Craft of the Week--LEI'S

Make Your Own Lei.

Materials:
1. Flower shape cookie cutter or wooden flower shape(I found wooden shapes at Joanne's or Michael's for $.29). You can also find silk lei flowers in party shops and craft stores as well.

2. Straws--any color is fine. For this sample, I used four straws.

3. Yarn, string, cording. Enough to go over head without attachments.

4. Bright colored paper. I used two colors for this project, but one, two, three, or more colors work just as well.

5. Scissors

6. Pencil for tracing.

7. Sharp pencil or single hole punch.

Instructions:

A. Take wooden flower shape and trace about 9 flowers on each paper. (With younger children, an adult should do the tracings and later the cutting of the paper flowers.)
B. Cut out flowers.
C. Cut straws into about 1.5 inches in length. If the straw bends, cut out the expansion part and discard. With four straws, you should end up with 12 cuttings.
D. Punch a hole in the middle of flowers with a sharp pencil or single hole punch.
E. Knot string at one end about 2-3 times. Leave enough string to be about to tie/close lei at the end of the project.
F. Add straw first. Then a flower and so on.
G. Once you have completed lei, tie ends together.

*** For another project using this same process for tweens or teens, make several strings. Do not tie together as a lei. Door hangers/dividers are great project for them. Just tape the strings to the top of a door frame for an instant divider.

Tally Ho Movie Theater's Summer Movie Listing--$1.00

Yes, Regal movie theaters at Countryside and Brambleton offer free summer kid movies during the summer. Gets very crowded with all the daycare centers and day camps. They offer movies two days a week starting at 10am. A good alternative is the Tally Ho Movie Theater in Leesburg, VA. Movies are only $1. For those who get up a little later in the morning, movies start at 11am and offered three days a week--Tue/Wed/Thurs. Looking for a first run movie for a great price. The Tally Ho offers $3 Thursdays! Any movie--Any Time--$3! Here is the 2010 Summer kid movie listing:

EVERY TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY & THURSDAY AT 11AM - ALL SEATS ONLY $1

* CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS (PG) (June 22-24)
* MONSTERS VS. ALIENS (PG) (June 29-July 1)
* HORTON HEARS A WHO (G) (July 6-8)
* NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: BATTLE OF THE SMITHSONIAN (PG) (July 13-15)
* MUPPET MOVIE (G) (July 20-22)
* ICE AGE: DAWN OF THE DINOSAURS (PG) (July 27-29)
* HOTEL FOR DOGS (PG) (Aug 3-5)
* TALE OF DESPEREAUX (G) (Aug 10-12)
* MADAGASCAR 2 (PG) (Aug 17-19)
* ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS: THE SQUEAKQUEL (PG) (Aug 24-26)
* HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON (PG) (Aug 31-Sep 2)

Project of the Week--Faux Leather Vase

Here is a project I did as a kid in a day camp in the late 1970's/early 1980's-Faux Leather Vase. I am amazed that many of the kids from an after school program or my own have not heard of or done this project before. Really easy project for the 7 and above crowd. Younger children can do this too but under supervision because of the shoe polish.

What you need:

1-bottle or jar (glass or plastic). I have used old/cleaned beer bottles, mayo/spaghetti sauce jars, mason jars, soda/water bottles (with labels removed)

Masking tape

Old style shoe polish in a tin/not a bottle.(You can find the shoe polish tins in any shoe dept. It runs about $2.75 at Wal-Mart. Believe me a little goes a very long way. I have seen three colors. Choose your favorite color. In this project, I am working with brown.)

Paper towels and/or soft polishing cloth

Directions:
1. Tear small pieces of masking tape and place pieces at various places and directions on bottle until bottle is covered. Make sure the tape pieces overlap. Don't place to many pieces of tape in one place. This will make your project clumpy and will not work with polish later.

2. Once bottle is covered with tape. Go over bottle and make sure all tape end pieces are laying flat.

3. Open up shoe polish tin. Take cloth or paper towel and rub polish in a circle about 3 times. Now gentle polish bottle in small circles until bottle is covered. Repeat this process until bottle is polished.

4. Let dry. Polish is not wet or very messy, but it can get on hands and furniture. I would suggest that you use newspaper or scrap paper on project work area. Have young children wear an old shirt over their clothes.

Craft of the Week--Nature Walk Memory Saver

Very easy project for toddlers to tweens. If you are at a national, state, regional, or even your local playground, nature walks are fun, exciting, and (scary) educational. Here is a great way to keep the memory of a great walk and keep your child's nature treasures for years to come.

1. While on a walk, have child bring a small bag for their treasures. This project is best with flat object such as leaves, thin flowers, pine needles, etc.
2. Roll out an 8 1/2 by 11 inch piece of contact or laminate paper. Fold in half to achieve a crease. Open laminate to full page. Peel away paper from the laminate.
3. Have child arrange their treasures on 1/2 side of the laminate paper.
4. Once arranged, fold empty side of contact/laminate paper over the treasure arrangement. Press out air bubbles. If needed, lay a large heavy book or flat object on laminate.
5. You can cut the corners for rounded look.
6. Makes for great book marks with the use of a hole punch and ribbon.

