5 Easy and Fun Activities for the Little Ones

I love finding new activities to do with the kids that a) are fun for the kids, b) don't cost very much and c) get their minds working. Here is a list of some of the things that we have been up to lately.

1. Monster Pet Rocks 

This craft is great! You will probably have everything you need in your craft supplies and in your backyard. 

What you need:

• Rocks (cleaned and dried)
• Acrylic Paint
• Googly eyes, or you can paint some on
• Hot Glue

First make sure you clean and dry off your rocks, then get them to paint the color they want their monster to be. Let them dry, hot glue their eyes and paint on a scary or crazy mouth. That`s it! They were super easy and the kids loved making them! I think they enjoyed finding the rocks just as much as doing the craft. 

2. Color Fizzies

I saw this one on Pinterest, all you need is a small bowl or plate with baking soda in it, then add some food coloring to a bit of vinegar. Get the kids to fill up an eye dropper with the colored vinegar and make drops in the baking soda. The vinegar and baking soda react and make a colored fizzle. Both my kids loved this one, and my son learned about chemical reactions while we did this activity. 

3. Growing A Plant

I bought some bean and sunflower started seed and pot packs from the dollar store a month ago. I then got the kids to watch a youtube video on how plants grow and what they need to survive. Then we planted out seeds, the kids liked getting their hands dirty. I got both the kids to water their plants and see how much they've grown each day. We had to replant all of the plants once they got a bit bigger, so we also made that into a project by painting each of the pots. The beans have taken off and the sunflowers aren't far behind. I have to say having the little bit of green in our house makes me happy.

4. Baking

My children LOVE to help me bake! Anytime we need to make a banana bread or cookies they are always willing to lend a hand. I enjoy this time with them because they get to see all of the different things that go into our food, and then enjoy the outcome! My biggest tip for baking with the little ones is to measure out your ingredients first, so that they can just dump them in and stir. If you are cooking with older children you can turn it into a teaching moment by asking them to help get the right measurements. 

5.Naked Egg 

We found this idea on Pinterest, like so many other great activities. Ultimately you stick an egg in a cup of vinegar and then let the vinegar eat away at the egg's shell over 24-48 hours. Once the shell is gone you have a rubbery naked egg. My son (age 6) loved this activity! He liked to watch the vinegar bubble away while it was eating the calcium on the shell. He then had a great time holding and gently squishing the egg afterwards. This was a great one for the kids to watch and learn.