Mancala is a game that I loved to play when I was little, and still love to play today. I didn't know the name of it however, until a few years ago. My family always called it "The African Stone Game". I have yet to get a real Mancala board for my own family but I do think Nutty is old enough to learn how to play. That's where this Mancala Easter Style comes in! I was playing with an empty egg carton and some jelly beans working on another project when suddenly I realized that the egg carton and jelly beans looked like a Mancala board! I tripple double counted the holes in the egg carton and on a couple of Mancala boards I found on the internet, and yes, they did match! Yahoo! I can now teach Nutty how to play Mancala! Here's what you'll need to teach your kids how to play: Egg carton Jelly beans (24 to be exact) Glue (optional) Paint (optional) Ok, a few disclaimers before we begin: 1) The following pictures are a reinactment soley for the purpose of this … [Read more...]
50 things (other than candy) to put in your child’s Easter basket
Candy overload?!!! It seems like once the Halloween candy was gone then the Christmas candy came and when that was gone then the Valentine's candy arrived....so now Easter candy too? Ugh! My kids like candy like every other child out there, but we thought it might be fun to share some ideas of what to stuff their Easter baskets with other than candy that won't break the bank. Without further ado... 50 non-candy Easter basket ideas... 50. Sunglasses for the coming sunny months 49. Deck of cards, go fish or old maid work great too- my kids think this is the coolest thing ever! 48. A bag of balloons- for water balloon fights this summer 47. Lip balm or lip gloss- my kids go crazy over this one! 46. Terracotta pot- paint it together and plant something pretty 45. Seeds (for planting their favorite colored flower or vegetable) 44. A new book- who doesn't like a new book? 43. A new DVD 42. Puzzles 41. Digital photo frame- get those pictures off your computer and phone! 40. … [Read more...]
Toilet Paper Roll Bunnies
I've seen lots of variations of toilet paper roll bunnies. Most involve keeping the toilet paper roll whole. I had every intention of doing one of those type of bunnies with my girls until I started to make toilet paper roll flowers with them. Huh? What--you ask? What do toilet paper roll flowers have to do with TP roll bunnies? Nothing really, except that the cut up roll happened to sit on my table similar to what you see below and I thought to myself, "now this is a good bunny!" Here's what you'll need to make your own toilet paper roll bunnies like we did: Toilet paper rolls (duh!) Paint (optional) Glue 5 paper clips per TP roll Step 1) Have your kids paint their toilet paper rolls. This step is completely optional as the bunnies look just fine plain brown. I painted my bunny white but my girls both insisted on painting theirs rainbow colors for spring. Step 2) Let the toilet paper rolls dry. Step 3) Cut the toilet paper roll in half. … [Read more...]
Spring Time Marshmallow Kabobs
Sugar + Marshmallows (more sugar) + Skewers= Springtime Marshmallow Kabobs Here is what you need: marshmallows scissors skewers colored sugar Snip the ends of the mallows off so that you expose them and make them sticky. Smoosh both sides of the mallows in the colored sugar and push them onto the skewers. Sit back and enjoy! I limited my kids to 4 mallows cause I figured that was about the max amount of sugar necessary for one period of time. Have you ever made mallow kabobs? … [Read more...]
Easter Bunny Foot Prints
It never ceases to amaze me how something simple can be SO big! What am I talking about? Bunny prints, that's what. My mom never hid my Easter basket and I always wished she did. I decided long ago that I would hid the baskets, but last year I took it a step farther, further, farther? Which is correct? Hmmm, I dunno. I drew some bunny-shaped prints on a piece of paper and then photo copied it several times. I had full intentions of cutting the feet out, but after one set I decided that idea was over rated! So I grabbed my pink marker and traced them. I spread them all over the house in a trail that led the kids to the baskets. They LOVED it! This year I'm going to take it another step farther, further, farther? Shoot, I don't know the grammatically correct word there. I'm planning on making a cut out pattern and sprinkling a VERY light amount of flour to leave prints throughout the house. Low and behold after a bit of track following their baskets were found! I think this … [Read more...]
Paper Mache Easter Eggs
Easter was always a fun time for crafts for with family. My mom always had fun stuff for my sister and me to do. One of my favorite things was making paper mache Easter eggs. This year I decided to make them with my girls. Remember my paper mache maracas? Well, this is not one of those posts. These turned out absolutely adorable! My girls thought these were just as fun to make as I remember they were at that age. In fact, I still think they are really fun to make! To make your own paper mache Easter eggs you'll need: Flour Water Newspaper Balloons Paint Anything you want to put inside Step 1) Have your kids cut up newspaper into strips. Step 2) While your kids are cutting up the newspaper, use a mixer to blend four and water. Mix 3/4 cup flour to 1 cup water. Step 3) Cover your table with uncut newspaper to prevent the paste from getting all over. Step 4) Dip a strip of newspaper in the paste and slide your fingers down to get rid of any … [Read more...]
