Friday Food Fun: Pretzels With A Twist

What little one doesn't love a good snack of pretzels?

But just like anything, the same thing over and over can get boring. Let's change things up a little to keep it exciting!

Give your little one some pretzel rods and then set up an assembly line of fun toppings! Start with a "glue", like cake icing or peanut butter. Then offer many small bowls full of yummy things to dip their sticky pretzels in. You can try colored sugars, confetti sprinkles, shredded coconut, crushed nuts, and cookie crumbles. Let your imagination go to town when thinking of toppings. Let your little ones come up with some ideas too!

The kiddos will love creating their own combinations and can definitely spend a good amount of time working alone on their creations.

Don't forget to take pictures trying out this Friday Food Fun activity and send them to us at MomImBored(at)hotmail.com! Click here for more yummy ideas.

Lighting the Way to Autumn

As the summer days are starting to get shorter, you might need a little more light as you sit outside and catch fireflies! Help your little one create a cute, rustic lantern of their own.

Clean out a tin can, fill with water and then place it in the freezer. Once it is completely frozen, grab a hammer and nail. Sounds crazy so far, but just keep reading it will all make sense! The hammer and nail are to punch holes in the can. (Mom, please be sure to supervise during this part!) You can punch holes in a random pattern, or on a piece of paper you can draw a simple design to use as a stencil. The ice holds the can firm while the hammering occurs and prevents denting.

Before you put that hammer and nail away, be sure to punch two holes in the top across from each other so a handle can be attached! You can use twine, wire, beaded string, etc. Later in the evening, slide a tea light candle in and watch as the beautiful light flickers around the yard! For an added bonus, try using a citronella candle to help keep those pesky mosquitoes away!

Want to hold onto those summer days for a bit longer? Try spending a day at "the beach!"

Giving Children Chores

You might be a little confused by this post's title. This site is supposed to be about giving our children fun things to do and how in the world can chores be fun? What child enjoys doing chores? You just might be surprised!

We all know that our little one's love attention from their parents. It may be hard to give them enough right when they want it if we are busy doing things around the house, so why not get them involved in a fun way? Here are a list of ways we can get the kiddos having fun while helping out around the house and spending quality time with Mom and Dad:

• Dryers and front loading washing machines are the perfect height for toddlers to throw some clothes in. Pouring in the gooey soap or cleaning out the fuzzy stuff from the lint filter is an exciting experience for these little ones.


• Taking out the garbage might be a little too heavy but pulling the empty cans back up to the house is easy work for tiny hands.


• Load up a squirt gun with some window cleaner and hand them a cloth. Sure, they might leave streaks but their pride will shine bright enough to make up for it.


• Feeding the animals is a job that's hard to mess up. Sure, they may spill a little kibble outside of the bowl but the dog will take care of that mess!


• Cleaning up their room may seem like a daunting task to a young child but as long as everything has a certain home it can be a great way for them to help out. Laundry goes in the hamper, toys in the toy chest and books on the bookshelf. Take it one step at a time and before you know it your little one will be able to tidy their room all on their own!

How do your little one's help out around the house? Don't forget to reward your child with a fun game or yummy snack after all that hard work!

Puppets! Puppets! Puppets!

These puppets require no sewing of buttons onto socks, no boring brown paper bags either! Just an ordinary stryrofoam egg carton and some permanent markers for decorating.

Cut the carton into 2-cup sections. Fold each section in half so that one section is on top of the other. Cut finger holes in the back for movement, then decorate! If you feel really creative you can use glue and yarn for some hair or googly eyes instead of drawing them on with markers.

If you have multiple children they can each have a puppet, or if you only have one child you can have multiple characters. Read a story with your wee ones and then leave them to re-enact the story with their puppets!

Looking for another way to recycle those egg cartons, try this! Have some plastic bottles to recycle, try this!

Let's Watch The Wind

Sure you can feel the wind. But have you ever watched it? Ask your little one this question and they may give you a confused look.

Let's make something fun so we can watch the wind, shall we? Let's make a windsock!

Two of the easiest bases for your windsock are a hanger and a paper lunch bag.

If you use a hanger, simply tie crepe paper, streamers, ribbons or thinly cut strips of fabric on the lower bar of the hanger.

If you use a paper bag, attach the same items with tape, glue or a stapler around the opening of the bag. Then attach a small loop on the bottom of the bag to hang it with. The children can decorate the bag with crayons, markers, stickers, stamps or paint to make it a little more colorful.

