Mess-free Fun with Paint

As usual, my 4 year old came home from school ready to be fed and entertained. I also have a 7 year old, 6 month old and house to care for, so I try to keep extra messes to a minimum without constantly saying "no" to every request. After nixing the play dough and being scoffed at for suggesting a coloring book, we landed at the paint debate. She wanted paper, paints, water, and brushes to create the traditional masterpiece that would leave the inevitable mess and need substantial counter space to dry. I was filled with dread until I remembered a pin I saw about teaching handwriting using a colored liquid in a Ziploc bag. I grabbed my phone and quickly searched Pinterest for "paint in a bag." My impatient daughter was hounding me for paints by this point, so I quickly glanced at the picture and did my best to recreate what I saw.
I took a quart sized zipper bag and added about 2 tablespoons of washable paint then zipped it closed. She loved it! Soon my 7 year old was intrigued so I made one for her. They squished it, drew on it with their fingers, and made hand prints. This actually entertained them for over an hour, and was so much easier than getting out supplies and cleaning up after a normal painting session.

I highly recommend this activity next time your kiddos start chanting "I'm bored!" I did instate the rule that it had to stay at the table. Wiping a burst paint bag mess off the table wouldn't be half as bad as finding it in the floor (especially carpet) or on the furniture! It was still just as fun with a little limitation, and even my rough middle child didn't break it.

Isis (my 4 year old) is standing at the table, not sitting in the booster seat like the picture makes it seem, and she never wears clothes at home, so forgive me for the half-naked baby photo!

Plant Prints Craft

This morning the girls and I took a little nature walk behind our house. We live on the edge of town, down a culdesac, and have a large pasture directly behind our privacy fence. It's kind of the best of city and country living, which was a huge reason we decided to buy this house. I even brought my almost 6 month old along in the jogging stroller.
We gathered leave, flowers, and plants that looked interesting to us, and stuck them in the storage compartment on the stroller so they didn't get crushed or blow away.

We are saving the leaves to try out some leaf stamping later. For now we are working on making some beautiful plant prints. We got two sheets of white paper and layed our flowers and stems between them, then placed them on a foam mat and started pounding them with a small hammer. This is what we ended up with -

These are fun, pretty, and not messy at all! Its A great way to create ornate cards and invitations or add decoration to envelopes when sending letters. 

Fall Fun and Decor Round Up #1

Fall is by far my favorite season. I love the cooler weather, the colors, the food, the activities, and the holidays! I feel like we are finally kicking off the season here in Oklahoma (even though temperatures are still in the 90's!) because tomorrow I am accompanying my 4 year old and her class to the county fair. I plan to splurge on some local honey and a caramel apple :)

In the spirit of the season I've been getting a few ideas and projects together to share with my family and readers. So here it is, my first round up, for fall!

1. Hoot Owl Peanut Butter Cookies from Growing in Grace

These look so fun and TASTY! The best part is by substituting dairy free margarine, they are milk-free (so I can actually eat them)!
http://www.jo-ann-growingingrace.com/2012/09/hoot-owl-peanut-butter-cookies.html

2. Paper Punching Leaves from Grow Creative

Early fall is the perfect time for this fun kid-friendly activity. Get outside, take a nature walk, collect beautiful leaves, and punch out any fun shapes you'd like! The possibilities for creating with these are endless. Use them to make a collage, cards for family and friends, glue them to wax paper and cut out a pretty shape to make a natural sun catcher, or creating a mobile using fishing line.
http://growcreative.blogspot.com/2012/11/paper-punching-leaves.html

3. Spooky Dripping Candle Display

This simple craft is the perfect way to decorate your table, porch, or classroom without the mess, danger, and expense of real candles!
http://www.halloweenforum.com/halloween-props/111073-candle-cluster.html

4. Halloween Hand Treat Bags from The Queen's Card Castle

Perfectly creepy for passing out on Halloween night, or as a treat for your child's classroom.
http://queenscardcastle.blogspot.com/2012/10/hello-my-friends-hope-your-monday-is.html

5. Glow in the Dark Puff Paint Pumpkins from Balancing Home

If your kids are too young for carving or you just hate the gooey gunk from the inside of a pumpkin give this craft a try. You can use real or fake pumpkins and create fun designs or spooky images!
http://www.balancinghome.com/2012/09/puffy-paint-glow-pumpkin.html

6. Candy Corn Bark from My Baking Addiction

This looks so festive and DELICIOUS!
http://www.mybakingaddiction.com/boo-halloween-treat-and-giveaway/

7. Halloween Facts from Daily Infograph

Take the mystery and fear out of Halloween for kids young and old by sharing some history and facts regarding the holiday and its roots.
http://dailyinfographic.com/halloween-infographic

8. Fall Doodle Paints from Growing a Jeweled Rose

Teach your youngster about the colors and smells of fall while they create a fun, messy masterpiece with these awesome homemade doodle paints!
http://www.growingajeweledrose.com/2013/08/homemade-paint-recipe-fall-doodle-paints.html

9. Play in the Leaves

That's it...just PLAY!

10. Cinnamon Baked Apple Chip Snacks from Beauty and the Beard

These healthy snacks are even better when they are homemade, and perfect for a lunchbox or class treat!
http://beautyandbeard.blogspot.com/2012/03/baked-apple-chips.html#uds-search-results

There you have it! Be sure to check out all the featured bloggers, and try some of these fun activities with your family!
Stop by, and follow my "Fall Fun and Decor" Board on Pinterest for quick access to all these links and more great fall finds!