From Amy McFadden: Check out the nearby Dollar General or other deep discount store for cheap selections for your VCR. Sure, they’re VHS format, but at $1 to $2 for Fisher Price Rescue Heroes, Animated Veggie Tales, Maisy, to mention a few, you can add variety to your video library for a pittance.  DVD to see:  Disney’s movie Cars.  If your child is going through a scary-sensitive stage, this flick has no villains and is just plain fun for the whole family.  In typical Disney/Pixar tradition, there are jokes and hidden quirks that make this movie watch-able time and again.

Snowflakes

Reuse your Annual Wall Calendars as Place Mats by Dawn Diveley

It really bothers me to throw away old calendars.  The pictures are so pretty; it would be nice to continue to enjoy them.  How about using them as place mats?  If you make several, your child can pick their place mat making meal time more fun.  I did this activity with my boys, and they loved it. 

Supplies needed:

Old calendar pictures

Stickers

Clear contact paper

 Let your child decorate the calendar picture with stickers to personalize it.  Cover the picture, back and front, with clear contact paper.  Trim around the edge, leaving about ¼ in. of contact paper to seal the picture in.  

• 1 paper plate

• 20-30 cotton balls

• Washable markers

• Scissors

• Craft glue

Cut the snowman out of the middle of the plate. Use the outer ring of the plate to make the hat, boots, buttons, nose and eyes of the snowman. Glue cotton balls on snowman body. Color hat, boots, buttons, nose and eyes of the snowman. Glue these items on top of cotton balls.

Although the smell of the commercial Play-Doh takes us all back to childhood days.  You don't have to buy it!  We have fun making it at home. 

It’s fast, inexpensive and great to share with friends.

Basic Recipe for Homemade Play Dough

Thank you to Leigh Milward for sharing this great recipe. The KoolAid mix provides color and scent to the dough; make a rainbow of colors and share with your friends.

3 cups flour

½ cup salt

1 Tablespoon cream of tartar

2 packages unsweetened KoolAid

2 cups boiling water

3 Tablespoons cooking oil

Mix dry ingredients in large bowl. Add oil and boiling water and stir quickly. Knead dough by hand when cool enough. Let cool thoroughly before storing. Store at room temperature in a Ziploc bag to keep it soft.

Fun Holiday Play Dough recipes  

Make a big batch and share with your friends.  Attach a few holiday cookie cutters for more sharing fun. 

Thank you to Beth Waldman, Director of Westminster Co-Op Preschool for sharing the Pumpkin Pie and Peppermint recipes. 

Pumpkin Pie Play Dough

This recipe makes plenty to share with friends!

5 ½ cups flour

2 cups salt

8 teaspoons cream of tartar

¾ cup oil

1 container ( 1 1/12 ounces) pumpkin pie spice (1 small jar)

Orange food coloring (2 parts yellow, 1 part red)

4 cups water

Mix all ingredients together in heavy saucepan.  Cook over medium heat and stir until lumps disappear and mixture pulls away from the sides of the pan.  Form into a ball, place on waxed paper.   Knead the dough until it is smooth.   Store in an airtight container or Ziploc bag.  

Peppermint Play Dough

Double this recipe is you want some to share with friends!

2 cups water

2 cups flour

1 cup salt

4 teaspoons cream of tartar

4 tablespoons oil

4 tablespoons peppermint extract 

Optional:  sprinkle some glitter in for sparkle & add green food coloring to tint.

Mix all ingredients together in a heavy saucepan.  Cook over medium heat stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until mixture thickens and pulls away from the sides of the pan.  Form dough into a ball, place on waxed paper and cool.   Store in an airtight container or Ziploc bag. 

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Make your own Sidewalk Chalk by Sarah Pehlman

Sarah tested this and said you might need to add a little more water than the recipe specifies. She found it easy to make, and it washed off the driveway in the first rain!

3/4 cup plaster of paris

1/4 cup water

1 tbsp. liquid tempera paint (I use washable paint with little kids!)

1. Mix ingredients

2. Spoon into toilet paper tubes upright on wax paper.

3. Push out bubbles with knife or straw.

4. Let dry a couple of hours.

5. Peel off cardboard.

6. Let dry overnight.

7. HAVE FUN!!!!

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Simple Racetrack

Use masking tape to make a racetrack or city roads on a carpeted floor. Let your child use vehicles to pretend with. When they are finished, pull the masking tape up. It will not leave a residue on carpet. This is a fun activity for children of any age.

• Coffee filters

• Scissors

Fold coffee filter in half then half again. Cut out circles, triangles, lines on the folds. Once done, open filter and let it snow!!

Summer Craft Idea

I recently found a great web site with educational items to purchase for our children’s activities for our local arts festival.

www.reallygoodstuff.com

We ordered the "reading hats" which the kids got to decorate and wear to match our storytime theme (The Cat in the Hat). These would be great for birthday parties too.

