If your family is like mine, you neither have the time nor money to spend on a vacation for spring break. Though it would be fun to go somewhere warm and relaxing, it's just not feasible. Try these 10 spring break staycation ideas to help you and your kids feel like you had a vacation get-away even though you didn't. 1) Have a dance party I'm not talking about a small, spur of the moment dance party. I'm talking a full-blown dance party. Invite some friends over, blow up some balloons, find some funky lighting, and crank up the music! Turn your house into a dance club! 2) Put together a large puzzle It usually takes my family at least a week to put together a 2000-3000 piece puzzle. Ton of fun, entertaining, and a great bonding experience. 3) Do science experiments We've got some great science experiments right here on Toys In The Dryer. 4) Go camping inside Though it's spring, in MN it's still too cold to camp outside. Instead, grab some blankets and chairs and make … [Read more...]
9 Spring Activities For Kids
We're still getting some snow showers in Minnesota but it isn't sticking around. The daytime highs have been reaching at least 50 degrees. The grass is starting to green and the trees are budding. What does that mean? It's SPRING!! Today I bring you 9 must do spring activities for kids. 1) Cloud Watching Spring is the perfect time to watch the clouds as the weather is usually unstable which means more clouds in the sky. Get educational with your kids and predict the weather based on what clouds you see. 2) Begin a garden It's still too cold to plant outside for us right now but it's not too cold to start plants inside. It's fun to start your garden from seeds! 3) Fly a kite Spring makes great kite flying weather as it's usually a bit windy due to the weather changes. Make your own kite or buy a fun one from the store. 4) Family Bike Ride You've been cooped up all winter. It's time to get outside, enjoy the sun, and get some exercise! 5) Find a bird's nest Don't disturb the … [Read more...]
Minnesota Zoo #FarmBabies Is Baaaak
Farm Babies returns to the Minnesota Zoo for it's 15th year now through April 30th! Enjoy the sights and sounds of spring at the Wells Fargo Family Farm where there’s nothing cuter than baby chicks, piglets, lambs, calves, goat kids, and bunnies. In addition, throughout the Zoo there will be special “egg” enrichment treats for the animals including colored Jell-O eggs, piñatas, and hard-boiled eggs (exhibit locations and schedule listed below). Activities & Locations: Hay maze in the Machine Shed 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Family Craft Activity in the Granary Classroom (April 3 & 4) -11 a.m. -2 p.m. ”Peter Rabbit” Costume character (April 4) – 10 a.m. -1 p.m. Weekend Activities: 9 a.m. – Enrichment at Snow Monkeys 10 a.m. – Enrichment at Brown Bears 11 a.m. – Enrichment at Sea Otters or Meet a Bird Keeper at Tropics Trail 1 p.m. – Enrichment at River Otters 2 p.m. – Close Encounters at End of Tropics Trail University of Minnesota Bee Squad (April 18 … [Read more...]
Paint Blot Butterflies
The weather is slowly getting warmer and plants are beginning to bloom. That means we'll have butterflies hanging around before we know it! Tottie and I decided to do a paint blot butterfly craft to make our kitchen look a little more like spring. She had so much fun making these that she made four of them to hang on our patio window. To make your own you'll need: construction paper paint scissors pipe cleaners paint brushes (optional because you can use your fingers) Start by folding the paper in half then cutting it in half a butterfly shape. Paint on only half of the butterfly. Tottie liked to do just polka dots but lines and squiggles would look good too! Once you have half the butterfly painted, fold it back in half and press all over it so that the paint from one side transfers to the other side. When you open it up again you'll have paint blots that match on both sides! Make two small holes in the top of the butterfly body and … [Read more...]
Rain Storm In A Jar
Last week there were horrible tornadoes across the US so the girls and I made a tornado in a jar so I could teach them a little about how they form. Two nights ago we had horrible storms at our house which included greater than one inch hail. The girls and I did another experiment to talk about how rain and hail is formed. First off I'll tell you that you need shaving CREAM and not a gel-type shaving cream. I tried this with gel first and it was a failure. We went and got some cheap shaving cream at the store and started over. Fill your jar almost to the top with water then cover the water with shaving cream. Next put drops of blue food coloring all over the shaving cream. Use a dropper if you have one (we ended up using a baster as a dropper) to add small amounts of water over the food coloring drops. It will start to "rain" as the food coloring seeps through the "clouds" into the water. Rain forms when the clouds get a lot of water and then start to drip … [Read more...]
Tornado In A Jar
First, my thoughts and prayers go out to all those affected by the recent tornadoes in the central US. Because of all the news about these tornadeos, the girls have had a lot of questions. I thought we would do an experiment to hopefully answer some of those questions. Thus, we did a tornado in a jar. To make your own tornado, you'll need: a jar water a small amount of dish soap (about a teaspoon) 1) Fill the jar to almost full and add the dish soap. 2) Put the top on then shake it up to get some suds on the top. 3) Let the water settle out just a bit for the best results. 4) After the water has settled, shake the jar again in a circular motion. When you stop shaking, you should see a tornado form! 5) Let the water settle out again before making your next tornado. You can explain to your kids that tornadoes happen when two different air masses (usually a warm and a cold one) bump into each other. One mass moves faster than the other so they form a … [Read more...]