Hang your windsock on the porch, balcony, from a tree or in a window and spend some quality time watching the wind with your little ones!

Now that you've found the wind, would you like to harness the energy of the sun for some creative artwork?

Friday Food Fun: Magic Potions!

Ever have a hard time getting your little one to drink their milk? or eat their mashed potatoes? Well try this "magic potion!" I'm pretty sure most of us have it in our kitchen already, it's ...food coloring! That's right, your average run of the mill food coloring will end the fighting, begging and pleading of "just one more bite, puh-lease!"

Make sure to make a big deal out of adding your "magic potion" to your food or beverage. Ask the kiddo to help with the magic spell (you have to make that one up on your own) or just to say the magic word with you. Abra-cadabra! has always been my favorite. Then, once the magic words have been spoken, and a few drops added, find the most interesting spoon you have and ask for their help mixing in the magic potion. I guarantee you'll be mixing your magic potion into all kinds of tasty treats for weeks to come!

Need more ideas for your little ones food, Click here!

What's In The Box?

This is a great activity to help children explore while using their senses of hearing and smell.

Gather up a few small objects and a small box that is big enough for one item to fit inside at a time yet still have some wiggle room. A shoebox is the perfect size.

Put one object in the box while your child closes their eyes. Some things you could use are pennies, cotton balls, feathers, rocks, legos, and a crayon. Once it is closed, hand the box to your child and invite them to shake the box. See if they can guess what is inside by the sound it makes. Ask questions like "Do you think it is heavy?", "Does it sound like it is made of something hard or soft?" and "Does it make a loud noise or soft noise when you shake the box?"

To incorporate the sense of smell, grab some things that have a distinct aroma. You could use orange peel, bar of soap, flowers or a drink mix packet.

Have some extra boxes around? Try this or this!

Little Lithographers!

Need an activity to keep the little ones occupied while you fix dinner? They can do this first part while you prepare the meal and the second part while it's in the oven!

All you need is a Styrofoam tray (like the kind chicken comes on--I'd wash it first!), an eating utensil, paper, a paint brush and some paint.

To begin, take the eating utensil of choice and hold it upside down. Use the spoon or fork to draw a picture on the tray. Remind your little one to press hard so the lines show up!

While the food is cooking you can help with the second part! Take your paint and paintbrush and just swipe a little paint on the top. Then, carefully lay your paper on top of the tray and gently push down. Slowly pull the paper up and turn over to see your masterpiece!

They will love doing this so much they might want to skip dinner and make another. Don't have multiple trays, try using different colors of paint! Are they hungry for more painting projects? Try this!

What's That?

A lot of things can easily catch a child's attention like fireworks in the sky, a noisy train rolling by, or a dog running down the street.

But what about the tiny things they encounter every day but may not really take the time to explore? Let's take a look at tiny things!

Your child will need a roll of scotch tape, a magnifying glass and tweezers.

Wrap your little ones open hand in tape, sticky side out. Invite them to tap the grass, a rock, the sidewalk, or a tire on their bike with the tape.

Use the tweezers to pull off anything that sticks to the tape. Then examine it with the magnifying glass. Is there dust on the rock? Tiny pebbles on the sidewalk? Little seeds in the grass? Or small shreds of rubber on the bicycle tire?

Encourage your little ones to explore the tiny things right in front of their eyes! Do some more exploring with these great items!

Winners!

Here are the winners of last week's contests!

Monday: The 211 Things A Bright Boy Can Do by Tom Cutter goes to Rockin' Mama!

Tuesday: The Crayola Finger Paint set goes to Mama Zen from The Zen of Motherhood!

Wednesday: The Alphabet Paper Punches go to CanCan!

Thursday: The Princess kit goes to ISpeakBeanish and the Science Explorer Kit goes to Heather at My Family Loves It!

Friday: The Slushie Express goes to Kimberly at City Scribe Scraps!

Drum roll please! The grand prize, our Boredom Buster Basket, goes to................................................Kristie!!!

Congratulations to all of our winners and thanks again for helping us celebrate. Don't forget to email us at MomsMarbles(at)hotmail.com with your mailing address so we can make sure you get your well deserved prizes!

Contest Results Coming Soon!

Winners of last weeks contests will be announced this evening!

