds ready. We have found several at Dollar Tree.
121) Make "3-D Puffy Sand"
122) Make "Spray Chalk"
123) Make your own garden stones.
124) Make your own "Crystal Rock Garden."



125) Make "Cool Crayons"
126) Let the kids make/paint their own T-shirts
127) Make your own "Moon Sand" by Domestic Charm.
128) Ride a train.
129) Make "Homemade Bouncy Balls" by I Can Teach My Child blog.
130) 4th of July: Make and decorate sugar cookies: star, flag, US, bell, etc...
131) Fill an ice chest with water and different squirters, pitchers, etc... I found this idea on I Can Teach My Child
132) Make edible sand....again from I Can Teach My Child. I love her ideas.
133) Go to a baseball game. I wish we still lived close to the Texas Rangers, but even though was are in a small town, we can still go watch The Aggies or the Bryan Bombers.
134) Go to Chuck E Cheese for no reason other than summertime fun! Check out their website for charts where kids can earn tokens.
135) Put out a bag of marshmallows and a box of toothpicks and see what the kids can make.
136) Outdoor games: hopscotch, 2 square or 4 square, drop popsicle sticks into empty milk jugs, etc...
137) Attend a Saturday kids' workshop at Home Depot or Lowe's.
138) Attend Little Chef's School at H-E-B. Here in College Station it is Tuesday mornings and it is FREE! Click here to see my cuties taking the class.
139) Make an alphabet mat and do the activities suggested here on I Can Teach My Child.
140) Use Duplo or Mega Blocks to make math problems....there are so many options depending on your child's grade level. For pre-k you can write a numeral (8) on one block and then draw 8 objects on another block. Repeat until you have a variety. For older children you could show them how to snap 3+3+2 "pictures" to equal 8.
141) Make window paint found here on Living at the Whitehead Zoo blogspot. Let the kids paint the windows and clean them when they are finished.
142) Make your own watercolors from I Can Teach My Child. Then, when the kids are finished, use the leftovers to do #143.
143) Make your own Paint with Water Pages. I LOVED these books as a child and was so bummed to find you can't buy them at stores anymore. I can't wait to make these pages for my kids.
144) Get ready for bed as usual and go out for an ice cream treat in jammies.
145) 4th of July- Make these adorable Patriotic Paper Starbursts.
146) Father's Day: Make a treasure hunt for Dad to follow to find his gift(s).
147) Make these slotted disks from Having Fun at Home blog and let the kids build and build.
148) Make a water-wall using empty plastic bottles and containers, zip ties, and a strong board to fasten them to such as plywood). I found this idea on Share and Remember.
149) Blow straw painting found here on Family Fun.
150) Make a stained glass picture like this one.
151) Marble painting as seen here at Things to Make and Do.
152) Splatter Painting also found on Things to Make and Do blog.
153) Make your own Rainbow Crayons found here on Papersnitch Blog.
154) Make your own marble maze using old wrapping paper cardboard tubes-found here on Family Fun. Here is a similar idea using paper towel and toilet paper tubes.
155) Marble-ous Maze is where kids use straws and a shoe box lid or an empty box to create their own maze. Found here on Family Fun.
156) Play "Marble Launch" using an old pool noodle and some marbles.
157) Let the kids transform a window into "Non-Staining Glass" using tissue paper squares, plastic wrap, a glue stick, and a window.
158) Grab those annoying rubber spike balls (found at Dollar Tree), some tempera paint, and a large sheet, and let the kids make these "Monster Murals" found here at Family Fun.
159) Make these "Tin Types" using only scissors, Sharpies, and heavy gauge aluminum foil.
160) MYO puzzles- Cut the fronts off of several cereal boxes (cracker boxes, rice boxes, cookie boxes work too). On the back, divide the puzzle into as many pieces as you'd like, fewer pieces for smaller kids. Using a paper cutter, or fun-shaped scissors, cut out the pieces. My 6 year old pointed out she could color a picture on the back for a 2-sided puzzle.
161) Medicine dropper painting- Pick up some droppers for $1 each (with the squeeze end). Let the kids suction a small amount of paint and blow it out onto the paper.
162) Fun with Shaving Cream-Let the kids spray and play as found here on Kindergarten Creations. I like the idea of using dried markers, but you could also use food coloring.
163) Tether Ball-oon from Family Fun magazine. Let the kids use their spray bottles to send a balloon back and forth.
164) Check out this "Cool Ice Art" on Mom 2 Posh Little Divas blog.
165) Make these Snow Swabs from Family Fun.
166) MYO name stamps.Using scrap blocks of wood and Elmer's glue, write a name backwards and let it dry. Then the kids have their own name stamp.
167) MYO game, "Ask me anything" found here at Family Fun.
168) Make this awesome "Target Station" out of pool noodles from Family Fun and Parents.com.
