A little fun before reality sets in....

Today is the last day of Christmas break and I wanted to make it special.  That being said, I also didn't feel like venturing out.  We  have a lot of cold/flu bugs going around our neck of the woods and I'm just not much for exposing my kiddos to it if I don't need to.  Soooo.....I decided to make a DAY OF FUN at HOME!!!!  After a little planning and a little shopping trip to get some supplies I was all set.  I didn't tell the kiddos my plans - just that I had some fun stuff up my sleeve!!

We started the morning with cinnamon rolls - a big treat in our house!  Not sure who was more excited...the kiddos or Matt and I.  I looooove cinnamon rolls!  Afterwards we tackled our FIRST project!!

Project One:  HOMEMADE FLUBBER!

It was pretty cool and easy to make (combination of glue, water, food coloring, and borax).....but it didn't turn out quite the way I was hoping.  On top of that Jaden HATES getting his hands messy, so this activity was more up Eva's alley!!  Ha!

Project Two:  DECORATED PLATES!

I found this project online and I wasn't sure it was going to work - but it worked BEAUTIFULLY!!!  I purchased plain white plates at Target and had the kiddos decorate them using Sharpie markers.  Afterwards I baked them in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  It makes the ink permanent so you can eat on it and wash it.  Both Eva and Jaden were super excited about this project and I LOVE how they turned out!!

Project Three:  JOLLY RANCHER SUCKERS

This may have been one of my favorite projects!!!  You simply unwrap Jolly Ranchers and lay them in a row of 3.  Bake them in the oven at 200 degrees for 5 minutes.  As soon as you pull them out of the oven insert sucker sticks.  That's it!!  They turned out so cute and the kids were so excited to try them!!

Project Four:  Crystallized Bubbles

I don't even have a picture of this project because it just didn't work.  According to what I read, if you blow bubbles when the temperature is below 32 degrees the bubbles will crystallize!  Unfortunately, I think it was a little warmer than that here because ours were just regular ol' bubbles.  We didn't let that stop the fun though....chasing bubbles in the snow is kinda cool!

Project Five:  CARICATURES

When I was teaching 4th grade I would have my students create caricatures each year.  I would have mirrors available and I would have them really study their faces to find all the little features that make them unique and special!!  Eye color, hair color, scars, freckles, tooth shape, etc. were all things we looked at.  Then we would exaggerate them when we would draw our self portraits.  

I decided Eva and Jaden were probably old enough to give this a whirl and I'm soooo glad I tried it out.  I absolutely LOVED watching them study their faces and draw their self portraits!!  These pics are most definitely going to be hung in our house!!!

(love the way his tongue sticks out when he is concentrating)

Here is the final projects (excuse the fact that Jaden is still wearing his PJ's and they both have Jolly Rancher suckers hanging out of their mouths)!  Ha!

It was SUCH a fun day!!!  However, the fun isn't over yet.....since our team is playing in the National Championship game tonight we need to all get our Irish gear on and I'm pretty sure dinner on the living room floor is in order (the kids think eating dinner on the floor in the living room is so exciting - cracks me up)!!!  Hopefully we'll be celebrating a championship!

"The best thing to spend on children is your time."

--Unknown