A huge thanks to all of you who helped us celebrate our new name! We are especially thankful to those of you who have spread the word about Mom's Marbles by adding our button to your blog and/or writing such complimentary posts about us. Our goal is to help moms out there to keep their children entertained in fun and educational activities while helping mom to stay sane. You've helped us reach so many moms and we can't thank you enough for that!

Don't forget to check back and see if you get to receive one of the awesome prizes. Cross your fingers!!

Hairy Friends!

Here is a great activity that can keep your little ones occupied for days, literally!

Day 1--Let's start with a cleaned out tin can, dirt/potting soil, grass seeds, and permanent markers. Give your little one the markers and let them draw a silly, crazy, zany face on it so that the opening is at the top. Then, have them fill it up with dirt, plant the grass seed, and give it a bit of water. Here's where a science lesson can fit in if you wish. Explain that the grass will grow out the top and what will it look like? Hair!

Days 2-7--Water the seed, and check back with Mom's Marbles for ideas of what to do while waiting for the "hair" to grow!

Day 8, 9 or 10--Once the "hair" grows, give them a pair of safety scissors and let them give their friend a haircut! *Disclaimer--We here at Mom's Marbles do not encourage the cutting of others hair, or even your own--we've all had the chuck of missing bangs!, only non-living, inanimate objects.*

If you enjoyed this gardening activity, try this one!

Friday Food Fun: End of Summer Fun With A Contest!

The last few days of summer vacation and days spent playing outside in the warm sunshine are slowly fading into chilly days with sweaters and warm drinks.

Let's make the most of the warm days we have left, shall we? Let's make slushies!

An average blender with ice chopping capabilities, along with some fruit juice or a little soda, would work just fine here. But do you know what would work even better? An actual slushie maker!

That's why we, here at Mom's Marbles, are offering a Back to Basics Slushie Express! All you have to do is leave a comment on this post and you'll be entered for a chance to win!

And don't forget to enter all of the contests from earlier in the week. We've had a blast celebrating our new name with you and hope you've had fun too. Don't forget to come back and visit Mom's Marbles, where we give you new ideas every day so mom won't lose her marbles.

Oops!

There seems to have been a teeny-tiny mistake in our button code. We've got the problem resolved now though!

You can find the correct button code over there in the side bar. Don't forget to add the button to your blog to be entered for this weeks grand prize, the Boredom Buster Basket!
And just in case you don't feel like scrolling down the sidebar, I'll go ahead and stick the code right here for you. :)

<a href="http://momsmarbles.com"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nArAEK_PGnY/SJ-F75kdfmI/AAAAAAAAAXA/URPGoAUjnhY/S660/MIBbutton.JPG"/></a>

Clean Out Those Closets!

Take some time to clean out your closets, donate old clothes to charity and entertain your children at the same time. It can be done!

As you toss clothing into a "donate" pile, let your little ones play in it! Let them imagine they are a mommy, a business lady going to a fancy dinner. Or if you are cleaning out daddy's closet, they can pretend to be a bowler, businessman, football player... Let them tell you what they are and be amazed at the imagination of your child.

Once play time is over, load everything, including your child, into the car and show them how these clothes are going to help others in need!

The clothes were already donated and the kiddos still want to dress up? Looking for something more their size to imagine with? How about a Princess Accessory Kit or a Science Explorers Club Kit!

You could WIN THEM HERE! All you have to do is leave a comment below. We are giving away both items, so we will have two winners! Please specify in your comment which one you'd prefer. And thanks for logging on to MomsMarbles.com.

Don't forget about this weeks grand prize!

Name Puzzles (and a contest!!)

Thanks for stopping by to celebrate our brand new name, Mom's Marbles!

Speaking of names, let's help our little ones have some fun with theirs! Here is an idea to help them learn to recognize the letters in their name and how to put them together in the right order. It's perfect for little ones who are just starting preschool or kindergarten. Stick around for tips on how to make it a little more challenging for older kiddos.

Let's make a name puzzle! Get enough index cards to have one for each letter of your child's name. Write one letter on each card. Don't forget to capitalize the first letter! Put the cards in a baggie and let your little one put the puzzle together.

Now for the older ones: Try cursive letters. Or introduce a new topic by writing their name in Braille! You can find the Braille alphabet with a quick Google search. Or make your own code. A star equals A, a triangle equals B, etc...

Make your cards a little more exciting by letting your kiddo color in block letters, write the letters in glitter glue, or make fun letters with some Alphabet paper punches!

What's that? You don't have a set of Alphabet paper punches laying around? Well, would you like some?