Freeze ice cubes with added food coloring. When they are frozen, put your child in their highchair and let them move the cubes around on paper to make a watercolor painting. This is a very easy activity for children as young as 8 or 9 months old.

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Girl and Boy Scouts Continue To Provide Important Opportunities by Allyson Strauch

Research shows the influence one caring adult has on a child will last a lifetime. Without adults playing many pivotal roles, Boy and Girl Scouting couldn’t happen. Whether you’re a parent or guardian, volunteer, or mentor, your involvement can make a difference!  Family involvement is an essential part of Scouting and parents are encouraged to play an active role in the program.

Scouting is all about personal leadership. It's about supporting children in their quest to be their best selves and helping them develop the confidence to make good choices throughout their lives.

Girl Scouts have fun, make friends and discover new places!  Girl Scouts go camping, visit museums, care for the environment, sell cookies, help people in the community, put on talent shows, and experiment with science. Girls can participate by joining a Girl Scout troop or by becoming an independent member.  Who can be a Girl Scout? Any girl who is between 5 and 17 years old can become a Girl Scout by accepting the Girl Scout Promise and Law and paying a $10 membership fee. No girl will be denied membership in Girl Scouts for financial reasons.                           

        Daisy Girl Scouts - Kindergarten or age 5

        Brownie Girl Scouts - First to third grade

        Junior Girl Scouts - Fourth to sixth grade

        Girl Scouts - Seventh through twelfth grade

        Girl Scouts, Land of Lincoln Council

www.girlscoutsllc.org

Phone: (217) 523-8159

E-mail: gsllc@girlscoutsllc.org

Boy Scouts Cub Scouting which includes boys ages 7-10, is a year-round program uniquely designed to meet the needs of young boys and their parents. The program offers fun and challenging activities that promote character development and physical fitness.

Service projects, ceremonies, games and other activities guide boys through the core values and give them a sense of personal achievement. Through positive peer group interaction and parental guidance, boys also learn honesty, bravery and respect.

Most people associate Boy Scouting with outdoor adventure - and for good reason. Scouting is an outdoor program designed to develop character, teamwork, learn to lead as well as follow, citizenship, and fitness. With the Scout Oath and Law as a guide, Scouting helps a boy develop into a well-rounded young man.        

Tiger Cubs - First grade or age 7

Cub Scouts - Second and third grade or ages 8 and 9

Webelos Scouts - Fourth and fifth grade or age 10

Boy Scouts - Boys ages 11-17

Scouting changes children and adults as well.  Scouting has changed with the times but remains "traditional."  Scouting puts you in touch with God's creation; it allows kids to interact with their peers in a positive way. It instills in children good, intrinsic moral values, and tolerance for others.

For more information on area Scouting programs: contact the following:

Boy Scouts of America, Abraham Lincoln Council

www.joincubscouting.org

Phone: (217) 546-5570

E-mail: AskAbe@bsmail.org

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Out and About

Don't miss our Day Trips, Family Vacations and our What's Happening Calendar for area family fun!

Summer is here! Enjoy the sunshine. Grab your sunscreen and a pitcher of lemonade. The FUN has just begun! Here are some fun activities to do around the house or neighborhood:

• Become shape finders. Pick one shape for each walk. Explore around the house or your neighborhood for shapes. Circles, squares, stars, pentagons, rectangles, ovals – you’ll be amazed at what you and your child(ren) can find.

• Make windsocks out of a paper plate and colored streamers. Cut the plate into a crescent and then attach the colored streamers to the bottom of the crescent with tape.

• Look for creepy crawling creatures. Grab a magnifying glass, go outside, turn over a rock or part the grass. You’ll be amazed what you can find.

• Catch lightning bugs in a jar (don’t forget to punch holes in the top). Then when it gets late, let them go.

• Look for creepy crawling creatures just like I mentioned above, but then expand from there. Have your child(ren) collect the creatures then go on-line or visit your local library to find out the names of the insects, etc. Make learning fun!

• Have your child(ren) make a scrapbook about his/her summer. Buy a disposable camera and let them have fun with their project.

• Camp out in the backyard on a nice clear night. Become star gazers. Have a book handy so you and your child(ren) can learn the constellations.

OR Looking for a change of pace?

Need an activity away from the Springfield area, visit a State Park. Check out our Day Trips page for a comprehensive list!

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An indoor scavenger hunt

Jot down a list of ten things that your child(ren) can find throughout the house. Perhaps, pick some items that will teach your child(ren) at the same time. Item ideas could be find a star shaped toy or something red. Make learning fun!!! Give them a bag to collect their goodies. Once the items are collected, go over the list with your child(ren). Congratulate them on a job well done. Repeat game with different items or have your child(ren) write a story using the item on the list.