How to make sidewalk chalk paint

This homemade sidewalk chalk paint is safe for the wee little ones that still like to eat everything in sight!  You can create this fun activity by involving the kids in both making it and then playing with it outside!  This is a great way to keep them busy this spring and summer!

how to make sidewalk chalk

 

Materials:

Cornstarch

Water

Food colouring

Bowls

Tablespoon

Paintbrushes

Wipes for clean up

 

Directions:

Mix together equal parts of cornstarch and water. Start off with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water. Mix together until you have a smooth consistency.  You shouldn't feel any drag from the cornstarch, but it also shouldn't be too liquify either. It should pour off your spoon and not leave a layer of cornstarch goo in the bowl or on your spoon. 

 

Now add the food colouring! You will want to make a few batches so you can have a few colours of chalk paint.

 

** Be sure your kids are wearing playclothes and wash hands after play.  It came off quite easy. It also washes off the sidewalk nicely too.

 

Submitted by momstown Winnipeg.

Posted by momstown team on 05/03/2013 - 11:08
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4 Fun Ways to Play with Chalk this Spring

I remember spending A LOT of time outdoors as a kid.  Our neighbourhood was full of kids so we were always out playing hide-and-seek, playing catch or causing a ruckus in someone’s backyard.  Thankfully my daughter also loves to be outside.  Our front yard is your typical suburban postage stamp of a yard and the back yard is, to put it nicely, the dog’s domain.

 

So we have to be creative with the space that we have and one of our favourite things is chalk.  Here is a list of a few different games you can play with the kids.

fun with chalk

1- Tic-Tac-Toe

Put a different spin on it and have the kids throw a stone to see what box they can put their X or O in. Or try this version called Tic-Tac-Oh No!

 

2- Hopscotch

It’s a classic.  Enough said!

 

3- Draw Shadows

Draw the outline of a shadow then colour it in.  When the sun or the object moves you’ll have captured its shadow.

 

4- TV Tag for Tots

Who didn’t love TV Tag as a kid?  Trying to stump your friends with the initials of your favourite TV shows.  In this version you can help kids learn to spell.  Use small words that young kids can recognize.  Draw a TV on the ground.  One person is “it” and writes the word then chases whoever says the correct word. If the guesser gets back to the TV without being caught, the other person is still “it”. If they get caught, they now become writer.  It may help to have an adult to help with the spelling.  This game also works really well in the sand since you can erase whatever you wrote in the TV.

 

You can even attempt to make your own sidewalk chalk.  Check out the recipe here.

 

Great ideas from momstown Ottawa.

Posted by momstown team on 05/03/2013 - 10:59
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Teapot Craft and Poem for Mother's Day

What could be better than having your child create a tea party just for you, this Mother's Day?  This simple and fun craft is great to do together at your tea party or even make for Grandma.

 

mother's day teapot craft and poem

 

 

Materials:

construction paper

markers

scissors

embellishments; glitter, stickers, rhinestones

printed poem;

 

I will try my best in every way,

to be extra sweet on Mother's Day.

But if you become upset with me,

Please relax and have a cup of tea!

 

 

Directions:

1.  Cut out a teapot shape from the construction paper.

2.  Print out the poem above, from your computer or ask older children to copy it onto paper.

3.  Decorate your teapot with embellishments.

4.  Enjoy a cup of tea and some tea sandwiches while you wait for it to dry!

 

Happy Mother's Day!

 

Submitted by momstown Brampton

Posted by momstown team on 05/03/2013 - 10:46
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Make a Simple Compass with your Preschooler

momstown moms and kids made a fun and easy preschool compass craft to go along with our educational curriculum of the month “Little Explorers”.  It is a simple activity, to help your preschooler learn about Science in a fun and interesting way.  Try it at home with a treasure hunt for a fun afternoon of learning and exploring!

 

Our Little Explorers and Little Scientists  gathered together to make some compasses.  Here's how we did it;

 

1. First we drew the face on our compass.

make your own compass

2.  Next we put a paperclip on it.

make your own compass for kids

3.  Then we 'magnetized' the paperclip by rubbing a magnet along it; Rub the magnet south TO north, and you have to make sure you only go in one direction (i.e. lift the magnet off the paper clip inbetween 'rubs').

make your own compass for kids

4.  When we put it in water, the compass turned in the water until it pointed North!

preschool compass

Submitted by momstown Burlington

 

 

Posted by momstown team on 04/22/2013 - 11:05
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Sensory Play with Spaghetti

The momstown Milton Baby Sensory group had a wriggly, squiggly time exploring cooked spaghetti!

 

sensory fun with spaghetti

 

Playing with cooked and coloured spaghetti is an inexpensive way to have some good sensory fun with our little ones. Babies as young as 5 months and preschoolers up to age 4 year old can have fun touching, tasting and creating art with spaghetti.  It looks like it would be a messy activity, but it isn't!  

 

Instructions:

 

1.  Boil 1lb of spaghetti in a large pot. Once it is cooked, drain it and separate into a couple of bowls.

2.  Add about 1/2 tsp oil to each bowl and some Wilton gel food colouring (start with a small dab, add more if needed). The oil helps keep the colour from running onto clothes (though make sure to use a spoon while you are mixing the colour into the spaghetti!).  

 

Aside from being a tad oily, no colour leaked onto clothing or hands!  We used a plastic table cloth on the kitchen floor and added some toys and tools for fun.   

 

For more ideas on how to engage your child in sensory play, visit momstown Milton.

 

Posted by momstown team on 04/22/2013 - 10:40
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momstown reads Good Night Canada at Tales for Tots program

momstown chapters host Tales for Tots programs in communities across Canada every month! This month's book from Scholastic Canada was "Good Night, Canada" by Andrea Beck.

 

good night canada tales for tots

It was a great complement to our Little Explorers theme for March - as the pages turn, each province and territory comes to life in this perfect bedtime book that sends out a 'goodnight' to friends from coast to coast.

 

good night canada tales for tots

momstown Burlington decorated a map of Canada - using cotton balls for snowy places, wheat for the prairies, and discovering landmarks across Canada!

 

good night canada tales for tots

momstown Brampton kiddos decorated Canada Flags with bingo dabbers - a little creative license on the colours (!) but a great tie-in to exploring our country.

 

good night canada tales for totsAnd in every chapter, one lucky mom brought home a copy of Good Night Canada to add to her child's collection!

 

Learn more about momstown's partnership with Scholastic and the Tales for Tots program - running monthly in momstown chapters across the country!

 

Posted by Teacher Mom on 04/12/2013 - 09:58
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