169) A little bottle music from Family Fun.
170) Artist Trading Cards from Family Fun.
171) Play with alphabet scavenger hunt. Look around the town for objects that make letters (for example, the criss cross of a picnic table makes an 'X'. Take pics of your findings.
172) Letter perfect wall art.
173) Make homemade lava lamps using only empty water bottles, food coloring, vegetable oil, and Alka Seltzer.
174) Make awesome bead suncatcher by layering cheap plastic beads in ramekins or cake pans (no lining required), melt at 400 for 20 minutes. Let cool & then just flip them out. Drill a hole in it to make it a suncatcher. Found on Pinterest.                                        .
175) Make glow in the dark play dough. This blog, Play at Home, has a ton of ideas including glow-in-the-dark ideas. You could have a "Glow-in-the-Dark" night. Glow in the dark paint and silly putty recipes under "Adventures at Night."
176) "Mosaic" pictures out of beans.
177) Vinegar with food coloring volcanos by Preschool Alphabet blogspot.
178) Make these clay charms by Design Mom.comGlow in the dark silly putty, paint,
179) Make cloud dough from Juggling With Kids blog. 8 c flour and 1 c baby oil.
180) Dancing Oobleck-cornstarch and water mixture moves to sound so kids can visually experience sound waves.                                       
181) Colored glue suncatchers.
182) Baking soda mini volcanos
183) Homemade bathtub crayons
184) Tape painting on canvas from Let's Explore blog. Canvas + masking tape + acrylic craft paints = fun new rainbow art. Another idea, use a texture in each section (paint on bubble wrap and stamp onto canvas.
185) Salt painting-draw design with glue, pour salt over and touch with liquid watercolor paint, the paint will spread through the salt, no need to use brush strokes. Found on Housing A Forest blog.                            
186) Magnet painting
187) Color me wallpaper from Hey Awesome website. Found on Pinterest. Someone doodles on butcher paper roll (buy JUMBO at Sam's or small roll at IKEA). Hang the paper and the child(ren) fill in the spaces with markers.
188) Corn syrup paintings from eighteen 25 blog.
189) Make "Sun Print Cards" found here on Martha Stewart's site.
190) Make your own beads using white bread, glue, a few drops of lemon juice, and acrylic or tempera paint.
191) Make your own "TV" to tell a continuous story. You need a box, 2 dowels, and a roll of paper (IKEA).
192) Mess free finger painting by Hippie Housewife blog.
193) Salt dough ornament handprints from HomemadeGrits blogspot.
194) Family fingerprint ornament-2 cups flour, 1 cup salt, cold water. Mix until has consistency of play dough. Bake at 250 for 2 hours, then cool and spray with metallic paint.
195) "Use Your Noodle" game found here-Cut a few swimming noodles in two, so that you have one half for each player. Scatter 20 or so blown-up balloons on the ground around a laundry basket.Give players five minutes to move as many balloons as possible into the laundry basket without touching the balloons with any body part.
196) Starburst painting from Chalk in My Pocket blog. Use glue, salt, and watercolor. The glue makes the colors rise from the paper and the salt creates a 'starburst' look.
197) Alcohol, toothbrushes, and paint create these fabulous tiles found at Artsyville.
198) Set up a bicycle obstacle course, this link has a lot of great ideas.
199) Set up your own Olympics at home.
200) Make a time capsule. Include pictures of the family....a penny with the current year, etc...You decide when to open it
201) Horseshoe Junction and Blue Bell Creamery in Brenham.
202) Incredible Pizza in Conroe.
203) Coffee Filter Art: All you need is bingo dabbers and coffee filters. Check out this site.
204) Make this Rainbow Slime from Tot Treasures blog.  1 1/2 c clear glue and 1 1/2 c liquid starch plus a little food coloring.
205) Make some glue paint masterpieces. Add food coloring to glue. Stock up on glue  for .50 at Wal-Mart during back-to-school. I made 7 different colors, but if you buy the Neon Food Coloring in addition to the primary colors, you'll easily use 8. Then if you blend, the possibilities are endless. Use the colored glue to make pictures, window art, and even pendants.
206) Colored water absorption experiment: Check out All For Kids and do these quick and easy experiments to teach kids about the uptake of water as well as color blending. All you need is clear plastic cups, water, food coloring, and paper towels. No muss, no fuss!
207) Puffy Paint- All you need is self-rising flour, salt, and food coloring to make this cool paint. Let the kids paint on some cardboard and then microwave to see the puffing happen.
208) Melted Crayon Dot Art (Pointillism)- Pull out those old crayons for this one. You need crayons, a candle, pencil and small canvas or cardboard. For instructions scroll down on this site. I love the letter canvases she made.

Here is the link to part 2 (ideas 209-228)