My boys are at the age where we have to designate a “postal” helper for the day and take turns.  They both LOVE to get the mail and bring it in the house, mainly because they love to see if anything has their name on it!  So this summer, I’ve found a way to get mail to my kids!

First of all, find a state or country with your child that you might be interested in.  Perhaps the grandparents live there, or maybe you are planning a vacation in the future to a certain area.  Or, if you have school-aged children, maybe it is a region or a country that will be discussed in school this upcoming year.  Then, write a letter (my son writes ours) to the state’s chamber of commerce or the country’s embassy.  If it is a popular tourist destination, write them directly.  Many of these addresses can be found online or at your local library.  When children write to places such as these, expressing an interest in the area, the offices are usually more than happy to oblige and send packets of information. 

This is a great way to get your child interested in other countries or involved in the planning process of a trip.  The information that is received is usually great for school projects and reports, too!

Are we having fun yet?  Get ready for some easy and entertaining ideas for this week!

MONDAY:  Cool off today with a milkshake, courtesy of your own kitchen!  Here are our favorite recipes for milkshakes around here…choose your favorite, or revise it to make your own fave!  CHOCOLATE SHAKE:  Place 1 cup of chocolate ice cream, 1/2 cup milk, and a squirt of chocolate syrup in a blender.  Blend for about a minute or until smooth.  Drink!  (This is enough for one shake.)  STRAWBERRY SHAKE:  Place 2 cups of strawberry ice cream, 1 cup of milk and a 10 oz package of frozen strawberries in the blender and blend for about 2 minutes.  Enjoy!  (This is enough for two good-sized shakes.)  Try making your own combinations: vanilla ice cream and bananas, chocolate ice cream and caramel topping…what is your favorite flavor?

TUESDAY:  Let’s make our own postcards today!  You can use unlined (or lined, depending on your child’s preference) index cards – 4 x 6 variety – to create your own.  Let your child draw a picture on one side, then address the other side and slip on a postcard stamp.  Or, run by your local post office and purchase postage-paid cards to write and/or decorate!  Send them off to family and friends.  What relative doesn’t enjoy a handmade letter from a child? 

WEDNESDAY:  What child doesn’t love to make a bit of cash?  So, let’s set up a lemonade stand!  Have the kids make signs, set up a table outside and call the neighbors.  We actually enjoy serving a variety of drinks, from grape Kool-Aid to some iced tea for adults.  Don’t worry about profit; the biggest gain is the amount of fun the kids will have setting it up!  Or, take the proceeds and donate them to a worthy cause, such as the Red Cross, Meals on Wheels or Alex’s Lemonade Stand.  And, don’t forget to stop by your local library today!

THURSDAY:  This recipe may seem a bit involved but it is TOTALLY worth it.  After all, think of all the cool stuff you can do with SLIME!  Take 1 tablespoon of BORAX (found in your laundry detergent aisle) and dissolve it in a cup of water.  Then, in another container, combine 1/4 cup of water and 1/4 cup of white glue.  Now, add 1/2 cup of of the borax mixture to the glue mixture in a Ziploc baggie.  Add food coloring if you want a specific color, and knead the bag until it is completely mixed.  Tada!  You have slime!  Take care to keep it off of furniture and carpet, and, like many products, slime doesn’t last forever.  It will eventually morph into MOLD, so be sure and throw it out after a few days.

FRIDAY:  Time for a playdate!  Whether you host one or go to one, connect with a friend today, even if only for a short while.  The kids will enjoy the interaction with their pals, and make sure get some “adult talk” for yourself.  Everyone will be happier in the end!

That’s it for this week!

I’m one of those messy moms.  I buy playdough every couple of weeks (that is, when I’m not making it myself).  I let my kids draw with markers that aren’t washable from time to time, and we even create art with pudding and other foods.  Making a mess is part of exploring the creative side of yourself.  So, fingerpainting is definitely a “must do” at our house!  However, I don’t always have fingerpaints on hand, so I came across this great recipe for making some at home.  The best part is, it is completely washable.  So, make up a batch, set the kids out on the porch with some paper and fingerpaints, then hose them down when they’re done!

Ingredients
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 T sugar
1 cup water (cold)
Food coloring of your choice – to make it truly stain-free and washable, use liquid watercolors to tint the paint, or try different flavors of Jell-o.

Directions:
Put the cornstarch, salt, sugar, and water into a pot. Cook over low heat for about 10 minutes.  Be sure to stir constantly. The mixture will start thin, but it will eventually become thicker. When it is finally thick, take the pot off of the stove and let the mixture cool off. Once it is cool, divide it into small containers (small jars or leftover yogurt containers work well) and add a few drops of food coloring to each. Stir in the coloring and voila! It’s time to paint.

