The Worms Crawl In, the Worms Crawl Out

I needed an excuse to get rid of this spaghetti since we made the switch to whole grains, didn't want it to just go to waste...First, boil spaghetti as directed on the box, rinse under cool water & drain.  Prepare paint (we did primary colors & green all in one pile).  Add "worms."  Kelsey at first asked, "How do I paint with worms? Do I need a paintbrush?"  I suggested, "Let's see if you can figure it out by using what we have here."

 Kelsey was very cautios at first (and they weren't even real, sheesh!).

Kelsey kept saying, "slither, slither!"

 I highly suggest feeding the kids BEFORE this activity... we then ate whole grain spaghetti "worms" for lunch, mmm!

Some Sparkle for the Stairway

I found canvases for $1.50 a piece; I'm so glad there were two in the clearance bins!  First we drew with Crayola No Drip Brush Pens.  We added glitter to our glue and then an assortment of things we had on hand: felt hearts, buttons, sequins...see the sparkle! 

 Kelsey's:

 Sydney's:

 Our new sparkly masterpieces for the "stairway"

Scrub a dub dub, two artists in a tub

You will need: one muffin tin per child (unless they are willing to share nicely), food coloring (i promise it won't stain, unless you have tile with grout!), paintbrushes (you could just use your fingers), shave cream, squeegee (optional), children in need of a bath... What to do: Squirt shave cream into each muffin tin. Squirt a drop or two of food coloring into each blob of shave cream. Mix. Paint walls and body. (Easily wipe from walls with a squeegee!)

Fairies All A Flutter

So how many times in a week will I rave about Michael's Craftstore? Many! We used a 40% off coupon and got a 6-pack of carboard wings (w/reinforced elastic armbands). First we dipped our watercolor pencils into small dishes of water (and then dumped said water, for a different approach ; ) ) When dry, we squirt glue and shook on glitter. Finally, these fairies (or butterflies, but these Tinkerbelle obsessed girls were definitely fairies) ran around the dining room table...

Practicing Perfect Penmanship

Practicing perfect penmanship...well not exactly.  I asked the girls if they wanted to write with "a quill, a pen from a long time ago."  They were both really excited.  So with another amazing deal from Michael's Craftstore: 75 cents for a bag of quill-like feathers and few other crafty items, we got to work.  We used empty play doh containers and cut a hole in the lids to make "ink wells."  On the first day, Kelsey used her feather as a quill.  On the second day she requested this activity again but instead used the feather as a brush. As with every project, Sydney ended with her hands as the brushes! (We did this in February, I'm just now getting "extra" time to make some posts so this isn't in chronological order!) 

A House is a Home

We can't get enough of Michael's Craft Store clearance bins...every Friday after gymnastics we venture over and pick out a crafty treat. Last week's steal... $1.25 wooden birdhouse.  We took advantage of this rainy day to paint a new home for some local friends of a feather.  Speaking of homes and friends... our best gals, The Buddenhagens, just moved to a new house and we're headed over for a play date.  I made a quick and easy snack to celebrate.  Graham Cracker Houses: Seperate graham cracker rectangles into squares by gently breaking along perferation.  To make a triangle roof, cut squares on an angle using a sharp knife.  Spread one traingle with some canned frosting and place atop a square.  Melt white baking chips in microwave and pour into a baggie to pipe on a door.  I used teeny gingerbread men sprinkles to stand in the doorway to welcome new guests.  ; )     (Please forgive my photo layout... everytime I attempt to do something "fancy" it ends in a catastrophe. So, until I have some REAL time, this will have to do!)