Just leave us a comment and you'll be entered to win a fresh set, all the way from A to Z! Imagine the fun your little one's can have with these. Comments will be left open until Saturday night.

And don't forget about the other contests from earlier in the week. You've got all week long to enter as many as you'd like! And of course, who wants to miss out on the big dog of all prizes? The Boredom Buster Basket! All you have to do to be entered for that is put our brand new button (over in the side bar) on your blog. Email us to let us know it's there and you're entered! Don't have a blog? That's OK. Just send an email to a bunch of your friends and family letting them know about Mom's Marbles and make sure to add us to your "To" list. Our email is MomsMarbles(at)hotmail.com.

As Plain as the Nose on Your Face!

We've all played 2o Questions, but here is a fun, more involved, maybe a bit messier way to play!

Start off painting an object with face paint on your sweet one's cheek, nose or entire face, but don't tell them what it is and make sure to cover up all mirrors/reflective surfaces so they can't sneak a peek! For example, a spider, a flower, turn them into a lion, cat etc. We usually do this outside in case paint spills and there is nothing reflective.

Once an object has been painted, the little one has to go around and ask people questions with a "yes/no"answer about what's on their face. It's up to you if you want to put a limit to the number of questions, or amount of time they have until they find out what's on their face. When they do figure out what is on their face, let them have some fun and paint your face!

Want to win some face paint so you can try this at home? No problem! In honor of our new name change we're giving away some Crayola Washable Finger Paints, perfect for face painting! All you have to do is leave a comment. Honest it's that easy! So click that comment button below and say "ENTER ME" or whatever and you may be our winner!

New Name, Same Great Site. Welcome to Mom's Marbles!

That's right! We are now officially Mom's Marbles! And we feel like celebrating.

Let's start off this week of prizes with a book that is just overflowing with ideas to keep the little ones busy, shall we??

We were so excited when we found this one. It's called 211 Things A Bright Boy Can Do by Tom Cutter, but we're pretty sure there aren't any rules against girls doing those things too!

Some of our favorites out of the 211 things are How to make and fly a kite, How to skip stones and Make your own tadpoles! There are one or two in there sure to make Dad chuckle too!

Would you like to win? We'll make it really easy on you. All you have to do is leave a comment! If you'd like, you can share a fun activity you like doing with your little ones but "Enter me!" is just fine too.

And don't forget to check out our new button in the sidebar! Add it to your blog for a chance to win this weeks big prize, a Boredom Buster Basket! Just shoot us an email letting us know you've added the button (or updated for those of you with the older version) and you'll be entered for the grand prize!

Thanks for visiting us at Mom's Marbles. Don't forget to come back and enter for new prizes everyday, all week long!

Mom's Marbles Is Ready To Party!

You may have noticed a little change up there at the top of the page. Mom, I'm Bored! is now Mom's Marbles!

Don't worry! Your current button will still lead you right here and typing in the old address will do the same.

We're so excited about our new name and URL (http://www.momsmarbles.com/) that we feel like celebrating and giving some stuff away! Check back all next week for a new contest each day. We've got tons of great stuff lined up to give away and everything, of course, can almost guarantee you at least 5 minutes of sanity while your children play away!

Each day will go with one of our Boredom Buster themes of Create, Explore, Imagine, Play and Friday Food Fun!

We'll also have a brand, spankin' new button up for you to add to your blog so you can be entered to win the grand prize! A Boredom Buster Basket! That puppy will be so packed that your kids will keep busy until the cows come home. And if you don't have any cows, that could be a very long time!

Friday Food Fun: Knox Blocks

Another trip down memory lane reminded me of a favorite snack Mom used to make, and Bill Cosby later popularized as Jello Jigglers. I know the snack better as Knox Blocks. They are easy to make and fun to eat!

All you need:

3 sm. pkgs. Jello gelatin (any flavor)

4 packets Knox unflavored gelatin

4 c. boiling water
What you do:

Mix Jello and Knox gelatin together and add boiling water; stir until all dissolved. Pour into 9 x 13 inch pan. Put in refrigerator until firm. Cut into blocks and serve.

If you poured the mix thin enough, you could give the little ones cookie cutters to create their own shapes!

Take a trip down your memory lane, what snacks did your mom make for you? Need other food ideas, click here!

Stair School

This one is a favorite from my own childhood: Stair School.

