Author: halverd

Materials
Chenille pipe cleaners
Pony beads

Directions
Have your child decide which shapes she wants to make the bubble wands—circles, hearts, ovals, etc. Form the shape at one end of the pipe cleaner, leaving a little extra bit to wrap around the body of the pipe cleaner in order to keep the shape. The bigger the shape, the bigger the bubbles.

Next, slide pony beads onto the pipe cleaner.  This is a great fine motor activity for your child. When all the beads are on the pipe cleaner, twist the end of the pipe cleaner to keep them from falling off.

Use the fun bubble wands for blowing bubbles. 

Materials
Small plastic cups to hold the paint mixture
Tempera paint in a variety of colors
Liquid dish soap
Water
Straws
Push pin
Small pieces of card stock

Directions
Using the push pin, poke a hole into the straws so your child can’t drink the paint/bubble solution. The hole will still allow him to blow bubbles, but it will be much more difficult to suck up the solution. You can also do the activity with food coloring instead, if you’re uncomfortable using paint.

Pour a small amount of paint to the bottom of a plastic cup. Then add a squirt of dish soap and fill the cup with a couple inches of water.  The solution should be thin enough so that when your child blows bubbles into the liquid, the bubbles expand over the top of the container. Invite your child to gently blow through the straw to make bubbles. As the bubble begin to expand over the top of the cup, invite your child to lightly press a small piece of paper over the bubbles. The bubbles will leave an interesting print on the paper. Add a variety of colors of bubbles to one piece of paper. Your child will enjoy looking at how the colors mix together on the paper.

Materials
1 box of spaghetti
Large plastic bin
Scoops, bowls, small pans, etc

Directions
Cook a small box of spaghetti.  Drain and rinse the spaghetti with tepid water to help cool it down.  Place the spaghetti in a large bin big enough to fit your baby who is able to sit up on her own.  Add small scoops, spoons, bowls, etc. to the bin and gently sit your baby in the bin.  Your baby will enjoy exploring the  smell of the pasta, and feeling its warmth and slipperiness.  

Have fun!

Materials
Sponges or art foam
Gallon Ziploc bag
Blue food coloring
Duct tape

Directions
Cut some fish shapes out of clean kitchen sponges and slip them into a gallon-sized resealable plastic bag.  Fill the bag halfway with water and add a few drops of blue food coloring.  For extra fun, add some glitter and/or shells. Seal the bag and cover the edges with duct tape to be sure it stays closed. Let your baby squeeze the fish and pat the bag while he is seated in his high chair or on the floor with you.

Spray bottles
Corn starch
Baking soda
Food coloring or washable watercolors
(For more vibrant colors, use tempera paint rather than food coloring.)

Directions
Fill the spray bottles 1/3 of the way with a baking soda and corn starch mixture, using roughly equal amounts of both ingredients.  Add a few drops of food coloring or washable watercolors, and then fill the bottles with very warm water, leaving a little space at the top of the bottle.    Use a butter knife or similar to stir the mixture as best you can, and then place the spray spouts on and shake the bottles really, really well.  You will want to shake the bottles once more just before play, as some of the corn starch does settle at the bottom of the bottles.

Invite your child to use the spray chalk to paint large murals or spray directly onto the sidewalk. Your child will love making colorful creations with the spray chalk.

Materials
Lego or Duplo bricks and figures
Plastic containers that can fit in your freezer
Water squirters, toy hammers, golf tees, brushes, etc.

Directions
Fill a plastic container ¼-full with water. Add in a selection of Legos and Duplos figures and bricks. Place this into the freezer overnight.  Remove from the freezer and add in some more Legos and Duplos. Fill almost to the top with water. Carefully transfer the container back into the freezer and let it freeze overnight.

When ready to play, remove the container from the freezer and place the container into a bowl of warm water for a few minutes. This will help to loosen the cube just enough to get it out of the container in one piece.  Place the cube onto a tray or into a larger plastic container and give your child water squirters, mini tools like small play hammers and golf tees, glue scrapers, brushes, spoons, and anything else you can think of to help them excavate the ice!

Then let your little one get busy! 

Ingredients
1/2 cup blueberries
2 kiwis
2 peaches
1/2 cup raspberries
1 cup strawberries
2 cups apple juice

Popsicle molds (purchased at Walmart or online at Amazon)

Directions
Peel and slice all of the fruit.  Fill each popsicle mold with as much fruit as possible. Use a popsicle stick to press the fruit against the sides of each mold. The more fruit you can press into the mold, the more colorful the fresh fruit popsicle with look. Use the blueberries and raspberries to fill the empty spaces and add to the top. 

Next, pour in the apple juice. Leave about 1/8″ between the top of the juice and the top of the mold since liquids expand when frozen. Place a popsicle stick in each mold. You should have two layers of fruit (one for each side of the mold), so it should be fairly easy to push the sticks into the popsicle mold. The fruit will hold the sticks in place.

Place the popsicles in the freezer overnight to freeze. Once frozen, remove popsicles from the molds. If you have trouble getting them out of the molds, just run the molds under hot water briefly to get them to release. 

Enjoy this refreshing summer treat!