Take Me Out To The Ball Game--Washington Nationals

A good old summer tradition is to go to a baseball game. The Washington Nationals have several family packages that won't break the budget. We just attended a game, yesterday. My daughter and niece had a great time. Not only that--after the game they were able to run the bases like the big leaguers! Sundays are Family Fun Days at Nationals Park.

Per the Nationals:

"Every Sunday, the Nationals offer a variety of pre and post-game activities that kids will love as well as an unbeatable ticket deal that parents will love.

The Family Fun Pack starts at $14 per ticket and includes an Upper Right Field Terrace seat, a hot dog, chips and a Coca-Cola product or Dasani water. Or, you can upgrade to a field level Outfield Reserved seat and still get the hot dog, chips and Coca-Cola product or Dasani water for only $25 per ticket.

Food and beverage coupons can be picked up from the Ticket Services booth, located just outside of the Centerfield Gates and adjacent to the Box Office. Coupons should be picked up PRIOR to entering the Ballpark. Coupons can be used at all Nats Dogs Stands, located on each concourse level of the Ballpark."

http://washington.nationals.mlb.com/was/ticketing/family_fun_days.jsp

Skyline Caverns--Front Royal, VA

Great Day trip! If you need to get out of the summer heat for a while, travel to Front Royal, VA into the mountains to Skyline Caverns for a little exploring underground! We traveled(including my mother-in-law who worked as a tour guide oh so many years ago!) to Skyline Caverns earlier this spring. Remember it is not as large as Luray Caverns, but it has many features that you won't see in the bigger cavern. The tour takes about an hour. There is lots of walking. If you have young ones, the tour guide does turn out the lights every so often to explain cave darkness or to change light color. The admission this year (2010) is $16.00 for adults/$8.00 for children 7-13 years of age. Children 6 and under--free. Seniors (62 & older) receive a $2.00 discount. If you go on the website, there is a printable coupon for $2.00 off regular admission for adults and $1.00 discount for children. You can ride on the Mini-Railroad for $3.00 per person. There is also a House of Mirrors for $5.00 per person. There are many places to eat in Front Royal, but bring a picnic lunch. Picnic benches are available.

http://www.skylinecaverns.com/index.htm

Craft Of The Week--Coffee Filter Art

You need something quick, simple, and works with all ages? Coffee Filter Art works will do the trick!!!! Once dry your child could make a butterfly or flowers from this project. Save this one for the winter. Once dry the you can fold and cut the filter into a snowflake.

What you need:
Coffee filters--you purchase a 200pk @ Wal-Mart for about $1.38.
Magic Markers
Water mister
Newspaper

1. Lay out newspaper in about two layer on table per child.
2. Spread out coffee filter onto newspaper until it is a complete flat circle.
3. Have child decorate/color filter anyway they want. (Swirls, dots, scribbles) Never a mistake on a filter. The more colors the better. The more the coffee filter is decorate the better. Leave little white space.
4. Now gentle mist the filter a little at a time. More water will swirl the colors more to a tye-dye effect.
5. Once dried, create butterflies by folding into a fan. Add eyes, pipe cleaners, etc. Make multiple coffee filter art. Dry. Fold layers into a fan. Wrap middle of fan with a pipe cleaner. Then separate filters to make a flower!

Great Day Trip For A Hot Summer Day--Catoctin Wildlife Preserve & Zoo

After many years of driving past it on Rt 15 to Pennsylvania, I discovered the wonders of Catoctin Wildlife Preserve & Zoo a few years ago. This zoo is located in the Catoctin Mountains in Thurmont, MD about 40-45 minutes from Leesburg, VA. Because it is in the mountains, the temperature is about 10-15 degrees cooler than in town. The zoo is also very well shaded. Due to budget reason, this is a good once a summer day trip. This zoo is expensive but is well worth a once a summer visit. If you purchase a membership, you can visit the zoo anytime for up to a year. Membership offer zoo discounts as well. Bring a picnic lunch & snacks to save on food cost! Plenty of picnic tables. Bring your walking shoe---lots & lots of walking. For the little ones--bring a wagon or a good stroller. I do not recommend an umbrella stroller unless it has good tires. This zoo looks small from the outside, but there is so much to see and something for everyone! Venomous snakes of all kinds, bears, jaguars, tigers, camels, lions, deer, lemurs, kangaroos, monkeys, various farm animals, alligators, wolves, reptiles, etc. They also have quite a butterfly garden! If the little ones or not so little ones get tired of walking, several small sand playgrounds are scattered throughout the zoo for their enjoyment.

http://www.cwpzoo.com/

Welcome!

If you are viewing this blog--thank you for the visit. I wanted to put all my notes of great day trips, crafts, and other activities in one place. The moms in my neighborhood gave me the idea to create this blog because most of them were starting to think about what to do with the kids this summer. They have a few ideas, and I was rolling ideas right off the top of my head. Because I have survived two summers without using daycamps (well--maybe vacation bible schools!) with my kids, I have come up with some good ideas that are all in one place that won't break the bank and keep the kids entertained--maybe!!!!!! Many of the trips are within an hour of Loudoun County/Leesburg, VA. Enjoy!