In the wake of Hurricane Dolly here in Texas (and the storms/heat/all other yucky outside weather stuff going on), I thought I’d share a great activity to try indoors this summer.  This is a great project for pretty much any age; if a child can hold a marker and scribble or color on a paper, then they are ready for this one.  All you need are markers, a timer, and a sheet of blank paper for each participant.

Set the timer for one minute, and each person begins to draw a picture on his or her own paper.  It can be anything, from a scribble, to shapes, to letters, to lines, to something more complex.  When the timer goes off after one minute, pass the drawings around to different people (if it is just you and a child, simply trade.  In our family, we pass to the right when three or more are playing).

Set the timer again for one minute, but this time, each person is now adding to the other person’s artwork!  Continue in this manner until the art is completed.  It is amazing to see what everyone can create together by adding a little to each piece.

Find great supplies for this activity, such as drawing pads and crayons, and other art projects at WonderBrains.com.

The dog days of summer are definitely here!  While the term, “dog days of summer”, actually stems from the position of the Dog Star, Sirius, during this time of year.  Sirius rises and falls with the sun right now, and the Ancient Egyptians thought that this action is what made this time of year so much hotter.  Whatever the reason, cooling off is on tap for this week!

MONDAY:  Nutritious and delicious, I’ve got a great smoothie recipe to share today!  My boys LOVE these smoothies.  If I could make them every day for them, it wouldn’t be enough!  They’re not overly sweet, and they’re full of calcium and vitamins (and, most importantly, they’re COLD!).  These are great for any age and so easy to make!  In a blender, combine a cup of milk (I use skim but any type milk will do), 1/2 cup of yogurt (we use either blueberry or strawberry lowfat yogurt…again, it is your choice as to flavor!), 1 ripe banana (cut into chunks) and four ice cubes.  Blend for about a minute or until smooth.  Pour into your favorite cup and enjoy!

TUESDAY:  It is really too hot to do much of anything outside in Texas these days, so we’re going to create Big Art today – inside!  I am using some old wrapping paper I have (it is actually my leftover Christmas paper from about three years ago) and cutting off long pieces of it.  Then, I’m letting my boys have at it!  Anything goes – markers, crayons, watercolor, construction paper collage – whatever you feel comfortable letting your kids use.  Spread out on the kitchen floor or another solid surface and create Big Art!  The large motions you make with your arms and hands when drawing are great for motor skill development at any level.  Or, to challenge older kids, have them create Big Art using only their FEET!  Have them grasp a marker/paintbrush/crayon in between their toes and create.  You’re sure to get some interesting results!

WEDNESDAY:  Think your kid’s got talent?  Let it shine!  Today is Talent Show Day at our house.  And, ANY talent goes!  I have one that is a total singer, so we’re breaking out his favorite songs on the CD player and sporting our favorite microphone – Mom’s whisk!  My other son is more of the comedian and instrumentalist…I see several entries from both of them.  Invite the neighborhood or just a friend or two – the more the merrier!  I’m going to be the video queen because, what good is showing off your talent if you can’t go back and watch yourself later?  And, don’t forget to check in at your local library today! 

THURSDAY:  Since we are, indeed, in the Dog Days of Summer, let’s gaze at some constellations this evening!  My boys were thrilled to get to stay up a bit later, and to sit and watch the stars come out, one by one.  Here is a great site for printing out a Star Chart (a map to the sky)…there are loads of other websites out there as well that offer great information for kids about constellations and the night sky.  If your kids are too young to stay up and stargaze, you can create your own constellations.  Using black construction paper, cut circles just a bit larger than the diameter of a flashlight.  Poke holes in the construction paper with a straight pin, then hold the circle up to the lighted end of a flashlight.  Turn out the lights (preferably in a dark room) and do your own stargazing – anytime of day!

FRIDAY:  Let’s cool off those piggies today!  If you have a small kiddie pool, this is great, or you can even use a large pan or bucket, as long as it is bigger than your child’s feet!  Put some water in the pool or other container, then drop in several ice cubes.  Now, it is time to go fish – feet first!  Have your kids use their feet to “catch” the ice cubes and pull them out!  Everyone stays cool, and the challenge is on to see who can catch the most cubes – you or the kids!

That’s it for this week!  If you have fun activities you’ve done with the kids this summer, leave us a comment and let us know!