It's a great way for kids to pass time and it can be played just about anywhere. All you need is a small object that can be hidden in a fist and a set of stairs.

One child (or mom) is the teacher while the other child is the student who begins seated on the bottom step. The teacher holds out two fists and the student chooses which fist is concealing the penny/rock/button etc. If they guess correctly, they graduate to the next grade by moving up one step. The teacher moves down the line, testing each student before returning to the beginning of the line to start over. The game is done once a student has completed all the grades by reaching the top step.

Then the fun can begin all over again by having the teacher and student switch places.

What fun little games from your childhood have you shared with your children?

Need another game to pass the time spent waiting somewhere? Try this!

Magic Paint

We've all seen those AMAZING art products that are mess free. We rush out to buy them only to find out that one needs to buy the markers separate from the paper and together they cost as much as a car payment. Well, maybe not that much, but a lot! Right here is an idea that is just as much fun and much, much easier on the wallet!

Magic Paint! All you need are some old containers, water, a variety of paintbrushes and some sidewalk/driveway area or maybe the side of an old barn!

Fill the containers with water and give the eager artist the brushes and watch the creativity flow. Letters could be practiced, names written, animals drawn, gardens planted (and you don't have to weed it!) It's an outdoor Aqua Doodle!

Looking for more Art Activities click here, or here!

What To Do With Broken Crayons

There's nothing better and more full of promise than a freshly opened box of crayons. All of them lined up and just ready for your little one's creativity to be spread on page after page of crisp paper. And then it happens...

Mid stroke, perhaps because they are a little too excited, their beloved crayon breaks. The stroke is abruptly ended. The paper wrapper tears. And the crayon no longer holds the magic it did just moments ago.

Some children don't mind broken crayons and still use them down to tiny nubs that end up too small to fit in their chubby fingers and then sit in the bottom of the crayon bucket, lonely and unused.

Fear not, tiny crayon remnants! You will be loved by a small child again very soon with the help of these ideas!

• Make stained glass artwork by placing tiny pieces or shavings of crayons between two pieces of wax paper. Then have mom iron the two together on low heat or pop them in the oven on an old cookie sheet for a few minutes.


• Make interesting swirly colored crayons by placing different color combinations into wax paper muffin cups and melting them in the oven. Make sure to let them cool all the way before little ones get their hands on them.


• Want a quicker solution? Throw all the broken crayons in to the toe of some old panty-hose. Tie the hose in a knot so the crayons are really squeezed in there. The crayon ball will fit perfectly into chubby little hands and is easy to rub over a sheet of paper for a colorful surprise!

Have any other great ideas for broken crayons? Want some more tips for using up craft supplies? Check this out!

Box Animals!

Who says you have to think "outside the box"? This activity wants you to go with the flow of the box!

Gather up random boxes around the house or out of your recycling bin and some random craft supplies such as construction paper, paint, glue, markers, etc. Ask your little one to look at the shape of the box and think about what animal has that shape as well. For example, a toothpaste box could be an alligator's body or a neck for a giraffe, a frozen veggie box could be the body of an elephant.

Once an animal is decided upon, paint, color, cover with construction paper so that the box resembles the animal. Don't forget scales, spots and wrinkly ankles! Then add on legs, ears, and eyes with the craft supplies you rounded up earlier.

Your little ones will love creating their own zoo or circus! Ran out of boxes and they want to keep creating? Click here for another idea!

Friday Food Fun: Mommy Mix

What kiddo doesn't love to make magic potions, stir the rain puddle into the mud or make Lego and Lincoln Log soup? Let's face it! Kids like to get messy and mix things together to see what happens!

This week's Friday Food Fun idea let's them do just that! Get out all your half filled bags of crackers, those last few cookies from the cookie jar, those leftover marshmallows from last week's 'smores, and the remnants of broken pretzel sticks in the baggie in your purse. And while you're at it, grab a little bit of every other dry finger food you can find, like carrot sticks, cereal, animal crackers, etc...

Set your little one up with an empty bowl and let them go to town making their very own snack mix. Mostly marshmallows with a few raisins thrown in and cookie on top, cheese crackers with pretzels and animal crackers, or a little bit of everything combined. Your child will love being their own chef for a new snack time favorite!

And best of all! Because you used dry ingredients, this all travels well in a baggie in mom's purse!

What Mommy Mix items would your kids love to include? Click here for more Friday Food Fun ideas! And don't forget to send in your tips to us at MomImBored(at)hotmail(dot)com.